Well, I don't know why, but I never wrote how much fun it can be to work in a UN Peacekeeping Operation. Two days ago I went on a mission on the Lake Albert, and with my colleagues we did some boat rides with Uruguayan Special Forces on their little but powerful zodiacs. Apart from my butt muscles hurting because we never stopped bouncing on the waves (yes, there might be waves on large lakes), it was great fun. Very nice views, boarding small villages which otherwise you could not reach, not even by air, as they are located at the flank of mountains dropping straight into the Lake, encountering local population, discussing their problems, trying to help. Yesterday, for example, we board one of these villages, this time located in a swampy area. We had to walk for 15 min, pulling our zodiac before we managed to reach shore. Quite an experience.
And I haven't spoken yet from all the helicopter insertions you do in this kind of job. Just imagine. There has been a mass killing, or some militia exactions in a villages located kilometers away from any know and usable roads. Well you board a MI-8 or MI-17, you know those old Russian choppers used for troops insertion during the cold war, and there you go. You can take numerous aerial photos, and sometimes experience wild rides.
But the best ever, was when I went to the Garamba Park, a UNESCO World Heritage where you have the last Congo white rhinoceros. Upon arrival, I took with two of my colleagues a small CESNA aircraft, up to Gangala-na-Bodio, another Park ranger’s base. When flying over the park, we saw numerous numbers of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes and hypos. And I can hardly describe the sensations when the pilot dives close to the animals to offer us a better view, or when it landed, passing only a meter or so above the UN helicopter that lay stranded in the middle of the runway. Scary, but unforgettable.
I guess working with the UN is one of the most exciting jobs you can do. You go where nobody else goes (I mean foreigners of course), you use means which you could only dream of, and you don't have to be a military, nor work for a intelligence agency. Somehow, it's like being a "chevalier de la table ronde" but in modern times, the Grail being "peace on earth and security for all". Like the Grail quest it's an unending quest, with its perils and enchantments.
So, yes, there are positive things about this job, for those who wondered.
And I haven't spoken yet from all the helicopter insertions you do in this kind of job. Just imagine. There has been a mass killing, or some militia exactions in a villages located kilometers away from any know and usable roads. Well you board a MI-8 or MI-17, you know those old Russian choppers used for troops insertion during the cold war, and there you go. You can take numerous aerial photos, and sometimes experience wild rides.
But the best ever, was when I went to the Garamba Park, a UNESCO World Heritage where you have the last Congo white rhinoceros. Upon arrival, I took with two of my colleagues a small CESNA aircraft, up to Gangala-na-Bodio, another Park ranger’s base. When flying over the park, we saw numerous numbers of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes and hypos. And I can hardly describe the sensations when the pilot dives close to the animals to offer us a better view, or when it landed, passing only a meter or so above the UN helicopter that lay stranded in the middle of the runway. Scary, but unforgettable.
I guess working with the UN is one of the most exciting jobs you can do. You go where nobody else goes (I mean foreigners of course), you use means which you could only dream of, and you don't have to be a military, nor work for a intelligence agency. Somehow, it's like being a "chevalier de la table ronde" but in modern times, the Grail being "peace on earth and security for all". Like the Grail quest it's an unending quest, with its perils and enchantments.
So, yes, there are positive things about this job, for those who wondered.
1 comment:
This is a lovely blog Christophe...especially for one who has been in Bunia. My mind is flooded with memories of our stay together at Kwandroma...the meals, the music and musings about anarchy!Thanks to Yileen for this...you can be rest assured that I will be following this blog with interest.
Keep it up.
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