Well, I figured I should post something soon. Shannon is really showing me up these past few days and putting stuff up more frequently then I am. I guess it is an indication of who has more free time on their hands. I don't really have much but I'll give it a shot.
Christmas is a little over a week away and I still cant believe it. The only way to tell that Christmas is upon us is the occasional sighting of paint on the trunk of some trees. Apparently this is a way Liberians decorate for Christmas... and let me tell you, it is everywhere! The weather keeps getting warmer and warmer each day which means the nights become even more uncomfortable. I might break down and purchase an A/C in Monrovia one of these days. Apparently, Jan and Feb are the worst. Speaking of Monrovia, I made a trip into town this past Monday and Tuesday for my medal parade. All of the officers receive a UN medal for participating in UN mission... now dont start thinking I did something heroic or anything because basically if you have a pulse, you receive a medal... They have medal parades three times a year, so they put me in this one. It was held in Monrovia at the Chinese Transport camp so the Team Leader and I drove in for two days and one night. The Chinese have a large area available for these type of events which is perfect for a Medal Parade. The Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) was there. She is in charge of the entire UN mission in Liberia. All the top brass from this mission were in attendance to watch; Force Commander (2 star General from Pakistan), the Deputy Force Commander (1 star General from Ghana), the Sector Alpha Commander (1 star General from Nigeria) and a few Colonels from various other positions and units. There was about 40 of us that received medals so it went fairly quick. The best part of the entire event was the Nigerian band. They had an 8-10 person band that played some sort of music.. I still haven't figured it out. Also, thankfully, they were placed right behind all the awardees, so we heard their splendor first and at a high volume. I literally think this was the first time some of these guys played their respective instruments. It sounded absolutely horrible. No one was on key, no one played notes at the same time... it was a mess. I dont have a good ear for music or tones, but this was terrible. The SRSG went down the lined and placed the medals on all the officers and after around 30 min, it was all over. We all then went to the Officers club at the Chinese Transport Camp and ate some refreshments. They had a fantastic spread of chicken, pizza, pigs-n-a-blanket, spring rolls, and some other weird things that I didnt try. It was a good time and it got me back to the city for a night.
Things in Gbarnga are still peachy. I recently have found a few treats that I will start to buy more routinely. On a trip last week to the border, I stopped by this place where people were selling a bunch of food on the side of the road. They were selling plantains that were slightly toasted on a small grill. I was hesitant to buy one because I had no idea how clean it was and if they used a utensil of some kind or if they just used their fingers to peel it and put it on the grill. I said, what the heck, and bought me a plantain. It was probably one of the best decisons I have ever made... It was so delicious and only 20 LD (~$0.25). I plan on getting them more often... One of my team mates also bought a kilo of fresh cocoa seeds from a local while on patrol. He ground them up and made us some hot cocoa... It was absolutely delicious!!
The Ivory Coast situation is still the same..... Last night, many protesters were killed and armies/rebels are still trying to gain position in the capital. Both parties are still claiming victory while the international communities (AU, EU, ECOWAS, etc) are only talking to the opposition party and declaring him the winner. They are shutting IC out of all proceedings and cutting off their funding until they get it figured out. Just like the Nigerian Band, the IC situation is a soup sandwich.
Here are some recent pictures:
This was the area where the Medal Parade took place. I didnt have any team members or friends as spectators so I had to take all the photos post parade. The stage on the left is where all the staff and SRSG sat.
This is where all the awardees stood. The Chinese camp is pretty nice; very large and spacious. Now even though it is called a "parade" there was no parading. We just stood there and received our medal. Yeah!
This is the Officer's Club where we all piled into after the parade and ate our faces off. Also, ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to introduce you to the Nigerian Band members. (The dudes on the right). I think they were talking about how incredible their performance was...
Here it is, folks... my UNMIL medal. Probably the highlight of my career.
I went on another Aerial Recon patrol on Wednesday with the Ukrainian unit.
Here we are, loading up into the Mi-24. The guy on the right is the Ukrainian air crew and the guy on the left is the Team Leader from Team 9 - Ganta.
So far, this has been the only indication that Christmas is near. Obviously painted tree trunks screams Christmas!
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