Mogadishu

I’m back in Mogadishu. When I was preparing to travel, it felt like I’d been away for a while. Now that I’m back, it sort of feels like I never left. Once I get settled back into my routines, it all seems quite normal – at least as normal as this sort of life can be.

I had a nice couple of weeks in Nairobi before coming. I attended two different farewell parties for high-level UN friends who are moving to new countries: one to the Congo and the other to China. Sad for them to go, but that’s the nature of this work. I’ve moved far less than most who have done this work for over twenty years, so our family has been less disrupted. I have fortunately had more choice over such decisions than some.

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One regret about this blog over the years is that I often don’t discuss what is happening in the world at the time I’m writing. The entries tend to be a focus on what specifically I’m doing at that point in time. But in retrospect, couching these events in a changing world could have added some color to the accounts. It can still be done, just not as well as if I had done it at the time.

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Perfect Storm

Case in point. An obvious current event that is impacting my work is the war in the Gulf. There are many ways in which this is impacting us, most notably the impact on fuel prices and commodities. This additional cost is undermining aid delivery and creating huge burdens on Somali citizens. About 90% of food in the country is imported. Depending on how long this war lasts, the potential impact could be devastating.

We have also had significant tensions around the country, some if it related to Al-Shebab but a lot of it is clan related. We’re also working in a context that has experienced dramatic funding reductions over the past year. And all of this is playing out amidst an unfolding severe drought. It’s a perfect storm that is causing tremendous suffering and loss of life. 

Dinner out with the team

 

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Cognitive Dissonance

Last week and this week I have attended several meetings and conferences. I get the impression that many here, Somalis and foreigners, live in a make-believe world where they are intentionally or unintentionally oblivious to realities on the ground. For some Somalis, like people in many other countries, there is a desire (or need) to disregard uncomfortable realities. Everyone does this to a certain degree. Maybe we know that the train is heading in the wrong direction, but we’re content to sit in the dining car and enjoy the view. We don’t want to think about things that make us feel uncomfortable.

Lots of meetings

For foreigners, part of the disconnect about the situation in this country may be caused simply by ignorance given that many are unable to leave the “green zone” for security reasons. Their understanding of the context is shaped by limited contact with the realities on the ground. For others in the international community, it can be willful ignorance. For example, a skewed perception that the security situation is worse than it really is can be convenient. It can mean people don’t need to leave the comfort of their office to go get dusty visiting a remote village. It also results in huge investments in an organization’s security apparatus beyond what is justified. It can also foster the disconnect mentioned above. 

 

And I sometimes make the news...

More Disconnect

Our team also has lots of discussions about corruption and illicit behavior, but there seems to be little real effort in dealing with it or even clarifying what it is. I was speaking with a colleague yesterday about this disconnect. She was talking about how Somalis define some behavior as normal within the culture when the same behavior would be unacceptable in other contexts and according to humanitarian standards. For example, it’s known that some bribery, manipulating tender a tender process, domestic violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, etc. are viewed by many Somalis as normal behavior, including by many who are doing humanitarian work. Yet we sit in large gatherings and assume that we are all on the same page. Somalis have grown accustomed to this disconnect and much of the international community is oblivious to it. Or it suits them to pretend that it doesn’t exist. 

Mental Health

Should be a tourist destination

 

I did find some time to get out and go for a run and swim in the "green zone" under the watchful eyes in the guard towers. It's super hot and humid, but it was good to get out and think about something besides work. When I'm here over a weekend, it's easier to find the time to do this. 

Colorful fish swimming around me

 

Idaho

St. Paul

Our departure from Louisville was frightfully early. That’s a good thing and a bad thing. The later in the day you travel, the less chance you have of being inflicted by delays. Plus, it allows you to arrive at your destination earlier. The downside, of course, is getting up and out the door by 4am.

We had a 4-hour plus layover in Minneapolis which we had planned to take advantage of by visiting our friend Cathy in St. Paul. She lives about ten minutes from the airport and we thought it would be nice to stop in and see her. It worked out amazingly well as she picked us up, took us to her house and made coffee and a wonderful breakfast. It was short, but it was well worth the hassle of going out through security and making your way back in. Security lines can be punishingly long, particularly during a partial government shutdown, but it wasn’t the case on this day.

Boise

We arrived in Boise in the afternoon. My sister was there to retrieve us and the Idaho leg of our journey began.

First priority was to go to storage and retrieve our winter gear. As the girls have been growing, keeping them in cold weather clothing of the right size has always been a challenge. With one daughter coming closer to her maximum height, it’s going to make things slightly easier.

pizza to go, but maybe a quick glass of wine while we wait

We had a couple of days to run errands and hang out with family. On Sunday we picked up my mom and took her to church and lunch. She seemed to be doing visibly better than when I saw her in November. The girls for the first time no longer have grandfathers, which is sad. But we’re happy that they were able to know them both, even while growing up on another continent. 

lunch with mom

The Mountains

On Monday, we headed to the mountains. We got an early start so that we would be able to stop by our storage at our New Meadows property (mostly for ski gear) and then meet my brother for lunch in McCall. There was snow but not as much as you would normally expect this time of year. I’ll take what I can get.

We would stay at my sister’s condo which would allow us a convenient starting point for skiing the next day. It’s rare during the holidays to spend an evening with just the four of us. It’s not something you want to do too much since you’ve traveled all this way to see family, but it was actually sort of nice just to take a pause before the socially active vacation home stretch.

 

Skiing

One of the highlights of my year is heading out into the cold, strapping on my skis and flying down a mountain at breakneck speed. I’m well aware that none of that is appealing to most people. As a husband and father, I need to accept that my family may, or may not, ever feel the same way. There are so many things that can make skiing/snowboarding off-putting. The cold. The expense. The steep learning curve. The physical exertion. I’m well aware that it’s not for everyone.

Also, not only did the three ladies in my family grow up on other continents, they didn’t grow up doing this sort of thing. Coming to the US and skiing once per year (if that), it can mean that one lingers on the lower end of that steep learning curve where it is simply not fun.

I will say that the girls both seem to have embraced the sport in spite of these challenges and it is my hope that someday we’ll have the opportunity to devote a longer period of time to where they can move farther up that learning curve. As it turned out, we would yet again have just a single day on the mountain.

the top of Brundage Mountain

Fortunately, the weather was beautiful. The first chairlift ride to the top, taking in the view of seemingly endless snow-capped mountains, felt worth all the effort to get there. However, once the viewing and selfies were done, it was time to put our legs to the test.

The first run is always a challenge, particularly for once-a-year skiers. But throughout the day, as the snow softened and as the skills came back, the gang appeared to embrace the experience. By early afternoon the gang was spent, and we decided that I would take a break from ski instruction and carve up the mountain at my own pace before heading to my other sisters for the afternoon/evening.

My sister and brother-in-law have a wonderful log home on the side of a hill. The latter is a master when it comes to preparing steaks and hanging out there is one of my highlights. My brother was able to join us which added to the fun.

another mountain selfie

The next morning, I had intended on heading up to the mountain for at least a half-day of skiing before returning to Boise in the afternoon. But morning rain (snowing on the mountain) and the reluctance of others encouraged me to opt out and hang out with the gang. I ended up having a cozy morning sipping coffee with the family and resting my knees. I think it was a wise decision given that there was very little visibility on the mountain and time with family is precious. As I guessed, the following day would be the epic ski day with the fresh snow and sun. I, unfortunately, would be long gone by then. 

the best steaks

 

Back to Boise

Upon arriving in Boise that evening, we had a wonderful family gathering at my sister’s. My mom was able to come as well as my aunt and uncle. It’s been a while since I’ve had some one-on-one time with my uncle and it was so nice to catch up with him. I have always felt a special bond with him and not only because I was named after him. As a kid, I spent more time fishing with him than I did my father. Living overseas makes it hard to maintain close relationships with people, but with some you can pick up right where you left off – even if you haven’t seen each other for some time.

It was a nice evening for my daughters as well. They haven’t had the easiest time with my family given that they are sort of between generations. Their cousins are a half-generation older than they are and the cousins’ children are a half-generation younger. As such, they haven’t had a lot of peers to hang out with. This time, however, now that they are a bit more grown up, they seemed to connect more naturally with the cousins. It’s a different kind of connection than you have with aunts, uncles and grandparents.

a pair of Rich's

On Friday, it was time to head to the airport. The past few years we have targeted a Saturday evening arrival in Nairobi rather than pushing it to Sunday. It gives you a day to start getting over jet lag and mentally regroup before heading back to work/school on Monday.

We missed some epic rains in Nairobi on Friday evening. Many were saying it was unlike anything they’d ever seen. There were dozens of recorded deaths from the flooding and there was apparently chaos around the city and surrounding areas. By the time we arrived, you could see evidence of the flooding, but the worst was over. Back to the grind.

 

Indiana

Travel Woes

I recently read an article in the Washington Post about how basic economy ticket holders are experiencing increasing abuse by airlines in an effort to get people to pay higher fares. I saw the piece two days after returning to the US while traveling under those same conditions. I fear that it may work on me.

This is something that has increased over the past few years. You can still find reasonable airfare but you are increasingly subjected to travel conditions that can make for a miserable travel experience. For example, you can’t select your seats and you are generally relegated to less desirable locations within the airplane (e.g. middle seats as well as the back row when you are unable to recline and you are last to disembark). You’re also last to board. They’ve created a zone 8 even for small aircraft to enhance your shame in paying so little for your ticket. I generally embrace boarding last since it translates to less time on the plane, but when you’re traveling with people who have roller bags that need overhead cabin space, it often means that space gets used up and you’ll end up needed to check the carry-ons.

I’m also hearing that they are going to increasingly prevent you from accumulating mileage for the rewards program if you travel as a cheapskate. This is of more concern to me since I have benefited from the perks of the program. 

Some of those inflicted by this torment are people who, like some college students/staff who were on our plane, or like me when I travel for work, have organizations that require them to travel on lowest fare available. And taller/larger people pay the biggest price for the smaller seats.

Anyway, as I travel several thousand miles per year, this is becoming a bigger issue.  We shall see if the resources we have for traveling as a my family will allow for the less painful treatment.

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Indiana

We did, however, manage to get to our destination for our February trip. It’s tough to squeeze in travel to two different parts of the US within a 2-week period – the amount of time allotted to us given the girls’ school vacation. But as I experienced with the passing of my father last year, time with family is valuable. It’s just more complicated and expensive for us than it is for most people.

shooting hoops with the kids

Travel from east to west tends to present fewer problems with jet lag for our family than traveling west to east. As such, we jumped right into the routines of visiting family in southern Indiana. The weather was cold but not uncomfortable, at least not for me. We did receive a small amount of snow, but it didn’t last even a half-day.

at least we had a little snow

The visit went more or less as anticipated. Church with grandma. Morning workouts. Afternoon tea with whoever was around on that particular day. Family dinners most evenings. Kiran and I needed to allocate time for her schoolwork, so we took advantage of the local library. I do love libraries, but they seem to be struggling to stay alive.

studying in the library - while on vacation...

On one afternoon we went to a massive indoor high school track and field event in Louisville. It was impressive to say the least. There were schools from all over Kentucky and each of the running events had nearly a dozen heats. The event officials were efficient in allowing very little time between each heat so that hundreds and hundreds of kids were able to compete throughout the course of the day. We went because our niece was competing in the 200m. She easily won her heat which is always satisfying.

high school sports are on another level than when I was competing

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We also went to a performance at a place called Derby Dinner. We have been going there about once a year for several years. This year we saw a play that I knew very little about called The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It’s a quirky play that was briefly on Broadway and was nominated for a couple of Tony Awards. I had heard of it a long time ago but had never seen it.

evening out with the family

It’s one of those plays that is entertaining for all ages, particularly for a play that takes place entirely on a single set. It’s cleverly written and the local cast was pretty impressive. An unusual aspect of the show, apparently no matter where it is performed, is that four real audience members are invited on stage to compete in the spelling bee alongside the six young characters. It adds a little improv to the show.

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The Duchess

Prior to leaving on our vacation, I received a request from the UK embassy to participate in hosting a VIP visit so Mogadishu. In fact, they referred to it as a VVIP visit and they couldn’t even communicate to me the identity of the proposed visitor. As preparations moved forward, we couldn’t resist in speculating who the visitor would be. But with the information provided, it was increasingly clear that it was going to be the Duchess of Edinburgh, sister-in-law of the King. In addition to working with my team to host a visit to one of our health facilities, I was invited to participate in a dinner that was hosted in her honor. The problem? I would be in Indiana. Bummer.

It’s the second opportunity I have had to meet a member of the royal family. A few years ago, I was invited to participate in an event hosted by (then) Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. He has always been keen on fighting climate change and our organization, with its English connections and respected work in this area, obtained an invitation to an event that would “possibly” take place. As it happened, I had a Somali staff who was already going to be in London at the time and, given the uncertainty around the event, I put her name forward instead of mine. It didn’t seem to make sense for me to fly to London without knowledge if or when the event would take place.

As you might guess, the event did indeed happen, and my colleague promptly shared the photo of her shaking hands with the future king. I’m now 0/2 in meeting royals.