Latest News, Mogadishu under fire.

Lunch time today, mortar and gunfire on Mogadishu Int'l airport:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6293897.stm (so quick, as usual its all here).

Oops...

Back to work

Three weeks sleeping and sleeping, but yet, its time to go back. Emergencies, do not wait for Mr Fab to have his rest. Its time to go to work again.

The day starts like this, once its decided of where he should go, its time to wake up! 7:00am, Fab packs his clothes and few belongs in a 60l bag pack. An additional small buisness suitcase will be taken to fit the valuable stuff in it: work laptop, a hard drive with a few photos, music, and other things, the legendary ipod, and a headset. Lunch, its rather sad despite the efforts of the family trying their best to hide their worries and sadness to see him go again. Still its a very intense moment as each keeps inside his pain, but tries to enjoy as much as possible this time. The last lunch home was potatoes with savoyard cheese! Delicious! Thanks!!!

Time is for the ride to the train station, 20 minutes away from him. It nothing, indeed, but its certainly the worst journey on the way to work. It also time to HUG very deeply and lovely his mother. None of mum or fabrice cries, its a matter of respect for each other. Father will seat on the passenger side while fab will drive the car to the train station, just for the good fun of driving in a "civilized traffic". Arrived at the train station, while mum is certainly already crying rivers, dad have a coffe with him. As dad is very reserved and does not like to show his sorrow, he will leave before the train comes. A last big hug for him too, and father and son, are appart. Dad will certainly drive home and make sure that mum isn't going mad about it, after all, she does eventually got used to this come and go thing (she said). Fabs take a last sip of the coffe, and jumps in the train! This is the thinking, dreaming, wondering, scaring trip to Paris. Its when he has in his head all these things about what where why.... its a 2h30 journey. Thats more than enough to think of life for. Slowly the mind gets ready for the work to start. Its like this everytime, but everytime, its becoming more and more difficult to leave home for these first two journey. Then from the moment he is in Paris, it becomes easier... it like he is away for good already, and this makes it all a lot easier. He will have to spend one night in Paris to ensure that the plane is being taken ontime tomorrow. From the train station it will be underground to a nice area of Paris, where Fab has arranged to meet a friend. But first, he will find a hotel where to sleep for the night. Unlike usual most friend who could provide somewhere to squat, there is none this time. Hotel is found, time to standby till the evening, its 16:30.

22:15, out the hotel, walk for 15 minutes to the friend place, from St michel to Place Monge. Here she is, late but anyway here, they both walk to get the car some one km away from here, yeah, it isnt easy to park in paris! This friend is someone from pakistan, who happened to be from paris, and worth keeping in touch with as a friend from pakistan in France (through she is french...). A small party before bed time, and by 2:00am Fab is asleep at the hotel, with himself, of course!!! come on!

10;00am off to the airport, check out the hotel, underground, terminal, 2 hours wait, in the plane, flying over europe, and 2:30 local time, arrived in Dubai UAE. Hotel driver is here, so there he goes to the hotel, straight to bed, but not able to fall asleep before 4am, it will be a short night. Not much time to do anything, 8am, heading to the office, the mission now, is to pick up essential "Nomade" articles (mosquito net, toilet things, survival kit, and 50 kilos of tools), oh, and I forget, money, plane ticket, and mission infos.

12:00, Taxi is here, ride to the airport, check in (1h queue), terminal (1h), in the plane, flying over to Nairobi, Kenya! At last, arrived to work! now things almost start.... almost yeah... still, Somalia is where the real work start...

Fab will be in Nairobi for 6 days, time to sort permissions and security clearing to enter this hot spot. The first location to work in will be Mogadishu for 8 days. Mogadishu is the worst place in entire Somalia in terms of security, so things have been arranged so that permissions to enter come from the highest authorities possible, and that an immediate evacuation, if need be, is done easily. What does this mean ? well, the entire 8 days will be spent in a wall surrounded counpound near a runaway for the plane to take off. 400m to be accurate. This will allow quick escape, just in case things gets out of hand like its happening in Somalia for the last years. In the end, I hope this country will find its way to peace and unity for all. After Moga, will be two other towns for another 14 days, and then, who knows whats next after that....

Fab is stressed about it of course, its probably the most dangerous place he ever had to put his foot into. Its also going to be stressfull to be with only two other expates, in the middle of a warfield. But somehow, he will still go there. There are a million reasons to discuss about it, and probably two outcomes possible, Dead or alive.

I Wasn't to sure I'd write anything about this, but I guess its better to be said, just in case... I know its dangerous, and possibly deadly... But, its got to be done, I have escaped an other conflict before, by refusing to go, but then, in the end, I do have to pay a tribute for my collegues who went, when I didnt. And afterall, Im not yet about to leave this work, so what the heck, I go. Will see what happen, in the end, I do beleive, that the chances to be killed somewhere, are equal whether you are there or there, I beleive thats it all written, therefore, not eligible for stress overdose.

Anyway, no worries, im cool with it, I have had a great life so far, A one of a kind love once, and only once, reached a dream; that was to travel and see the world populations, do not be obsessed with money matters, a good health. The only thing I did not have yet, in this happy life, is a kid or many, and a loving wife to go with it, this will be once I have finished certain acheivment I got to do... anyway, its has not shown up yet, so why bother worrying about it, life does it all its own way, we can only decide to walk or stand.

To all readers, specially the one I know, and really also, a big Hug, and lots of love, from the deepest of my soul. Special message to 007: "I know you".

Take good care all, see you when you see me..... :)