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Bad luck! For the second time during my stay here down
with the flue: a result of the continuous temperature changes from
35 degrees Celsius outdoors to almost freezing temperatures caused
by the use of air-conditioning. I have to use all my skills to persuade
all the kind people that I do not appreciate air-conditioning all
the time.
I am at Sri-Lanka on two assignments for the Netherlands Red Cross:
to co-ordinate the emergency aid for relief of the damages caused
by the recent tsunami, and to identify activities for the Netherlands
Red Cross in the second phase after the tsunami: rehabilitation.
Less than a month ago I was in China facilitating a workshop and
other activities for the Red Cross when I got a phone call requesting
me to travel to Sri-Lanka at shortest notice. This is my life: always
packing and unpacking, it seems nothing is predictable. But not all: I am often at my home in Nairobi, Kenya, where my
daughter of now nine years old needs my presence and support. Support
like helping her with homework from school, the Dutch school in
Nairobi, something that is difficult for her mother, my Kenyan partner.
It is often difficult to assess where I am needed most: in Kenya
or for the Netherlands Red Cross.
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