Forced day off

Party peole,

Yesterday all the roads in the city were blocked, les Jeunes Patriotes had made roadblocks to protest against the "audiences foraines". The "audiences foraines" are mobile courts held to give identification papers to the people because losts of persons (about 3 millions) dont have birth certificate or ID so they cannot be registered and be able to vote. All staff members were required to stay at home for security reasons and listen to the motorola walkie talkie radio that we have, to keep informed on the evolution of the situation. It was a bit weird to hear all those security messages on the radio, I had never experienced that before. So I stayed the whole day home watching TV, sleeping, doing some laundry ect...nothing very exciting. I was very tired from last week so it was perfect to rest a bit.

We were all calling each other to enquire about what we were doing....absolutely nada and we were not allowed to go out. I was on the phone with Christian and he was telling me "It is 35 degrees in the Hague at the moment, we would be better in Scheveningen than stuck in our rooms", indeed!!!!

I was also thinking of Leroy in Beirut, Aurelie in Kinshasa and Hich in Nepal, we are all in conflict areas at the moment. Good luck to the three of you and BE REALLY CAREFUL, PRUDENCE PRUDENCE PRUDENCE!

The roadblocks were lifted yesterday at the end of the day so today everything is back to normal. It is very strange because from one day to another the situation can changed very quickly. Sometines I have the feeling that I am in a movie and that it is not real but no this is the reality. I am very fine, I was not scared at all yesterday as I did not see anything specific in my neighbourhood.

That are the latest news. Life just goes on......and on WE people will just go out A LA RUE PRINCESSE OH and COUPEZ DECALLEZ IL FAUT EQUILIBRER lol!

Kisses

fatou xxx

Happy Hippy 27th birthday

Thanks a lot for all your wishes today. I am very happy to see that you have not forgotten me even if I am in another continent. I will have a dinner with my colleagues in a west indian restaurant next to my house, West Indies you are the best, n'est ce pas Yannis et roland! Love ya fatou xxx

Abidjan la Belle

Views from the roof of the mission and myself at lunch time.

Back to Mama Africa

Honey Bunnies,

How are you today? I am fine.

I am still in Abidjan. Work is very interesting, I am doing investigations on specific Human rights abuses (very nice to be out of the office and meet with people) and writting reports on Human Rights violations as well. I like writting as you may have noticed so i really enjoy it. Now I am almost fully equipped, will have soon a professional mobile.

Here we are mixed between civilian staff and miliary staff, so you can imagine that there is no gender balance, Boye you will be dying here as you are very concerned about it Lol! I would say it is 70 per cent men! The atmosphere is generally nice. We have a sport center I have not been yet but I heard that there is a Gym and some aerobics and even yoga classes Yay! I might try the yoga, i do not think it is Bikram Yoga as the country is already pretty hot so no need to sweat more in doing the half moon posture, A KILLER believe me!!! There is a nice cafeteriat as well, they have already noticed me because I am always asking if there is meat in the sauce and if the vegetables have been cooked with the meat or separately. Once the Chef has even prepared an omelet especially for me because there were no vegetarian dishes available that day. I know I am a real pain ask my mom or Tom selecta they will tell you!!!!

It is very nice to be back to the Motherland, back to the Roots lol!!! No but seriously, it is a real experience for me to be living in Africa and be surrounded mostly by black people. It might sound ridiculous but I dont know if you have ever been in a place where you are the only one who got a different skin colour. In Europe I am used to it, I can not even notice that we have a different skin color my friends but here I notice that everybody got the same skin color! I know it does not mean anything for us but in certain places it is a source/cause of discrimination. It is very nice to see another way of life, with very strong values such as the respect of the elderly, the importance of the family and the tradition, the happiness in people's look especially children they are so cute even if there is poverty, war, the constant hope people have and the strong belief in a better future. You should come to visit!! There is also very nice beaches!!!

I have to take pictures to show you a bit of the country, on the WE I will.

Time for me to continue on my report so I leave you here for now.

Take care.

Hugs

fatou xxx

PS: Mark I know that is you who is spamming my blog and signing with the name of Boye and Pubudu!!!!!!! lol ;)

BON WE DU 14 JUILLET A TOUS LES FRENCHIES.

Answer from my mom so cute: Ma Chère Fatou Souviens toi pendant notre séjour à Boundiali (au nord de la Côte d'ivoire) tu es allé au marché avec une amie alors que tu n'avais que 4 ans, tu es rentrée en courant à la maison et tu m'as dit "maman ils sont tous noirs ici, est ce que nous sommes aussi des noirs?"23 ans + tard la même question!!!Maman Apparently during a trip in Cote d Ivoire when I was 4 yrs old I have asked my mom if we were also black like the others, 23 yrs later I got the same reflexion!!!

Week End Detente a Abidjan

Les amis, Aie aie les pove bleus!!!! j'etais bien deg du resultat de la finale. La France meritait franchement de gagner... Sinon mon WE s'est tres bien passe. Samedi je suis allee chez le coiffeur he oui faut pas se laisser aller meme si je travaille sur le terrain!!!! Il faut rester femme quelques soient les circontances. Ca m'a pris une bonne partie de la journee, ici les gens ne sont pas presses!!! la ponctualite c'est pas trop leur truc. Tres bien la ptite coiffeuse ( Cf Prague n'est ce pas Lady Bird) Je suis contente de ma nouvelle tete en tout cas, petite coupe bien sympatoche, professionnelle, classe mais en meme temps qui fait jeune et fashion une Bombasse quoi!!! lol! ( n'est ce pas Ice Cream et Tom Selecta!!! classe mais en meme tps decontracte...) Dimanche je n'ai pas fait grand chose. Suis restee a la casa toute la journee a regarder la tele, cuisiner et dormir. Eh oui comme vous le savez tous je suis une vraie marmotte et ca faisait longtemps que je n avais pas pu vraiment me reposer. Pas de break depuis le depart de la Haye en plus je me leve a 6h30 tous les matins pour prendre le bus de 7h20 c est dur pour moi, snif snif Tears! Ici le probleme c'est que la liberte de mouvement est un peu reduite. Sans voiture on est un peu bloque. Ce n' est pas comme en Europe ou on peut se balader en centre ville tranquille a pied un peu partout. Je verrai d'ici quelques semaines lorsque je serai plus a l'aise. J'ai commence a travailler c'est tre interessant sans S!( n est ce pas Hich). J'ai fait mon premier rapport yay. Cet aprem inch allah comme on dit j'aurais mon materiel pour etre 100% operationnelle. De votre cote comment ca va? Encore merci de tous vos encouragements et petits mots.....je me sens proches de vous malgre la distance. J'ai pas encore eut l'occasion de prendre des photos mais dont worry ca arrive. Bisous a tous. fatou xxx

Another day in abidjan

Angelitos, This is my 4th day in Abidjan and I am still alive!!! Everything is fine, yesterday I watched the match in my little studio, I had order chinese food, was great. Allez les Bleus! Yesterday we had a working session with the HR division was quite interesting. We were looking forward for the visit of SG Koffi Annan but he did not make it and went to Yamoussoukro directly. I still do not know where I will be posted but I hope soon because I would like to be settled. I had my driving test this morning and I passed so now I am able to drive the UN jeeps. This afternoon and will have my computer, printer and mobile phone ( only for official use, it is becoming S-E-R-I-O-U-S) yay! I am getting use to the country, this morning I even took the bus to come to work. Of course not the local one but the UN private one but still. I was use to have my chauffeur in the morning. The rainy season is there. It has rained the whole day yesterday heavily causing floods in many parts of the city. I thought that it could not rain more that in London and the Hague but it is worst believe me. The nice thing is that here at least it is always warm even with the rain. There is no sun that is it a bit strange but it is very warm and humid outside and inside is freezing because of the air conditionning. I always take out and put back my jacket a nightmare. Hope you are all great. Thanks for all your lovely emails, sms and phone calls. Bisous fatou xxx

Finally arrived in Abidjan

Hello everybody,

I am finally arrived in Abidjan, thanks God!

So i left the Hague on Sunday midday and arrived in Paris sunday eve. By the time we finished to take out my TONES of boxes out of the car was already 10pm. Then of course I added more things in my lugguages, went to bed around 2am and my flight to Adijan was the day after at 1.35pm.

So we left the house quite early on monday in order to be in advance at the airport. I arrived there it was packed. When I arrived at the check in desk the lady told me that there was not enough seats for everybody so I was on the waiting list. I tried to explain to her that I could not miss the flight because I was starting a new job ect...She did not want to listen anything a bit like the Dutch when they told you "This is not possible"!!! You know what I mean. Anyways then she asked for my visa I did not have one but I had the letter from the UN saying that they should facilitate my entry in Ivory Coast ect....Once she saw the letter(Diplomatic passport guys Doreen, Bea did you remember EU passeport and others) as a coincidence she told after having paid your fine (Yeah you were right Emily I had too much things!!!! Should not have taken the stiletos you were right Nicole!) because I had too much kilos. I thought everything will be right after that but not really. So I paid ect the time of the flight departure was pretty close. When I passed the second gate they did not want to let me in because I had too much hand lugguage. I really have to learn how to travel light! Anyways so i had an argument with them and the time was just running they finally let me in. I was running up and down in CDG airport in order to go on the plane. I finally got in the plane at the time it was suposed to take off. I was lucky because there were too many hand lugguages in the plane so the Air France personnel had to put them in the truck of the plane. It took almost two hours....

The flight was generally good, nice meal, nice movie PERFECT!

When we arrived in Abidjan it was fine. I could not find the people from the mission to welcome me so I asked the information desk to make an announcement with the microphone. Dramane pick me up, went for dinner and took me to the hotel. And what I did appreciate a lot he had already bought me a sim card. You know how I am with my phone and C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N!!!!!! Unfortunately I have forgotten my charger, today Dramane brought to the market and of course I bought a charger!!! Cannot stay out of reach lol!

Today was my first day so i basically did the check in, running up and down from one office to another. I had lunch with a former colleague from ICC Christian was nice to see a familiar face indeed.

I met my team in the atfernoon, everybody is just as nice as the ICC DRC team! I still do not know where i will be based but I should know in the following hours or days....

The weather is hot and kind of humid, there is no much sun actually. The city seems nice, people are happy, I cannot feel any tension at all!

We will see how it will be in the next days I am generally pretty happy to be here. Of course I miss you guys but for sure we will meet...

Take care, lots of hugs

fatou xxx