My "Area of operation"-training begins july 27th, and august 14th i´ll get on the plane, that will take me to Kabul.
There was a vacancy in the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) peacekeeping organization, and i applied for a transfer a couple of weeks ago. Today i got a confirmation that my transfer has been approved.
My job in Afghanistan will be "Liason officer/Signals officer", in a "mobile observation team" (MOT), which is stationed in the city of Aybak, few hundred kilometers north of Kabul. The MOT i´ll be assigned, mostly does vehicle/foot recon patrols around Samangan province... We also help the local authorities and organisations like red cross, to do their jobs... Actually, there are like 10 main tasks that a MOT-team has, but i guess those are the most important ones.
My tour of duty will last one year.
Ok, i know that some of you might think, that "This time, he´s really lost it"
But let me explain the reasons that led me to this...
- The change to make a difference. I mean, that country is really ducked up right now, and i believe that what ISAF does is really important. And i really feel that i could make something that matters, when i´m over there.
- Adventure.. Yeah, that´s maybe the best way to put it... I dont know how to explain it better.
- Experience... For a guy who´s lived in northern Europe for his whole life, a trip to far east will definetly be an exiting experince.
- There´s also a financial aspect in this... My income will more than double, while i´m there.
- Since my 6 year relationship just ended, i see absolutely no reason, that will keep me here in Finland (and no, that´s NOT the main reason, i´m going there.. It would be a Cliché, to travell across the globe because of a broken heart
)- And this summs up to: Beeing a peacekeeper is just something i´ve always wanted to do.
Oh, and let me just add, that we Finns dont have combat troops in the area, so it´s not like i´m going hunting for Bin Laden
We do carry weapons, but only for self defence.Sure, it can be dangerous (and it most probably will be), but i might as well be hit by a car, here in Finland (and there´s not too many cars in Afghanistan, so that one thing less to worry about
)... Also, Finns have a good reputation in peacekeeping, so i doubt that anyone will purposely attack Finnish peacekeepers.No,no... this is not a farewell yet.... I´ll still be around for a month or so... I just wanted you guys to know.
S!
