Sylvia's Journal

I woke up from a very vivid dream about meeting up with friends in a Buddhist temple somewhere in Pakistan or Afghanistan. The dream was full of images that are associated with ordinary life as well as adventurers.

For ordinary life there was, among other things, a kitchen overrun by dirty dishes and ants. The ants marched in full platoon formation as the Romans do in comic books. They were carrying loot with them.

The adventurers consisted of hippies, pilgrims and a family on World War I motor bikes, mom and dad on their own, with baby strapped to the back and little Johnny, hardly 6 on his own bike that was way too large. He managed with utmost concentration while his proud parents smiled at their clever progeny.

The friends who I found in the temple were my colleague Chantelle who lives in Pakistan for real and with whom I am about to get in the phone – and Tina, the wife of MSH’s president, who has lived in Pakistan at some point in time for real as well. Both wore scarves covering their head. Needless to say, Afghanistan is on my mind a lot these days.

I drove in to work yesterday listening to Obama addressing the world from Cairo. I heard his dream, which is one I share. Dreams are conveyed by words and thus words are important. People can say what they want about action. I prefer a thousand times words spoken from the heart before action over words spoken after action. In the latter case such words are almost always about regret or, if there is no heart involved, to justify the action.

With Obama’s words in my head and heart I had my second interview for the position in Afghanistan with a colleague in Nicaragua who is one of 5 people I am to speak with. The remaining three are all based in Kabul and have all known about my intention to apply for the job. I have worked closely with each of them during my last visit there. They know what I can do. But there is a corporate recruitment process that has to be adhered to and it is possible that they are interested in other candidates. Scheduling the remaining interviews is becoming increasingly difficult. As a result, I don’t think our planned trip to Kabul on June 15 will happen.