Sylvia's Journal

Today was full of small management glitches – they kind that are maybe not very serious in their consequences and beautiful opportunities to remind people to check assumptions and expectations before it is too late and they turn out to be wrong or not met. That is probably the number one cause of organizational irritations in any part of the world. If not nipped in the bud, these irritations become organizational dysfunctions, like when people no longer talk to each other or stop taking action because they think it/they/you are no good.

I also learned from my (female) Dari teacher that I had exposed my ankles too much and people were talking. I was grateful that she told me and realized that the many men around me could probably not say anything about that because it meant they had been eying my ankles. It is true that I have been wearing a long skirted dress that ends about 6 inches above the ground. Somehow I thought that by now it would be OK – I don’t know why, wishful thinking maybe, and besides I like the dress. My teacher told me to wear pants underneath them – the lacy pantaloons that women wear under dresses. I don’t have them but I have leggings. I am not sure that is OK. I guess, to be on the safe side, I will return to pants. Since winter is coming that is not too much of a sacrifice.

Ankie left for Dubai and then Holland and then Cameroon (if the French aviation fuel is flowing again next week), and Sophia, our new house guest moved in. I don’t know Sophia, other than that we are friends on facebook, which is why I asked her to stay with us. She is from our Washington office and this seemed like a good opportunity for us to get to know each other.