Time for Adventure

At 35 my life was pulling me in different directions. I enjoyed my work overall, but the projects were slowing down. I worried about layoffs, and stress mounted. I had started a good exercise routine several months before, and I was able to maintain a good balance.

In mid-1993 I responded to an ad in "The Economist" magazine. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees sought staff with backgrounds in radio communications for short-term assignments. The possibilities intrigued me, having always preferred first-hand looks at things. I like to use my skills to help others, and I thought I wouldn't have trouble getting a leave of absence from my employer.

I finally had an opportunity to answer that question in October. I received a telephone call from a Scandinavian-sounding man in Geneva asking if I would be available for an assignment based in Zagreb, Croatia. The Balkan Wars were on, and they needed technicians immediately.

Frankly, I was stunned at the offer. I assumed they would use their finest experienced techs in such hotspots. At best I hoped to loll in the tropical heat of Africa or Southeast Asia. By January I was on my way to Zagreb by way of Geneva, where I spent a week undergoing training. You can read about some of the rest here.

Ditto for my late 1999 tour with UNHCR in Kosovo. The experience was just as invigorating, though the immediate threat to my life came from car accidents, not snipers. I witnessed the re-birth of four countries first-hand. That's pretty special.