It Ain't Over Till Its Over

I purchased my backpack in 1982, prior to my first trip to Europe. Over the past 25-years it has accompanied me to over 50 countries, encompassing five-years spent overseas. It has served me well, but in recent years has started to show its age. Even the repair shop in Vancouver I used finally politely declined to fix it, saying that it was just too much work. Duct tape started to become my pack’s most distinguishing feature. Fortunately, living in Kenya and Pakistan I have been able to find people willing and able to repair it. Now my bag is in better condition than me.

The big question now is what is the next adventure for my backpack and I? While my plan is to return to a more civilized and routine way of life, there is still one wildcard at play. Given that my leave-of-absence from BC Hydo extends until March 2007, I still have some wiggle room to take advantage of. Although I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved and experienced since I first set-off to Kenya 20-months ago, I’m not adverse to another adventure. Therefore, I’ve started the ball rolling to see if I can squeeze a bit more out of this mid-life crisis.

The normal Financial Controller (Finco) contract with MSF is for a one-year term. However, there are times that they also need short-term fill-ins, such as in emergency situations or for gaps between long-term placements. There aren’t all that many Finco positions so this isn’t a regular occurrence. Anyways, about a month ago I let Amsterdam know that I would be interested in a short-term posting and would be available up until late January (Super Bowl) if they had any needs.

I received a positive response and was told that we would discuss it further at my debrief session in Amsterdam on October 24th. The possibility of east Africa was mentioned, which I took to mean Darfur or Chad, which also is dealing with refugees from Darfur. For a short-term contract I would be prepared to go just about anywhere…except back to Pakistan.

This is all purely speculative and if the end result is that nothing happens I would be perfectly content. I’m kind of tired of being a transient and I’m looking forward to returning to Canada. However, I know that a change is as good as a rest, so while my enthusiasm has faded in Pakistan, I’m confident that it would be revived in new surroundings. Also, I realize that once I’m back in Canada, I’m back for the long haul (or at least, that’s the plan) so why not grab a few more experiences while I can.

So at this point all I know for certain is the schedule that I posted in my last blog story, which includes meeting with MSF in Amsterdam. Whether this will mark the end of this mid-life crisis or the start of a new chapter in my adventure is still to be determined. Therefore, I’m not letting myself get too excited about returning to Canada or about another MSF mission. Either way I know that my backpack and I will be ready.