Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Just as the melancholy winter rains set in, causing me to ask myself, "Why exactly am I in Istanbul?" I received word from my brother that his wife, Cristina, has been promoted from her job as a Peacekeeper in Haiti to a Peacekeeper in some remote bush village in the Côte d'Ivoire. Côte d'Ivoire? I thought, Well, that sounds like a change of pace!
It's a lot easier to get there from Istanbul than it is to get to Haiti--apparently you fly to Casablanca and then direct to Abidjan. And Abidjan sounds kind of great, except that the FCO "currently advises against any non-essential travel to the Ivory Coast due to a tense political situation in the country. Reconciliation talks suffered a setback in September 2003 when the rebel movement suspended its participation in the government of national reconciliation. A comprehensive ceasefire has been holding but the situation remains tense particularly in areas west of Daloa and around Yamoussoukro which are not fully under governmental control." I'll avoid those areas, I guess, although I suppose that's probably exactly where the peacekeepers live.
Well, it should be fun. I can't wait. Congratulations, Cristina! See you in Abidjan!
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Jan '11
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Great opportunity for you, and I'm envious. I wonder, though, what sort of education/training background must one have to apply for a peacekeeper position. And, I can't help thinking of what one would put down as a previous occupation at the unemployment office, should the need arise.
In any case, and regardless of qualifications, it's the kind of work for which the world will never run out of need. That's job security.
Aug '10
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
This, not even two days after regaling us with the tale of Turkish academics in Iran - and bemoaning the lack of warning / preventative compulsion from the Turkish equivalent of the state department.
Have a great visit - don't get in trouble!
Edited on Oct 16, 2011 at 12:37pmSep '10
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
apparently you fly to Casablanca
There's a CoC edgy joke here, but I'll send it by email to you and Judith.
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
I will be crushed if you don't send me a postcard from the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, Félix Houphouët-Boigny’s insane, gargantuan white-elephant basilica.
Nov '10
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Enjaded of Istanbul noir.
(So laden with grim désespoir).
A resourceful Claire
Became debonaire
And rushed off to the Côte d'Ivoire!
Dec '10
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Claire, I wish you a safe journey. If you should yearn to see lady Liberty, don't feel guilty. We need you here also.
"Jacob went on his way and angels of Gd encountered him. Jacob said when he saw them, 'This is a Gdly camp.' So he named the place Machanayim*"
*Machanayim - literally means 'two camps' referring to the angels entourage and Jacob's own.
________ from the "Wayfarer's Prayer"
Apr '11
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Just out of curiosity, why don't we call it Ivory Coast anymore?
Dec '10
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
We do call it Ivory Coast. So do they. Côte d'Ivoire is Ivory Coast in French, which they speak because they were a French colony.
Mar '11
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Foxman
We do call it Ivory Coast. So do they. Côte d'Ivoire is Ivory Coast in French, which they speak because they were a French colony. · Oct 16 at 4:53p
Since they say "Côte d'Ivoire," we have to too, or we are evil insensitive imperialists. That is also why we have to say Pockeestaun now.
Now, if someone can explain to me why it is we don't call Germany "Deutschland," or Italy "Italia," I'll finally have the whole thing nailed down.
Apr '11
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Foxman
We do call it Ivory Coast. So do they. Côte d'Ivoire is Ivory Coast in French, which they speak because they were a French colony. · Oct 16 at 4:53pm
Foxman, I know that Cote d'Ivoire is Ivory Coast in French, for heaven's sake. My point is that a few years ago, all of a sudden English speakers started saying Cote d'Ivoire for no apparent reason.
Percival, that's basically where I was going with my question. You can add the 2006 Winter Olympics to your list.
May '11
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Peacekeeper? What, exactly, is a peacekeeper? Especially one that is "promoted" from Haiti to Africa. Who employs (pays) these peacekeepers? Are they military? I know about the Colt Peacekeeper. Do Ivory Coast peacekeepers use Colt Peacekeepers to keep the peace? Who decides what parts of the world need the peace to be kept and which parts can just go to h--- in a hand basket? Does Juarez need peacekeepers? Detroit? The West Bank?
I know these appear to be stupid questions. Just think about it for a bit.
Claire, I am not trying to dis you or your relatives. Please do not misunderstand. I am just really puzzled by this.
Edited on Oct 16, 2011 at 6:49pmMar '11
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Charlotte, the whole thing seems to have started sometime back in the 70's when Peking went to bed and woke up Beijing. Which is fine, as far as that goes, but Beijing is actually pronounced more like bay-ZHING, or 北京, if you really must get all technical about it.
And then we had to start calling Burma "Myanmar" instead, because a bunch of generals that no one respected said so.
The Olympic thing had me chuckling at the time too. I guess they figured they could charge more for commercials covering the Games in Turino than they could for ones in Turin.
Feb '11
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
The question on which the fates of nations turn: Who's going to watch the cats?
Here are all the immunizations you need. Please don't pick up typhoid or hepatitis A or itinerant roommates with sob stories.
Oddly, the CDC calls it Côte d'Ivoire too, though France is just called "France".
Dec '10
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Doctor Bean: The question on which the fates of nations turn: Who's going to watch the cats?
Here are all the immunizations you need. Please don't pick up typhoid or hepatitis A or itinerant roommates with sob stories.
Oddly, the CDC calls it Côte d'Ivoire too, though France is just called "France". · Oct 16 at 8:03pm
It's the circumflex.
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
That's for sure. Cristina's the only one in my family who isn't the least bit worried about the effect of the global economic crisis on her career prospects.
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
That really is the question upon which the fate of my own life tends to turn. But it's not impossible to find a reliable cat sitter. I will, of course, have to review the sitter's police records, medical records, employment history, and bank account information, all of it, including stock, bond and mortgage figures, projected annual returns until 2020 (with appropriate discounting of capital gain and windfall taxes), and take certificates of reference from former husbands (including proof of timely alimony payments). I'll also have to interview all of her neighbors and former employers, take DNA samples, and subject her to a thorough psychiatric inspection. But after that, of course I can entrust my cats to her.
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Pilli: Peacekeeper? What, exactly, is a peacekeeper? Especially one that is "promoted" from Haiti to Africa. Who employs (pays) these peacekeepers? Are they military? I know about the Colt Peacekeeper. Do Ivory Coast peacekeepers use Colt Peacekeepers to keep the peace? Who decides what parts of the world need the peace to be kept and which parts can just go to h--- in a hand basket? Does Juarez need peacekeepers? Detroit? The West Bank?
I know these appear to be stupid questions. Just think about it for a bit.
Claire, I am not trying to dis you or your relatives. Please do not misunderstand. I am just really puzzled by this. · Oct 16 at 6:45pm
Edited on Oct 16 at 06:49 pm
She's a UN Peacekeeper. I'd love to say more about that, but because it's family, I won't.
May '10
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
We should all scour our Colonial Dispatch daily for news of exploding diplomatic vehicles, conflict diamonds and the occasional coup. Then we can exchange knowing nods, thinking there goes our Claire with her cell phone again.
We should also refrain from sending her youtubes. I've never gotten any hits from Cote d'Ivoire, so service appears spotty.
Dec '10
Re: Winter Vacation in Côte d'Ivoire, Here I Come!
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Pilli: . · Oct 16 at 6:45pm
Edited on Oct 16 at 06:49 pm
She's a UN Peacekeeper. I'd love to say more about that, but because it's family, I won't. · Oct 16 at 9:22pm
Come on Claire, we do things to our families that we would not consider doing to strangers. If a person is murdered, the first place the police look is the spouse. If not the spouse, other family members. I don’t have time to look it up, but, in the introduction to one of his novels, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. talked about the difference between familial love and common decency. He concluded that we needed less love and more common decency.
Show your love. Savage your sister. ;-)