Thread: Employment Opportunities

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Was that a landing or a takeoff?

Mick,

It was a landing.

My personal security is OK. Thanks for asking.

BBC

Originally Posted by Dmmos

Thanks a lot for the lengthy reply BBC - it's very informative. Are you working with the AU? I'm slowly working back through the posts, but my computer's having a little trouble with the pics!

Sorry about the dimensions....is there a better way for me to lodge them? Any advice would be welcome.

I am now here in my 2nd role. Originally I came in as the Operations Manager for the US Dept of State's Somali Peacekeeping Program. That program had been in place since Mar 07 and it had deployed AMISOM, which is the AU Mission Somalia, and was supporting it until the UN Security Council could sanction the UN Support Office to AMISOM (UNSOA).

In May of this year a different opportunity came up for me to be here as the UNSOA Engineering Office representative, here in Mogadishu...and I took it. Plenty of work for a Sapper.

Originally Posted by BBC

Sorry about the dimensions....is there a better way for me to lodge them? Any advice would be welcome.

I am now here in my 2nd role. Originally I came in as the Operations Manager for the US Dept of State's Somali Peacekeeping Program. That program had been in place since Mar 07 and it had deployed AMISOM, which is the AU Mission Somalia, and was supporting it until the UN Security Council could sanction the UN Support Office to AMISOM (UNSOA).

In May of this year a different opportunity came up for me to be here as the UNSOA Engineering Office representative, here in Mogadishu...and I took it. Plenty of work for a Sapper.

The pics are fine, I was just using a slow internet connection... It truly sounds fascinating. This thread has given me a much greater awareness of Africa & its people. I've previously discarded any news from the area with practical indifference - 'of course, because all of Africa is rooted'. It's not that I haven't cared, rather it's just the usual case of apathy (which is terrible). I'm glad I have more of an understanding now though - especially with regard to Somalia. I did a little research & came across a tidy article about the broad geo-political attitudes to Somalia - the nation appears to represent a significant challenge for all involved, yourself included I assume.

I'd wish you luck, but I assume a Sapper wouldn't need it?

Here is a video I took yesterday at a construction site being worked by a local Somali contractor. They were actually singing and dancing before I arrived but my arrival and the camera led them to 'hamming' it up a bit.

[IMG][/IMG]

People who are in one of the most pauperate and violent places I have yet to see and...they can still enjoy themselves. No doubt, happy to have a job.

I'd heard of side-tippers but, until today, never saw one operating...have I been leading a sheltered life? What a cracker of a truck, goodness know how old but certainly a relic of the colonial Italian times...more than 30 yrs ago:













Had to go out for a 'run' through Mogadishu and up to the University where the Burundian Contingent are quartered...where the Pakistanis were during Op Restore Hope...Blackhawk down time:



On the way back, I stuck my camera out to take some snaps of these. On first appearance you might think...mmmm...hay bales. Nope. People are living in them. This is what is termed an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp:





Downtown, before the Km 4 roundabout:



Some kids hanging around one of the gates:

Then, after lunch I had to go do a recce on some land that is to be used in the future. Which meant I was outside the wire on foot, picking my way through the thorn bush and around the prickly pear..ouch. Had a soldier with me but, he was frightened of snakes...LOL...we saw two, which reinforced his fear, and I then led.

The piece of turf had been, probably for ever, one of Mogadishu's garbage dumps. Plastics, tins, and.....piles of bones....camel bones:







Brought some home to show my mates:



Coming back through one of the gates and the kids are always there, ever hopeful. Imagine walking around this sort of place in barefeet:





That was enough for today.

Ive been reading your grouse and eye opening thread since I found the forum a month or so ago and Ive got to say its blokes like you who make me proud to be an Aussie and for that I thank you.

Cheers,

Tony.

That tipping body was sold here in the early 70's on Fiat trucks. The body sits on four balls and can tip to either side or over the back. A nice idea but Australian operators soon found its weak points, as they did with the rest of the bigga Fiata. Neither seen here since. How is it that Fiat can make good diesel engines, aggy tractors, and construction equipment but make such crap cars and trucks?

Saturday I was called out to Nairobi and so, I left on Sunday spending two nights in Nairobi and back in on Tuesday morning. Work related but it let me get a haircut and it was certainly a change of scenery.

Not far from where we lodge is a shopping centre and these pieces of art captured my eye and imagination. I love them for their quirkiness and novel use of materials...clever.





Gotta love the sparkplug:









Note what Mum is carrying on her back:







Pardon my indulgence, I am not what I would call an 'art fancier' but, these struck a chord with me.