The "New Crew"

During my time home for Christmas, I attended the Canadian Police College and made a presentation to the new group of police officers slated for deployment to Afghanistan in mid-February. I thought it was great timing as they had just started their course and it gave me an oppourtunity to introduce myself and make a presentation about our Police Mission in Afghanistan.

The two pictures were taken by one of the guys in training....and of course I can't recall his name. I feel terrible as I promised I would give him the photo credit. No doubt I will be reminded when I see him.

Currently there are 23 folks in training and this is the first rotation where the majority are coming to Kabul and not Kandahar. We are beginning to transition all of our CivPol resources north so that come July, we will no longer be in the south. This is in response to the new Canadian Engagement Strategy for Afghanistan.

We are working hard behind the scenes here in Kabul getting ready for their arrival as there are so many issues to be worked out as everything is a challenge here. Something as simple as picking up 23 people at the airport and transporting them to their respective work locations, is a big deal. Just when we think we have it nailed down, something changes which has a ripple effect through all the plans.

That being said, we are very much looking forward to the "new crew" as I know they all bring unique skills and experience to the Mission which are in critical need as we continue to train and mentor the ANP.

Jamaica - Part 2

I was going through my Jamaica pictures trying to decide which ones to post and it really jumped out at me just how vastly diverse our world is. Quite simply, all the pictures from Jamaica are green and the ones from Afghanistan are brown. What a difference....didn't even need to enlarge the photo's, one quick glance and it was readily apparent where they were taken.

I have included pictures of the "Honeymoon Cottage" where we stayed. The cottage was split into four seperate suites and we shared a small private pool in the back. Each morning Debra and I would have a cup of coffee on the patio and take in the amazing sights and sounds of Jamaica. Then we would make our way down to the main manor and decide if we were going to spend the day beside the pool or the beach....what a great trip.

White Guy at the Pool!

Well, as you can clearly see from the photo above, the title of this post is readily apparent....even with a couple of pre-tanning sessions in Ottawa prior to going to Jamaica, I stood out at the pool like a marshmallow in a bag of coal!

I am now back at work in Afghanistan after my three week break back home. As I sit here in my room and type out this post, I can close my eyes and smell the Christmas turkey, Debra's cinnamon buns, the tropical flowers in Jamaica and of course my after sun lotion. Can't believe how fast the time went and how much fun we had.

We were extremely fortunate that I made it home for Christmas. Seemed like everything was against me as I tried to get home on Dec 22nd. First the EU banned all Afghan airlines from EU airspace. This had a trickle down effect on all flights from Kabul and numerous were cancelled. Then the weather chaos in Europe and Frankfurt shutting down and finally an insurgent attack in Kabul the day before I left which threatened to shut down the Kabul airport.....I was literally counting the minutes until I got on the plane. But, all worked well and we had a wonderful Christmas at home with Jennifer, Brandon, Sarah and Joel. It really recharged my batteries (soul) spending time with my family and friends enjoying great food, wine and moments where we laughed until we cried.

Debra and I headed off to Ocho Rios in Jamaica right after New Years and had a splendid week of sunshine at the Resort. It actually took us a couple of days to slow down and get into the groove...more importantly the Jamaican or possibly the Caribbean pace of doing things. In other words, no rush, slow down and enjoy the moment. The service and staff were outstanding and we truly enjoyed ourselves.

We really played tourists and signed up for a Mountain Bike tour on one of the days and you can see from the photo's, the "fabulous beach cruisers" as described in the brochure, didn't quite stand up to the description. I actually think I recognized one bike as being Steve's old bike from when we were kids in Kelowna (I knew it was his because of the bent handlebars and dented fenders resulting from when he raced down the hill down onto the carport, could not stop in time and ran off the end, went down the stairs and crashed on the hill below).

I will be posting additionally pictures from Jamaica, Christmas family pictures and of course future exploits as I complete the next half of my Mission in Afghanistan. I sincerely wish everyone to have an outstanding 2011 and you enjoy what we are trying to bring to the people of Afghanistan.....Peace and Prosperity.