Back to Basics

The rest of the rotation's personnel arrived yesterday. Now we're here, all sixty of us, ready to start the training. But alas, we marched off towards the auditorium to hear some more lectures. The topics today streched from the Peace-keepers' Union of Finland, an introduction to the rules of engagement of ISAF, an introduction to Islam, the socio-psycological problems of peace support operations, gender issues, to traffic safety regulations in the operation area. It's all in a day's work.

Yesterday, as the rest of the rotatation personnel were collecting their equipment and were busy with other arrangements, we continued to practise the use of a collapsible baton and pepper spray. Later on, after a 6 kilometre run in the warm summer rain, we had our shots. I got a total of five vaccinations, four with a syringe and one taken orally. It tasted like a raspberry soft drink past its best-before-date.


Queuing for the needles.

In the morning, I had a headache and felt sick. My upper arms were also sore, so I thought that it might be from the vaccinations. I took half a Burana for the headache, and it disappeared almost right away. The soreness in my arms lasted until a few hours ago, when I went for a swim. Thirty minutes in the pool did wonders.