ABSTRACT
The frog, liking the warmth, gets comfortable and sleepy and eventually gets cooked. Ironically, the UN, despite its noble mandate, is probably one of the organizations that is the least humanitarian toward its own staff. Generally, they work in an environment where they are expected to be strong and know what they were getting themselves into. Aid workers may be reluctant to show signs of buckling under pressure or admit to emotional difficulties for fear of seeming weak or in the wrong job. The lack of empathy and support may be even greater for those transitioning back to “the real world” after a prolonged stint in hardship postings. A week after taking up my first posting in Mogadishu, when intense militia fighting in the neighborhood became a little too close for comfort, the first of what were to become a number of hairy evacuations.
