Tying It All Together

After returning home, I have had time to reflect on my time as a “guinea pig” in UNMISS. Before leaving for South Sudan, I posed two questions about my upcoming UN service. First, I asked how my academic background would help me better appreciate the people around me and comprehend what was happening. I wanted to understand not just the large events better, but also the small, unique happenings. Second, I wanted to figure out if I could do my job more effectively with this background. I asked if I could apply my knowledge to more successfully carry out my duties, if I could lead more effectively, if I could make a more substantial contribution. In general, by the end I knew my background and previous experiences helped me as the UNMISS J-5 chief, but, more importantly, I needed to look further and actually define how this happened. From these two questions, I hoped to draw out some more durable observations of working in a peacekeeping operation—what I had learned while wearing the UN’s blue beret.