Financial District, Panama City, Panama, February 2023

I am a little disappointed today, as some of my plans travel/training plans changed, and this causes some inconvenience in weeks ahead. At the end of the month, I was about to travel to Bogota to participate in an obligatory security training, which we need to undergo every 5 years. The event was cancelled however. The training produces a certificate, which gives us internal rights to travel to some of the countries, which are considered to be 'high risk' in our organisation. I am not too keen on the training itself, but still looked forward to have it done, so that I can carry out my work without disturbances. The cancellation does not only change my plans, but puts a bit of a stress, as I will need to unroll to a similar course elsewhere at the different date. These things happen though, so I will keep my chills down .

We are very busy here in the office reading and assessing project proposals from partners for 2023. It is always a bit stressful time, but then also interesting. Reading the documents from our partners always brings some new elements and information that are interesting and broaden your horizons. This year, most of my reading is about the humanitarian situation and challenges in Gran Chaco (northern Argentina, Paraguay and parts of Bolivia) and the situation of Venezuelan migrants in Chile. Very interesting, even if upsetting and sad at times.

Talking about Chile, we are also very busy with dealing with the forest fires there. The country is undergoing some of the worst droughts in recent history, and this translates into thousands of hectares of woods being burnt. The situation is tragic, with thousands of people losing home, and many being killed and injured by the disaster. As I write it, fire brigade teams from Portugal, Spain and France are on the way to Chile to support local forces in extinguishing the flames.

Clearly, we are also upset and worried about what is happening in Turkey and Syria. The images of the destruction and people's suffering caused by the earthquake that struck the region are heartbreaking. My colleagues in Brussels and various places around Europe are very busy in arranging rescue and relief operations. Needless to say, I am very, very proud of them. They are genuine heroes to me!

In other news, I am starting looking at practical aspects of my moving to Caracas. As a part of it, I will actually be travelling there already in April, so that I can start the process of the handover from my colleague. Wish me luck!