As things turned out, all non-essential personnel have
been evacuated from Lahore, Pakistan to Islamabad, including me. I’ve been this route before and thought I had
learned my lesson. Not quite. So I thought I would share some tips just in
case any of my Foreign Service readers ever fall victim to an evacuation of any
kind.
Pack wisely.
That means the biggest suitcase you own.
You don’t need to fill it but you’ll have room for purchases just in
case you are displaced to some location with good retail opportunities. That would be shopping! If you need to, take a second one and split
the contents between the 2. Even though I was sent to Islamabad, Pakistan,
there are stilll lots to see and buy here.
Prepare for Longer Stay Than You Think. Even though you might be told this is a ‘temporary
situation’ and things will be ‘evaluated on a daily basis,’ it could turn into
weeks. We all agree that everyone wants us back in our regular jobs quickly,
but some things take time. Prepare for
it with enough clothes, meds, toiletries, undies, snacks, etc. that you think
you’ll need for a longer time. Believe me,
after 4 weeks wearing the same 3 outfits, you’ll be ready to burn them!
Boredom will set in.
Depending on where you are relocated to, there may not be much to
do. You might end up staying in
something like the ipods here in Islamabad.
They are actually repurposed containers like what things are transported
in on freighters. They look nice inside
but after a while, you will feel closed in.
Bring books, games, crafts, knitting…anything to help combat boredom in
the evenings.
Power Up! For
whatever power toys you bring, don’t forget your power cords! I know this sounds silly, but I can’t tell
you how many times I’ve heard friends comment that they forgot the cord for
their camera or their iPad. Use the bed
in an extra bedroom to ‘stage’ your packing.
Don’t put anything in the suitcase until the last minute so you can see
just what you have. Put all power cords
in a zip lock or attach them to the item they support…whatever manner that will
insure you don’t forget them. Make sure everything is fully charged before you
leave in case you want to surf the net on your smart phone or in case you miss
flights or a vehicle breaks down.
Pepto Up! Don’t
forget your meds. If you think you’ll be
gone a week, take the entire bottle with you.
You may end up somewhere where the food doesn’t agree with you so take
something for stomach problems. Make
sure you have plenty of any meds you take on a regular basis. Best case, you could be back home in a week. Worst case, you might never return to your
post. Don’t get caught trying to get
more meds in an unfamiliar place.
E.T., Phone Home.
It’s so important to keep family and friends back home informed on how
you are, where you are and how things are.
If you have a blog, keep updating it. If you can call them, do it as
often as you can. Send emails daily. You may know you’re just fine but
those at home will worry about you, the reason you were evacuated and why the
heck you aren’t back yet. A quick update
on whatever social media you use is also a good idea.
I Owe, I Owe, It’s Off on Ordered Departure I Go! Try to log on and check your credit cards
before you leave. You never know how
good (or secure) the connection will be when you arrive at your point of
evacuation. There are always computers
for us DOS people, but you could be so busy that paying that MasterCard bill
may slip your mind. And make sure you
have a check or debit card. Most
Embassies can cash a check for you and/or have an ATM machine around. Some countries only accept Visa, some only
MasterCard and some both. Be prepared…nothing
worse than ending up with no cash.
Rain Keeps Falling On My Head. Take an umbrella or rain suit. In areas where there are rainy seasons, it
could be sunny one minute and a downpour the next. Be prepared for a change in weather.
I hope these tips help you if you ever find yourself being
whisked off to the airport in the middle of the night. Being prepared
for anything will help make this kind of disruption in your life a little
easier to endure.
