It’s Christmas and i’m in East Timor. This is my Christmas card to all of you who are not here, i.e. most of you. Hi there!

I miss you all and it will be very a very different Christmas for me. In a way i am alone and in another way i am not. I’ve made a whole bunch of friends and acquiaintances in a very short time. All the people i’ve met here here are very friendly and very approachable, and i love the strange feeling of a diverse unity that the United Nations provide.

This is not my new home, nor my home from home, not just yet. I’ve only been here for a little less than two weeks. But it’s as close as it can get on a mission like this. And after all, i’ll be home for midsummer.

Tonight, i will be attending a Christmas party organized by another fellow at work, so i will be in company, maybe strange company, but still company this Christmas. It’s far better than spening it with the mosquitoes under a palm tree like i had feared before. It’ll be fun. It won’t be family, but it’ll be fun. I hope

So to my friends and family, and others that i know: my Christmas greetings go out to you. You are here in my thoughts tonight. I hope i make a little appearance in your thoughts tonight as well. Merry Christmas.