an absence of comfort

today i got a staff email in my undp mailbox (guest.cm.1@undp.org) with the subject line "Absence of Comfort." i was perplexed. what could this absence of comfort bring? no water? no air conditioning? no chairs? no roof? needles in our eyes? would i be even be able to understand this absence of comfort, since the staff emails are always in french? as it turns out, Comfort was a woman who was taking leave for a few days!

so...the world cup! brazil let me down big time, especially since at the french/brazilian match, sophie and i were the only brazil fans in a room full of frenchies. no matter though. my new team is portugal and i will tell you why: 1. they are gorgeous; 2. they are the smallest country in the final four and who doesn't like an underdog? 3. i like their jerseys; for me, this is a key factor in choosing a team! 4. my mother's family is portuguese; 5. they have an awesome goalie; anyone who saw the shootout against england can attest to this.

this weekend was quite relaxing. i read and watched movies and went out in the city a bit with sophie. today i interviewed the head of the governance department of the undp. he was really great and had some good insight into the problems here, chiefly corruption. i hope that the UN and other governments can help to change that here, which most believe to be the root of many national problems. this is an illustration of how men indeed are a fallen race. unchecked, their greed for wealth and power outweighs their concern and responsibility for the people and the nation.