Year 3 Introduction

Hi everyone,

As requested by Rachel Kerr in her recent post, here is a quick introduction in preparation for our Year 3 studies. Those of you in David Betz's group last year will already “know” me well, although I have yet to actually meet anyone from the course. I do not, however, consider this to be a problem – and that’s not because I am anti-social or think that nobody is worth meeting! In fact, far from it but I've been living in West Africa and more recently New York and not many people seemed to have passed through!I am 47 years old and “retired” from the British Army a couple of years ago, having spent over 26 years serving “Queen and Country”. My wife, Laura, who is Finnish, is a career UN officer working in “peacekeeping” (or what is now called "peace operations" and I now find myself happily following her around the world. Last year we were in Sierra Leone (indeed we were there for nearly 2.5 years and this was where my last job in the British Army was) but we then "re-located" to New York in the middle of last year. By the end of this term we may be in the Middle East working for UNRWA - dealing with Palestinian refugee issues. Between us we have worked and/or lived in most parts of the world – me normally making trouble, in the way that only the military can, and Laura spending her life picking up pieces!!!I have thoroughly enjoyed our studies over the last couple of years and look forward to the coming term. I do consider myself to be an “active” blogger, although you wouldn’t think so from the paucity of my posts. I do, however, regularly check the blogs of fellow students and normally take the opportunity to comment on the posts therein. I look forward to “meeting” you all over the “airwaves” in the coming months but if any of you are ever heading New York way then our second bedroom (my study) has a great view of the Empire State building! You would be most welcome

Regards,

Pip