NATO schmato

It didn't take long for Friday to roll around. The day dawned drizzly and cold, and my nerves dawned frayed and jittery. I spend half of my life afraid, I think. And then keep putting myself in places where that fear is exacerbated. I got up and agonized over what to wear for a while. What is one supposed to wear to outdoor event where you're greeting the public and just incidentally travelled halfway around the world, leaving your professional wardrobe sitting in Canada? Having settled on never fail all-black, I trudged through the mist to the centre of town in order to forage for food and arrive to the kiosk on time. I needed to peruse my Afghanistan fact sheets though I was pretty positive that nobody was going to ask me anything on the paper. I did this over black tea and an omelette that I only ate half of because my stomach was doing flip flops. I didn't know what to expect and I was afraid that I wouldn't be any good at doing whatever I was supposed to be doing. The time came when I finally had to move to the square to start the day. One last check in the mirror and I was off.

It was chaos that greeted me on arrival. The Canadian embassy folks were unloading large red bins of supplies into a covered tent and attempting to construct these large metal and plastic pillars that had Afghanistan quick facts on them. My job was to watch the car as it was unlocked. Glamorous, I know. Aren't you jealous? Having accomplished that amazingly draining task, it was time to get started.

There were several embassies involved in the event and so under the pavilion, the American, Canadian, Belgian, and Polish flags were hanging. It made the place to look very festive. Due to volcanic ash clouds, and the unfortunate state of Polish affairs at the time, most of our supplies didn't make it to Tallinn as they were stuck in Warsaw. So, we had very little to give away, which is always a mistake when there are Americans in the vicinity. They had crackers and peanut butter, and people in uniform with big guns etc. Very impressive looking I have to say. The rest of us schlubby countries just had info, other than a brief moment of glee where I go to give out balloons. To that end, having nothing to give, while there are giant signs saying "Canada in Afghanistan" surrounding you is asking for trouble. And, for the most part it was. Creepy, opinionated people like to talk to Canadians about Afghanistan, not people out innocently taking in a NATO exhibit. Those people take the crackers and peanut butter and run. People are like crows. They like things that are either shiny or edible. Preferably both.

Despite the grey day, many, many people showed up for the NATO day proceedings. Talking with the person I was with from the embassy, he mentioned that since the economic recession, Estonians have taken to attending events that are open to the public and that are generally free of charge. I noticed that since being here I've seen many events happening in the square, of a number that would far exceed open, public events that happen at home. If I can recall, something is usually happening once every two weeks or so. I remember seeing thousands of candles lit at one point, as well as an interesting display of robotics where I held an old man robot's hand as he wobbled around on a walker. Anyway, the point is that it was busy. I met a lot of very interesting people, like the Estonian foreign minister, a few people working for the American embassy, some Canadian DFAIT folks, and some Estonian-Canadians who had found their way back to their homeland. That was the best part of the day, meeting all of these people who have led very interesting lives.

After six hours of towing the company line on the war in Afghanistan (yes, the Canadian government is pulling out in 2011 to take on a solely humanitarian role...), I was about ready to call 'er quits. We rolled everything up, packed the pillars away and rode off into the sunset. Pfftt.. no, I actually walked to Kevin's and had a warm supper. I was cold! The NATO event ended with an outdoor concert and a screening of the movie "Afghan Star" which I stuck around briefly to see. There was an after party for those who helped out at the event but, me and my feet had had enough. It had been a great day that I was very happy to be part of, even if there were parts I didn't like. Which reminds me, I should send them a thank-you note!