Still alive in Baghdad
About six months ago, a young Japanese woman working at my company came to me and requested some help brushing up her resume. “I’m thinking of leaving the company to intern at an NGO,” she confided. I made a few suggestions about her resume and cover letter, then promptly forgot about the whole thing.
A few weeks later, she sent me a message letting me know that she got the position she had applied for. She was really ecstatic; I was happy for her.
Not long after that, I heard from her again. She had received an assignment to go to Iraq to assist in humanitarian work.
She sent occasional e-mail to the people in our office, letting us know how things were going. We were glad to hear that she was okay and that things were going well.
Then the U.N. headquarters in Iraq was bombed, killing several people and injuring many others. We were a bit worried after that, because we knew that her work took her to the U.N. building almost daily.
Fortunately, we have received word that she was unharmed in the attack. Although a bit shaken by the experience, she is okay. She’s even put up some pictures in her online album.
I cannot help but be touched by her commitment to her purpose. She could easily come back to the relative safety of a company job in Japan, but she stays in the war-torn city of Baghdad, fulfilling the responsibilities she signed up for.
Her resume looked great before, but this will really stand out.
Wow. Talk about dedication--not to mention unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on how you look at it) timing… Hope she makes it through without a scratch. My best wishes for her there.\r
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