Encounters With Fate and Destiny: A Life in International Politics by Shukri Z Al-Dajani

Author:Shukri Z Al-Dajani [Al-Dajani, Shukri Z]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788312479
Google: XNtLyQEACAAJ
Goodreads: 37493207
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
Published: 2017-12-30T00:00:00+00:00

Victims of our own success

One morning, as I was getting out of bed, I felt my heart pounding loudly at an exceptional high speed. My wife observed that something abnormal was happening to me and insisted that I go immediately to the doctor. The verdict was that I was on the verge of having a heart attack as a result of extreme exhaustion and stress. I was kept in hospital for three days under sedation and observation.

My father arrived the day I was admitted to hospital. He was extremely saddened by the event. His predicament was the acknowledgement that for me to obtain another job would be extremely difficult. Accordingly, his counsel was that I should work less while knowing that any change in the tempo would be short-lived. Within two weeks, my father returned to Cairo and life returned to its normal rhythm.

One positive factor resulting from my hospitalization was that AS spared me a considerable amount of arguments and tension that were habitual in the past. More importantly, my flirtation with the heart attack was an eye-opener to my precarious situation with regard to my career and future. My employment provided me with a good salary but nothing with regard to social security or pension. I decided to waste no time or effort in seeking a job that would provide me and my family with the basic needs that someone with my status must possess. Following considerable research, it became obvious that employment with the UN or one of its specialized organizations was my best option.

At the time, my sister Farihan had terminated her work with the British Embassy and had obtained the job of secretary to the Director of the International Labour Office (ILO) in Beirut. She enlightened me about working at the UN and was more than satisfied with the security and fringe benefits it offered. At the same time, she underlined the intense competition for jobs at the UN and the difficulties of being selected. All I could do at that stage was ask her to keep me informed about job vacancies that might correspond to my qualifications.

I resumed being immersed in my work, the volume of which expanded considerably due to the multiple additional contracts I obtained for Mass. It was a ‘Catch-22’ situation. My motivation and hard work generated additional responsibilities, which I had to perform myself. There was no way that AS was going to recruit additional staff, irrespective of the volume of revenue. In effect, I was the victim of my own success. I was captive of a situation that appeared to have no solution but one: namely, to obtain another job.

Suddenly, unexpected events occurred at the business and family levels. George had a serious health relapse and was advised by a consortium of doctors to return immediately to the United Kingdom for urgent treatment. Within days, he and his family departed. That was indeed a dramatic and sad moment for me. A few months later, I received news from Miriam that he had passed away.

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