The Foreign Service Journal, July/August 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2018 35 determine what of my knowledge and experience applied here. Candidly, I was not as confident in my abilities as usual. I was also struck by witnessing the very personal impact on U.S. personnel who needed to lead in the midst of personal loss, as well as organizational and political upheaval. While I was in Nairobi, my home in Maryland was robbed. I learned through a late-night call from my wife; she and our young daughter were terrified. I learned what many USAID and State Department folks know all too well—sometimes profes- sional responsibilities must trump even powerful family needs. I learned a great deal from my Kenya and Tanzania experi- ence; and that, along with the experiences of those I encoun- tered in Kenya, continues to inform my teaching, consulting, mentoring and writing. Our combined experience has helped to better prepare a new generation of disaster and emergency mental health personnel. I would like to pass on the following advice for those who may become survivors and helpers in the future. As a helper, be as prepared as you can be, but know you can never be as prepared as you want to be. Know and respect the organiza- tional culture in which you work and the culture of those you serve. Understand that tears taste the same no matter the color of the cheeks over which they roll. You Will Survive Justus Muema Wambua Warehouse Team (FSN) I arrived at the scene 30 minutes after the blast. It was terrible. There was no light. You could not see anything in the building. We were instructed to use flashlights, which we brought from the warehouse. When we got inside the building, it was so sad for me because I went to the location where my friends were, in the shipping department. I found all of them dead. I was shocked. The first was Geoffrey Kalio, then Joseph Kiongo, Dominic Kithuva and others. When I saw that, my mind was confused, even my pressure went up; but God is good. I tried to put myself into another frame of mind because there was nothing else to do, and I