Frag Out! Magazine

INTERVIEW It's obvious that this subject is much more than just a job to you. How long did you accompany the Gurkhas and where did you go with them? After Afghanistan, I visited all the Gurkha regiments in the Brigade and went on exercises with them. I also documented daily garrison life. I photographed the regional and final selections (in Dharan, east Nepal and Pokhara, west Nepal, respectively) and visited retired Gurkhas in Kathmandu and Kaski. I portrayed medically discharged veterans, spent quite a bit of time in basic training, went to the Brunei jungle twice – one of those times was a tactical exercise in the deep jungle lasting several weeks. I went on large exercises in Australia and Kenya and on various smaller ones in England, Scotland and Wales – a week-long nighttime exercise with the Queen's Gurkha Engineers for example, in Salisbury, England, in torrential rain and knee-deep in mud. In total, Arc of the Gurkha took almost exactly to the day 3 years to make, from meeting the Gurkhas for the first time to having the first copy of the book on my desk. It's a man's world. What was it like as a woman among Gurkhas? That wasn't a problem at all. First of all, my Dad was in the army so I was prac- tically raised in garrisons. Military environments are my comfort zone. Also, despite the Nepalese still adhering to a pretty traditional culture, in which women are designated very old-fashioned roles, when someone comes along who doesn't quite fit into their world view, they don't react with hostility, but instead with curiosity and a lot of questions. The Gurkhas accept other cultu- res and respect them. They don't judge. Instead there's a lot of good-natured teasing and banter going on. On deployment or on exercise with a Gurkha (or any other) unit, you get slightly skeptical looks for a little while, but as soon as they see that you pitch in, don't whine and carry your own stuff, you're treated as one of them in no time. I was happily integrated in the Gurkha com- panies and experienced huge support for my project among the guys, which was humbling. What fascinated you the most? And was there anything that repelled you? What fascinated me the most about the Gurkhas was this incredible contrast – the steely toughness, endurance and uncanny warrior's instinct and their gentleness, generosity and warmth at the same time. Nothing repelled me about the Gurkhas at all, but Afghanistan was an experience like no other. There were a few things I saw and heard there that haunted me for a while. A final word on your relationship to the Gurkhas today? They will always be in my heart. I am well acquainted with a lot of Gurkhas and a small handful have become close friends. I lived with the families of Gurkha friends in Nepal, have met wives, children and parents of soldiers. I'm still in contact with many of them, mostly via Facebook. The Baby-Gurkhas from 2013 and 2014 have a special place in my heart as well – I accompanied them all through the entire recruitment process in Nepal to basic training in the UK. Some of them send me pictures of their progress and their new regiments and tell me about the exams they've aced. I always feel a bit like a proud Mom when that happens.

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