I'm struggling a bit to know what to write about. My days are blending into one another with not a lot of excitement or adventure to share apart from awesome flailing of arms and legs to detract mosquitoes, but perhaps a simple insight into life here will be interesting. If not, please tell me :)
He is already very busy at work. Conversations outside of work are related to work about 60% of the time with colleagues (when socialising) and 40% of the time with me. It makes me very proud of him and happy that we're here and he can be involved in this work. I enjoy hearing what's going on and being able to offer some response, but it makes me desperately keen to have a job of my own and as such, a purpose to fulfill outside of the home. Me, me, me, meeeee! Friendships will develop and that will be a great purpose, but these things take lots of time in countries such as this where women are generally segregated socially, at home during the day and somewhat reluctant to initiate conversation with a foreigner.
We have a local corner store with a very friendly owner and he is my only regular contact with locals at present. There aren't many places to 'hang out' as such. I could sit in one of the 3 or 4 coffee shops but they're mostly frequented by expats which doesn't meet my desire for local friendships. Our home and office is in a residential street.....I'm not brave enough to knock on doors yet, but once I have my kitchen equipment (later this week!), I'll probably bake some cookies and try to meet the neighbours.
Yesterday I went out on my own for the first time in taxis and tuktuks. It would have been very difficult, if not impossible without local language, so for that, I am extremely grateful. I've discovered that the dialect spoken here is much more similar to that of the land of gold and oil rather than the land of Petra. Digging deep into my brain recesses to find some of that vocabulary!
I visited the British Council in the hope that I might be able to find some English teaching work and inquire about completing the CELTA course while I'm here. I was received with significant hesitation, advised that the next CELTA course might occur towards the end of 2014 and invited to attend conversation evenings with locals in English if I wanted. In short, I need the CELTA before they'll even talk to me. Fair enough. He suggested going to the land of pyramids to complete one there, but I'm not that invested yet....perhaps if I have a long stay outside of the country awaiting my longer-term residency permit I could do it in Europe.
I then went to the ICRC headquarters. The man I spoke to was very kind but explained (as I had expected) that all contact must go through Geneva, and informed me that the local Red Crescent doesn't employ expatriates. I'm disappointed, but I received the contact details of a woman working with the IFRC and also the Danish RC who have a relationship with the local Red Crescent and want a local expatriate to liaise, so I've put eager feelers out and will see what happens.
We have no kitchen equipment yet except a fridge and a stove, so I borrowed a few items from the guest apartment downstairs and attempted to prepare a couple of meals. So far it's been pretty sad. I may have even upset our stomachs with the first meal of chicken with pasta and eggplant eek. Vegetables don't seem to keep and meat is expensive. I think my cooking style will inevitably change and I'll probably purchase vegetables on the days I cook...but for now, we alternate eating out (quite cheap but with a 1/3 restaurant food success rate so far) and cooking hotch-potch meals. My first bread rolls were small but yummy and decorated with charcoal bottoms. Lemon cookies were more of a success with an extra metal tray protecting them from the impressive heat below. Knitting has recommenced with a cute baby tunic nearly complete for Baby Gook and I've been reading a Robin Hobbs Farseer Trilogy recommended by a friend. He has enjoyed it more than I, but at the beginning of book 2, I feel invested...
We're thinking of those of you sweltering in the heatwave and hope you're managing to keep cool - perhaps you'll think of us during our annual 9mths of over 40 degree weather!
He is already very busy at work. Conversations outside of work are related to work about 60% of the time with colleagues (when socialising) and 40% of the time with me. It makes me very proud of him and happy that we're here and he can be involved in this work. I enjoy hearing what's going on and being able to offer some response, but it makes me desperately keen to have a job of my own and as such, a purpose to fulfill outside of the home. Me, me, me, meeeee! Friendships will develop and that will be a great purpose, but these things take lots of time in countries such as this where women are generally segregated socially, at home during the day and somewhat reluctant to initiate conversation with a foreigner.
We have a local corner store with a very friendly owner and he is my only regular contact with locals at present. There aren't many places to 'hang out' as such. I could sit in one of the 3 or 4 coffee shops but they're mostly frequented by expats which doesn't meet my desire for local friendships. Our home and office is in a residential street.....I'm not brave enough to knock on doors yet, but once I have my kitchen equipment (later this week!), I'll probably bake some cookies and try to meet the neighbours.
Yesterday I went out on my own for the first time in taxis and tuktuks. It would have been very difficult, if not impossible without local language, so for that, I am extremely grateful. I've discovered that the dialect spoken here is much more similar to that of the land of gold and oil rather than the land of Petra. Digging deep into my brain recesses to find some of that vocabulary!
I visited the British Council in the hope that I might be able to find some English teaching work and inquire about completing the CELTA course while I'm here. I was received with significant hesitation, advised that the next CELTA course might occur towards the end of 2014 and invited to attend conversation evenings with locals in English if I wanted. In short, I need the CELTA before they'll even talk to me. Fair enough. He suggested going to the land of pyramids to complete one there, but I'm not that invested yet....perhaps if I have a long stay outside of the country awaiting my longer-term residency permit I could do it in Europe.
I then went to the ICRC headquarters. The man I spoke to was very kind but explained (as I had expected) that all contact must go through Geneva, and informed me that the local Red Crescent doesn't employ expatriates. I'm disappointed, but I received the contact details of a woman working with the IFRC and also the Danish RC who have a relationship with the local Red Crescent and want a local expatriate to liaise, so I've put eager feelers out and will see what happens.
We have no kitchen equipment yet except a fridge and a stove, so I borrowed a few items from the guest apartment downstairs and attempted to prepare a couple of meals. So far it's been pretty sad. I may have even upset our stomachs with the first meal of chicken with pasta and eggplant eek. Vegetables don't seem to keep and meat is expensive. I think my cooking style will inevitably change and I'll probably purchase vegetables on the days I cook...but for now, we alternate eating out (quite cheap but with a 1/3 restaurant food success rate so far) and cooking hotch-potch meals. My first bread rolls were small but yummy and decorated with charcoal bottoms. Lemon cookies were more of a success with an extra metal tray protecting them from the impressive heat below. Knitting has recommenced with a cute baby tunic nearly complete for Baby Gook and I've been reading a Robin Hobbs Farseer Trilogy recommended by a friend. He has enjoyed it more than I, but at the beginning of book 2, I feel invested...
We're thinking of those of you sweltering in the heatwave and hope you're managing to keep cool - perhaps you'll think of us during our annual 9mths of over 40 degree weather!
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