“Time to hit the road again……”

October 23rd 2005, 0955B

Well, I’m off to the bushes for another two weeks tomorrow, this time to Muramvya. Bujumbura hasn’t actually been too bad at all these last two weeks, but a change in scenery will still be appreciated. I’ve also wanted to get out to Murumvya for awhile now, so I’m quite looking forward to going there. The camera is also quite happy, as I’ve hardly even switched it on in nearly a week now :P
I am going to miss access to the landline & net connection here while I’m out of town though, as the comms have been surprisingly good lately. I’ve especially enjoyed having access to IM again, even if it has cost an absolute bloody fortune in net café fees. It’s been worth every cent though, so I’m not really complaining. I’ll be happier if I manage to get a net connection of my own in December though.

The last few days have gone well enough, though I’ve been a tad acid at times. I’ve pretty much made up my mind to apply for the extension to my deployment, & I’ve not been exactly cheerful at the thought of another 6 months away from home. I really haven’t enjoyed trying to convince myself to do something I don’t particularly want to, but the thought of an extra R70000 odd in the bank is proving to be a powerful incentive. I’m starting to get my head around the idea of staying longer though, & my attitude is becoming far more positive about it. I’ve also managed to cheer myself up with the promise to treat myself some if the extension is granted – there’s a shiny new notebook with my name all over it if I’m going to be staying longer ;) The one I’ve got my eye on won’t even put too much of a dent in the budget, as selling the one I have now to offset the cost won’t be particularly dificult.
Even though I’ve made up my mind to stay, it’s by no means certain that I will, as neither my boss nor Lt Col Munday seem too keen on the idea. I’ll be submitting the statement tomorrow regardless, but their endorsement would really help so I’ll be doing what I can to convince them to support it.
The irony inherent in my talking people into helping me do something I don’t especially want to do is so funny I might just burst something I’m laughing so fucking hard….
Anyway, assuming the extension is granted, I’ve been assured that there will be a two week break in February sometime, & as soon as I know when I’ll be coming home I’ll let everyone know so that the planning for how to spend those two weeks can start. Knowing my friends, it’s going to be a busy two weeks…. just be gentle with me, ‘cause I’m an old man :P As I’ve said before, I’ll let everyone know what’s happening as soon as I hear anything myself.

Something I managed to get right this last two weeks in town was to get to the factory that packages the local coffee. I wasn’t able to get too much this time, only 5 bags, but I’ll be going back as soon as I get back from Muramvya to see how much more I can lay my hands on. Like I’ve said before it’s not quite as good as the House of Coffees stuff I normally buy at home, but it’s plenty good enough, and at $2 – about R13 – for a 500g bag it’s almost free. By comparison, the regular blend I buy at home is about R25 for I think a 125g packet, so you can see what I mean about the local stuff being cheap.
There’s a limit to how much I can send home at a time, as Customs & Excise start to look at you sideways if you start sending 50kg at a time, but if I send smaller packages on a regular basis I should still manage to get enough home to last me quite awhile. Assuming Rob doesn’t drink it all first :P

I’m going to have to finish off here as I’m meeting people for an early lunch at the Chinese place around the corner. This will likely be the last update for the next two weeks, but I’ll keep in touch as best as I can while I’m away, & if I get chance to come into town I’ll try to get onto the pc to check my mail & send a few of my own.

Cheers for now though ;)