Political comments in all parts of the world tend to be weird, unfair and often unfounded, but here in south Africa things get really weird at times.
Zuma, now the president of South Africa, was involved in a scandal about him having unprotected sex with a HIV positive woman. His comment at the time was "but I washed afterwards"...as if it was going to make a difference!!
But now one leader of the opposition, a white woman, made some comment about Zuma being sexist (which he is) and having endangered his wife by having his unprotected sex with an HIv positive woman. The answer came back that Helen Zille (the woman who said this) is a "racist girl" (racist I have not doubt that she is, "girl" I would have to argue that she is well past that point) and she is accused of having her own harem of males in her cabinet because she appointed males only. Zuma then accused her of being sexist and racist for appointing only white males in her cabinet. Now that I can live with this comment a lot better than the "harem" comment. I cannot beleive that she would be dumb enough to indeed only have white males in her cabinet!!!!
The ANC youth League threatened to take militant actions against Helen Zille but then again there has been quite a few threats of violence from the ANC Youth League just about anything at all they don't like, so that is just the thing one would expect.
So here it goes. He is sexist, she is racist and likely sexist too (she couldn't even find one woman)and the ANC Youth League continues to talk about violence against who ever they do not like.... just another day in the political world of South Africa.
If you want to read more here is the BBC's report on it.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
unreadable blog
I know english is not my first language, but I just re-read my last post and the number of errors in it actually made it impossible to read it.
Wow, I am a lot more stressed than I thought.
Wow, I am a lot more stressed than I thought.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Timbuktu / Timbouctou
I don't know if I have ever mentioned it but I have been thinking for a while that I would like to go to Timbuktu (that the English spelling; Timbouctou is the french spelling).
Today in the book store I saw a book "the meanings of Timbuktu" it was a collection of paper from a conference on the History of Timbuktu with obviously particular emphasis on the manuscripts which are there and the old universities.
I'd love to go to Timbuktu but mostly I want to go to Mopti.
Now I remember typing the name "Mopti" so I must have blogged about it earlier.
Today in the book store I saw a book "the meanings of Timbuktu" it was a collection of paper from a conference on the History of Timbuktu with obviously particular emphasis on the manuscripts which are there and the old universities.
I'd love to go to Timbuktu but mostly I want to go to Mopti.
Now I remember typing the name "Mopti" so I must have blogged about it earlier.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The results are in
Well, ANC won, and that was fully expected, but they did not get the two third of the vote they needed to be able to control the parliament. They came just short of it with 65.9% of the votes.
the ANC has been quite clear that it want to make changes to the constitution. The anti-ANC people were sure that if the ANC had two third of the votes and as a result control the parliament, they would right away change it so that ruling presidents could not be sued for corruption hence protecting Zuma from further possible trouble with the law. Now we will never know what they would have done.
Things are amazingly quiet. I know there was posters and the newspaper's headlines are about hte election but compare to the US elections, or even elcetions I remember in France from when Iw as a kid, this is nothing. Honestly you could be a tourist in South Africa and not have known that it was the presidential elections.
the ANC has been quite clear that it want to make changes to the constitution. The anti-ANC people were sure that if the ANC had two third of the votes and as a result control the parliament, they would right away change it so that ruling presidents could not be sued for corruption hence protecting Zuma from further possible trouble with the law. Now we will never know what they would have done.
Things are amazingly quiet. I know there was posters and the newspaper's headlines are about hte election but compare to the US elections, or even elcetions I remember in France from when Iw as a kid, this is nothing. Honestly you could be a tourist in South Africa and not have known that it was the presidential elections.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Still no results
Zuma started to celebrate last night, he is obviously going to win. The official statements are that over half the votes have been counted and so far in the counted votes Zuma has 66.5 % of the votes.
I tell you this 2 third majority could make quite a difference as it would means that Zuma would be able to change the constitution, which he has said he would do.
I tell you this 2 third majority could make quite a difference as it would means that Zuma would be able to change the constitution, which he has said he would do.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
No results yet
Well, things went well.
This morning people who voted are walking around with a purple thumb. I think it is very clever the way people who vote have their thumb stained with purple ink which is very hard to remove (especially in the little skin around the nail). They do the same but with the index finger in Mozambique.
Apparently there was very few incidents. From what I heard on hte radio it seems that there was one person working at the polling station shot in the leg, but this was because somebody was trying a robbery at the polling station. One woman working at another polling station was arrested when they found that she was carrying a all bunch of already filled in ballots (they never said which party she was "voting" for). And in a suburb of Johannesburg there was a bit of an issue about the ANC giving food and T-shirts and promising a BBQ dinner to those who voted for the ANC, but apparently since they werre more than 100 metres from hte entrance of the polling station it did not break any rules.
People I asked seemed to have waited in line from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Now we wait for the results.
This morning people who voted are walking around with a purple thumb. I think it is very clever the way people who vote have their thumb stained with purple ink which is very hard to remove (especially in the little skin around the nail). They do the same but with the index finger in Mozambique.
Apparently there was very few incidents. From what I heard on hte radio it seems that there was one person working at the polling station shot in the leg, but this was because somebody was trying a robbery at the polling station. One woman working at another polling station was arrested when they found that she was carrying a all bunch of already filled in ballots (they never said which party she was "voting" for). And in a suburb of Johannesburg there was a bit of an issue about the ANC giving food and T-shirts and promising a BBQ dinner to those who voted for the ANC, but apparently since they werre more than 100 metres from hte entrance of the polling station it did not break any rules.
People I asked seemed to have waited in line from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Now we wait for the results.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Election day
As I turned the computer on this morning I found out that for the rest of the world it is Earth Day today. Here it is national election day. To make sure that people can go and vote today has also been declared a public holiday. The polls opened this morning at 5:00am.
I talked with quite a few people here and listen into many conversation about the elections.There was some real surprises for me, but mostly it confirmed what I would have guessed, that is that apart from very rare exceptions people vote by colour.
I forget how many parties have candidates, I think something like 30. You have two christian parties, one party called "Women Foward" and other odd little parties, but mostly the issue today will be: will the ANC get a two third majority. If they do they can basically do what ever they want, but if they don't they will have to convince other parties (or should I say other party: namely the COPE) to agree with them on issue for resolutions to be passed.
Obviously the presidential candidate for the ANC is Jacob Zuma, a Zulu. The presidential candidate for COPE (the party which separated from ANC) is a Bishop who, people told me, used to say that religion and politics should not mix. The COPE is viewed as possibly less corrupted and more skilled (I am quoting here) than the ANC party, but some view them as arrivist who are just trying to "ride the wave"...meaning the wave of success that the ANC seems to have with black youth. I hate to say but post apartheid at what time was the ANC not popular?!?
One colleague here who lives in the townships told me that at the last election the queues to vote lasted from 4:00am to 10:00pm so I don't expect to get the results today.
I talked with quite a few people here and listen into many conversation about the elections.There was some real surprises for me, but mostly it confirmed what I would have guessed, that is that apart from very rare exceptions people vote by colour.
I forget how many parties have candidates, I think something like 30. You have two christian parties, one party called "Women Foward" and other odd little parties, but mostly the issue today will be: will the ANC get a two third majority. If they do they can basically do what ever they want, but if they don't they will have to convince other parties (or should I say other party: namely the COPE) to agree with them on issue for resolutions to be passed.
Obviously the presidential candidate for the ANC is Jacob Zuma, a Zulu. The presidential candidate for COPE (the party which separated from ANC) is a Bishop who, people told me, used to say that religion and politics should not mix. The COPE is viewed as possibly less corrupted and more skilled (I am quoting here) than the ANC party, but some view them as arrivist who are just trying to "ride the wave"...meaning the wave of success that the ANC seems to have with black youth. I hate to say but post apartheid at what time was the ANC not popular?!?
One colleague here who lives in the townships told me that at the last election the queues to vote lasted from 4:00am to 10:00pm so I don't expect to get the results today.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The beach
Some random picture of the beach.
I really like this picture but obviously it could be taken anywhere at all.
the rocks in this areas weather in a very beautiful but very sharp pattern and I wouldn't want to be climbing on them.
I couldn't resist that shot.
I kept on seeing these snells but they really only became fascinating when I saw how they behaved with this poor Portuguese-man-of-war. they were just devouring him. It was gross and scary and revolting. they were crawling all over him and more were coming all the time. they move quite fast.
I really like this picture but obviously it could be taken anywhere at all.
the rocks in this areas weather in a very beautiful but very sharp pattern and I wouldn't want to be climbing on them.
I couldn't resist that shot.
I kept on seeing these snells but they really only became fascinating when I saw how they behaved with this poor Portuguese-man-of-war. they were just devouring him. It was gross and scary and revolting. they were crawling all over him and more were coming all the time. they move quite fast.
the River
One interesting and somewhat unusual feature of Kenton-on-the-Sea is that it is in between to rivers which reach the sea just a couple of kilometres away from each other. One morning we took a boat trip up one of the river.
On the river valley a particular type of "forest" grows. It main characteristic is its abundant of Euphorbias ( the tall silver green cacti).
with rare cycads (the large bright green palm like plants in hte photo below)
and of course we saw the unavoidable impalas.
On the river valley a particular type of "forest" grows. It main characteristic is its abundant of Euphorbias ( the tall silver green cacti).
with rare cycads (the large bright green palm like plants in hte photo below)
and of course we saw the unavoidable impalas.
Easter long weekend at the beach
I took the Easter long week end off and went to Kenton-on-the-Sea, a small town on the East coast of South Africa where some friends have ahouse. I had a great week end but it sure makes it hard to come back to the office.
There is a great view from the house and you could hear the surf. It had been ages since I had been to the ocean. By the way this is the Indian Ocean, but here, compare to Mozambique it is quite cool. Some people were swimming but personally I don't like cold water.
One day we went for a long walk to a point where Bartholomy Dias had erected a cross after his ship sank. On we way I saw old dunes and features that were exactly like some of hte stuff I had seen in the Sahara when I was looking for arrow heads. the rock under that plant is an old dune.
Here are some view of the old and new dunes. It was not only really interesting but also a really nice spot.
There is a great view from the house and you could hear the surf. It had been ages since I had been to the ocean. By the way this is the Indian Ocean, but here, compare to Mozambique it is quite cool. Some people were swimming but personally I don't like cold water.
One day we went for a long walk to a point where Bartholomy Dias had erected a cross after his ship sank. On we way I saw old dunes and features that were exactly like some of hte stuff I had seen in the Sahara when I was looking for arrow heads. the rock under that plant is an old dune.
Here are some view of the old and new dunes. It was not only really interesting but also a really nice spot.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Home sweet (???) home
So here the house. I think that it is slowly starting to llok more like "my" place.
Last Saturday one of the art gallery where I like to go had just received a all bunch of stuff from Ethiopia, some amazing stuff.
They have stuff from all around Africa in that place (I want the job of being the person who goes out to buy for them!!!) but if I really like something more often than not it is either from Mali or from Ethiopia.
The "trays" on the table below are from Ethiopia. (I should go back to Ethiopia I was there so briefly)
This chair is also from Ethiopia too. It is amazingly comfortable.
But the Bull heads (which I normally refer to as "cows") are from Mali.
I love these cows they are part of The Deegal festival. In December the Fulani (a particular tribe of Mali) take their cattle across the river (the Niger) in Diafarabe (Mopti region of Mali) and obviously this is a likely time to loose some of the cattle, so before they cross the river they have a festival and this is where the masks come from. I would imagine also that they would be useful in leading the cattle across. Every single one of them is different. The one below has such a "friendly" face.
OK, I'm bored!
Last Saturday one of the art gallery where I like to go had just received a all bunch of stuff from Ethiopia, some amazing stuff.
They have stuff from all around Africa in that place (I want the job of being the person who goes out to buy for them!!!) but if I really like something more often than not it is either from Mali or from Ethiopia.
The "trays" on the table below are from Ethiopia. (I should go back to Ethiopia I was there so briefly)
This chair is also from Ethiopia too. It is amazingly comfortable.
But the Bull heads (which I normally refer to as "cows") are from Mali.
I love these cows they are part of The Deegal festival. In December the Fulani (a particular tribe of Mali) take their cattle across the river (the Niger) in Diafarabe (Mopti region of Mali) and obviously this is a likely time to loose some of the cattle, so before they cross the river they have a festival and this is where the masks come from. I would imagine also that they would be useful in leading the cattle across. Every single one of them is different. The one below has such a "friendly" face.
OK, I'm bored!
I work mostly from 6:00am to 6:00pm. Yesterday I worked until 7:30pm.
I am so looking forward to the long week end by the Indian Ocean.
Also I know you don't want photo of my furniture!!! As I was saying above: I'm bored!
Also I know you don't want photo of my furniture!!! As I was saying above: I'm bored!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
bragging rights
Globalgal is blogging that she is in pistachio heaven in China (lucky girl).
Maybe I should brag too.
this Saturday I went to my local fruit and vegetable store where I bought:
- fresh figs (yummy!)
- asparagus
- tangerine
- pomelos
- grapes (red and white)
- green beans
- mangoes (very cheap right now)
- baby zuchinis (there is not way to get the non-baby ones)
- avocadoes
something else I forgot what right now. All together it was a great big box full of fruits and veggies.....for a grand total of the equivalent of US$14.
But on the other hand we (on this side of the equator) are heading for winter and you can feel it in the air in the morning, it is a little nippy.
Maybe I should brag too.
this Saturday I went to my local fruit and vegetable store where I bought:
- fresh figs (yummy!)
- asparagus
- tangerine
- pomelos
- grapes (red and white)
- green beans
- mangoes (very cheap right now)
- baby zuchinis (there is not way to get the non-baby ones)
- avocadoes
something else I forgot what right now. All together it was a great big box full of fruits and veggies.....for a grand total of the equivalent of US$14.
But on the other hand we (on this side of the equator) are heading for winter and you can feel it in the air in the morning, it is a little nippy.
photos
By the way I do know that you guys want photos!
I don't have internet at home so it gets a little more complicated to load photos, but give me some time and I'll show you some.
I don't have internet at home so it gets a little more complicated to load photos, but give me some time and I'll show you some.
planning ?!?!
Here things are alright I guess.
I have to say that I am feeling a little restless and in fact to help with this I am looking into a trip to Timbuktu...even just the looking into it is helping some. I have the flight itinary (with cost) of Air Mali between Bamako (the capital of Mali) and Timbuktu on my wall in the office right under a photo of Djenne (another town in Mali very well worth seeing...look it up). ...I am even reading a book (pretty good one actually) about this guy traveling from the coast of Gambia to Timbuktu...but he did it in boats, taxi and things like this. I am unfortunately planning to just fly there.
I tell you if I wasn't a woman I would be doing a lot more stuff like that!!!
Maybe I shouldn't use this as an excuse and actually get cracking on some of the stuff I would like to do, like actually canoeing to Timbuktu! Hey, they have Malaria pills now.....and anyway it certainly looks like I have already had malaria (thought we will never know for sure until I have a blood test).
I always wonder how people plan stuff like that. You always read in the intro that the author dreamt about for years, planned for at least a year etc etc etc...what were they planning? I don't get it, it is not as if you can predict what will happen, and presumably they are not taking months to book a plane ticket and accomodation for the first few nights!! It always make me feel like I am missing something. I should be planning trips instead of just going. Does it make the trip better?
Thought to go to Mali I will have to plan some since i need to get a visa before going. I am so spoiled and so use to just getting one at the border!
Maybe I should use the next 5 months (only 5 months left on the contract) to plan some crazy trip on this continent!!
In a totally different scale for the long week end of Easter (here it is friday to Monday included ....maybe it is everywhere like this but how would I know I never had a job where this kind of stuff matters) so anyway for the long week end I am going to a small town on the east coast of South Africa between Port elizabeth and Durban. I have some friends who have a house right by the ocean there and it is supposed to be a fabulously beautiful place. I am so looking forward to it. I tell you I am starting to know more places in ZA than most South Africans....
I have to say that I am feeling a little restless and in fact to help with this I am looking into a trip to Timbuktu...even just the looking into it is helping some. I have the flight itinary (with cost) of Air Mali between Bamako (the capital of Mali) and Timbuktu on my wall in the office right under a photo of Djenne (another town in Mali very well worth seeing...look it up). ...I am even reading a book (pretty good one actually) about this guy traveling from the coast of Gambia to Timbuktu...but he did it in boats, taxi and things like this. I am unfortunately planning to just fly there.
I tell you if I wasn't a woman I would be doing a lot more stuff like that!!!
Maybe I shouldn't use this as an excuse and actually get cracking on some of the stuff I would like to do, like actually canoeing to Timbuktu! Hey, they have Malaria pills now.....and anyway it certainly looks like I have already had malaria (thought we will never know for sure until I have a blood test).
I always wonder how people plan stuff like that. You always read in the intro that the author dreamt about for years, planned for at least a year etc etc etc...what were they planning? I don't get it, it is not as if you can predict what will happen, and presumably they are not taking months to book a plane ticket and accomodation for the first few nights!! It always make me feel like I am missing something. I should be planning trips instead of just going. Does it make the trip better?
Thought to go to Mali I will have to plan some since i need to get a visa before going. I am so spoiled and so use to just getting one at the border!
Maybe I should use the next 5 months (only 5 months left on the contract) to plan some crazy trip on this continent!!
In a totally different scale for the long week end of Easter (here it is friday to Monday included ....maybe it is everywhere like this but how would I know I never had a job where this kind of stuff matters) so anyway for the long week end I am going to a small town on the east coast of South Africa between Port elizabeth and Durban. I have some friends who have a house right by the ocean there and it is supposed to be a fabulously beautiful place. I am so looking forward to it. I tell you I am starting to know more places in ZA than most South Africans....
Thursday, April 02, 2009
building up to elections in South Africa
Here in South Africa there will be presidential election on the 22nd of this month and things are starting to build up. The 22nd has been declared a public holiday so people can goand vote. I thinks that this is good even though it might have been easier to choose a day which was already a public holiday this month since in April we already have three days of public holiday. After all some people are paid by the day and only make money if they work. Here I am talking about the so called "casual labourers" (I can't stand this expression), the gardeners, the maids of which there are LOTS in South Africa.
But back to the elections. The two biggest issues about it are of course: the all mess around Jacob Zuma, and the split of the ANC.
Right now the leading party is the ANC (African National Congress). But a few months ago The ANC split into two and part of people from the ANC form the Cope (congress of the People). There is a good article explaining the split on BBC World. Prior to the split ANC was pretty guarantied to win the elections, but now there is a slight possibility that this might not happen.
Jacob Zuma is the head of the ANC is facing charges of corruptions for the second time regarding a very controversial $4.8billon arms deal which took place in 1999. Of course his supporters are saying that all this is brought up as a political move to prevent him from being elected and you do have to say that the timing is a suspicious here.
Desmond Tutu yesterday spoke up about all this and said that if Zuma wants to clear his name he should go through the court, and I have to agree with him on this, apart from the fact that regardless of what the results are it will not change people opinions. People will just assumed that the court system just did not work regardless of what the results are...and really there are no reasons to beleive the court system.
Tutu these days is speaking quite strongly against the ANC. In fact today in the front page news are all about the ANC condemning "Tutu's sacrilege".
Tutu is an old hero of the anti-apartheid days and is of the same "vintage" than Nelson Mandela. I remember going to see him speak in Calgary years ago when Iw as a students. I thought he was a very charismatic character, something that you don't catch on TV shows.
On a different note:
Presumably the fact that South Africa has denied the Dalai Lama a visa for him to come and meet with other Nobel Peace prize winners so as not to offend China has made it to the news where ever you are.
But back to the elections. The two biggest issues about it are of course: the all mess around Jacob Zuma, and the split of the ANC.
Right now the leading party is the ANC (African National Congress). But a few months ago The ANC split into two and part of people from the ANC form the Cope (congress of the People). There is a good article explaining the split on BBC World. Prior to the split ANC was pretty guarantied to win the elections, but now there is a slight possibility that this might not happen.
Jacob Zuma is the head of the ANC is facing charges of corruptions for the second time regarding a very controversial $4.8billon arms deal which took place in 1999. Of course his supporters are saying that all this is brought up as a political move to prevent him from being elected and you do have to say that the timing is a suspicious here.
Desmond Tutu yesterday spoke up about all this and said that if Zuma wants to clear his name he should go through the court, and I have to agree with him on this, apart from the fact that regardless of what the results are it will not change people opinions. People will just assumed that the court system just did not work regardless of what the results are...and really there are no reasons to beleive the court system.
Tutu these days is speaking quite strongly against the ANC. In fact today in the front page news are all about the ANC condemning "Tutu's sacrilege".
Tutu is an old hero of the anti-apartheid days and is of the same "vintage" than Nelson Mandela. I remember going to see him speak in Calgary years ago when Iw as a students. I thought he was a very charismatic character, something that you don't catch on TV shows.
On a different note:
Presumably the fact that South Africa has denied the Dalai Lama a visa for him to come and meet with other Nobel Peace prize winners so as not to offend China has made it to the news where ever you are.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Taxis on strike
Here in Johannesburg what we call taxis are really mini buses who pick up people on their path (most workers who live in the township, like Soweto, do not have cars and have to go a long way to go to work).The taxi drivers are typically real bullies. They drive terribly just like you would expect from a road bully. They go through red lights, change lane without notice etc just because they feel they can.
They even bully their customers. One of my colleague here was in a taxi and since he wasn't full he refused to go any further until more people came and when she wanted to leave to take another taxi he bullied her into staying.
They are known for carrying guns and there is often incidents in the newspaper of taxi drivers shooting at each other.
Yesterday they were on strike for one day and in heir anger against people who were finding other ways to go to work they ended up shooting bus drivers and getting violent towards cars. One other colleague of mine was taking the ramp to get onto the highway (a concrete overpass that you cannot drive off) when she saw ahead of her a group of taxi drivers throwing bricks and shooting at cars. She quickly reversed (on a highway ramp!) and got away from there.
The police typically does not get involve with taxi drivers because they have guns, there are many of them in town and just like anybody else they don't want to get shot at. This is the main reason why the taxi drivers can drive anyway they want: the police doesn't want to get shot trying to give them a ticket.
through all this everybody is calm and ultimately finding it frustrating but entirely normal and entirely unavoidable.
They even bully their customers. One of my colleague here was in a taxi and since he wasn't full he refused to go any further until more people came and when she wanted to leave to take another taxi he bullied her into staying.
They are known for carrying guns and there is often incidents in the newspaper of taxi drivers shooting at each other.
Yesterday they were on strike for one day and in heir anger against people who were finding other ways to go to work they ended up shooting bus drivers and getting violent towards cars. One other colleague of mine was taking the ramp to get onto the highway (a concrete overpass that you cannot drive off) when she saw ahead of her a group of taxi drivers throwing bricks and shooting at cars. She quickly reversed (on a highway ramp!) and got away from there.
The police typically does not get involve with taxi drivers because they have guns, there are many of them in town and just like anybody else they don't want to get shot at. This is the main reason why the taxi drivers can drive anyway they want: the police doesn't want to get shot trying to give them a ticket.
through all this everybody is calm and ultimately finding it frustrating but entirely normal and entirely unavoidable.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Things are alright here
So what am I up to?
Mostly I work! I am sure this will be not surprise to those who know me, but on the other hand I am tryingto make an effort to try to do other things. This is not a rotation job anymore. I have taken the week ends off so far. Of course in the office they are happy about this. Ultimately this is what they wanted. They wanted (and still want) me to have a job as close as possible to a "regular" office job. I have to seriously consider how I live well while doing this job. Especially since they have asked me if I would extend the contract (and just in case you wonder I said that yes I would...I have to work for a living and right now it is not a good time to be an unemployed contractor in the oil industry!) so life style has become a bit of a priority in my personal life.
I've settled into the house fairly well. I've already cooked myself a couple of meals, though nothing extravagant (home made chicken soup one day and mushrrom risotto the other) but most of all in a real effort to make this place feel like home this week end I made myself some great coffee and burnt a little frankincense while making coffee. The combined smell always makes me feel great. I never fails to bring visions of good life in warm places, desert, nice food and somehow also reminds me of Ethiopia. I instantly thought of making myself a lamb couscous and in fact bought al the ingredients..with lots of chick peas.
Another thing which never fails to make me feel good is having books and I have already a couple of boxes of books in the house, though no bookshelves. One entire box is from a friend who has asked me to take them to the secondhand bookstore, but that I am keeping first to see what I want to read in the lot and to make my house feel bookish and comfortable. Along the same line I have shuffled around a good part of the furniture to create a few good reading spots. The owners who lived in the house before me (it is the first time they rent their house) are clearly not into reading, you can just tell by the lay out of the house and by the obvious lack of bookshelves...not one in the entire house.
All this to say, things are alright here, I grant you maybe in a bit of a boring way, but alright just the same.
Mostly I work! I am sure this will be not surprise to those who know me, but on the other hand I am tryingto make an effort to try to do other things. This is not a rotation job anymore. I have taken the week ends off so far. Of course in the office they are happy about this. Ultimately this is what they wanted. They wanted (and still want) me to have a job as close as possible to a "regular" office job. I have to seriously consider how I live well while doing this job. Especially since they have asked me if I would extend the contract (and just in case you wonder I said that yes I would...I have to work for a living and right now it is not a good time to be an unemployed contractor in the oil industry!) so life style has become a bit of a priority in my personal life.
I've settled into the house fairly well. I've already cooked myself a couple of meals, though nothing extravagant (home made chicken soup one day and mushrrom risotto the other) but most of all in a real effort to make this place feel like home this week end I made myself some great coffee and burnt a little frankincense while making coffee. The combined smell always makes me feel great. I never fails to bring visions of good life in warm places, desert, nice food and somehow also reminds me of Ethiopia. I instantly thought of making myself a lamb couscous and in fact bought al the ingredients..with lots of chick peas.
Another thing which never fails to make me feel good is having books and I have already a couple of boxes of books in the house, though no bookshelves. One entire box is from a friend who has asked me to take them to the secondhand bookstore, but that I am keeping first to see what I want to read in the lot and to make my house feel bookish and comfortable. Along the same line I have shuffled around a good part of the furniture to create a few good reading spots. The owners who lived in the house before me (it is the first time they rent their house) are clearly not into reading, you can just tell by the lay out of the house and by the obvious lack of bookshelves...not one in the entire house.
All this to say, things are alright here, I grant you maybe in a bit of a boring way, but alright just the same.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Second day at work
I am so happy I did not take the staff position!!
Today is my second day at work since I took the week end off and already as I was stumbling into the shower this morning I was thinking "OK, only six more months of this" and I was feeling quite depressed about it, in fact I had a moment of : "I can't do it" near panic. I'm hoping it is because I basically just landed and I am quite tired...actually I am more at the stage of "feeling weird" where I cannot tell if I am tired, thirsty or just plain old.
Last week end, my first week end here (I landed on Friday ) was not entirely a success. I did go out for sushi with a friend on Saturday night, then for a movie and stayed with friends on Sunday night but still. It plain felt weird. Thats' what I don't like about short periods of time off (like week end) is that you are basically counting the hours off. It feels like a mixture of trying to rest, trying to do all you want to do and passing the time before you have to go back to work...and I don't like it. The last time I had a job with week ends off I was ?????? ........ Let's see...... I was .... what ever... It was nearly 20 years ago!! It was a life time ago.
Ok, breath deep and repeat after me; "it is only for six months. It is only for six months..."
By contract I have to work 110 days in those six months (which is quite reasonable...well, I negociated the contract myself so I can't really complain)... since traveling days are work days I've already worked 4 days (today is the fifth day) so 106 days to go.....yaaaks!
Today is my second day at work since I took the week end off and already as I was stumbling into the shower this morning I was thinking "OK, only six more months of this" and I was feeling quite depressed about it, in fact I had a moment of : "I can't do it" near panic. I'm hoping it is because I basically just landed and I am quite tired...actually I am more at the stage of "feeling weird" where I cannot tell if I am tired, thirsty or just plain old.
Last week end, my first week end here (I landed on Friday ) was not entirely a success. I did go out for sushi with a friend on Saturday night, then for a movie and stayed with friends on Sunday night but still. It plain felt weird. Thats' what I don't like about short periods of time off (like week end) is that you are basically counting the hours off. It feels like a mixture of trying to rest, trying to do all you want to do and passing the time before you have to go back to work...and I don't like it. The last time I had a job with week ends off I was ?????? ........ Let's see...... I was .... what ever... It was nearly 20 years ago!! It was a life time ago.
Ok, breath deep and repeat after me; "it is only for six months. It is only for six months..."
By contract I have to work 110 days in those six months (which is quite reasonable...well, I negociated the contract myself so I can't really complain)... since traveling days are work days I've already worked 4 days (today is the fifth day) so 106 days to go.....yaaaks!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
my hands on my way to Oman
There are better pictures of the henna on my hands but I like this picture which just shows my hands in a normal activity.
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