A more recent update

So, let’s see, where to begin? I guess I’ll start with my job. Things have been very busy here for a few reasons. First, one of the people in the finance office is leaving, reducing us to a three person finance office. I will be absorbing most of her work, which will be mostly OK since I have now settled in and had some extra time in my day. But learning her stuff and working with her for these last couple of weeks has been busy. Second, my boss and his wife are leaving today for vacation in South Africa, so I’ve been busy making sure we have all urgent stuff out of the way before they go. They’ll be back about 5 days before Christmas break, so it could be a busy month ahead. Third, I’m busy preparing for the various year end audits, which is more work than I’d like. But, I’d rather be busy at work than have extra time, since it makes the day go faster, and I still don’t feel like I have more work than I can handle, so overall it’s not bad. And I still like what I do and feel like it’s contributing to an important cause, which is much more than I can say for most of the other jobs I’ve held. Also with work, I had a couple of firsts. I scored a free meal at a fancy hotel with a bank that was trying to solicit our business. I was kind of surprised at how soft their sales pitch was. I’ve been on the other side of the table enough times, so it was kind of fun to be the client and not the banker. And I wore a shirt and tie for the first time here. I love coming to work in shorts and a t shirt. I’m going to miss that if I ever get another office job back in North America. I also went up to Llongwe, Malawi’s capital city and a 3 ½ hour drive away, for a meeting with the finance managers of a consortium for one of our projects. I felt like I was back in Canada again, dressing up for a meeting that took lots of my day but didn’t feel all that productive. The meeting was mercifully short and to the point, but the 7 hours on the road were a lot of time. At least I was able to get to know my driver, a local Malawian, on the way up. I even made tentative plans to check out his church. And I was able to give a ride to a friend from Germany, saving her a long and questionable minibus ride back to Zomba. And I found a great vegetable market, and was able to have a really good pizza for lunch, so the trip was ok overall.

Speaking of the minibus, I had my first experience on one of these on the weekend. A minibus is slightly larger than a full size van that can fit about 15 comfortably, and will usually try and hold about 25, plus packages, live chickens, etc. They’re not exactly riding in comfort, but it’s not all that much less comfortable than the TTC at rush hour, though it is probably much less safe. Anyhow, the ride was worth it as I was going to Blantyre for a going away get together for some German doctors that I had met here. We bought some more DVDs, shopped during the day and lazed by the pool, and then went out to a club at night. Blantyre is the biggest city in Malawi, and this is the first real club I had been to here. It was mainly filled with expatriates, but there was a good mix of people there. We had a large group, and I got to meet some more new people from the Netherlands. I’m gradually building up my world network, so I have places to stay and people to visit if I decide to travel. Depending on when I wrap up here, I may try and make some stops in Europe on my way home. I know quite a few Germans now, and experiencing Oktoberfest in Germany certainly has its appeal. I guess we will see what the future holds on the travel front.

Let’s see, what else? I’ve been cleared to drive on my own within Zomba now, which will make getting to church, shopping, and getting out to play squash and golf, much easier. After I get a bit more comfortable with driving, I’ll be able to travel between cities, thus avoiding further minibus excursions. It’s nice to have a bit more flexibility.

Overall, things are very well here. I’m busy, but mostly in a good way. I’ve met lots of expats who keep coming and going, but who knows who I will see again and in what part of the world. It’s neat meeting new people and hearing a bit of their story.

Oh yeah, and what else is sapping my energy? The heat. It’s finally starting to get to me. My consolation is that even the locals are getting frustrated by the heat, and the rains are overdue, so relief should be here shortly. It’s still nowhere near the heat in India, it’s just like the dog days of summer in Canada. Come to think of it, I haven’t worked in the summer in Canada in 3 years, so I barely remember what it’s like. Maybe I miss the air conditioning. But like I said, being able to dress for the weather, and not having to sit in a shirt and tie all day, helps make up for it. And leaving early on Fridays to golf year round is certainly a nice bonus. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.