Nairobi...

I am now safely in Nairobi, and have been for the last three days. It's pretty hot here, not far off 30 degrees during the day. For some reason I never expected it to be. I was met off the plane by Peter and a couple of girls from the SIM Sudan team which was class. It was really good to see a familiar face at the other end of a long journey, if also a little surreal.

Things are pretty chilled out here, I dont have a whole lot to do between now and heading into Sudan next Friday except for a little more orientation and buying of food (a task that I find incredibly daunting, how are you supposed to know what you want to eat for the next 2 months?!?) Tonight we're having a guys night out to an all you can eat meat restaurant on the other side of town. I'm sure it'll be fun, although all you can eat is kind of wasted on me.

Pretty much all of the SIM Sudan team have been out for the month of January and so it's been great to get the chance to hang out with them as most of them won't be on the same base as me. I've already been asked to use my engineering skills to price a new building for one of the other compounds, which is probably the most useful thing I've done since I got here. Although to be honest, it's not really up against much competition. I think I've spent more time sleeping in the last three days than in the three weeks before that. Turns out getting ready to leave, saying goodbye and long haul flights are really quite tiring.

I'm really looking forward to getting into Sudan, although I'm slightly less enamoured with the prospect of trying to learn arabic for the first few weeks. I havent tried to learn a language since standard grade french. It will be well worth it in the long run though.

Think that's it for now, I cant really think of anything interesting to say. And if it's not interesting to me then goodness knows how boring it'll be for you. I wrote a whole post in Dubai airport but it was so boring my computer wouldnt upload it....

Speak to you soon. Next time I might put in some photos

Goodbye...

So, I've left Glasgow, after 9 years, 4 months and am en-route to Sudan ( I probably wont get there for another ten days). I'm writing from Dubai Airport where I have a ten hour stop over. Unfortunately I dont have very much else of interest to say, the woman next to me was playing her ipod so loud that I could hear it over mine, it cost $8 for a whopper meal at Burger King and airports are boring. But I'm sure you knew that already. And I made friends with a Malaysian guy who gave me chocolate and kept me company for a while.

My last weekend in Glasgow was fun, apart from the hectic packing up - which would have been a lot more hectic if it wasn't for servant hearted friends. Went go-karting on Saturday evening then had a party at my flat which was a good chance to say my emotional goodbyes...Then on Sunday evening I got a prayerful send off from my church. I've been overwhelmed by the support I've been given from pretty much everyone I know, it's class to know people will be thinking of, and praying for me regularly while I'm away.

Orientation

This week has been orientation at a manor house near Cambridge. Fun times. We've had a barrage of input on everything from who SIM are and what they do, to what's safe and appropriate to put on a blog like this one (not much, as it happens). Another day and a half to go and then it's back up to Glasgow for the last of my farewells...

It's been pretty good though. I made some new friends and have had the chance to hang out with a couple who were involved in setting up the base that I'm going to be working at which has been really helpful. They've told me stuff this week that it would probably have taken me the whole 8 months to figure out for myself.

It's made me think about things a bit differently I would say, and being around people who are going/have been away for much much longer makes 8 months seem almost trivial. Maybe I'll go for longer some day...

Interesting News

Sudan's been in the news a bit recently:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8444843.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/07/sudan-conflict-aid-war-oxfam

And from a while ago: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sudan/6034690/South-Sudan-faces-new-war-over-oil.html