Happy New Year!

Well here we are, at the start of a brand new decade- Happy New Year to you all! Technically of course we are already 16 days into it but it is only now that I have recovered from the shock of getting back to work after our three week holiday that I have managed to sort out proper internet time.

Our Christmas trip was great, camping gear  all piled into our Nissan Patrol, my Mum, Eilidh and Cameron fighting for space amongst sleeping bags, water bottles and nintendo games in the back, Alan's beloved jerry can and spare wheel on the roof, me in the front with a mottley collection of dog eared maps and the all important Haynes manual, and off we went. 

Travelling up north through Namibia, across the 'red line' and along the Caprivi Strip, we entered Zambia and travelled the length of the country to Malawi. There we visited the school we have been in contact with for the last year and a half, a humbling experience. Two days swimming in Lake Malawi allowed us to chill out just a little before our drive back through Zambia, returning to Namibia via Botswana.

There are so many tales that could be told, but perhaps the highlights are Eilidh losing one of her only pair of shoes with her, which doesn't sound too dramatic except for the fact that we were swimming 3 ft from the lip of Victoria falls at the time. She completed the rest of the overland adventure in a quickly purchased pair of Mr Price gym shoes. Another funny-looking-back moment was breaking down in the middle of Chobe National Park after not seeing another vehicle all day (the kids had to go on Lion Watch while I retrieved 3 cans of cold beer from the fridge in the boot) three hours before dark and the brakes failing as Alan slammed them on hard to avoid a suicidal cow (at least it wasn't an elephant).

The children have both now settled into school, Cameron in the laid back International School which suits him perfectly, and Eilidh in one of the High Schools in town. She has made friends instantly and now declares she wants to live here forever, well, until the first major teen fall out I suspect. This of course translates into me making popcorn at 5.30 am the other morning (Cam's enterprise project), revisiting Maslow's heirarchy of needs (Cam again) and running Eilidh here there and everywhere across the city to keep up with her various social engagements. Still, at least its nice and sunny here....


We have now an early start to the day, schools starts at 7.oo/7.20 am and I start work at 7.30, a routine of sorts seems to be emerging, despite my best efforts. My work is tough going, the management style is somewhat different to what I have experienced before, but the curriculum resources that I am writing are slowly coming together and in two weeks time I will be based at two schools in the informal settlement area to help set up organic gardens. I remain optimistic (read doggedly determined) that this placement will still work out.


Anyway, I am going to make a big effort to keep in touch between now and August now that we are a bit more settled, starting off with updating this blog with Alan's recent ramblings. Visions of having hours and hours of spare time in which I dreamed of revisiting the old art of letter writing, proper paper letters, haven't materialised, although perhaps I could pretend that they have been intercepted by Somalian pirates. No, thought not.


Take care everyone, and all our love and best wishes for a happy 2010.


Jo x