Lewis suggested that I do a summary of all the inventories that I had done over the last 6 weeks – which I thought was a really good idea (the rest of you should be ashamed, being out thought by a 10yr old – a very special 10yr old I’ll grant you, but none the less……)
I think it’ll be wise to discount my night in Dubai for the moment as I haven’t really got any idea what to expect, or I will get there so late that it doesn’t matter (and I am acutely aware that the flight leaves at 0805hrs and I should be there at about 6 if I want to do any shopping, so missing my flight is not a very bright option !)
So, here goes -
44 days (45 if you count one more night in Dubai)
28 nights at the COB, 14 nights on site, 1 night in hospital, 1 night in Dubai, 1 night on an airplane.
1 unit of alcohol (a small glass of pink champagne which, as you’ll all know, I didn’t really enjoy, but I took it to be sociable)
$194 in cash on cigars and other bits and pieces (that’s about £125)
Cigars – 115, that’s less than 3 a day on average which considering it’s my only vice out here, I don’t think that’s all that bad. It’s funny, whether everyone else has the same thoughts or this is just where you come if you smoke, but the ratio here is probably 50-50, certainly higher than I have seen it for a few years.
Gym – 27 trips to the gym in 45 days that’s more than 1 every 2 days, which considering I was ill for a week and spent 2 weeks in the desert isn’t bad either really. They have stopped us running around the perimeter of ROO Camp for “security” reasons, even when we take an armed guard with us, so the opportunities for exercise have been limited and motivation has been a problem. There is something about getting changed and “going” to the gym that gets you up and moving, and whilst you are there you might as well do all the right things and make the most of it. It’s not quite the same as doing press-ups in your room every night.
Weather – mostly it has been burning hot. The highest temperature measured, but not that accurately, was 64deg. I have no idea what the lowest was I’m afraid. We have had several sand storms and one thunderstorm followed by a torrential downpour that lasted a good hour. We had one morning of fluffy clouds (and this afternoon had clouds, although you wouldn’t call it cloudy) and one day where the humidity was so high it was like fog, but not as we know it. We’ve had high winds and light breezes, and days where it’s so still, the heat just goes straight through you and it’s like turning on a tap as the sweat runs down your back.
Food – I’ve had good, bad, but mostly indifferent. We went through a period at the COB when the Chef ordered 700kgs of prime fillet steak (instead of 70kg) by mistake where we ate like Kings every night – BBQ nights were especially good. Some of the curries stand out, along with the evening where they cooked noodles to order. Breakfasts have been the downside, even with the crunchy American streaky bacon that has appeared at Phase 0 lately, it’s not the same. It’s also very easy to eat too much here and not take any exercise because you can have 3 courses to every meal and as much as you like. There aren’t really any snacking between meal opportunities, and of course no drinking, but you could easily put weight on here if you had a sedentary job – and I have seen some very good examples !
Lowlights – I guess my illness and night in hospital probably cover that element alone. I felt so wretched when they said I had to stay and be put on a drip, and very lonely too, but then again I was ill so I guess I wasn’t likely to be my usual happy self. I haven’t really enjoyed our client either – he’s a bully and I’m fairly certain that he doesn’t like me, because I’m indifferent to his bullying and I think that doesn’t suit him. I had a long chat with my boss this afternoon before I came away and we have decided (subject to things not changing whilst I am away) that I will do more of certain roles and less of others. I think there’ll be a general shift in several jobs so that we can have a permanent client face and some people who get on and make things happen. We’ll see when I get back, because there is plenty of time for it all to change again !
The internet is another lowlight, but also a highlight – you forget how dependant you are on it, it’s your only contact with home most of the time because the mobile phone systems are so erratic and there are no other ways of speaking to home – God only knows what the postal system is like here ! But when it’s working, and working well, it’s wonderful and it gives you endless opportunities for entertainment and for contact with civilisation.
Highlights – most of my highlights are little things, talking to home on Skype, finding a new shop on the base after being here for a month, my first drive out into the desert in an armoured car (that’s a bit sad really but I am struggling for highlights whilst I sit here…………). The weather was amazing when I first got here but it just became part of life, and then a drag after that. The pizza that I have just had was also a highlight – it cheered me up a bit as I was starving and I’d hit a bit of a low with the internet not working properly (see above) and the anti-climax of sort of setting off home but not really getting very far, if that makes any sense…….we are all going through a particularly difficult phase at work as well, for a number of reasons that I won’t bore you with, and I thought I would be even happier to get out but I guess I am just a team player……………..actually, I’ve just read that back and I’m going to leave it in and see what it looks like after a glass of wine tomorrow – should at least make me laugh !
Personally I think the main highlights are yet to come, and getting out of Birmingham airport at about quarter past one on Tuesday will be one of them – the rest you will just have to guess.
Oh, and this is the 47th blog !
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