These last two weeks have been great ‘the calm before the storm’ I reckon!
Christmas was very relaxing, ‘traditionally English’ (church bells, lots of cosy log fires, snow the day I left the Cotswolds to come back to London) … Xmas 2009 is bound to be so much more different than this scene!
I spent the time catching up with family and friends, planning who to see when before I go and getting some very useful contacts. Everyone’s been very supportive in so many ways, I’m really touched and very grateful as I’m sure this will help Mum, Dad and Sarah, knowing that everyone else is interested in my adventure. I see it as an adventure for all of us though, as family – and quite a few friends – are planning to visit me in Kampala. And who knows how what I’ll encounter will affect everyone back home?
I’ve been planning VSO for ages now so feel happy that I’ve been able to spend as much time as possible with my ‘nearest and dearest’. VSO encourage you to ‘make your peace’ with everyone as part of the get process for preparing to go away. Well I hope I’ve been doing that – so when I lie awake at night sweating under my mosquito net I’ll have to find other things to worry about!
I indulged in some post-diet bingeing (2 helpings of main course + 3 of pudding on Xmas Day!!) I’ve been boasting about this statistic for a week but will feel very embarrassed tomorrow morning (at 7am for God’s sake) when I see Mariam in the gym and she reveals I’ve put on more than the 2 kilos I was ‘allowed’ to put on … Oh well. I’ve been keeping up with the exercise (a 3 mile run and two trips to the gym, where the local male totty was sadly all 20 years older than me!) and Davina’s coming with me to Kampala. She’s a girl 😉
Since New Year I’ve slowly started planning the next few weeks. CORRECTION: I now have to grab bull firmly by the horns and say SEVEN WEEKS, no longer can I vaguely say I’m going in ‘in a few months’ nor even ‘in a few weeks’ but in seven weeks.
In short I will be:
– Arranging to sub-let my flat (negotiating with tenant, agreeing contract/terms, spot of DIY, massive clear-out, boxing up of stuff for storage, cancelling bills etc)
– Giving 1 month’s notice at work (been worrying about this)
– Fundraising for VSO
– Saying lots of goodbyes
– Inviting colleagues for big party to empty drinks cupboard and freezer!
– Having sh**loads of needles stuck in me
