Home Alone

I feel like I have taken another step this week towards this place actually becoming home to me. Bryan left the day before yesterday to go and pick up our teammates who are flying in to East Africa on Monday. With transportation being as it is in this part of the world he won't be back for ten days, and that's if all goes well. Which puts me here by myself for ten days. Of course, one is never completely by themselves - people are always stopping by to say hello and a guard sleeps on the compound at night - but with both Bryan gone and my good friend Heather out of town for a few weeks too, it feels a lot like "alone".

But, like I said, it feels more like home because it doesn't feel scary to be here by myself. A few months ago I would have been pretty nervous to stay here this long without Bryan. That's not to say I don't still have my moments. The windstorms at night, tracking down water donkeys by day, and managing on-going construction work in Arabic are all still intimidating, but by now they seem a little more natural then they once did. I have my own kitchen, my own bedroom and my own bathroom (now monitor lizard-less) all of which are familiar and comfortable. On top of that Asad (the puppy) and Nimir (the kitten) have been keeping me highly entertained and feeling very loved. Nimir catches massive locusts that fly into the kitchen at night, usually right into my hair and Asad sleeps just outside my tent door so I can hear him all night long snoring or growling at any perceived threats.

So, all that to say, two days in and I am feeling good. We'll just wait and see how I'm feeling by day five...

My ferocious security team