Arrival

Imagine you haven’t seen a lover for two and a half years. You parted without acrimony, but also without regret. Then one day you see her again. You’d forgotten how beautiful she was. The past falls away and soon you’re deep in conversation, laughing at the old jokes.

It was foggy at Heathrow, and that delayed the flight from Newcastle and the departure for HUDC. All of southern England, according to the pilot, was covered by fog, and indeed so it seemed. It cleared briefly at the coast, over Brighton, and then we flew above cloud and didn’t see the ground until we were descending to HUDC.

This is a new development, with housing for the English-speaking staff at the college. I find “complex” and annoying noun. And “compound” sounds punitive.

The housing is good, although it has the anonymity of a holiday apartment just now. The garden definitely has potential. There are no cockroaches (yet). The shower works. There are some shops within walking distance. There’s no television or ISP, but these are promised in the next days or even hours.

All things considered, and taking previous experience of this country into account, this is sheer bloody luxury.

Last night there was the familiar feeling of despair as the drink consumed on the plane died, and the realisation that everyone I love is thousands of miles away, and I couldn’t get a clear signal for the BBC World Service. I had a broken but refreshing night’s sleep, half dreaming about and half planning the garden.

This morning, all is well. We’re going to get photographs taken (the bureaucracy here simply cannot get enough photos of you), do some shopping, and then tonight we’re going to a restaurant. Friday and Saturday are the weekend – perhaps I’ll get a start on the garden. Sunday, we start at the college, though not teaching: the situation is uncertain with regards to students and classrooms... More about that on Sunday, inshallah.

[edit: this post and those up to and including the 26th Feb 2008 were written offline and posted on 27th Feb, when an Internet connexion was established]