Butterflies

This morning I woke up in a positive state of mind. There have been things that have been worrying me, but I have decided not to let them worry me anymore, because worry leads to fatigue, anxiety and doubt. And so I set off to do some shopping. Before I tell you a little story about my walk to the shops (which yet again involved a few drive-bys from curious men), I need to explain that the only form of fauna I have seen since I got here has been goats and donkeys. Apparently there are mozzies, but they have yet to step into my presence, luckily for them - I have come armed with enough Peaceful Sleep to rid the whole of Africa of insects in general.

Anyway, as I was walking, a beautiful monarch butterfly came and flew around me, it continued to flutter alongside me for a while and then disappeared down an adjoining street. Some of you, but not all, will know that I lost a very special cousin, Sammy, on Christmas day. She had leukaemia and struggled with the illness for two years before she passed away. Her special symbol was a butterfly. All her thank you cards to the people who helped raise and donate money for her bone marrow transplant received butterfly cards, and inside them Sam wrote that butterflies were a symbol of new life and she thanked everyone who helped for being part of giving her the chance to create her new life. And so as I seek to be positive and to create a new life for myself that is in constant celebration of God, the people I love and my purpose on this earth, I thank Sammy for giving me the first nudge in the right direction.

It is Wednesday today. Apparently I don’t teach on Wednesdays. I’ll be getting my car today. This prospect is met with a mixed amount of trepidation and excitement. It’s been horrible having to rely on others to fetch and carry me but I think it’s going to be even more of a trauma to eventually have some wheels of my own. Again, I cannot begin to explain what it is like being in a car on these roads. Think the centre of Maritzburg, on fast forward, with less indicating.

A major source of my anxiety has come from the knowledge that I will have to drive out into the desert twice a week. I have a contract with the German construction company Lupp and they are building a massive resort in the middle of nowhere and their engineers etc need to learn English. The drive to Sifah is spectacular. One drives through a stark mountain range for an hour, one then comes over the crest of a mountain and below is a turquoise lagoon flanked by mountains on all sides. There are quant little fishing villages in this valley and one gets the first feeling that this is the real Arabia. These villages are just as one would imagine – the architecture is beautiful and each village has its own mosque. It’s quite astounding - even the most humble of hovels has the ubiquitous air conditioner. I shudder to think what summer is going to be like. In my mind these villages will probably look like goat towns in summer, and that is not a typo, seriously there are goats everywhere and I doubt they get to have a spot next to the air conditioning in summer.

For all the beauty that this drive holds there is one slight problem with my having to drive out there twice a week. In fact there are two slight problems – I don’t know how to drive on the other side of the road yet and the road itself is the stuff of nightmares. I doubt the engineers who designed that road get much sleep at night. I certainly don’t. But this is where I have to be positive. Yes, it’s going to be kak, but diamonds get made under extreme pressure, or magic, or something, they’re also apparently a girl's best friend blah blah etc etc.

I have been warned by concerned friends that I must be careful what I say in this blog as it could get me into trouble. It’s all rather confusing because I chatted to my employer yesterday and she said as long as one does not insult the Sultan one has a right to remark on the country. She even went as far as to say that if I had a controversial blog she would like to put it on the school’s website in order to attract attention to the school. I’m just going to have to learn to balance what and how I say things. I know I’m new here but the point of this blog is to document the things I learn during my time here. I have no doubt that even in a few months time I will read my opening blog and think ‘if only you knew’. I would also argue however that a fresh pair of eyes in a foreign country pick up the most, whereas once one is used to a new reality it is more difficult to comment on the differences because one has got used to them. And so I will continue to comment on my findings, I will just do so while writing with caution.

And so I have survived my first week in Muscat. It feels like a lot longer. Einstein was right.

In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die.
Where you invest your love, you invest your life.
Awake my soul,
You were made to meet your maker.

                                (Mumford and Son)