Arrived!!!

Well, I arrived safely in Beira ysterday afternoon, and had no problems with customs or immigration. No thefts from the notorious Johannesburg baggage handlers either (that is if I left my sunglasses at home, as they didn't make it here...) Anyways, i was met at the airport by my new boss, a Rwandan named Onis. He took me to his place for a much needed shower, and then a drive around the town, a walk on the beach, and a supper of fresh seafood as we watched the sunset over the Indian Ocean.

Okay, so that sounds a bit idyllic, especially for those suffering the latest cold front moving throught the Northeast US and Eastern Canada, but I just spent 50 hours in transit!!!

After waking every three hours, adjusting to jet lag all night, I got up at 5:00 to run with Onis, but saw a torrential downpour outside and was reminded of why I'm here. We cancelled the run, and I went back to sleep. On the way to the office, the water was standing on the road 4 inches deep, after only about 4 hours of rain. We went to a cafe for breakfast, where they served a decent espresso and cafe au lait, and we had toasted chicken sandwiches. Definitely not Asia anymore!

Today was sepnt in orientation, which included being issued with a mobile phone, a laptop, and a flash disk full of policies, budgets, project contracts, etc. In the afternoon i took my driving test, and am an approved driver (despite three near collisions.)

All in all, a full day, jet lag is hitting me, and I have dinner tonight with the country director. Tomorrow I'm off to Caia at 8, where I will be based for the majority of my time here, managing the relief projects in the Zambezi river valley. There may not be internet acces for a while, but when I can, I'll be back!