Random Thoughts Before Safari

I feel very rushed at the moment. A lot has happened this week that I planned on summing up in a post, but inspiration to write and free time just didn't seem to coincide and now it is late. Tomorrow at 7am Ricardo and I set off to Botswana for our safari vacation with my uncle and his family. I am excited, tired, overwhelmed, and more than anything relieved to get a break where I can do nothing but relax and look at animals for an entire week.

A short recap of the ups and downs of the week before I head out:

- Signing our contracts with the IFC. Job security for the next month and a half, a decent paycheck, good experience and a golden addition to my resume. This is the break we've all been waiting for, and hopefully it will make all of the sacrifices we've made over the last year totally worth it.

- Preparing and delivering 2 very successful project kick-off meetings for the project promoters and IFC representatives. I felt like I was in business school again as the members of our consulting team divvied up the work and put together a power point presentation. It had been quite a while since the last time I did a group presentation and it was nice to collaborate with others for a change.

- So what are our projects? We will be developing business plans for 2 local businesses - a flower company and a transport company - that will hopefully lead to bank financing for the clients.

- Home improvements forced by the fact that we have houseguests and felt compelled to raise the standards just a little bit. We FINALLY got new mattresses (a queen for me and Rico, and 2 singles for B. and Monty), ordered 2 beds to be made by one of our clients so the boys don't have to sleep on the floor, bought capulanas (sheets of cotton in bright ethnic prints that the women here traditionally tie around their waists as a sort of sarong) and had them made into proper curtains to substitute the towels that we'd been using until now as window dressings, bought linen at the fabric store and commissioned a tailor to make cushions for our wicker couch and armchairs, bought enough mugs and bowls for everyone, bought a bath mat...you get the idea. Our quality of living has improved about 150% in a few short weeks.

- Ricardo and I discovered a restaurant overlooking the ocean that serves excellent seafood and the best black forest cake we've ever tasted anywhere in the world. We went for lunch the other day and I had a great fillet of fish smothered in a seafood sauce (think bits of lobster, prawns, crab and clams) and an entire piece of cake to myself for dessert. Best meal at a restaurant in ages.

- Went to the expensive expat grocery store to buy cat food and ended up splurging on red bell peppers, dijon mustard, and turkey breast cold cuts. These things - along with many other foods I took totally for granted back in the US - are not available in regular stores. I miss them so much, though, it was worth the premium price. I ate one of the red peppers raw and straight out of hand like an apple as soon as we got home. The other I covered in olive oil and put in the oven and managed to make roasted red peppers for lunch today.

- Bought a 1 liter bottle of local honey for about $4. There is no label on the honey, as it is literally an empty whisky bottle someone took out to the beehive and filled on up. In addition to the fab price and delicious taste, my favorite thing about this honey is that we purchased it in an Indian-run convenience store where it sat on the shelf next to floor wax and canned garbanzo beans.

- Getting over my neurotic, perfectionistic, controlling tendencies and being able to enjoy the company of my friends/fellow consultants/temporary housemates. Thank God. I was at the point were I couldn't even stand to be around myself, so you can imagine what it must have been like for everyone else.

Okay. Time to type up some notes from our meeting this evening, then I have to finish packing my suitcase. It's going to be a long, nearly sleepless night but just thinking about the fact that tomorrow we'll be on SAFARI makes it all okay...