Things that happened to me yesterday:

• saw a mouse in my room
• witnessed a road accident
• got pissed off at STAESA for ruining my evening
• was assertive twice in the space of an hour (yes - me -really)
• had a woman come up to me, rub my stomach and ask me how the baby was doing
• got trapped in conversation with some guy who thought he had a right to be my best friend just cos he had an MBA from America... reminded me of those MBA people who were randomly in Queen's bar one time... maybe one of the requirements is to pass an exam in being a git
• convinced STAESA I needed my deposit back and persuaded them to book me a hotel in Accra for next week and come to the airport in the middle of the night, hence no longer pissed off with them
• found a restaurant serving bacon sandwiches to rival Harvey's
• ate ice cream in the same restaurant
• felt much happier, once devoid of extraneous wildlife, pissed-off-ness and phantom pregnancy
• had catastrophic nose-bleed and had to go home

I need to name the lizards that sleep on the outside of my mosquito screen. One is named Larry in homage to the one in our bathroom in Kenya. Any suggestions for the other?

I wrote myself a list of things to do on the internet, which read somthing like this:

• email Holly for her address to apologise for not writing yet - also to see if she knows anything about extended essays
• email every tutor I've ever had to find out what the hell to do about extended essays
• find some way of contacting the linguistics department at Université de Lomé
• email booking ref to STA travel to stop evil Alitalia man trying to screw me over
• harrass STAESA for the $150 they owe me
• reassure parents am still alive
• ask the boy to bring Marmite and chocolate

I also had four missed calls this morning, and a text from the boy, so I feel very popular. Am still working as general admin bitch which is more useful and less traumatic than trying to give legal advice and went to a funky party on Friday. I am also currently using the best computer in the whole of Africa, rather excitingly, and it's also right by the door, giving a much needed breeze. Not quite sure how I'm going to cope with the climate in Burkina and Mali. It is very, very hot, with no wind at all. *fear* Otherwise I'm just being a geek - finished Germinal (something I've been trying to achieve for over a year now) and making occasional notes on diglossia in the hope that this will somehow lead on to getting onto that Linguistics and Development MA course at SOAS, should several thousand pounds just drop out of the sky to fund it. Actually really enjoyed Germinal - Karen Blixen was right: in Africa, you read books as the author intended them to be read.

Having shown off about my organised list-making I ought to go and cross some stuff off it. 'Waffle on blog' was not an item.

13 days, not that I'm counting.........

Dear people of France,

1) I know Britain is not in the Euro. I'm very sorry, but it is not my personal responsibility to make this sort of economic and political decision.

2) I don't really eat that much jam. Nor do we eat cake all the time. Really. Also, green beans are not a meal. Not on their own. Not even with lots of garlic.

3) Most of the world's immigrants actually end up in places like Tanzania and Pakistan. It's only about 1% that make it to Europe.

4) Comic books are for children.

That is all. Thankyou.

________________

PS - Would everyone who got all worried about me going to politically unstable countries like Togo and begged me to go and get a nice job in Paris like to apologise now?

Well, I haven't updated properly for quite some time, but as I am now in an internet café that hates gmail and no-one is talking to me on MSN, I have 20 minutes to waffle about palm trees and caffeine and then 10 to sit biting my nails, hoping it posts before my time runs out. Ah, it's fun.

Well, I started work on Monday, but I won't go on about it. Suffice to say I've seen a lot of people in awful situations in the last three days, and there's not a whole lot I can do for them, which is rather difficult at times. I'm helping a paralegal (an amazing woman who can make even the most distressed client laugh), so sitting in on consultations and mediations. The consultations are okay, as they tend to be more relaxed and there's time for people to explain to me what's going on, but the mediations tend to take upwards of two hours and there's all sorts of tension flying around. I've been writing lots of reports, but often people speak Ewe or Mina (a lot of women haven't been to school for very long so don't speak much French) and I don't really know what's going on, as my language skills are still limited to greeting people and hailing taxis, and a lot of the problems are very bound up with cultural issues and traditions that still seem quite strange to me. In a way I'm quite glad I didn't start straight away, as it would probably all have been a bit much in the early stages of culture shock.

It's very rewarding though, and this sort of thing always makes you bond with your co-workers very strongly, so I feel very welcome in the organisation. I go to the little restaurant round the corner and buy lunch for 40p every day - plantains, rice, beans, meat, all freshly cooked and yummy. They've adopted the continental working day which means I leave the house at 7.40 and get home about 6, but have 2 1/2 hours for lunch. I'm skiving rather, as I should be back now, but I didn't finish till 13.30 and feel justified in using my full hour here. Have also succesfully bargained myself a bitrhday present for my housemate (earrings in a wooden box) and she's having a big party tomorrow, with some Germans she knows. Went to the 'cinema' with them (Star Wars 3, no better the second time around) on Tuesday and they were very nice - always fun meeting other volunteers.

Anyhow, had better post this in good time! Hope you're all well!

Hannah x

Right, the last time I publicly announced I was happy on this blog everything went rather pear-shaped almost instantly, so I won't make a similar mistake again.

Suffice to say I have finally started work and everyone there is lovely, and I have been living in the same place for 9 days and nobody has sexually harrassed me yet! I also have a phone - a lovely Nokia 5110 (remember them?) like my first ever phone. It cost me £15 and it's got primitive Snake and no predictive text and it's my new favourite toy.

I also have a new address, which I will email you if you want it. Not sure there's any reason not to post it on here, as it's only a PO Box so no-one can stalk me, but that's not a chance I'm willing to take!!

About to get kicked off the computer, but just wanted to say hi to everyone (if anyone reads this) and will try and email people in a responsible and loving manner, as you deserve, for bothering to email me!

My brain is linguistic soup. It's weird.