Somalia Drought 2011 (Children)

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Travelling in the USA: Part 2

New York City: The thought of going there formed knots in my stomach which tightened and tightened as the time drew nearer and the minutes ticked away.

My expectation of NYC were really the same as any there city. I recall thinking that i was being collected in a car from the airport! i also asked a colleague to leave me at the airport for my return to homebase because his flight was later ( and he had a car)

for all the fears and apprehension i had about the place, NYC turned out to be nice.

well , actually it is nothing and everything. in one way   it is cold, indifferent , individualistic, intimidating and contained. in another way it is welcoming, challenging , freeing , accepting and contagious. Nothing makes sense and anything goes.

i spent 3 day s there, 2 of which were very much by myself. I was always alone but never felt lonely. Theres a heartbeat t which NYC pulses and soon as i tuned to it, i was hopping between subways , catching meals on the go, waving down taxi's, rushing, rushing and rushing.

on Saturday morning i finally got a tour of uptown NYC; Harlem , Bronx, Central park and the theatre district. On TV we aways see it as a dangerous place, the Bronx that is. It has actually changed and is really safe( def safe compared to home )

Central Park lks lovely. Its surrounded by the wealthier people of Harlem  and is thus used as such( my opinion). Thes rich people include the likes of many Hollywood stars.

throughout my tour, I was reminded of how many different cultures are represented in NYC. Mexicans, Germans, Chinese, Italians, Africans (from all over Africa i guess) and of curse Indians( the native red-Indians of America)
NYC used t be owned by these Indian people who called it Manna Hatta ( something t do with the mountains of what is nw call Manhattan). It was sold for $24 in the beginning of the 19th century to the Dutch( I think). Today only the name Manhattan reminds one ( if you know the history) of its roots. Its such a mix of people and cultures , even its architecture is diverse that n0thing can be called "UNIQUELY AMERICAN" except the bright lights and sleepless character of the place.

In NYC its really difficult nt to fit in. Everyone comes from a lineage of expats and everyone is welcome. Hobos and rock stars share the same street sin a harmony quite unlike in many other cities. i guess that's the beauty f NYC.

President Obama studied at the Columbia university in the city. He shared the subway with many people. I doubt he shared his dreams and aspirations . Like many others, I experienced the solitude f the city. Where your neighbour could be anyone but who cares!

I guess that's the arrogance if NYC.

Its the perfect contradiction.

Travelling in the USA: Part 1

written in March or April...I'm not sure
its now hurtling toward the end of my stay in the USA and what an experience it has been .

Today I'm off to the Amish region , elk spotting and cheesecake factory visiting in Pittsburgh. This after fun yet exhausting group work session that ended at the early hours of the morning.

So after 4 hours of sleep I'm up again , and swapping my bookish hat for a more welcome yet equally stressful travel hat . The unexpectedness of what lay ahead of us in the paces visit , the reaction of people to me , to us, the unfamiliarity all add an extra heartbeat to my natural pulse.

we're driving through the country now and for miles and miles the roads are lined with barren trees trying to dare a smile while reaching up from the snow relieved grounds.

here a little town. i wonder how many people live here . I guess we're on the main street in Mercer. Subway to my left and a bit further down , MacDees. A little way from the Subway theres a jail house and a City hall. This is what country movies are made of.

okay so we have reached the little Amish town called Wilmington. A few buggies have passed( nothing too exciting!)

Pi Day , team lunch, St. Patricks Day and Girls Night

and i guess i shouldn't forget to mention that Paintball is planned for today along with ice-skating perhaps tomorrow.

I guess i sound like a serious party animal but truth is, I'm working off the envy of the people back home and their work-less public holidays.

So Pi-day is a strange geeky nerdy day which only Americans can identify with because no-1 else int the world has a date format that goes month-day-year .

so when 3.14.year (22/7 or Pi) arrives...it only happens in the states. I was terribly confused when i found out about it because I still automatically revert back to the day-month-year format - in my world 3.14.year is impossible!!!

Team lunch...well for me this was just an excuse to spend social time with my team. They're amazing and witty and diverse and proudly individual...and amazingly hard workers so its was kewl to see them take a break and catch their breaths

an amazing thing happened at lunch...well after lunch but due to living by tight time schedule.
I paid for  my meal, but couldn't wait for change because i had to race back to work for A-course. So i asked Greg to hold on to my change and id get it from him in the office...

I didn't get back ti the office till Thursday morning,,,a  half a day later

And i found my change on my desk. According to Greg...it had been there from the day before. No1 touched it!!! the beauty if being able to trust your co-workers\. I was absolutely surprised.

Moving on to St. Patricks Day...that was Thursday. According to the Champe this is how it goes...

"St. Patrick’s Day is a Catholic holiday. A very large portion of Ireland happens to be Catholic. As for Saint Patrick, when he was about 16, he was captured from Britain by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the Church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked. By the seventh century, he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.

St. Patrick’s Day is a Holy Day, but outside of Ireland, it is largely a celebration of Ireland itself.

Americans tend to celebrate by drinking, wearing green (if you wear green, leprechauns can’t see you and won’t pinch you), and eating cabbage and bacon (Irish Staples). A lot of Americans eat corned beef because during the mass Irish immigration to the US, bacon was too expensive and corned beef took substitute."

Basically , for us worker bees,  it was a normal day. But every other person seemed rather excited about going downtown for some green liquid.

So finally girls night came , with chick flicks and chocolate delicacies planned as the highlight. Work took precedence as it always does. By 7:30pm the study/work -group had dis-assembled ; the earliest for the week. DCespite looking forward to this ina  biig way, we landed up wishing that we didn't have to go.

The get together, albeit 9pm onwards was nice...just being out of the academia , work, formal behaviour box was wonderful because i got to meet the real people that have created the legacy.They're normal after all, and wonderful at that too.

All in all, a long and wonderful and amazing week.

These are few and far between in SA. I can also attest to not being too envious anymore of  the public holiday braai crews in SA anymore. Iv had my fill of fun this week,

ski slope sliding n ssssssssssssstoppin'

POST 100

Last week was a shock to the system as training went full swing and i became so overwhelmed , i thin ki forgot to breathe. By friday , afetr many late nights and complicated problems, i just needed some shut eye and a good book.

Instead, i chose to go to Canada for a family reunion of a sort. I got a 3 hour drive to Toronto from Erie via the niagara falls to be met by the bubbliest bunch of people i've met in a while.  So sleep wasnt a question, but for a change it was worth it.

Canada was great , the place is more city like so i loved it , the diversity rocks, the freedom (to not have to look over your shoulder every second) is enjoyable...i def want to go back.

So after a greeeeeat e weekend away...reality hit me with a report deadline looming. I walked around the office on Monday liek a Zombie after my first attempt to complete the report. Monday night...my final attempt resulted in one of those all nighters reserved for uni kids and programmers.

By Tuesday i was the picture of "happiness": droopy eyes, shabby dressing , yawning punctuating my sentences.

Wednesday ...it was downhill from here
Lectures from 1pm and project update required

Thursday ...
Project presentation...and would u believe a change again

Friday...i remember a Janazah...sad

n more recently i stayed up to hear from people back home( whi btw knew i was waiting ) and im still waiting

its past midnight

im pooped

i cant go to the group activity because im too tired coz i waited up
 did  i mention im tired

what a week...and this was supposed to be an easy week.

good luck 2 me

First heavy snow storm

20 02 2011

This past week has been amazing in a whole lot of ways

Getting over jet lag- i keep waking up at random hours , just because! And then i cant sleep again!

then there's work ...yep we hit the ground running and work , training , living all started as the plane doors spat us out in this foreign land.

• Monday morning we pitched up at the training facility and went through the motions of getting settled.
• Tuesday we got an induction
• Wednesday we had lectures
• Thursday we were assigned projects
• Friday we got access cards

In-between all the formalities , there were workshop tours , discussions about the differences and similarities between our employers and trainers and briefing on what to expect of our projects.

We've also had some (failed) attempts at team building. Paintball , bowling(i dont know if this was offficial) and lunch of which we haven't managed one as yet! We wil have to try harder. Last night we made it to a get-together which was not my scene but at least a beginning.

some other unusual things strange to the SA eye:

Snow melts very fast

When we arrived here last week , snow covered almost everything. Over the week , snow turned parking lots into quicksand mud grounds, gutters have been really full even though the rain hasn't come as yet.

so i looked out my window today and would you belive it, it turns out theres a basketball court down in that snow covered area! Not an icicle left in that clearing.

And the fountain to the left of that is even visible now.

Michelle Obama is on a mission to make Americans more health concious. So Feb= "heart month" and in a flash mob style fashion happy shoppers in malls start dancing in unison to get their daily exercise.

This train locomotive in a workshop is what I call a Monster Loco. The SA loco's below can fit quite comfortably inside this Monster with space for a person to pass. I was completely wowed with the size of these. SA is definitely the petit kind.

finally (only because im running outr of pictures) Pennsylvania is essentially landlocked but I found the strangest vehicle out here...

uhuh, thats a ship. These guys build ships in the local ship yard!I dont think this pic does justice to the size of this ship...its ENORMOUS. how they get it to sea is beyond me!

anyway , I was hoping to go to New York City this weekend but low and behold there isnt a bus that can get me there in good time to actually expereince the city. I still had a fab day yesterday because Aunty Rookiya and Uncle Goolam (My Grandads brother and sister-in-law) drove from Canada to spend the day with me  :-D

how cool is that ??? They're super awesome. Uncle Goolam is just like my late Grandad and Aunty Rookiya has to be the youngest , most active grandma around. Im going to see them next week .

I off course have to concentrate on work and training and ReDineo aswell. But I almost feel like a tourist now...:-)

Valentines Day in a white washed city

The Learning Centre is all kitted out for the occasion

This is the Residence Inn(below)...my home for the next 3 months ...pretty looking hey :-)

There is beautiful , soft snow all over the place...its cold outside and people dress like eskimo's

A school, I think, on the way to the Training facility ...its like a picture out of Dead Poets Society

Charlottes Webb connecting the wooden homes

Snow outside the window incidentally of the swimming pool area

Typical house in Erie

11 02 2011

I woke up yesterday morning with a start enough to scare the accents off the air hostesses who were walking up and down the isle as American air hostesses usually do, using words like trash and lavatory instead of  dirt and toilet. I finally realised that I was on my way to America!!! The day before, much like the 3 months preceding the flight in question, had been a gas(erm I'm converting too...i meant petrol) guzzling, traffic enduring, last minute packing, visa collecting, double checking race to  get everything done. And then almost shell-shocked , i boarded the plane ...

and at 8am South Africa time, 1am America time ( i have no idea what time it was in the area that I was in at that specific moment), there I was discovering what actually happened!

Shock and horror aside, at 6 am (US time) I arrived in Atlanta where true to their hospitality non-Americans were ushered into long queues with documents and forms in hand. "special" people , like myself found themselves in the "ssss" office for the second time in one trip having to validate the need to travel to the USA. *SSSS-  some sort of special security check which singles out individuals and subjects them to frisking , verbal information confirmation, scans and gunpowder detection (yes i was subjected to these)

When flying into Johannesburg (or out of JHB for that matter) the world seems to be painted green with random spots of blue and brown adding depth and detail to the picture. Flying over the Miswest here in the USA , the shapes landscapes look very similar. The landscapes are covered in white with paths carved to depict roads.Its a different kind of beauty with little perception but rather flawless tranquility.

on a closer look , or perhaps a close encounter when driving on a different side of the road with a differently operated car one quickly realises that Its not flawless. driving on snow and ice is tricky and wheels quickly skid. Driving on the wrong side of the road , or right side as it may be, is mind boggling. we often follow force of habit and change to the left side which is verry dangerous. My first "driving lesson" in the vehicle went very well though. Yay. Thanks Walter for letting me drive to WalMart

Walmart is my newest fav mall/store/supermarket thing-a-ma-jig. It sells everything and its in the next street so im already planning my next trip.Its also open 24/7 so its very convenient. I think Im gonna get shopper of the month award, Ive been ther twice(nearly thrice) in the matter of 20 hours.


The accommodation Im in is the biggest surprise of all. I though that I was a bit crazy when i entered the lobby and a few nasty looking kids came bouncing by in "bathing suits". The swimming pool next to reception was actually full of people enjoying themselves. So what hey, we swim in winter in SA. Besides, i figured it was a warmed pool. It turns out that the hotel is linked to a water theme park adjacent to it. The kids that i saw were only a handful of hundreds of little people and their parents enjoying the slides and splashes of the park. Also linked to the hotel-theme park arrangement are a host of restaurants and more accommodation.
It looks like the valley of the waved with a roof.  might just be losing my mind.

Perhaps its all just a weird dream. When I wake up, It will all be very normal and I'll go build a snowman.

cheerios ;-)

D-day has dawned

Yesterday I had my US visa interview. After all the stress and planning and checklist ticking , i almost forgot my passport in the car. Yes, rather blond I am.

Anyways, the interview wasn't bad but it was really nothing like the interview that I had imagined. It took a few check points and scans and so on just to enter the embassy. The actual interview was through a glass window , sort of like the bank tellers in JHB town crossed with a high security prison visit. Despite the effect of the place to make even the most honest child feel like a wanted criminal, the efficiency of the place could teach our home affairs departments a thing or two.

The interview ended on a happy note, with the consol officer agreeing to process my Visa. Yayness to that.

So D-Day (Departure Day) is tomorrow. My bags are packed , my papers in order and now , finally, I'm beginning to look forward to the trip.

My next post will be from the USA.

Adieu

To my birthday buddies

Usually around this time of the year, while everyone else is getting ready for Valentines Day and finding the most awful uses of the colour red,  myself and a couple of friends are celebrating our birthdays.

I wont be around (in Jozi) for the celebrations this year, the gift exchanges or the innovative birthdays songs but I will be remembering each of my friends with a little prayer.

So to Dipsy, Mike, Zahra, Thuli, Soul Sista, Vidhya, Katlego and all the other Feb birthday pals, may you have a birthday to remember. Wishing you all many happy returns of the day.

Love
Naeema

Shiver me Whiskers

I must have done something seriously bad for karma to be sending me to such dangerous territory. The effects of the blizzard include no electricity in many of the 20 american states affected, closed roads and airports. In other words there will be sub zero temperatures to deal with - without heaters - and limited access to food. Oh dear , what chill we will feel being so close to the banks of Lake Erie!!!The pictures that I have seen so far from Missouri and Chicago are making me shiver here in the humid office in Germiston. (perhaps the Aircon is assisting a bit)

But I also wonder about the programme i'm meant to be attending. If schools and businesses are closed and people are "hermitising" will it really be worth their while for the comapny to send us?

I'm so over being excited to play in snow. This snowfall looks scary and all weather service warnings seem to be telling me is to stay in sunny SA and  shy away from the cold.

Well I guess i'll go and soak up as much vitamin D in the mean time. I need all the happiness food i can manage.

Blizzards again

Shopping in The USA

Being in SA a wee bit longer has made my shopping list a whole lot longer. You see, everyone who knows me and some acquintences and their pets, suddenly want the strangest array of gifts from the USA.

I've been asked to buy electronic equipment, fish, beer mugs, clothing and even jewellery!

I can see that lot getting past customs.

Customs officer: "Ma'am , do you have anything to declare?"

Me:" Err, declare???  Is that English . We don't eat that in  South Africa! Sorry Sir, maybe next time."

Its all quite strange to me because we get everything in SA. The electronics may be delayed a bit , but we'll get it soon enough. Our networks arent even fast enough to appreciate most of the latest gizmos so whats the point?

Fish...okay so Salmon is more readily available in USA but its a rare fish so I skeem that we let the Americans have the extinction of Salmon on their conscience.

Beer mugs...hahaha, I dont even consume alcohol. So the old customs officer wil be rather confused when he sees that. Nah , cant carry a beer mug. I wonder if a beer mug from a different country will make a diference to the taste of the drink. Seriously , will a German mug make the beer taste like its from Germany? #just wondering

Clothing requests have come in the form of name brands. Obviously from people who dont know me at all because anyone who know me will know that my fashion sense doesnt follow a particular trend or brand or anything particular. It all depends on my mood and hence I can look like a hobo in a track suit (and safety boots) or majorly confused in a power outfit ( and Bova's- ugliest safety boots known). So y'all hu wants some "nice" clothes. Y'all will get what ever tickles my fancy ...if i remember you

And then the Jewellery. Cummon, have i EVER worn jewellery other than my watch??? And dont we produce gold in SA? Why should i buy items made from SA gold in a foreign land. Do you want the gold to return to its home. Ag shame julle, I'll make a purchase or 2 if I feel like it maar honestly, are material things that important ?

This of course doesnt mean that I will forget all of the people that I value; I plan to do some shopping. It may not be as per request but I aint a pro shopper and at least i know that for those who are on my list it will be well received as small as it may get.#ifIevergetthere

two days + a few

So the visa shenanigans are continuing ...

what about a visa you ask. Well, ideally the lot of us should depart on Thursday . We then got moved to Friday . Still fine because it the programme in the US begins on the 1st Feb so we'd have a bit of time to recover from jet lag.

But that wasn't the end of the alterations and altercations. A few more changes to flights and other bookings have had to be made since then. We now may only leave SA on the 7th!(again I write this with bated breath as the word visa crosses my mind). The unlucky persons that just finally completed all their paperwork over and above their normal assignments have to re-do it all! So altercations it has been and shall be.

whats the delay? Well, to put it plainly , overnight delivery isn't quite overnight. Its takes a few days. in our case that's about 4 working days that we don't have. The embassy wants to see original documents for everything so until then ...we wait

When the world offers you Lemons...

So Im drenched in lemonade...

Today was the day that our pre-arrival letters finaly made it (on over night mail) to us after 4 working days roaming the world.Thats actually 6 days! So the intention is to accept delivery , sign and return so that our Visa aplications , of wat ook al , can be processed on the other end of the world. Sounds simple , right?

Thats again what us optimists thought. Until packages were delivered to places other that the agreed pick up points, wrong things were delivered, signatures were missing! Oh my gosh!

The delivery services really offerred us a bag of fresh lemons today. Sadly , only 3 of the 6 participants are making lemonade. The other 3 seem rather oblivious of the sour situation and are carrying on their lives quite normally. Quite frustrating to think that we are all going to attend this programme and that other people would die to be a part of it!

Latest state of affairs: pre-arrival letters must be received by training company so that they can mail us the rest.
 Appointment with the embassy is on the Wednesday ...early
Programme briefing happens on Thursday morning
Fly out ...Thursady night.

My dilemma...Strat session in PTA from Mon -Wednesday
Wednesday Morning -be in Sandton at embassy , Wednesday afternoon, be in PTA
Thursday Morning - be in PTA , Thurday afternoon,-JHB, evening airport!!!

Im not sure when we recieve Visa's in all of this !

But I guess it has much to do with the offer of lemons.

8 ways for women to get ahead at work

Here's an email for the ladies looking to get ahead in their careers...


Want a pay increase or job promotion? Here are 8 tips you can use to take your career to new heights!


As a new year begins, some women are vowing to change their workplace situation. But how exactly do you get noticed by the boss? Or earn that pay bump? Or snag that sweet promotion?



It won't be easy.



A study last month by Catalyst, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in the workplace, reported women accounted for only 14.4 percent of executive positions.



Government studies also find gender inequality remains prevalent in the workplace. While the gap has narrowed, women continue to earn less than men. For example, female managers earned 81 cents for every dollar earned by male managers in 2007, according to the most recent GAO report available.



So what can women do to catapult their careers?



CNN interviewed a group of business experts, researchers and authors about the unconscious mistakes women can make in the workplace -- and how to avoid pitfalls that may hurt their careers.



Here are eight ways to make your 2011 workplace resolutions come true.



1. Quit thinking the workplace is fair



Last month, the Supreme Court Court agreed to decide whether to certify the largest class-action employment lawsuit in U.S. history, a long-standing dispute against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. over alleged gender bias in pay and promotions. The plaintiffs allege women were paid less than, and were given fewer opportunities for promotion than, their male counterparts.



A few months earlier, the New York Times reported three former Goldman Sachs female employees filed a lawsuit claiming the firm discriminated against women.



The reality is that gender matters, says professor Sheila Wellington, who teaches the course "Women in Business Leadership" at New York University's Stern School of Business.



She says one of the most common mistakes women make is believing the playing field is equal. "They have it in their minds that it doesn't matter if I'm a woman."



By acknowledging the barriers ahead such as the difficulties of reintegrating into the work force after having a child, women can better plan their careers. Wellington also pointed out some managers still believe women may not work as hard or put in as many hours. A woman can overcome this assumption by putting herself forward and offering to do more work.



2. What are you waiting for?



Many women believe if they do what they are told, they will be noticed and rewarded, says Lois P. Frankel, psychologist and author of the book "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office."



In fact, Frankel warns that "hard work typically begets more hard work."



She advises women should subtly call attention to their achievements. When it comes to compliments, she says women tend to reply shyly instead of owning her accomplishment by saying, "Thank you for noticing."



Asking for assignments that can help build your career is another way to get your manager's attention, Frankel says. Women should also speak up quickly at meetings. Employees who are the first to speak at a meeting are seen as having more self-confidence than those who make comments at the end, she said.



3. Don't be afraid to ask



Sheila Wellington at NYU added that she finds women are less likely to ask for a pay raise than men. A 2008 Washington Post survey reported women were 85 percent less likely to ask for a promotion than their male counterparts.



"If you lack the courage to ask your supervisor for something, then the answer is always 'no'," Wellington said. "What's the worse that could happen?"



Read 6 ways NOT to blow your interview



Mariko Chang, a Stanford-educated sociologist and author of books on women and wealth, said women should investigate the pay for their roles at similar companies or cities. By doing the research, women can negotiate a better pay or a new job offer.



4. Don't ever, ever cry at work



We all know that work can be stressful, especially in this economic climate. With budgets shrinking and layoffs looming, people are more prone to snap, says Alexandra Levit, workplace issues speaker and author of "They Don't Teach Corporate in College."



Levit has heard stories of women losing their jobs because they were perceived as "over-emotional."



Criers are more likely to ruin their credibility with coworkers and managers, she said. To avoid a meltdown, Levit says women should take time outside of work to think of situations that make them upset and practice how to cope with them calmly.



5. Make the most out of feedback and criticism



It's not easy to swallow your mistakes, but sometimes you just have to do it.



You have to let your boss be able to give you honest feedback, says Hannah Seligson, author of "New Girl on the Job."



Seligson says politely handling negative feedback can demonstrate you are a resilient and receptive worker.



6. Look outside the office for opportunities



Just showing up to your cubicle is not enough. Actively participating in social outings, outside company functions and parties is just as important, says Catherine Tinsley, associate professor at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business.



Tinsley says women tend to hold the misperception that if they work extra hours, they can advance their career. Instead, the best way to network may be golfing with the guys or grabbing a beer with your coworkers.



"You really have to press the flesh," Tinsley says. "You have to let people know and see you."



7. Remember wealth is more than a paycheck



A job brings fringe benefits such as 401(k) plans and other employer contributions, and women should be taking advantage of them. Mariko Chang, who has written on women, wealth and the workplace, says women are less likely to invest in these benefits than men. She advises they should start contributing to their 401(k) immediately after their first job.



"Income is important, but wealth is what lets people retire comfortably," she said.



8. The way you look and talk matters



Your attire and speaking skills affect how others perceive you, and it's nothing personal.



Author and psychologist Lois P. Frankel says company cultures may vary, but proper workplace etiquette is essential for landing the next big job. Frankel advises young women to look to how successful senior female managers dress and emulate that style.



When women communicate, they should stick with simple but confident sentences. The more words used, the softer the message sounds, Frankel says. Women can also practice short speeches at home to help push their main ideas to the beginning.

Counting down 2 a chilly few months


I guess as things stand right now,that's considered optimistic:-)

In 8 days the six of us selected for a once in a lifetime learning opportunity are meant 2 board planes headed 4 the USA.

we are still,however, tangled in red tape sufficient 2 suffocate us all!

So 4 of the participants fall under a different structure within the company than the other two, different structure means diff rules and diff avenues for assistance! In our case it means that while Walter & I sit in our usual meetings with few  (thats just an email every hour or so and a phone call every other hour) worries about travelling, Winsley and his buddies r doing all the paperwork from tickets for flights to accommodation 2 forex n liaising with the training centre in America 4 visas.

Visa's ! None of us have them yet! Thanks 2 the back n forth bouncing of more legal documents...we must wait to get an appointment with the embassy. Off course I am even more burdened by my impression on the consol officer...I wear Hijaab( the picture of the perceived terrorist!)

 So here's the bleak sketch-if all goes as planned, interview on Wednesday, by magic -visa on Thursday, fly on Thursday night!

The adventures are only just beginning :-)