End of Eid in All Good Things

Tomorrow we return to work. Thanks to Eid being a public holiday in Nigeria, we now have to work for the eight days out of the next nine and I am very much dreading it. My body barely coped with one day. We also have to sit extra long hours to make up for losing these two days from the arbitration. I have no idea how I'll do it.

Today was ridiculously peaceful and happy in comparison. The sun came out and the air wafting through my wide open windows was warm and lovely, and I spent most of the day researching various travel plans - holiday travel, not work travel. This year I've already worked in France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Qatar, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Nigeria. My only holiday time was to Australia and New Zealand (x3 to NZ), both of which I've lived in before, so other than seeing the NZ South Island for the first time, they didn't feel much like holidays. They were more seeing family. In 2012, other than my and Will's brief honeymoon to Italy, I didn't go anywhere on holiday at all, only for work. It's not since Easter 2011 when I went to Africa that I had a proper sightseeing holiday! Can that really be the case? No wonder I feel so restless.

South America is calling. As are other parts of Africa. At the moment I'm leaning towards Zimbabwe and Mozambique in January, with maybe a bit of Tanzania and Malawi thrown in. I'm desperate to return to Malawi, since I haven't been there since I was 11. Other than Victoria Falls two and a half years ago, I haven't been to Zimbabwe since I was 18. I really want to see Harare. My stepbrother lives there and his wife sent me a photograph of the Jacaranda trees for my birthday bathing everything in purple. My birthday's never the same without Jacarandas.

Tonight was interesting. Cathy and I were inveigled into a business meeting with one of the clients who has a friend who wants to set up a similar business to the one we're in here in Nigeria and they wanted to pick our brains about what it would require. The Nigerian guy also, very blatantly, wanted to recruit us into business with him. He was very good at making the pitch - he's a lawyer and arbitrator, not a fast-talking conman type - and I enjoyed the show very much. Unfortunately for him, he had the completely wrong audience. We're the talent, not the business people. He gave it a sincere effort, thought, and his performance was well worth the two-hour dinner.

He was very disappointed at only meeting us when we have virtually no time off left while we're here. We'll probably be working late into the night for eight of the next nine days and on Sunday Cathy already has plans to meet with some friends of hers. He kept trying to offer us all sorts of opportunities, tickets, tours, dinners, etc. I think Cathy was disappointed that we can't take advantage; I'm relieved.

My arms and hands haven't recovered much. They still feel numb from Monday, despite all the yoga and energy work I've done, hot and cold showers I've taken, breathing exercises I've worked on. There's no Candy here (my massage lady in Dubai) nor Helen (my lady in Singapore), nor even Will, who gets them back to life in London. I don't know what else to do.

So I shall dream of relaxing on a tropical island in Lake Malawi, or on a white beach in Mozambique and try to will myself out of here for the next nine days. Yes, it's going to hurt, but I'm not going to be here to feel it. It's can all go on without me.