Delays, Delays, Delays!


This morning I went off to breakfast at 7am and had some lovely fruit, a croissant and a crêpe washed down with grapefruit juice (not my favourite) and tea. In all it was a nice meal and the waiter was very friendly. I went early because I was told I would be collected at 8am for a 9am start. While I was sitting there munching away, I saw the manager connect the Wi-Fi transmitter so I finished up quickly and went to the room to get my laptop to see if I could connect to the internet. And yes there was a connection! What a difference from last year when we had, little to no electricity, no internet and no cellphone signal. This year I feel like I am not quite so far out in the wilderness.

I decided that I would probably be picked up late so it was a good opportunity to post the blog that I wrote on Saturday. I finished uploading it and checked out all the accumulated emails before switching off and getting ready to be collected. I waited and waited and no one arrived for me so I did Sunday’s blog. At 09:10, the receptionist from the hotel told me that someone had just phoned and I would be collected at 09:30 because there was some problem with the people arriving from Mohéli.

At 09:30, Oirdi was there to pick me up. He told me that when our aeroplane landed yesterday were some problems with the engines (!!!!!) and it could not fly again. It was supposed to have flown from Anjouan to Mohéli and then back again and on to Grand Comoros. It was, however, only fixed at 6pm and then it flew straight back to Grand Comoros so the people from Mohéli were stuck on their own island.

The flight for them was postponed until this morning and they arrived at 11am. We started with the formalities before they arrived. The secretary general opened the workshop with a long speech and I had to speak too. It was all videoed which didn't make me happy. It was so hot and the sweat was forming madly on my face. Anyway I did it and then we had a tea break.

During the tea break the guys found us another room at the Fisheries School that had fans in it so we moved all our things over there. The crowd from Mohéli arrived and we could finally get started.

It was really slow going! I gave them the introductory presentation that I have in French and then gave a brief overview of how the database works. This had to be translated into Comorian as some people at the workshop speak neither French nor English. The whole afternoon was spent working on one fishery profile! I just hope they will pick up the pace tomorrow. We have decided to work in two groups from now on and I think it will be fine.

It was a relief to return to the hotel and think only in English. I have found a nice spot that has a wonderful view and a cool breeze. It is a perfect place to unwind after the long day.
My view as I blog

That is all from me today. Hope everyone is doing well. Take care.
Location: Mutsamudu, Comoros

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