So hot!
Last night just before I retired to my room from sitting in the passage, lightening started to streak across the sky and thunder rumbled all around. I really thought (hoped) we were in for a cracker of a storm. It was not to be though. The air just seemed to get stickier by the minute and that was all. This morning when I awoke, it was cloudy and the thunder was still grumbling.
The clouds moving down from the mountains over the bay
I was awake way too early and, with no hope of more sleep, I dressed and wondered around the hotel garden looking at all the flowers. Eventually it was time for breakfast and it was once again it was very nice: fruit and fresh, hot croissants.
Oirdi was due to collect me at 8am so I went down to the reception area early hoping that the internet was working so I could check emails while I waited but this morning the manager had other things to do. It seems like there was a problem with the generator. I think I appreciate electricity more than the internet so he was forgiven for trying to sort it out and neglecting to set up the Wi-Fi transmitter. While I was loitering about at the hotel entrance I met a Frenchman. He is on Anjouan working on a project to do with drinking water. He was in the process of leaving the hotel though as he and his colleague were going to the other side of the island and staying over for the night. He did tell me though that he would see me tomorrow as they will be returning to Moutsamoudou (the town I am in - actually the capital of Anjouan) and staying at Al-Amal Hotel again. So we will see tomorrow what happens. I enjoy these random evenings chatting to different people from all sorts of places and backgrounds.
At 08:15 I saw a taxi pull up at the hotel and there was Oirdi in the back. His car would not start this morning so he had to get a taxi from home and come to collect me. Oirdi's car is really old and battered. He told me yesterday that his wife keeps on telling him that he must get a new one but he doesn't want to until the main road in Anjouan has been fixed. The road is currently being redone so it should not be too long until Oirdi's wife will get her wish.
Oirdi had set a price with the taxi driver before he left his house but, typical to taxi drivers all around the world, when we arrived at our destination he wanted more money! Oirdi very firmly told the driver that there was no way that was going to happen!
As we had decided to do yesterday, the workshop participants broke into two groups and five fisheries were selected by each group to review and update. The room we were using did not have very good internet access so we found another classroom to work in which was closer to the Wi-Fi transmitter and changed venues. Despite the new venue being closer to the transmitter, there were still problems with the connection but everyone has managed to work through their allocated fisheries with some frustrations.
The new venue also had ceiling fans but really they did not seem to make much difference. I really struggled with the heat and humidity today. Just sitting produced a constant sweat and I could feel that I was dehydrated. For me it is not the sweat itself that is the problem but rather that I start to worry that I might start to smell bad. In the process of working with these people I often have to lean over them to point out something on their laptop screens and I worry that it might be a more than normal unpleasant experience for them. There isn't much I can do about it though so I just have to suck it up for this week.
Just before lunch time the heaven's opened and eventually it rained. We all got soaking wet crossing the 10 metres to our lunch location. Lunch was okay today. I was given a "special" meal! Everyone else was given a stew of beef and bananas but Oirdi decided (and quite rightly) that I would not enjoy that so I had a grilled tuna steak, a vegetable salad and some bread. It was very tasty.
After yesterday's extremely slow start we have done well today. One group does seem to be taking a little more care than the other one but all that will come out when we review the data on Thursday. Ultimately they must be satisfied that the information they have placed in the database is a true reflection of the situation in the Comoros. My job is to ensure that the way it is captured falls within the standards we have set for the whole region.
Today Kamardine (the Comoros focal person for WIOFish) managed to change our flights on Friday from the afternoon to the morning. We definitely won't need Friday for the work and I prefer to get across to Grand Comoros earlier rather than later.
That's all from me today. Take care everyone!
At 08:15 I saw a taxi pull up at the hotel and there was Oirdi in the back. His car would not start this morning so he had to get a taxi from home and come to collect me. Oirdi's car is really old and battered. He told me yesterday that his wife keeps on telling him that he must get a new one but he doesn't want to until the main road in Anjouan has been fixed. The road is currently being redone so it should not be too long until Oirdi's wife will get her wish.
Oirdi had set a price with the taxi driver before he left his house but, typical to taxi drivers all around the world, when we arrived at our destination he wanted more money! Oirdi very firmly told the driver that there was no way that was going to happen!
As we had decided to do yesterday, the workshop participants broke into two groups and five fisheries were selected by each group to review and update. The room we were using did not have very good internet access so we found another classroom to work in which was closer to the Wi-Fi transmitter and changed venues. Despite the new venue being closer to the transmitter, there were still problems with the connection but everyone has managed to work through their allocated fisheries with some frustrations.
Oirdi at his laptop, managing his group
Ibrahim, also with his laptop, managing his group
The new venue also had ceiling fans but really they did not seem to make much difference. I really struggled with the heat and humidity today. Just sitting produced a constant sweat and I could feel that I was dehydrated. For me it is not the sweat itself that is the problem but rather that I start to worry that I might start to smell bad. In the process of working with these people I often have to lean over them to point out something on their laptop screens and I worry that it might be a more than normal unpleasant experience for them. There isn't much I can do about it though so I just have to suck it up for this week.
Just before lunch time the heaven's opened and eventually it rained. We all got soaking wet crossing the 10 metres to our lunch location. Lunch was okay today. I was given a "special" meal! Everyone else was given a stew of beef and bananas but Oirdi decided (and quite rightly) that I would not enjoy that so I had a grilled tuna steak, a vegetable salad and some bread. It was very tasty.
After yesterday's extremely slow start we have done well today. One group does seem to be taking a little more care than the other one but all that will come out when we review the data on Thursday. Ultimately they must be satisfied that the information they have placed in the database is a true reflection of the situation in the Comoros. My job is to ensure that the way it is captured falls within the standards we have set for the whole region.
Today Kamardine (the Comoros focal person for WIOFish) managed to change our flights on Friday from the afternoon to the morning. We definitely won't need Friday for the work and I prefer to get across to Grand Comoros earlier rather than later.
That's all from me today. Take care everyone!
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