I opened the door and...

 ...there were no rats.  All is going to be good.

The journey was as expected, long, cramped and noisy.  I have no idea why I sleep so well on planes but this is what I did between films.  The surprise was the Turkish in flight catering.  Not bad!  The landing at BF was abrupt and wobbly.  We were later told that the runway is short and perhaps not ideal for the larger planes.  Take off should be interesting.

Then things started to feel familiar.  Africa, huge continent but there was the dust again, the heat and the relaxed attitude.  One of my favourite emails pre trip was the one that said 'when you arrive at BF, if you do not have the money to pay for the visa, they will write you a permission slip to go outside of the airport and use the ATM.'  Can you imagine this at Heathrow?  Human I'd call it.  Relaxed and human.  People really are capable of arriving somewhere without the money for a visa.

The visa process was simple and we were then reunited with 4 out of 5 cases.  Number 5 is still doing the rounds somewhere and sadly has all Mr. Ps clothes in it.  We've been here before and know there is no point getting up tight.  It will arrive at some point, after a day trip to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul or somewhere.  

We were enthusiastically met by our new head and deputy who took us to our home.  We couldn't really ask for more.  Screened veranda, garden, 3 bedrooms...it is only 10 years old but has that beaten about Africa feel that being exposed to a harsh climate creates.  It is spotlessly clean and has air con and a huge fan.  Most fittings are not our taste but there is nothing we can't live with.  

THERE IS A POOL.  Our girls will know what this means.  We will be in the pool twice a day.  In the pool you can move and cool off, chat and play.  The pool is literally 2 mins from our front door.  During last nights swim we both became obsessed with the banana that hangs over it.  Me, because some amazing iridescent black/green birds were living in it.  Luke, because he worked out a biology experiment to do with the banana tree flower.  He ramped it up a notch this morning by asking for a white sharpie. (?)  Luke has also decided to write a book on BF birds, creatively titled 'Small birds of BF'.

The biggest surprise to me has been my French.  I did speak stalling, broken French as a teenager and it has surprisingly come back.  People speak slower here and have been gifting me simple sentences.  They are keen to help by waiting patiently while I retrieve the right words.  Again, relaxed and human.

Relaxed and human, apart for the traffic.  That is another ball game altogether and as yet, I don't understand the rhythm of it.

Sarah

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