Neglected

...not me, but my blog, but then when you settle into life somewhere there is less to say. I may be in an exotic location, but my everyday life is just like most working people's... I get up, go to work, come home, do work at home/eat/watch tv and/or go out with friends. I go to the supermarket, although as I still live in a hotel it's for breakie stuff; muesli, and yoghurt; or for snacks, and I do laundry - alright just the hand-washing as the rest gets sent to the laundry (see here). I spend hours on-line and I spend time drawing. I laugh, I cry, I get frustrated and overjoyed.

The exotic becomes the norm. I love sitting on little stools under a bridge because it is slightly cooler there, sipping over-sweet mint tea, which has been served by a large lady with an even larger smile. The first time I sat there, I felt as if everyone was looking at me, the only Westerner, which they were, and I felt uncomfortable. Last weekend, sitting on the same stool for the third or fourth time, the chai-ladies now smile at me in recognition, people come over to my friend to ask him to help with translations, and I no longer feel embarrassed, but comfortable there.

Everyday life means the blog gets neglected, just like the old boat banked beside of the Nile, which I spotted last Saturday. Unlike the beached boat, the neglected blog means that I am settled here, I am happy with this life and, even though it's not Friday, I would like to say I am grateful for the normality.