Comments on: Digging the Neighbour’s Garden

By: bobby

bobby — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:09:30 +0000

hello you two ,i can really sympathise with your feelings of frustration. believe it or not, i face those same feelings every day. your problem, i think ,is you care too much. so here is the answer, stop caring – as if ! not to worry, it could be worse , you could be experiencing those same feelings here in balmy scotia, or freezing may be a better adjective ! i do worry about these motorbike accidents, having been in one or two myself, i know just how it feels- not nice at all. so please do take care. i will say ta ta now, please look after yourselves. all our love. pen & bobby.

By: Pam

Pam — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:08:31 +0000

My friend (VSO veteran) told me a great story about being so angry that she had not been given any work to do after 2 months in Uganda – she gave her employer an ultimatum – he replied they would sit down after he had had his breakfast and go over what he wanted her to do. He came back from breakfast 2 days later!

I think you need to think about what you can achieve over the course of a year rather than daily goals! As they say…..Rome wasn’t built in a day!

By: Gary

Gary — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:53:25 +0000

There’s was series on TV about a couple of very experienced bikers travelling through Africa on big trail bikes, and even they kept falling off all the time on ‘roads’ made of soft sand. It’s just what happens. The thing to do is keep practicing till you perfect the art of falling off safely without damaging the machines. I hope this tip is useful. Also – wear proper biker’s gear with lots of armour in all the right places. Even my crazy son does that! If none available, get the locals to knock up an improvised suit for you using empty beans containers and assorted bits of leather. If necessary I can send you some. Let’s hope you don’t get to be the man in the wheelchair overtaking the novice bikers . . .

As for the neighbour’s garden syndrome – it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. Simply by coming into contact with people like yourselves the people you work with are bound to find inspiration in your energy, your positive attitudes and your determination to keep on doing the ‘right thing’ for no personal gain whatsoever. The pay-off, so to speak, may be much longer term, and possibly nothing to do with immediate practical or material gains. At least that’s what I kept telling myself when I was going through my missionary phase as a headteacher in South London. I know – you’ve also been there and done that.

Never had a beans and onion sandwich? Surely you both used to be students? Before turning to teaching and going all upmarket with your beans on toast?

PS I’m still chuckling at what you said previously about being sent to the hospital to show them how to eliminate viruses. You even had me wondering how doing all that stuff to the computers could possibly cure a single patient.

PPS Loving the photos and drawings.

By: Paul & Di

Paul & Di — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:12:35 +0000

Good to see you’re in good spirits inspite of the difficulties! Tom, you should have told them your real name was “Jonah” it would have been more appropriate! I’m sure you will become a competant Trials Bike rider soon – I must admit your stories conjure up amazing pictures of life out there, however on reflection I think I’ll stick to Andalucia!