Hurrah!!!

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I last managed to write anything...crazy! I've been out here 7 weeks now, so that's almost half of the time I've been here...

anyway, so i have now expanded my repertoire of excuses!! i've had a couple of bouts of tummy trouble in the last 2 weeks - first it wasn't bad and only lasted a couple of days - i drank fruit juice and skipped food that i thought wouldn't be easy to digest, and it went away. but last week i ended up not eating much at all for 3 days, and ended up sleeping a lot as i was so weak - i even missed some of class and small group, which i felt was a bit pathetic of me considering i had no real reason to be ill! i wondered if it was the water - the UV light in the filter hasn't been working all the time, and someone said the storage drum might need a clean, so i have just been drinking boiled water and have been fine for over a week now : ) and apparently the drum has now been cleaned and the filter fixed, so i will brave it again tomorrow...don't watch this space too much, it may be a while before i can write again, hahaha!
This week it seems like everything has been against me using the internet - i was either busy during break times, or there was already someone here...and yesterday there was randomly a password page preventing me from using the computer! So I really am thrilled that i can gabble away to anyone who is bored enough to read...

We did have the party for Susan and Nixon, and it was also Matty's (Becky's little 5-yr-old) and Lilian's (Hena the Tongan's roommate) birthday, so it was a great night - pretty much everyone on the whole base came! Then last Weds we had a fundraising night for Lilian, as she's getting married in December and over here they have "Introductions" which is a whole day of formal speeches, processions and food that brings both sides of families and their friends together. Her introduction was on Saturday, and although I couldn't go as I had other commitments, I heard all about it and my roommates Roslyn, Milly and Susan took lots of pictures on my camera. (which you may see next year, i STILL can't put them on here!!) Lilian's fiance and his family didn't turn up til 6pm although a lot of the guests had arrived at 8am!!! And apparently it was considered a good thing that he showed up at all - it seems that it's common for the fiance not even to come!!!!!! Reason #2 not to get married out here.... (#1 is that it just costs so much in time and money!)

gotta go to class, maybe i can continue later, maybe not for another few months - who knows? that's all part of the fun!!

hope you're all well, thanks again for emails and texts, and good job to all you fellow cow people and the Stock1st lot - i know things are tough for you all right now with both FMD and Bluetongue, i was shocked to hear it has actually come now after all the fear about it for so many years...keep going, i'm thinking of you and i miss you so much!

alex : )