Still in Wales -- my risk assessment training goes through the end of this week. I actually leave early on Friday to make my 5pm overnight flight to Delhi. I'm going back to India quickly because Noelle, Nick and Justin are all there at the moment "visiting ME". It's typical that my friends would come and at the exact time of their trip I'd be called off for an eleven day journey to the UK. I wish that our trips didn't overlap... as I'd love to spend more time in the UK. I had so much fun in London last week -- I wish I had another weekend there.
I've really gotten to like this group of people that I'm doing this training with in Wales. We sit for hours and hours over cocktails and dinner and chat. Everyone has had such interesting experiences traveling around the world -- and of course, we all love Mona (described in a previous blog). Mona has a hard time sleeping here because it is "too quiet". Mona is used to sleeping on her roof in Baghdad and without the gunfire and rockets all around -- it's unsettling to her.
We took a hike this afternoon (to work on maps, compasses etc) and went up into the hills. The view from the mountains was just amazing -- it looks like a country patchwork quilt. When I go running in the evening I run on these narrow streets with high bushes on either side -- when you look down on the farmland from above -- you only see lines of trees and farmland with grasses in the colors of greens, browns and yellows. Today on our walk back some farmers asked the group of us to help herd a couple-hundred sheep up a narrow path -- I hope Mona will email me pics -- they're classic.
I'm excited to go back and see Noelle, Nick and Justin -- but it's good that they're there... because I'm not missing India as much as I thought I would. It's quite nice to be here for a break.
Ok... I'm off to bed -- just wanted to say hello.