Sylvia's Journal

It was an unexpected day off for us because of the Prophet’s birthday tomorrow. It remains a mystery to me why days off are always a surprise in Moslem countries. I know it has something to do with the moon or the sun but if you were to trace holidays back you will find that they nearly always end up on the day that they are supposed to happen.

And why the celebration of the departure of the Russian came as a surprise on the 15th of February, the same day it has been celebrated for the last 21 years, is even more of a surprise.

For government workers things were less clear. Some were told it was a day off while others were told to report for work; our two colleagues who work in the ministry went to work, at least for the usual half day on Thursday.

I spent the morning taking care of things that had been left unattended for some days because of non-stop meetings. I managed to take 100 emails out of my inbox but a good chunk of that work was undone during the second part of the day after I closed the computer as I realized when I opened it up again. Those darn listserves!

Julie and I went for a Thai massage. We opted for the (baby) oil massage as opposed to the Thai massage which is a little more intense. Luckily I had warned her about the masseuse climbing on the table and using her arms and legs to add some stretches here and there to make the whole experience slightly more intense than a plain old massage. This is how Axel believes his ribs got cracked and he has never gone back since.

I had hoped to make a side trip to the bazaar but either it is not allowed anymore or the driver and guard didn’t want to go. We did make a side stop at the supermarket to get the coconut milk for our evening dinner (green curry).

For the evening we had hatched an escape plan for friends who are stuck in the US embassy compound so that they could be away for an evening from colleagues who are working 18 hours a day. It is also a reminder for all these campers of what regular home life is like, with good music, good company and of course good food. It nearly felt normal to be living here, as if we were with friends back home in the US.