Wow! Never realized this thread had been resurrected a few months ago. Sorry for the neglect, but the internet has been abysmal the past few months. Still alive and well with minor updates.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to bash you but I get the feeling those people are only friendly because they know you have guards. I mean just look at the madness in post-spring Egypt/Libya now...
Nope. Since arriving here, I'm regularly in town now without guards. My colleagues working at the university in town also go without guards unless it's at night, so the bulk majority of their time in Hargeisa is sans "protection." I walk through main sections of town as well as parts on the outskirts, and regardless of my company, be it with friends or alone, the reaction is the same.
randomrogue said:
You can be called Captain Jihab Jane.
I like this.
Geekbabe said:
Would it be possible for us to donate computer stuff? If you are working with 10 yr old laptops, even gently used 2-3 yr old items would be useful.
Gently used 2-3 year old items would be amazing. But GT's right... the problem (and cost) lies more in the process of getting things here. It's insanely expensive to ship anything here, as there is no postal service. DHL is the only kind of service that operates, and last time I checked, it was easily $100 to send a letter. The only way we receive things here on campus that can't be bought in town is to include it in our once-a-year or so shipping container from Dubai. But the sentiment is incredibly appreciated. My job seems to half consist of keeping some of these computers running rather than simply what you can do with them.
Otherwise, I don't have much to report. Life continues as normal. I'm terrible about posting photos, but there are a few additional ones, including one or two of my experiment regarding wearing conservative Islamic attire. (It's not necessary to dress like that, but I thought I'd see how much wearing a niqab would impact the constant conversations people try and strike up with you just walking down the road.)
For any of you that are interested in working in a place like this, the university has started up a Software Engineering program. Don't worry, their computer situation is significantly better than mine. They've got full desktops, brand new, and while they aren't insanely powerful machines, they do everything you'd need them to. (
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/Tw4SwbdZ5M3p/)
More pics and posts to come.
Thanks all for your support. Now if only you could ship me better internet!
rill
(
Couple pics from Somaliland and Abaarso Tech)