I keep Painting the Planet: February 2007

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

The Turtle Moves Again

For the 5th time since when I left Malta in 2002, I am once again packing my house and heading off for an adventure in another country.

As my boss called it, my turtle has however now been outsourced, and the moving company come in today to pack 5years worth of travelling into 7 boxes and ship them off to Algeria - my house looks so empty and sad!

Yes, next destination is Algeria, so all those who have been planning to visit me in nice sunny Libya, will have to change their flight tickets for just a nice sunny Algeria, for a touch of Arab culture and French class.

I will be moving with the company I am working for, still in the HR area, however this time to head the HR department in Algeria, which is not only much more challenging due to the size of the organisation there, but as well a very good career move in the area I have decided to settle in.

My interest in the Arab culture and my love for the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert has not yet been extinguished – so North Africa is still the place to be for me.

With a new country to discover, a challenging job to manage, Narjis & Fred’s wedding coming up in Morocco in July and a decision to buy a house to buy in Malta, 2007 will be a fabulous year to live.

The down part of leaving is saying bye, which I unfortunatley still cannot manage very well, I leave a lot of good friends and many memories in Libya which i will cherish forever... a bientot libya

Friday, February 02, 2007

My First Kill

Yes, after 2 ½ years of living in north Africa, I finally get to see a muslim sheep slaughter. All the Eids so far have been an opportunity to travel either around the country I am in or out of the country, so I never actually got to see any sheep being slaughtered… although I must say I got to see thousands of sheep populating the road sides in Libya, sheep being tucked into the boots of cars in Ethiopia and the skinning of a cow in Egypt.

saying our last good byes

The Sudanese thus decided to treat me to a real sheep slaughter and nice bbq by the Blue Nile in a litte farm just out of Khartoum. One of our service providers organised a day out on Friday, and as one of their clients I got invited…..

just before the kill.... i don't dare show the dead sheep photo..... I will let him rest in peace....

The thought of a day by the nice in the Sudanese country side was more than appealing to me…. The fact that they organised the sheep slaughter for me to see was even more appealing.

I was not sure if could actually take seeing the poor animal alive, seeing its throat cut and then eating it at the end… but I did it… this is a yearly process for many muslims, and no big deal…but for me it was a big deal.

Yes, I managed to keep my eyes open all the way and not to grimace when the throat was cut open and the blood started pouring out……