Old Friends and New

Downpour on my beautifully manicured lawn. The white stuff bouncing off the driveway is hail! Yes, hail, falling from the sky in 20c, Central Africa. 

Shameless.

Well, I've come down off my sugar high of cakey goodness.

It's been an interesting week. 

My neighbour sent me to see his sister at RRA, who introduced me to a lovely man who took me, quite clearly and concisely, through the tax system, and confirmed my initial thought - I need an accountant.

Thankfully, it has answered the main question: how do I pay myself? 

RRA - Where the Magic Happens

I then went to visit my bank to open a U$D account so that, should we ever get that lucky, we can now accept payment in francs and dollars. As if that wasn't useful enough... *drum roll*... I have internet banking! For both my personal and business accounts! I can now check my balance any time I like, and even make transfers. Should save a few trips into town.

However, by far the highlight of the week has been bumping into an old friend.

So, there I was, standing at the end of my road, waiting for a moto, when suddenly this van with VSO across the side screeches to a halt opposite.

Who should get out but Bosco! 

This probably means nothing to you, but anyone who's ever passed through VSO Rwanda in the past seven years will know Bosco. He helped me move house twice, and rescued me when my kitchen tap fell off and water jettisoned into the sky, back when I was living in what is now Buffalo Bar.

I could hardly believe it - that he recognised me after five years!

Guess I haven't changed all that much.

Turns out he's my next door neighbour! 

We agreed to meet for a drink after he finished work, by which time the above deluge had begun. Luckily it eased off at the last minute, and he introduced me to my new local, Mama Nina's, over the road. Partick joined us and it turned into a stonkingly good night. Far too much beer, and more than a few brochettes, were consumed. We caught up on five years of news. Patrick eventually accompanied me home, holding on to each other to avoid falling on our arses down the mud road. We had a last beer on my porch before he hopped back over the wall.

I love my neighbourhood so much. I am just so incredibly lucky to have two lovely fellas so close by. Patrick sorted out my tax, and Bosco says if ever I have a water shortage, just send Damascene down to his place and he'll fill up our jerrycans. I'm really starting to feel at home now.

Boy was the hangover vicious this morning though. I'm still recovering. I really can't drink, smoke or tell dirty jokes like I used to. I have so much work to get through this weekend and all I want to do is curl up in bed with a movie.

Let's see what this week brings. I'm due to sign another contract on Monday, possibly got some training lined up, and maybe something else the week after. I'm learning all the time at the moment. Going to reduce my 28-day invoicing period to 14. If I get Monday's signing I'll wait until that's in the bank and then submit for a visa extension in November, ahead of the January deadline. I'm hoping that will be enough to prove that the business is both functional and profitable, and I'd really like to get the residency question out of the way so that I can start making some longer-term plans.

But everything is okay with the world because Peaky Blinders is back on. Using Hola I can just about enjoy the pixelated pleasure of a good Birmingham gangster series. Blindingly atmospheric.