Time to Unwind

It's been a busy week. Won a contract to produce a documentary marking an organisation's 20th year in-country. Very exciting stuff. We're handling the promotion and press releases. Here's our film crew heading off into the field last Thursday. I was there to finalise the contract and wave them off.

This is the bit I love about development: making things happen. Very excited to see the final cut.

Proving once again that Kigali is a box, I bumped into Simon down the back streets. He's just moved office right next door to where we were working. That always happens in this city - you'll always bump into someone you know in the least likely places.

I'd been up since 6:30, so retired to my old neighbourhood of Kisimenti for breakfast. Tried Chez Lando but the restaurant was closed and they were charging FRW 7,000 for a hotel breakfast! I headed to a much nicer spot over the road. It's a little cafe next to Izola. It opened just before I left, five years ago. Looks like it's changed hands since, but they do a standard omelet and a flask of coffee. It's a quiet oasis in the crazy moto madness of the main junction. Perfect place to sit and read undisturbed.

Behind me you can just make out the Guinness sign which marks the bar that they turned my old house into. This is the closest I can bear to bring myself. So many happy memories of that place, it makes me too sad to think about drinking there. Someday, maybe.

My old house.
Now Buffalo Bar.

I've hit a bit of a downer this week. I've been so happy since being back, but the past few days have just got on top of me a bit. Worrying about visa renewal, health insurance, my landlord's financial problems, my inability to communicate with my guard, my publisher's manuscript changes, paying my contractors on time, getting paid on time, winning contracts, making rent, feeling under the weather...

For two days I just turned into this angry ball of stress. I'm usually pretty good at multitasking but it got overwhelming. For a couple of weeks I became a fairly committed smoker. Then I forgot to smoke for a few weeks. That's fairly normal for me, I go through phases - mostly I don't smoke, sometimes I smoke until I don't again. Because I never get cravings, I just assume everything is okay when I stop smoking. But actually, smoking is very relaxing, so it stands to reason that if I suddenly stop I'm going to feel irrationally stressed for a little while. I just don't realise that's what it is. Bodies are weird. 

So, on the brink of an emotional meltdown, afraid to open my mouth in case I snapped at someone, I called up Moma Zuba and we had a girl's night out. Our usual restaurant was closed, so we ended up going for cocktails at Pascha.

Twizzle sticks and orange slices - exactly what was needed. 

Then on to Zen Garden for the most scrummy meal I've had in a really long time. Apparently they poached the chef from Zen in Nairobi, which is why the food is so good. It was my first time here and it's a beautiful, atmospheric location.

Whilst the other guests sat primly at their tables talking in hushed tones, we settled down by the fountains and giggled like loons until our food arrived.

Perfect medicine. Feeling much better today. Hiding away in my house this weekend. Going to watch films on the projector and catch up with Peaky Blinders. Eat chocolate, drink coffee and prepare training materials for next week. Which is about the only immediate thing I need to get done. Going to cultivate the word 'no' so that I can use it more often when people ask me to do things I don't have time for. Try and avoid burnout. I'll be okay again by Monday.