So It Begins

My friend Christiane is just brilliant. She has this knack of finding the cheapest suppliers of 'stuff'. Thanks to her I got my health insurance dirt cheap, and now this printer/scanner! Cheapest I got quoted for a printer was FRW 80k, and for a printer/scanner between 180-300k. This one? 60k. Couldn't believe it. Anyone in Kigali looking for a really decent HP 1510 with starter ink cartridges included, get yourself down to Balaji Enterprises: 0788554144 / balaji.rwanda@yahoo.com Go down the road with Ecole Belge (the Belgian school), continue past BCK (German butcher), you'll eventually come to a junction. It's on the right, big banner. 

Anyway, plug over.

I'm celebrating tonight with a bottle of Bond 7 (the Kenyans can make whisky - who knew?). 

Found out today that I got my two-year visa!

Totally chuffed.

Rwanda is now home for the foreseeable.

My friend Cathryn is getting married in the UK at the end of July next year. I intend to be there come hell or high water, and I'm looking forward to a few creature comforts and a hot shower. But otherwise I'm setting up camp. Just need to make rent.

Talking business ideas with my landlord, who is a top bloke. Just paid off the last of my contractors today, so free of all responsibility. Unfortunately haven't got anything else in the pipeline since turning down a contract with a big development agency. The effort:return ratio just wasn't worthwhile. So, back to the drawing board, but I'm confident something will come along eventually.

It's nice to have the time to kick back and examine the past few months. It's all been fairly full-on but that's the major question mark dealt with. Looking forward to picking up my green card and getting my discount on visiting the gorillas.

Had a cracking night out with friends the other night (including my landlord, who is now a firm friend). Perks of knowing the manager of a hotel, we were treated to a free meal and drinks. Was lovely. Then walked for ages just chatting about everything and nothing. I love that Kigali is so quiet and safe at night that you can go walking and talking.

Been invited to another party tomorrow night, and a classical music concert on Saturday. Not sure I'll manage that one - really have nothing suitable to wear for a black tie event - but it would be intriguing. Never seen a string quartet play Kigali before. Ever since that trip to Gisenyi, rocking out to Van Morrison, I'm desperate to open an old school jazz bar here, but I think that's unlikely just now.

Tonight I'm feeling good, like I've finished my probationary period, learned a lot of lessons about so much, but especially running a business. It's hard! But now I can breathe, take a little time, formulate the next part of my master plan (like formulating a master plan). 

Might need to build an ark if the rains continue. Rained so hard the other day it was coming in through my door! Does the RNLI cover Kigali?