My brother is complaining...

... that I haven't updated the blog - so in haste - here goes.

I have more or less finished the Botswana project - just waiting for comments on our final report. Busy trying to work with lecturers to finish the last few learning materials. I have lots of leave to take so I only go in on odd days.

This week Wednesday, I fly to Rwanda to talk to the Minister about open schooling and make a presentation to Ministry Management. Looking forward to seeing lots of old colleagues there - especially my counterpart from Kigali Institute of Education, Paul Masterjerb.

Yesterday, another friend sent me details of a great project looking for a team leader in Solomon Islands for next year - so John and I spent most of yesterday (after breakfast with Daniele and Tom!) putting together a technical proposal. That was the easy bit - trying to find costs of flights from Francistown to Honiara is the difficult bit! That's his job for today.

John is feeling much better ... at last ... and now has some energy reserves. It is very, very hot here now so he is suffering from the heat. He doesn't manage heat well, for an African! It's likely that we will stay in Francistown for Christmas but he is busy trying to persuade me we should go to Mozambique. Daniele and Tom are off to Zanzibar next weekend - lucky them! Not really looking forward to Christmas here ... we'll miss the family ... and Christmas in summer is just all wrong for me.

The Ministry here have asked me to continue working at the college for a couple more years but are in the throes of sourcing the funding. They have given us a letter to Immigration Department to request an extension on our work permits so we will probably stay here until March to see what pans out. I'm also in a bid to do a 14-country research project for SADC so if we win that one, I'm going to be busy!

Apart from all that, I am trying to carry out research interviews with colleagues who are leaving the college ... the others I'm planning to get in January. I suppose I'll finish this doctorate one day ... but the light at the end of the tunnel has not yet been turned on!