All Roads Lead to Rome

Well I guess in my case its a flight to Rome - darn sight faster than driving!

I guess what they say about all roads leading to Rome is true, but no one told me it would be such an arduous road to travel. Last week I got told I could head off on my African Adventure and join the rest of the team on the World Food Program.

After much deliberations with the Boss he finally said I could join the rest of the World Food Program in Rome for training with the rest of the people who are going onto other WFP projects around the world. This all happened on Thursday afternoon and I am leaving for Rome on Sunday the 2nd of March.

Even as today draws to a close I still have loads to do. Panic has not really set in yet, nor have I had much time to think about what lies ahead for me. One thing I do know is what lies ahead of me will make me stronger and will change me for the good. It has already started to do so. I have already had to find a bit of inner strength in myself.

I used the word arduous just now to describe my metaphoric road that I have had to travel the past few weeks and I am still on this week. I don't kid myself that I will still be on it for the next 24 weeks as I have a lot to do and archive in them weeks. Dictionary.com has a great description of this word - Arduouse


ar·du·ous Spelled Pronunciation[ahr-joo-uhs or, especially Brit., ahr-dyoo-]
–adjective
1.Requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult: an arduous undertaking.
2.Requiring or using much energy and vigor; strenuous: making an arduous effort.
3.Hard to climb; steep: an arduous path up the hill.
4.Hard to endure; full of hardships; severe: an arduous winter.
[Origin: 1530–40]


My last few weeks have most defiantly been all of the above. I have been very lucky to have some very understanding friends and work colleagues who have helped me keep it together the past two weeks.

I have been aiming to have a project completed by the 29th but it has been plagued with problems. Just about every time I look at it I have found something amiss with it. It would seem that pressure has all manor of effects on people some more positive than others. But these pressures have also highlighted who the team players are and who is not. Its just a pity to find that the people you think you can count on are not always the ones you can. But its still nice to know I have some firm rocks I can lean against to help me when I have lost direction.

As for the project and it being completed on the 29th before I depart. I think it will be. If not it will just need a bit of smoothing off around the edges and someone else can take the glory of my hard work and roll it out for me.

I fly off to Rome on Sunday the 2nd of March then onward to South Africa the following Saturday arriving Sunday the 9th or March

I am still looking forward to getting out to South Africa and to help make a little bit of a change to many and a very big change to me.

Bloopers

Some of you may have seen my first Vblog ( Video Blog ) and some of you have commented on it. It was a lot harder to make than even I thought it would be.

A few of my friends have seen the attempts at making my first Vblog and have badgered me into posting them up on YouTube as they seem to think they are funny.

So with a bit of arm twisting I have decided to post them up.

You can find my cringe worthy attempts here. YouTube Bloopers

Update to blog - 09/02/08

Due to the nature of blogging all old posts end up at the bottom of the page and new postings at the top. Edited pages remain where they are unless you change the date on the original post so I have decided to just highlight some of the updates to my blog.

New Post - Where I live (Currently)
Posted two new video clips on YouTube ( links can be found in the "Where I live ( Currently ) "post)

Removal of my 1st Vblog video clip - it is however still on YouTube - it was only removed due to some visitors not being on hi-speed internet.

Moving the introduction post back to its original place at the bottom of the blog pages.

Where I live ( Currently )

I felt obliged to give you all a little bit of a view of where I currently live before I head off to South Africa. Then I can show you the contrast of the small village of Atherstone verse the buzzing metropolis of Johannesburg in South Africa.

I have been living in Atherstone now for just over 3 years. Its not a bad place and it has some rather interesting little quirks about it.

1st up is the Atherstone Ball game:

The Atherstone Ball game is an ancient Shrove Tuesday tradition in which people literally brawl over a large ball.

Shops are boarded up, local schools are closed and towns people of Atherstone gather in the main street at 3pm for the beginning of this 800 year old Shrove Tuesday tradition.

There is only one rule, and that rule is the ball can not be taken outside the town. Anything and everything else goes. The winner in this no holds barred contest is the person holding onto the ball at 5pm

2nd up is Dickens Night:
Dickens night is held on the last Saturday in November and is also the night that the Christmas lights are turned on in the town. Its just a nice festive fair with people dressing up in period costumes and people roasting wall nuts. Its a really nice night out with fireworks finale by one of the top piro display teams in the UK.

I have made a short film in two parts just showing you around Atherstone, TNT and the canals near where I live and work.
Part 1 can be found here
Part 2 can be found here

For more information on this quaint little town you can visit the "Atherstone Online" site and the "Atherstone Wikipedia" site for more info on the "Hat town"