Settling in and a first glimpse of the neighborhood

The morning sunrise greeting me as I reached the school

The process of settling in began almost immediately as I arrived to the school compound around 6ish in the morning. The first thing that caught my eye was the heavy sliding metal gates that seemed really heavy set. Moving in I learnt my accomodations were at the top floor and I was excited. Having worked at an island, I am used to living on campus and well aware of the benefits. My first picture taken at the top floor was the rising sun and the beautiful mountain range that rose in the distance.                   

I had alot of things to get and the school arranged me a driver to bring me around. For a few hours and 3 destinations I was quoted around 12000 khat ( around 8 usd) and I found this very reasonable. Moving around in the tuk tuk was fun and the dust hardly seemed to get in though I realised soon enough that certain areas were catered for tourists while there were areas where locals shopped. The places naturally sold things at a more reasonable price.

 Most streets looked the same to me but then I realised that at every junction there was a metal post with a numher. This co-ordinate system was what the grab driver seemed to follow too, finding his way with ease.

Coming from a country where crossing a red light might be followed swiftly by a flash of light followed by a summon, it amazed me to see how everything seemed chaotic yet ordered here. The unwritten rule was easy to note. ' Just avoid hitting anyone or any vehicle" As long as that was followed, all was good. Horning is a language here and I learnt to quickly adjust to the sudden blare of a passing vehicle. The shops by the side of the roads fascinated me and most times these were rudimentary shacks build upon the dusty floor using side supports of bamboo. Everything from motorbike repair shops to food stalls and many little 'kiosks' selling betel leaves dotted the roadside.

Speaking to people I learnt that development here had been progressing quickly over the last few years with large multistorey houses sprouting up over what had before been just quiet bare grasslands.

Shopping done, I returned back to my favourite spot where the sun rose and realised that come evening time, the area below was the roost of birds which were now coming in flocks, in what seemed like a busy runway at an airport. The toll of a night of being on the road was beginning to call out to me and I decided to call it an early night. Mandalay moreover was 2 hours slower then Singapore and my body clock had some slowing down to do,

Tomorrow would be my first observation of the classes, a friday and I was excited !