Driving and other adventures

Ok, so it took nearly two weeks, but I finally spotted some camels on the way to work. That is, on my way to work - I don't know where they were going.

We've been in to 'work' for two weeks now. Most of the first week was spent on personal admin like residents' permits, bank accounts, driving licenses etc. All of these seem to require sheaves of paperwork, tangles of red tape and curious configurations of hoops to be jumped through. And just when you think you've made it, they invent a new hoop.

We have also visited various building sites. Great to be in a health and safety free country where it's ok to wander through half-built schools. The main school is going to be pretty impressive.... one day. The new nursery is looking good and nearly ready - it will be used for primary school for now. The bachelor housing is grotty little shoeboxes, the married accommodation is beyond palatial. The head is negotiating on our behalf for better deal, or so we hope. Luckily the powers that be don't think the eight single female teachers should be living in the bachelor zone with five thousand men, so they are listening. Of course our single men would have to get the same deal, which the powers may not understand. Whatever happens, one cert is that it will happen pretty slowly, so I may as well get settled in my flat. Have recounted the furniture, to discover that the living room alone has a total of seven tables, eleven chairs and two sofas (which still stink).

Driving has been another adventure - on the right, in an automatic. Have hired a little 4x4 which I love driving. The traffic is pretty sane compared to KL, but it is faster and more aggressive or less forgiving, or both. Went out early on Friday morning to make most of ghost-town time to learn way around and get to grips with car. Saw remains of a pretty nasty accident, including enormous pool of blood and a body being wrapped in a white sheet. Find driving better than being a passenger on the whole, and some taxis definitely provide a white-knuckle experience. While I'm always up for perilous sports I don't intend find myself on a roadside in a white sheet, even it is much nicer than a bodybag.

The preferred driving position is approximately quarter of an inch behind the car in front. Flashing (though often unseen as headlights parked under your back bumper) and hooting is used to indicate that the car behind you would like you to pull in, preferably underneath the truck you are currently overtaking. Lanes on roundabouts are meaningless and there is possibly a law stating that you must use all three. Shooting a red light carries a fine of about a thousand pounds so emergency stops are common as soon as the green starts to flash. Consequently, rear-ending is also common. I have come to prefer red lights to green as at least you know where you are with them.

Today we began the secret education of the staff children. Secret because the other parents are somewhat impatient to get their kids in and fed up with lack of start date. I've volunteered for swimming and PE, so today went will nine kids and the two PE teachers to the pool at the golf club. I was even lucky enough to get to go in the water, where I tried to teach a sinking four year old to swim. He was considerably shorter than the shallow end was deep, but he was pretty game. Things took a turn for the worse when he announced he needed the toilet - I held his hand to help negotiate some scattered power tools, broken concrete and slippery bits on the way to the changing room only to discover that I was expected to sort out paper and chat to him while he slowly disappeared bottom-first down the loo, explaining as he went that he was doing a poo. And he needed his minimal bits disentangling from the lace of his trunks which got in a tangle as he tried to tug them up. This is why I don't teach reception.

The beach club has been a great getaway, despite its titchy beach and view of the docks. The sea was tropically warm this weekend, rather than turkish-bath hot, making it much more pleasant. They also do great food at heavily subsidized prices, though not during fasting hours. I was there on Thursday afternoon with one of my neighbours and since there was no-one obviously about we were very daring and lurked behind a hedge to glug back water and cokes. Was a bit concerned that the circling helicopter was the Ramadan police, but have received no deportation notice yet.