Back in the UK

Artists Impression of Completed complex

Having a few technical problems with pictures this week ..... sorry!  So only two pics lifted from internet.

Well, here I am in the kitchen at Martin and Jean's and it's blog time! Well, I feel strangely out of place, Birmingham strikes me as drab, people look drab, the sky is grey and rain seems ever present, (although today, Sunday is set to be hot and Sunday – though I have virtually demanded a Sunday roast). Despite that fact that in Guatemala the carrying of guns is pretty commonplace, the people are friendly and welcoming, those of Mayan heritage dressed in traditional clothes and everything is colourful and bright and of course, everybody greets one another in the street, buenas dias, buenas tardes, etc, here to merely look in the direction of many on the street makes me feel as though I might get a load of “verbal”, I find the streets of central Birmingham slightly intimidating. The highlight though has to be the new library building, such an uplifting and happy design! And things are much more cilvilised in Harborne - where Martin and Jean live.

Linked to this slightly “fish out of water” feeling I have also experienced a level of anxiety, which surfaced yesterday and caused me to miss the opportunity go an open-air concert at Harwood House. I can't exactly put my finger on the exact cause, but lets just say it was a bit of a wake up call. Sweaty palms, racing heart-rate and a wave of nausea – classic potential panic attack. Anyways, I feel better today, having spent most of yesterday, slowly carefully and relatively calmly, setting up my new notebook to function the way I want it to and not the way, Acer and Microsoft think I want it to!

One by-product of a relaxed Latin American life style is that I weathered what was a truly frustrating yet comic processes of applying for my Indian visa. A system designed as a gigantic catch 22 of such proportions to match the vastness of India. You need to apply online, the online system is pretty unstable especially when signal strengths are poor and slow. You have to book an appointment, and because I am in UK for only 10 days 3 of which are at the weekend and 2 are public holidays in India, so I had a 5 working day window for a process that takes 1 day plus 2/3 for processing, pretty tight!

Anyways, I complete the form as best I can given the fact I am in Guatemala and some details were in my old passport in the UK. I assumed I could make the slight changes when I had the face-to-face meeting at the Consulate. So I duly arrive at the consulate for my 8:30 meeting, but the place is locked at there is already a long queue, I am about 20^th in the queue, the door is eventually unlocked at 9:30 there are about 150 people here now. But we file up the stairs in order and I get to the reception window and ask for my queue ticket, “very sorry Sir, but you are in wrong building, you need Visa Application Centre” all accompanied by head wagging and beaming smiles, “but the address on the form......” “yes, it is consulate address but processing now done elsewhere......” “there is no notice to say downstairs........” “no Sir, no room on notice board for a notice ….... but instructions and a notice are on the back of the door , there …...” “the back of the door …..” “yes Sir it is more convenient when people are leaving here because they are in wrong building they can see instructions as they pass through the door!”

OK so over 90 minutes late for my appointment I eventually find the Visa Application Centre, the security guard receptionist, made no comment, and when asked sid I as one of about 20 – 30 people everyday who have the same experience! Nice to know I am not alone! It probably explains why the place was virtually empty, I imagined all these souls clutching copies of their applications wandering the streets of the Jewellery Quarter here in Brum, well, I am number 1001 and I am number 2 in the queue.

I purchase my photos, the size is unique to the Consulate and the two photos cost me £4.

I am greeted at the counter by a very smartly dressed and polite assistant, who having taken a quick glance at my form says “oh, you want to make a change, sorry Sir, but this is not possible, you will have to reapply, we cannot change the form it must be 100% correct on completion online. There was an ancient on-line machine (£1 for 20 minutes) which would have cost around £3 as I could not imagine refilling the form in less time, oh yes, and you cannot copy and paste the original details you have to start from scratch. I decide to come back to Martin and Jean's and do the form and get permission to resubmit the form the next day.

The next day, Friday, all is well my application is accepted (£43.50. Visa fee £30, Consular fee £2, Processing fee £10 and SMS texts £1.50) I say how relieved I am to know processing is only 2/3 days as I am flying on the 25^th. “you need to read this advice Sir” “You are advised to only purchase airline tickets after you have received your visa” …..... “oh, and Sir, next Monday is a bank holiday in India, so we will not be working!” It will be close but I think I should have my visa next Thursday or Friday!

All this being a fitting introduction to the more literal, truncated thinking and logic of the sub-continent. But I survived and my blood pressure did not go into the red zone!

Friday was also the day I bought a new notebook, and I am so pleased with my “dinky” 10.1 inch Acer, Aspire One in a lovely shiny red colour! I am still happy with even after spending best part of 7 hours setting it up the way I want it. These days there is no manual – so you can't “RTFM” when things don't quite go to plan, but I simply plugged it in and away it went ready to be modified. So after 7 hours, I have internet, my i-google homepage, i-tunes (I am proud that I successfully transferred the 8465 “toons” from my external hard drive with hardly a hitch!)

I have abandoned Microsoft Office in favour of “Open Office” the open source and free office suite. And this is my first document using the word processor.

I really like not to be controlled by Mr. Bill Gates thanks all the same!

My other major purchase so far is a set of 50 coloured pencils, drawing pencils and a A5 drawing pad. I have decided that I shall try to record my time in India with photos (of course) but also in line and coloured drawings, which is a new medium for me and again I plan to work it out as I go, see what happens.

Looking forward to India, both in terms of seeing my Indian brothers, Simon and Sunny and the families, but also for the fact that I shall be getting back to music with my 5 week residency with the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra. A fitting prelude to my 6 month stint at the Music Conservatoire in Trujillo, Peru.

I need to reflect more on my need now for a more quiet and reflective life, work out what it means, and how best to feed it! I am sure that my Nomadic model is the right answer, just as I approach the start of year two, I need to learn and discover new ways of living and doing!

But, suffice it to say, I don't feel as though I am now at “home” in the UK, I am worrying that my Spanish will regress again, but I know that once I get to Peru it will flood back. I plan to arrange specific Spanish converstion classes to jump start things.

So, I am missing my “frijoles” (beans) and my tortillas, but am planning a Guatemalan celebration of my 56^th birthday and 1st anniversary of my grand adventure on Friday!

So, if you have been, thanks for reading!

Hasta Luego Amigos.