Last weekend, Khalid asked me to give him some extra English lessons. I said I'd have a think - if he could get a group of four together, then I could possibly do a couple of hours a week. We'd need to talk about money if he could set up the group. Well, early this week he told me that he'd found the requisite number of students for these additional classes, and they want to start on Sunday next week - for four hours a week, not the couple I'd hoped for. We're going to see how it goes until the end of term, and then think again about venue, content, and time. It's all money in the bank, and what else would I be doing with my time? I have some ideas, but more of that later.
One evening this week, I wandered into my kitchen to make a sandwich, and on the way there I met an uninvited visitor. Normally I wouldn't have minded, but this one was sinister and decidedly unfriendly:
It got a quick squirt from a can I had ready for the purpose having been warned that the season was approaching, and I'm now practising sleeping with my mouth shut.
In conversation this week with one of the other teachers, I mentioned that I was constantly running out of books to read, and I said that someone should set up an exchange system for ex-pats. She said, "Why don't you do it then?", so I have. There is now a Tripoli website via which people can exchange books at no cost. It's early days, but I contacted the Embassy, and they've put a few people in touch with me so hopefully it'll take on some momentum, and increase in offerings, over the coming weeks. If you'd like to have a look, it's at:
And finally, I've bitten the bullet and bought a car. It's in a very delicate shade of purple so people will be able to avoid me on the roads, and the camels will see me in the desert - very important because it's only a little car. So far I've had one short drive in it (I'm not legal yet, and it'll take a week or so to sort out the paperwork) but it's going to be quite a challenge. Not only have I never driven a left-hand drive car, but I'm a novice at driving on the right, and the rules in Libya are very different from England - a major difference is sitting in the fast lane to avoid cars which go too fast in the slow lane. I don't think I'll be able to take it to Tunisia next weekend, but there's plenty of time to go again in the future. In the meantime, some students have promised to sit with me to tutor me in the finer points of driving etiquette here. I know you're gagging to see a picture, so here it is:
