An early night

As I was tired, I decided not to stay up to talk on skype to anyone, nor to sort all the photos that I had taken last week on a field visit to Kinyinya and Ruyigi, nor even to update my blog which I have not done for a while. So, after a brief bit of reading I turned off the light and went to sleep just before 10pm...

...Only to woken up at 11 by what is definitely the heaviest attack on the town since I've been here. While I'm getting better at judging the sounds of AK47's (several kilometres away? a brief exchange of fire? maybe just a jumpy guard firing at a shadow) I'm no expert in heavier weaponry: I think these were mortars... I think they were quite close.

So pulling on clothes I head for our "security corridor" (which is just a corridor) and confer by radio with HoM and the radio operator. I'm the only one at the house tonight, Shelina's in the field and Roberta's on holiday in Turin. During lulls in the shelling it is tempting to peak out to try and gauge what is going on, but since it is my job to brief every arriving expat, that's not an option. It is amazing how the mind interprets sounds - the mutterings of our guards, who have no doubt heard far worst and are probably watching the tracer fire in the distance nonchalantly, the dripping of a tap in the garden etc.

Anyway, an hour has passed and there has been only the briefest of volleys of rifle in the last half an hour, I'm thinking it might be time for bed. Good night!