I am looking forward to being somewhere I really know in Delhi and catching up with some friends. Asides from eating lots of good dosa (which I have) this is what this trip has been about for me. So I look forward to coming back to my old home, and seeing Kara, Victor and his family and Benjy. It will be nice too to show Andreana where I once lived, and how I once lived.

Then there is Nepal, and seeing Ben and his family. Ben along with Steve Bevis has been one of the key people in my ending up working for TEAR Australia. Ben seems like he is doing really exciting things with UMN in Nepal, and I am looking forward to hearing about them in more detail. It will also be great just to hang out again.

I am also excited to be introducing Andreana to the India train system this afternoon. With some of the availability issues we have ended up flying more then we had initial planned, but today we have a one remaining train leg. It will take us 14hours to reach Chennai, you can see the route here. Then we have about 12 hours to kill in Chennai before our flight onto Delhi. Any ideas on fun things to do for a few hours in Chennai?

Things are going well, and I will blog in more detail soon. The keyboard and conditions in this Internet Cafe are not conducive to writing good blog posts.

However take a look at Andreana’s blog for more detailed insights.

Airasia were no worse then most of the airlines I’ve flown with. However having to buy bottled water makes you think twice about hydration which isn’t great.

KL feels quite familiar, it helps to be staying in a hotel I’ve stayed in before. Had a nice buffet breakfast this morning.

Now to try and get my global roaming working. Ah just looked at Optus’ website, apparently I had to call a number before I left. Hmmm.

It’s been a long time since I was last in India, and I am looking forward to my return. Will be nice to see some prettier places this time. It will be also nice to revisit Delhi, and some old friends.

I wonder also what India has for me this time. Will I be challenged to come back and live, will I get sick and hate it, or will it just be a wonderful trip.

The other thing I am wondering is how my partner Andreana will find the experience. I am hoping it will be good, and we will travel well together.

Anyway, going to go get some bottled water (more on that soon).

Next stop KL.

In other news, I am finding Afghanistan the subject of tonight fascinating at the moment. I have had the privilege this week of provide both technical support, and be part of some strategic conversations with someone visiting from one our partners over there. It is a shame one can’t just jump on and plane and visit Kabul.

Call you up in the middle of the night
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a slow torch burning
I was a key that could use a little turning

So tired that I couldn’t even sleep
So many secrets I couldn’t keep
Promised myself I wouldn’t weep
One more promise I couldn’t keep

It seems no one can help me now
I’m in too deep
There’s no way out
This time I have really led myself astray

Runaway train never going back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I’m neither here no there

Can you help me remember how to smile
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on earth did I get so jaded
Life’s mystery seems so faded

I can go where no one else can go
I know what no one else knows
Here I am just drownin’ in the rain
With a ticket for a runaway train

Everything is cut and dry
Day and night, earth and sky
Somehow I just don’t believe it

Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughin’ at the rain
Little out of touch, little insane
Just easier than dealing with the pain

Runaway train never comin’ back
Runaway train tearin’ up the track
Runaway train burnin’ in my veins
Runaway but it always seems the same

By Soul Asylum

My life is currently filled with lots of exciting things at various stages of completion.

I am very close to signing a very significant deal at work. It has been nine months work getting the project to this stage, involving quotes from numerous vendors and it’s been hard work selecting just one vendor. My excitement about starting the project is dampened by how much work I know the project will require before it is completed.

I’m excited about my trip with Sam to India and Nepal in January it will be great to go back to India and be in a country that changed me so much. Should get to go and visit some TEAR projects, as well as old friends while on our “holiday”. I am so turning into my Dad, combining work with holidays.

I’m doing a fair bit more staff training now, which I like. I’ve recently organised to spend an hour doing some extra geeky training for our web guy. It should be good. I’m pretty sure I’ll learn a lot in the process.

There are lots of other exciting things happening to, but they are in the early stages. I would like to write about a few of them, but that would risk them failing before they even got off the ground.

Other interesting talks included a deconstruction of Mark Driscoll and his views on women, a theology of development from a Kenyan perspective, a discussion on the importance of discipleship and our role as an organisation in journeying with people. Heart breaking were some of the stories from the countries where our partners work. They are such hard places. Hope filling though was the quality of the people that were in the room, and the stories of the hard work put in by our partners overseas..

Pretty sure it would be illegal to use it in Australia though…

The project is going to be a number of years before it is even in a real prototype, but that gives the technology I am using time to become cheap enough for use in development..

Cat in Chicken Pen

I looked back through the images rapid fire, and I was reminded of asking the same questions in India around computer systems in Nagaland, and in the other hospitals I worked at. Is money better spent on basic services, rather then IT?

I never came to any really good answer, except that IT enables those helping to do so more effectively.

Anyway it was in reflecting back, that I remembered the passage in the Bible where Jesus says, “You will always have the poor with you, but not always me.” I have always found that statement haunting, and today I found it more haunting. I realised that burnt into my retina are images I will never forget, and in my memory bank are memories I should never forget. No matter how far from extreme poverty I go, I will always have the poor with me for the memories of them are a part of me.

I guess though the second part is where I have made some internal justification to myself around lifestyle. I figure I won’t always have my friends, and the joys of Australia with me and so I often indulge on the idea that I am only here for a while, before I return to the field. I guess I need to work out sometime if I am still going back, and in what capacity. The job I have now kind of gets in the way of that side of work, and is too comfortable and easy to stay in long past when I should perhaps go.

But enough of that. I saw Harry Potter today, it had the most deliciously awkward and amusing romance, and also had a decent simplified plot from the book and was good fun..

What is interesting is that I am at least a competent computer systems engineer, programmer, and have some people skills. These are not the commonly looked for skills in a IT Manager for an NGO. In fact looking back at the job description, almost none of the requirements for the job were big strengths of mine.

It’s funny though, the time at which I came to my current employer has been pretty much perfect for my skills set. An organisation in need of complete review of how technology is used, and in need of lots of glue to be coded and some healing of “IT” and the rest of the organisation relationships.

I after more then a year am loving my job, and finding it challenging. Occasionally I crave bigger budgets, and more support but I also love the freedom of being a largely one person show. I am working hard on both professional development and my day job. I do occasionally pity my boss, as I am somewhat unmanageable because I largely do things my way, and sometimes exceed my um organisational position in various activities. (Hi Ash)

I really enjoy most of my work relationships. As in any place there are people whom I have some difficulty in relating too, but I have learnt to have love for them all. Sometimes due to being under resourced and a sometimes limited patience I do fail to provide the quality of support that people would like. I find it troubling when I do, particularly when it is someone who I have difficulties with.

This year work has become a little more social for me which has been really nice. I have made one close friendship at work, which is vastly approaching being one of my closest friendships. I even had dinner at her house a few weeks ago, which was really nice. I got to know her partner in a better context and I really like him too. Tonight a bunch of us went out to the movies, and it was good fun.

Anyway that’s almost enough of a work rant. Really just wanted to say, I am working lots but despite stress I am really enjoying it.

I will close though with a quote from my job application. It is so applicable to my organisation that I can’t resist quoting it.

The Chai break is a critical time for networking, getting to know people, and finding underlying IT problems.

Fewer people came tonight then I was expecting, but due to the extra casual mode of invitation it was to be expected. I had to wait 40 minutes before anyone arrived, and that was a bit unfun. Thankfully though I knew five people were coming, and those five did end up coming. Anyway once they arrived everything worked. It was so nice, around my gas heater in my living room.

Interesting the six of us all admitted to barely reading the Bible but still all found bits we liked, and shared stories around them. It is quite funny how good the Bible actually is. Six random (or close to) passages were chosen by different people, and there were linkages through them all. I really loved remembering why the Bible is my sacred text, and what that means. It is so beautiful, better then Harry Potter, or even Lord of the Rings.

I love rediscovering things that are old, and really enjoying them.

My stress levels are rather high at the moment, as I am working on some big decisions. I am pretty sure which option is right, but I’ve realised the need to have the process right. This is harder when you have an option you are pretty sure is right.

This brings up the issue of consultation. I am turning into a fairly good sales person, but I don’t know if I am always selling the right thing.

I wish I had some staff so I had time to do things better….

Stupid GFC!

I think I’ve been reminded of something I knew. God works in spite of church structures.

Most of the things that I love about church happen in the in-between spaces. The service doesn’t really matter that much, it is that “people of God” manage to come together despite all the issues in doing so. It is the support we can give each other, and the welcome we can give to the stranger. It is so many things, due to the different gifts of so many other people who go.

I love the people, and feel that God is there somewhere in the midst of it all. So it is that I will continue to go to my church and consider membership.