Anne's blog travel 06-07

Tuesday December 12th 2006
It's starting to definately smell like the end now. Some journalist (few) are already heading back home and shuttle buses from the accommodation are going to the airport on the half hour. The majority will stay till closing ceremony but some countries (like Oman) are out of the competition now and so it's hard for reporters to continue their work. Some journalists only come to cover certain events and when these events are over, the journalists are on their way.

Friday will be the Closing Ceremony and Saturday will be the last day I have volunteers here. We will start dismantling the work room as of midday on Saturday if the room is quiet which is expected. Some of the volunteers have been working with me from day one which was November 15th. Some started a bit later but it will be strange and sad saying goodbye to all of them. Most of them don't have email addresses and writing in english would be a huge problem for them so I won't have the benefit of being able keep in touch with more than a handful.

People don't have home addresses here, only PO boxes. Mail is not delievered at home and indeed there are no signs outside the houses to know what the street address might be. When I asked Patsy about this at the beginning, wondering how she received her bills, she tells me that only the electricity and rent bills are delivered and they are slipped under the door.

In a world of such abundant junk mail I marvel at the fact you may not indeed receive any mail in this country. How easy in some way and how hard to keep in touch from the outside. But with the ease of email I have to say I have lost the art or is it the habit of writing letters.

That's all for now...