Black Merino

shaun...

2009-01-01T17:07:00.001Z

seems to have moved over to facebook for the meantime!

my classroom

2008-08-21T12:34:00.003+01:00

School starts in ten days. I keep on thinking about my first lesson, when it looks like I'll have a Year 9 top set. I wonder what it will feel like to turn the key and open up my classroom for the very first time.

my cubicle

2008-08-06T21:21:00.003+01:00

The six weeks of Teach First summer are almost up. During one of our meetings this week, we were shown the clip below. I don't really know quite what to make of it, as my experience of working in an office was generally good, plus Teach First has some very close business partnerships. But the video did have us singing along quite merrily, as we simultaneously recalled all the wonderful reasons why we are going into tough schools, but also wondering what the heck we have got ourselves in for. There will be days at school when the Cubicle is much more appealing, but actually, it's those days that are the reasons why we're doing this in the first place.

canterbury

2008-07-31T21:30:00.005+01:00

Barbecues at the pond. Ducklings. Bright summer days. Walking from the Halls to Teach First base on campus. Canterbury Cathedral towering overhead. The beautiful university grounds. Learning how to teach. Meeting pupils that have been transformed by Teach First teachers. Planning creative lessons. Inspirational morning meetings. Nicky Blair, Tony's son and fellow Teach Firster. Working 14 hour days. Listening to Brett, our CEO/founder/idol. Watching presentations from last year's cohort. Participating in a Dragon's Den event with 700 people. Free food! Incredible, almost tangible, esprit de corps.

Despite the 6am wake-ups, I jump excited out of bed everyday.

tongue twister

2008-07-24T21:27:00.007+01:00

Q: What's the difference between Canterbury Christ Church University in Canterbury, and the University of Canterbury in Christchurch?

A: It would seem very little from the names, but while the former is Teach First base-camp for the next three weeks, the latter is actually one of the largest universities in New Zealand, 11,000 miles away!

This past weekend we were bused en mass here to summery Canterbury, near the coast in England. It's very picturesque and we do get odd glimpses of the beautiful city, despite still being very much in the Teach First bubble.

I happened to be near the Cathedral soon after we arrived, and was amazed to see 650 bishops from around the world (here for the Lambeth Conference) - together with a large media following - strolling through the cobble-stoned lanes.

year seven

2008-07-18T21:07:00.008+01:00

This was to be my first ever lesson in school, thankfully in a different area miles away from where I'll be in September. A top set of year sevens had been primed for a group of Teach Firsters, who were coming into school for the day. It was our time to be let loose, to experiment, to finally take the teaching reins that will guide, pull, or possibly drag us through these next two years.

I can't imagine what the eleven-year-olds were thinking, with us randoms being shuttled in to teach them for the day, then being whisked back off to Teach First base in central London. Their facial expressions were understandably inquisitive.

While previous experience teaching and leading is invaluable at Teach First, I only this week realised that teaching in a secondary school is a completely different ball game. One that requires some highly-skilled professionals to be played well.

school's almost out for summer

2008-07-13T21:17:00.027+01:00

Our team of five has spent this second week of Summer Institute in the school that is going to become part of our lives. The kids swamped us at every opportunity. 'Are you new Sir?' 'Are you new Miss?' 'What are you teaching, what are you teaching?'

One kid said I speak strange (Kiwi accent, perhaps). Another kid, minutes after openly admitting that he was trying to make a good impression to the 'new Sir', burst into another teacher's office, called him a rude word, and stole his coffee.

As expected, the school has its fair share of challenges (not just the kids!), but we all can't wait to get stuck in from September.

on a threshold

2008-06-26T09:59:00.007+01:00

In just a few days, I will begin a journey that I was cautioned against. The government education agency here advises politely to 'bear in mind that Teach First is a demanding two-year programme and definitely not for the faint-hearted. You should do some thorough research to ensure that it is the option for you before you apply'. Gulp. Even Teach First themselves say that 'simply surviving is not enough'. They want more.

According to Teach First, for the next two years I'll need limitless supplies of energy, enthusiasm and optimism to tackle the inertia and disenchantment that characterise challenging schools. I’ll need to be creative, brimming with ideas and capable of packaging and repacking ideas to capture the interest of students who have disengaged from education. I've been told that I’ll need self-discipline, and the courage to confront failure and come back for more, because not everything I'll try will work. And I’ll need thick skin – rhino thick - in order to prepare to be challenged on everything I say or do, and to engage emotional judgement and relationship with people who probably feel that I owe them a lot but they owe me nothing.

Going into a challenging London school is going to be exactly that - challenging. But I go, as part of a team of fellow Teach Firsters, with the determination to make a difference. The intensive six-week residential camp to prepare me for this begins now. Apparently I can expect five hours of sleep each night. It's going to be a breeze and I can't wait!

looking in the mirror

2008-06-14T08:16:00.004+01:00

My three months in Rwanda have almost come to a close. I have the weekend free, Monday to pack, and then on Tuesday a date with Kenya Airways. Wednesday I’ll be hitting the ground running as I begin my two-year journey with Teach First, in a tough London secondary school.

Perhaps some of the reasons for my time here will only become clear later in life. But already I know that I've been impacted in a number of ways. Tearfund not only sent me to assist in the work of their partner, they also wanted to empower me, to change me, to transform me. These words mean a lot, but yet they also mean very little if I don't consider specifically how I have been empowered, changed, and transformed. So some thoughts:

* I have realised the value in living simply, and that I'm prepared to give it a go even in London. Living simply for me doesn't mean eating couscous and meditating all day. But it means reducing jam-packed commitments in favour of being more committed to just a few focus areas. It means spending more time with fewer friends. It means getting rid of clutter in my room, and in my routine. It will mean having to prise myself away from the 'more-is-better' approach to consumption.

* I have experienced a journey of real discovery in Rwanda, consisting not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes (Proust). These new eyes will enable me to consider how my lifestyle choices in London are linked to the people that I've spent these last three months with. Where has my tea actually come from? Who made my latest branded sports shoes and what is their life like? Am I using a bank that lends to an oppressive regime? I've understood the need to make more ethical choices.

* Living in a country that doesn't use English as a main language has reminded me of those wonderful years in Asia when I was speaking foreign languages all the time. I have been encouraged to treasure those times more, and to hold on to all that foreign vocab somehow.

* Seeing children die has made me love young people more. When they die, so do their futures, and this has made me angry in a way. So I take to London a determination to work for the futures of the young people I will be teaching, and to be an advocate for the hungry and sick children around the world.

* I have realised the universal importance of addressing both material and spiritual poverty and so, even though my time in Rwanda is up, there is still a lot of addressing to do!

* I can now happily deal with four hour church services, mossie nets, speaking in front of thousands, zooming about on a motorbike, plus I am an expert bucketer (washing yourself using a bucket of water).

* I was told three months ago by a Teach First staff member that Africa will toughen me up for the London classroom. I now have an inkling she was bang on, and so I'm grateful for the challenges of Rwanda that will have prepared me for two years in a tough school. All part of the plan I think.

* I have been given fuel to fight the causes of poverty, to act justly, to be merciful and humble (Micah). I've been touched by the people's plight here, and I recognise that I must hold on to that touch. I must still care, and make it known that I care, even in London. As Brooke Fraser sings in her music about Rwanda, even though I'm going 'on a plane across a distant sea, I carry you in me. And in the dust on my feet, Rwanda'.

Perhaps you haven't spent three months on Rwandan soil, but you've been on the journey with me through this journal. I wonder what you've learnt.

spaghetti

2008-06-14T08:11:00.006+01:00

The local Bishop says to visitors here that 'You don't come to Rwanda once'. If the Bishop is right, I guess I'll be returning one day. In any case, it's my last week in the country for now.

We invited a group of fifteen youth for lunch, as part of a number of goodbyes in different areas. Our cook prepared a kinda Rwandan-style spaghetti bolognese - with meat! They were even treated to a Coke. These guys normally can't afford to eat lunch, so obviously this was one of their meal highlights of the year. They all ate at least twice as much as I did, which made me smile. Their gratitude was so obviously real, and this made me appreciate having access to a regular supply of food. There were some quite teary-eyed youth when we had to say goodbye.

phoebe

2008-06-07T12:39:00.005+01:00

This is Phoebe, in her teens, but now head of household having had both parents killed in the genocide. Here she's learning how to sew on the Youth At Risk programme, but this only lasts for a year. I asked her what her dream is, and all she wants after leaving the project is her own sewing machine like the one here in order to at least make some money to properly feed her younger siblings. It's these initial capital costs that sting many here, keeping them in the poverty trap. Security for the future requires a little bit of investment. There is a willingness, a sense of purpose about the place, but in many cases Rwandans simply can't afford to help themselves in this way.

mt. bisoke

2008-06-07T12:32:00.006+01:00

I loved the gorillas so much that I decided the following day to make the climb to the summit of one of the volcanoes. But it was only after I cheerfully rocked up to the morning meeting point - to be greeted by three armed soldiers, an official government guide, a man with a machete, and hmmm no other hikers - did I realise what I had got myself in for.

Certainly my most drama-filled day in Rwanda so far, the four-hour climb to the summit involved being approached by an aggressive buffalo, witnessing an emergency military standby, cutting fresh tracks through some dense forest, and wading through tiring knee-deep mud. I suppose now I understand why I was given a five-man entourage all to myself, in this steep and misty jungle that continues into the troubled eastern Congo.

At the 3700m summit though I was treated to a stunning crater lake - and a view of some of the other striking peaks in this string of volcanoes. I guess it was worth it!

wow

2008-06-07T12:08:00.003+01:00

I took a few days out from RDIS work this week for the ultimate wildlife experience, which can be found on a handful of Rwanda's volcanoes. The exhilaration of meeting a family of gorillas face to face in the jungle after a long trek is unforgettable: watching juveniles playfight in the shade, a baby feeding from its mother, feeling the chill as a giant adult silverback passes by, a young male happily crunching on bamboo.

Most impressive though was the attitude of these endangered creatures to their human visitors, perhaps unlike any other wild animal. Content to go about their daily business with often less than a metre separating us, they would occasionally pause to study our small group with their deep brown eyes. Wow.

world vision new zealand

2008-05-31T09:39:00.009+01:00

It was great to be a Kiwi in Kigali today. I spent the day at World Vision Rwanda, where I spoke at their headquarters and went out to explore a massive Area Development Project (ADP) that World Vision New Zealand exclusively supports. Nobody else, just New Zealand!

45,000 people live within the Tubehoneza/Kanombe catchment area, and as we moved around I could see hundreds of children that have Kiwi sponsors and thousands of people that have been impacted in some way by Kiwi support. New Zealand is all over the shop here - this is also the ADP that Parachute Music have adopted, so far building five huge water tanks and about to start construction of primary classrooms in some ridiculously overcrowded schools. Their short explanatory video is excellent, and shows exactly where I was today.

I also had a yummy meal with Anna, the World Vision Programme Officer from New Zealand, who is here for a short visit. First time to meet another Kiwi in Kigali!

injustices

2008-05-31T09:37:00.001+01:00

It seems that everyday I notice some new injustice that Rwandans have to face. This time it was to do with the vehicles here, which are often in really quite horrendous condition. The thick black smoke that is pumped out around the country is not nice.

But no sooner had I found myself complaining about these horrible Rwandan vehicles, did I realise that they aren't actually Rwandan vehicles. Not good enough or too old for us in the west, we send them out here for the Africans to choke on. The justification is a little odd too, with many claiming the the vehicles pollute their home countries and so must be sent away. Surely though they realise that black smoke doesn't observe international borders. We all live, after all, in the same world.

john wesley kabango

2008-05-31T09:28:00.002+01:00

This is John in action, proposing a development plan for some local land. John heads up the RDIS, and has done so since pretty much after the 1994 genocide. He's such a gentleman, but is also determined to see his country develop. So determined that despite invitations and opportunities to work and live abroad, he's committed to remain in Rwanda.

His extraordinary achievements are too many to list here, but it would be absolutely fair to say his work has changed the lives of thousands of families. Go John!

camping

2008-05-24T19:51:00.002+01:00

We stopped off at a UNHCR-operated refugee camp this week, on a bit of a fact-finding mission. This particular camp provides for two thousand Burundians who have managed to flee the conflict there.

While camping can certainly be great fun, UNHCR camping is a little different. No details required, but the cramped conditions were quite horrendous.

We happened to be there for food distribution day - 10kgs of cornmeal per person per month - and I was able to speak to some World Food Programme staff about rising food prices. Perhaps the makeshift door here is also doubling as a WFP appeal. At this camp though, I don't know if anybody is watching.

borderline

2008-05-24T19:42:00.010+01:00

After negotiating some outrageous bends and dodging monkeys on the road through the forest, we ended up at the lakeside town of Cyangugu to deliver our last two training workshops. From where we were staying, the troubled town of Bukavu in the Congo was much less than a stone's throw away.

Cyangugu and Bukavu were both earthquake centrals a few months ago. This classroom that we used for our training of community leaders was damaged in the quake, but apparently it is still 'safe'. They already have so many problems to deal with, and then comes an earthquake. But their faith only gets stronger!

the hills are alive

2008-05-24T19:36:00.004+01:00

When it was confirmed by Tearfund that I will be sent to Rwanda, one of the first things I did was some general reading about the country. I repeatedly came across two phrases used to describe Rwanda: the 'Land of A Thousand Hills' and the 'Switzerland of Africa'. But with the Africa on our TV screens being so often portrayed as a dusty urban back-lot, I pretty much had passed these off as tourist one-liners or marketing gimmicks.

Having now travelled extensively around most of the country though, I have since discovered their truth. It's not easy for a Kiwi to admit, but Rwanda's beauty could happily compete with NZ's picturesque scenery that is so often held up as the world's most beautiful.

The hills that give Rwanda its name are often breathtaking, and paired with the glistening Lake Kivu in the west, they are quite a sight. Unfortunately though beneath the natural beauty is an unnatural poverty.

Here's a shot from a tea plantation, which straddles one of the thousand hills, down near Cyangugu.

rice that changes lives

2008-05-24T19:29:00.002+01:00

I am a huge fan of rice, but this is not the reason why my visit to an RDIS rice plantation project was so enjoyable. The idea is simple. Tearfund has supported the RDIS to jump-start this community by purchasing a huller, which basically processes rice from in its husks to be ready for sale.

That's pretty much all it took but the results are so encouraging. An association of families has been formed where they pool resources and share profits. It's a self-sustainable business that has literally released families from living with malnutrition, not being able to send their children to school, and the list goes on.

We squished and squelched for about an hour through the paddy fields to reach a large group that was harvesting. The morning was spent sharing thoughts on expansion with the local leaders of the project and evaluating progress with the larger group. You can imagine how I was received being introduced as 'Shaun from Tearfund'.

intore for visitors

2008-05-24T19:20:00.002+01:00

Here's a little bit of Rwandan traditional culture. We had some visitors stay recently, who are looking at doing some work out here later in the year.

They were both from Ireland, and it was really interesting to hear them share about the history of conflict in their country as compared with Rwanda's own recent troubles.

They were treated by our 'Youth At Risk' project to this spontaneous performance of Intore dancing.

training workshops

2008-05-16T20:30:00.006+01:00

I have been travelling quite extensively around RDIS coverage area recently - right down south-west to the borders with the Congo and Burundi. We're delivering a number of workshops in relation to the launch of a three-year development initiative in eight communities, with Tearfund as the supporting partner.

While each community is so different, they are all eager to learn and are always fully engaged with what's being mooted and discussed. Groups and community leaders are asking hosts of questions and are already committing their time for the work. They want to develop themselves and they want to learn. I will be facing the opposite challenge when I return to the London classroom - the problem there is often the kids don't want to learn!

murambi

2008-05-16T20:17:00.009+01:00

It was supposed to be a place of education.

'Move quickly to the Murambi Secondary School. You will be protected there'.

That was the message from the local authorities to the Tutsi people, only days after the genocide began in April 1994. And so they went. Around 60,000 ran to the school for sanctuary.

But it was a trap. Immediately the water supply was cut, and all food was blocked. The militia carefully weakened the thousands of trapped Tutsi for more than a week, in order that the mass killing be not too much of a battle. On April 21, they were murdered with an array of tools.

This is the story of yet another massacre from 1994. I visited the now deserted school where, although a mass grave houses most of the victims, a few thousand semi-preserved bodies are still on display as a sign that genocide must never happen again.

The place was an eerie calm - we were the only group there. One of the few survivors of Murambi showed us around. He has a chunk of skull missing, and it was remarkable to witness him still at the site - apparently it helps him heal. He lost his whole family that day.

The people lay in the bare rooms, many still clutching children or babies. The smell was overpowering. Their heads often bore the most severe of wounds. Perhaps more moving though was the room of carefully folded clothes and other items that have been kept. Each belonging had a story to tell.

Massacre at Murambi is a short film that tells the story with an interesting angle. 'What were you doing in April 1994?', the film asks, then ends with a proposition about the genocide in Sudan.

pangea and marathon

2008-05-16T20:06:00.007+01:00

I happened to be in Kigali over a bumper weekend of events, so went to check out some of the action.

Saturday night was Pangea Day, the Live Aid-style global broadcast of short films, music, and speakers aimed at using the power of film to bring the world a little closer together. In addition to Cairo, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro, the lush Jali Gardens park in central Kigali hosted the sixth live and pleasantly mosquito-free location.

It was something cool to be part of - according to various media the global 'hope thermometer' even went up by a few degrees. If I was producer I would've done a few things differently though and it was also a pity about the technical faults. But the looks on the muzungu techie faces when the satellite went down were priceless.

This short film, The Ball from Mozambique, got the Kigali crowd (especially the expat lot) going.

On Sunday morning I whizzed off on the back of a motorbike to the course of the Kigali Marathon. The warm breeze from the hills was a treat for the runners, but the smell of open sewers that line the slums of Kigali could not be masked. Poverty continues despite the international fanfare.

kigali and the hotel

2008-05-16T19:37:00.006+01:00

I love Kigali. It has the busyness of urban Africa without the Nairobi-style madness. And it is so safe. Not once have I felt threatened, and not once have I been ripped off. This east African hub has a lot going for it.

I had a few things to do there last weekend and was based at the Hotel des Mille Collines (Hotel of A Thousand Hills). This was the setting of Hotel Rwanda, the film portraying the true story of how the then hotel manager crammed more than one thousand people into the one hundred or so rooms in an attempt to protect them from the 1994 killing.

The hotel hasn't had a makeover since then though, and so is still a very moving place for those that survived. I was a little surprised to find a large bullet hole remaining in the metal frame of my room window.

This musical montage tells parts of the incredible story, and is followed by my photo from in front of the hotel.

PLAY CLIP

travelbuzz and travels

2008-05-09T20:19:00.003+01:00

Black Merino was featured by STA Travel on its excellent Travelbuzz site today. Travelling to Rwanda may be on the way up! The link to the post is here.

I'm moving around the country more extensively over the weekend and into next week - Kigali then down-country - and it seems the rainy season has finished (early), which is yay for me but not so yay for the Rwandan food supply.

water

2008-05-09T19:57:00.008+01:00

It's not so fun when the water doesn't work in our house. It means collecting it in buckets from outside (we are so incredibly lucky there's a supply nearby), and it means somehow scooping water on me for a shower not to mention pouring water into the toilet to make it half-flush. Washing up in the kitchen without running water is also an interesting experience.

But it wasn't until travelling into some of the villages here that my situation was stamped firmly into perspective. I met Clarisse in very poor area near where I'm staying - here she is actually washing her family's clothes in the muddy water. It was a bit of a double-take for me a first, and yet then I was told that this waterhole is also a supply for drinking water.

Access to water and sanitation ('WatSan' in aid worker language) is a huge problem in Rwanda. Even in Kigali, the bustling Rwandan capital, people often can be seen carrying water. A greater problem, though, is that it's costing lives everyday. In many cases, the water that people drink is killing them.

I was therefore so pleased to talk with a very enthusiastic water engineer yesterday, who is working on an array of WatSan projects. The situation is not good, but step-by-step Rwanda is developing.

guitar

2008-05-05T18:55:00.004+01:00

Somehow my guitar managed a series of transits and aircraft changes, and landed with me at Kigali. In a country where the standard instrument is a homemade drum made from some kind of animal skin, the guitar has proved to be quite a little people magnet - despite my lack of decent playing skills.

Rwandans really do love music, and will happily sing or dance or beat a drum in virtually any setting - perhaps in some cases they use music as a kind of temporary escape from poverty. People also often queue up to have a strum on my guitar - some of them even know the odd chord - but unfortunately for them the guitar is left-handed so when they play it using their right hand the sound is not so good. But still they dance.

some things i did this past week

2008-05-05T18:52:00.002+01:00

spoke at two secondary schools, and drank fanta with a headteacher

went to Kigali by matatu to explore more of the city

ate cadbury chocolate, imported from Kenya

prepared for a community training session about local contribution to development

received a wedding invitation for later this month

was ambushed and tugged in all directions by a large troupe of kindergarten children

computer fun

2008-05-05T18:46:00.003+01:00

As it's now only a matter of months before I will be thrust into the London secondary school classroom with one of many responsibilities being to inspire kids to use computers effectively, I have started to get stuck into a few techie things here in Rwanda. It is very satisfying to rebuild these old machines into something that at least turns on.

Surprisingly, there are a lot of computers around the place, most of which are secondhand donations that have been sent by container from Europe. Unfortunately, though, some of them are in such bad condition that I question why they have been sent in the first place, while the ones that do work are often not utilised well as people simply do not know how the use them (or are illiterate).

a moment

2008-05-02T20:28:00.005+01:00

Every couple of weeks or so, I see something or meet someone or experience something that affects some part deep inside me. I call these times 'Moments'. Seeing some dieing children in an extremely poor part of Rwanda was once such example. Another recent 'Moment' was a talk I had with Bernard in his home.

Bernard is the person I spend the most time with here. Where I go he goes, and where he goes I go. He is my programme planner, interpreter, fellow teacher, guide, advisor, and anything else I have failed to cover here. He is also a very good friend and it now feels as if he could be an older brother.

This week Bernard told me about his background. It inspired me how he has persevered and recovered so strongly from an experience like this. It shocked me how for six weeks now I have been completely oblivious to this incredible story of survival behind such a humble Bernard.

During the genocide Bernard, together with six siblings and parents, managed to squeeze into a car together and leave Rwanda. Exile was more attractive than genocide, and they eventually managed to cross over to Goma, a border town in the Congo. The problem with this though, was that they were also travelling with more than a million other refugees into what would become effectively another genocide - the First Congo War.

Bernard tells me that conditions in Goma were absolutely horrendous. His memories are vivid; he was twenty at the time. Cholera had broken out and literally thousands were dying each day in the refugee camps. His parents had to do something - the risk of death was too great in Goma - so they somehow managed to flee by a boat that spluttered across Lake Kivi to Bukavu, another town in the Congo.

Things in Bukavu were better, at least bearable as far as refugee camps go, and Bernard's family spent two years here. It was still too risky to return home to Rwanda, so for now it was Bukavu or nothing.

That was until the end of 1996, when war came to Bukavu. Bernard and family then joined an exodus in the tens of thousands, and spent a full year travelling by foot around the Congo.

They now had literally nothing, except for the clothes they were wearing, and nowhere to go. It was full on survival for one year. Sleeping on the roads, escaping through Congolese forest with no map, eating perhaps the odd vegetable here and there. The jaws of death were widening.

After a year on foot, Bernard and his family ended up in Kisangani, a town deep into the Congo, where they were able to find refuge in another United Nations camp. That was until, you guessed it, war came to Kisangani.

One morning, before sunset, the camp was attacked and heavy fighting broke out. Bernard says he will never, ever, forget this day. There was chaos everywhere - nothing could be heard except gunfire and slashing of machetes and screams. Bernard lost his parents and four of six siblings that day. Killed in their tents. Bernard tells me his mother's last words to him were 'Continue to be pure and don't forget to pray to God'.

Somehow, Bernard managed to escape. So did a younger brother and sister, and they unbelievably found each other later in the day. But the fighting continued and decisions had to be made fast, so the three ended up hiding in dense Congolese jungle for about a week - that was as long as they could bear without food.

Upon emerging from the jungle it seemed that Kisangani had calmed down somewhat, so Bernard put on hold the seemingly impossible option of continuing for another 1000km on foot to Cameroon in the west.

With literally nothing but a shirt and some pants, Bernard, brother, and sister were then put on a humanitarian flight back home to an uncertain and still tense Rwanda.

Bernard went on to tell me that he was offered a place in a Rwandan orphanage, but refused outright. He was determined to return to the old family home - by chance it was still standing - and start a new life. His mother's last words remain with him today, encouraging him to press forward and make the most of what he has. Bernard has done so much more than this though, and it's almost as if he has all the life that was lost that day living inside him still.

He is now an incredible leader, outstanding teacher, fluent in all sorts of languages, and is highly respectable. Despite currently attending evening university, Bernard is convinced that his wandering and war-torn exile is the best degree around today.

random facts

2008-05-02T20:24:00.003+01:00

I have recently discovered two new fruits, the Golden Passionfruit and the Custard-apple

Tonic water was originally used to prevent malaria - it contains quinine

1US$ equals about 550 Rwandan Francs

If your family owns a cow, you are very privileged in Rwanda

umuganda

2008-04-26T07:22:00.001+01:00

This morning I'm hiding inside, because it's Umuganda. Apparently I'm excused from this activity, which is translated as 'Community Work Day'.

Umuganda happens in Rwanda on the last Saturday of every month. Between 7am and noon all households must participate in a designated activity that is for the good of the community. Maybe creating a new dirt road, planting trees, cleaning streets, digging a well. Businesses must close, and everyone must report to their community leader. If you don't go, you don't get a stamp in your little book that you will need to access government services.

Umuganda works because Rwanda is a highly organised country, with six levels of local authority. There are firstly the big five provinces, which are then divided into districts, and in turn sectors, and then cells (cells are made up of about a thousand households), and finally two more levels down from this still (100 households and then 10 households). This organisation allows instructions and message from on high to be passed down very quickly, and so is ideal for Umuganda.

Somewhat scarily interventionist, but 'Community Work Day' helps the government collect taxes through labour, whilst also encouraging community participation and reconciliation.

rugby

2008-04-25T20:23:00.002+01:00

I brought a rugby ball to Rwanda, which I will leave here when returning to England, so with that comes a duty to introduce the country to the great game. Rwanda doesn't even feature in the IRB world rankings, so it's obviously not their sport of choice, but with the enthusiasm shown at my first youth training session I'm certain this can change.

We started out learning the spiral pass, but quickly moved on to chips and bombs, and then they all just started tackling each other. They loved the feel of a rugby ball, and I could tell they all held a strong tension between desperately wanting to kick the ball but at the same time wanting to just hold on.

sabrina

2008-04-25T20:14:00.004+01:00

Every Wednesday afternoon, I spend some time visiting homes of the teenagers whom I am teaching at the Youth at Risk project. It's a good chance to share some more personal thoughts, stories, and encouragements.

Sabrina was teary-eyed when she told me about her family, or in actual fact, lack of family. Both her parents were poisoned to death by neighbours as part of an extended period of genocide that continued even after the pre-1994 government had been overthrown. After this, the family's seven children pretty much had nothing, and five of them died of one kind of disease or another. Now it's just Sabrina and her older sister, who struggle to meet rent payments where they are staying - in an urban slum. It's lucky that big sis has managed to get a job in a local eatery, and so has access to some food scraps.

Sabrina continues to stay positive despite her circumstances, and at the RDIS project she is especially keen on learning how to sew. Her dream is to be able to afford to buy her own manual pedal sewing machine, so she at least has some security for the future. Her determination and courage are admirable.

church

2008-04-25T19:59:00.005+01:00

Along with most of Rwanda, I attend church here. Services often go on for some time, in one case four hours, but they are always a lot of fun with plenty of good singing and funky dancing. Often I am asked to share something, play the guitar, or even preach, which is always an interesting experience.

Last Sunday there was an unexpected visitor midway through the service. It could have been easy to mistake this baby goat being led to the altar as some kind of ancient animal sacrifice ritual, but thankfully it was spared. A member of the congregation, whose sick son had been given some medicine from the church to get better, kindly offered her cuddly friend as a thank you gift in return. Yes, a goat! It will be kept by the church, and possibly sold once a bit older.

kigali memorial centre

2008-04-19T11:20:00.007+01:00

We visited the Kigali Memorial Centre, which is the main genocide memorial in Rwanda. Whilst the number of bodies here amounts to over 250,000, the centre is very dignified and all are buried in a dozen huge concrete chambers. I was advised to visit this site first as preparation for the more gruesome sites in rural areas, where often bodies have not been buried.

Reading through the history boards inside the centre, I learnt the significance of radio in the genocide. Radio was the primary means that the rebel leaders used to instruct the then largely uneducated population to 'slaughter your neighbours'. I wondered if the genocide would've been so severe if the radio had been blocked.

Many foreign visitors clearly found their visit challenging. Under the deep blue sky in balmy temperatures a group sat on the memorial steps in silence, recording thoughts in their travel journals as soft music carried through the burial gardens. While we were there a group of now grown up orphans arrived to place some flowers on the mass grave containing their parents. They quietly handed some foreign visitors a flower each, and they too paid their respects.

fruit basket

2008-04-19T11:14:00.002+01:00

You really have to improvise all the time here - most everyday items are either not available or too expensive for most people to even consider. A random example of this is chairs. Wooden chairs are a luxury, so for most it's either an old plastic bucket, a bench, or just the floor. This is a slight problem when I want to play my modified version of the Fruit Basket game during a break time, say. But with a bit of improvisation, it can work. We had a successful round outside with this group of extremely poor youth in Ruhango, drawing circles on the ground to act in the place of chairs.

transport

2008-04-19T11:05:00.003+01:00

Transport in Rwanda is generally pretty good. The few main roads are excellent, and with a good 4WD the dirt roads going down to the villages are usually ok, often quite fun! But still everyday I see vehicles that are either ridiculous, or just downright dangerous. Here's an example. It's school holidays this week and the government organised a huge conference for teachers, which was held at the national stadium in Kigali. Logistical challenge: to get 40,000 teachers from across Rwanda to Kigali in one day using as few vehicles as possible. Answer:

We saw convoy after convoy of these trucks pass by, often with the teachers travelling on top in full song. I'm trying to imagine me riding on one of these through England to a teaching conference, chanting government education mottos.

local coffee

2008-04-15T20:28:00.001+01:00

I'm waking up pretty early here, just after six I guess, and one of the things I look forward to each morning is a fresh cup of brewed coffee. When I first arrived, there was some instant Nescafe in the kitchen, but since coffee is grown literally around the corner here I thought why not go for the local option.

These are some baby coffee plants, along with their farmers, whom I was able to visit recently. Virtually all their coffee is exported, mostly to America. Buying this stuff locally, at a fair price for the growers, makes the coffee taste so much better.

teeming children

2008-04-11T20:43:00.010+01:00

Without fail, everywhere I travel - whether locally or provincially or down the road - children are abounds. They are simply everywhere I look, and are always so excited to come up and shake my hand or smile for sometimes their first ever photo.

I met this group on a visit to Ruhango earlier in the week.

Most Rwandan families have five or six children, which is usually too many. It was once important here to have lots of children, and they were considered an asset. Right now around 40% of the population is aged 14 or less, but a new mindset is gradually forming that fewer children is better.

attacks

2008-04-11T20:40:00.001+01:00

In connection with Genocide Week there have been some attacks over the past 24 hours, raising tensions in the area. In one instance, a grenade killed a policeman at the genocide museum in Kigali, where around 250,000 Rwandans lie in concrete tombs.

It has been suggested that some people complain the week-long mourning period imposes too much a perception of collective guilt for 1994.

things that seem normal now

2008-04-10T12:47:00.002+01:00

sleeping under a mossie net and taking anti-malarials
fetching water
being called muzungu (white man) by little kids
staying in after dark and going to bed early
improvising
eating stale bread
washing clothes by hand
carrying a first aid kit
driving on bumpy dirt roads
drinking tea that's grown around the corner

genocide week

2008-04-08T15:36:00.007+01:00

This week marks fourteen years since the Rwandan genocide that claimed around 800,000 lives in just one hundred days. Monday is a full public holiday, while for the remainder of the week afternoons are designated for compulsory community education and memorials to guard against any repeat genocide. Flags fly at half mast all over the country.

During just three weeks in Rwanda I have already met so many people that have shocking accounts from 1994. Fourteen years may seem a long time ago, but I'm noticing daily that all Rwandans still feel the effects and will do so for at least another generation. Families need to be rebuilt for a start, while the criminal trials of around 100,000 genocide suspects also continue.

co-operatives

2008-04-08T15:10:00.009+01:00

I've spent some time in an extremely poor village that has begun to benefit from a pineapple co-operative programme initiated by the RDIS. In this great example of community development, families are coming together to pool what resources they have - labour, land, and sometimes a few dollars if they are lucky - in an attempt to escape the poverty trap.

The co-operative is helping the community to become more resource efficient and to ensure some financial security at harvest. But more importantly it is addressing the problems of poor community structures and hopelessness by enabling families to work together, and so mobilising and empowering the community. This is real development and not just welfare handouts. With initial support from the RDIS and Tearfund, the village is investing in its own future.

And yet while these people have indeed come a long way, they still have very little, and so I was humbled when the chairman of this co-operative gifted me one of his largest pineapples.

training in gitarama

2008-04-04T20:36:00.004+01:00

I took this short clip while entering one of the places where I work. It's a community hall in Gitarama, owned by the Diocese, and is luxurious as far as halls go in Rwanda.

Many of this group mostly in their late teens and early twenties have some quite traumatic backgrounds, often involving members of their family being hacked to death. Many of them also can't afford to eat lunch, and so it's hard for me to return home after spending time with them to eat a full meal. They have all been identified as 'at risk', and are undergoing a programme to rebuild some confidence and to learn some useful skills such as agriculture and sewing. I'm involved in both life skills training and English lessons. They are great fun, have incredible faith, and it's a privilege to be able to contribute in a small way to their futures.

eric

2008-04-04T20:20:00.006+01:00

Meet Eric, our highly skilled cook provided by the RDIS. Here he is plucking the feathers of tonight's chicken. For us too, it's rare to eat meat.

It has taken me a while to get used to having Eric around, and it still doesn't quite feel right not having to prepare my meals or do chores around the house. But I'm going with it because, well, it's great, but also because it's the custom here - when visitors come to Rwanda, locals jump at the opportunity for any employment they can get.

His roast savory bananas are amazing.

purpose driven

2008-04-02T20:59:00.008+01:00

Because of luggage restrictions I could only bring a few books to Rwanda, and for one reason or another I brought The Purpose Driven Life. It was only on my second weekend in the country that the author, Rick Warren, happened to be in town from the States for a public talk.

Warren has built a very interesting and I would say unique relationship with the Rwandan president Paul Kagame, who was in the national stadium with a massive delegation, along with 20,000 or so from the public. The heavily armed security was I guess reassuringly tight - we weren't allowed to take mobile phones inside and the guard made me take a photo to prove my camera was actually a camera.

I don't know if it was because I'm white, but our group then found ourselves being pushed into the VIP area. I mentioned to John from the RDIS that I felt quite confused in a strange way at the time, having spent the previous few weeks with some of the poorest people in Rwanda, and then suddenly was among the richest.

innocent

2008-03-31T19:43:00.006+01:00

This young man's name translates to Innocent, from the local Kinyarwanda language. He's in one of the groups of youth that I've started working with. Most of Innocent's peers are orphans (usually from genocide or disease) and have by default ended up as effective parents themselves, responsible for younger siblings. Innocent is twenty, and has two younger brothers. I visited the mudhouse where he is staying for the moment, and he told me his story.

About a year ago, his dad died from disease. The average life expectancy in Rwanda is around forty. Soon after, his mum ran away and hasn't been heard from since. Innocent and his two brothers have ended up crashing at his aunty's, but she already has five children to look after. While his younger brothers are able to attend the free state primary school, Innocent's in a bit more of a bother. He has pretty much nothing, certainly can't afford secondary school or university, and you can't just get a job in Rwanda. He's now pretty much responsible for his brothers - food, clean water, health, shelter. And there ain't no social welfare here.

Yet despite all of this, he's determined to fulfill his dream of becoming a shoemaker.

great things

2008-03-29T11:55:00.003Z

fruit and more fruit
toddlers that cry when they see a white person for the first time
4WDs
women that balance half their own weight on their head
an eagerness to learn
discovering a shop that sells chocolate
a humble spirit
rolling hills
listening to the BBC World Service
children playing games as they return home from school

buckets of rain

2008-03-27T12:17:00.004Z

I was told about the rains in East Africa before arriving, but I didn't expect them to be this extreme. It's mostly rained at night so far, and you literally have to shout to hear one another inside. The raindrops are, well they are much more than drops I would say, giant, and let's not forget the obligatory crashes of thunder and lightning that accompany Rwandan rains.

One day I'm going to rush outside when it's bucketing down, stand still, and see if I melt.

mudhouses

2008-03-27T11:58:00.002Z

This is pretty much your average Rwandan mudhouse. Except it's not quite average as it was built by a team from Tearfund and RDIS. I think it would be fair to say most of the country lives in dwellings like this, although many are nowhere near Tearfund and RDIS quality standards! A widow and her two children, together with the odd animal, live inside this one.

Of course there's no electricity. Pitch black every night. It was strange though noticing the giant power pylons pass through the village overhead, only to bypass it completely. Electricity is a luxury that most Rwandans can't afford, and is way down on the list of immediate needs anyway.

I haven't quite worked out where people go to the toilet yet either. I guess one day over the next few months I'll find out when I get desperate while out on a community visit.

fish and pigs

2008-03-23T14:15:00.005Z

I was taken this morning to a village of some of the most deprived people in the country - around 150 families living in extremely poor conditions defined as less than one US dollar per day.

The RDIS has initiated a very interesting project here, involving fish ponds and pigs. Basically the situation in Rwanda is that most families can only afford to eat meat once a year, and with other protein-packed foods not readily available here, many are malnourished. The RDIS has been able to address this by providing the initial setup and skills training of a fresh-water fish farm. The ponds were dug, an initial batch of fish inserted, and a small collection of pigs are housed in a hut next to the ponds. The pigs are not for eating though; their micro-organism bustling manure is fed to the fish so they grow big and strong, while the pigs are able to survive on basic greenery from the valley. Cool system, aye. It does sound a bit icky and the ponds are a bit brown, but it works well and avoids the need for expensive fish food.

Around a fifth of the village has been able to commit labour and time to the project, and are reaping the benefits of fish meat. I was particularly impressed at the way a single project can address so many problems. Malnultrition is directly addressed, but with this comes community responsibility and participation, skill enhancement, and an HIV awareness group that was borne within the group. This projet is a real success story, and I think took away more than I was able to share with them.

learning a lot

2008-03-23T13:57:00.007Z

After a no-nonsense Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to Kigali, I was warmly welcomed by native Rwandan John, who heads up the RDIS (Rural Development Interdiocesan Service), and his driver Frederic. Today I learnt more details about my placement here, with only relatively patchy information known until now because of the trip's short leadtime.

I learnt that I will be based out of Gitarama, a large town in Rwanda near the capital Kigali - it's difficult to know exact populations but we're talking at least 100,000. Rwanda is a tiny country - only 200km or so by 100km - and Gitarama is centrally placed to be able to see much of it.

I learnt that I'll be using this luxurious (by Rwandan standards) house during the trip! It's a massive compound-style guesthouse, owned by the local Shyogwe diocese. Currently it's just me and a German guy who is visiting the RDIS, but there's also a very helpful young Eric - a skilled cook among other things. Running water was available when I first arrived, however it's since been cut. This is certainly something to get used to, along with the cold showers or bucket washing as it may be. All water for anywhere near the mouth must also come from bought bottles. It's lucky I can afford it, as some Rwandans are dying from the water they drink. But at least there has been a steady supply of electricity so far!

I also learnt some more details of what I'll be getting up to over the next three months. As part of a programme of life skills training in various communities, I've been asked to work with some of the poorest and most at risk youth in different settings, start a community English club, and will be travelling to visit homes and development projects that the RDIS, supported by Tearfund, has been involved with.

an email sent earlier to friends

2008-03-11T21:55:00.010Z

''I’m going to keep this as short as possible, I hope!

As many of you know, I have recently left my ‘city’ job in London and am about to travel to Africa to work with Tearfund, a Christian relief and development organisation. It would be great to share briefly about what I’ll be doing there, and to also offer out the opportunity for you to get involved.

1) Where: Southern Rwanda.
2) Who: Tearfund Transform’s local partner is RDIS (Rural Development Interdiocesan Service), and the UK partner is St. Barnabas Church Kensington.
3) What: RDIS oversees numerous community participation projects targeted at the poorest of the population, ranging from valley drainage to education programmes, to pineapple cultivation and marketing! I will most likely be training members of the community in life skills (Rwanda is still rebuilding from the genocide – and an earthquake last month).
4) When: For three months beginning March 19 – next week!

So just the two big questions to go now…

5) Why: It would of course be naive to think that I can change the world, Africa or even tiny Rwanda in just three months. However, I do hope that I’ll be able to continue to build on the good and growing foundations that have already been laid among the locals that I’ll be immediately living and working with during the time.

But more than likely, it will be me that is most impacted by the trip. In this respect, Tearfund aims to offer the experience of meeting the faces behind the statistics of poverty and its effects. Tearfund then hopes to empower me on my return to think more about everyday decisions that affect the world’s poor, and to create awareness in my community about these. Phew!

6) How: Firstly, I would greatly welcome support simply in principle (a short message would be great!) but also in general prayer.

Practically speaking, I had initially wanted this to be a Shaun only thing. In other words, to be completely self-funding. And while I am lucky enough for this to be possible if needed, I have recently been encouraged and convicted to offer out the opportunity for friends to get involved practically. This is not fundraising, but rather a way for you to indicate that you’d like to be part of the experience with me, while also supporting RDIS in Rwanda.

In return for getting involved, I’ll be blogging more regularly once I’m in Rwanda, and my aim is for you to be able to have an online experience of what I’m up to. I hope that when you read this blog you’ll be able to feel as if you were there, and therefore be impacted in a similar way to me. If this interests you, the link is below, and I’d encourage any contribution at all – this is not about the amount, it is about just getting involved in a more practical way.

GET INVOLVED

And that’s all! Hope to hear from you before I travel.

Shaun''

albertine

2008-03-11T20:07:00.007Z

I wonder how many Kiwis there are in Rwanda right now. Probably very few. But the more I think about it, NZers have had quite a lot to do with Rwanda recently. For instance, our own Brooke Fraser has spent some time there and was inspired to write one of her latest songs about those experiences. In Albertine, Brooke sings of the meeting with one of the thousands of young orphans from the genocide...

I am sitting still
I think of Angelique
Her mother's voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent

And on a thousandth hill
I think of Albertine
There in her eyes what I don't see
With my own

Rwanda

Now that I have seen
I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
Now that I have held you
In my own arms
I cannot let go 'til you are

I am on a plane
Across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
And in the dust on, the dust on my feet

Rwanda

And I'll tell the world
I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them, Albertine

I am on a stage
A thousand eyes on me
I will tell them, Albertine
I will tell them, Albertine

when it rains, it pours

2008-03-10T22:14:00.002Z

It's funny waiting for multiple things to happen, and then they all happen at once.

This morning I found out that I'll be travelling to Rwanda with Tearfund (I'm no longer going to Kenya), then just half an hour later was allocated my Teach First placement - a school out in South-West London, very close to Heathrow Airport, in the Hounslow borough.

stopover

2008-03-08T20:28:00.008Z

I don't particularly like the idea of being a happy-snappy tourist - I prefer to do stuff rather than to look at stuff - but when you fly from New Zealand to England there is no option other than to stop somewhere. This time it was stopover in San Fran.

Driving over that big red bridge, exploring that prison island out there in the bay, and a little walk out to the Golden Gate Yacht Club, potential America's Cup rescuer.

I also recommend the World Famous Bushman. YouTube has some of his stuff.

real sailing

2008-03-04T19:26:00.011Z

On the weekend, I was probably the closest I will ever get to becoming an America's Cup sailor. We went out on the Auckland harbour for a match race between NZL40 and 41 - real 17-man AC boats that are now available for public use.

My main job for the morning was grinding those handles that pretty much provide the boat's power. Needless to say we won.

I love the feeling of gliding through the water powered by wind, rather than motor.

quick change

2008-02-21T02:11:00.025Z

I was lucky enough to arrive back home just in time for a double dose of weekend sport at Auckland's Eden Park, the ground that will host both semis and the final of RWC 2011.

At first glance down the sporting calendar, I thought there must have been a mistake with the dates. International cricket on the Friday, and Super 14 rugby on the Saturday? But no mistake. The guys at Eden Park managed an incredible overnight 15 hour quick change, which saw the Black Caps host England, followed by a great win by the Blues over the Chiefs the following evening. What more could you want out of a weekend!

....................BEFORE......................

....................THE DIG......................

......................AFTER......................

colouring in

2008-02-03T23:38:00.000Z

The month of January culminated in a realisation that some gifts and skills I have been given were lying dormant in my previous 'city' job, and so why would I not want to use these! Time for some change...

Currently I am preparing to travel to Kenya with Tearfund, a relief and development organisation, where I will live with Nairobi slum-dwellers for a few months.

After returning to London, I will take up a place on the Teach First programme. This involves two years of teaching in a challenging secondary school with additional leadership and business training, aimed at addressing educational disadvantage.

Have I just planned out the next two and a half years of my life? I hope not, because I want to be yielding to whatever the circumstance, but I guess these plans give me a rough sketch and it's up to me to colour it in.

Before all this though, it's back home to New Zealand for a visit later this month.

special times

2007-12-31T12:54:00.000Z

Black Merino would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Also, a special congratulations to Clifford Ernest Hughes of Tauranga, New Zealand, who has been made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's New Year Honours for services to woodchopping.

jungfrau, pronounced 'yoongfrau'

2007-12-31T12:09:00.000Z

Christmas was spent this year in the beautiful Lauterbrunnen, a village of about 1,000 in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland.

Watching snowboarders dressed in Santa suits wipeout on Christmas Day (and then a lady who had wrapped holly around her ski poles!) was quite exciting, but not as exciting as the four course Christmas dinner that the lovely people at Oak Hall put on for the 100 or so of us on the trip.

One of the highlights on the slopes was pretending to be James Bond skiing away from men carrying guns. The Schilthorn run is where the famous chase scene from On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) was filmed. The run starts at a 2970m altitude so obviously has some amazing views of the Bernese Alps.

I never thought I'd try curling, having watched it many a time on TV with boredom, but it was gripping! I think I get quite easily drawn into the complex strategies of shot selection and stone placement - some apparently call curling 'chess on ice'.

dreamcoats

2007-12-18T22:19:00.000Z

With the current rate of temperature drops in London, I will probably have to get my own dreamcoat pretty soon. In anticipation, I did a bit of window shopping at the Adelphi Theatre this week...

London's West End (or Theatreland) has to be up there with Broadway. They must have at least 30 major productions running on a daily basis, all within 15 minutes of Earl's Court. Joseph (and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) has to be one of the best. Certainly the best songs and the best story at least.

It was especially cool to watch as I had performed in Joseph during high school. It was also a little scary to discover how many of those lyrics I had managed to remember.

Here's the real star though, Lee Mead, chosen by public vote earlier this year to be Theatreland's Joseph...

wave pool

2007-11-29T23:30:00.000Z

One of the great things about winter in London is outdoor ice-skating (this is especially novel and exciting for a Kiwi).

While the 'original' rink has always been Somerset House, more and more are popping up all over town - I understand there are now more than 15.

Last week was my first skate of the season, at the Natural History Museum just up the road from Earl's Court. All went according to plan, including the falling over bits, but the only problem was the rain. When it rains on an ice-rink what you get is a very cold wave pool with two inches of water slushing around as everyone skates/swims. Check out this close-up of the mini waves...

...and of me before...

...and after, in the slush.

chocolate truffle cake...

2007-11-24T16:46:00.000Z

...from my birthday on Sunday, baked by a housemate. The bottom layer was like a normal chocolate cake, but the top layer was like a super-rich ganache with chucks of real chocolate. Yum!

some no ho-hum stats

2007-11-20T22:24:00.000Z

Often it's easy to be wowed and impressed by something, but then with familiarity the something becomes a little ho-hum. Not so with The Venetian Macao.

Indeed, as odd as it sounds, I have been staying in Macao/Macau this past week, for a work conference. We deal with a lot of stats at the office, so while staying at the hotel my colleagues and I were running a little wee competition to see who could come up with the most interesting stat about The Venetian. I think we were perhaps a little too creative at the time, but upon returning to London I have put together my Top 10 stats...

10. The hotel has 3000 suites, which are not classed as rooms because at 70m2 each they are at least double the average hotel room size.

9. A 15,000 seat arena sits within the hotel, which over the past few weeks has hosted Beyonce and a Federer/Sampras one-off match.

8. Let's not forget the 350 shops.

7. And the 51 gondolas that trip around the indoor and outdoor canals.

6. The total cost of the hotel is US$2.4 billion.

5. And 16,000 staff are needed when it is in full operation.

4. 114,000 people visited during the hotel's first 24 hours of operation in August this year.

3. The hotel houses the largest casino floor in the world at 51,000m2 (870 tables and 3400 slots).

2. The convention and exhibition space has the largest pillar-less ballroom in Asia, and the catering facilities to provide a five-course banquet to 15,000 guests.

1. The Venetian Macao is the second largest building in the world by volume, after the Boeing factory in Washington.

I didn't include a stat about the hotel gym, only because it takes at least 10 minutes to walk from the suites to the lobby - that's enough exercise, right!

four more years, but what a weekend

2007-10-25T22:25:00.000+01:00

After Cardiff I made a very silly decision, and someone probably should've given me at least a dead arm for it. My only defence is that it was a decision taken while the shock had still not worn off. I said no to the Final ticket that was waiting for me in Paris. Shaun! Of course over the coming days I was to painfully regret my actions, and I thought that I had blown it. But I had to pick up the phone to check for sure. Little did I know, Kiwi in Paris had held on to the ticket thinking that I would reconsider. This is where the journey began.

If you're like me, and still don't believe I just went to a RWC final, here is the proof...

This bit though, the IRB didn't rehearse. While streakers are probably more likely to emerge from rickety old stands during a domestic rugby match back home, Stade de France obviously didn't want to feel left out. The disbelief that some wondering wally sitting in the lower tiers got to the Cup before French President Sarkozy did, almost rivals the disbelief of Cardiff. Of course TV cameras are obliged to swoop away from any spectator infiltration onto the paddock, but I managed to lift this stock photo from the lovely people at Getty. I wonder how much he was paid by his mates for this dare.

France, while you should be proud that you beat the best team in the world, given your showing against Argentina you should probably be more proud of the spectacle that you produced and the atmosphere that you allowed for at RWC 2007. It's going to take an awful lot of Kiwipower for us to make 2011 even come close, and I suspect one or two officials down there will need to feel the force of a strong couple of rugby tackles before any meaningful preparation is begun.

It's not long now - for once, the Aussies actually have it right. I do feel a little sorry for this guy though, it must've broken his brain to work out 2011 minus 2007.

See you in New Zealand.

Go the All Blacks.

eighteen twenty

2007-10-15T22:02:00.000+01:00

Even the grey jerseys didn't mask the grimly black day in Cardiff last weekend.

Yet it was only as I was queuing to enter the Millennium Stadium that I realised something hugely significant was going to happen that night. Rugby death, though, never crossed my mind.

The last ten minutes of the match remain somewhat of a blur. What made things even more torturous during this time was the corner of a giant French flag that directly blocked my view of the countdown clock. This was stage 1 - disbelief. Just not quite grasping what was unfolding right there on the paddock.

I was pretty silent for sometime after the final whistle, thinking about what it must've been like in the dressing room of rugby death. It was probably a good thing that I just quietly reflected for a while, given that the mobile phone towers around the stadium had crashed due to overloading, not to mention the phone lines between NZ and the UK. This was stage 2 - shock - for me, and the couple of other million of us Kiwis that just wanted to wake up from the nightmare.

How was I to sleep that night? It was like four or five key moments of the match were on loop inside my brain. I just kept on replaying them over and over. The 'what ifs' were attacking me like mosquitoes in the night. Stage 3 - insomnia.

Then I wake up, and I wonder whether it just might have been all a dream. But the ticket stub from the match, tossed onto the bedside table, soon shatters those five seconds of high hope. Stage 4 - acceptance and mild depression begin to kick in.

But not for long. We must take the positives from this World Cup.

1. The team, and New Zealanders in general, will no doubt become better people from it - we can only rise from such an occasion.

2. Doug Howlett's post-match boozing injected a very healthy £10k into the British economy, plus some more if you count the broken cars he has to fix.

3. We can also sit back knowing what this World Cup is really about, as demonstrated by all of the semi-finalists. It is not about the best team in the world, it is about knockout 80 minute rugby and it is about winning at all costs - even if it means not playing the game how it should be played. If it was about the best team in the world, why would other teams even bother to front up? Gosh it's even the same in soccer - Italy won the last world cup, but I'm afraid any suggestion that they were the best team in the world then can only be laughed at!

4. But most of all, these picture memories are what we should hold on to. On a school day, the arrivals hall of Christchurch Airport is packed. Thousands gather to welcome their heroes home, the heroes that bombed out of a World Cup quarter final. Stand in black. Go the All Blacks.

the twists of tomorrow

2007-10-05T21:56:00.000+01:00

France meet NZ in the quarters...??
Despite being hosts of the Cup, France face the ABs away in Wales...??
The ABs wear grey jerseys...??
France name a highly inexperienced no. 10...??

Apart from the rugby, this is what makes World Cups so interesting.
Stand in Black.

'action' in earl's court

2007-09-29T22:21:00.000+01:00

Our quiet Kensington cul-de-sac has been a hive of activity recently, mostly not because of the new mini mart that opened across the way, but rather because our road has been turned into a film set. There were about 50 or so crew here, shooting for an upcoming French film with the working title of Mes Amis, Mes Amours.

Stars? The lovely Virginie Ledoyen (see below), from The Beach. That's all I knew really. The director was amazing too. I used to hang out my window just to hear her shout 'silence' and 'action' in her ridiculously strong French accent.

The crew were very polite, inviting us to breakfast, and even paying us £100 to store some equipment on our property (for the record, we did decline the cash, but they insisted). They treated us to a loose plot summary too. You heard it from blackmerino first...

The story is a romantic comedy centring on two single fathers Antoine and Mathias, who as neighbours and best friends decide to establish a new household for their children by knocking together the ground floor space of their adjoining houses. They set themselves two ground rules: they will never call on babysitters, or bring any girlfriends home. It seems like the perfect solution - they take turns looking after the kids, divide household chores and keep each other company on lonely Sunday evenings. But such an intimate living arrangement eventually becomes strained, particularly when Mathias takes more than a passing interest in Audrey (Virginie Ledoyen), a beautiful and ambitious young reporter who wanders into his bookshop one day. As Antoine and Mathias juggle parental obligations, romantic intrigues and differences of opinion, the film will provide a window into their colourful world and the intertwining destinies of its locals.

Hence the pictures of the doors above. The white door at the top is ours, while the picture below is the actual doors they are using in the film. They are our neighbours but one. Don't you think our doors would've been just as good, if not better? Virginie, you are welcome anytime!

thoughts on dubai

2007-09-05T10:36:00.000+01:00

I've been in jaw-dropping Dubai for a few days and, despite the heat, managed to have a good look around. In some respects, the city reminded me of Las Vegas (a 'resort' in the middle of a desert), but it seems that the sheer volume of construction in Dubai is a bit over the top. Unless of course Dubai is planning to become the next capital of the world, which I think is probably true. Some things I noticed...

*Over 80% of people living in Dubai are expats, so I found that I was asking people where they are from more than them asking me.
*The price of petrol is much, much cheaper than water. I guess cars that run on water wouldn't go down so well here.
*Between noon and 3, it is a good idea to find yourself a nice air-conditioned shopping mall to hang out in. The 45 degree heat is not for everyone.

I also took a 4WD 'safari' into the desert. Here are a couple of pics...

free hugs in korea

2007-09-02T10:40:00.000+01:00

I have spent the past week in Seoul for a work trip, and have tried to soak up some more of the Korean culture. Every time I return here, I cannot help but notice how often and how much South Koreans eat. This is a good thing, because the food is outstanding, but the after-tastes are slightly sour when one thinks of the North Koreans just a few hundred kilometres away, trapped and starving in their own country.

Yesterday I was reminded of the Free Hugs Campaign, which is alive and well in Korea. This video is not only quite amusing, but provides a glimpse of what some of the streets in Seoul look like. It has been watched almost 1.5 million times on YouTube.

canary whalf from the thames

2007-08-23T07:20:00.000+01:00

the pink sofa

2007-08-21T21:14:00.000+01:00

One of the great things about living in London is that people visit you...often!

For instance, over the past four nights I have been hanging out on our very comfortable pink sofa, as sleeping arrangements were reconfigured for a while. On Friday night I think we had eight people in the house, which usually sleeps five. Not bad, but I'm sure that we could fit in more if needs be.

Guests are great because they usually bring offerings, or will take you out for a meal or something. Not forgetting great company.

Guests encourage you to be hospitable, which can't be a bad thing.

Guests also make you do touristy things. This weekend we took a day trip to Brighton, which I probably wouldn't have done otherwise.

In a few weeks I have a guest from Japan staying. He is a friend from my Korean language class at university, but we had since lost touch. We are planning to go to a Premier League match - something I have strangely never done before.

I guess the only thing about London guests is you don't quite know if they're actually coming to see you, or if they're just 'passing through' London and need a place to stay. I guess both are often true, but in any case, I am always happy to either give up my bed or offer a pink sofa.

things i noticed at new wine/boulder gang

2007-08-07T22:15:00.000+01:00

*Dispersing drinks and biscuits to 650 children, and then sending them to the toilet, is harder than you think.
*There is no way that 60 leaders will ever beat ten times their number of children in a waterfight.
*Children's songs are so catchy that they will remain in your head for days after singing them.
*If you pretend that you actually want to be covered in slime, children won't vote for you to be gunged.
*The Exodus Factor is way better than the X Factor.

This is from one of the notes a group of children wrote to the leaders: 'Thank you for giving us a wonderful week at Boulder Gang. We've all had a fantastic time and it will stick in our minds forever'.

tentmaking

2007-07-29T23:26:00.000+01:00

I'm at New Wine 07 in Shepton Mallet, where apparently there is no internet cafe this year (?!) This means I am now posting in my tent using a mobile phone. One week without internet - good character building I'm telling myself. Anyway, 650 ten and eleven year olds registered yesterday for Boulder Gang, the team I am working with. Can't see any shortage of energy occuring anytime soon.

good and faithful

2007-07-26T22:50:00.000+01:00

Have had a Kiwi friend staying for these past few days. Among other random outings, we were lucky enough to be at Lord's for the third day of the test against India. Yes it rained on and off throughout, but as my mate commented, you couldn't ask for a more English experience. Was very cool to be there though.

Kiwi, whom I have known since high school, makes me laugh a lot. He has a roaring sense of humour as demonstrated, for instance, in our conversation with and about my female housemate:

Talking about noises in the night...

Me: She sleeps like a log anyway, no need to worry...
Him: Shaun, just because she looks like a log, doesn't mean she sleeps like a log.
Her: (Gasp and giggle)

Maybe you had to be there.

He has now returned to base in France, where he continues to inspire me as a good and faithful servant.

all blacks spotted in valencia

2007-07-17T21:56:00.000+01:00

This was something I had not prepared myself for in Valencia. At first I thought I was mistaken, but no, this was indeed a massive billboard of the All Blacks in downtown Valencia. Then I thought, well it must have something to do with the America's Cup. Again I was wrong. It seems truck maker Iveco have this year become the All Blacks' global sponsor, and have been advertising all across Europe. According to Iveco, their trucks and the All Blacks are built the same way and share performance, commitment, reliability, and team spirit. Here's hoping they're right come October 20th.

an odd combination of food and sport

2007-07-07T13:27:00.000+01:00

Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, an age-old tradition. According to the organisers...

Usually Grade I Kent strawberries of the highest quality.
Over 2,000 kilos (8,000 punnets) of strawberries consumed daily during the fortnight.
28,000 kilos consumed during the fortnight .
Served with over 7,000 litres of fresh cream.
To ensure the utmost freshness, strawberries are picked the day before being served, arrive at Wimbledon at around 5.30a.m where they are inspected before being hulled.

The organisers are also very proud about their hold on the price for a portion of a minimum of 10 strawberries and cream: 1990 - £1.60; 1991 - £1.65; 1992 - £1.65; 1993 - £1.70; 1994 - £1.70; 1995 - £1.75; 1996 - £1.80; 1997 - £1.85; 1998 - £1.85; 1999 - £1.75; 2000 - £1.80; 2001 - £1.85; 2002 - £1.95; 2003 - £2.00; 2004 - £2.00; 2005 - £2.00; 2006 - £2.00; 2007 - £2.00.

Ok, so the strawberries are cheap, but try £6 for a glass of Pimm's!

The tennis was fantastic. Here's my match roundups:

Henman vs. Lopez: Henman, of course, disappointed all. One thing you have to give the Poms credit for, never giving up on someone who has absolutely no hope in the game.

Sharapova vs. Bremond: Way too much grunting by these gals. Was entertaining though.

Nadal vs. Eschauer: Power shots galore. This is what I was waiting for.

Who is going to win this year? Go Rafa!

the port

2007-06-29T21:49:00.000+01:00

With all these beautiful boats, you need a place to put them. The Valencians' answer was to build Port America's Cup. And they did a great, great job at it. I just hope it doesn't become a white elephant when we win the Cup and take it back home.

Here we are on race day one. Before things kicked off so to speak, the Spanish air force were duly correct to salute the auld mug...

...just before ETNZ graciously emerged from base, followed by Alinghi in the foreground...

...as the boys headed out for another day at the office...

...The Kiwis emerged from the woodwork bigtime...

...after which I managed to hurriedly snap this shot where the sun just about blinded me...

...before the brisk walk down to the 'Woolshed', the Kiwi haven where ooos and gasps were the flavour of excitement.

The atmosphere at Port America's Cup was like this. A whole bunch of Swiss and Italians supporting Alinghi, a significant sprinkling of Kiwis, and a swag of perplexed Valencians (it was actually quite refreshing to have no Poms around for a while!). Around 70,000 each day on the weekends they reckon. Flags worn as capes by the thousand, dancing on the concourses, continuous tapas and summer drinks. I think most of all I'll remember the expressions on faces as the racing progressed. The tears of joy and disappointment too. The laughter and the children waving mini flags to support their country. The passionate cheering, rivalling any other sport. The random lot from Japan that came all the way to support ETNZ. This was very special stuff. America's Cup is addictive.

the racing

2007-06-28T07:58:00.000+01:00

How beautiful are these boats?

The races begin with highly aggressive pre-start manoeuvres executed in the start box...

...followed by often perfectly timed entry to the course...

...they make their way upwind to the first mark...

...within a course surrounded by 800(!) spectator boats...

...this is gruelling work for the sail grinders...

...so after a stunning win, we couldn't let NZL92 head back into port by herself...

I was lucky enough to be on the water for this 2nd race. Seeing these mega-machines on the television is one thing, but up close this is pure exhilaration. Mouth-watering stuff.

valeNZia

2007-06-25T23:28:00.000+01:00

I've just returned from Valencia, Spain, where I was lucky enough to experience the first two races of the 32nd America's Cup match.

It is absolutely FULL ON in Valencia now, so to try and capture this atmosphere I've brought back some truly mouthwatering pics. Here is a taster, with more to come later. Emirates Team New Zealand are cheered on as they leave base, ready to face the Swiss defender Alinghi...

new housemate

2007-06-16T20:38:00.000+01:00

Our house has quite a sturdy 'interview' process when it comes to new housemates. It does work very well - especially in the long run - despite the relative strictness compared with other houseshares in London. Anyway, so after around 15 people had come round to check us out, we finally selected our specimen.

Let's get the unfortunate business over first. He's an Aussie. Someone asked me how he managed to get selected with two Kiwis on the panel. He does like rugby union a lot, which certainly went in his favour considering most Australians claim to not care about r. union.

He's young - 19 - so feels like our little bro. Strong Australian accent, with strong Australian humour. A sportsman and a businessman. I think we made a good choice.

london this week: summarised

2007-06-09T22:28:00.000+01:00

This odd delivery van was spotted loading unidentified items into our office. What could the boss have ordered?

Stumbled upon in Shepherd's Bush (West London), this is the place to get your dose of Hokey Pokey.

Oh, we have a new housemate too. More about that later.

a new discovery

2007-06-02T20:29:00.000+01:00

This post was written on borrowed broadband because British Telecom decided to kill our phone line today. Thank you to the kind person who gives out free WiFi.

I have been following the America's Cup using their online animation for some time now, but as things start to heat up I now crave for real video of those beautiful boats. So what do you do when you want to watch some yatching action, but all the pubs across London are showing nothing other than the England rugby union that was on today? You go to the Famous Three Kings of course!

This new discovery, just a short walk from Earl's Court, is the place to go for all live sport. The first giveaway is the numerous satellite dishes positioned on the pub's roof. Then we go inside, and are blinded by the dozens of plasmas and projector screens showing an extensive selection of live sport. They have every sport you can think of from pretty much every country in the world. I heard from someone they can access 44,000 different channels. I must admit this sounds a little excessive. But the best bit of all is that each sport has its own 'zone' complete with a sound system, so you get full commentary. This is the place I have been dreaming of for years.

Great atmosphere and great yacht race. Well done Team New Zealand (and the All Blacks) for their wins today.

do you like my new guitar?

2007-05-28T21:27:00.001+01:00

It took me a while to find a cheap left-handed one. £39 online, what a bargain. I can now play A, C, D, E, and G. At first, the tips of my fingers were quite sore, but after some practice they get hard. It reminds me of walking barefoot in the summer - makes your soles hard. I don't know if I dare walk barefoot in England this summer though.

how to get towed away in london

2007-05-27T23:08:00.000+01:00

Step 1) Take a left off Earl's Court Road into quiet side street. Pay £8 just to drive through, as the area falls within the congestion charge zone.
Step 2) Spot a line of empty carparks, and think 'Aren't I lucky today'.
Step 3) Park car.
Step 4) In the summer sun, breeze pass the sign that says 'Removal today. Temporary parking ban'.
Step 5) After collecting your newspaper and warm pan au chocolat, return to vehicle.

This photo was taken from my bedroom this week. What kind of a tow truck is this? It has a giant claw which just lifted the car off the ground. Notice the bystanders, and the parking warden taking a picture on his camera for the council records. I think my pic would be better than his.

hoging the hog

2007-05-20T00:18:00.000+01:00

Roughly half my posts so far have been about food: blackmerino is clearly passionate about this topic, and tonight was no exception. Our church put on a hog roast party, which I have been looking forward to all week. I managed to shoot this video after my nose guided me very close to the front of the queue. Look at the cook, he carves with such confidence. I wonder how many times he has done this. Caution vegetarians.

The meat was so warm and juicy, and the crackling was crisp and not too salty. A touch of apple sauce and stuffing, some salad on side, well that was my first helping anyway. By the end of tonight, I felt like I had consumed half a pig. But boy was it good.

kiwiness

2007-05-19T18:02:00.000+01:00

Some action over at NZEdge.com: From Kim, Researcher, Australia: "I am doing research about NZ and what is unique about it in the modern world. It seems that NZ is known for its natural life, sheep, bungy jumping and rugby. Is this still the case in 2007 or are some of the innovations in film, fashion, technology etc creating a new face for NZ. If so, how has the perception of NZ changed throughout the world and what is the unique selling point of NZ now?...I am also interested in individual people's point of view on this topic. Thank you. From one kiwi to another."

Cathy Downes, a New Zealander at the National Defence University in Washington DC, replies, “Whether it is film, fashion, technology, rugby, bungy jumping there is a constant theme of novelness, innovation, of being small enough not to be bound by the inertia of bigger, larger, organizations and countries…And yet this is a country with nearly a sixth of its population not living in New Zealand. How much of New Zealand's image in the world is influenced by these Kiwis, or the Kiwis who work and live at home? If you ask a lot of ex-pats why they left, it is because they felt their creativity, innovation, get-up-and-go, can-do, want-to-make-things-happen, stop-standing-in-my-way passion was frustrated, damped-down, locked into mediocre-levelling, chop-the-tall-poppy, can't-do-anything-but-the- status-quo, type individuals who hold onto many leadership positions and are allowed to do so."

From my contacts on the ground back home, much of Cathy's response is true. But she should remember that one day all of us will decide it's time to head home, bringing our overseas experiences and fresh ideas with us. That won't be so bad, will it?

Some more things for Kim: the Haka, Kiwifruit, and of course the America's Cup.

almost dc talk

2007-05-14T13:32:00.000+01:00

This list of highlights from last week's Louder London concert at the Royal Albert Hall is long. After all, it was an event that lasted five hours. Brenton Brown, Third Day, the mighty African Children's Choir...

But it was only when Kevin Max joined tobyMac onstage that I was fully able to enjoy the benefits of my cheaper standing ticket, right up the front. Of course these guys form two thirds of the legendary dc Talk, who were introduced to me only months before they were put on hiatus in 2000. So last week I was lucky enough to hear some of their classics live for the first time, albeit minus dc's third member Mr Tait.

Something tells me we may see dc Talk reunited next year...

looking british

2007-05-12T13:40:00.000+01:00

I was asked to be interviewed on CNN yesterday. Not for work though - I'm way too junior for that. This was slightly less formal. The very American sounding crew grabbed me on my usual morning walk to work, wanting to hear my opinion about the whole Tony Blair Gordon Brown handover. This is big news here, too big really. So ok, think quickly Shaun, how can I get out of this one now that the reporter has grabbed me and is virtually ramming her microphone into my face. I didn't want to do this. As a housemate later put it, the people they interview on the street 'always look like muppets'. So with a clearly exaggerated Kiwi accent, 'Um, does it matter if I'm from the other side of the world?' Actually not a very valid excuse as I do have voting rights here. But it worked.

things that aren't in london

2007-05-07T11:37:00.000+01:00

Ok, so this is one of the bus stops on Orchard Road (the main shopping street). I think they must offer these out for sponsorship - it's like an exhibition booth at a trade show. So while you're waiting for the bus, you can play with the billboards, tv screens, and interactive displays. Cool.

The Singapore Sling is best enjoyed at Raffles Hotel...

...followed by soft-shell crab, served in a cheap plastic boat, at Crab World (rebranding needed?).

Our last night in Singapore was spent partly sneaking into the local launch party of the LG Shine handset (telecoms and media business cards do come in handy sometimes)...

...and for only a short time thankfully, at Fashion TV's attempt to enter the hospitality industry.

singapore day one

2007-04-29T14:34:00.000+01:00

I'm in Singapore now, for a work trip, but that could not be complete without a few days free time. So far...

I'm staying here for my free time bit before the conference starts. Not in the mosque that is, but just in front of it to our left. The dawn prayer call at this extremely well-attended 'Sultan Mosque' makes an interesting alarm clock.

Shot in the balmy 30 degree heat, one of the business areas.

Completely unplanned, I ended up stumbling upon and attending two services today. One at a bustling Methodist church in the Little India area where I was treated to lunch, and then later at St. Andrew's - a beautiful cathedral that heads up the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. This church was used as an emergency hospital in 1942, before Singapore's fall to the Japanese.

Chicken murtabak is so good, an Indian Muslim dish, kind of like doughy fried bread, filled with chicken, egg, garlic, onion, and served with a curry sauce and chili cucumber. It cost S$4, which is just over a pound, and filled me up.

Another meal very much appreciated, which cost even less than above - Singaporean style fried rice with a pinch of chili.

City Hall, one of the many buildings built during British rule.

I guess the colony thing worked: a cricket field and a rugby pitch spotted near the waterfront.

These are the same kind as back home!

The famous colonial-style Raffles Hotel.

'I think you would suit the blue apartment'. An estate agent.

I'm not usually that attracted to Starbucks, but this local speciality - banana java chip frappuccino - was very good.

This country/island/city is so well-kept, even the grass is swept with a broom.

Singapore.

anzac

2007-04-26T23:27:00.000+01:00

The alarm went off at 3.30am. We could've taken the 40 minute walk, but I suggested to take a night bus as have never been on one of these before (as if they are different to normal buses!) It was actually quite a unique experience though, with the 3-4am buses all packed of mostly gappies with Antipodean flags worn like capes. My housemate and I imagined many of them had just stayed up the whole night.

We arrived at about 4.45am, and already Hyde Park Corner was occupied by hundreds. It must've been quite a sight to those passing by, especially once the crowd reached a couple of thousand.

The service was short and sweet, but I must admit my disappointment that the dawn service was held at the Australian Memorial this year, given that our one had just opened in November. It was put down to some agreement by which the location is alternated each year, but I'm still suspicious.

To be fair though, Jonathan Hunt, our High Commissioner to London, did lay a wreath at the much cooler NZ Memorial - just across the way - shortly after the main service.

This interesting vehicle was later spotted distributing 'emergency' tea and coffee. Do we have these at home?

And of course the rest of the day was spent explaining to colleagues why I had a red poppy attached to my shirt.

flavours of home

2007-04-24T21:21:00.000+01:00

Anzac biscuits thanks to a thoughtful housemate.

pre-dessert

2007-04-20T22:24:00.000+01:00

One of our housemates is moving back to Aotearoa soon, so it was decided that we would all have afternoon tea at The Dorchester as a part of her farewell. Now, I am no authority on this, but apparently The Dorchester rates alongside both The Ritz and Claridge's (Gordon Ramsay), so is effectively one of the most - if not the most - posh hotels in London. And was it my suggestion to go there?

Of course, afternoon tea here doesn't mean a cuppa and a cookie, and when served by a waiter in tails you would certainly expect more than this. Indeed everything from the traditional cucumber sandwiches to a selection of exotic teas, from scones and clotted cream to fresh pastry cakes - all delivered according to plan. But it was something else that threw me completely...

'Pre-dessert' is what the waiter called it. It was the first time I'd come across such a concept, and was a little bemused but secretly excited. An extra something sweet before dessert. How good can it get? A wine glass with crunchy caramelised almonds, then a layer of light chocolate mousse, an additional layer of the most amazing cream concoction, all topped off with a mini chocolate slither. Yum. Pre-dessert at The Dorchester.

bronze, tulips, horses

2007-04-15T17:47:00.000+01:00

London hit 25C yesterday, which called for more roaming of Hyde Park.

Our English flatties were treated to the recently opened (about time) New Zealand Memorial...

...while the tulips were in full bloom (I wonder whether it's all the incredibly well-kept parks in the Royal Borough that make council tax so expensive)...

...and check this out, a traffic signal especially for 'equestrians'. As you can see, it's right up by the main traffic lights - I could hardly reach the button. And instead of a green man on the other side, it was of course a green horse.

chocolate

2007-04-08T13:58:00.000+01:00

Things I've noticed about chocolate:

There are many different types, but most aren't actually that good (does this mean I'm becoming a chocolate connoisseur?). Dark, bitter chocolate is the best. Its melting point is slightly below human body temperature, hence melt-in-the-mouth. Drinking melted chocolate is tasty, but be careful not to let it set. Green tea goes well with chocolate. Children will do almost anything for chocolate, including ruining the flower gardens of vicars during Easter egg treasure hunts. Lindor Dark, from Lindt, is the best chocolate in the world.