Four grey walls and four grey towers...

I arrived under the clouds and dusk of nightfall and so my introduction to Johannesburg so far has been minimal. What struck me as interesting is that once again I am in a city confining residents behind walls. Unlike AFG where it is to protect expats from targeted violence, here it is to protect everyone from random crimes. I was met at the airport by our country director who transported me to the lovely little Jubilee Guesthouse. With chicken take-away dinner in hand, I felt very secure behind two gates and a door requiring a remote control and two sets of keys for entry. After eating my dinner, having some rooibos tea and catching up on internet, it was time for sleep and try to keep this headcold under control.

Onward Adventures

It seems time to resurrect this dusty blog which got bogged down in the trials and tribulations of life in Afghanistan. And really how much can one write about when confined to house and office most of the time? Back on the outside since March, life has been humming along. It is amazing how much change there can be in the course of a year. From US to Kabul to US with a bit of ricocheting in between for good measure. But as fall rolls in, I am newly settled in Virginia with travel on the horizon. This begs the question whether this blog's title is still fits. I think it does. I will always be a Pacific Northwesterner at heart and changing it to Virginia Vagrant, though it has the necessary alliteration, just doesn't quite work. And perhaps Virginia is just one more stop - a career oasis, if you will. And so let's get back on board the proverbial caravan. Glad you've decided to come along.