Family

Is a very strong word, and should mean a lot to everyone. It means that you have those people close to you that will know you forever, that will always back you up, always look out for you, be there when you break down, be there for the good times and the bad times.

I always thought that my family was crazy and dysfunctional in a weird and funny way, and it wasn't until recently that I learnt just how much my family mean to me and how good it is for us to be as close as we are. Yes, we fight, we disagree, we don't always get on, but they are still my family and they always will be. I would do anything for any one of them.

My boyfriend that is here in Namibia, the one that I am with now, has made me realise just how important it is to have a family like mine, that I should appreciate them and love them for what they are, and not push them to one side. You see, he doesn't have what I have at all. It is a long and dramatic story, but he has never known his father at all, his grandmother raised him and his mother is not very well. He is not a son, it is like he is the father and his mother and grandmother are the children that he has to look after. It doesn't seem that he had the time to be a kid, to experience a normal life like I did. Seeing now the life that I had with the family I have, I realise just what my parents did for me.

In light of this, this week I did something which maybe I shouldn't have. To be completely honest, this is something I didn't think through at all. I got up on Wednesday morning, and decided that I was going to find his father that he had never met officially as his father - apparently he had tried to see him a couple of times. I had the night before asked for his fathers name, not 100% sure what I was going to do with it.

So I got up, and I found his father on the Internet, and I rang his offices. As he was unavailable I got his email address and emailed him - within the hour I got a phone call. Knowing now that they both wanted to meet, and by a complete miracle his Dad would be in Swakop that very night from Windhoek, I phoned my boyfriend and broke the news to him. I have to admit, I was missed completely when God was handing out tact, so it came out quite bluntly, I didn't intend to be so blunt, but the job was done.

Needless to say, we met with his father last night, Thursday 26th June. I think Pandora's Box has been opened.

African Sun

Is currently not so strong at the moment being the middle of winter, but hey, I have to say, its currently whipping the UK's summer hands down. At least here we have sun every day, and it is still possible to tan ...

We are currently sitting on the West Coast of Namibia in a little town called Swakopmund. We were in Windhoek for a week and then decided to come tothe coast as there was an opportunity here for a contract on Rossing Mine that is both interesting and pays a bit extra, so here we are at the coast.

It is really pretty down here, a real tourist town, but because of that everything is kind of stupidly priced, but it is a lot of fun being by the beach and in that atmosphere. I am in my 3rd week of being here now and time is flying, as it does, so soon it will be time to get on the plane and go home again bot for the meantime I want to enjoy it here.

I will soon be posting some photos on Picasa - as soon as that is done I will blog the link and keep updating it. The albums will be dated so everyone can see what we're up to. Today, however, I am off to sit on the beach and enjoy the sun!!