Working remotely

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 (Day 28)
Makeni

I am having most of today ‘off’ so that I can work. Yes, today is the day when I need to proofread the magazine I am editor of back in Latvia: ‘Gateway Riga’. 
It is a sign of the times when even in Sierra Leone – ranked 180th (from 187 countries) in the world on the UN’s human development index – I can find a way of working remotely and communicating with my magazine layout designer half way across the world. Truthfully, I am rather fortunate that Makeni has the MJ Motel (photo above is from the reception), otherwise I do not know how the hell I could have downloaded the 20MB pdf file I need for proofreading. It took 30 minutes to download it to my laptop. If I had tried the same thing at the office it might have taken a week.  

I was in here at 8.30am this morning just as some Danish and Indian businessmen or engineers or diamond dealers or whatever they are, were having breakfast. The breakfast staff assumed I am staying here as well and brought me over a pot of tea and a fried egg on toast. I was half tempted to play dumb but then felt insanely guilty and told them I was just popping in…for seven hours as it turns out.

I hope Guntis hurries up and makes the final changes to the layout I requested. I have got to go and coach 80 Sierra Leonean kids after an hour and then rush home and scoff my dinner down in time for England v Brazil at the football cinema at 7.30.