The Ambassador’s House

Met up with Alexis Thursday night and went for brochettes. He’s going to help me buy a bed and mattress. Yay. He’s also willing to rent me his computer suite and a qualified IT teacher for my volunteers at RNAD! What a star. Going to put together a package and discuss prices so I can put it to VSO for a small grant in Capacity Building.

Yesterday was... interesting. Everyone was invited to the Ambassador’s house for carol singing. He was leaving the next day as we’re getting a new ambassador, so it was a Christmas-cum-leaving party.

Philip and I took a bus to the Embassy, then started walking. It was a little way away, but we kept going. We were almost there when a huge, sleek black 4x4 pulled up. The electric window whirred down and a voice asked "Are you going to my house?" It was the British Ambassador and he gave us a lift!

Stylish way to arrive. He was telling us he had to leave halfway through because he’d been summoned to the President’s house, probably for a leaving do or something.

Anyway, we arrived at this amazing house, a throwback to the colonial era. Big and beautiful with a marquee on the lawn serving all sorts of imported goods: Bombay Sapphire, scotch, wine, mulled wine, mince pies, vol-au-vents, cheddar and blue cheese, pickle and biscuits. All complimentary.

Keeping in line with the patriotic Union Jack tablecloths, I supped a G&T (with ice and lemon!) or two, and wandered around. There were a few other volunteers there: Mel, Craig, Hannah, Karen, Jo and Sue. Then I had a surprise – Ally, the Scots property lawyer I met on the plane on the way in, was there! That was quite a laugh.

It was an interesting evening, and I drank plenty. G&T, red wine, warm mulled wine – knew I wouldn’t see much of that again for a while!

By the end, most people had left, but I stuck around with Sue and Eric. Then we got a lift with one of the officials and his girlfriends to Kabana, a restaurant-bar near the British Embassy, where Jo was eating with visiting friends. 

Sue and I sat people-watching and talking, quite in-depth, about class divide. It was a good discussion. Interesting though it was to wander around the Ambassador’s grounds and rub shoulders with top-brass in the Foreign Office and upper-class ex-pats, I don’t think I’d like to do it again. The big cars, nice suits and plentiful food - don’t get me wrong - it’s highly seductive,but beyond it there seems to be a bit of a big empty. Especially when you work in a world where kids are under-fed and most families couldn’t afford to buy a glass of wine, yet alone a bottle. The contrast was stark. The ex-pat world is very odd indeed. As Sue said, you socialise with people here that, class-wise, you wouldn’t back home, simply because you’re isolated. It’s a dream world if you make it that way. It really is nice in some ways, but leaves you a bit cold in others.

I dunno. I’m not really sure what I make of it. A little stuffy, perhaps? Which isn’t to knock the hospitality, they didn’t have to invite us. But it was... odd *shrug* Anyway, I woke with a hangover fit for the start of the Christmas holidays ;)