Normally I tend to procrastinate getting back to work after the New Year, but by 11.30 today I have made my shopping lists, rung people to deal with problems in the house (the shower developed an electrical fault over Christmas), tidied the kitchen and read my emails. Which only leaves tidying my desk and doing my filing for the rest of the month!
In previous years (2005 a special case) this would be a cause for even more gloom than usual at this time of year, but it hasn't affected me yet, thank God. Can this be another benefit of global warming, that SAD will not affect me in January?
I am waiting for the results of tenders which will determine whether I go to work in Serbia for 18 months or Bosnia for 4 years. I try not to write about the uncertainty of future work, in case it puts a jinx on something I am depending on. However, since the Bosnia project may not start any time up to April, things are a bit uncertain to say the least. I am hoping for a decision on both in January, so at least I know whether I have to start again with some new bids in February, or can do some travelling in February while I am waiting for the bureacracy to sort out the contracts.
Even if we are unsuccessful, there are plenty of projects coming up, as Putin's activities in the energy sector mean that the EU has to produce lots of new projects to influence the locals.
Usually I find I have time and no money, or money and no time, for travelling. But a favourable decision on a project and a late start would give me both, so I have a couple of schemes up my sleeve. But ideas for 3 weeks' independent travelling in February are welcome, preferably where I speak the language.
Of course I could spend the 3 weeks learning what my American friend in Bosnia calls "local". It seems it is not acceptable to call the language Serbo-Croat any more. In Serbia I would have to learn Serbian, in Croatia, Croatian and in Bosnia, "local". To outsiders they are very similar to each other, and can be understood by all three countries. But it's far easier to learn languages in country, and I don't want to start by learning the wrong dialect, because I don't know where I will end up.
So at the moment I am planning a trip to Lithuania in the second half of the month, but as nothing is certain in this life, watch this space. Now to set up some projects to complete at home.
