Tuesday 27 March 2007

Home For A Day

I woke today in my own bed, in my own flat, after my first good night's sleep in a week. The day was bright, and was mine to spend at my leisure. I arrived back from Malaysia yesterday morning, and had been told I'd have two or three weeks before the next job was due. Two or three weeks at home! A rare luxury.

Too rare, alas, as just this afternoon the phonecall came: something had come up. And so at 6.35am tomorrow I will be on the first leg of a trip to Nigeria. From the Malaysian paradise to the Nigerian hell. I was in Nigeria in December and January, and though an interesting experience in one sense, it's not a place most would be desperate for a repeat visit. Nigeria is, and I need only put this simply, a bad place.

Still, I'm automatically on my bonus x 2.5 because of the danger, so if I survive I will have a bit extra spending money. Which I'll have to do my best to use to its fullest on my next whole day at home.

3 comments:

Jenny said...

What's a "bonus x 2.5"?

Nev 360 said...

I get a daily bonus for working a abroad. After three weeks, this goes up to the daily bonus plus another half (i.e. bonus x 1.5). However, for dangerous countries we start on the bonus and a half and after three weeks we go up to double bonus and a quarter (i.e bonus x 2.25 - not 2.5 as incorrectly stated in my entry).

But because Nigeria is extra-specially dangerous with its civil unrest before chaotic elections, we start on the bonus x 2.25. All this extra money is to compensate us for when we eventually get kidnapped and beheaded.

Jenny said...

Very nice! What's a little beheading when you're rolling in the dough? Just buy a new head!