Bangui la coquette

To be honest I really don't have time to update the blog at the moment, but I wanted to put something down to at least confirm that I'm here.

So here I am. In the Central African Republic. In Bangui, the capital -- for now, though I leave for Bossangoa on Thursday. As predicted, this will be the bush, big time. Washing and filling toilets from a bucket, hauling bottles of water up from Bangui, and sleeping in a tent every now and then when we go into the field. (Yes, I'm already "in the field", but in this business "the field" is an almost infinitely reduce-able term.)

Already, accommodations are basic -- surprisingly so, in fact. I'm already in the land of filthy floors, cracked sinks and smelly linens. Usually you have to go beyond the capital to find that. Goma is a great deal more civilized in comparison. All this confirms what I'd already feared: that this stint is going to be by far the toughest thing I've ever done. Let's hope it's also one of the most interesting.