Abroad’s going mostly well. Initially very busy, now things have slowed down and I’m waiting on others. I’ve been fiddling with this tablet a lot. It’s been, much to my surprise, really useful. A Tablet in Industry As I said previously I really like the size and shape of it. I’ve been using it in my industrial context extensively as a document viewer. 16GB is a large amount of documentation, and having it in the palm of my hand (or pocket) at all times is super useful. I can bring it out and show clients, or staff, drawings to describe something, zooming in on specific areas to highlight important details, or giving an overview of the whole system. The machine can be on all the time, with connectivity off, and afford me several days battery life, compared to my work-assigned laptop’s 1 hour. I can hang it from a rail or mount it somewhere and leave the screen on to use as a reference. …

I’m travelling again. It’s time for another Arabic Adventure, and to be honest I’m really looking forward to it. Hands on work, over a broad range of areas that will really stretch me. I absolutely thrive on the environment I’m forced into when I’m there. It’s terrifying, difficult, high pressure and unfamiliar and I every day is different and difficult for a whole set of reasons. Because I’m travelling, I’ve been looking at my tablet again - the original Nexus 7 from back in 2012. …

Abu Dhabi’s a funny place. I’ve been here for a few days now, and I’m beginning to settle in - y’know, getting over that ‘phwoooar, I’m here’ disorientation you tend to get when you’re 4000 miles away from home in a country that doesn’t speak your language. I have no doubt at all that I’m seeing a very sanitised version of Abu Dhabi. I’m seeing, more or less, the capital that the leaders of the UAE want me to see. It’s a metropolitan city that’s full of tall building, enormous malls, big roads and big cars. Not totally dissimilar to my experiences in the States. Of course, this time I’m right in the city, not in the ‘burbs. …

A funny thing happened yesterday. They have a habit of happening to me… But it made me think - I’ve been settling in here, but I don’t feel settled. I was asked by a waiter in the restaurant ‘Are you alone?’. I said yes, and sighed slightly. I’m sure he caught me, but tbh, I don’t really care. The point is that an innocent question made me all at once feel very, very isolated from everything I know. This, in itself, isn’t a bad thing. I’m not on the phone to my boss saying “Get me the fuck out of here, I hate this 5 star hotel, increased salary and per diem!”. What it promoted in my head was a chance to take stock of where I am and everything that’s happened in the 7 days since I arrived here, somewhat confused by the airport and tired. (The meal, btw, was all you can eat food, but a Western style buffet. Roast potatoes and buttered veg. Those little fried balls of risotto, Arancini and more. For the first time in my life, I got excited for plain brocolli and cauliflower!) …