The last seven years

The end of March 2016 is the seven year anniversary of my first short-term overseas contract. I left my last 'proper job' in the UK in October 2008 with a vision to do this kind of work but with no definite idea of how I would accomplish it. In March 2009 I went to Juba in South Sudan to work with MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) for three months and I haven't looked back since. I consider myself very fortunate to have sustained a lifestyle that allows me to split my time between my home, family and friends in the UK and the opportunity to live and work in different cultures around the world where I have had incredible experiences and met some amazing people.

In the 7 years I have:

• Worked for 3 organisations
• Been in 6 countries
• Had 11 contracts
• Lived in 16 houses
• Taken 79 flights (I think!)

Here are 10 random facts about my experiences during this time:

1. The hottest temperatures experienced were in Chad and South Sudan (over 40C and sometimes closer to 50C)
2. I lost the most weight in Melut, South Sudan (I haven't ever re-used the extra notch I had to put in my belt whilst I was there)
3. The strangest thing I've eaten is in Kampala, Uganda (fried grasshoppers)
4. The noisiest place I lived was Dulag, The Philippines (a combination of barking dogs, fighting cats, karaoke and the local population's love of racing through the streets on motorbikes with faulty exhausts)
5. The loudest call to prayer was in Kampala, Uganda (for a couple of months I lived very close to a small mosque with a big megaphone)
6. The most animal life in a kitchen was in Dulag, The Philippines (the space was shared with countless ants, cockroaches and rats)
7. The noisiest night-time animals were in Melut, South Sudan (those frogs could really croak)
8. The most expensive places to live if you want to have a more varied diet were N'Djamena, Chad and Juba, South Sudan (land-locked countries with very limited local production)
9. The worst internet connect was in N'Djamena, Chad
10. The biggest language barrier was in Chad (French and Arabic) and Tanzania (Swahili)

I'm often asked which country I've enjoyed the most and the truth is that they all have something unique to offer and I have special memories of each one. The countries I found the most challenging to live in were Chad and South Sudan but they are also where my 'best' stories come from and where I'd return to without hesitation.