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’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. …

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. …