I have failed you. The photo rich diaries and insightful political posts I had promised never materialized. I finished my first stint and just went on vacation, neglecting all of you. I am truly sorry.
Now I'm set to go back in just a few days. I've eaten my sea urchins, spent time with my friends and folks, swum in the Aegean, gotten my fill of alcohol and acres of uncovered female hair and skin, consumed my pork souvlakia and bacon/mushroom pizzas, and prepared the things I need to bring down with me, such as oregano and good mustard and smoked sesame oil and small lentils and all the other things that a foodie needs in Libya.
I am naturally somewhat ambivalent about this second expedition. Yes, I survived the first. Is that a reason to subject my statistical chances of survival to a second tour? When I got back to Athens, I found Greek drivers to be the epitome of courtesy and safety. That should tell you something.
Follow me over the orange croissant for more.
Libya has now been through two elections, one for local offices and one for the national assembly. Both went reasonably well. In Benghazi, a woman, i.e. a female! came first for the city council. Wow.
And the national elections were won by someone who had studied in the States. Sure, there have been nasty incidents and it is unclear which way the county will go.
But in Greece, Golden Dawn (a Nazi party) won seats in parliament twice in a row. Greece is in free-fall and the bottom is not in sight whereas Libya probably hit bottom and is on the way up.
And now we need teachers in Libya. Is there anyone who thinks they can teach IT and Business Studies at an English language school in Benghazi, starting, basically, now? Or even just the latter?
I have always felt safe and while I'm sure that salaries of $2,500 plus accommodation and local expenses are commonplace in today's economy, there might be people intrigued?