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Sunday sixth May
Dear Flora
I arrived on Gan this morning at 7.20 and was met by the chap whose job I am taking over, I’m going to be in charge of B Shift on SAS Flight. I don’t know all the details yet but tomorrow I start the arrival procedure and will learn more.
I have a nice room near the mess in a row of 10 rooms all under one of those huge high roofs. The room has a wash basin, cupboards, chest of drawers etc and suspended from the ceiling is one of those big fans which keeps going day and night to keep the room cool. On Saturday I have to move into a similar room at the other end of this row as I have to be on the phone – when I move I shall have a banana tree outside where lizards make chirping noises all day long, and I suspect all night. I shall describe my new room in detail later on in another letter.
Now for the good bit. I have a bearer, servant or whatever is the right name. He is a Maldivian called Mohammed and I share him with several other chaps, I pay him £1 per week and he keeps my room clean, cleans my shoes, makes my bed and does all my washing and ironing as well as keeps an eye on my belongings – how about that! I thought twice about having him but it seems that this is the only way he can make a living for his wife and two children. He lives on another island and comes every day except Fridays (his Sunday) starting at 6 o’clock in the morning and going home at 3 o’clock.
My deep sea box has arrived safely – in fact it arrived on the same aircraft as I did.
The weather here is super, 86°F all day and only drops a few degrees a night, it will take a few days to get used to and the sun is very fierce and I have to flit from shadow to shadow.
I am perspiring like anything it seems as if I have got a spring pouring from my forehead. I can’t sleep in this heat in fact I got out of bed to write this letter.
I’ll close now but will write again soon, I have so much to tell you. My love to the children
Ian |
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