I would describe what I got up to during my 3 weeks in Europe but basically you should all really already know as either you were there with me at the time or I told you about in person / over the phone. So, in an attempt to sum up what came out of my 3 weeks back home here's a questionnaire losely based on some of the questions you asked me:

The honest answer is no. Generally speaking this is not really a fun country, and being in the middle of nowhere as I am makes it even less "fun". Having said that, my primary reason for signing up for VSO was not to enjoy myself. Sure, if I was unhappy and depressed I'd jack it in and go home straight away, so the very fact I came back proves that I'm getting what I need from this experience. What I mean by that is that I still have a lot of work to do with BRIF and I couldn't leave without some feeling of professional satisfaction. Secondly, for all the hardships and challenges that daily life contains, there are plenty of great moments that do make it all worthwhile. Finally there of course the friends I've made here, mostly fellow volunteers, who help me through the tough times and with whom I share the happy times. What I'm really saying is that it's a fair question to evaluate a given situation, but it's not really the most relevant during my time here in Bangladesh. Believe me, I'll be using it to check my next steps make sense!

I was asked this in a night club in Paris, and I'm glad I was. Before coming here I felt very at home in Paris, much more so than in the UK. I couldn't really tell you what aspects of my life there could have been better, but ultimately I decided to leave to come to Bangladesh and I don't regret that decision one little bit. As of now I don't feel at home in Bangladesh. The cultural gap is enormous, and life here is very tough. Obviously this is not the case for the expats living in Dhaka, but I personally see no point in living in a foreign country if you're going to live in a cocoon away from the reality of the local culture and people. That was what I loved about Paris - I had the best of both worlds as I could successfully live and prosper with both the French and other expats. The expat standard of living here is amazing which makes it very attractive, and while I'd like to live a few months in Dhaka before leaving altogether I'm set against making it a longer term option.

This was a comment from an ex-colleague in Paris, and he was quite right to point it out. The core of what makes me who I am has not changed as a result of my first 9 months in Bangladesh. My personality, my sense of humour, my interests are all pretty much the same. Where things have changed are my view of the world and my politics, though I feel that to be normal too. Each person's world view is the result of experiences and information they've received, so whether it's living in a 3rd world country or New York you're bound to come away with a few new ideas about how the world works and what's wrong with it. If anything fundamental has changed I have perhaps become a little harder, tougher. This is a direct result of the incessant attention I receive on a daily basis, some pleasant, some less so. I hope that this is only a local reaction that will wear off when I change to a friendlier environment. This apparent lack of deeper personal change may seem a bit odd, but I believe that I will come through this because of my inner strength, the solidity of who and what I am. Qualities like flexibility and adaptability are of course essential, but I feel you need a solid base to work from to adapt to local conditions without losing sight of who you are and what you need to stay whole.

Ahhh, the million dollar question! As I said earlier, once I've finished at BRIF I would quite like to work in Dhaka for a few months if the work was interesting enough. Life in the city is totally different and offers many advantages over the village, though the noise and pollution take some getting used to. After that, I don't see my future in Bangladesh and I don't I need go into any more detail as to why! Paris? Well, when I left I assumed that I couldn't go back as things would move on and it wouldn't ever be the same again. However, when I was there a few weeks ago it felt just like before, with the same people and same atmosphere, and while faces do come and go it made me add it to my list of options again. The only really clear idea I have right now is about the sort of work I want to do i.e. management consulting with small to medium-sized organisations in both the public and private sector. What I enjoy most about my current work is not where it is or the development sector, it's the variety of issues covered and the depth of understanding you can reach to really make a difference. To answer the question then I'd say a return to the UK after 10 years way was on the cards, if only because the economy is picking up faster there and my VSO experience may be valued there more.

Err, no. Not at all. (if you don't understand this please contact Colin in Paris)