Here we go again!

Here I am back in Juba after what seems like ages, probably because it has been ages, almost 8 weeks! I had a great time in England catching up with family and friends (unfortunately not all of them) and making new friends too.  I did lots of walking, across fields initially as the weather was very kind and it was dry underfoot, then by the canal when it became dull and damp later in September/October. Had my mum to stay for a week which was great, even did some cooking (one of my main grumbles about living in Juba is that I have no cooking facilities) and baking. Also managed to squeeze in some retail therapy of course. DH arrived home for his 2 week leave which passed all too quickly then in what seemed like no time at all we were back on a plane.
It was a long weekend as we arrived back in Juba (after a very pleasant overnight stay in Nairobi) to celebrate the muslem festival of Eid al Adha so DH didnt have to go to the office on the Friday but he did have a full day of meetings at the hotel however. I must say one of the nice things about being back is the pool which DH and I made use of over the weekend, very relaxing.
Today is my first day back alone as I went into town on Monday for shopping and other chores and on Tuesday I went to the girls centre where my gift of balloons went down very well! It was lovely to see the girls again and the ladies who look after them.
So I am back into my routine now, I have been for a walk doing some bird watching (not too many around at the moment) I did my bible readings and prayers sitting outside in the shade, need to do some emails and then its lunch time. Maybe some exercise later with my new Davina McColl DVD, another walk and so my day goes.........sort of nice to be back .....ish!
 

Bugs and frogs!

Wow, its been ages since i wrote anything, not because i have been busy or anything! I have been back for nearly 4 weeks and i am off home again on Friday for quite a long time.  I will leave DH here all by himself,  aaaahhhhh. 
We seem to be having a plague of frogs here at the moment, due to lots of rain i suppose.  They are everywhere, now i know what the egyptians in the time of the Exodus must have felt like.  Most of them are suicidal, throwing themselves under my feet as I walk by, making me jump.  A few of them are super friendly, finding their way into the hotel room and taking up residence under the bed from where they emerge jumping (as they do) as if to say 'surprise!'.  I usually am surprised and respond in an equally 'jumpy' manner.  The cats like to eat them, the dog just chases them but doesn't know what to do when it catches them and the only child on the compound likes to wade into their pond with his wellies on to spy on them.  Hours of amusement!

Bugs however are a different matter, not very amusing in my book.  DH and I were walking around the tennis court this morning after breakfast and found a heaving, writhing mass of bugs, possibly newly hatched, with billions of legs between them, uuugggghhh.  Hope they don't find their way into the bedroom!!!!

Independence Day

Today is Independence day here. We have stayed away from town as we were told there would be parades and VIPs moving around so roads would be closed without warning. I thought there would be more noise (we were told that gunfire would be normal!) parties and stuff but so far haven't heard anything. It's a public holiday but poor DH has been working for a few hours. We did find time for a dip in the pool before lunch however.
I have had a very interesting/busy week and a bit, probably my busiest time since I arrived here. I climbed a hill with some friends the saturday before last, hard work and hot but at least there was a bit of a breeze. The view from the top was worth it. On the Sunday I went out early, bird watching with Mark who works at the British Embassy (check out his blog at birdingsouthsudan.blogspot.com great photos). I was amazed at the variety of birds we saw and thoroughly enjoyed walking out into the bush and just listening to the birdsong.
Also I have started going to a centre for street girls twice a week in Juba. These girls would be living on the streets/rubbish dumps/markets or in the sex trade if it wasn't for the centre. It's run by a lovely Christian lady with a great team behind her and cares for about 30 girls of varying ages. Some are quite young and those are the ones I focus on, mostly playing games, singing songs and having hugs. They also run a vocational training centre for older girls doing catering and hospitality, some of these girls have been rescued from brothels in Juba.
This weekend I went bird watching again early on Saturday with Mark to a different location with equally great results.
So that's quite busy for me! Usually I spend my time wandering around the compound here or chatting to the staff so it is a nice change.
We are travelling to England next week (very excited!) for a family wedding, hope the weather improves! So may not write any more until after our hols.

Photo of me up a hill!

So far......

Well I have been back a whole week now and what have I achieved? Hmmm.....let me see....managed to scare a few babies at the market on Saturday, does that count? Also helped the local kids with their English, although we still haven't progressed beyond 'good morning' and 'how are you?'. I did however, manage to make contact with the people at the Christian street girls centre again and plan to go there on Tuesday to play with the younger girls, teach them some songs or play games. They don't get a lot of physical contact I am told so some of the very little ones just need cuddles, well I can do that!
Welcomed some new visitors on Saturday, colleagues of my DH who are staying here at Acacia Village. I felt like I had been here for ages, showing newbies the ropes! Weird.
We had a rather wet weekend, especially Sunday, serious rain. I was just settling down to watch the European Grand Prix when it started and the tv went off ( satellite dish gets soaked.....or something) so I missed the whole thing. The roads were a complete mess when I went into town later to go to Church.
Today started well, with a gorgeous sunrise and hopefully we will have enough sun today to dry up the wet stuff.
Let's see what the day brings..........

And we're back!

Arrived safely back in Juba yesterday afternoon after a pleasant enough flight and a not too terrible passage through the airport. We were met by our very helpful driver, Zingo, who shuck my hand, welcomed me back, grabbed my suitcase and sped off across the muddy car park. It had obviously been raining hard earlier......oh dear and I was wearing my favourite white sandals!
As we exited the busy airport car park DH asked Zingo how last week was at work. It was fine until Friday, he replied, and then it wasn't fine any more. Rather cryptic I thought, however on further probing we discovered that Zingo had been involved in a traffic accident in the car on his way back to the office on Friday evening, resulting in him having a not very fine time! He was not injured so that was good, poor car sustained minor injuries which will require the services of a panel beater or possibly a new door if they have such things here. I suspect Zingo had a 'not very fine' weekend worrying about what the boss would say!
Spent a pleasant early evening on the veranda sipping port (well I had ran out of sherry!) and chatting to a colleague prior to dinner with said colleague and one other. Several staff members at Acacia Village welcomed us back warmly but the most memorable greeting came by way of a HUGE spider discovered by DH on MY side of the bed, on the INSIDE of the mosquito net at 11pm! Uuggggghhhhh! It made quite a mess when I managed to squash it (yes, I did it myself, accompanied by much screaming and jumping up and down) then of course I couldn't get back to sleep.
Ah well, such is life out here in the bush (ok, so we are actually in the capital city, but you know what I mean!)
Today has been quite peaceful, more greetings from the staff, giving and receiving of gifts, a pleasant walk around the block waving at various children plus the last bit of unpacking. So what shall I do tomorrow?........

Poorly, sick!

I've not been well! (everyone say ahhhhhh!) I suppose it is inevitable, living in this environment, but I have had "gastric disturbance" for several days and ended up treating myself with antibiotics for an intestinal parasitic infection (do tell me if this is too much information won't you?). Antibiotics are easy to buy in the local pharmacies although I read an article recently about how many drugs produced in third world countries are fake! So who knows what I am taking, could be compressed talcum power for all I know. Anyway, I hope to be ok tomorrow as we are travelling to UK for a short break. I need to well enough for a glass of bubbly or two on the plane from Nairobi to London. We leave Juba mid afternoon via Kenya Airways and have several hours to while away at Jomo Kenyatta airport before boarding our British Airways flight late evening. Looking forward to trying the completely flat beds!
I have heard stories about leaving Juba airport, none of them inspiring, so not looking forward to that bit. Nairobi airport has shops, lots of them in a very long row, all selling more or less the same thing, heaven knows how they make any money.
So we are all packed now, just the last minute things to throw in tomorrow. Poor DH of course has to go to work in the morning, ho hum......oh yes I remember, that's why we're here isn't it! Two more sleeps (one being a mile high) then we're home. Night night!

Shepherds - you have been warned!

The sky was a glorious red early this morning, shepherds warning! There I was jogging around the tennis court again, with DH and a visitor - Freda, the compound dog. Well she doesn't jog actually, she has a penchant for nipping ankles and heels which she thinks is great fun. When we try to chase her off, she thinks it's a great game and tears around like a thing possessed, putting our feeble efforts at jogging to shame.
In the end, the shepherds had nothing to worry about as it has been a hot, sunny day only just before dinner the clouds started gathering and we are currently being treated to a stunning lightening show! No rain yet though.
Today I made myself useful supervising the arrival of desks and chairs for DH's new office here on the lodge compound. Nice to feel needed. Having succeeded in this task I may be allowed out tomorrow to hunt for toner for the printer, oh joy!
See below, photo of crazy dog!

Quiet life?

Not written anything for ages, so does that mean I have nothing to say? Those who know me will know that that is rarely the case! I have been busy looking for a home/office/guest house. We have the idea to combine all 3 so we can pool resources, such as a generator, security and cleaning services. It would also mean I see more of DH during the day but also that we will have people around us almost constantly. We have seen a couple of good options and have begun negotiations on one of them but it's all sooooo expensive. So we are still in our nice lodge hotel (although the pool is rather green looking and not very inviting at the moment) which is ok. At the weekend we went to the house of a colleague so that I could do some cooking and we enjoyed a pleasant evening with our host who barbecued some large prawns he bought on a recent trip to Benin, lovely!
Yesterday was cool and rainly, today is hotter and bright so I might not go far, maybe a walk to the market to scare a few more babies!

Market

Today I went to the market for the first time. I cant believe I have been here a month and not been to the market! This one is just across the main road from the lodge where I am staying. It was quite an adventure. First of all crossing the road was a major undertaking! Traffic comes at you from all angles, regardless of rules, reversing, overtaking, speeding, you name it. So having safely negotiated that hurdle, I found my way through the narrow alleys into the heart of the market, passing ladies frying something like donuts in hot oil and a guy trying to fix a flat tyre. There were stalls selling fruit and veg, mostly each stall had the same fruit and veg.....then I came to the meat and fish section....wow so many flies in one space!!! Vendors were waving bits of cardboard over chunks of meat in a vain attempt to prevent them settling on their wares. There were bits of animal on sale that one does not see in Tesco! Lots of dried fish too. That brought back memories of Sierra Leone, when that was our main source of protein. In fact the whole scene felt immediately familiar and comfortable, like coming home. Life outside of my bubble.
I bought tomatoes and cucumber to make a salad back in my room. I checked out a few clothes stalls too, and there were 'proper' shops as well selling rolls of dust covered fabric or toiletries or tin trays. I managed to scare a few babies, not intentionally of course, but I guess they don't see too many white ladies in funny hats waving at them.
I made it back to my room safely and enjoyed my salad with some cheese, so all in all a good trip out.

Juba sunset

It's a lovely evening here at Acacia Village. Has been hot today but now cloudy and some rain in the distance. Sunset looks stunning. Off for a nice dinner with DH, it's our anniversary on Monday but he has to travel for a couple of days and leave me alone so I think we will have to celebrate over the weekend.

Exercise

Picture the scene - 6.15 am, barely light, not another soul around apart from dear husband (DH). I'm dressed in a t-shirt, shorts and trainers jogging around a tennis court! Ok, a bit weird I know but we need the exercise. We lead such a sedentary existence here, everything I do is done sitting down, well I suppose I could knit standing up but that's a bit odd don't you think? I write letters, send emails, do cross stitch and eat food. Have to do more swimming perhaps but these last few days have been rainy and cool so only brave people in the pool.
Had a nice walk outside of the lodge this morning with DH, along the road behind the compound. Said hello to a few people, mostly kids wanting to practice their English.

Water and walls.

Big storms through the night, I guess not many people slept through it (thats the trouble with tin roofs!) as it was the main topic of conversation at breakfast. Lots of standing water everywhere, birds come down for a drink, it's lovely to see. Been cooler and dull all day, now it's raining and windy. It's quite a nice change to feel chilly here!
I have been out looking at more houses last few days. Went out late yesterday afternoon with one agent in a car with no a/c on very dusty, bumpy roads. Boy was I glad to have a dip in the pool when I got back just before dinner time. We went out to an area called Jebel (means hill in Arabic) which is actually built at the base of some very interesting rock formations just on the edge of town. There were lots of local houses and shacks then these compounds with high walls and razor wire, it was surreal. The houses I was looking at were inside these high walls (a type of bubble again). I think I would have enjoyed living there but only if I could walk outside the walls and chat to the other people living there and sit with them and play with their children. I don't want to stay inside the walls.

Tensions

I feel as though I am living in a bubble again! I felt like this in Damascus when all the trouble was going on in other towns in Syria but life went on as normal where I was. Here in Acacia Village on the outskirts of Juba surrounded by greenery, entertained by birds and other wildlife, I am far removed from the troubles of this country. The fighting in the north has created tension even in Juba city. When I was in town on Friday there were demonstrations, buses full of people waving flags and banners and chanting slogans. But then the driver brought me back here and all was calm and peaceful.
Those of you who pray, please pray for peace between Sudan and South Sudan. People here know war, it would be easy for then to slip back into it after such a short interlude of peace. Pray that the two countries will talk to each other again and work something out about the oil on paper rather than with weapons.
Thank you.

Thunder storm

We have thunder and lightening here and lots of wind. No rain yet but it won't be long. I have always loved a good storm and Africa does them so well. Problem is lots of people have housing prone to leaking and flooding.
I can hear the sound of people playing tennis on the court behind my room, here comes the rain so they will have to make a dash for cover!

Happy after Easter!

Hope you all had good Easter celebrations. I decided not to go to church on Easter day as I am not yet acclimatised and have always found African church services very hot and long. They are usually lively and loud and full of praise and joy so I did feel I was missing out a bit too. I tried to watch a service on the Internet but the signal wasn't good enough. So I just spent some time alone with the Lord and meditated on the word of God. My mum enjoyed a lovely sunrise service at the seaside with her church family back at home.
Today is Monday 9th its a public holiday here too but I am told all the shops will be open so we plan to go shopping in town and have the driver take us around a bit. We have arranged to stay at this lovely village/lodge for a month while we sort out long term accommodation so I think we will be quite comfortable. There are no cooking facilities but the food is very nice in the on site restaurant.
Here is a photo of dear husband on the verandah of our 'cottage', and a few of the compound.

Rainy season

We have moved out of the city hotel for the long weekend to a rather nice hotel/lodge complex just outside of town. It is run by an Englishman and i must say it is very nice here. Have a look at their web site, acacia village.com . They have a pool, manicured gardens, and a variety of wildlife including a tiny dik dik (antelope).

We had some lovely rain yesterday evening, thunder and lightening too. After a pleasant afternoon by the pool (in the shade of course) we enjoyed a barbeque dinner in the restaurant on site with friends. Wine and tea on their verandah followed and then dear husband and I sat outside our room in the cool evening air and listened to the rain and the sounds of the African night.What a hard life!

Boy it's hot!

First day in Juba. Not a bad nights sleep, first time I have slept in a container though! Yes I do mean a container, like the ones that go on the ships! It's ok really. Got a bedroom, bathroom, air conditioner even got windows. I will try to attach a photo when I figure out how to do that.
Breakfast at the Paradise Hotel was pleasant, fruit, cereal, eggs done as you like them (except I couldn't speak the same language as the cook so I just got a fried egg on a plate!) . They even toasted my own bread for me (I am gluten free and brought my bread all the way from England).
Managed to obtain some local currency, visit a supermarket and check out some accommodation as well as having the obligatory safety briefing so all in all a busy day.It has just started to rain! Real African rain, I love it.

Not there yet.

A cool morning in Nairobi, Kenya, bit overcast. It's great to be back in Africa, even without the sunshine. Ok, so my first morning in Kenya was spent in a shopping mall but those of you who know me will not be surprised at that. Sitting here in a coffee shop outside the mall, I can see the beautiful flame trees full of weaver bird nests. There are hibiscus bushes all around in shades of red and pink and the ubiquitous bougainvillea.

I hope to have an hour by the pool later, probably not in it as it seems a bit cool for swimming. Poor husband is off having meetings so not sure what time he will finish.

We fly to Juba tomorrow afternoon. I have already seen a photo of our hotel there, it's a shipping container made into a room! In fact it's a whole hotel of containers, side by side and on top of each other. Check it out on trip advisor - the Paradise Hotel, Juba. Not sure what else awaits us in Juba, apart from 40 degrees heat and reasonable high humidity. I brought lots of things to keep me occupied, knitting, cross stitch and a German language book. Dear husband is working for a German company so I thought it would be nice to learn a few words to greet his colleagues.

I will write more from Juba.