Long Weekend Fun

This week feels like it flew by. I feel like I have been very busy. I am very happy about that. This weekend was good too. Friday, I had the day off because of the Pope's visit which meant an extra day of relaxing. I was a little worried I would be bored but I am finding ways to stay busy and active. This is helping a lot.

Friday morning, I went out for a walk. I got lost. I was trying to find the lake from the opposite direction I normally walk from. However, I took the wrong path and ended up in the middle of a family's compound. Not wanting to look overly lost I said hello and kept walking. I could see the lake in the distance but no clear path to it. So, I found another path that led back to the original road I was on and headed back towards the city center.

I try not to show if I am lost when I am walking. That seems to be a good way to not have people take advantage of me. I do talk to some of the locals when I am walking. Some ask me where I am from and ask me for things. Many people ask me for money. I am not giving them anything like that. I may start carrying candy or something like that for some of the kids I talk to but I haven't done anything like that yet.

Friday was very relaxing. I spent time in the courtyard at our compound. I sit at the benches under a very large mango tree and in the shade and with a good breeze it doesn't seem so warm. Also, when I am at the compound, I am able to wear shorts. When I leave the compound I have to wear long pants, a dress, or skirts. Often, I feel warmer in those so I love just relaxing in my shorts.

Taban came for several hours in the afternoon to hang out. He is sharing much about the history and culture here in Western Equatoria and in his own home state. This week there was a murder of over 20 people over cattle in his home state. This is an ongoing issue. These are just one form of traumatic events that people here experience.

Taban and I discuss this, and many other things. He is a wonderful source of information. He is very interested in learning things, and equally interested in sharing information with me. It is good to have someone to chat with openly. We also watched the pope's visit on TV.

After saying goodbye to Taban in the evening I met up with Sheila. Thursday night we went to a small stand to get ground nuts and chat with one of the local women who sells food right outside the compound. We spent time with her and her children, who are cute but shy to talk with me often.

On Friday night we stopped shortly to chat with them. Sheila and I walked to the market to get a chicken, sweet potato, and plantain from a local woman there. We brought the food back to the compound and at together on our veranda. The food was excellent.

After dinner we headed to UNMISS for Karaoke. Several people from the weekend before were there. I recognized a few and said hi. People sang for a while and it was a lot of fun. I have yet to get the desire to sing into the mic myself but it was funny to watch.

After people decided they were done with singing we walked inside to where they had dancing. It was so much fun. I danced with a few people but mostly we danced as a group. There are several very enthusiastic people who love dancing and if you sit too long, they will drag you out on the floor. We danced until almost 1AM.

Saturday, I got up and went on a walk again. This time I decided to walk the loop by the clinic and then walk towards the hospital. On the way back from my walk I passed the soccer field. I waved at one guy who I believe was my co-worker Jimmy but he was too far away to see clearly. I continued on for a while, walking around for about an hour.

After my walk I headed back to the compound. I usually make it back in time for breakfast and before the heat of the day gets to be too much. Shortly after breakfast I got a call from a colleague asking me how my weekend was going and if I needed anything. I am not sure if he or one of my other colleagues had told him I was out walking but it was funny but sweet that he cared to check in to see if I need anything. I think they are not used to the fact that I am relatively independent.

In the afternoon Sheila called me to come meet here at the clinic where she had a meeting so we could walk to the market together. We walked around the market for a while. Then Sheila got her hair done. This took several hours. During that time, I watched the community bustle around the market and walked a bit. We went to lunch at a local restaurant. I was also able to get fabric for several Kitenge Skirts. I need to take them to a tailor this week.

The afternoon was full of rest and relaxation. I joined some of the UN friend group that I have hung out with on weekends before. There were two new people that just arrived in the past week and so I got to chat with them. One of them is Spencer. He is from London and has lived in South Sudan for about 5 months, in Juba. We chatted a lot and that was nice. One of the guy’s Benewah, made grilled lamb, salad, and other very tasty food. He is an excellent chef.

We stayed out and chatted for a while together as a group. Sheila and I had plans to go out and go dancing. We headed to UNMISS. However, apparently at 8:30 at night it is too early to go dancing. We headed back to the apartments. I was tired so I ended up deciding to go to bed early. I wanted to dance but the minute I sat on my bed I was too tired to get back up.

Sunday, I woke early. Most days since coming to Yambio I get up early. I am a morning person anyways so I am okay with that. I decided to head out for a walk before 7am. When I got to the gate of the compound someone mentioned going to church to me. I have yet to make it to a Catholic mass here as I did not know where the church was. However, earlier in the week I thought I had figured out how to get there.

I walked beyond the clinic and down past the market. If you keep walking along the road you will make it to the church. I almost turned around thinking I got the wrong road when I finally saw the church. As I got closer, I found that people were not inside the church but in a large open pavilion in the back of the church.

There are at least 500 people inside the pavilion. As I approached the back on of my co-workers Julie greeted me. She must have seen me walking to the church and waited for me. I was late for church but she waited in the back for me. During one of the songs, we walked into the pavilion to find a seat. We ended up in a front pew next to a nun.

Church in South Sudan is not so different than Catholic masses in America. I had gone to the English service. This one takes place every Sunday at 7am. I think I was the only white person there, and as usual people watched me and made comments. It is a regular thing for me to experience here.

After the service I walked back to the compound. Shortly outside the church several young girls kept watching me and talking about me. They slowed their pace so I would catch up with them. I decided to say hi to them. They introduced themselves to me. They decided to walk with me.

 One of them asked me to take her home with me. Another said I could be her mother. All 3 were very interested in my skin color and hair. They made me laugh. They followed me almost to the compound but then turned to go to their home. It is a surreal experience, something like this. I am as interested in them as they are in me.

Now it is time for a lazy Sunday. I have done my laundry (all done by hand) and it is drying. I have to prep for my presentation tomorrow morning at the office and prepare for some of the other things for the week. Otherwise, I hope to spend time with some of my friends and just relax. It is warm and sunny and so nice outside.