These are a few of my favorite things...

Alright, so I am on the mend from malaria. At least I pray I am. I have been back to work this week. The first part of the week I was pretty exhausted during the day and needed to sleep early. By Thursday I walked to work and walked back from the clinic. This is a good sign. I am happy I am getting back to feeling normal.

So, in the spirit of being happy I want to talk about some of the things that I love about South Sudan. I want to say that I really do like being in South Sudan. I am loving my time here. Don't get me wrong, it is challenging and heartbreaking but I love the opportunity I have been given. I feel very fortunate to be doing what I am doing.

A list of a few of my favorite things:

- The dry hot weather (surprising for me)

- The beauty of the environment here- the trees and vegetation

- The beautiful clothing the women wear

- The sense of community, especially from the women

- The NGO community

- The wild and fun drives

- The kids

Maybe one of the most surprising thing to me was how much I enjoyed the hot dry heat when I got here. I sweated a lot, I am not going to lie, and I didn't want to be out in direct sunshine for long amounts of time but I really enjoyed the weather, especially now that the humid air is here. But sitting under a mango tree in the shade during mid-day is special. I actually really liked it. 

The environment here is beautiful. Along with the weather right now it is still really dry. Rain is coming and when it does rain the earth smells amazing. I like the different types of trees and other flora and fauna here. I like watching for monkeys. I have only seen one so far. I like watching the hawks in the sky. The environment is so different than home and so enjoyable and beautiful to see.

Going along with this is the fun different drives that I get to go on, and on them I see more of the environment. I haven't seen a paved road since I left Juba in the beginning of January. Now a smooth road is one that only has 2 ruts running down it, rather than the craters that some of the roads here have. We have good vehicles so on the occasions that I get to drive down some of the rougher roads I grin like a child as we navigate the rough trek. I find it fun to go down these roads.

A fun part of being here is getting to enjoy the different clothing that the women are wearing. I like to watch the different clothing as women go about their lives. There is no one particular style. Some wear casual clothing, skirts and t-shirts, and others wear gowns. It seems that there is no set style for the women here and I quite enjoy it. I especially love all of the different colors people wear. I have gotten a few dresses made from locals here and I may buy a few more before I leave. 

Speaking of the women, I have talked on them before, but the sense of community it wonderful. I love to watch the women support each other and empower each other. It is a great sight. Additionally, as I wrote about earlier the kids here are great to. "My kids" as I affectionally call them now, greet me most days either going to or walking home from work and they are such a joy that no matter how rough a day is they make it so bright.

And the other community I really like is the community of NGO workers that I meet at the UNICEF compound. I am learning so much about what it is like to be an NGO worker and the different roles and ways that NGO workers operate. I am hearing stories from people who have lived and travelled all of the world. I am inspired and humbled and enjoying my time being a part of this community.

There is a lot of good and wonderful things in South Sudan. There is beauty and goodness. It can seem like such a harsh place because there is a lot of things that need help, but there is good. And it is the good that keeps me going through the tough days and the hard times. I really, truly like it here. I know I am lucky and am thankful for this always. I hope I can share just a bit of the good in South Sudan with anyone who reads my blog, because it really is a special place.