Even after you have done it, it is hard to imagine how a two-hour flight can take you to such a different universe. On Saturday before leaving for Juba, I had my hair cut – or at least that was the intention. I had been hacking around on it for a few months, so wanted to get it evened up. The hairdresser nearly scalped me, so I won’t be needing a trim for some time to come. It was cold and rainy in Nairobi. Apparently no one told the weather that rainy season ended in June! It was so cold, that even I was reduced to wearing socks and a sweater and jeans in the house. It felt wonderful to snuggle under my duvet.
Well, 7:15 a.m. Monday morning, I headed off to the airport. My suitcases were filled primarily with food, but I had managed to squeeze in a few clothes. Once the driver located where FLY540 leaves from, I was able to check in without any problem. I ate a bit of breakfast at the airport – NO coffee! The plane was on time, and the flight uneventful. Having taken off a little after 9:00, we landed in Juba at 11:00.
From the plane, we were directed to a tent where there were a large number of Mongolian UN peacekeepers. We were all waiting to have our temperatures taken. If you didn’t have a fever before you entered the tent, staying in there very long would have given you one. Thankfully, I was pushed to the front of the queue and was cleared. I then trundled into the terminal to see what was next.
Next turned out to be immigration. I was once again directed to a short queue, since I already had my visa. The officer saw on my entry card that I was a linguist, and he indicated an interest in studying linguistics. We had a nice chat, and I even ended up talking about my mother, which he enjoyed. (The story about her not having fingerprints anymore and wanting to become a cat burglar.) Having gotten the necessary stamp, I was directed around a table to identify my luggage. A helpful man put it on the customs desk and I dutifully unzipped it. The customs agent didn’t even look at it, he just said, “We like you. Welcome to South Sudan!”
I was out of the airport so quickly that I had to wait about 10-15 minutes before Richard turned up to meet me. The taxi drivers were eager for my business, but I knew someone would come, so kept putting them off. Indeed, Richard took care of me and in about 15 minutes, we were at the centre. (Yes, that is how they spell it here.)
The center has changed dramatically since I was here in 2013. Where the tukul used to be, there is now a 2-story language program office building with 5 meeting rooms. Perpendicular to that building is a large meeting room with big windows and cross-ventilation and lots of fans. The tukul has been moved down near the old houses, and serves as a great meeting place.
Friends began to emerge from various places: students who had just completed the i-DELTA course, friends I have known for 30 years. Even Tartisio, the guard from when I was looking for Haley’s Comet, remembered me. It was great to see all these friendly faces again and to begin to catch up with them.
I finally met Kevin, the specialist on the Rapid Words workshop. He had arrived on Thursday and found his way around. He had also collected all the papers, books, folders, etc. that I had sent up with others. Some of the things were not done quite right, so he had fixed them. As it was late in the day by the time I had greeted the world and his wife, (a British English expression) and got settled into my “home” for the next 3 weeks, it was about time to find supper.
Kevin, Eileen and I headed out the gate to do a bit of shopping and then go to the local eatery called the Junubu Restaurant. Just as we were walking out the gate, a car came in bringing my friend Clement Mur’ba who had just flown in from Wau to see me. He came along for dinner before settling into his lodgings.
From the main dirt road outside our gate, one can walk down about a block and turn left in order to arrive at the next dirt road. Turning right toward the main tarmac road, in short order you come to a bakery. Their bread is not that great, but as long as you put it in the freezer immediately, it is edible. If you leave it out overnight, it becomes a weapon. A bag of bread is 5 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP). We then found a lady selling bananas, 5 for 10 SSP. We turned back right along the tarmac road to get to “our” dirt road and there is the restaurant. There is also a fairly well-stocked shop on the corner where I found yogurt and some white cheese (the salty kind of feta).
The restaurant is one of the cleaner ones, and I have to say I have not gotten sick, even after eating there on several occasions. Kevin and Clement had the chicken (half a grilled chicken with lentils and bread) while Eileen and I shared an okra dish and a green leafy dish (with kisra). All was very tasty and the portions quite generous. There were no napkins (serviettes), but they had sinks along the side on the outside wall where you could wash your hands before and after you ate. It worked well.
By that time, I was pretty tired and glad to get to my bed. I was put in an apartment built by the Wycliffe Associates that is powered by batteries. Therefore, I have power all night so that I can use my CPAP machine without difficulty. The cold shower felt really good, after the first 90 seconds. It takes that long for your body to cool down enough not to be shocked!
All in all, it was an easy arrival and a good start to this adventure.
Well, 7:15 a.m. Monday morning, I headed off to the airport. My suitcases were filled primarily with food, but I had managed to squeeze in a few clothes. Once the driver located where FLY540 leaves from, I was able to check in without any problem. I ate a bit of breakfast at the airport – NO coffee! The plane was on time, and the flight uneventful. Having taken off a little after 9:00, we landed in Juba at 11:00.
From the plane, we were directed to a tent where there were a large number of Mongolian UN peacekeepers. We were all waiting to have our temperatures taken. If you didn’t have a fever before you entered the tent, staying in there very long would have given you one. Thankfully, I was pushed to the front of the queue and was cleared. I then trundled into the terminal to see what was next.
Next turned out to be immigration. I was once again directed to a short queue, since I already had my visa. The officer saw on my entry card that I was a linguist, and he indicated an interest in studying linguistics. We had a nice chat, and I even ended up talking about my mother, which he enjoyed. (The story about her not having fingerprints anymore and wanting to become a cat burglar.) Having gotten the necessary stamp, I was directed around a table to identify my luggage. A helpful man put it on the customs desk and I dutifully unzipped it. The customs agent didn’t even look at it, he just said, “We like you. Welcome to South Sudan!”
I was out of the airport so quickly that I had to wait about 10-15 minutes before Richard turned up to meet me. The taxi drivers were eager for my business, but I knew someone would come, so kept putting them off. Indeed, Richard took care of me and in about 15 minutes, we were at the centre. (Yes, that is how they spell it here.)
The center has changed dramatically since I was here in 2013. Where the tukul used to be, there is now a 2-story language program office building with 5 meeting rooms. Perpendicular to that building is a large meeting room with big windows and cross-ventilation and lots of fans. The tukul has been moved down near the old houses, and serves as a great meeting place.
Friends began to emerge from various places: students who had just completed the i-DELTA course, friends I have known for 30 years. Even Tartisio, the guard from when I was looking for Haley’s Comet, remembered me. It was great to see all these friendly faces again and to begin to catch up with them.
I finally met Kevin, the specialist on the Rapid Words workshop. He had arrived on Thursday and found his way around. He had also collected all the papers, books, folders, etc. that I had sent up with others. Some of the things were not done quite right, so he had fixed them. As it was late in the day by the time I had greeted the world and his wife, (a British English expression) and got settled into my “home” for the next 3 weeks, it was about time to find supper.
Kevin, Eileen and I headed out the gate to do a bit of shopping and then go to the local eatery called the Junubu Restaurant. Just as we were walking out the gate, a car came in bringing my friend Clement Mur’ba who had just flown in from Wau to see me. He came along for dinner before settling into his lodgings.
From the main dirt road outside our gate, one can walk down about a block and turn left in order to arrive at the next dirt road. Turning right toward the main tarmac road, in short order you come to a bakery. Their bread is not that great, but as long as you put it in the freezer immediately, it is edible. If you leave it out overnight, it becomes a weapon. A bag of bread is 5 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP). We then found a lady selling bananas, 5 for 10 SSP. We turned back right along the tarmac road to get to “our” dirt road and there is the restaurant. There is also a fairly well-stocked shop on the corner where I found yogurt and some white cheese (the salty kind of feta).
The restaurant is one of the cleaner ones, and I have to say I have not gotten sick, even after eating there on several occasions. Kevin and Clement had the chicken (half a grilled chicken with lentils and bread) while Eileen and I shared an okra dish and a green leafy dish (with kisra). All was very tasty and the portions quite generous. There were no napkins (serviettes), but they had sinks along the side on the outside wall where you could wash your hands before and after you ate. It worked well.
By that time, I was pretty tired and glad to get to my bed. I was put in an apartment built by the Wycliffe Associates that is powered by batteries. Therefore, I have power all night so that I can use my CPAP machine without difficulty. The cold shower felt really good, after the first 90 seconds. It takes that long for your body to cool down enough not to be shocked!
All in all, it was an easy arrival and a good start to this adventure.
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