Observations from Week 1

It’s now been a week since I first arrived in Kapoeta, and I am certainly beginning to see it through rosier-colored (sun)glasses. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not exactly paradise. It is, however, quite picturesque, the people (both locals and expats) are pretty friendly, and the accommodation is better than you’d expect for a place that was ground-zero in a generation-long civil war.

I think I could write for days on the peculiarities of this place, and then write for another week on the experience of uprooting one’s life to live in a foreign land. I’m realizing, though, that I don’t really have the right words or know enough yet to do either of these topics justice. So instead, you’ll get another laundry list of random observations.

Favorite thing about Kapoeta: people watching. The Toposa people are SO interesting. I feel like I’m driving through National Geographic every day. Just like Francis described, women wear short pleated plaid shirts, beaded necklaces, and metal arm bands. Some tie a piece of cloth around their upper bodies. It took me a few days to realize the purpose of the watermelon-sized gourds the women carry on their backs; there’s a baby under there—the gourd is providing shade for the infants! The dress code seems to be significantly less strict for the men; some where khakis and collared shirts, others jeans and tee-shirts, and others shorts with the draped cloth over one shoulder. The young men (aged 18-30) seem, however, to have taken to a particular fad of the 1970s: leaving a pick/comb in their afro. Now, no one here has a true bushy afro; most men, nearly all kids, and about ½ of the women completely shave their heads—hair is hot! But these young men manage to get the pick to stay in 1/2” or less of hair. Amazing.

Thank God that: there are no ant-borne illnesses; based on the number of ants that I’ve ingested and have crawled on me in the last week, I’d surely be dead.
Why doesn’t someone: sort out the winter coats before sending bundles of second-hand clothing to Africa? Seriously, every couple of days, a new shipment of donated clothes arrives and roughly a quarter of it is puffy-marshmallow-type winter coats. I’m guessing that the coats are utilized for a purpose other than apparel, but it just seems like there are places where they would be much more appreciated.

Critter sightings this week: One very ugly hairy spider (reportedly poisonous, killed in the dining hall by Francis’ co-worker); 2 bats (flying around the dining hall every evening, terrifying me); bushrat (dead and stiff as a board); 2’ long snake (in our new front yard!!! I put a 20 pound bounty on it, but no one was able to find it after it disappeared into a dead tree), a couple tiny lizards (including one in the shower), a few dozen “cockroach-moth mutants” (including one in our bed!!!), and millions of ants.

Not so bad: the cold shower. It’s sweat-running-down-your-back-hot here, and a cold shower helps to provide some temporary relief.

Harder than I thought: living the life of leisure while my husband works 80+ hours a week. To be honest, it hasn’t been all leisure for me—I’ve been a very active volunteer for the project, helping to survey foundation excavations, establishing driving paths, identifying things to be fixed in the house and office. And this week, the in-person job search will begin. But there is really nothing that can keep me busy until 10 or 11 pm at night while Francis catches up on office work after a day in the field, and no one really to talk to. It’s lonely.

Quote of the week: “You do not look like a farmer to me”—the proprietor of the hardware shop/shack where I bought two hoes fitted with American-length (i.e. longer than 2’) handles so that I could garden. No one—including my mother—thinks I can pull off this gardening thing, but my love for red peppers and sweet corn is greater than my distaste for getting dirt under my fingernails. A farmer I shall become.

Runner up: “Do you have two children or three?”—Rebecca, a local woman who has been hanging around our new house, looking for a job as a housekeeper (I’m actually looking forward to having a house to clean again!). On learning that I am childless, she wanted to know why. I told her that I’d just gotten married. I like Francis’ answer better: “Kids are expensive”. By the way, Rebecca, who doesn’t look older than 25, has 4 kids ranging in age from 10 to 2. I explained to her the American expression “the terrible twos”.

I know you want pictures, and I have taken some, but we're sharing a cellphone-based modem and it is s----l----o----w. I'll try to get something up soon; worst-case, I'll upload when I'm in Nepal. Oh, yes, and on a closing note, please pray that the paperwork is completed soon for our shipment of personal effects from the States--if it's not here in a week, I really don't know what I'm going to wear to Nepal. The Himalyas in the winter require are a bit different wardrobe than Sudan! While you're at it, please also pray that paperwork for our appliances and furniture get cleared pronto, too. I'd really like a comfy chair to sit on...