Week 2 Round-up

Playing Avon Lady: Yes, this week I made door-to-door calls to the NGOs in Kapoeta. The purpose was twofold, both to introduce myself to make friends as well as to suss-out the job opportunities. I now have first-hand knowledge that the expat community in Kapoeta is small—roughly 15 non-missionary Americans and Europeans (the number is significantly greater if you count Kenyans and Ugandans). I believe, however, that there are some kindred spirits among them. …and I’m thinking that if nothing else, once our house is finished I can buy myself some friends, as most of these people are living in tents or converted shipping containers. They salivate at the idea of air conditioning, a real couch, and watermelon. On the job front, things look slightly less promising. Most are looking for people to go out into the bush, which would require regularly over-nighting somewhere else; something I’m not keen on doing. To be honest, though, a lot can change in a month here, and I’m expecting/hoping to be busy in December moving into the house and preparing for the holidays (I do have an idea for a Christmas tree, but it isn’t as easy as buying something off of a lot…).

Progress on the compound: Well, this week, Francis managed to get a wire from the generator to the house, and so we’ll have power as soon as the contractor fixes the wiring in the house. Trenches for the plumbing and electrical supply have been covered. We’ve had some trees removed and are starting to establish more permanent driving paths. And I have a garden and gardener!!! The soil here is very sandy, and manure alone didn’t look like enough to help it sustain live. So, I hired Peter (the gardener) and a dump truck to go back to where we purchased aggregate and dig/haul some of the very rich topsoil. My general philosophy for the planting was to put in a bit of everything and then see what would grow. After removing rocks and staking out straight rows, I planted:
Sweetcorn (2 varieties)
Beans (3 varieties)
Peas (2 varieties)
Tomatoes (3 varieties)
Green onions
Eggplant
Beets
Peppers (4 varieties)
Squash/Zucchini (2 varieties)
Herbs (Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, and Oregano)
Strawberries (wishful thinking, considering I think a winter is required for proper development)
Watermelon
Cantaloupe

It’s not a huge garden (about 30’ x 40’—half of which is planted), but it’s probably the biggest residential garden in Kapoeta. Since it’s so hot, we’ve been watering in the morning and again in the afternoon. As of today (4 days after planting), ½ of the corn and all of the beans, peas, beets, basil, and cantaloupe have sprouted!!! Such instant gratification! I’m expecting to start thinning at the end of the week (otherwise, it will be in mid-December when we return from Nepal). It’s really quite fun watching the daily progress. I know that fresh veggies are still a few weeks out, but already I feel like a real farmer.

Church in Kapoeta: Today, Francis and I participated in our first Catholic Mass in Kapoeta. Services are held in the open air, beneath a sheet-metal roof; there are hopes to rebuild the church. The mass was held in English, though the readings and homily were also read in Toposa and all of the music was in Toposa (or Arabic—I’m not sure which). It’s an interesting mix of people that attend the service. It’s predominantly town people (some may be Kenyans or Ugandans), with a couple dozen out-of-town Toposa, and maybe 7 or 8 NGO folks. They seem to hold Sunday school for the children during Mass, as just after communion a few dozen kids came streaming in the doorway. Though it’s not quite as vibrant a celebration as in Juba, the music is not bad, and it’s really nice to start to be part of a church community again.

Outside the fence: Our compound is right in the middle of a main footpath connecting Kapoeta to areas south, and there is a public borehole (water point) just outside our fence. Therefore, there are ALWAYS people walking buy. The little kids in particular have enjoyed watching me as I work in the garden, calling out to me—I always greet them, and trying not to feel like an animal in a zoo being watched through the fence. This week, though, I felt like I was really in the middle of a zoo when a herd of camels (I counted 19—there could have been more) stopped just outside our fence to snack on the acacia trees. I was assured that the belonged to someone and weren’t wild, though I didn’t see the camel herder, and apparently I can expect them to come through every couple of weeks. It makes me realize I truly live in Africa!

Some random notes:
1. I was temporarily trapped in my shower when a bat (which lives in our veranda but had thus far been unseen) got disoriented and was blocking my path to our tukul door. I screamed; a neighbor heard me and kept a look-out while I made a run for it. It was scary. I hate bats.

2. My stick-shift driving skills came in handy on Friday when we tried to haul a load of steel too big for the truck. Francis jumped in the bed of the truck to steady the load while I drove through town. I rock.

3. Despite applying sunscreen both morning and afternoon, I got fried on Saturday. The sun in Sudan is hot—like, Hawaii-hot. In fact, the last time I was this crispy, was when I visited Katie and laid out on a surfboard trying to catch a wave. All I’ve done here is walk around our compound! Perhaps Sudan is even hotter!

4. “Yes, Sarah, we will be having turkey for Thanksgiving!” – the happiest news I’ve gotten since, well, I don’t know when. Additional details to follow.