Weekend in Juba

There’s not a lot to do here. I spent a great deal of time sleeping, reviewing reports, sleeping, chatting with my fellow colleagues, sleeping, lying in bed thinking of sleep, reading celebrity gossip…you get the point. Saturday we were lucky enough to get a guided tour of Juba and it has definitely been the highlight of my time here. We began our tour with a quick trip to the only store in Juba that meets all your needs under one roof-JIT (Just in Time). JIT literally has everything you could need but it probably no bigger than the 30x30 airport. It was a bit overwhelming seeing the plethora of choices but I settled on some pineapple juice and sour skittles. We hopped back in the land cruiser and began our tour of Juba. Juba is the new proposed capital of the south and although it is a strategic location for importing/exporting, the government (the one being ran by the current president-Bashir) has done little to develop the area. As we drove through the enlarged village/small city, you could still see traces of the civil war. Buildings that were bombed, burnt vehicles, places where landmines use to be, it was a lot to take in. Imagine being present at the civil war just a few short years after it has taken place, although it is done and hopefully over, you can still feel it. As we continued on our journey we passed through an IDP(Internally Displaced People) Camp which is currently being protected by the UN although the government is trying to move them out in order to use the land for development purposes. Their homes were made from leftover materials, and it seemed like any leftover material that they could find-plastic sheets, straw, what we would deem as garbage they used. They’re about the size of small outdoor toolshed. I’m not going to make assumptions about the amount of people that may inhabit one of these spaces but I hope only one or two. These small homes don’t seem like they can withstand the rains that occur here and it looked as if someone could come up and blow it right down. Definitely did not seem fit for living but then again, I guess something is better than nothing. As we passed the IDP camp we drove a couple hundred meters to a lodge that rests on the Nile River. This place-Oasis- is a popular hangout for international staff (when I refer to international staff, I do not just mean Westerners, I’m referring to all people that are not citizens of Sudan).  We decided to take a table right along the river and it was amazing to be sitting next to such a historical place. Up the river you can see people washing etc., and a barge that was used during the civil war now washed ashore. It was simply amazing.  After we finished our drinks, we left, drove past the Kyona Kyona market, the large outdoor flea market that a majority of the people who reside in Juba shop. It’s a no-go zone for us unless we’re accompanied by one of the Sudanese staff. Security is iffy, petty theft and getting ripped off but otherwise not a big deal. Sunday was a pretty lazy day for me. The housekeeping staff always come around 7:45 and I’m always late to leave because who wants to get up early on the weekend. I got up had breakfast with my fellow colleagues, went back to my room, read some news stories online and went to sleep. Later in the afternoon in order to break up the monotony of being at the hotel, Jacky, Mamohau and I went for a walk around Juba. It was nice walking and for the most part the starring was minimal. Because of the large international presence here, being a foreigner is not so unusual. After our walk we had dinner and went to our rooms. I was able to get a bunch of movies from Jacky and now have a large enough collection to keep me busy in downtime. Monday was a national holiday so no work again but I did have a meeting with the cluster coordinator for education in emergencies at UNICEF. This is a great place to network and there is a lot happening here to learn about so I plan on taking full advantage of it while I’m here. We discussed what is happening here in terms of education and looking at how other NGOs in conjunction with the ministry is trying to improve. An important point was made by the cluster coordinator that it’s difficult to make education or non-life saving actions a priority when the government is focusing on creating a strategy and constitution among other things. After the meeting I went back to the hotel watch a few episodes of One Tree Hill and then went on another tour of the city. It’s much larger than I thought, well Juba is not, but the “suburbs” of Juba make it seem larger. This tour ended at the Nile River again where we watched the moon begin to rise… and yes this time I got pictures J

Now I’m typing this and thinking of the week I have ahead. Hopefully I get on the plane for Warrap this week so I can begin working on my primary assignment. It’s seems like time is flying and with less than 3 months now, much time cannot be wasted. Every day something new is presented and everyday I’m learning, which to me is most important.