No deNile

There's a mental process that kicks in after being in South Sudan for a few days, and especially after arriving in Yambio. My humility clock gets reset and I start to feel embarrassed about copious time spent thinking about wooden Venetian blinds and brunch arrangements. Which I needn't do: we are all part of our environment wherever that may be. I just experience some very random, polar opposite environments that make the mind whizz.

The flight to Yambio today proceeded without delay, and the Juba airport tent, whilst still cataclysmically bad, was as quick as a passenger could hope for. On landing on the red marram earth strip in Yambio, there is a clear sense of relief at arriving at the end of a multi-stage journey into lush green surroundings.

There's always plenty to do on arrival. Greet and joke with Rosetta and Grace who take care of the house, and Justin and Henry who protect the compound. Blow away dust, refill shelves, dance around cockroaches, check the water pump and solar system, change piles of money, decipher scrawled notes and penetrate the far reaches of Bennett's brain to understand project activities since the last visit.

I went to meet Rob and James from our partner organisation to introduce Ivan and to discuss joint plans, but our favourite hangout spot by the lakeside was closed. We presumed because of an ongoing lack of beer in town. Fuel shortages also seem very real as there were fewer vehicles moving around. Instead it was to the standard hotel in the centre of town, where the internet speed has improved but where it still takes 1hr 30mins+ to receive a bowl of chips (they'd run out of anything else). Ivan asked to peek into the signposted gym and it was a collection of rusting machines piled into a corner. With an old massage chair.