When I mentioned the heat in Juba on this blog in January, I thought I felt hot.
I had no idea what was round the corner.
In the past week or so, Juba has heated up so much that it makes January seem like a cool month in comparison!
As I write this, I am basking in the cool breeze from our air-conditioner, but in 15 minutes the MAF generator will be switched off. As the night progresses, the natural heat of Juba will take over the cool air created by the wonderful air conditioner machine.
At the moment, our room is a comfortable 25'C (which Esther declares is "freezing!" Little does she understand about the true meaning of "freezing"!!). Then the temperature will climb and the room will reach at least 31'C by midnight, staying this temperature until the generator is switched on at 8am and we can turn the air conditioners back on.
Here are some factors which mark this hot season:
- everyone is talking about how hot it is! Even Grace, who was born and raised in Juba, is complaining about the heat as she tells me how she and family cannot bear to stay inside the house at night where the air gets trapped in the small house and heats up, so they sleep outside on mats. It is not much cooler outdoors, but at least it helps a little.
- you can stand still and still be sweating! Sweat pours off me as I stand at the sink to wash up. Sweat soaks into our pillows as we sleep; we wake up feeling like we are in a puddle. Some people soak their sheets in water before they go to bed. Others soak their mossie nets and then hang them up before they sleep. We turn our fans on full blast. They are noisy, but at least it makes a breeze (I can't hear them over the generator noise anyway!)
- the water from the cold tap feels warm,as the pipes have been heated by the sun. The water from the hot tap is sizzling!
- a cold shower feels like a welcome treat. A hot shower feels like it would be torture!
-the water in the toilet is warm and the toilet seat is warm too! ( I heard that the Mad Raving Loony Party in England once campaigned for heated toilet seats for pensioners- they would have been very happy with the toilet seats in Juba!)
- the kitchen bin feels like it is alive, as the contents get warmed up in my 33'C kitchen! Even the tiles around the bin feel warmer than the other tiles in the room! It is imperative that I empty the bin each day, or I fear an invasion of nasty organisms in the rotting bin bag, oozing out through the lid and infiltrating my kitchen!
-we hear ourselves shouting to the children, "Shut the door! Keep the warm air out!" The opposite of what I might call in England!
- Andrew comes home and reports that he has been in places where the temperature was over 40'C and that the temperature gauge at Juba airport showed 40'C on the ground as he landed.
Out of interest, here are our house temperatures in an afternoon :
-bathroom: 35'C
-kitchen- 33'C
-bedroom- 31'C
With all this heat, we are keen for the rainy season to start and bring some relief! When the thunder starts booming and lighting tears apart the Juba sky it will be happily welcomed as it marks the end of this dry, hot season!
Monday 23 March 2015
Saturday 14 March 2015
My Little Eye
Living in Tanzania often meant long car journeys of up to 9+ hours a day. During these long journeys, Esther and Ben became experts at the game "I Spy". A great way to spot new sights and play a game to entertain themselves as we bumped along those East African roads!
Here in a new town, in a new country, I often feel like I am seeing new sights. I want to record them before they start to seem normal; before the novelty wears off. Here are a few sights which I have noticed recently...
- I see a man with his arm raised high, wielding his axe outside a nearby church, early on a Sunday morning. He swings his arm down with a ferocity that makes the ground shudder. The blade of the axe falls with a thud on the carcass of a freshly slaughtered cow, its body still intact but its head starting to come free. Ladies in colourful outfits chatter and gather firewood nearby. A feast is being prepared. It just feels unusual to my novice eye to see the harsh facts of slaughter so openly on display in the street.
- a few days later, walking along the same route, I see the charred remains of the cow's hooves piled on top of a stinking pile of litter. The litter here still appals me. I try not to look at it as I walk outdoors, but the smell of half-burnt animal parts draws my attention to this pile of rubbish. A little further on, we see the burnt hide of the cow spread out on the muddy, littered ground. I am surprised at the waste- it seems different from Dodoma, where everything that could be useful was carefully preserved and maybe sold on.
- I see the naked man, covered in dust and muttering senselessly to himself as he squats on the ground, picking at scraps at the side of the road. He is young, but clearly disturbed. I could be anywhere in the world and see people on the street who are unwell and not in good mental health, but I find it surprising that here, his nakedness is ignored. Behind him, men in western-style suits sit on plastic chairs and sip at plastic cups (of tea? coffee?), carrying on their normal, everyday lives while the spectacle of nudity continues, unremarked, in front of them.
- the children I see on the streets of this capital city are like children everywhere and curious about us strangers, with our pale skin and strange-coloured hair. Some of them are friendly and wave and call out to us happily. Some are suspicious. Some of them follow us down the street, calling out in Arabic. I wish I could understand and and answer them! Their smiles are full of fun, just as their clothes are full of the dust kicked up from the surface of muddy roads. Some of them have torn, mud-stained, filthy clothes and baggy outfits contrast sharply with skinny bodies. Few wear shoes.
- I notice the ingenuity of children, who run along the local streets pushing old bicycle tyres or charge along chasing old car tyres for fun. It reminds me of the illustrations in my school history books of children playing with hoops and sticks. At one place we visit, the children have rigged an old bottle to a long rope, fixed to a tree. The children take turns to kick the bottle backwards and forward to each other: local swing-ball!
Outside our compound, other children have suspended a rope from a large tree. As I work in my kitchen, I hear kids having hours of fun swinging from the rope. It is a happy sound to listen to!
- I love to visit the river bank here, where I can see the rushing waters, bordered by lush mango trees, along the amazing River Nile which graces this city. It is an oasis from the urban centre, the smog and the tension. This is the view we see on Sundays when we attend a church by the river:
Early one Saturday morning, we visited a local restaurant for a cup of tea/coffee. The restaurant is situated right on the banks of the beautiful River Nile: the tables are arranged outside at the water's edge. I have no photo of this place, but here is a record of some of the views which caught my attention...
On this day, the river waters were lower than usual and much of the river-bed was revealed. Again, seeing the amount of rubbish accumulated round the river bank and on the river bed saddened me, but what are people supposed to do with their waste? I suppose it seems logical to throw in into the river if there is no alternative. If day to day survival is your life, environmental education is going to be very low on the priority list. It is easy to judge, but if I put myself in someone else's shoes, it is understandable.
While we have our morning tea, there is much activity down at the bottom of the river bank...
-in the shallow waters, I see young girls hard at work washing clothes, scrubbing at brightly coloured garments and then laying their laundry out to dry across sun-baked rocks.
Young lads strip everything off, wade a little deeper into the shallows and take the opportunity to wash themselves whilst also washing their clothes. Initially, Esther was a little shocked at all the naked bodies, but since everybody around us seemed to think it was perfectly normal, she soon forgot to be shocked! I asked her what she would do if she had only one outfit and no washing facilities at home? She sees my point and quickly accepts the practicality of the scene below us. (A few days later, we saw a similar sight as we were walking home over a bridge, where a litter-strewn stream flowed beneath us. The naked men washing in this stream hardly drew a glance from our children!)
Our attention was drawn back to the river-side as the roar of engines disturbed the peace. Two youths drove their motorbikes down the bank, bumping over the rocks and straight into the Nile, until their machines were half-covered by river water! They dismounted and began the process of sprucing up their bikes, giving them a thorough wash.
A few minutes later, Ben leapt up with excitement to tell us that some other men had brought their sheep to be washed in the river! Sure enough, some lucky sheep were being scrubbed with great vigour by their owners, as soap bubbles frothed up the river waters. I have never seen such shiny, sparkling sheep as those animals after their river-wash!
-I see how green this city is and enjoy the colour, especially after the rain showers which have recently passed over, bringing the promise of the rainy season, due at the end of this month. If I look down, I feel discouraged by the filth I see in the heaps of crushed plastic bottles, empty wrappers, dried leaves, old engine parts and any other old rubbish. But when I look up, I see the stunning greenery in the many trees and the gorgeous blossom and flowers that break out at this season. Sun-birds and butterflies flash by and are a reminder of a natural beauty that exists despite the encroaching development of a new city.
The cheerful view of blossom from our window:
Compound flowers:
- Recently, I can even boast that I have seen the dawn here! I have been joining a friend to go jogging and since I need to be back home by 7am for Andrew to leave for work, we have to jog early! I took this picture of the view from our window- the colour of "Sunrise Sky" is a lovely sight, with this silhoeutte of a local church:
Sights to enjoy, sights to shock and sights to disappoint, but all of them a learning experience. I am glad I can write them down, since I am not allowed to take photos in most of the places we visit here. Even at cafes, there are huge signs warning me against using my camera, so this will have to suffice as a record of my earlier days when novelty value is still high!
Here in a new town, in a new country, I often feel like I am seeing new sights. I want to record them before they start to seem normal; before the novelty wears off. Here are a few sights which I have noticed recently...
- I see a man with his arm raised high, wielding his axe outside a nearby church, early on a Sunday morning. He swings his arm down with a ferocity that makes the ground shudder. The blade of the axe falls with a thud on the carcass of a freshly slaughtered cow, its body still intact but its head starting to come free. Ladies in colourful outfits chatter and gather firewood nearby. A feast is being prepared. It just feels unusual to my novice eye to see the harsh facts of slaughter so openly on display in the street.
- a few days later, walking along the same route, I see the charred remains of the cow's hooves piled on top of a stinking pile of litter. The litter here still appals me. I try not to look at it as I walk outdoors, but the smell of half-burnt animal parts draws my attention to this pile of rubbish. A little further on, we see the burnt hide of the cow spread out on the muddy, littered ground. I am surprised at the waste- it seems different from Dodoma, where everything that could be useful was carefully preserved and maybe sold on.
- I see the naked man, covered in dust and muttering senselessly to himself as he squats on the ground, picking at scraps at the side of the road. He is young, but clearly disturbed. I could be anywhere in the world and see people on the street who are unwell and not in good mental health, but I find it surprising that here, his nakedness is ignored. Behind him, men in western-style suits sit on plastic chairs and sip at plastic cups (of tea? coffee?), carrying on their normal, everyday lives while the spectacle of nudity continues, unremarked, in front of them.
- the children I see on the streets of this capital city are like children everywhere and curious about us strangers, with our pale skin and strange-coloured hair. Some of them are friendly and wave and call out to us happily. Some are suspicious. Some of them follow us down the street, calling out in Arabic. I wish I could understand and and answer them! Their smiles are full of fun, just as their clothes are full of the dust kicked up from the surface of muddy roads. Some of them have torn, mud-stained, filthy clothes and baggy outfits contrast sharply with skinny bodies. Few wear shoes.
- I notice the ingenuity of children, who run along the local streets pushing old bicycle tyres or charge along chasing old car tyres for fun. It reminds me of the illustrations in my school history books of children playing with hoops and sticks. At one place we visit, the children have rigged an old bottle to a long rope, fixed to a tree. The children take turns to kick the bottle backwards and forward to each other: local swing-ball!
- I love to visit the river bank here, where I can see the rushing waters, bordered by lush mango trees, along the amazing River Nile which graces this city. It is an oasis from the urban centre, the smog and the tension. This is the view we see on Sundays when we attend a church by the river:
Early one Saturday morning, we visited a local restaurant for a cup of tea/coffee. The restaurant is situated right on the banks of the beautiful River Nile: the tables are arranged outside at the water's edge. I have no photo of this place, but here is a record of some of the views which caught my attention...
On this day, the river waters were lower than usual and much of the river-bed was revealed. Again, seeing the amount of rubbish accumulated round the river bank and on the river bed saddened me, but what are people supposed to do with their waste? I suppose it seems logical to throw in into the river if there is no alternative. If day to day survival is your life, environmental education is going to be very low on the priority list. It is easy to judge, but if I put myself in someone else's shoes, it is understandable.
While we have our morning tea, there is much activity down at the bottom of the river bank...
-in the shallow waters, I see young girls hard at work washing clothes, scrubbing at brightly coloured garments and then laying their laundry out to dry across sun-baked rocks.
Young lads strip everything off, wade a little deeper into the shallows and take the opportunity to wash themselves whilst also washing their clothes. Initially, Esther was a little shocked at all the naked bodies, but since everybody around us seemed to think it was perfectly normal, she soon forgot to be shocked! I asked her what she would do if she had only one outfit and no washing facilities at home? She sees my point and quickly accepts the practicality of the scene below us. (A few days later, we saw a similar sight as we were walking home over a bridge, where a litter-strewn stream flowed beneath us. The naked men washing in this stream hardly drew a glance from our children!)
Our attention was drawn back to the river-side as the roar of engines disturbed the peace. Two youths drove their motorbikes down the bank, bumping over the rocks and straight into the Nile, until their machines were half-covered by river water! They dismounted and began the process of sprucing up their bikes, giving them a thorough wash.
A few minutes later, Ben leapt up with excitement to tell us that some other men had brought their sheep to be washed in the river! Sure enough, some lucky sheep were being scrubbed with great vigour by their owners, as soap bubbles frothed up the river waters. I have never seen such shiny, sparkling sheep as those animals after their river-wash!
-I see how green this city is and enjoy the colour, especially after the rain showers which have recently passed over, bringing the promise of the rainy season, due at the end of this month. If I look down, I feel discouraged by the filth I see in the heaps of crushed plastic bottles, empty wrappers, dried leaves, old engine parts and any other old rubbish. But when I look up, I see the stunning greenery in the many trees and the gorgeous blossom and flowers that break out at this season. Sun-birds and butterflies flash by and are a reminder of a natural beauty that exists despite the encroaching development of a new city.
The cheerful view of blossom from our window:
Compound flowers:
- Recently, I can even boast that I have seen the dawn here! I have been joining a friend to go jogging and since I need to be back home by 7am for Andrew to leave for work, we have to jog early! I took this picture of the view from our window- the colour of "Sunrise Sky" is a lovely sight, with this silhoeutte of a local church:
Sights to enjoy, sights to shock and sights to disappoint, but all of them a learning experience. I am glad I can write them down, since I am not allowed to take photos in most of the places we visit here. Even at cafes, there are huge signs warning me against using my camera, so this will have to suffice as a record of my earlier days when novelty value is still high!
Good things...
Good things come in small packages. That is what the old English adage tells me.
In this small package, smaller than a tea-spoon, there is definitely something useful:
This little box contains 2 small ear-plugs which are proving to be a sanity-saver in Juba! The noise of 2 generators buzzing and clanking as they churn diesel through their pipes until late at night can be exhausting.
Unfortunately, two generators are situated right outside our bedroom windows.
Fortunately, these ear-plugs are good for blocking out most of the noise out! This means I am allowed to sleep when I choose, rather than when the neighbours choose to turn off their machines.
I never thought I'd rely on ear-plugs for sleep, so now I am grateful that I had them in our luggage when we moved here (thanks, Alison!). A new pack will definitely be on my shopping list for our UK visit later this year!
In this small package, smaller than a tea-spoon, there is definitely something useful:
Unfortunately, two generators are situated right outside our bedroom windows.
Fortunately, these ear-plugs are good for blocking out most of the noise out! This means I am allowed to sleep when I choose, rather than when the neighbours choose to turn off their machines.
I never thought I'd rely on ear-plugs for sleep, so now I am grateful that I had them in our luggage when we moved here (thanks, Alison!). A new pack will definitely be on my shopping list for our UK visit later this year!
Saturday 7 March 2015
The Entertainers
We may not have concert halls, cinemas, music venues or theatres in Juba- but what we lack in entertainment resources we make up for with imagination...
Last Saturday, our house was turned into "Parker Palace Concert Hall"!
Numbers of compound-kids have swelled recently as we are very pleased to have an extra Dutch family here for a few months, with 3 children. With the extra numbers, we have extra opportunities for activities! The children got together and created and issued invitations for a concert they decided to organise. Esther wrote out and printed a programme on the computer. The children were ready for a Saturday afternoon concert!
The musicians were excited and nervous. The musicians' parents were supportive and in full attendance at the musical recital which the children would perform in.
At 4:20pm, the concert began in our converted lounge!
Performances included...
Esther on the keyboard: Esther and her friend doing a keyboard/ violin duet: a violin solo. Next was Ben on the keyboard, followed by other little ones playing the harmonica and finally Joel and his friend playing the drums.
Afterwards, there were refreshments and an opportunity to mingle and congratulate the performers in person; which is more than you would get if you attended a concert in London!
Last Saturday, our house was turned into "Parker Palace Concert Hall"!
Numbers of compound-kids have swelled recently as we are very pleased to have an extra Dutch family here for a few months, with 3 children. With the extra numbers, we have extra opportunities for activities! The children got together and created and issued invitations for a concert they decided to organise. Esther wrote out and printed a programme on the computer. The children were ready for a Saturday afternoon concert!
The musicians were excited and nervous. The musicians' parents were supportive and in full attendance at the musical recital which the children would perform in.
At 4:20pm, the concert began in our converted lounge!
Performances included...
Esther on the keyboard: Esther and her friend doing a keyboard/ violin duet: a violin solo. Next was Ben on the keyboard, followed by other little ones playing the harmonica and finally Joel and his friend playing the drums.
Afterwards, there were refreshments and an opportunity to mingle and congratulate the performers in person; which is more than you would get if you attended a concert in London!
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