However, this is what a South Sudan MAF pilot looks like as a passenger on a MAF plane, heading for his R and R!
Thursday 30 June 2016
Pilot's R and R
Normally, Andrew is busy flying passengers and freight. He has to be alert, responsive and responsible.
However, this is what a South Sudan MAF pilot looks like as a passenger on a MAF plane, heading for his R and R!
However, this is what a South Sudan MAF pilot looks like as a passenger on a MAF plane, heading for his R and R!
The Promised Photos...
This is what we got up to on our latest R and R..... making the most of our time in lovely Kenya....
A few days at the coast, where we fitted in time for bumpy camel rides:
... burying noisy boys in the white sands of the Malindi coastline:
.... meeting new friends:
... borrowing a spade from locals to build a fabulous sand-mound:
....enjoying cups of tea and pancakes (smothered in chocolate sauce!!) at 4pm each afternoon:
We also made time for a 4-hour road trip out of Nairobi, to visit St. Andrew's School in Turi.
It was so good to be back on the road and have a family road trip!
Long road trips were a regular part of our family life in Tanzania, but since being in South Sudan, the only way to get out of Juba is on a plane... It is not safe enough to drive out of the main city to take a trip with our young children across this war-torn, damaged land where guns are wide-spread and roadside crime is a very real threat. So we enjoyed what has become a novelty and had a great trip. The children counted all the animals en route, enjoying road-side sightings of zebra, camels, flamingos, baboons and many, many goats, cows and sheep!
Here is our lunch stop, looking over towards Kenya's Mount Longonot:
The weather in Turi and in Nairobi was much colder than at the coast and MUCH colder than Juba! Log fires were a wonderful bonus on this trip!
So were woollen blankets, when reading a book or munching on a early morning bowl of cereal!
When we are in Juba, Andrew's flying schedule is busy, busy, busy, not to mention all the computer work he has to keep on top of, so it is always fun when he has a bit of spare time. On this R and R, Andrew set up a "spider's web" for the children to play games, like posting each other through without touching the rope!
Here comes Esther...
...Ben...
...and Joel...
The highlight of this R and R was having time to catch up with special friends in Kenya. In Turi and in Nairobi we enjoyed spending time and sharing meals with people we don't often have the opportunity to see- including wonderful friends from Dodoma, who happened to be passing by Nairobi on a trip to match up with us. It was fantastic to catch up!
A few days at the coast, where we fitted in time for bumpy camel rides:
... burying noisy boys in the white sands of the Malindi coastline:
.... meeting new friends:
... borrowing a spade from locals to build a fabulous sand-mound:
....enjoying cups of tea and pancakes (smothered in chocolate sauce!!) at 4pm each afternoon:
We also made time for a 4-hour road trip out of Nairobi, to visit St. Andrew's School in Turi.
It was so good to be back on the road and have a family road trip!
Long road trips were a regular part of our family life in Tanzania, but since being in South Sudan, the only way to get out of Juba is on a plane... It is not safe enough to drive out of the main city to take a trip with our young children across this war-torn, damaged land where guns are wide-spread and roadside crime is a very real threat. So we enjoyed what has become a novelty and had a great trip. The children counted all the animals en route, enjoying road-side sightings of zebra, camels, flamingos, baboons and many, many goats, cows and sheep!
Here is our lunch stop, looking over towards Kenya's Mount Longonot:
The weather in Turi and in Nairobi was much colder than at the coast and MUCH colder than Juba! Log fires were a wonderful bonus on this trip!
So were woollen blankets, when reading a book or munching on a early morning bowl of cereal!
When we are in Juba, Andrew's flying schedule is busy, busy, busy, not to mention all the computer work he has to keep on top of, so it is always fun when he has a bit of spare time. On this R and R, Andrew set up a "spider's web" for the children to play games, like posting each other through without touching the rope!
Here comes Esther...
...Ben...
...and Joel...
The highlight of this R and R was having time to catch up with special friends in Kenya. In Turi and in Nairobi we enjoyed spending time and sharing meals with people we don't often have the opportunity to see- including wonderful friends from Dodoma, who happened to be passing by Nairobi on a trip to match up with us. It was fantastic to catch up!
Saturday 18 June 2016
Time Out
I am writing this while sitting on a well used blue sofa in the characterful MAF Team House in Nairobi. The log fire is crackling merrily in the grate and I am snug in my long trousers, fluffy slippers and comfy fleece jacket.
We are now on R and R break and enjoying the cooler weather of a Kenyan winter, a pleasant change from the relentless heat of South Sudan.
It is wonderful to have this time out, away from what has been a pressured couple of months in Juba. I am enjoying being in Nairobi.... It is nice to sleep under a warm duvet in a cool room. It is fun to catch up with Nairobi friends. It is refreshing to see the green grass and leafy trees on the MAF Nairobi compound, as South Sudan is suffering a poor rainy season this year, unfortunately, and the greenery is not as lush as it could be in Juba this season.
But most of all, it is wonderfully soothing to sleep in a house which is quiet at night; where there is no mechanical generator noise to impose on us; where I can peacefully drift off to sleep and then wake up at any time without the sound of generators invading my sense of hearing. Bliss! That in itself is sufficient to provide R and R!
I would like to post some photos from our R and R time, but being technically challenged, I have not worked out how to get pictures off my camera and onto the iPad! Any photographs will have to be posted on a later blog entry another time... :-)
We are now on R and R break and enjoying the cooler weather of a Kenyan winter, a pleasant change from the relentless heat of South Sudan.
It is wonderful to have this time out, away from what has been a pressured couple of months in Juba. I am enjoying being in Nairobi.... It is nice to sleep under a warm duvet in a cool room. It is fun to catch up with Nairobi friends. It is refreshing to see the green grass and leafy trees on the MAF Nairobi compound, as South Sudan is suffering a poor rainy season this year, unfortunately, and the greenery is not as lush as it could be in Juba this season.
But most of all, it is wonderfully soothing to sleep in a house which is quiet at night; where there is no mechanical generator noise to impose on us; where I can peacefully drift off to sleep and then wake up at any time without the sound of generators invading my sense of hearing. Bliss! That in itself is sufficient to provide R and R!
I would like to post some photos from our R and R time, but being technically challenged, I have not worked out how to get pictures off my camera and onto the iPad! Any photographs will have to be posted on a later blog entry another time... :-)
Saturday 4 June 2016
An update
It's been a long time since my last blog.
Some things have improved since the last post- and some things stay the same! Here's a quick update:
The generator noise is still there, but is reduced a little since someone at that neighbouring compound realised that they can run their generator with its doors closed, instead of flinging them wide open! This does help to take the edge off the grating sound we had forced on us before. Sometimes they open those pesky doors again, but when they are shut, our environment feels more "live-able".
These same noisy neighbours seem to have organised a generator timetable so that is is actually switched off for a few hours Monday-Friday. During these hours, I appreciate the quietness more than ever! Most of that time, I am working in the schoolroom, so I don't get to enjoy our home without the sound-invasion, but the whole environment around our schoolroom and home does feel nicer for those few hours on work-days.
Our sanity-saving bedroom arrangement is doing what it is designed to do and helping to block some of the noise. This means I am actually sleeping better, which is a huge relief! Life feels so much better without sleep-deprivation!
The other issues are still part of the reality of Juba- but pressure is easier to manage when I'm not so tired!
On the other hand, difficult news from home this week has made it hard to be so far from England. There are times when I wish I could just hop on a short train ride and be with those who are very special to me. Sadly, this is not the case- and this week I sorely feel the distance.
Meanwhile, we have had some lovely encouragement recently, which is nice...
Huge thanks go to Wendy Whitehead and Pete Short for running a half-marathon in Liverpool last weekend, raising over £1000 for MAF's work in South Sudan!
This is a massive encouragement- it really does spur us on and it is wonderful to see how others, so far away, get behind and support the work here in this country.
In addition, the latest edition of MAF's magazine, "Flying for Life" features South Sudan, using some of the photos and information on this blog (from a post in December), The article highlights aspects of the work here; a timely reminder of how MAF brings very real practical help. This encourages me to carry on here in Juba.
If you don't have access to the magazine, you can download it from this site:
Some things have improved since the last post- and some things stay the same! Here's a quick update:
The generator noise is still there, but is reduced a little since someone at that neighbouring compound realised that they can run their generator with its doors closed, instead of flinging them wide open! This does help to take the edge off the grating sound we had forced on us before. Sometimes they open those pesky doors again, but when they are shut, our environment feels more "live-able".
These same noisy neighbours seem to have organised a generator timetable so that is is actually switched off for a few hours Monday-Friday. During these hours, I appreciate the quietness more than ever! Most of that time, I am working in the schoolroom, so I don't get to enjoy our home without the sound-invasion, but the whole environment around our schoolroom and home does feel nicer for those few hours on work-days.
Our sanity-saving bedroom arrangement is doing what it is designed to do and helping to block some of the noise. This means I am actually sleeping better, which is a huge relief! Life feels so much better without sleep-deprivation!
The other issues are still part of the reality of Juba- but pressure is easier to manage when I'm not so tired!
On the other hand, difficult news from home this week has made it hard to be so far from England. There are times when I wish I could just hop on a short train ride and be with those who are very special to me. Sadly, this is not the case- and this week I sorely feel the distance.
Meanwhile, we have had some lovely encouragement recently, which is nice...
Huge thanks go to Wendy Whitehead and Pete Short for running a half-marathon in Liverpool last weekend, raising over £1000 for MAF's work in South Sudan!
This is a massive encouragement- it really does spur us on and it is wonderful to see how others, so far away, get behind and support the work here in this country.
In addition, the latest edition of MAF's magazine, "Flying for Life" features South Sudan, using some of the photos and information on this blog (from a post in December), The article highlights aspects of the work here; a timely reminder of how MAF brings very real practical help. This encourages me to carry on here in Juba.
If you don't have access to the magazine, you can download it from this site:
And finally, a friend here who knows that the last few weeks have been challenging kindly arranged a "girl's dinner"last night. It was good to get off-compound and have time out and time off!
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