Harvesting Peanuts

The peanuts that were planted back in June on our compound were harvested a few weeks ago. Some of the local church folks came and did a "peanut picking bee" one Saturday, including a few of the boys who helped plant the peanuts, or, as we call them here, g-nuts (short for "groundnuts"). 

The groundnut plants are pulled out of the ground, then shaken to remove some of the soil sticking to them.

The g-nut field was just behind our guest house, where my teammates Laurie and Kathleen live. That's my house in the top centre of the picture.

 For the boys, one of the main attractions of this work is munching on the fresh peanuts.

The uprooted plants are stacked and left to dry.

Lord's Supper

Here are a few pix of the Lord's Supper at the Parot church two weeks ago. People go up to the front to take it. Pastor Karlo and Pastor John Alou were officiating. The juice and bread were prepared by the two church deacons, who are standing to the right of the pastors in the photo below.

 

Laundry Locations

A few homes around here, like this one, have clotheslines, but most folks hang their laundry on whatever surface is available, fences and bushes being among the most common. They can end up looking rather festive.

Other laundry-drying locations:

And one of our neighbours likes hanging her laundry on the fence and gate of our compound. :-)

Visas Schmeesas

One of the more tedious things that goes along with living and traveling in this part of the world is obtaining the necessary visas.

My South Sudanese friends find it hard to believe that not only do I have to get government approval to enter their country and to live here, but I actually have to pay to do so. (This subject usually comes up when they ask me about coming to Canada with me on a visit and I have to explain about things like passports, visas, etc.)

And aside from South Sudan, a visa is also necessary to enter Kenya, which I do several times a year.

One other thing that is a little annoying is that both South Sudan and Kenya visas are huge stickers that take up a whole passport page. During the past two years I've accumulated 22 of them--almost half the visa pages in my passport.

The rules for South Sudan visas have changed a few times since independence two years ago, and it has been challenging and sometimes downright confusing to figure out what was required of us.

The current situation is that we have to get a visa before entering the country (maximum one month or three months in duration), and that we can get visas renewed at the immigration office in our state capital, Aweil. We've become regulars at this office.


 My team recently worked for several months to get officially registered by the South Sudan government as a religious organization. Being registered has enabled us to be approved for year-long, multiple-entry visas. The year-long visa is great because it saves money, time and energy, but the downside is that we have to get these in person in Juba, we can't get them in Aweil. Fortunately I was in Juba in July and am now the proud possessor of this lovely sticker:

Plus, not only did I get this visa for South Sudan in July, I got a year-long, multiple-journey visa for Kenya, too! No more filling out a page-long form and standing in the visa line each time I arrive at Jomo Kenyatta. And several passport pages spared--maybe now I won't run out before my passport expires!

Kids Walking From School

On a drive to Aweil last week we came up upon some kids walking home from school. I always love seeing kids like this, they represent the future of this country. So many more are going to school now than during the war years when their parents were growing up.

Blue is a popular colour for school uniforms. The uniforms provide a good amount of business for local tailors. Unfortunately, they also prevent some kids from going to school; they can't afford the cost of a uniform (on average about $20-$25).

UNICEF provides a lot of the school supplies for this country, including the light blue back packs that many kids have.

Birthday Bash

It was my birthday a few days ago and my wonderful teammates went all out to make it a special day for me. I don't often talk about them on my blog, but I'm taking this opportunity to say how much I appreciate them and thank God that he has placed us here together.

This is what I saw when I looked out my front door early on my birthday morning: a balloon bouquet creatively arranged on a unique "stem"--a Dinka hoe!! Hmm, now I think I understand why I heard peals of laughter coming from the girls' house last night!

Here they are, the culprits:  my teammates Kathleen and Laurie, on the left and the right, and our visitor Esther, in the middle.

A little later, my young teammate Samuel F. came over with a card he'd made, which was actually a booklet full of pictures he'd drawn.

And when I went out my door mid-morning, I almost tripped over Amina, who said she was making me a cake and some tea.

We all ate supper together and the meal was a collective effort. James went to the market early in the day to buy some beef. Then Julie cut it all up and prepared a delicious marinade. (We buy meat early because there's no refrigeration, the butcher just kills and cuts up a cow and hangs up the pieces at his outdoor stall to, shall we say, mellow in the heat and attract gazillions of flies.)

Here's Daniel grilling the meat. The older boys enjoyed watching the process.

Meanwhile, James, our salad expert, was inside meticulously cutting up a ton of cucumber, lettuce and tomatoes. This is a season of plenty in our local market and we sure enjoy the fresh produce. This veggies were added to some bulgur wheat which Julie prepared, and she also made a very tasty salad dressing.

Samuel W., the oldest child on our team, took a break inside to hold our newest and youngest team member, two-month-old Isaiah.

It was a beautiful evening so we ate outside, surrounded by all the lovely rainy-season vegetation.

Here's my plate: grilled meat and marinade, bulgur salad and juicy, sweet watermelon. All ingredients local, except the bulgur (brought in from Nairobi).

 

A few candid shots of folks enjoying the feast

At dusk we all went inside to escape from the mosquitoes and continue the celebration. I was thoroughly spoiled with cards and a present, and the kids watched me open everything with great interest.

The grand finale of the evening was the cakes--yes, not just one but two delicious desserts, courtesy of Julie and Natalie. These gals are amazing bakers, given that they don't have ovens. They work wonders with baking tins placed high above the flame of a kerosene camping stove. Julie baked a Queen Elizabeth cake, one of my favourites, with dates in it and a cooked coconut topping. Natalie's cake was chocolate mint with mint icing.

For those who know how old I am, you'll see that the candles don't show my age. No, but it's very appropriate: the year I was born. Julie didn't have an 8, but she did have two 5's!

I'll close with a collage of the cards my teammates made for me. Aren't they great! Such creative folks! We don't have card stores nearby so card making is a team tradition.

Village Scenes

Here are some pix I took this week of life in the village.

Girls carrying water from the handpump to home

Typical Dinka village--cows everywhere. They're feasting these days!

Cutting up pumpkin leaves to put in a sauce

The sorghum at this friend's house is the tallest I've seen so far this year

Ripe sorghum at a friend's house made of grass mats with tarps to keep the rain out

A friend's son enjoying some of the first ripe sorghum

Shacks covered with a climbing vine

Vine growing on the home of returnees from Sudan with a UNHCR tarp

Okra stalks--beautiful Christmas colours in August

Found a few okra plants with pink flowers instead of the usual pale yellow