Another day in Southern Sudan

I’m trying to be a good trooper, really I am.  But, I think that Southern Sudan has a chip on it’s shoulder and its desire is to just break the will of any intrepid adventurer.  Todays fun centered around water.  Water, as we all know, is the universal solvent and is very useful upon waking up to wash off the grit, grime and sweat accumlated through the humid night.  Even though our water is cold and there is no water heater (so common where electricity is scarce),  look forward to soaping up, washing off and shampooing my hair.  Call me wierd, but I like to start the day off fresh.

Well, at 6pm today, a call was recieved from our cook who discovered that there was no water coming out of the taps.  Of course, why this wasn’t noticed far earlier in the day, we’ll never know.  So, immediately, we dispatched one of the two drivers to chase down a water tanker to deliver some water before the day became night.  Water has to be trucked in, you see, as there is no such thing as central water facilities.  So, if there is no truck found, there was no water to be had (it should be noted that we tried to call our normal water supplier, but they had turned off their phones — of course).

So, the rest of us at the office trundled home at 7pm only to find that no water was delivered and half the house was dark.  No problem, I’ll just check the fuse box. And what do you know, there was a circuit tripped.  I flipped the switch only to find the circuit to trip again.  After much investigating in the dark, I found out the secret of 1) why the circuit was tripping and 2) why there was no water.  It appears that our handy electrician wired the water pump directly into a flourescent light fixture which, to which half the lights in the house are also wired.

I can’t explain it.  One would think that anyone that calls themselves and electrician would know better. I can only assume that like most laborers here, he just flat out didn’t care.  Just wired it up to get out of the job.

The moral of this story?  I have light (until the generator runs out of fuel) but no way to take a shower tomorrow.  Lovely.

Oh, and to top it off, the driver we sent out to get the water in the first place?  Has all my groceries in the truck.  Do you think he thought to 1) put the back in the house before he left, or 2) leave his car key (as he was supposed to)?  Try Option 3… leave it locked in the car so John can just stare at it but not have his snacks, toothpaste or cotton buds.

Sigh.  Southern Sudan wins again.