Well, it’s Christmas Day again and I find myself still in Juba.  It’s a bit concerning as after last years’ Christmas, I swore I would not be in Juba again for the holidays.  But, here I am.

Of course, this years celebration was far more comfortable than last year (when I was stuck in a little apartment connected to my office with only a generator for company).  This year, the management of The Jebel Lodge (where I now reside) put on a pretty good show for Christmas Eve dinner.  The menu included pâté, a lovely roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, and mini mince meat pies.  There were even Christmas crackers to play with, complete with a small toy inside and the traditional bad joke (although the Christmas crowns and traditional “popping” sound were sadly missing).

The Jebel Lodge Pool

Today, it seems that it’s a good day to hang out by the pool — the Russian pilots from UNMIS (United Nation Mission in Sudan) are here, frolicking around in their speedos and playing unsafe games in the pool, the Jebel Lodge management and friends are enjoying some Bloody Marys and throwing each other in the pool and I, introvert that I am, am sitting in the dining hall just enjoying the breeze and what I call “Juba TV” (the madness that is in the pool).

As I write, another group of Jubites just walked in the main gate (they look like another group of roughnecks that make up the humanitarian aid community).  This should be an interesting day.

I have been visited by one Christmas elf already — our Deputy Chief of Party, Stefanie, has been baking since early this morning making chocolate chip cookies and Christmas shortbread cookies that are complete with frosting to make pretty snowman, Santas, stars and other yuletide icons.  Stefanie even slipped me some uncooked cookie dough which I have been gobbling up and making me very happy!

Next year, I really hope to be around family and friends, much like the rest of the world.  But, as these holidays go, this one hasn’t been too bad at all!  My best wishes for a wonderful holiday season to all who may read this post…

The other day I was escorting a small group of USAID people to meet with the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services. The reason why doesn’t really matter; rather, what we found happening in the parking lot was really more of interest. Spying a group of about 15 men that were all circled around something, I decided to wander over and become part of the grouping.

I have long since discovered it’s not really useful to pre-suppose I know what is going on — so often my Western sensibilities are wrong here (after all, I still can quite figure out how one is supposed to determine how many cows one needs for a wife).  What I found was a lot of excitement surrounding the butchering of… well… a giant lizard.  I recognized the beast from my days of volunteering at the National Zoo.  This was a Nile monitor – and not the “alligator” that I was told it was (though, to be fair, how many Sudanese have to translate that word?!)  I was a little sad since I had cared for these creatures at various points in my life, and my good friend Sheri was particularly fond of these beasts.  But, since this guy (I was told) was roadkill, these men were just taking advantage of the situation.

While it may not be a possum, the fact the butchering of this roadkill was taking place on a back panel of a truck was something that reminded me of the good ole boys back home in Virgina.

The funny part was that I was told that if I ate the meat of this poor beast, I would suddenly attract ladies by the dozens.  Well, if you know me, that wouldn’t be something I would have wanted.  So, I did politely decline saying I had plenty of ladies in my life — this earned a knowing nod and laughter from all the guys hanging around.

Then, I went to see the Minister about some Telecommunications. Just another day in Juba.

I’d almost forgotten about this.  Within a week of coming back to Juba from being sick, this incident happened.  Quite a memory.  This is a message from my boss to the management team in Washington DC:

I just wanted to inform you about an incident that took place this morning.  John and I were on our way to USAID.  James, one of the senior partners in Anchor driving services, was driving us.  He tends to be very careful and slow.  A young boy dashed out between two cars in the other lane right into the road.  As soon as James saw him, he used the breaks, but still hit the boy.  The boy got out of the street under a tree by himself, but was still quite wounded.  A large mob quickly gathered and before any other action could be taken, the Sudanese reached through the window, and opened the door and pulled the driver out of the car.  They began to beat him and yell at him.

Fortunately, the police came and tension eased slightly, though in these circumstances, the police can also be a cause of concern.  I called Helene who immediately got in a car with the RSO to come to our location.  They allowed the driver back in the car, and a police officer accompanied us to the police station.  The RSO and Helene were behind us about 5 minutes.  The RSO’s southern Sudanese officer went into the police station to look after James and make sure he was not mishandled.

John went in the USAID car and I went back to the office in another car, so we are both fine.  It looks now as though James will be released this evening since the boy will be released from the hospital.

This is just yet another reminder of the security procedures that we need to put in place and follow, and that we do not get danger pay for the hell of it.  As soon as we get our cars here in Juba, we will hire Sudanese drivers, and think about what kind of training courses might be available.  Lessons learned will definitely be forthcoming.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved rhubarb.  It’s a strange vegetable that when the stalks are stewed, they yield a tart sauce that can be eaten with sugar and stewed fruit or used as filling for pies (see rhubarb pie), tarts, and crumbles. This common use has led to the slang term for rhubarb, “pie plant”. Cooked with strawberries or apples as a sweetener, or with stem or root ginger, rhubarb makes excellent jam. It can also be used to make wine.

It really is one of my favorite desserts, especially as Mom makes it — a nice compote with a crisp crumble on top, served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (Breyer’s Vanilla Bean, not the French Vanilla crap).

So, imagine my surprise when I was invited to have lunch at the USAID Compound yesterday and the dessert of the day was rhubarb pie!  For a while, I was just in ridiculous delight that I had the good fortune to be there on the day that rhubarb pie was being served and worth every penny of the $3 price tag. But, later, as I began to digest the pie and my taste buds had forgotten the treat that was being served, I reflected on the fact that rhubarb pie was actually something that was AVAILABLE to the federal workers in Juba.  I don’t know of any other dining establishment in all of Southern Sudan that could boast such a treat.  Sadly, yet again, I was reminded of how well US Government employees are taken care of and that contractors, such as myself, are left fending for themselves with what is available on the local market (if I see another small banana or pineapple, I think I just might go crazy).

The good news is that I got me some rhubarb.  And, I was also reminded of a little radio commercial for a fictitious rhubarb pie company called Be-bop-a-ree-bop Rhubarb Pie, that always makes me giggle.  Performed by Meryl Streep and Garrison Keillor in the 2006 flick “A Prairie Home Companion“, is the following:

Be-bop-a-ree-bop Rhubarb Pie (Click on the “>” to start)

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