Day 8

Dear all,

Since my last blog, quite a lot has happened. I went through a big part of the proces to become a full fledged UN Volunteer and finally ended up in Juba.

The past week I enjoyed two days of full time training on basic UN regulations and safety procedures. Working in an environment like South Sudan is no laughing matter and our instructors made sure we were aware of that. Warnings about safety hazards in and around Juba made me more aware of the risks we are taking by coming here.

During the training I got to know some of my fellow UN Volunteers (we like to call ourselves UNVs, eventhough that is technically not the appropriate denomination). In addition there were some security officers and military personnel. Everyone was equally nice. My fellow UNVs helped me out a lot in the past days, so I can definetly say that is true that solidarity is the most important commodity in the compound. Fortunately it is available here in abundance.

After each training I took it quite easy. My first evening I had gone out by myself to a hotel 2 minutes away. In Uganda people are very friendly and nice. As long as you keep your wits about, there is very little to worry about. I socialized a bit with a local which was a good experience. It gave me some insights on what it is like to be there as a western foreigner. Things are fine at first contact and talking is totally okay, but after a certain extended time it can become a bit awkward. Fortunately nothing happened and like I said it was very insightful.

Tobias (he likes to go by Tobi) is my coordinator and he has been extremely helpful. Thanks to him i did not have to prepare anything for my arrival to Juba outside of my own luggagebox. In the future we will be working together quite a lot, though from a distance (as he is stationed back in Entebbe). That made that the most stressful part of getting to Juba was the idea of having to get up at 4.30. (Funny experience; ugandese people are very gentle. So gentle infact that they tend to talk quite soft. To the point that I missed my wake up call at 4.30 because I couldnt hear the person outside. Fortunately my alarm went off 15 min later, so I was on time. For a moment I thought it had been too early for them to, until I opened my door and the person had patiently been waiting outside for my luggage). Although it took a while before we got off, I experienced the best case scenario at customs once we landed. It took almost no time to get through. There had been some warnings that maybe the borderagent would give us a hard time if he felt like it, but today everyone seemed to be in a good mood (including me). In Entebbe I felt like a little kid in a theme park with all the new trees, birds, lizards and bugs standing, flying, running and crawling everywhere, that hasnt changed in Juba. The burning sun and moist atmosphere has not tempered my curiosity for everything around me. The UNcompound looks a bit like a park. Between all the container offices are trees and bushes. Some areas have little plazas where people dabbled in landscaping. It feels a bit like a mix between a subtropical greenhouse and a trailer park.

I was one of the lucky ones to have all his luggage come in intact. I am still waiting for my box, but for now I have all the required materials so I can survive without issue. Once I have my permanent accomodation and my box I will live in relative luxury. For now I am in transit coping pretty well if I may say for myself. I managed to hang my mosquito-net with quite a nifty construction. I am keeping the room nice and cool, and most importantly; bugfree.

The first day In Juba we got a tour of the compound and the opportunity to buy a local simcard. For that we had to go outside for a moment. One of our national volunteers had called a friend to give us some for a decent price. (Locals tend to find ways to get UN personell to overpay on most things. In some cases they do even worse. So the help of local volunteers is invaluable). Hence I can now write you, as UN internet is account-dependant (which I wont get before monday).

In the evening I hung out with my new boss, Fiona. She was very kind in providing me some blankets to use and show me the places where nightlife happens. After having my butt kicked by another occupant of the camp in three consecutive games of pool we parted ways and I went back to my place.

This morning I went on a shoppingtrip through Juba. That was quite an experience. The first stop was a fruit market. Imagine an open air supermarket, one that hasnt very broad iles. Now picture a floor consisting of a muddy substance and the stalls being made of wood and every stall holds almost exactly the same materials as any other. That was what the first market looked like. It was dirty, not too crowded, with products like onions, bananas, jalapenos, and other local fruits. Just as in Entebbe. If you keep your wits about, you are quite safe. I was with two others and as long as you stick together, only the really illwilling will bother you. However, today was a good day so at no moment were we harassed. After the first market we went a little bit more central. Here they sold, clothes, cloth, shoes, house equipment and bikes (i am considering to buy one for on the compound). Haggling is allowed. For now I refrain a bit from doing it by just asking for prices and browsing around. As soon as this South Sudanese Pound and local pricing starts to make more sense to me, will I start to haggle (I want to pay no more than the equivalent of 50 dollars for a new bike, seeing as I dont know what the quality will be like, but i am not sure if that is actually a fair amount).

The third stop was a supermarket where I bought most of my stuff. Here you didnt need to haggle, as all prices were fixed. They have everything required, even Nutella and pringles (sometimes globalism has its perks). I didnt buy either. Instead I stacked up on fluids. Dehydration is a continuous danger, and I had a couple of moments where I realized I hadnt had enough water. To make sure I will manage better, i now filled my fridge (my room has a fridge) with different drinks.

Afterwards I went lunching with a couple of colleagues not far from the compound. It was like a nice burgerplace. For a moment I didnt feel like I was in Juba. Again a very positive experience.

It made me realize that it can be quite okay in Juba. Apparently the situation can be quite unpredictable. So it is possible that next time it will be completely different. There have been quite some occassions where people were harassed or conned for money. I have decided to see what may come. All my belongings are safely stowed away and I only carry local currency when I go outside. Nobody who robs me will get too rich of me.

Tonight I plan challenging some of my new found friends to a game of pool. Maybe I can win at least one time (so I can wash away the shame of yesterdays games).

Best from Juba,

JJ