It's Not All Work

I've realised that all of my posts so far have been serious and have just been about work and some of the problems that I've found while out here. Although that's the reason I'm here, it isn't all that I do. I've been really luck to get involved with various social things and have found ways to keep myself occupied in between my shifts.

When I arrived here, I knew nobody. Through a series of very random meetings, I have now made quite a few friends and found some leisure activities. Juba is a funny place, there are hundreds of NGOs based here, and the local economy has adapted to cater for their needs. There are several bars and restaurants which cater mainly for the desires of foreign workers; interestingly, since the last time I was here, you see a lot more South Sudanese locals also frequenting these places. It is a sure sign that at least part of the population is becoming more affluent.

There are often stark contrasts when visiting these places, next to some of the riverside restuarant/bar/hotel places is a graveyard, which is a little sobering; however it isn't a graveyard like the typical ones you see back home - between the gravestones are lots of small huts, where people live in complete poverty. Across Juba, this contrast is evident; new, large houses surrounded by tiny straw shacks. Currently it seems like there's quite a class divide.

Apart from going out for drinks and dinner, there's lots more to do. Those of you who know me will know that I like to be quite active, and although I haven't been that good for the last month, I'm starting to get out and do some exercise. If you know where to look there's quite a lot to do - I've started playing Ultimate Frisbee, which isn't technically a sport, as a dog can play it, but it is a good excuse to run around for an hour and make some new friends. The locals who walk past while we play look a bit amused, that might be because they haven't really seen people playing frisbee, or it could be because they can't imagine a situation where they would need to do more exercise or have time to. I certainly get some quizzical looks when I go out running too.

Of course, theres also my main sporting love, which is climbing. There are some exciting looking boulders dotted around the city, which would be amazing if they were more than a metre tall. Outside the city there is a 'mountain' which has some rocky bits, but I haven't made it there yet. Rumour has it that someone has bolted some routes there, but I only have my shoes, so I'll stick to the boulders. While I wait for an opportunity to get out on some rock, I've found a way to keep my fingers strong. When making my room, someone very kindly added a small (1.5cm) foot ledge around the bottom; combined with the corners and doorways, some fairly testing bouldering problems can be found. I think I have a problem, and it's not going away any time soon. I can live with that.