Good Hump Day

Today is Wednesday, Hump Day for the week and for my trip. It has been a good day. My luggage came and everything seemed to be there! This may be the last trip for the larger suitcase as it has holes in the bottom.

Today was spent primarily on agriculture issues. This is one of the few times to be glad I was raised on a farm - something I loathed as a teen. We visited the property Abukloi owns in Akuac. The fence that once protected most of the property has just a few sections still standing. Two men are digging out the former concrete foundations of the posts with nothing but (not sure of the name) metal pole, sharp at one end and their hands. It is hot dirty, work and there are about 150 poles!! Some women and children were cutting down small trees and bushes with a hatchet and slicer. Again, very hard work. We will buy hand tools to work the soil but it is too big, about 5 acres is my estimate, to do by hand so an ox and cow will likely be hired. If we had a bulldozer and chainsaw we could clear this property in a day but that is not to be our story. I also met a successful local farmer and saw one of his farms. It is not like one in the US but it produces food. This is rainy season and planting season so the property is in different stages. There are 2-3 growing seasons depending upon the crop.

I got a little sun burned today riding the boda boda but I have sunblock in my newly arrived luggage. Tomorrow I will definitely apply some. Many of the children in the communities outside of town see white people very seldom so when they see you they shout, "White person!". Of course, in their native Dinka, not English. Because I do not ride the motor bike side saddle as is custom here for women, I also have women shout in Dinka, "why are you riding like a man?" I want to respond, "So I won't fall off!"

Tomorrow I start the health survey with the students. It should likely take more than a day to get to all students, even with help from Moses (one of the Lost Boys related to Angelo currently in Rumbek). The surveys were in the luggage so I could not start them until the luggage came. There was a workshop held here at Pan Dor today so Mariam and her crew fed about 90 people. That is quite a feat with charcoal fire but they just take it all in stride. There topic was empowerment of women. It is interesting reading their newsprint. I have been reading a book about the Virginia Company at James Town. The book describes how the women felt about wearing the same worn out clothes day after day, wash after wash. Not to be too personal, but last night when I was washing out my one pair of undergarments I said out loud, "I am no better than the James Town settlers"! Today I celebrate more clothes!