When Bored In Juba

So… This is happening Saturday.

Not so secret ingredient: mangoes. Game on.

Famous or Faulted?

I was hanging out the other day in the Office of Immigration and Passport Services, attempting to renew my visa (tangent topic: yes, it is totally okay to deny someone a longer term visa because their work permit has expired, even though the expiry date has fallen within the past three months when the Department of Labor stopped processing any work permits at all. Also keeping in mind that my first work permit I applied for in February, received in November, was backdated to June, and expired in January… sure. Totally logical system).

As a point of order I think it might be helpful for readers to understand how the Passport and Immigration office works.

First you start off in the admin side, where you fill out forms.

It looks lovely when it’s all just boxes and text

Then you go to the next location to get something signed.  And from there you follow a star shaped and undetermined pattern of going wherever the person who takes pity on you and tells you where next to go instructs you.

My head hurts

Ultimately culminating in a process of zigzagging across the compound, traversing floors, and hopefully emerging with a valid permission sticker in your passport to exist in the country. Probably for a 3 months at a time, more if you’re extremely lucky.

ANYHOW.

The point of all of this is that after nearly three hours sitting in my personal version of hell, I had a slight moment of joy when I realized that… well… I’m famous. Slash plagiarized.

While sitting in the office of someone important waiting for something to be stamped or signed, I noted that sitting on his desk was a calendar.  After about thirty seconds of blankly staring at it, my addled brain clicked in enough to note that the picture on this month was, in fact, one *I* had taken during the 2011 Independence Day celebration:

FAMOUS

Feeling quite elated and downright giddy about the situation, I alerted the official whose office I was waiting in about the situation.  He smiled and made nice conversation for a few minutes.

Unfortunately all of this famousosity and friendship building did not result in a longer term multi-entry visa for me.

Dagnabbit.

What good is fame then?

Adventures in Juba Shopping

And on your left, we have a beautiful golden hued chaise lounge. This gorgeous piece can be a part of your household collection, along with two matching love seats, for the low low price of 20,000ssp ($5,000).

And on your way to check out, you can stop on the 1st floor and purchase some mini hot dogs in a can. Can’t get a yellow fever vaccine or broccoli here, but gold upholstered chaise lounges? That Juba has. (As a side note, my new resolution is whenever a Juba friend feels sad, I’m bringing them to the 2nd floor of Jit. Never change, 2nd floor, never change.)

Chicken Monterry

I love shpopular arroWWWeds.

I Loves Me My Midwestern Roots, But…

Don’t get me wrong, I have far too much Wisconsin in me to ever mock expensive cheese when its worth it.

But…

128ssp = $32 = No

$32 for a small cut of parmesan cheese? Really Phenica? Really?

I’d rather buy your singing Santa or love grotto please.

‘Nuff Said

Best. [non-Onion]. Headline. EVER.

83 percent of population do not know what’s going on

No, really.

Not The Onion.

Really.

Serendipity

I got into the car this morning just as the radio station was sending out birthday wishes and a special birthday song for all people born today.

I’ve never heard any radio stations in South Sudan do this (or more likely I’ve never paid attention to it), but I felt it quite fitting as today is the anniversary of my birth.

Upon arriving to work, my officemate and I had the following conversation:

Me: M***, today is my birthday.
M***: Oh! You are turning twenty-something?
Me: Ermmm… Yes. Exactly. I am turning twenty-something.
M***: (laughs) Oh, that is the best age to be.

He’s a doctor so it must be true.  Here’s to another birthday in South Sudan, and another year of being the best age to be.