525,600

A few weeks ago I uneventfully celebrated my one-year Jubaversary.  Then just this past week, while rambling along on another hours-long trip on a dusty dirt road through the South Sudan bush, I  did some self-indulgent reflection of this past year.

Watching trees and cattle and monkeys fly by my Land Cruiser window, I thought about how, even with the frustrations and challenges, the heartbreaks and infuriations – of which I assure you there have been many – there’s no where I’d rather have spent this past year.

And just at that moment, the universe apparently decided to intervene and make the moment as corny as possible by opting to play Rent’s “Seasons of Love” out of all 1571 choices from my iPod, and force a little more (terribly cheesy) self-reflection.

And with that…

Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights

Daylights

In sunsets

Sunsets

In midnights

Midnights

In cups of coffee

Coffee

In inches

Inches

In miles

Miles

In laughter

Laughter

In strife

Strife

In five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?

A year

How about love?

Love.

How about love?

Love.

How about love?

Love.

How about love?

Love.

And with that, I thank all my friends and colleagues for making Juba what it has been. And I thank the hundreds of South Sudanese who have welcomed me into their houses, communities, and worksites, engaged me in political and social debates and conversations, and answered my questions the thousands of times I’ve asked “How do you say ___ in ___?”

So thanks.  I’ll go ahead and measure this year pretty damn well.

About right.