It's the small things....

Dear Friends,
Greetings!
Today the power came on for about two hours in the middle of the day. I got to lie in bed reading with a LIGHT! I got to have the fan on sending somewhat cooler air over me and the soothing rhythm of the sound of its whirring was a delight to my ears.

I realized that most of us in the developed world don't realize how special these things that we take for granted are -- electricity at the flick of a switch, rarely failing us.

Today Malakal was: long walks. I walked to one bank and then I walked to another bank. I bought peanuts and sesame cakes from a young boy. He shows his appreciation by giving me five cakes when I have only paid for four. I felt guilty until someone told me he wouldn't do that if he couldn't afford to.

I walked home a different way from the second bank. Dust, dust is everywhere. I saw the back of a grown man in a nice suit as he peed in a ditch. I was stunned, why I don't know, I saw fairly old kids pee and poop in the open in China.

A man asked me why I wasn't in a car. It was hot and dusty and I was walking. He probably thought I was with an NGO (Non Governmental Organization) as they are prolific in most places in South Sudan and other parts of Africa as well. I said I am with the church and I don't have a car.

Wire transfers from banks in the United States apparently take longer here in Africa. The bank in the US said the money would be in my Malakal account today. The bank in Malakal says it will be next Monday. Life is slower here. It just is.

It is slower here. And it involves lots of waiting. I got used to that in Israel/Palestine and in China. In Israel/Palestine people couldn't make specific time commitments because of the amount of unpredictable time involved with going through checkpoints. In China there was always chaos in the hospital, at the pharmacy and the banks. Whoever could shove the most got served first. In Malakal in my own bank it appears chaotic, whole groups of people sitting and no "take a number" system. However I have discovered that under the apparent chaos is actually structure. The workers in the bank go back and forth between people. No one gets upset if they are sitting in the Bank Manager's Office and someone else comes in and sits down too. Even I am learning not to get upset:) Eventually everyone has their request listened to. In the United States one person gets the full attention of the employee until they leave the bank. Here five people at a time might get attention. And somehow the business gets done; gets transacted.

I have also discovered in the banks in Malakal that if I don't have a routine transaction, like taking money out of my account, that I can go directly to the managers. They don't seem to mind. I don't have to wait in line for an hour to get redirected to another person. That is kinda nice.
Blessings,
Debbie