I wish you could see...

• my friend, who Caleb astutely pointed out is not actually my friend seeing as I’ve never spoken to him and don’t know his name, who is either Dinka or Mandari (I can’t exactly remember which way the scaring goes on his forehead...I think it’s in a V so I think he’s Mandari), and wears these amazing striped pajamas around town, drinking tea on cool mornings, buttoned all the way up to his chin and the pants only come down to his shins because he’s so darn tall...makes me smile every time

• the brilliance of the blue sky and white clouds today as a contrast to the bright new greens of the first weeks of rain this season

• the South Sudanese smiles I see everyday

• the red stains the mud kick back from my bike tires leaves on my clothes...reminds me of the line from Blood Diamond that talks about how the soil is red because of the blood shed...not actually true but an interesting metaphor for the effects of war on a place...

• the shades of red that my face has turned when I get off my bike at 10am as I arrive at my morning Arabic lesson

• the draw of attention my arrival at the duka/tea shop for my arabic lesson as all the men sitting there turn and watch my blonde approach

• the giant brilliant green chamelion (sp?) that crossed the red dirt road in front of my bike this afternoon - so incredible!

• the 70’s Catholic Sunday School image of Jesus that is displayed at the front of the church I’ve been going to - along with the clock that ever reads 5:35, the stuffed pink sheep that hangs among the chinese new year decoration leftovers and the christmas tinsel and kitenge scraps that hang from string down the middle of the church aisle to add a bit of color to the place :)

• the looks on the faces of the kids as I walk through the greeting line after church and shake everyone’s hands...fear, glee, hesitation, perplexion (I think I made that word up), you name it and it’s written as clear as day all over their faces

• the juxtaposition of the traditional dress of the Dinka, Mandari  (short shift-esque dresses that end signficantly above these very tall men’s knees) and even Massai (woven plaid cloths wrapped as clothing) men around town with the jeans and t-shirts and way-hip-er-than-I haircuts - both kinds of men with the dramatic facial scarring that is part of their tribal traditions...reminds me of where again it is that I live :)

• the “chalice” of communion “wine” (actually a wine glass decorated with painted lines around it like the sun tea jar my mom used to use in the 80’s) filled with Fanta orange

• the pastor’s stole with the classic Pittsburgh Steelers/Pirates black and gold motif - black stole with big gold crosses embroidered at both ends (maybe my dad would wear robes if they could be black and gold :)

• the cute little 3-4 mo baby I held in the market today named Obama who gnawed on my hands for 20 minutes or so....precious!

• the gentle care that blind people here are given (there’s a lot of River Blindness around) as they’re carefully led around by children or their sisters/neighbors

• the tall dark Dinka man walking around town with a black t-shirt with huge white block letters that read “F*ck you, f*ckin’ f*ck you” or something like that...American english reaching the world at it’s best...I don’t think he had any idea what it meant...or shall I say, I hope he had no idea what it meant...and the gasp that came out of my mouth as I read it as he passed me on his way into my tutor’s shop...

• the stars that were scattered across the clear night sky last night

• the gorgeous mahogany flowers that litter the path from our compound to our office

• the "sparkle" of the clean cement floor in the team house after being swept and double mopped - and conversely how dirty it will look tomorrow at this time

• just how badly my hair needs cut...