I have arrived.

I arrived in Nairobi and was taken to a Transit Apartment, for use by South Sudan staff when in town (it  all sounds a little more “underground railroad” than it is). It was large and lovely and I had it all to myself. The next day I went back to the airport for my hour flight to Juba. I don’t like the Nairobi airport. It’s hot and not particularly interesting, and because the "good" airline was fully booked I had to fly on the dodgy one and couldn't bring both suitcases. I had to leave one of my bags at the office in Nairobi, for transport on at a later date by some unsuspecting colleagues who will be asked to be my Mule. When we meet, I suspect I will greet them with something like “Hi, I’m Heather. Thanks for bringing my extra tampons and conditioner. Nice to meet you.”

The Arrivals section of the airport is always a fun place to be. Departures, less so. That said, this departure for me wasn’t such a big deal. I got to the counter with my one suitcase and presented all the documents they wanted to see. “You’re overweight” the check in clerk said to me. My internal dialogue quickly reminded me that personal and unnecessary commentary was par for the course in this part of the world, usually with no offense intended. “Well ya, I know, but a year in Sudan might help with that”, I said. She looked at me. “You’re only allowed 20kgs, you have 24”. “Oh” I said, “my luggage. Well, next time, ok?”

Flying into Juba was kind of exciting. Juba is located on the Nile and I saw it for the first time from the air. There have been some rains so there is some green, but I was struck by how much uncultivated land there is. The roads are an orange dirt color and dust lingers obviously in the air. I’ve been told that there are 100km of paved roads in all of South Sudan, and that all of them are here in Juba.  I tried to hide my newbie excitement as I took in all the UN helicopters and equipment, noticeable as we taxied to the arrivals gate – previously only known to me in photographs from various humanitarian emergencies courses. I had arrived.