Day 217 - "The Guestbook"

3:30am has proved to be the time my body thinks is acceptable to wake up for the past fives days. Jet lag is so not enjoyable, however, I do really like waking up before most people; before the hustle and the bustle of the days activities begin. It is a peaceful time. And a cool time here. One of the only times of the day when there is a chill in the air.

I was welcomed back to Juba on the 11th by a burst of hot air walking off the airplane and a zoo of people piling up in front of the window where one gets their passport stamped. And to complicate matters, of course Juba can not create a system in the airport that consists of organized lines and minimal chaos, right beside the window where you get your passport stamped, there is a book placed on a table which you are required to sign in. The guestbook of Juba International Airport. So if you can imagine what seemed to be over 100 people trampling into the arrivals at the airport, which could be compared to the size of a mid-sized sedan. Not actually but that is what it feels like. Once you got though the ridiculous process of signing the “guestbook” you squished through the door to where the luggage is deliver. Again I watched bags being loaded off of a tractor trailer, in a surprisingly more organized fashion compared to the last time I flew. I wished with all my being that they did not open my big bag to search because it would have exploded with no chance of recovery. It would have been a disaster. Due to the fact that I waited an hour for my luggage the security was getting a bit slack about searching through bags so I was extremely fortunate.

The next few days consisted of work and naps. Attempting to adjust back to Juba time is a lot of work. It requires a lot of sleep during hours you should not be sleeping.

Slowly. Slowly.