A Word Guided Walking Tour of the Compound

I am going to guide you around the compound.  I will take pictures so that you will be able to see what I am writing about - of course I can't upload them until after I am home.  Using the picture above, start on the road near the bottom of the photo.  This will take you into the compound and then you will go from right to left  starting at the hospital.

Here goes:   We approach the hospital from the road out front.  The road is full of ruts and bumps due to the road flooding during the rainy season and trucks and tractors creating ruts.  The ground here is clay.  When it dries, it is as hard as concrete.  It holds the shape it has been molded into.  Hence, deep ruts from big tires.  When you turn into the drive, facing the gate, you will see the hospital, a little to your right.  The front yard is grass (as good as grass gets is South Sudan).  On the northern (left end) end of the hospital is a white container that is perpendicular to that end of the hospital.  This is the old surgical suite which is now used as a med storage room.

Now, perpendicular to the left side of this container are two other containers.  These make up a U shaped structure with the white container at the bottom of the U.  There is a roof on this and it is a garage/storage/work space for all that construction/guys need a garage stuff.  Gor the snake lives under the right hand container, which has our medical supplies and equipment in it.

As you continue on into the compound, you will pass our guard who sits in a chair, making sure we are safe.  See picture, tell me what you think.  On my right is a housing structure that Jacob Gai lives in.  He is the Site Administrator.  Across from him are two more containers, set up parallel to each other, with a roof.  This is the cement block factory.  Aaron and some other guys set up this operation.  They make cement blocks for building structures.  Right now Samaratin's Purse is helping us make a ward for Maternal and Child health.  So many blocks are being made.  As you continue on, to the left after the cement factory, is our shower.  Isn't it cute.  It has banana trees growing and finally bananas are starting to grow, right into the shower.  I will get a picture of this also.  On the right, across from this is the chicken coop.  I won't say any more about that!

Past the shower is our satellite and then the dining hall.  This has a covered porch and is the central gathering stop.  Our meals are set out here, there is a sofa and chairs, the computer stuff is here, running off a solar powered battery.  So we have limited power even when the generator is not on.  The solar panel is near the satellite dish.  Across from the dining hall are two guest houses.  I am in one, Dr. John Sutter and Dr. Glen Geolhoel are in the other.  Mine is older and the termites are eating the wood.  Most structures no longer have any wood due to the termites.

Next to the dining hall is the cook hut.  This is where Mary and various others cook our meals.  It is also a place where the mama's gather in later afternoon.  I can tell they sit and gossip, talk about their day, sing songs while Mary is finishing up our dinner.  Then they all head home, walking together.  Our food is all cooked over charcoal fires.  They have it down pat.  A science.  Often the mama's help in cleaning all the pots and pans that have been used.  It can be an overwhelming task for one person when five or six huge pots are dirty, along with all dishes.

Just past the cooks hut is a guest room.  It is a guest room that is larger than the other two I mentioned.  It is newer.  I stayed there last year.  And next to this is what we call "the barn".  It is a small kit-type structure shaped like a barn.  It would probably be used as a shed back home.  We use it as a guest room.  Across from this is the old dining hall.  Now refered to as the men's dorm.  It is a larger structure, and I think the first structure that was made with ferrel cement.  It is holding up after four or five years.  I think about five beds are in there.  Next to this is Ajak's house.  It is a small, one room structure that is at the north end of the compound.  It gives him a little privacy and a little walk to work.  Back behind his place, quite some yards away is one outhouse.  The other is past the barn on the far north end.  So there is a walking tour of our compound.  Thanks for coming along with me.
C