Seems I may never get around to mentioning Sudan, so let me try, briefly . . . . .

Not so hot as we expected, Mundri was nevertheless dry and quite warm. Very flat and scrubby. Not nearly as beautiful as Bundibugyo. The people are calmer and friendlier in a real way. There was little to none of the rude behavior we see here in Bundi from children and overzealous visitors. The people, unsurprisingly, are gorgeous in their own African way.

Mooru is the language and I learned just a few words of greeting as we reached the market, the local primary school and the church during our week there. Mostly we spent our time holed up inside the Masso house, slurping up conversation and play time like the thirsty travelers we are.

Quinn and Gabriel spent about eight hours a day situated on a tarp outside with their basin of legos. They built, fought, and designed as we slowly rotated them out of the sun as it moved across the sky. Lots of drinking water is needed in Sudan, even more than here, so we would catch glimpses of our boys each time they flew inside on their winged, bare feet for a hearty glass of tepid water.

The girls did a LOT of art. Us moms joined in occasionally but mostly talked as we watched. Talked about marriage,kids, travel, future plans, all the things we think so obsessively about.

The Sudan team lives very communally, sharing a few buildings in a square compound ringed by reed fencing. Just outside, the community carries on life; I especially enjoyed watching the energetic manueverings of the disabled man next door who managed to accomplish much while on hands and knees! Each night a different team mate cooks dinner, a new way of living that greatly interested me! (Here in Bundibugyo us few mothers tend to cook for the rest of the team!) The team also shares the chores of living; latrine cleaning, sweeping, washing. Despite or perhaps because of the small compound and living quarters, there is a sense of family among the team that is very strong. The only downside was sharing a single shower among fifteen!

We brought home hibiscus flower tea, a staple in their market. It cooks up into a deep magenta color and tastes as sweet as juice when flavored with sugar. Their local brooms are made of sorghum stalks with the seeds still attached! They buy and sell millet, cassava, maize and beans as well as many greens. Fruits and other vegetables are more rare.
Several rivers stand in the Mundri area; murky, brown and threatening with cholera, river blindness and parasites. The boys fished but did not swim! We visited the Masso’s land where they hope to build team quarters by the end of the year and dreamed of a house where only bushy grasses and trees stand.

Lunches shared in one of the Episcopal church’s buildings gave us a flavor of emerging partners in Mundri. We ate beans and rice, pasta and beef, cooked to goodness by one of the local women. David also shared theological conversations under the mango tree.
Acacia made me promise to spread the word that their dog Chai is the sweetest puppy in the whole world and becoming better behaved every day.
Those are the highlights; come and see for yourself!