A Woman in Kyoto
Oil on Canvas

The office committee did a huge job of organizing the Independence anniversary celebrations for the office. A couple of kids groups did a bunch of traditional dances and then we had Juba Rock. High volume, that pushes the lousy quality speakers into overload is a must, and the singer does some sort of karaoke voice over type thing. The moves seem to be the key part, but not actually knowing who the original artist is I have no idea if it’s good or bad. They do actually sing, but the recording is so loud it’s almost impossible to know if the singing is for the timing of the dance routine, or the voice.

Grilled chicken dinner with a green veg thing that reminded me of boiled rocket and wine they bought especially for me. Late Harvest!!! The celebration cake was quite spectacular.

The drive back in Friday evening traffic was a tad stressful. Lots of dark people, shadows flicking through the headlights from every direction. Motorcycles and taxis made me feel like I was in a pinball machine and then there were the trucks full of soldiers driving down the centre of the road celebrating.
As the thunderstorm moved across Juba 3, it left behind a zillion frogs doing the Juba rock version of Paul McCartney’s, Rupert and the frog song.

An unusual bit of craziness, dealing with a Nile crocodile that decided the flooding river was less appealing than our construction camp (About a Km from the river). The workers less than thrilled with the visitor. The issue: are they protected and how does this comply with our environmental plan?

Huge fight with my painting of a young girl from the traditional dancers, celebrating the anniversary of the Independence of South Sudan. Out of sorts, and certainly not the vibrancy and vitality I was searching for. I did manage to finish signing the gazillion pages of contracts while watching the mountain stages of the Tour.
Not my best drive across town, with security points at most of the intersections. There is a decided feeling of edginess at the moment. In Upper Nile there are reports of Rebel Groups moving down from Sudan and in Unity the Governor has been replaced. There are also reports that the two ethnic groups in Jongelei are heading for another major confrontation. The one last year killed hundreds of people, and although it doesn’t pose any risk for my staff, it’s still a concern.

The Anniversary celebrations passed peacefully, with the only drama caused by my slipping on the wet bathroom floor and bruising my bum. Really stupid and I’m lucky I didn’t do any serious damage.

Finished a painting of a woman in her kimono on the streets of Kyoto.