day 20 :: least/most

What I miss least about South Sudan is not the snakes, the monotonous food, or the heat. What I miss least is the need to shake out my shoes before I put them on, just in case there is a spider or scorpion inside. I smile a little, inside and out, every time I put on my shoes here without checking inside first.

What I miss most about South Sudan, other than people, is the outdoor shower. Only once was the air too cold to take an outdoor shower comfortably. (I only took a shower that night because my hair-washing schedule depended on it, and I very deeply regretted not putting it off. My teeth were chattering.) Every other time, the water was refreshingly cool in the morning or comfortingly warm in the evening, after the sun had warmed it in its barrel on a platform. I loved showering looking up at the blue sky, looking up at the stars. You can’t bottle or buy that kind of joy.

The outside of the shower (water is stored in that reddish barrel until it comes cascading on my head):

The inside of the shower. It's not much to look at, but it's delightful. Except for the time when one of its iron sheets cut my hand viciously. That wasn't delightful, but I had antibacterial ointment, so it turned out okay in the end.