And so it begins...

Five years of mental planning, 13 months of vague chat, 4 weeks of intense organisation and 5 hours of desperate packing and here we are, Nairobi, Kenya. Sitting in a backpackers hostel, listening to reggae music, tipping back a cold Tusker lager and trying to sort the blog. We have a room full of 110kg of supplies- largely consisting of medical text books for the hospital- and an 80kg limit on our next flight. Smashing. Any way you look at it though, the fact is we are back on African soil and that rocks.
So how has this come about? After securing the time away from work in January 2010 it was time to find an agency to work for. The easy bit one might think. Two doctors giving their time for free for a year- there isn't a hospital in England that wouldn't take that on. However, for one reason or another many of the big names (Medair, MSF, Merlin, VSO,) didn't want\need us or didn't fit fit our set up as a couple wanting to work for under a year. It was at my annual assessment that a cardiologist dropped in the name of the St. Mary's Juba Link. A small charity based on the Isle of Wight who had close links with Juba Hospital. We contacted them and in no time the wheel was set in motion- we were going to South Sudan.
South Sudan is currently part of Sudan but with it's own government since 2005 after a peace deal brokered to end years of civil war with the north. Their referendum on the 9th January 2011 saw a huge turn out, in a largely peacefull vote and the decision was made overwhelmingly to succede from the north. This will mean on the 9th July 2011 South Sudan will become the world's newest country.
So that brings us back to the here and now. The reggae has finished and an acoustic set is on the speakers. How long until Jack Johnson begins? Tomorrow we head to the South Sudan Mission here to sort out entry permits. Hopefully. Though if they are in any way as friendly as the team in the London based Mission it should be fine. The flight is booked for Wednesday and then the adventure truly begins. Tonight we should again be lulled to sleep to the distant sounds of, no not crickets chirping or a lions roar, but the sulty beats of the disco next door playing African electric guitar. It's good to be back.