I climbed a little mountain and a few kids tagged along. When we got to the top they told me they were going to visit their grandparents. I asked what they were talking about and they pointed behind me. I looked over and there was this crazy little village on top of the mountain. The closest houses are destroyed but if you towards the back you can see the places people still live.
4.27.2007
I climbed a little mountain and a few kids tagged along. When we got to the top they told me they were going to visit their grandparents. I asked what they were talking about and they pointed behind me. I looked over and there was this crazy little village on top of the mountain. The closest houses are destroyed but if you towards the back you can see the places people still live.
"I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position."
- Mark Twain
Lot I'd like to write at the moment, cause it's been a frustrating day. But I'll try and organize my thoughts, into a readable form.
The good: Went out to visit some churches the other day, and the first day out was amazing. We drove to a place called Kaya, that is essentially the point where Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo come together. We had a truck drive us there, and then we unloaded our motorcycles, one for me and one for my translator John. We drove up a hill to a church we had to visit. I looked up and for the first time in this country, I was generally struck by how beautiful the place was. The hill was looking down on the town and across a river into Uganda, and the landscape was green and hilly and flowering. I genuinely felt happy just to be there and see it.
The first pastor we talked with that day was the Sudanese version of Brando in the Godfather. It was hilarious. We got our work done and went into town to find some food. We found one little restaurant that still had food at that time. It consisted of three unmatched tables and a motley collection of chairs. It was lit by two oil lamps, one in the front eating area, and one in the back kitchen area. We ate fish, rice and some less desirable items, and drank warm cokes. As we drove back to the church we were going to sleep at, we passed by the one hotel in town, and noticed people gathering. We stopped and managed to watch the entire Manchester United/AC Milan Champion's League Match. There were well over 100 people watching on a 21 inch screen. Someone from one of the churches somehow cleared out a spot up front and I had one of the top 10 seats in the house. Beautiful game, though ManU snuck a win. We left there at midnight. Great day.
The Bad: Woke up the next morning, got on the motorbike. I was still a little sleepy, when I noticed a bump in the road. I reacted and grabbed the hand-brake. This is a bad thing to do. The wheel shot out and I skidded along in the dirt on my side. Praise God I was wearing pants, and I got up with only a few scrapes on my legs and palms, and a bloody ankle. The cheap Chinese bike still worked, though the left side of the bike was bent inward. We continued on our way. A few miles later, John's bike got a flat. He pushed it for a while, and then I sent him ahead on my bike to find the people we needed to talk with. So after a mile and a half or so of pushing the motorbike, I arrived at a church and met with all the church leaders soaked in sweat and covered in orange dust. While we met with the church we had someone fix the motorbike. We left that town and headed towards our next destination. About 3 or 4 miles out, the same tire blew again. Sent John ahead on the good motorbike, pushed the bad one for about 2 miles. Showed up at another church soaked in sweat and dust-covered.
The Ugly: After the tire blew the second time I called into our compound a couple hours away. Found out our guy who had been in jail was finally released... and another guy had been in an accident. He came around a corner, and a motorcycle was flying towards him while driving in the wrong lane. The motorcycle hit and the guys flew off with a bunch of broken bones between them. Fortunately our guy got them to the hospital and they admitted their own fault. We'll still have to pay a lot of money, because the legal system is designed to bilk money out of whoever has it, but at least no one is in jail. As of now we have both guys that were in accidents stuck on house arrest, meaning they can't leave the compound and thus can't do their work.
Anyhow that is the story of Sudan. Great experiences, frustrating experiences and horrible driving experiences.
Concerning my job: I still haven't made up my mind about whether I like the project I work on or not. I have figured out that I'm not an important part of it. I honestly don't think it makes sense to hire someone for my position, especially in light of how they have now handicapped me from effectively getting information to donors, which is what my job is really meant for. Really frustrated based on some conversations I've had today. But I still like being in Sudan, and they pay me. So all in all I guess life is still pretty good.
Lot I'd like to write at the moment, cause it's been a frustrating day. But I'll try and organize my thoughts, into a readable form.
The good: Went out to visit some churches the other day, and the first day out was amazing. We drove to a place called Kaya, that is essentially the point where Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo come together. We had a truck drive us there, and then we unloaded our motorcycles, one for me and one for my translator John. We drove up a hill to a church we had to visit. I looked up and for the first time in this country, I was generally struck by how beautiful the place was. The hill was looking down on the town and across a river into Uganda, and the landscape was green and hilly and flowering. I genuinely felt happy just to be there and see it.
The first pastor we talked with that day was the Sudanese version of Brando in the Godfather. It was hilarious. We got our work done and went into town to find some food. We found one little restaurant that still had food at that time. It consisted of three unmatched tables and a motley collection of chairs. It was lit by two oil lamps, one in the front eating area, and one in the back kitchen area. We ate fish, rice and some less desirable items, and drank warm cokes. As we drove back to the church we were going to sleep at, we passed by the one hotel in town, and noticed people gathering. We stopped and managed to watch the entire Manchester United/AC Milan Champion's League Match. There were well over 100 people watching on a 21 inch screen. Someone from one of the churches somehow cleared out a spot up front and I had one of the top 10 seats in the house. Beautiful game, though ManU snuck a win. We left there at midnight. Great day.
The Bad: Woke up the next morning, got on the motorbike. I was still a little sleepy, when I noticed a bump in the road. I reacted and grabbed the hand-brake. This is a bad thing to do. The wheel shot out and I skidded along in the dirt on my side. Praise God I was wearing pants, and I got up with only a few scrapes on my legs and palms, and a bloody ankle. The cheap Chinese bike still worked, though the left side of the bike was bent inward. We continued on our way. A few miles later, John's bike got a flat. He pushed it for a while, and then I sent him ahead on my bike to find the people we needed to talk with. So after a mile and a half or so of pushing the motorbike, I arrived at a church and met with all the church leaders soaked in sweat and covered in orange dust. While we met with the church we had someone fix the motorbike. We left that town and headed towards our next destination. About 3 or 4 miles out, the same tire blew again. Sent John ahead on the good motorbike, pushed the bad one for about 2 miles. Showed up at another church soaked in sweat and dust-covered.
The Ugly: After the tire blew the second time I called into our compound a couple hours away. Found out our guy who had been in jail was finally released... and another guy had been in an accident. He came around a corner, and a motorcycle was flying towards him while driving in the wrong lane. The motorcycle hit and the guys flew off with a bunch of broken bones between them. Fortunately our guy got them to the hospital and they admitted their own fault. We'll still have to pay a lot of money, because the legal system is designed to bilk money out of whoever has it, but at least no one is in jail. As of now we have both guys that were in accidents stuck on house arrest, meaning they can't leave the compound and thus can't do their work.
Anyhow that is the story of Sudan. Great experiences, frustrating experiences and horrible driving experiences.
Concerning my job: I still haven't made up my mind about whether I like the project I work on or not. I have figured out that I'm not an important part of it. I honestly don't think it makes sense to hire someone for my position, especially in light of how they have now handicapped me from effectively getting information to donors, which is what my job is really meant for. Really frustrated based on some conversations I've had today. But I still like being in Sudan, and they pay me. So all in all I guess life is still pretty good.
4.22.2007
"We are in power. Nobody will deny it. By virtue of that power we shall remain in power."
Jack London in The Iron Heel.
So one of our guys, a Kenyan named Oliver, rolled a land cruiser yesterday. He was giving a lady and her baby a ride and the lady smacked her head real bad. She went to the hospital and he went to jail. She'll be fine, we'll just have to pay her some money and probably pay the courts.
Ridiculous things relating to this situation.
1) Jeff Mills came upon the accident in a different Samaritan's Purse truck right away. Some military guys were there. They had loaded up their own truck to take the lady to the hospital, but when they saw the SP truck they basically threatened Mills with their guns and made him get out of the truck so they could drive our truck to the hospital instead of theirs. When they brought the truck back later that day, they made Mills pay them money or else they were going to arrest him.
2) The guy in charge of the jail said we could get Oliver out at 9pm last night... so long as we brought him back by 5:30 in the morning.
3) The traffic police said we could get Oliver out at 8am this morning. Of course they hadn't slept off the alcohol by that time, and when they did show up some time later, they said they didn't want to work on Sundays. By work they meant sign the two papers neccesary to have him released. So he spends another night in jail.
4) They don't feed people in jail. Friends and family have to take food every day.
So one of our guys, a Kenyan named Oliver, rolled a land cruiser yesterday. He was giving a lady and her baby a ride and the lady smacked her head real bad. She went to the hospital and he went to jail. She'll be fine, we'll just have to pay her some money and probably pay the courts.
Ridiculous things relating to this situation.
1) Jeff Mills came upon the accident in a different Samaritan's Purse truck right away. Some military guys were there. They had loaded up their own truck to take the lady to the hospital, but when they saw the SP truck they basically threatened Mills with their guns and made him get out of the truck so they could drive our truck to the hospital instead of theirs. When they brought the truck back later that day, they made Mills pay them money or else they were going to arrest him.
2) The guy in charge of the jail said we could get Oliver out at 9pm last night... so long as we brought him back by 5:30 in the morning.
3) The traffic police said we could get Oliver out at 8am this morning. Of course they hadn't slept off the alcohol by that time, and when they did show up some time later, they said they didn't want to work on Sundays. By work they meant sign the two papers neccesary to have him released. So he spends another night in jail.
4) They don't feed people in jail. Friends and family have to take food every day.
4.18.2007
the computer won again and I started a blog...
I guess if I have a blog I can rant for a long time about things, without feeling like I'm cluttering people's emails. I still appreciate your emails though and would like to get updates on people's lives.
First blog entry... I eat poorly, I sleep weird hours, I rarely shower, I've shampooed once in the last 8 weeks... yup, pretty much the same life I've had since the beginning of college.
I've been flown to the south of Sudan to a place called Yei. I'm writing for Samaritan's Purse, specifically for their church reconstruction program. We are supposed to rebuild every church destroyed during Sudan's 20 year civil war. My job is to write reports on churches so that we know the history and present status of the churches we are working with.
I was in a place called the Nuba Mountains in the middle of Sudan. It started out rough, but I pretty much love it now. But I'm now in the south because we need some specific church reports to make some donors happy. I guess I don't really like my job at the moment, but I love what it allows me to do.
Things I love about life right now:
1) I'm in Africa
2) I drive fun vehicles like 4-wheelers and 1978 Land Rovers on ridiculous roads
3) My coworkers with SP
4) The fact that every time I get a good meal or a coke I appreciate it about 20 times more than I used to
Things I don't really love:
1) Working with a translator. At least once a day I want to choke my translator, no matter who it is.
2) The fact that my dirty laundry disappears from my room and is never heard from again.
3) Sitting at a computer and typing reports. I think it takes me about three times as long as it should, because at best I can only focus for a half an hour at a time.
I guess that's just a partial list, but it'll do.
Further notes about the '78 Rover. Jeff Mills (my buddy who I now get to hang out with because he is working in the spot I was just transferred to) informed me that in the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy" a similar vehicle is dubbed the antichrist. Seems pretty accurate. After I'd driven the car for a week and a half the ignition went out and we had to start the car by having one person touch a metal rod to a couple of screws under the hood, while a second person pumped the gas. The car wasn't capable of idling, so this had to be repeated many times every day.
I did become quite attached to the car though, and was very upset to learn that while I was in a different area someone else had ruined it. Apparently he wasn't aware that you need to check the dipstick regularly when a car has a known oil leak. So the antichrist is no more. RIP.
First blog entry... I eat poorly, I sleep weird hours, I rarely shower, I've shampooed once in the last 8 weeks... yup, pretty much the same life I've had since the beginning of college.
I've been flown to the south of Sudan to a place called Yei. I'm writing for Samaritan's Purse, specifically for their church reconstruction program. We are supposed to rebuild every church destroyed during Sudan's 20 year civil war. My job is to write reports on churches so that we know the history and present status of the churches we are working with.
I was in a place called the Nuba Mountains in the middle of Sudan. It started out rough, but I pretty much love it now. But I'm now in the south because we need some specific church reports to make some donors happy. I guess I don't really like my job at the moment, but I love what it allows me to do.
Things I love about life right now:
1) I'm in Africa
2) I drive fun vehicles like 4-wheelers and 1978 Land Rovers on ridiculous roads
3) My coworkers with SP
4) The fact that every time I get a good meal or a coke I appreciate it about 20 times more than I used to
Things I don't really love:
1) Working with a translator. At least once a day I want to choke my translator, no matter who it is.
2) The fact that my dirty laundry disappears from my room and is never heard from again.
3) Sitting at a computer and typing reports. I think it takes me about three times as long as it should, because at best I can only focus for a half an hour at a time.
I guess that's just a partial list, but it'll do.
Further notes about the '78 Rover. Jeff Mills (my buddy who I now get to hang out with because he is working in the spot I was just transferred to) informed me that in the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy" a similar vehicle is dubbed the antichrist. Seems pretty accurate. After I'd driven the car for a week and a half the ignition went out and we had to start the car by having one person touch a metal rod to a couple of screws under the hood, while a second person pumped the gas. The car wasn't capable of idling, so this had to be repeated many times every day.
I did become quite attached to the car though, and was very upset to learn that while I was in a different area someone else had ruined it. Apparently he wasn't aware that you need to check the dipstick regularly when a car has a known oil leak. So the antichrist is no more. RIP.
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