Last Blog from Sudan

Hey all,

 

Well it's been a little while since I wrote, lets see, what's been happening…

 

Well I went to the hospital to visit one of our mama's the other week. She was looking after her sister in-law who just gave birth, but unfortunately the baby died and the mum had to have a major operation.

In the same ward was a 2 day old baby. His 16 year old mother died giving birth. The grandmother was there but as they don't have any money they were just giving the baby water. So I prayed over the baby, and then the grandmother asked me to name him. I called him Davidi, then, I went down town and purchased some formula. 30 pounds for one tin, which will last one week! How are people supposed to afford that! It's crazy. Who knows, if I hadn't gone that day… would the baby just have died a few days later from starvation? Yes, most likely. It happens all the time. Poverty is a killer in many ways. Thankfully though the baby is now on our milk program and I hope being well looked after.

 

 

I've been thinking lately how ironic it is how some things just grow on you. Driving the motorbike the other day I drove past a truck filled with armed soldiers. Their legs hanging of the sides of the flatdeck, AK's or klashnikovs in hand… Didn't think twice, just drove past. Then it struck me just how unnatural that is but how natural it has become.

Sights like that I get used to. Soldiers walking down the street, big gun in hand, is no longer a threat. I now know not to go into town after 4pm as some of them are drunk by then… and you know drink and guns don't mix that well.

 

Other things just grow in annoyance… like the endless calls of Kawaja Kawaja (white person, white person) or the constant asking of things. Well actually I don't know if I would call it asking, it's more like demanding. Goes something like this:

I'll be driving down the road on the motorbike, or in the car and suddenly I hear "Kawaja, give me biscuit" , "Kawaja, give me dollar". Or I stop in town and some old lady comes up to me and says "Give me 1 pound"

I'm sure it's our own fault though. White man have come in to help (when there not trying to take over that is) and we have created a hand out mentality. People have almost become dependant on foreign aid workers. It's not good, but it's hard to see a way around it when there is also such genuine need and if these organisations didn't come in half the population would probably die of a lack of clean water, sanitation or through starvation. I've had this debate a many a time, are NGO's/Aid groups doing more damage than good? Is there a better way to do things? How can we empower the local people to do it themselves? But, even if they could, how would they get the money? And can they be trusted with the money?

It's hard when you see a population so torn by war that craves peace, but yet sits around so much and just waits for someone else to do the work. Everyday I look outside and watch the builders. It only really takes 3 to build a house, but it takes 10 to stand around and offer encouragement. I think in an 8 hour day each person probably only works 2-3hrs. I mean yes, its hot, and they don't get paid that much, but they certainly get paid a lot better than most, and their use the heat, right?

 

Life is definitely all about relationships here. I mean it doesn't matter how late our driver arrives at compound, to take the car, to pick up the staff in the morning. He will still stop and greet all the mamas first. It may mean school doesn't start on time, as he didn't get the teachers here on time, but what is important is that he acknowledges people. I need to learn a lot more in this area, I'm often too consumed with the project and forget the greeting. A lot of respect can be lost this way.

 

So about 2 weeks ago I moved into my own house. (house sitting) It is so nice : ) There is running, hot water and a flush toilet and electricity!!!

I then invited some of our girls around for the day, I wanted to spoil them. Firstly I had to go into town, to market to buy baking ingredients. In town I was hassled by a crazy man who finds me every time! I had to shove him out the way in the market and everyone laughed. I just wanted to run and cry, boy was I angry… But the day with the girls went well. It was chaotic. They made beaded jewellery and baked cakes, while I cooked them a pasta lunch. Then they watched a DVD while I made roast chicken for dinner. I think they felt very spoilt and enjoyed it a lot. I wanted to honour them, they do so much around the base.

 

Now with all this said though, I have decided my time in Sudan has come to a close. I have been thinking about this for a long time and have decided I'm really not cut out for long term mission work.

I will be leaving Yei on the 26^th May and flying to Switzerland, where I plan on catching up with a few old friends. Then I will be heading into Eastern Europe. Romania is another place that has always been on my heart. There are many orphans there too, which I hope to visit. My aim is to find organisations that need volunteer help. Whether it be long or short term. But my heart is really to bring people back out to these places on adventure based mission trips.

I'm travelling on a one way ticket and leaving all doors open, so I'm sure there will still be many adventurous tails to share with you in the up coming months. As far as returning to NZ, I'm not sure when that will be… I guess it depends on how long I can make my money last!

 

A huge thank-you to all who have supported me here in Sudan! I really feel I have been able to contribute in a good way to the Iris base here, and I'm going to miss my Sudanese family in a big way. But one must move where the wind takes them. I would still appreciate your prayers as I begin the next chapter and hope we all can keep in touch.

 

Love to you all

 

Amy

Kenya Holiday

Wow, I mean… Wow. I have just had such a nice holiday! Feel very rested and relaxed which is a nice change to the incredible frustration and stress I was feeling before I left. All those things we take for granted in daily life were such a luxury this holiday. Running water, hot showers, electricity, fresh fruit and vegetables, tarmac roads, supermarkets… It was wonderful!
So the trip started out with a flight to Loki, a small town on the boarder of Kenya and Sudan. Loki used to be the main hub for NGO’s working in Sudan before it was safe to actually live on the ‘field’. I get the feeling the locals feel a bit ripped off though, all this action going in and out of their area, but not much opportunity for them in all of it. Let’s just say they weren’t the friendliest people, but they did still dress in the traditional clothes. That was cool to see. The women wear HUGE bead necklaces that represent their dowry. The more beads, the more they are worth. And there is some significance in the colours too. ie red for cows, green for camels or such like. We didn’t quite get the full meaning of it all. But it is amazing to see people groups still living so traditionally.
I tell you what!, the old testament has never made so much sense since coming here. It actually still feels like it is relevant and when reading it from different cultural standpoints it takes on a completely different meaning. It’s pretty cool.


Anyway, after a night in Loki we flew to Nairobi and went to a really cool Moroccan bar. The décor was amazing and made me realise how much I love beautiful things : ) It was fun. The next day we were picked up and drove to the MAASI MARA for SAFARI! I have wanted to do a safari for so… long… and it was FANTASTIC.
We arrived in the afternoon and went straight into the park for a few hours drive. We saw Thompson gazelle, wildebeest, elephants, giraffes, lions, zebra, buffalo, the back of a rhino and a cheetah! Amazing coming so close to all those animals. They are truly majestic.
Over the next few days we continued to see great activity from all the animals. The cutest were the lion cubs playing in the grass and tackling their mother. So cute!
And the baby elephants were gorgeous. We also got to see a Lion with his fresh kill and after 3 days of searching found the black rhino out in the open. He was so hard to find! But the searching paid off. Even though he was shy and ran as soon as we caught up to him, we still got a pretty good look. I was stoked! The only one of the big five we missed seeing was the leopard… but we did see the cheetah and he was cool.



We also paid a visit to a Maasi Village. The Maasi are a very proud and strong tribe. The pride of Kenya. The have this great dance they do where they see who can jump the highest. Whoever does, doesn’t have to pay so much dowary when it comes to marriage. So I am sure they practice hard! They get impressively high.
Their living conditions are debatable though. Since animals are their currency they take great care looking after them. At night when the cows and sheep aren’t grazing they are put in a big pen smack in the middle of the village. Then houses made with the cow dung, surround the pen… but in the houses are two rooms for the baby animals, lambs and calves being kept separate. Then attached to that is the living area for the family. Pretty unhygienic if you ask me. The houses are also pitch black and smoky. They used to not have even a window to let the smoke out, as they didn’t want the enemy knowing where they were (they preferred to look like a big elephant) and the smoke kept the mosquitoes away. Can you imagine though, living in a dark house, filled with smoke and smelling like animal dung. Also when the child has reached the age of 9 he or she goes to sleep at the grandparents’ house. They will still eat with the parents but sleep separate. Something to do with coming into independence. The boys are also circumcised and are not allowed to cry and then they have to go live in the wilderness for 3 years and in a group with other boys, have to kill a lion (no guns) to become a man. Then they spend the rest of their lives sitting under trees and wandering the landscape with their livestock, fighting off the occasional lion attack on their cattle. They may have several wives, each costing about 10 cows.
Interesting isn’t it!




So after a great cultural experience we headed to Lake Navasha and stayed in a great campsite on the lakes edge. Around the lake perimeter is an electric fence to keep the hippos out. I saw hippos at the Maasi Mara and they freaked me out. They have the ugliest growl and can run 50km per hr on land. They are also huge! And I wasn’t in favour or meeting one face to face. Apparently hippos are responsible for the most deaths by wildlife in South Africa. They are a very vicious animals and I don’t think they liked us being there!


Anyway that night Nick shouted us to a 4 course dinner at the local restaurant and I had fresh fish for the first time in 3 months. YUM. Unfortunately it repeated on me the next day when after being caught in a downpour riding back from town I got a spout of chronic vomiting and such. Nice! Ironically it was just after having been to hell and back. Quite literally. In the morning Bec’s and I hired bicycles and rode to Hells gate. The road was certainly hell, so… bumpy and I did not like getting that close to buffalo. They are flippen huge, and stare at you as you ride past. My heart rate was up and it wasn’t from ridding. There were also lots of warthogs with huge tusks. Thankfully they were scared of us, but I tell you, I wouldn’t want t be chased by one of those either. Then we went down some canyons to the devils bedroom and shower where there are these cool natural hot-springs or hotspots. (They weren’t very big) It was nice… until our Maasi guide told us they sometimes see cheetahs around here. Great!

The next day we headed to Mobassa on the overnight train. Anyone seen the movie, ‘ghost in the darkness’? Well this was the track. In Tsavo a man working on the railway was attacked by a lion and eaten! Beautiful!

Mobassa was pretty cool, well Old Mobassa was. There were some great old buildings that made me feel like I was in Europe. We meet some really cool artists there that were exploring their creative talent. I was so encouraged by these two. So nice to see someone finally thinking outside the square and not just trying to do what everyone else is already doing. We spent a good hour with them before hitting the local cuisine, which was delicious, washed down with a date shake and an avocado juice. Then we caught a matatu (a very cheap form of transport which is incredible overcrowded and often has blaringly load music – but cheap) to the beach! Yeah. We had a nice room a stones throw from the beach and there were many beautiful Kenyan women around… which we found out were prostitutes. Great place!
So the next day we got another matatu to turtle bay. It was rather funny arriving to the gate of the resort in a matatu and us walking in all sweaty, with backpacks in hand, into a really flash foyer,.hehe. The resort was amazing through. All-inclusive! Woo Hoo! We all got our own room, with air-conditioning, an en-suite and a huge king size bed. Oh, it was SO NICE! Then there was a really nice swimming pool, incredible restaurant, an amazing white sandy beech with beach chairs and coconut trees and waiters that come around all day offering you cocktails and snacks. Bliss! I thought I was experiencing a slice of heaven. I also really really enjoyed the solitude. For one day I just pretty much stayed in my room. Just me and God. It was so refreshing and so nice to have private space. Oh how I miss having my own space!





So after 5 days of bliss at the beach we flew back to Nairobi where I found out I couldn’t get the flight back to Yei. Was I worried? NO! more holiday coming my way! I decided it was too expensive to buy a flight home so I decided to spend an extra few days in Nairobi and do some shopping… the supermarket was the most fun… then get a bus back to Sudan, through Uganda. That way I get to see another country in the process : ) So I booked the bus and then just happened to bump into a friend at the mall who lives in Kampala, Nairobi. The very city I was going to the next day and we were on the same bus! Fancy that. So that was my Kampala accommodation sorted J They were great to me and I really enjoyed two nights with her and her friends. They also took me shopping and I was able to get some great gifts for my girls back in Sudan. Then I jumped onto another bus and headed to Gulu. The home to the LRA some years back. If you have seen the movie Invisible children this is where it is filmed. I’ve come here to check out the work they are doing with the ex child soldiers and am staying at a home for girls who have been rescued from IDP camps (Internally displaced people ) Some of them were child soldiers, LRA brides or girls that have been raped and abandoned. They were awesome girls and were all attending vocational training to learn skills for the workforce. All the girls had children and were just beautiful!
I then jumped on a bus to Arua, which actually dropped us off near the nile and I had to wait for another bus. That one took too long though, so me and a local lady caught a ride in a car/taxi. She then showed me around the hotels in Arua AND payed for the taxi. Supper nice! I like the Ugandan’s. They don’t just constantly ask for things, quite nice.
Uganda is a beautiful country. So green and so much land! But I can easily see how the LRA stays so hidden in the bush, it goes for MILES!
Anyway, now I am back safe and sound in Sudan. It is so nice to be home with my family. I feel a lot more confident about things. I think travelling alone for a while really helped with that, and I have a lot of peace about staying on. I feel inspired and hopefully that feeling stays : )
So I love you all, hope you are all well. Love getting your emails, keep keeping me informed!