this one time, in sudan...

Last night's Lunar Eclipse

2007-03-04T10:49:00.000+03:00

Over the moon!

I watched the lunar eclipse last night. It’s not really something that I would typically do, but one of the amazing things about Sudan is how clear the skies are and how dazzling the stars are. I wasn’t able to get a decent picture of the darkened reddened moon, but the view here was pretty astounding. Just another exciting Juba Saturday!

Haven’t been able to post anything as of late, partly due to the fact that I’ve been crazy busy trying to tie up some loose ends with regard to my assignment and partly because there isn’t a whole lot going on. Tentatively, I’m slated to leave Sudan on April 14^th (where does the time go?), three days in Nairobi, two or three days in London, and then to New York!

My heart skips a beat at the thought of being able to hit Mangia, Whole Foods and Duane Reade!

Have a nice weekend.

KRM

My pet chickens!

2007-01-28T14:48:00.000+03:00

This morning I got up and there were chickens running around the camp. They mysteriously disappeared during the course of the day (come think of it, we did have barbeque chicken for lunch!), but if they are back tomorrow, I will proceed to name them. LOL!

KRM

View from my new home

2007-01-28T14:40:00.000+03:00

It's not as scary as it looks.. I really like the location of my room as I have lovely wide open space, less traffic as it is in the corner of the camp and close to the bathroom and showers!

On the move again!

2007-01-26T11:02:00.000+03:00

With the increasing hot temperatures of the dry season in Juba, we decided to move compounds, giving up our tents for smaller but air-conditioned pre-fabricated units. Tomorrow's the big day and we are pretty excited, this week was HOT will get more sweltering as months progress. We'll miss the staff at our current compound, but it's only a short walk from our new place!
You can see a pretty decent Google Earth view of our new home on the camp website:
http://www.rainternationalservices.com/juba
This week was a complete juggling act between work, work and work.
Have a nice weekend, I know I will (AC!).

KRM

Three months left in Sudan

2007-01-20T11:40:00.000+03:00

It finally dawned on me this week, this is crunch time. My assignment in Sudan is complete at the end of April, which truth me told does not give me a lot of time to accomplish my deliverables. This week was work, work, work, with a little playtime thrown in for good measure. I have elected to skip my R&R in March in favor of going back to the US a week or two early. Tentative plans are to summer in NY with a week or two in Tampa, try to get in at least one trip to Beijing, and after that?? Will keep you posted. In the meantime, Juba's crazy busy and I'm just trying to keep up with the fast pace of city life!

KRM

One week in Juba

2007-01-15T10:03:00.000+03:00

My new home!

We arrived in Juba almost one week ago, but it already feels like we have been back for longer. I don't mean that in a negative way, but just surprised at how fast I got re-adjusted to the starkly different living conditions and environment. I just moved into a cooler tent about 30 minutes ago (Tent D4 to A1!), and although I can't tell the difference just yet, I'm sure that this afternoon I will! ;)
I am still working with the same Government of Southern Sudan entity that I was based at in Rumbek, so it's nice to see some familiar faces here as well. Forgive the short entry, but it's Monday morning and I have lots to do!

Have a great week :)
KRM

انا مرة في السودان! (I am back in Sudan)

2007-01-11T12:03:00.000+03:00

Quick note to say I got to Juba on Tuesday and it's been an interesting readjustment. It also happened to be Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) Day, so there were copious celebrations going on as well! Yesterday I started working and considering I left three months ago, it wasn't as difficult as I thought to get back into the swing of things. Perhaps the most challenging thing so far has been the heat.. I arrived in Sudan for the first time last February so it has almost been a year, but I forget how spoiled we were by the rainy season and the milder temperatures. Currently living in a very nice (but warm) tent. Will post pictures later.

BTW, Go Gators!

KRM

Happy New Year!

2007-01-04T11:44:00.000+03:00

Me at Franco's, an Ethiopian restaurant in the Kakuma Refugee Camp (YUM!)

I know it's been three months since my last update, which is roughly the time when I last left Sudan. As an executive summary, I've been living in Nairobi due to Sudanese visa issues which are now resolved. I am going back to Sudan next week Tuesday (so excited!) and moving to Juba, the capital in order to comply with programme directives. So what have I been up to since September? I've been a busy little bee! In short, went on R&R as scheduled in early October, encountered the first of our visa issues and partnered with the July MBAs to work on some projects focusing on micro-enterprise development and business support services in Southern Sudan. Visited a refugee camp in North Western Kenya to conduct an assessment in November/December (it was an amazing experience), and just got back from Milano yesterday where I spent a week eating/relaxing/shopping with Dirk. Promise I'll post some wildly interesting things upon my return to Sudan!

Again, Happy New Year! Hopes for peace and prosperity in Southern Sudan.

KRM

Pretty in Pink? (I don't think so!)

2006-09-26T20:54:00.000+03:00

Eeekkk! This is really really way PINKER than the pic!

Okay.. this morning I was thinking to myself, it's been a while since my bedsheets were changed, so I did what I normally do and stripped my bed of the duvet cover, duvet, pillowcases and fitted sheet (which is really a flat sheet tucked in supertight) and dumped them all on the floor of my room. When I got home for lunch, I think I might have literally shreiked! There was this HOT PINK monstrosity draped over what used to be my bed! First thing I thought of was what I maybe did to the housekeeping lady to make her want to exact this kind of revenge (it's tragic!).
I'll have to live with this for the next week, but I don't have to like it! Hopefully I'll be able to sleep :(
KRM

The Endless Possibilities of R&R

2006-09-21T21:40:00.000+03:00

For most UN and NGO workers in Southern Sudan, assignments are considered to be one of the more difficult missions. That said, R&R (rest and recuperation) is pretty key. For us, we get R&R after every ten weeks of being "in the field." So far, I have had getaways in April (Mombasa, Kenya), July (Shanghai, China) and now my October trip is looming. I've been a little prosaic about the destination, but leaning towards another trip to the Kenyan coastline. Other possibilities I considered were Tehran, Beirut and Zanzibar. I am beginning to daydream more and more about my next holiday (eating meals when you want is a pretty big plus). This time around, it appears I'll have some of my colleagues as companions, so it's pretty exciting. Have a pretty busy two weeks ahead, but looking forward to planning days of doing nothing! :)

KRM

Sunday Mass

2006-09-17T11:51:00.000+03:00

This morning I had one of my coolest Sudanese experiences to date. After discovering we were both Catholic, my friend Faustina and I decided to go to mass. It started at 8:30, and we were a few minutes late. The church (which is brightly painted on the outside and quite beautiful, the picture above doesn't begin to do it justice) was packed to capacity, and I mean PACKED. So we stood outside with others and just listened to the mass, occasionally getting a glimpse of the proceedings inside. I was not sure what to expect, and ended up being pretty amazed at how close it was to mass back home. This parish has an Italian priest, and he does the mass almost completely in English, with the exception of the homily, which was given in English and translated into Dinka. It was so nice to see people decked out in their Sunday best, some of the kids had suits on and looked adorable. There was also some really cool music - hymns in Swahili and Dinka, accompanied by drums, it was some real Sister Act action! All in all, mass was about an hour and a half. Next week we plan to go early to get some seats inside. My Mom would be so proud!

Tsingtao in Rumbek

2006-09-17T11:11:00.000+03:00

In case you're wondering, this is not September's delivery from the beer of the month club! My friend Zhu Wei Jie is a UN peacekeeper with the Chinese army in Wau, he's visiting Rumbek this week and I went to see him yesterday. He surprised me by bringing out some Tsingtao! I would have never expected to have Chinese beer in Sudan of all places, but Sudan continues to amaze me day after day. Considering there are about 350 Chinese UN peacekeepers in Wau (mostly doctors and engineers, Zhu is a neurosurgeon), it only makes sense they would bring their beer! 干杯 <-- Cheers in Chinese (Gan Bei!)

The Case of the Alcoholic Chimpanzee...

2006-09-17T10:56:00.000+03:00

I was walking by this compound yesterday and happened to see Nina the chimp playing in a tree. See if you can spot her. She's a celebrity in Rumbek, and very mischievous! A few months ago we went on a picnic and she was there.. Nina very craftily stole some beers and took them up in the tree with her! I personally think she might be ready for Rumbek AA. LOL! My name is Nina.. and I have a problem. Hi Nina!

Yet another haircut!

2006-09-05T15:07:00.000+03:00

A pic of my stylist and me on our way to Cueibet (THE BEFORE PICTURE)

Let me just say that it seems my haircuts tend to dominate the content of this blog! To be fair, there are lots of other things going on, but the haircut updates are just the easiest to write and publish a quick blurb about. Hope you don't mind. Anyway, yesterday we got home from work and I asked Alexandra to work her magic with the clippers and shave my head (just wanted yet another change). As always, she was happy to oblige and did a fantastic job. I should mention that Alexandra now has the monopoly on the haircuts at our camp, and I'll take credit for getting her modest little enterprise started. I hope she'll remember me when she's working for Frederic Fekkai in the Chanel building on E. 57th! Anyway, I'll already scheduled my next appointment.. complete baldness! LOL!

And a pic of me today!

2006-09-05T14:39:00.000+03:00

My new African haircut :)

2006-09-05T14:35:00.000+03:00

Here's a draft of the flyer that we assisted in creating for the opening of the new bar in our compound (see below) :)

Rumbek's newest watering hole

2006-09-05T14:18:00.000+03:00

Last Saturday saw the opening of Rumbek's newest bar, which happens to be in our compound. Unfortunately, I was in Juba so I missed the festivities, but I heard it was quite the scene and pretty packed. There was a special where the first 100 beers were free, so again I was disappointed for missing out! The bar was designed by fellow Palmtree resident and our neighbor George. The space is actually an open round structure that sports a second level (to be opened soon). It's SO nice to have other places to hang out :) Last night I went for drinks here, it was a really nice time. One word of advice.. watch out for falling beetles!

Our Sunday Field Trip to Cueibet

2006-08-21T17:56:00.000+03:00

My home for tomorrow night!

Yesterday we decided to take a drive out to a village called Cuieibet to see some colleagues who are on a short-term assignment teaching a course in Financial Accounting for county officials. To be honest, I feel like I hardly get out of this routine of bouncing between home and work, so it's always refreshing to see somewhere new. The drive to Cueibet took us about 1.5 hours each way, but the timing could change dramatically depending on the rains and the conditions of certain stretches of road. Some roads were smooth and lovely, while others felt like I would have to look for my kidney by the time it was over. We were briefly stuck in the mud a couple of times, but our driver Mustafa (as Alexandra puts it) is #1!
Anyway, we had a lovely visit with the volunteers and also got to see a little bit of their workshop. The conditions at the Save The Children Sweden compound are pretty basic, the accomodations being tukuls (see pic above). Tomorrow, I'll be leaving the sanctuary of my double wide trailer (I still don't know the difference between single and double!) to spend the night in Cueibet, and come back on Wednesday morning. I think it'll be one of my most authentic Sudanese experiences to date, as my only tukul to date was in Juba and it had running water in it. LOL! I'm sure I will have more to say about this later this week! Hope you are having a great week!

Saturday Morning

2006-08-19T09:36:00.000+03:00

I got up at 3.30 this morning, and decided to not go back to bed (to be honest I'd gotten about 5 hours sleep anyway and that should be enough). Having nothing to do besides surf the internet or play PSP, I realised how much we take the 24-hour CVS for granted. At least it's usually a vehicle to be somewhat productive in the early morning hours (or so I told myself whenever I was there). Currently daydreaming of an afternoon nap!
All in all it should be a relatively quiet weekend. Hoping to start taking my Chinese lessons (via book and iTunes) seriously!

Have a nice weekend ;-)

KRM

2006-08-16T15:47:00.000+03:00

MOOOOO!!!!!!

2006-08-10T01:30:00.000+03:00

Me post-haircut. Ta da!

2006-08-10T01:28:00.000+03:00

Spider the camp dog. He reminds me of Junior a bit. Spends about 50% of his day as pictured above :)

Mosquito Madness!

2006-08-10T01:07:00.000+03:00

My little fortress...

I've been on the menu for Rumbek mosquitoes lately. Not a day goes by that I manage to evade them. Now that the rainy season is in full swing, we've gotten quite used to the Rumbekian mosquitoes, this seemingly tenacious and fearless breed capable of barging into our rooms and biting us through our clothes! Anyway, I've taken the following steps to ensure my survival (and comfort):

Mosquito Net: I tuck myself in like a little burrito each and every nite. To be honest it's really cozy :) Sometimes, I take my PSP or laptop in with me in which case I wonder why I bother to get out of bed the following morning...
Spraying my room with insecticide (cough, cough)
Malarone (my antimalarial medication) Yummy Yummy!
OFF! with Deet

I was glad to learn that the frogs were eating up some of the mosquitoes the other night. All we need now are some nice big snakes to take care of the frogs :)

Weekend Update 6/8

2006-08-06T16:45:00.000+03:00

Okay.. sorry for the very sporadic posts recently, I'll make an effort to make a weekly post. The internet has not been available at our compound, if that sounds like an acceptable excuse... Otherwise, not a lot going on... Got back from Nairobi last Saturday (30/7) and been back in Sudan for about a week. This weekend was awfully quiet, there seem to be less people around at the various camps as many NGOs are relocating to Juba (ours is moving from Nairobi to Juba within the next couple of months). Of course that is fine with me, it'e no secret that I love me some peace and quiet ;)
Random thought: Can't believe it, but have been in Sudan for 6 months so far and all in all will say things are going swimmingly!
I had not had a haircut since March I think, so my hair was pretty long and I had Alexandra shave it off this week (pictures to follow). I really like the change as I don't even have to worry about having to gel it daily (not that I made a huge effort anyway).
Apologies for the string of incoherent babble.. promise to post pics and important insights later this week.
Have a great week
KRM

The Cheese Loser

2006-07-23T09:17:00.000+03:00

About two weeks ago, our compound began to offer real cheese as part of the daily breakfast and sometimes lunch menu. It was a really big deal for us, seeing that there is a severe lack of dairy products here (so I assume the cheese is coming from Nairobi). The cows in Rumbek don't produce milk, so the milk that we do have is that processed, powdered mess that I can't bring myself to consume just because I know it's not real.
Anyway, so I've been enjoying the cheese (to be honest, quite immensely). A couple of times last week, I think I might have overdone it on the cheese, but I don't care, it tastes SO good. This morning, I went out for breakfast and the FIRST thing I noticed on the buffet line was the absence of the cheese platter. A moment of panic set in. Why was there no cheese? I thought about retreating to my room, but went to get a glass of water so that I could think straight for a moment. I go to the cook at the front of the buffet line, and without words being exchanged, he starts to make my "usual," one egg, over easy. I grab a plate and start to pile on the extras, ham and a pastry thing. There's a empty space on my plate where cheese needs to be. I casually saunter over with my plate in hand and ask the cook in my most pleasant voice, "Excuse me, is there any CHHHEEEEESSE?" The cook yells something in Dinka to one of the waiters, who does not understand what he is asking. Cook points to me and says, "He wants the cheese!"
I picture later in the employee quarters, them talking about the freak who wanted the cheese this morning. Would it make it better if I told them that cheese was the singular reason that I actually dragged myself out of bed on a Sunday morning at 9 a.m. to go to breakfast? Hmm.. actually I'm not sure it that would help my case or not. Anyway, I got my cheese, all is right with the world again, and I'm a cheese loser.
Have a great week.

Shanghai Pictures

2006-07-16T10:18:00.000+03:00

Here's my pathetic excuse for pictures from my vacation. The vast majority were actually taken in my room at the St. Regis (was too lazy to take the camera with me) and even more sad, I don't have any pictures of me in Shanghai. Oh well... enjoy, and feel free to post feedback on my effort (or lack of).

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/booradleytpa/album?.dir=/add4re2&.src=ph&.tok=phhUIMFB6Zq.kSGt

2006-07-15T14:47:00.000+03:00

Alexandra.. hard at work.. OR.. hardly working?

2006-07-10T17:06:00.000+03:00

Took this at the Rumbek airport while waiting for our plane to Juba on 27/6. It was all very exciting.

Back in Rumbek!

2006-07-10T16:36:00.000+03:00

Bye Bye Shanghai :(

Just got back to Sudan today after a glorious week in Shanghai and relaxing weekend in Nairobi. The flight back to Kenya via Doha was a little tough as I got no sleep and so essentially was a walking zombie (plus the temperature at 9 a.m. in Qatar made me glad to live in Sudan). To be honest, it was very sad to leave China and I really hope to visit Beijing before the end of the year, but that means that I must diligently practice my Mandarin.
Anyone who knows me relatively well can probably testify that I don't partake in tourist-related activities, so am sad to say that I did not get a lot of pics of Shanghai. However, I will post what I do have on Yahoo! and put the link on my blog when ready.
Anyway, as I arrived in Rumbek there was a little bit of pandemonium, it turns out the President of Southern Sudan is here for three days and staying at out compound. Thought about taking over a gift basket, but could not decide if he would prefer Skittles or Twix... Also, it has been raining buckets in Rumbek.
More to come ;)

Shanghai: Day One

2006-07-03T19:13:00.000+03:00

My effort to photograph deliciousness

My first full day here was not very eventful I'm afraid. I woke up and realized that it was almost two in the afternoon (not a crisis since I am on vacation). I decided to venture out and walk around, found out that the subway is relatively easy to navigate, and forgot my camera (hence the Coke pic from my room service dinner). One thing, it's HOT.. high is 90's, and while that should be a walk in the park given my current situation, it's VERY humid here as well, so much so even the Chinese who live here stay indoors if they can. Tomorrow I will actually go to People's Square, but since I'm not exactly one for touristy stuff, I can't guarantee the outcome. The adventure continues :)

Ni hao! (that's hello)

2006-07-02T15:54:00.000+03:00

Just arrived in Shanghai late this afternoon. Was delayed by an hour out of Qatar (just some advice - the Doha airport is chaotic!) and then delayed two more hours clearing immigration in Shanghai, it was insane. Took the bullet train (the world's fastest) from the airport, and a cab from the metro station. Anyway, now I have access to TV and hot water, so in short it's heaven. And the city is great too. I walked around for just a little bit earlier tonight, grabbed some dinner (McDonald's as previously committed to), going to the gym later and collapsing into bed. Adventure will have to wait till tomorrow. Pictures to follow.

Zai Jian! (that's bye!)

KRM

Bye bye Rumbek!

2006-06-25T16:40:00.000+03:00

Sorry to not have posted anything in a while, but sad to say things have been rather uneventful in Rumbek lately.. World Cup fever has definitely taken over, so there have been loads of people glued to the one communal television. Oh! Also, a new bar has opened in our compound, it's themed to be a "Biker Bar" and has a pool table and paintings of motorcycles on the walls. Opening night there was a happy hour from 6-8 with half price on everything, so that was pretty big news.

Anyway, I digress. Will be leaving on Tuesday for Juba, then going from Juba to Nairobi on Friday (30th). More importantly.. as of this Friday, I will be on holiday! In honor of this momentous occasion, I have compiled a short list of things that I am sure to do when I hit the ground in Nairobi:

Have a delicious dinner (indian, my favourite).

Well, that's really it, because I'll only be in Nairobi for one day. I'm jetting to Shanghai via Doha the following evening. Spending roughly a week in China (I've already checked, there are about 750 McDonald's in China, and I've been craving Big Mac goodness since JANUARY) and then back to Kenya for some quality time at the Nairobi office.

Will update as often as I can.

Have a great week.

KRM

Happy Birthday Alexandra!

2006-06-18T13:59:00.000+03:00

Alexandra's cake from dinner last night

Last night we had a lovely dinner at Safari Style (camp next door) in honour of Alexandra's bday (which is today). The menu consisted of steak, potatoes, green beans, and cheesecake. Also, there was a special cake made for the occasion. Not a bad way to spend your special day in Rumbek. Happy 27th!

Cruisin in Rumbek

2006-06-02T17:11:00.000+03:00

Our Land Cruiser

If there was going to be an "official" vehicle for Southern Sudan, it would without a doubt be the Toyota LandCruiser. Used by government ministries, UN agencies, and NGOs like ours, the pervasiveness of this vehicle on the roads of towns like Rumbek is insane, you might just go all day without seeing another make or model of anything. Due to increasing activities for our organization, we just received another Land Cruiser in Rumbek on a temporary basis, so needless to say it's nice having access to two vehicles in an environment where transportation is key.

Rumbek Mosquito Factory

2006-06-02T17:06:00.000+03:00

Playground for Germs and Bacteria

I did manage to escape back to Rumbek on Tuesday last week, but to be honest have not had the time/motivation/energy to update this blog. It's been a pretty busy week. It's been raining a fair amount over the last few days, hence the huge hole in the ground filled with water pictured above. That is the site of the once planned swimming pool. The pool got the kibosh but the hole remains. Incidentally, someone crashed through the fence last week (would be to the left of the picture) and the Land Cruiser was left hanging in the hole, and came really close to falling all the way in. Anyway, in the meantime I can probably blame the increased mosquito count around here to it.

Stranded in Juba

2006-05-22T19:01:00.000+03:00

When I got up this morning I was in a relatively good mood.. the sun was shining, it was a beautiful day. Incidentally, it was also my last day in Juba as I was booked on a flight back to Rumbek on Tuesday. The way these UN flights work is you get a confirmed reservation, but you have to check a flight manifest the day before your flight in order to see what time the flight is. After having a relatively productive last day here, I stopped by the World Food Programme office to see what time my ride home was leaving. Yeah... so my name was not even on the list, meaning my "confirmed reservation" is pretty meaningless in the eyes of the crew and flight personnel. In a last ditch effort to get back to Rumbek, I will go to the airport at 7AM tomorrow in the hope of getting a standby spot. Hope is dim.. Of course, the truth is I would have been surprised if things did go off without any hitches.. I don't think I've had a UN flight yet that the reservation was not screwed up. To add insult to injury, the camp I am staying at is full tomorrow, so I get stranded tomorrow, I have to find somewhere to crash. Will this insanity end? Anyway, dinner calls, I'm off to stuff my face!

2006-05-19T17:34:00.000+03:00

My old tent

2006-05-19T17:33:00.000+03:00

My new accomodation (moved from the tent to a tukul). I LOVE RUNNING WATER!

2006-05-19T17:30:00.000+03:00

Coke Rules!

My exciting Friday afternoon in Juba

2006-05-19T16:48:00.000+03:00

O
My Juba panic room

Okay, I know that I have not updated my blog for about two weeks, it was part lack of motivation and part lack of material. But what better material to restart by entries than with a human interest story.. I am currently in Juba, which is the capital of Southern Sudan. Imagine a DC version of Rumbek, but with an Arabic twist. I got here yesterday, and am staying at a tent camp right on the Nile (will post some pics of my tent). I was running about this afternoon trying to get my passport stamped so that I can leave Juba next Tuesday (a PAINFUL process completely devoid of any logic). I returned to the camp at about 3:15, and decided to come to the reception office to check my email, etc. Surfed/chatted for about 30 mins, when we started to hear something like explosions going off. Someone joked, I laughed. The next bit gets kind of hazy, I was talking online with my friend Lauren about last night's episode of the O.C., there were voices shouting, then before you know it, I am sprinting to find myself in a ditch just on the side of the office. It was chaos. There were back to back blasts, coupled with what sounded like gunfire. We were told by the camp management to stay where we were, so we lingered for about 3 minutes. We climbed out of the ditch and resettled riverside. At this point there were about 60 or 70 Sudanese people who came into the compound for shelter, mostly consisting of women and children. The blasts continued for about 30 mins, every five or six minutes, the air was punctuated with what sounded like a falling bomb. Of course each time, everyone was face down on the floor. The Sudanese people were the most reactive, and it gave me chills to think they lived like this for over twenty years. I have to say I felt the same adrenaline as that time I almost witnessed my first New York stabbing on the subway.
Now the explanation (I should say alleged explanation): Apparently some sort of ammunition stash caught fire and the explostions were a result. Anyway, I am kind of covered in mud and I have one tiny bruise (from jumping in the ditch), but all in all I am okay! Going to take a shower; catch you later.

Pictures from Vacation in Kenya

2006-05-06T10:28:00.000+03:00

The beach in Watamu

The following are from our vacation on Easter Weekend on the Kenyan Coastline. Thanks to Alexandra for lending me her pics!

2006-05-06T10:22:00.000+03:00

Magdi and I at the Gede ruins

2006-05-06T10:20:00.000+03:00

Alexandra and I on our exciting Saturday night!

Book Talk

2006-05-06T09:33:00.000+03:00

I wonder what the NY Times Book Review would say?

If you're looking for some light-hearted Sunday afternoon reading material, may I suggest the above? I found this gem of a book while browsing a bookcase at work, and was a little shocked that 1. My place of work possessed a copy and 2. Somebody stole my idea for a book. Aptly titled "Worst of the Worst: The World's Most Repressive Societies," it is a compendium of facts, assessments and opinions on the state of society and standards of living in the countries above, of course taking into account a variety of economic, environmental and social indicators. On a serious note, it was an interesting report, and shed a lot of light on some conditions in countries that I was completely oblivious to. Anyway, I promised myself that I would use this blog as a forum for good, so can I please ask all of my friends to consider making a donation to help impact the lives of the less fortunate? There is a fantastic site called Universal Giving, you can make a donation online to any of 900 international charities with no commission fee involved. Thank you! Hope you had a good week.

Running in Rumbek

2006-04-29T15:11:00.000+03:00

These shoes only LOOK brand new

Okay, when I was in DC before leaving for Sudan, I got shamed into dumping an additional suitcase of excess clothing, shoes, my Powerbook, books, etc. So I literally UPS'd the whole suitcase back to Tampa. By mistake, I put my Puma running shoes in there instead of the Campers that I meant to send back. Naturally, I was just devastated when I got to Nairobi and noticed my blunder! My Mom was nice enough to ship my shoes to Kenya, although getting them here and through customs was a mini-odyssey. I think I'm digressing.. Anyway, my point was I was in desperate need of exercise, and was just chomping at the bit to be able to break a good sweat and relieve a little stress (Retraction: There is no stress in paradise).
Rumbek is not exactly accommodating to runners.. the trails are not very motivating, if not rather difficult given the unevenness of the landscape/roads. So that said, I ran once, was a little jaded with the experience, and decided to take a "break". Am happy to report I have been re-motivated to return to a regular routine due to some key recent developments:

The arrival of a gym at our compound (equipment is supposedly on order). Should be fantastic for the rainy season
Realization that I won't always be blessed with a high metabolism and conservative appetite
This is Rumbek - what else do I have to do?

I assure you my shoes are not as clean as pictured above, and am shooting for a regimen run of 3-4K five days a week, which is on par with my old routine in Fla minus the 100 degree plus temperature. Wish me luck, have a lovely weekend. :-)

Africa Malaria Day Celebration

2006-04-23T18:26:00.000+03:00

You can see people if you look really hard!

This morning Alexandra and I decided to venture down to the town square to soak in some of the celebrations that were going to be taking place in honor of Africa Malaria Day (which is actually on Tuesday). Our friend Irene works for a firm that promotes malaria awareness and was the sponsor of this celebration, so we showed up with bells on. Unfortunately, due to some circumstances beyond everyone's control (the death of a local commander, ironically from malaria), turnout was a little mild, and some of the participants were unable to attend. Sadly, the event has been postponed for a couple of weeks, but I certainly do look forward to going once it has been rescheduled. I also thought this incident very illustrative of the fickleness of life in Southern Sudan. That said, Happy Africa Malaria Day! :-)

Rainy Saturday

2006-04-23T18:10:00.000+03:00

The path outside my room

Yesterday we had some torrential downpour that was quite unexpected. I've always been quite terrible at predicting precipitation just by looking outside, and naturally we don't have the Weather Channel or anything. Anyway, I happened to be at AFEX with Magdi in the afternoon, expecting it to be sunny for the remainder of the day as it had already rained earlier. Well, it started to pour buckets out of the sky and we thought it was not really a big deal, we would just walk home in the rain via the airstrip. While walking down the runway, the rain was pelting down so hard, we ran under the wing of the nearest plane (it wasn't going anywhere) and remained there for an undetermined amount of time. As soon as it lightened up, we made a mad dash and waded through water back to our camp. Needless to say, I was soaked to the bone and wish I had gotten a raincoat in Nairobi.

Back to the Grind

2006-04-21T14:59:00.000+03:00

Okay. I got back to Sudan on Wednesday of this week, which puts my escape/vacation/break at about the two week mark. It was glorious. Days and nights were spent at the office in Nairobi, eating out at restaurants (the concept of eating what I want when I wanted was very strange), and otherwise vegging out at Magdi's house where I caught up on my TV and movie watching.

Seeing that last Friday and Monday were public holidays in Kenya (incidentally, Friday (today) was spontaneously announced as a public holiday earlier this week), we dashed to the Kenyan coastline to spend four days basking in the sun and doing resorty things. It was about a 8-9 hour ride by car from Nairobi to Malindi, a quaint, historic beach town that strangely reminded me of the Caribbean. Interestingly enough, the town (as well as the coast to some extent) has an overwhelming Italian influence: Italians own much of the hotels, restaurants, and the town is basically teeming with Italian tourists.

We balanced our days between laying out at the beach, dips in the pool, eating fantastic food, and taking gelato breaks. At night we ate, drank and even went once to one of the local nightclubs, which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I didn't really take my camera around with me, so I don't have any pics to post. Alexandra did snap a few though, so I will ask her for some and post a couple later this weekend.

It took about the better part of a day to get back into the swing of things here in Sudan, and I am happy to report I am back at work and things are going swimmingly. No real plans this weekend, but I'll post something for sure, as I have some making up to do. Have a great weekend.

Office Politics

2006-04-11T16:45:00.000+03:00

It's the President of Kenya

I noticed all the offices in Kenya have pictures of the President (his name is Mwai Kibaki) posted up regardless of whether they are government agencies or not. It turns out that this is manadatory for all places of business. The above picture is the one from our office (strange, because this one is propped up on someone's desk instead of being hung somewhere like say, the reception area. I am unsure of the stipulations). I commented on this practice to my friend Zachary (who is Kenyan) and he asked if we had the same requirement in the US. I said I know that a picture of the President is present is at least government agencies, but not in private enterprise. That said, no comment! :-)
Have a great week.

On vacation in Kenya...

2006-04-07T15:50:00.000+03:00

Our highly technical Bloody Mary apparatus

I was originally scheduled for vacation on the 20th of this month, but on Monday my boss asked me if I would mind coming out to Nairobi sooner. After careful consideration, I decided that 1. Unexpected vacations are now one of my favorite things and 2. Yes, I would go to Nairobi. On Wednesday, I jetted off from Rumbek International to Nairobi. The flight/trip to Kenya seemed like an odyessey, but it was certainly worth the hassle the minute the plane hit the asphalt tarmac and buildings with more than one storey were in sight. The surprising thing is I didn't realize how used I got to life in Sudan.. have choices (or something like being able to decide when you want to eat) is just one of those extra luxuries you get used to living without.
We've been working in the Nairobi office this week, but all of next week is strictly reserved for relaxation! Feels like vacation already though. I should mention that I have yet to see a Bloody Mary in Kenya or Sudan, so last night we decided to make some of our own. Got the basic ingredients.. vodka, tomato juice, salt, celery salt, Worcestershire sauce and tabasco (missed out on the pepper).. then realized we didn't have a pitcher, but applied some MBA ingenuity and used a water bottle to mix. The results were okay-- not the best Bloody Marys, but close enough to satisfy the craving. Anyway, may be out of touch over the next week, as we're trying to decided on if to spend time out of Nairobi, may go to the coastline in an effort to lose my embarrassing farmer's tan... Also want to give a "shout out" to my Tampa friends (miss you Jennifer!)
P.S. As a follow-up to the President's visit, turns out he left the day I left as well, so everything is completely back to normal. Soon enough, I will no longer be a refugee from my room!

Celebrity Sighting in Rumbek (no, it's not Angelina Jolie)

2006-04-03T14:34:00.000+03:00

SOS: Send more potato chips!

Let's see.. it's been a rather chaotic weekend.. First and foremost, the President of Southern Sudan arrived in Rumbek on Saturday and is staying at our compound, meaning that it is quite a madhouse and populated with his delegation and security detail... Living here I am used to seeing people walking around with their AK47s, but it can be a tad unnerving having a mass of armed soldiers a few rows down from your room. I would have posted a picture above to try to convey the madness of it all; but to be honest, I'm sure not if people are allowed to take pictures and I for one am not going to be the foreigner guinea pig. However, I will say that I am armed with my camera at all times just in case I happen to see the President walking towards me, in which case I will ask for a photograph so that I can be profiled in my alumni magazine (maybe accompanied by some caption that talks a little about how we had a "serious" discussion about economic policy in Southern Sudan... ) <-- Note to self: wear "smart" glasses for the rest of this week.
On Friday when I went home for lunch, I was asked to move rooms because the equivalent of the Sudanese Secret Service (believe me, they're not that secret) insisted that our rooms be available for occupancy, citing protection reasons and the sort. Right then and there, I had to pack all my belongings into my suitcases to be moved to another room far, far away. I felt like Sudan's newest IDP! (An IDP is an Internally Displaced Person.) A coworker then helped me to pack up Alexandra's room as well. Not sure who is now staying in my room, but a Minister is staying in Alexandra's and the regular "Presidential Suite" is a couple doors down from that.
I did my best to escape the pandemonium this weekend, spending most of my time at AFEX or in my room. Amazingly, the bar has not been crowded after 10 p.m.. go figure. The hotel has been booked for the whole week, but I get the sense the delegation may depart by tomorrow or Wednesday. Will update as soon as more information is received!

The Rainy Season and Creepy Crawlies

2006-03-30T14:10:00.000+03:00

You are looking at a very rare, very RED Sudanese spider

As you can tell from my previous posting, it's been quite wet here over the last few days. Yesterday after it rained I thought I would need a gondola just to leave my room (how fun would that be), but the water receded fairly quickly, leaving behind lots and lots of mud. I've retired my flip flops for the time being in favor of some more sensible shoes that I won't leave behind after lifting my foot off the ground. By this time next month, I will be celebrating Halloween earlier than expected as the Gorton's fisherman, boots and all! As refreshing as the rain is, it's a package deal that includes some quite disconcerting things, and I mean in the form of arachnids and reptiles.

With water flooding their hiding places, the snakes come out to find somewhere dry to hang out. Yesterday they found three snakes on the compound, and we saw one at dinner the night before. Fear factor: 7/10
I've been noticing lots of really tiny spiders popping up over the last couple of days, including the one above. I tried to research what species it was online, excited at the prospect of my very own discovery. I perished the thought after realizing that I don't particularly care for spiders. Fear factor: 1/10 if legs aren't big enough to see hair, 7/10 if spider has big hairy legs.
Frogs freak me out, always have. I would like to believe I would keep my cool if I came face to face with a lion, tiger, rhino, or hyena, but I'll admit my worst nightmares are composed of the ribbiting, jumping, exponentially breeding amphibians. Fear factor: 8/10

View From...

2006-03-28T10:36:00.000+03:00

The back of our Land Cruiser

Yesterday it rained heavily for the first time since we have been in Sudan. It was refreshingly cool, but it was quite muddy!

Final Four Glory

2006-03-27T14:29:00.000+03:00

Who's got game now?

What kind of Gator would I be if I didn't take this opportunity to gloat over our recent schooling of top-seeded Villanova and entrance into the NCAA Final Four? I chuckled as I read an article on the New York Times website that described Florida as "a university where football was king and basketball was court jester." As true as that may be, UF is going to the Final Four for the first time since 2000, so I imagine Gainesville is just chomping at the bit to unleash the debauchery required to celebrate a national championship (incidentally, the last major national championship was Football in 1996 season, way before my time).
Just as a side note, my poor other school Syracuse got knocked out in the first round of the tourney, so I feel slight vindication with the UF advance. FYI, the next game is April 1st against George Mason (never heard of them). Go Gators!

To my favorite (and only) Sister

2006-03-24T10:07:00.000+03:00

Happy Birthday from Sudan!

The (In)Convenience of Satellite Phones

2006-03-23T17:33:00.000+03:00

Can you hear me now: Thuruya v. V3

The must-have survival tool in Southern Sudan is without a doubt the Thuraya satellite phone. Not only is every development person armed with one, but I imagine Thuraya is making quite a killing in the African market in general with everyone from businessmen to medical professionals. The service is good in 110 countries, and covers Europe, the Middle East, North and Central Africa and Central and South Asia. It may sound like heaven, but there are a couple concessions you make for the privilege of ubiquitous coverage. For one thing, the phone is reminiscent of the cellphones of the early/mid 90's: bulky, an LCD screen, and an antenna that has to be extended for decent reception. Clear skies = reception, but that usually means standing in 100 plus degree heat to have a 2-4 second delay conversation. I got reprimanded yesterday for never keeping mine on (which was my fool-proof plan for not having to charge it daily), but I'll be the first to admit the phone could be (quite literally) a lifesaver. Now, if I can figure out a way to import some really annoying ringtones...

View From...

2006-03-23T16:58:00.000+03:00

The perimeter of the Rumbek airstrip

Ten things I miss about home

2006-03-21T21:54:00.000+03:00

The Amazing (and bilingual) Mr. Junior!

Every once in while, I start missing the most random things... I thought I might feel better if I put together a list of ten things that I wish I had with me in Rumbek. For the most part (with the exception of number one), they aren't in any particular order. And if you can find some way to get some of these (the tangible ones anyway) to Southern Sudan, I'll be your best friend forever.

1. Mr. Junior (and my family too!)
2. Text Messaging (I can text message with my Thuraya, but don't really have anyone to send messages to) :-(
3. Driving my own car (even though being driven is nice)
4. My Powerbook
5. HBO Sundays (plus other bits of mindless TV)
6. My Cartier Tank Francaise (although my Casio G-Shock is working out quite well)
7. My gym! (Tried running once here, it's not as fun as Harbour Island Athletic Club)
8. McDonald's (strangely craving Big Macs)
9. Vodka martinis (extra dirty), Honorable mention: Bloody Marys
10. Trying to cook using Food and Wine Recipes and making a huge mess

Disclaimer: This is by no means a vehicle for complaining! I probably have a list of a hundred things I am glad that I have here, but I don't have the heart to bore you with that.

The Best Hair Salon in Rumbek

2006-03-19T12:53:00.000+03:00

Snippety snip!

I haven't had a haircut since the week before I left Tampa for DC, and even then I requested that my hair be cut extremely short because I wasn't sure exactly what the situation was going to be like in Sudan. Partly due to neccessity, partly due to boredom, we decided that a quick cut was definitely in order, and Alexandra graciously agreed to play the role of stylist. Side note: She admitted that she had never actually had experience cutting men's hair, but this is Sudan, so it really didn't matter to me (my hair grows quite fast anyway). Under the direction of Magdi (who had some experience, but only admitted after the fact), Alexandra did a great job. Thank you Alexandra, and don't worry about that "nick" in front of my right ear, a little Neosporin will heal that right up in a day or two!

Where the magic happens...

2006-03-16T15:06:00.000+03:00

If you're wondering where I am, I'm on a break

Welcome to my world. Pictured above is where I spend the bulk of my working hours, so as you can imagine, VERY important volunteer consultant activities happen in that very office chair (it has no wheels, so I have to drag it around with me). Alexandra's desk is the bottom right hand corner, and her office chair has wheels, which I am very jealous of; however, I do get a picturesque window view of the outhouses outside. Take my word that this office gets pretty HOT, prompting a recent phenomenon of "working from home" in the afternoons.
On a side note, we've had a couple of showers over the past couple of days, which is nice because it reduces the amount of dust in the air. You'd be surprised how quickly the water dries up. The rainy season should be starting in a month, so imagine my excitement at the thought of wading through water, losing satellite internet during heavy rainstorms, and dealing with frogs and snakes. Oh, if you look closely towards the back of my desk, you can see the most random stash of medical supplies (Detail below).

My Desk (detail)

2006-03-16T15:04:00.000+03:00

Who needs office supplies when you can have this?

For those of you who may be concerned about the availability of heathcare and supplies in Rumbek, take solace in the mini-clinic that takes up the left side of my desk. One of the development partners left it there one day, and big surprise, no-one's missing it. Anybody need any Ferrous Sulphate with Folic Acid?

The Cuisine of Southern Sudan

2006-03-14T17:10:00.000+03:00

Looks good enough to eat
One of the most asked questions that I get from back home is "what's the food like?"
While my answer may vary according to what I had that day, all in all it's better than I was expecting. Our compound's food is flown in every few days from Nairobi, so it's far from Sudanese food. Today's menu is posted below, and while it's not exactly something that would dazzle a real epicurian, it's improving bit by bit. After you eat three meals a day at the same place, you can pretty much learn to what to expect. You definitely haven't seen the last of lunch, as it will emerge once again as dinner (or for that matter, dinner might be lunch.. again). There will always be the usual suspects: goat, rice, beans, potatoes and spaghetti with tomato sauce. And the salad dressing will always have either too much oil, or too much vinegar.
I've learned at least one valuable lesson, and that is you can disguise the taste of anything with enough salt and enough hot sauce. There is a Lebanese restaurant opening here shortly, so I'll be sure to post a discerning review for your reading pleasure.

Today's Lunch Menu

2006-03-14T17:06:00.000+03:00

Yummy Yummy for my tummy!

Caution: Men Working

2006-03-11T13:45:00.000+03:00

Where's OSHA when you need them?

The compound that we stay at is under perpetual construction. At any given moment, it seems like there is a ton of buildings going up, and at pretty impressive speeds. It's amazing the progress you can make without licenses and building codes ;-)
Pictured above it the new dining hall that recently opened, but meals have been moved back to the bar area while the roof is being thatched. The gentleman above is actually throwing the bunches of thatch is his coworker on the roof (if you look closely, you can see the thatch about to be caught on the roof). Management would not comment on the number of accidents since construction began (kidding of course).
Other buildings springing up out of nowhere are the new administrative office, a Lebanese restaurant (random but delicious), and a new kitchen facility. The pool has been dug out, but the word on the street (or dirt) is that idea has gotten the kibosh.
I am sorry to report that the Saturday night disco here has also been kiboshed. As devasted as I am about that, I am strangely finding solace in downloading TV shows from iTunes. Tonight - a Project Runway/Lost marathon! Have a great weekend!

Meet my Partner in Crime

2006-03-08T10:54:00.000+03:00

It's fun being in this cage!
Alexandra and I met for the first time at a baggage carousel at Reagan National airport. I kept looking around half expecting to see a reality TV cameraman pop out of nowhere. After all, this was as close to a Real World/Amazing Race experience as I'm ever going to get. Anyway, as I was wrestling with getting my three suitcases, one weekend bag and laptop bag all in order, I see this girl walking towards me with a hiking backpack and one roll-on. It really was tragic.
Sometimes just referred to as the MBAs, we are the pilot Corps members for the MBAEC in Sudan. We spend quite a lot of time together... at work, at meal times, and oh yeah, we're neighbors as well. Lucky for us we like each other. I couldn't see myself doing this journey alone, and having Alexandra here has been a lifesaver.
She's a little under the weather today. Feel better Alexandra! :-)

Our Sunday Field Trip

2006-03-06T21:37:00.000+03:00

"CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH!"

Yesterday afternoon we took a ride down to the town square (called Freedom Square) to go see some "jump dancing" after having heard about it from several people. The crowd forms a circle around the dancers, and they each take turns jumping as high as they can to the rhymthic sound of a drum and some singing from the bystanders. The men are the ones who jump, while some women also stand in the circle and kind of bounce around and cheer them on. It was a lot of fun to watch, and pretty inspiring to see them really enjoying themselves. The kicker: apparently the men try some fancy footwork whilst mid-air, and if they land a strategically placed kick on a woman, it's a deliberate flirtation with her. And who said chivalry was dead?

Meet my new single wide!

2006-03-04T19:20:00.000+03:00

Number 33: HOME SWEET HOME

Today I moved trailers one row over in order to accomodate my craving for internet access in my room. Apparently, there was not enough network cable to reach all the way to where I was, so both Alexandra and I decided that it was worth the hassle of moving. Already, I am downloading Skype and an episode of Lost via iTunes...

Greetings from Rumbek!

2006-03-03T11:25:00.000+03:00

Seeing that it was creeping up on one whole month that I have officially been a resident of Southern Sudan, I guess it's about time I delivered on at least one of the promises that I made before I left good ole Tampa... So that I don't deprive anyone of my wildly interesting life, here's my blog. The truth is I've thought of about a million and one really funny entries for this since I got here, but naturally I've been sidetracked with work (my reason for being) and kind of limited access to the internet. Anyway, I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet.. I hear you can post comments on these things, so feel free, but remember, this is a family site! :-)