Jeff is Where?

Center of Attention (for today anyway)

2011-01-09T12:31:00.000+03:00

Journalists, celebrities, government dignitaries, and young professionals who think they’re helping to ‘Save the World’. That’s the people I’m seeing and hearing about being around Juba for the momentous occasion of the South Sudan referendum. In case you’re wondering which category I fall into, it’d be the celebrities – you may remember me from the movie Cast Away with my grizzly beard, or years ago when I was getting mistaken for Chuck Norris and Jesus. Although I am clean shaven and could pass through most circles without being noticed.

Having come to South Sudan first in early 2007 and made my first trip to Juba in March of that year, there are so many changes that I see around me. And to think that those who’d been here even just a year or two earlier have seen and witnessed pretty much double the differences that have occurred in the past 4 years. There are people returning who’d been around before, I’m not the only one who couldn’t stay away. But there are definitely a lot of newcomers who are interested in something the world is taking interest in. The struggles and difficulties that this area has undergone since the colonial days normally take up about a paragraph in an article. Most people don’t know more than just the things like the scary statistics I posted just below or the fact that South Sudan has had nearly five decades of mostly conflict prior to the signing of the CPA in 2005. Isn’t Sudan the country where Darfur is also a common reaction when people hear about Sudan. You may know a few other sound bites here and there which are repeated in the media or books.

I’ve come back to try to help improve things, though really that might be happening in spite of my efforts and energies rather than because of them. In two years I didn’t get to know the language, the people, the culture. Yet, I and others know the potential for disaster from the stories we have heard and from the way individuals share their experiences from the decades of conflict. I eagerly await to mark the beginning of a new era. I trust God will teach me, will work through me, and will bring about positive growth on the micro-level regardless of what happens in the macro.

Scary Statistics

2011-01-09T12:16:00.002+03:00

Scary Statistics – Southern Sudan[1]
September 2010

Poverty
· 50.6% of the population live on less than 2.5 SDG a day. Poverty is highest in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal state with 75.6% of the population living below the poverty line.[2]
· 4.3 million vulnerable people will require food assistance in 2010. Of this number, 1.5 million will face severe food insecurity.[3]

Maternal Mortality
· One out of seven women who become pregnant will probably die from pregnancy-related causes.[4]
· 40.6% of mothers do not receive antenatal care at all.[5]
· Only 10.2% of deliveries are attended by skilled birth attendants.
· There are only 13.6% institutional (hospital) deliveries.[6]
· Contraceptive prevalence is only 3.5%.
· There are only an estimated 100 certified midwives.[7]

Child Mortality
· Although the infant mortality rate has decreased, it still stands at 102 per 1,000 live births.
· While the under-five mortality rate has decreased, one out of every 7 children will die before their fifth birthday (135 per 1,000 live births).

Immunisation
· Southern Sudan has one of the lowest routine immunisation coverage rates in the world.
· Only about 10% of children are fully vaccinated.[8]
· Only 28% of children receive measles vaccination before their first birthday.

Malaria
· Malaria is considered hyper-endemic in Southern Sudan, accounting for more than 40% of all health facility visits and 80% of household do not have treated bed nets.[9]

HIV/AIDS
· HIV awareness stands at 45.1%, however only 8% have knowledge about HIV prevention.
· More than 70% of women aged 15-49 have no knowledge about HIV prevention.

Water and Sanitation
· More than 50% of the population do not have access to improved drinking water.
· Only 6.4% of the population have access to improved sanitation facilities.

Primary Education
· Less than 50% of all children receive 5 years of primary school education.
· While 1.3 million children are enrolled, only 1.9% complete primary school education.
· For every 1,000 primary school students there is only one teacher.[10]
· 85% of adults do not know how to read or write.[11]

Gender
· 92% of women cannot read or write.[12]
· Only 27% of girls are attending primary school.[13]
· A 15 year-old girl has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than completing school.

Displacement
Since the beginning of 2010, an estimated 190,000 people have been displaced by inter-ethnic and armed conflicts in Southern Sudan. In 2009, the figure was 391,000 - more than double the number for 2008 which stood at 187,000.[14]

[1] All data unless referenced are from the Sudan Household Survey 2006 t0 2010.
[2] SSCCSE 2010
[3] ANLA Report 2010.
[4] Based on reporting from WHO 2010
[5] WHO Report 2010
[6] WHO Report 2010
[7] MOH Survey 2009
[8] WHO Report 2010
[9] South Sudan MDG Report 2005, UNDP 2006
[10] UNESCO 2009
[11] Alternative Education Systems Unit in the Ministry of Education, UNESCO 2008
[12] Ibid
[13] SSCSE
[14] OCHA EP&R 2010

This is what the anticipated new country of South Sudan is going to have to deal with while also building a nation. Not exactly what you would expect from a country in the year 2011. The challenge of the referendum is only the beginning.

Where?!?!

2011-01-09T12:01:00.002+03:00

Well, I suppose I’m overdue for an update considering it has been more than 3 months since my last one. Jeff is where you ask? Well, I left Somaliland in early October, spent three weeks in the USA, and arrived back in South Sudan at the beginning of November after over a year and a half away. I now live in Juba with frequent travel to the field sites.

I couldn’t resist the temptation to come back to Sudan to mark an historical moment as the South votes in a referendum of self-determination to decide whether to split off from the North and form their own independent nation. It has been 6 years since the CPA and relative peace came to the South. There were plenty of reasons to doubt whether it would happen, but the first day of voting is now here, and things would seem to indicate that this vote will go off pretty peacefully.

South Sudan Oiyay!

R E S P E C T

2010-09-25T20:51:00.002+03:00

So as soon as I typed the title to this post, I decided I had to listen to a little Aretha Franklin. It had been quite a while until now that I've listened to this song, and all of a sudden I wish I had some more soul music on my iTunes. Guess I'll have to work on that.

But, that is not what this post is about. There are a couple of articles out in the news that I'm sure will go largely unnoticed in the West. Last week I saw on CNN International TV an episode of the show 'Prism' which was talking about the fighting in Mogadishu and how it has intensified between the TFG (UN backed government in Southern Somalia which controls a few blocks of the city including the presidential palace, the airport, very little else, and very little outside of town) and Al Shabaab (terrorist group linked to and supported by Al Qaeda in control of a large chunk of the rest of the South of Somalia). The African Union troops in Mogadishu continue to battle insurgents daily, with people being killed all the time.

Meanwhile, up in the north in a region (or separate country depending on who you ask) called Somaliland where I am, things function. There are police. There is a military. But there is also an elected president and a two house legislature. There are storied buildings and pipe-born water. Electricity reaches many houses in the city in which I live, and it is all run by private businesses. Construction is booming rather than places being destroyed by mortars and heavy artillery fire.

I posted at the end of June/early July about elections which took place in Somaliland. The challenger beat the incumbent, and the loser stepped down recognizing the vote and giving up power. Little has been said about this. Little attention is given to the fact that while so much international attention is given to the Somali 'problem' with all the fighting and killing that continues to take place, there is a part of what the world knows as 'Somalia' that is developing mostly on its own. In fact, I wonder if there were more international attention if it would continue to develop, or if the special interests of the outside would cause chaos and confusion pitting people against one another for what they can profit instead of what profits the people.

We just may be able to see if that is the case, or if this region could actually be used as a place to bring development and inspire the South to change. There are a couple of articles you can read about the US being about to start ties with Somaliland. Until now, the North and South have been considered as one, and only the government in the South was recognized (even though it has power over just a tiny pocket of the entire country). The articles on BBC News and Voice of America News both talk of the problems in Somalia, but show that maybe the world is beginning to give some of that R-E-S-P-C-E-C-T that the people here have struggled to earn. It surely hasn't come easily as people were caught up in fighting back in the years before and after the infamous 'Blackhawk Down' episode. There has been civil war and Somaliland is still surrounded by areas of instability both in Somalia and neighboring Ethiopia with Eritrea not too far away. However, peace prevails and progress is happening. I hope that the investment of the US and other countries helps progress to increase and doesn't just complicate things and add too many interests to this small beacon of hope. Even though I will be leaving in a couple of weeks, I will continue to follow what happens in Somaliland.

Play Ball

2010-09-15T18:29:00.001+03:00

FIBA. I don’t know what it stands for, but it was the international basketball championship which ended over the weekend in Turkey. It seems that Europeans and Africans don’t really care about basketball. But, I got to catch some of the final game in which the USA beat Turkey for the gold medal. I don’t think it really made much news as there were very few American NBA stars playing. And, in spite of that, the US led by Kevin Durant won it all. In a similar development, American football season has begun. Working with only Europeans and in Africa, my colleagues would not be aware of the fact above were I to make sure to spread the message. The Eagles disappointed in an opening game loss to the Packers, but I was excited nonetheless as I got to watch ESPN Sportscenter for the first time in quite a while and see the highlights.

The Olympics and the World Cup are universally known. Cricket and rugby have followers crossing continental divides. The biggest sports in the US, however, are relatively new in the world market. While the DR, Cuba, and Venezuela have been big with baseball for some time, it’s only recently made its way to Japan where it has become popular. American football has sprung up in leagues in Europe, but is not followed by many. Basketball leagues have begun recently in a lot of countries in Europe and Asia, but also are thin on supporters and fans though gaining ground.

The US can compete with the best countries in any sport really. There are professional leagues and competitions for just about everything, but ice hockey, tennis, and golf are probably the only ones with big followings outside the US in which competitors make millions (not really going to count the MLS as it is a relative newcomer in the US). And these three have nothing of the control on television broadcasting and merchandising deals that the MLB, NFL, and NBA control.

I don’t know where I’m going with this, but just think it is interesting that as an American, I find little common ground with others internationally on the sports that I grew up with. It isn’t just that we like boring sports in the US. NASCAR may be the exception as far as the rest of the world is concerned, though I don’t think Indy car racing (with worldwide popularity) is all that different. NASCAR usually only has four different turns that drivers go through over and over and over again over 3 hours of driving while Indy Car drivers at least have road courses that mix things up a little more. One cricket match can last days. It is not exciting. And yet, it is probably the 2^nd most popular sport in the world behind football (soccer).

ESPN has no equal in the US. It is by far the most popular channel in the US among men. It is one of the things that I miss about living overseas. We do get an international version of ESPN, but it is not nearly as good as the US version. However, none of those from outside the US understand what I’m talking about (except maybe Canadians). And while ESPN is not something I’ll really be able to pass on to others, at least I can try to build up support for baseball, football, and basketball, and eventually the US will be able to spread its sports influence throughout the entire world. Maybe ESPN will be able to be universally recognized in the next 5 or 10 years. Then maybe I’ll be able to watch Sportscenter or NFL, MLB, or NBA games at convenient times and not just replays during odd hours in the time zones I find myself in. Until then, March Madness, playoff races and Top Ten plays of the Day will be things I just have to continue to live without.

Unfitting Title

2010-09-08T16:44:00.002+03:00

Unbelievable!! (I wish it were unbelievable – in actuality, we’ve all interacted with people enough to know that there really are too many idiots out there who will do anything for attention or money or some deluded idea of righteousness.)

It has been in the news for quite a while, but now the time is nearly here. Some ‘pastor’ (he definitely doesn’t deserve that title) in Florida is going to burn Qurans on September 11. Thankfully, I’ve forgotten his name right now. I wish when this was over his would be a name that goes by unrecognized, because this must be more a publicity stunt than anything else. He’s either trying to get rich off of this, or just the attention is enough for him. Therefore, I request anyone who reads this to please not purchase any of his books, don’t go to his website, don’t watch videos on youtube or anything else related to this foolish man and those connected to him.

This embarrassment to the Church and to pastors is so shameful. There is no good reason at all for such an action to be taking place. It is completely opposite what the Bible teaches, what Jesus taught, and what Churches should be doing. Antagonizing and polarizing things such as this should be disregarded and ignored and are not worth even the attention of a blog post. I only write this to try to put in perspective how foolish it is, and talk about the correct responses and what we might learn from the reactions to it.

On Easter, how would Christians feel if someone (who claims to be a Muslim cleric) were to burn Bibles or crosses and try to make a big deal out of it? What would you think if you heard about a Nazi destroying yarmulkes or menorahs on a day to commemorate the Holocaust? How about people wearing KKK hoods and parading around with nooses on Martin Luther King Jr Day?

Saturday will be a part of the Eid celebration to mark the end of the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. It is the equivalent to Christmas or Easter in Christianity. And there is a ‘pastor’ who is going to burn Qurans. How disrespectful and divisive. A similar type of action would be for this guy in Florida and people like him to rape the wives and daughters of Muslims. That would similarly be very much unchristian and offensive, but I’m sure would have a result that would actually affect him more, so he is scared to do it. He values his life, just no one else’s.

Most Muslims know that this guy does not represent Christianity and that this action is not typical of a follower of Christ. However, there will surely be those who try to use this as further fodder to attack the perils of the ‘Christian Western World.’ Just as you would (should) want to confront anyone who would support someone burning Bibles on Easter, wearing KKK hoods on Martin Luther King day, or destroying Stars of David at a Holocaust Memorial, you should want to confront anyone who would burn Qurans on Eid. You would want to confront it anytime, but during times which are dedicated or sacred, it becomes even more of an emotionally charged climate. We all know how crowds can easily be incited and people do things as a group they would never do alone.

It is my prayer that Muslims teach Christians a few things about forgiveness and show the world the Osama bin Laden’s of their ranks have little standing. I wish that Christians could stop this fool from shaming himself and others by burning Qurans. If it happens, though, take note of how the world responds. Most are condemning it already, and even though you may hear of a few isolated incidents in response that are similarly hateful and foolish, recognize that such a response is no different than the action itself, and is representative of a minority of Muslims. Just as most Christians would not want to be associated with this idiot, don’t associate all Muslims with those who may retaliate. And, if you don’t hear anything about any retaliation, consider what you would have done or expected to be the result of the other examples already mentioned. And know that people all over the world have sin. Don’t put people of your own religion on any pedestal while thinking that people of another are anywhere lower. People are people. Sin exists in every nook and cranny of the world. We all need to experience the grace of God and for God to reveal himself. I hope this ‘pastor’ in Florida someday realizes this as well.

One last thing: For those of you who may be Christian, please apologize for this on behalf of all Christians to any Muslims you may know. Ask their forgiveness for such a thing done in the name of Church and tell them it doesn't represent you or most others within the Church. Love them, respect them, and tell them this. If you don't know any followers of Islam, find the nearest place where they may be a mosque and write an apology letter. I hope it can be clear just how far this is from the message of Christ.

Ponderings of an Itinerant Aid Worker

2010-08-29T19:34:00.002+03:00

So I’m nearing the end of a year in Somaliland. Within the next two months I’ll be moving on to greener pastures (most likely – there are definitely some, but not too many places which will be drier than where I’ve been the last year, and I don’t plan to go to any of them). It has been nice to see this year be much wetter than most here, and the camels, goats, and sheep appear much healthier than when I first came, but it is definitely still very dry and brown around. The capital of Somaliland, Hargeisa, seems to be getting quite a lot of rain, but we’ve missed out on most of it here in the East.

As I’ve recently informed our staff of my planned departure, and the earlier end times during Ramadan leave long afternoons / evenings in the house, I’ve become contemplative. Over the past four years I’ve lived in the jungle of Liberia, a couple places in South Sudan, and in Northern Somalia. I’ve seen communities embrace projects that provide opportunities and give hope. Others have rejected similar endeavours and the greediness and ignorance of a few has spoiled the chance for their friends and neighbours. Some leaders and community elders have struggled to improve things for the next generations, while other officials have sought only their own interests and divert funds and resources intended for the common good to their own pockets. Along with the challenges have been many rewarding experiences and motivation has come when needed in so many different ways.

I’ve worked with quite a few different teams of national and international staff. I’ve had fun picking on Canadians and their sparsely populated tundra of a home and been confused as to how Europeans of different countries can live so close to one another and yet have so many cultural differences. The same can be said for Africa and the different tribes that are contained even within the same country borders. I’ve witnessed and had to fire staff who have stolen from each of the projects I’ve worked in and who in spite of their relatively well-paying jobs take what was intended for the poorest and neediest in communities. While this is sometimes the hardest thing to deal with of all, the most rewarding experiences I’ve been able to have are positive relationships with staff that I’ve seen grow and develop. There have been a few staff in each location who I’ve been able to work with and help mentor and coach that I know are helping and will continue to provide hope and support to their communities. Seeing those who are committed to improving their own lives, the lives of their families and of their people surpasses any physical benefit of the projects I’ve been a part of. Having access to markets through a new bridge being built, those who are malnourished receiving food that will help them survive, or the construction of lasting buildings that will be used for good in communities is great, but it’s not enough. Without the relationships that have been built with incredible individuals and seeing the development and commitment of these all-stars, there’s no way I’d still be doing this.

As I wrap things up here and prepare to hand over to my successor, I am beginning to look ahead. With the opportunities that I’ve had, the things I’ve been able to do, see, and be a part of, I am spoiled for life. I don’t know how I could go back to a ‘normal’ job in the States or some cosmopolitan city. How long could I last in an office or doing something where all the answers to the problems I might face will be found in a book or the internet? Of course I know that it is possible to do exciting things elsewhere. And all over the world are people in desperate or difficult situations who can benefit from someone walking alongside them through life. Even in offices, workshops, sports teams, clubs and any other type of environment I know inspiring and rewarding things happen. People are given hope, thrive and develop when supported, and lives change. Wherever one may find him/herself, life is life and people are people the world over. But I may have gone and ruined any chance I had at living a ‘normal’ life somewhere where things work. I was chatting (Skype is great!) with a friend working in Afghanistan yesterday, venting some anger after I’d spent way too much time and energy dealing with various levels of bureaucracy and self-interested officials on a couple different issues. After briefing him on the situation, his reply summed up so much about this business: ‘Yeah, but if the job were easy, would we like it so much?’ The work is a challenge, and that makes it fun (once the frustration passes). It is disappointing and depressing at times, but that is also why the rewarding moments are so inspiring and invigorating. How can I ever do anything else?

Ramadan

2010-08-24T17:36:00.001+03:00

This is the time of Ramadan. It started 2 weeks ago now, and I missed most of the first two weeks of it as I was away from the office. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the daylight hours for a complete lunar cycle. It will continue until around September 9 (depending on when the next new moon is, the exact day of which cannot be known until it is actually seen). Fasting for a Muslim is not just fasting from food, but it is a fast from food, drink, cigarettes, sex, and they are not even to swallow their saliva. So, during the day for the next two weeks, our staff will be working without the strength and energy provided by food and water. The dates change a little each year, so it would be really tough/easier in the extreme latitudes during a summer/winter solstice. Imagine it occurring during late June in a place like Anchorage where they’ve only got an hour or two of night. But, were it to fall in December, you wouldn’t even have to miss a normal meal. For those who are sick, for children, and for others who have valid reason, they are not to fast. But, for the healthy, it is a sign of devotion that should be taken seriously.

The schedule during Ramadan changes. People will wake up before dawn, and eat a full meal at around 4:30am. This way they have enough strength to work throughout the day before eating again after sunset. Of course by late in the day the body is tired and energy levels drop. The first few days are usually the roughest, so I’m glad I missed out on it. To compensate for this, our and many other offices have adjusted work schedules. We begin work now at 6:30am. It is quite early for me, and it is taking some getting used to, but our staff have not been having trouble showing up on time. Most of them definitely prefer the earlier start as it allows them to sleep or rest most of the afternoon. We’ve got some busy days ahead which will involve a lot of heavy supplies being loaded and offloaded at various locations, and those who will be labouring in the sun and heat will be doing so without the benefit of a drink of water. 8 hours of lifting and moving around 100 pound sacks would be no fun in any condition, and especially during Ramadan I don’t envy those who will be labouring for us. They’re planning to start at 5am so they can be done as early in the day as possible. So, for the next couple of weeks, this will be something which affects the daily life of all of us who are living and working in the Muslim dominated world.

More Job Hunters

2010-07-27T20:29:00.003+03:00

Today I sifted through 48 applications as we are looking to hire a new cashier. Yet again, there were quite a few resumes that brought either a chuckle or provided laugh-out-loud humour. There were one or two more people who said they are combatant who probably wish I thought they were competent (reference to post of a couple months ago). A few applicants have skills in treasure, which would no doubt make it easy for them as a cashier to replace whatever cash loss there may be from errors in bookkeeping. Though I don’t really remember some other funny typos, as they all began to run together, the very first line of the very first resume I opened set the tone, and seemed hilarious as I hadn’t grown tired and bored of the process yet. After the To: and Subject: lines, the first line of the cover letter reads:
Irreverence to your advertising concerning a vacant …

Although the candidate didn’t have the qualifications to be shortlisted and participate in the exam or interview stages, I did consider calling him to the office just to see if I’d want to hire him anyway. I might rather like someone farting, burping, being coarse or carrying out any number of other irreverent behaviors to spice things up in the office. Currently Mr. Been is our most irreverent staff member, and I must admit that his stories and general demeanor actually provide us with good dinner conversations and bring us some laughter quite regularly. He's probably the Somali equivalent of a dirty old man. His inappropriateness isn’t over the line, though, but is actually a little bit of what I’d expect from the Mr. Bean most of you are familiar with.

That’s just a little story from today, and I hope the other pictures also give you something to stimulate the visual side of your brain.

Some pics of the sand blowing across the road the other day

There is a truck coming if you look close enough in the above - maybe a hundred metres in front of the vehicle, and barely visible

This will serve as a waterpoint for the community. It fills in the rainy season, and then they use for months on end when it is dry. Chlorine tablets are provided at the household level to treat the water as you can imagine that sitting in a concrete hole for months on end breeds all kinds of nastiness.

Another 1000

2010-07-20T20:12:00.004+03:00

A few more pics for you to enjoy.

It is currently the windy season in Burao. People had talked about the wind coming a month or so ago, but I didn't realize what it was really like. Last week and the week before were quite windy, but not so bad. We just kept the windows closed so that things didn't get too dusty, and the weather was still warm, so the wind didn't bother me too much. The last three days, however, I have began to discover what it can really mean to be windy. The office floor was cleaned on Saturday. On Sunday morning, we left the central door open as we always do. Within a couple of hours, there wasn't a bit of the tile floor that didn't have sand on it. The door has been shut since then, the floor cleaned again, and still the sand has managed to make it's way (not as badly, but still visibly) throughout the entire hallway. In the room where the TV is, there's a cord that we bring in through the window in order to plug into the DSTV box that attaches to the satellite dish. The cable is maybe 8mm in diameter. In spite of this tiny gap that leaves the window open, the TV screen, seats, floor, carpet, and everything else in the room gets covered in a layer of sand each day. When walking between the office and the house, the sandblasting cleans me enough that I don't think I need to shower the rest of windy season. Our health manager said today that when she tilts her head to the side after walking between the house and office, sand pours out like an hourglass. I don't know how much longer the wind will be this serious, but the windy season lasts several more weeks. I hope that it goes back to just a constant heavy wind instead of these crazy constant sandstorm winds.

I write about the wind as I have above, but I live in a cement block house. A little sand on dishes, furniture, and the floor is a little annoying, but not bad at all. Most people around here, however, live in makeshift shelters that are made of sticks and covered in fabric, old tin cans cut up and flattened, and cardboard. What is a minor annoyance to me that I'm experiencing for the first time is something that the people who live around me have put up with on a much more severe level for weeks every year their entire lives. I doubt their clothes will be sand free for quite some time. The food they have, where they sleep, everything for them is nowhere near as protected as me and my things are.

In spite of some minor inconveniences, I am very thankful to God for what he has allowed and continues to allow me to experience. We each have perspectives that no one else has on life, and God uses those to shape us and mold us into what he wants us to be and do. Don't feel sorry for me, don't feel sorry for my neighbors whose lives are more greatly affected by the sand that covers everything. They know how to cope and have bigger problems than some sand. We all do. I do, you do, and your neighbors do. It's up to each of us to try to overcome the obstacles and challenges and get involved in the things God leads us to that can impact and assist our own and other's lives.

One of the displaced pcamps we work in, quite crowded. What even a lot of normal homes look like for local residents

Home sweet home (roof terrace, balcony, nice place!!)

Favorite lunch activity - relax on the roof in the hammock (before the wind anyway)

Walls constructed of used milk powder tins, oats, tomato paste, and whatever else they can find

I think I'm gonna try this with my beard sometime soon. What d'ya think?

Another view of typical camp structures

A random shot of some people in town

Hup Holland Hup

2010-07-11T18:02:00.002+03:00

The World Cup is winding down. The final starts in less than 4 hours. I’ve now got to figure out something else to give time and attention to and take interest in. There are not so many things that stand out as obvious choices in a place like Somaliland. However, a recent discovery has proved to add a little bit to the repetitive routine here. The shop nearby where we go and pick up sodas and such received a new delivery that consisted of many new items. Imagine my delight to walk in and find Nutella, Heinz ketchup, Kelloggs Coco Pops, Twix, Snickers, and Kit Kats. I thought it was Christmas until I remembered they don’t celebrate that here, and then I realized it is July. And even though it isn’t Christmas, I decided to celebrate anyway and bought one or more of almost all the new toys on the shelves.

Coming back to the important stuff, though, is the fact that tonight is the World Cup Championship Game. Spain and Holland will compete to win the most watched sporting event in the world. If the game is anything like last night’s Runner’s up match between Germany and Uruguay, it will live up to the hype. I didn’t really expect it after Germany took the 1-0 lead in the middle of the first half, but after Uruguay managed to tie it, they came out after the break and even took the lead 2-1. After tying the score at 2-all, a goal in the final ten minutes looked like it was going to be enough for Germany to eke out a win. But, just at the end of the game, a free kick by Uruguay almost gave them the storybook ending they were looking for to cap off their unexpected run to the semifinals. The crossbar had other ideas, and the shot deflected off it and away from any Uruguayans who would’ve liked to knock it back into the goal to send the game to Extra Time. Uruguay also played in the second most exciting match of the Cup that I saw when they defeated Ghana on penalties after a deliberate handball kept Ghana from an outright win at the end of Extra Time. The 4-1 German defeat of England that included a goal taken away by the referees and the U.S. win over Algeria to win their group were probably the next two most exciting games. I just hope the final isn’t a boring let-down after the excitement that has been building over the last month.

One other thing about this final that makes it interesting regardless of the outcome, is that I’ll be watching with a Dutch. The Deputy Country Director who’s here in the field now is from the Netherlands, so will be watching with great anticipation as his team vies against Spain to be World Cup Champions for the first time ever. Of course he’d rather be in Amsterdam watching amongst millions of other rowdy Dutchies. Or he’d prefer to be with those 15 or so women who were arrested for trying to take away from Budweiser’s thunder as ‘official beer of the World Cup’ by wearing some small oranje (that’s not normal orange, but Dutch oranje) dresses to the Netherlands first game against Denmark with some other beer company’s name on the label. But, alas, he’s left having to watch the biggest football match of the last 4 years, and biggest of his life with someone who calls the game soccer, and others from a country whose team has never even qualified for a World Cup (Kenya and Somaliland). Oh well, we’ll have a good time. And, if they win, we’ll celebrate with one of the other new goodies that arrived in the latest shipment at the nearby shop. Non-alcoholic grape drink that’s got a foil wrapping over the cap and is made to look like champagne. Yep, that and some non-alcoholic malt beverages are the closest thing we can get around here to what 95% of other Dutch are going to be drinking while watching the game and celebrating with after. It’s ok, though, because everyone knows Heineken is not good anyway.

1000 Words

2010-07-06T20:53:00.004+03:00

Unfortunately, I'm notorious for being awful at taking photographs. I think that's mostly because every camera I've ever owned I have either broken/lost/had stolen. I may actually be an expert photographer with an innate gift for capturing life's precious moments, but just been missing out on the opportunity to do so.

Thankfully, however, I often have people surrounding me who take photos and generously share them with me. I'd have no pictures from University, my first trips to Africa, road trips, or pretty much any other experiences in my life were it not for great friends who so graciously provide me with snapshots. One such visitor to Burao in April/May is responsible for the pictures you're about to see. I won't add much to the photo other than just a caption, and will let you appreciate what photos can say on their own.

More pics to come soon!

Kids the world over love climbing trees

Much more beautiful scenery than I'd expected!

How I Roll...

Tour Guide: (Bring your own Translator)

Who'd have thought there was a tourism site in Somaliland?!?!

Some Old Rock Paintings, really cool!!

Happy Independence Day!!

Tons of food to give away

Election Day

2010-06-26T10:46:00.002+03:00

Well, today is a big day. Today is the day that Somalilanders vote for president for the first time since 2003. This part of what the world knows as Somalia has its own currency, government, and has been much more stable than the rest of Somalia.

In the last election, the difference in votes between the winner and second place was less than 100. And yet the winner assumed power peacefully. This time, it very well could be close again, and hopefully the outcome will again be peaceful. The run up to the elections were incredibly peaceful with all 3 political parties holding rallies without fighting amongst one another and minimal conflict and accusations. With just over 1 million registered voters, it is not a vastly populated area, but with that number of people over 68,000 square miles (the size of England and Wales), many of which are nomadic or semi-nomadic, and infrastructure which has lots of room for improvement, it has been impressive to see the voter registration process and elections prepared.

Today Somaliland could set an example of democracy for the region and even the world. It will no doubt be an interesting day which could be a great step towards the continual development and growth of Somaliland. Read more in the links attached.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/world/africa/26somaliland.html?src=me
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/east/Somaliland-Poised-for-Much-Delayed-Presidential-Election-Saturday-97163764.html

Should I Drink From It?

2010-06-23T23:43:00.003+03:00

Ok, so I'm overdue for a post. And, I'm long overdue for a good post that is worth reading. So, this will at least fit the post category, and maybe at least one of the 3 people who still check my blog will enjoy it.

Since June 11, I've been watching a lot more television. We began a subscription to a South African satellite television provider called DSTV not exlusively because of, but in large part in expectation of getting to watch the World Cup. All 64 games will be broadcast on it. And, for once, I'm in a time zone that allows for premium live world cup watching. The only games I miss during work are the early game slot that ended Monday. 5pm and 9:30pm are the only times that games are on from here on out, and I look forward to watching more.

As the games began, we had 3 countries out of 4 represented (sorry Kenyans, your team just isn't so good at football). The US drew, Nigeria lost, and the Netherlands won. Today I was able to watch from a guest house in the capital of Somaliland as I'm here for just the night. The US very nearly disappointed, but managed to pull through with the victory. I was the only one shouting at the TV during US-Algeria as the German and Kenyan I was watching with both sat by much more passively. When the US finally scored in extra time, the other person in the house, a Swiss lady, came by wondering if the sounds coming out of the room were those of joy or those of pain, and thankfully Landon Donovan made it joyful.

I thought I might be fulfilling the loud American stereotype until the Germany game came on as the late game. A friend of the German joined us for this game, and the two of them were also yelling and screaming at the players and the ref inside the box we were watching. It's even better than the olympics, as the same sport is played for a month consecutively and each person is much more animated in support of his/her nation. All across the world, for this one month, there are curses and blessings shouted at televisions in dozens of languages over the same games. Watching in an international setting just makes it even that much more exciting and enjoyable.

So, on July 11, I know where I'll be and what I'll be doing. 4 years ago, the final match went to a shootout. About 10 minutes before overtime ended, the power went out where I was, and it didn't come back on again until after the shootout was done and Italy had won. This year, I've learned my lesson and will be bringing an APC battery backup home from the office so that even if the electric gets cut, the battery will keep the power on the television active for at least 15 or 20 extra minutes. But I hope it isn't needed. Hope you're also enjoying the games and fitting them into your schedules as well. After all, it does only happen once every four years.

E.S.L.

2010-05-04T22:26:00.006+03:00

I am a native English speaker. Some places I've been, it has been difficult to know if the person was speaking English or some other local language. Other places, however, I know it's English, it's just a different version of English. And others just have a telltale accent for some words. For example, take Boston: They don't know how to pronounce 'r'. They've got Hah-vahd University and they eat clam chowdah. Or how many of you have ever ordered fried rice at a restaurant and when they bring it, they say 'flied lice' because the 'r' turns into an 'l' for some reason. Yeah, there's a population in Kenya who do the same, but they also pronounce the 'l' as an 'r', so when the Elections took place in Sudan, the people who work for the Carter Center were described as the ones who were responsible for the ... well, you can figure that out on your own.

Where I am now, 'b' and 'p' are commonly confused. Somalis are known for fighting, but I didn't know how much they prized it until recently. There's been enough fighting going on here for the last several decades to keep things from developing too much, but when I received the above recommendation as we were looking to hire for a new position, I was a little surprised. Seriously, maybe being aggressive is a positive trait here, but I really wouldn't think to find it in a reference letter. How many people do you know who want an employee who is 'combatant' (see the highlight in yellow above)? After I realized that the person meant 'competent' and not 'combatant', I had a little laugh about the difference in language, and added it to the list of interesting application letters we have received.

Anyway, thought I'd share a little bit of comedy that we experience here. It's one of the little things that help to bring a smile and remind me that there's so many things about life that I'd never get to experience were I not here.

End of the Road

2010-04-04T21:42:00.002+03:00

Chicago traffic is terrible. Miserable. There is no way to avoid the gridlock. I assumed that heading into the city at around 6:15pm I’d meet backed up traffic coming towards me but I’d be ok enough going downtown away from the rush. Yeah, I was wrong. Lake Michigan makes a natural barrier forcing way too much traffic into Chicago. So I became that guy who weaves in and out of parked and slow moving traffic on his motorcycle. This is perfectly acceptable in most of the places in the world where I’d ridden before. In the US, however, motorists I passed were no doubt cursing me and secretly hoping that I’d get pulled over by a cop or maybe even that I’d get in an accident and become maimed in order to learn my lesson that the lines dividing the road into lanes are there for a reason. After an hour of stopping and going, bobbing and weaving I was slowly working my way through the traffic when the prayers of others were answered and the temperature light turned on as my motorcycle began to overheat when passing one of the toll booths. Argh! I pulled over to the side of the road in humiliation as cars slowly rolled past which I had just been recklessly (in their view, not my own) weaving through coming inches from their vehicles. Yes, several of them I could see laughing at me. Since I didn’t really know where I was going, I took this small chance to call Fletcher and find out if there was any advice he had on how to avoid the congestion and see just how much farther he thought I still had to go in this mess. Of course there are no roads without traffic in Chicago at this time of day, so after a couple minutes to stretch and let the engine cool down, I continued on my way.

I hate traffic!!!

It wasn’t too much longer till the traffic eased a little and I reached the exit. It was a great relief to be off the highway although trying to see the building numbers and road names while not hitting any pedestrians or cars on the narrow streets around UIC proved a different challenge. I only went past the building where Fletcher and Rachel live once before realizing it, and around 8pm I finally had a chance to allow my body to adjust to a more comfortable position than it had experienced most of the day.

It had been over a year since Fletcher and I had last met in Sudan and two years since our epic R&R on Zanzibar. We reconnected over a couple fine cigars on his back porch where they have a beautiful little garden to relax and soak in life. We really pondered existence that evening, and shared the joys and frustrations of the life we’d left in Sudan, Church, faith, and other deep things that make for good conversation while appreciating a nice cigar. While Fletcher had to be at work early the next morning, I had a chance to catch up with Rachel (they had just gotten married a few weeks before my visit). After a nice relaxing morning and a nice late breakfast, I headed east to the section of the journey which I’ve travelled far too many times already.

I started out in the late morning and avoided the worst of the traffic, though the construction just outside the city center was not so fun. My second home is in Northeast Indiana. Roughly 150 miles from Chicago, I always enjoy my visits to Bear Lake Camp and seeing all my friends/my second family there. It would have been easy to stay longer, but I did have an interview I was trying to get back east for, so I only stayed one night, attended Brad’s birthday party, and headed to Ft Wayne for the last night of the expedition. Chad, Ethan and Zeeb had plenty to say about my crazy trip and were pretty surprised I’d actually made it so far without having killed myself. Of course, if I had another month to start on another similar journey right then, I think in 5 minutes I’d have talked all three of them into getting motorcycles right then and there and joining me.

Bear Lake Camp in winter

The following morning I headed east where I intended to stop by and visit my Aunt and Uncle and a long time friend in Findlay Ohio. So, after 7000 miles of smooth sailing and no trouble with the police, I had my first encounter. It happened in Ottawa Ohio, with a population of maybe 5,000. I’m driving down the little 2 lane road towards the town with cornfields on both sides of me and a 55mph limit. I was maybe at 66 or 67 when the police car was coming towards me. Motorcycles don’t have cruise control, and I was a bit eager to reach the end as I expected to be home that night. It just had to be a woman cop. And by the looks of it, her husband was going through a mid-life crisis, had bought a motorcycle, and she wanted nothing to do with it or anyone else who might encourage him in the venture. I’ve gotten three speeding tickets in my life, 2 of them have been given by women police officers. Both of those were in Ohio. But, as far as problems that I could have encountered on the way, a speeding ticket is a minor one. And after a nice visit with Dave, Linda and Lance over lunch, I continued the remaining 350 miles from Findlay making only one stop and getting back at dusk 28 days after I’d left. I considered going the extra couple hundred miles to reach the Atlantic so that it could truly have been a coast to coast journey, but I was tired and satisfied enough with the road I’d travelled that I had no need to prove anything. And with that, the Blue Mamba Trail was complete. Good times, Good times indeed!

O Canada!

2010-03-01T21:54:00.004+03:00

Hey ya hoser. In Tribute to Bob and Doug Mackenzie, and in honour (do they use the British spelling of honor with the u in there up in Canada?) of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics proving to be a huge success, I wanted to give some credit to the neighbor to the North of the US. And, with one of the best things to come from the country being a movie called 'Strange Brew', is it any wonder the women's hockey team celebrated the way they did? And is it really that big an issue that they did?

Like Dunkin Donuts only better

Congratulations to all you Canadians out there. You've got something to celebrate for quite a while. As the winter olympics finish at the end of February, you're able to hold the spotlight for awhile as there's not much else to do in February and early March but watch TV and read the news. And the World Cup isn't for another couple of months. So revel in the glory as long as you can, because we all know that while Canada may be good in the snow, they're not so well known for things which take place on grass.

Both very much Canadian

Near, Far, Wherever You Are!

Rain!!!

2010-02-26T21:23:00.000+03:00

Today was the first time I saw rain here in Somaliland since early October. It was wonderful!! A whole 15 minutes of rain!! Sure, it didn’t last long, but it doesn’t take much to bring joy to everyone. And the way it looks, it might even just pick back up again and add a little more excitement to things around here. I was at the gate with our security guards when it started. It had been cloudy all day – this has only happened a few times in the past 5 months – and they’d become a darker shade all around. Consequently, all we were talking about was rain. (I had my English-Somali dictionary with me, otherwise we wouldn’t have even been talking but rather grunting, gesturing and trying to communicate using a conglomeration of my poor attempts at Juba Arabic, their poor attempts at English, and the 15 or 20 Somali words that I know).

Before the rain started, we could see several miles away that it was already raining. There was all kinds of dust in the horizon which they were saying (I only understood because of the sign language, though I’m sure they were saying it with their words also) is a sign of rain. Sure enough, about 20 minutes later, the wind picked up and sand was blowing everywhere. It wasn’t a sandstorm, and I don’t really know if they have those here or not, but the sand was blowing at least a hundred feet in the air in a not too thick cloud, and so came the rain. No one was concerned to retreat under cover at first. We were all relishing the liquid falling from the sky as it brought at least a temporary relief to the dry, parched earth. But, wetness does result in discomfort, and especially as the sun was low on the horizon, no one really wanted to get soaked. So, we did hide under a small shelter with big smiles and a light-hearted atmosphere that persisted.

Praise the Lord for the rain! I welcome it as a break from the monotony, a relief to the heat, and a hope that it will ease suffering of all around me who struggle to survive with its absence. It has been 5 months without rain in Somaliland, but I got completely drenched in a downpour in Nairobi only 3 weeks ago. For those I interact with daily, it has been a lifetime of going months without seeing a drop of rain. No escape to a foreign land where it is common. Nothing but brown, sandy earth with little thorny plants here and there that spring to life for a short time whenever the few drops of rain do come. I know that tomorrow I’ll begin to see a little bit of growth and maybe even a little bit of green will spring forth in the next day or two. The roots are shallow, and things will inevitably be scorched and die again. But, these are the things that are just beyond my and anyone else’s control. People grow up in different areas and have different experiences. It’s not for me to determine what takes root and what doesn’t. I can do no more than trust that the Author has a purpose for creating things the way they are. I rejoice in my experiences. I rejoice with my neighbours today for the little rain that fell. And I rejoice that life is not in the big things, but in the small things to be enjoyed moment by moment.

What's so Great about the Plains?

2010-02-17T21:48:00.002+03:00

From Camp Bighorn, the next place I really had any intentions or desire to stop was Minneapolis. (While there were other places I had some desire to stop at, I didn’t think it was worth the several hundred extra miles and consequently hours on the bike that I would’ve had to drive to get to any of them). So, I left early in the morning on September 11 and headed East on US Highway 12 across Montana. And I continued driving across Montana. Eventually I stopped at Sulphur Springs Montana, right in the middle of the state for a bowl of clam chowder. And then I continued further along the highway. Western Montana: beautiful. Eastern Montana: not so much. At sometime past 6pm, after 600 miles travelled and almost 11 hours on the road, the sun was beginning to set and it started raining. I was still 40 miles from any type of civilization. I was cold and uncomfortable. I considered stopping and putting up the tent for the night, but as I was already miserable, I decided to push on ahead to the next town and stay in a motel for only the second and final night on the trip that I would pay for lodging. 650 miles and 11+ hours from when I’d started the day, I was still in Montana. How can the state really be that long?

Saw some of these, and not much else (not my photo though)

After a night’s sleep in a bed to rest my stiff, sore body, I woke up to find that the rain hadn’t stopped overnight, so I was thankful I’d stayed in the hotel. With nothing but the Great Plains of North and South Dakota between me and Minneapolis, I knew it was going to be another long day. I continued the journey with the trusty overalls and rain jacket that Alex had graciously let me borrow. The rain let up by midday so I was at least able to dry out for the afternoon while soaking up some sun. I covered a total of 600+ miles going across parts of the Dakotas and Western Minnesota, but finally reached Nick and Christy’s place with an extremely sore bum sometime after 8pm (lost an hour due to time zone change). The 1300 miles I’d covered the previous 2 days had worn me out and while I was glad to see Nick and Christy again, I was asleep by 10pm even though it was a Saturday night.

I took it easy for a couple days choosing to mostly walk rather than explore much of the Twin Cities on wheels. My hosts live in a diverse community where there are dozens of ethnicities heavily represented, including a large Somali population. It was wonderful to eat some great food, meet some new folks, visit my old roommate and his wife, some other friends I hadn’t seen in years, and some cousins that had grown up way too much since I’d last spent any time with them. But, the date of my interview, which was the only thing that put a limit to the time I had for this cross-country expedition, was approaching too quickly. So I couldn’t stay long enough to help Nick and Christy move into or fix up the house they’d just bought and settled on the day I left… and it did need quite a lot of work. (At least that’s the excuse I gave to get out of helping.) Even though it took a lot of effort and all their extra time for awhile, I’ve seen pictures that show just how much they were able to do to turn the place into a nice, comfortable home.

My tour of Minneapolis

As I left Minneapolis, I headed towards Chicago which I’ll pick up with in the next instalment. But a couple of hour visit in Rochester on the way allowed me to meet the newest addition to Sarah’s family as she, Kyle, and Josiah had recently welcomed beautiful baby Briella into the world. Josiah loved the motorcycle, so even though he’s only 3 years old, I let him take it for a spin while I played with his Fisher Price toys. Ok, so his mom decided that it wasn’t a good idea to let him drive as it didn’t have training wheels. But we did get to play ball in the yard and I pushed him around in his Fisher Price racer. And that is where this edition of the Blue Mamba Trail will end.

South and East

2010-01-24T21:21:00.005+03:00

Blue Mamba Trail (Part 7 I think)

Having reached the northern and western extremes for the trip, I was now headed towards the rising sun and away from the Great White North. But, enjoying cross-cultural experiences as I do, and not wanting to backtrack over roads I’d already travelled, I headed east across British Columbia instead of back down to Seattle when I left Chad’s house on the morning of day number 20 of the expedition. Heading across Canada’s Highway 1 I waved at Chilliwack and Langley as the friends I have from there weren’t around, and realized from the smell that this was an agricultural and livestock dominated area. It reminded me of home.

Going east across BC, I was amazed at the mountains and how they kept opening up before me. A two-lane road (Highway 3B... why the B, I don't know) that twisted and turned was a great way to get back into the routine of driving after a 7 day stretch of riding only 670 miles. The road meandered beside rivers, twisted and turned through valleys, and led me across unspoilt landscapes. I passed large fields of crops, virgin forests, and orchards full of fruits. After several hundred miles, sometime in the early afternoon, I crossed back into the land of Chevrolet, hot dogs, and apple pie in Northeastern Washington. The journey down towards Spokane was nearly as scenic as BC, but it didn’t take long to hit suburbs and places that showed I was clearly not in Canada anymore. From there I tried to push it and make it to Western Montana before too late in the night as I was hoping to meet up with my friend Josh from TU who works with Camp Bighorn.

Osooyos, Canada

Camp Bighorn facilitates a group of students every year from Prairie Bible College in Alberta in which they Explore and Discover God in nature. It provides a Scriptural foundation to leadership and wilderness training. The day I was hoping to arrive was the last of a 4 day camping excursion which Josh was helping to lead. They were camping somewhere in the middle of the woods, and I intended to find them. I had been enjoying my ride during the day, but knew that it was far to get to the campsite, so while I didn’t delay, with the loss of an hour through entering into the mountain time zone, and taking some time to enjoy the beauty of the creation around me on the motorcycle, it looked like I was going to be getting to the area Josh explained they’d be around 8:30pm. He had a cell phone, but it didn’t get reception at the campsite itself, and the site was 20 miles down a forestry service road. But, with Josh’s directions, in spite of the realization I’d be arriving after dark, I was confident it wouldn’t be a problem.

So, what I thought would be an arrival of around 8:30 turned into just getting to the Montana border around that time and off the exit that would lead to the campsite at around 9pm. The forestry service roads aren’t really all that well labelled either. And after about 40 minutes of back and forth to the exit and up and back a few random dirt roads near the exit and to the gas station right at the exit, I settled on a road that the kind lady at the station convinced me was the one I wanted. After about 45 minutes of driving in complete darkness through a single lane gravel road up and down through the mountains of Western Montana, I arrived at the campsite sometime shortly after 10pm. It was actually quite a fun ride that reminded me at times of driving the little Yamaha AG 100 motorbike across the much worse dirt roads of Liberia. In this instance, however, I only slid the back end of the bike a few times when locking the brakes as I realized I was coming too fast into turns that I couldn’t tell at all how sharp they were in the utter darkness. It was a thrilling end to the 600+ miles I travelled this day, though, and it was such a joy to get to see Josh again after 3 years or so of only sporadic emails.

Although it was early in September, I learned when I arrived that the morning of the night I had arrived Josh and the others all awoke to find the ground covered in white. It had snowed that morning. And here I am camping outside in the woods. I wasn’t prepared for such cold weather, but thankfully Josh had an extra sleeping bag, blanket, and jacket that I was able to use. The next morning we travelled to Camp Bighorn where I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, floating on the river through some small rapids, and then enjoyed a trip to “town” which was the tiny village of maybe 1,500 people of Plains, Montana. There was a grocery store, a gas station, and a casino. I think that was it. But the camp was tucked away at the base of a rocky cliff and on the banks of a sinewy river. It was a fabulous place to spend a day, cook some steaks, and relax with an old and several new friends. And, as I was to realize the following day, it was the last place to really enjoy the beauty of the mountains and take in the most dramatic of the scenery I was to experience for the journey. For Eastern Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota are 1,300 miles of empty, open nothingness. But even that couldn’t take away from what I’d already experienced thus far on the journey.

Above Bighorn

Verdict is In.. Kind of

2010-01-14T15:04:00.002+03:00

So the votes are in. Ending as a tie, I was faced with a tough decision. Deodorant or dates. You know, I never have been a fan of making New Year’s Resolutions that you’re not going to stick to. People who pay for gym memberships at the New Year and then only work out 2 or 3 days, Quitting smoking until Martin Luther King Jr. day. Going to church the first 2 Sundays in January and then not showing up again until Christmas. It’s important to set goals that you’re going to stick to. And it’s important to set goals that are realistic.

Let’s be honest. I live in Somalia. Why would I even think that my theme for 2010 should be ‘Go on lots of dates with Gwen (or Jenn) in two thousand ten’? I put that in my final four? I don’t think I’ve come in contact with a person named Gwen or Jen since September 2009. I’ve not set myself up for success in a situation like that. Tina had some good thoughts with the fact that 2011 might be quite difficult to find common names to rhyme and have another shot next year, but that would be true if I was in the US. I just have to find where there are women with names that rhyme with eleven. And, as she said, the deodorant probably will be needed before the dates would come anyway, so I may be a year or so behind the times. In 2009 I should have smelled mighty fine, but it’s a little too late for that now.

I wish that bringing the mullet back again in twenty ten would’ve received more votes. The hair is long enough that I could pull it off even now, and then grow it out to an even fuller and sexier mullet, but the public has spoken (all 12 of you).

So, as I write this, I take my first step towards my theme for the year and am putting on deodorant for the first time in 2010. All I have to do is remember to keep doing that now and then. So if you’re looking for a present to get me for my birthday or maybe your birthday, or Christmas or Groundhog day, how about some of that sweet smelling stuff for under my arms. In the year 2010, Wear Deodorant now and then!

New Year's Theme

2009-12-31T18:52:00.002+03:00

Ok, so I need some help.

It is now the eve of the New Year. 2010 will be here in 5 hours here in Somaliland and I haven't made any resolutions. In 2008, I decided to go with a theme, and I think I'd like to do the same, but I can't settle for one yet. Looking Great in 2008 was a smashing success as I was told I looked like Salvador Dali when I had a moustache that I could tuck behind my ears for 1/3 of the year and a smaller version for quite a few more months throughout the year. So, for this year I've narrowed it down (after months of contemplation) to four finalists. Please help me know which to pick:

Wear Deodorant now and then in Twenty Ten!

Go on lots of dates with Gwen (or Jenn) in 2010!

Bring the mullet back when it's two thousand and ten!

Looking great again, 2010!

As I sit on the roof and bring in the New Year with my champagne, caviar, and cigar (ok, so I'm not anywhere near so high class here, but I'll use my imagination) I'll try to reach some type of conclusion, but if you have any thoughts, I'll have to take them into consideration.

Canadian Pacific Northwest

2009-12-28T21:11:00.004+03:00

From Seattle I headed up for the international portion of my journey. That’s right, I wanted to head into the Great White North as the permafrost was thawed and it was a month before things would be covered in snow again. In early September there were few dogsleds I’d have to worry about hitting on the motorcycle, so I figured I was safe. I just had to try to remember not to say anything bad about Bob and Doug Mackenzie or the Red Green Show. And, if I was lucky, maybe I’d meet a few famous Canadians like Mike Myers, Celine Dion, or the Queen of England (ok, maybe not Canadian, but at least I’d see her on the money since they haven’t managed to break free yet from the colonial power). God Save the Queen!

I had a little trouble convincing the border guard that I wasn’t just a freeloader with no job and no money trying to cross the border and take advantage of the system. I guess the beard, motorcycle with Pennsylvania tags crossing the Washington/British Columbia border 3,000 miles from where it was registered, and plastic trash bag rain cover over all my things didn’t give a convincing argument. After a short discussion in which I had to try to prove that I had enough money to make it all the way back to PA, and the border guard being convinced I wasn’t carrying any drugs, I was able to pass.

First stop I should’ve made in Canada: Tim Horton’s. But, I was on a diet of canned beans, saltines, and peanut butter, so I foolishly decided to just drive to Vancouver. Good enough, I found KD had made some great homemade cookies and hot tea waiting on me at my destination for the day. I’d arrived just after lunch time, so had the afternoon to explore the town. Of course, the first place Karen took me was Wreck beach. Sorry, no pictures, but it was pretty cool to be at the Pacific Ocean and see the mountains of Vancouver Island off in the distance. Thankfully it wasn’t too cold as I went swimming along with a few other Wreck beach participants. I guess the Canadian coast doesn’t have as many icebergs around as I’d expected.

Convention Center, think is supposed to be big deal for the Olympics

Vancouver skyline

From there, I got to experience a cross-cultural atmosphere through watching some cricket being played by a group of South Asians with some loud Hindi music blaring in the background at a local park. It wasn’t ice hockey season, so this worked as an international exposure that was overdue since I’d spent 5+ months consecutively in the U.S. (although selling fireworks in the thumb of Michigan for July 4 did feel at times like I was in another country).

Cricket experience! Who understands this game??

Following a good day of hanging out with Karen, I took off the next morning on the bike up the Sea to Sky highway towards Whistler. The site of the 2010 Winter Olympics was undergoing lots of construction. Everywhere there were signs of excitement in eager expectation for the beginning of the festivities. I’d really like to be able to go back during the games, but suppose it won’t be able to happen as it’s only a few months from now. The scenery was gorgeous with the ocean and mountains all so close together and many nice curves and twists along the road. Mountain bikers, runners, hikers, and various other adventure sporters were all around the roads and trails taking advantage of the beautiful creation that they found themselves in.

No snow?!?! In Canada!?!? Oh well, let's go biking!!!

Beautiful scenery on the Sea to the Sky highway

100 kilometres of great views

There's even some nice waterfalls right off the road

A quick stop in Vancouver after heading back south and then I was off to Abbotsford to stay the night with Chad and his parents. It was great to reconnect with them and spend the night a little closer to Western Montana where I hoped to make it the following day. The last little Canadian portion of the trip will have to wait until another day for telling.

Pacific Northwest (US)

2009-12-07T10:04:00.005+03:00

Once I finally had the bike ready to go from Boise, I headed west to meet up with my friend Chad who I’d worked with in Sudan as he and some friends were camping on Oregon’s Cannon Beach. For those of you who are familiar with the movie Goonies, it was filmed there. For those of you who don’t know that movie, I highly recommend that you drop by the local video store or order it from Amazon and watch. In fact, I think I need to find it somehow over here and watch it again as it has been probably 2 years since I last watched.

Cannon Beach

Riding along through the Columbia River basin across Oregon was beautiful. If it wasn’t for the extremely strong wind, I would have enjoyed the day thoroughly. As it was, I still was glad to be able to make the drive, but my shoulders and back were extremely tired by the time I finished the 500+ mile trip from Boise to Cannon Beach. Arriving at the Pacific Ocean at about 5pm or so local time was a great way to stop for the day. With the sun setting in the West, the Pacific coast enjoys spectacular sunsets everyday. It was almost as good as the sunsets on the west coast of Zanzibar Island. Cooking a can of soup over the campfire, catching up with Chad and telling stories around the fire were a perfect end to the day.

Welcome to the West Coast

Another Beautiful Sunset

Camping here was awesome

The following day we looked into surfing, but it was a bit too expensive, and with the water being so cold and the temperature not so hot in early September, I think we had a much better day anyhow. Hiking around Ecola State Park, going to Haystack Rock, taking a nap on the beach was a great way to spend a beautiful, sunny day on the Pacific Coast. Another night camping right on the beach and cooking over an open campfire made another marvelous ending to a fun day on the journey. And finally reaching the Pacific Ocean after having been on the road for nearly two weeks, and especially after the four unexpected days in Boise with mechanical troubles, made this part of the trip all the better.

Handstand contest??

The next morning I headed up the Pacific Coast Highway and across the Astoria Bridge into Washington State. Unsurprisingly, it was a wet morning and the rain fell till noon. By mid-afternoon, I was able to stop by Black Lake Bible Camp and visit Phil’s (who I worked with in Sudan) parents as I was on my way up to Seattle. It was a beautiful camp with some nice facilities, and it seems like a great place. A nice dinner by the water in Tacoma, Washington with my friend Michelle from Taylor University provided a great view of Mt. Olympia and a couple of seals came up to the surface. From there I went to Seattle to stay with David and Callie, and the hills really made me think I was in San Francisco with how steep it was.

Seattle's Puget Sound

After a relaxing day going to the Pike market and seeing the space needle in Seattle, I went with David and Callie to her parent’s house in Yakima and attended one night of the Dave Mathews Concert at the Gorge. It was a majestic venue and full of people. While I’m not so much of a Dave fan, it was a great event. And spending a day in Yakima, drinking Seattle coffee, meeting Callie’s friends and beating them at Carcassonne was a lot of fun as well (not to mention I got to ride as a passenger in a car for quite a few hours instead of having to do all the work on the motorcycle). On top of it all, a Josh Garrels concert my last night in Seattle was a superb ending to the American side of my Pacific Northwest adventure. In spite of all the rain, it was a splendid time.

Columbia River Gorge in the Background

It rained during the first act, but before dave it cleared off and there was a double rainbow

Continuation of the Blue Mamba Trail

2009-11-30T23:01:00.003+03:00

I left the story of the road trip unfinished. It’s about time I return to telling that story even though it’s now been 3 months since the events described below occurred

So I left off outside of Denver. Growing up in Chambersburg, PA, I enjoyed hiking in the mountains. Going up tumbling run or to the top of flat rock were always activities that allowed me to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. The journey out to and from Taylor University in Indiana for the years I attended, I always used to look forward to getting into the mountains of Central PA on the way back, and dread leaving them as I got to hours of flat, boring driving in Ohio and Indiana. After traveling Route 40 from Denver to Salt Lake City, Utah, I recognize that people in the West might not refer to the Appalachians as mountains but rather hills.

The ride was gorgeous. There were steep climbs, beautiful overlooks, picturesque valleys, and fun curves to ride up and down. Hours straight of this made for a great day, until late afternoon when I reached a stretch of road that few people travel. During the stretch of US 40 in the West of Colorado and the far east of Utah, I traveled over an hour where I passed maybe 5 vehicles headed towards me and didn’t see a single vehicle headed in the same direction as me. The scenery by this time had become much more dull than the previous hours through central Colorado had been, so the monotony only made me more tired. In that stretch, there was around 50 miles or so between gas stations (or any business or point of interest whatsoever), so I’m extremely glad that the bike didn’t experience any problems and leave me stranded so far from anything.

After staying the night somewhere east of Salt Lake City, the following day I headed northwest into Idaho. There were some nice views and scenery along this stretch, but the best part of this stretch was Twin Falls, Idaho. I never thought much of Idaho other than laughing at Napoleon Dynamite, and a previous trip across a 20 mile or so stretch of southeastern Idaho with a couple friends 5 years before didn’t leave much of Idaho itself to really talk about. The Snake River Gorge on the eastern edge of Twin Falls is absolutely stunning, though. It really is a postcard type of view, and after a brief stop, I realized I might could actually enjoy spending more time in the city on another visit. But, I pushed on to try to make Boise for the night where I hoped to find lodging with someone from back home in Chambersburg. So after passing by the Humanitarian Bowl’s blue turf football stadium, I pulled into the apartment complex where I was to stay for just the night.

After a night’s sleep, I got up and went out to prep the bike for a journey that I intended to begin before 8am. When I got outside, though, I realized that the motorcycle had leaked petrol out of the overflow tube all night as a strong odor of gasoline and a discolored pool and trail across the blacktop led to the drain in the parking lot. Knowing this was not a good sign, I went to my gracious host for some help. And thanks to the friendliness and generosity of Michael, his roommate, and their friends, I managed to get a couple of guys to help me analyze the problem and see if there was anything that could be done. It turned out the carburetor had a problem and the gas just kept running into the engine and was being spilled out as well as being spit back even into the air filter box under the seat. Considering my lack of mechanical experience or skill, this was not anything I was going to be able to do on my home. With Rob’s great coaching (and a lot of his work), I was able to get things apart and clean the carbs. When it came to resetting the float level, however, I was unable to get it to work properly and the bike continued having problems after spending more than a day taking it apart and putting it back together again. Thankfully at least I had a place to stay and some good company. And, there was a BMW motorcycle dealership in town that I was able to take the bike to that was able to get it looked at and fixed in a couple days time. But after a four day unexpected stay in Boise, I was able to continue my journey with some new friends made and a great opportunity in which to see God’s faithfulness and protection.

View from Route 40 in Colorado

Snake River Gorge from the Bridge in Twin Falls

Bridge I crossed in Twin Falls

View US Rockies and Snake River in a larger map

2009-11-20T14:52:00.002+03:00

You can read the article as well here

New Update

2009-10-14T16:39:00.003+03:00

So a lot has happened since I finished the road trip in mid September. I still haven't finished the reports on my mini Megatransect (see Nat'l Geo magazine to understand the reference) but I'll have to interject the rest of the motorcycle story (some of which should hopefully make for interesting reading) in the coming weeks, likely interspersed amongst some other posts.

I had managed to last almost 7 months in North America before leaving again. It's now been nearly 2 weeks since I flew out of Dulles airport yet again for a trans-atlantic flight as one part of a longer journey. I'm not sure the running total, but am positive I've crossed the equator more times than I have years on earth. I'd try to count, but it's been over ten years since I've had a math class, so I may not be able to get that high accurately. Regardless, it seems most of the poll voters from my question of how long I'd make it in the States were correct. Of course, I think there were only 7 people who voted, about 4 saying I'd leave before the first snow, 1 that I'd be over a year, and 2 only a couple of months.

So I thought I'd avoid the snow, and left just as the leaves were getting some color. I did end up in the mountains of Montana in September a day after they awoke to white snow covered hillsides, but thankfully the day I got there had only started with frost. And, I am just about to head to Switzerland for a couple of weeks, so there's a chance I'll see some snow up in the mountains, but I doubt I'll have the opportunity to be up in the snow. I'm sure I'll be quite a bit colder than I have been the last couple weeks regardless, and am actually looking forward to some jacket weather.

But for the most part of the next year, I'll be trying to avoid the sun and sweating even in the shade. My pants will be sticking to my body nearly every time I stand up and I won't have to look in a mirror as no one will care if my hair or face is messed up. I must like it that way, because I keep coming back for more. Here's some photos for your viewing pleasure (that I am borrowing, I haven't taken any pics yet).

The Great Plains

2009-10-09T12:55:00.000+03:00

Tiger Walk photos

So the first day was a long one. But I was hoping to make it to Columbia Missouri by the following afternoon, so I was happy to have travelled the greater distance the first day making the next seem tolerable. After crossing some pretty scenic roads in Southern Indiana, I got onto Interstate 65 by late midday and was bored all the way to St. Louis. The Arch was a cool landmark to see in passing as I rolled through and merged onto I-70. Columbia couldn’t come fast enough from there though.

I met up with my friends Ben and Yoder at Ben’s place by about 5pm. It was great to see them again, and Yoder had driven the 5 hours or so from Hutchinson, KS to meet up. Ben helps with the campus church at The Rock on the University of Missouri campus, so we got to attend the Saturday evening service there that night. It was cool to see the ministry that Ben’s now involved in, and they’re doing some good stuff to try to connect with and encourage students from Scripture. It is often a tough transition for students leaving home and all, so please pray for Ben and the others helping with the Rock.

It was welcome weekend for the campus as classes were to start that week. It was quite impressive as Ben and his girlfriend took us for a tour of the campus. I never expected central Missouri to be as nice as it was, but the campus is full of rolling hills, and some architecturally stunning buildings. After my first ever experience eating at Chipotle, we had the privilege of participating in the annual Tiger Walk where the incoming freshmen walk one direction through the huge columns in the middle of campus (by participate I mean eat some free ice cream that is available for those who walk through). It was actually pretty cool as there are 3-4,000 students signalling their entrance into the University, and after 4 years (or however many it takes to graduate), they’ll all (who pass) walk the other direction just before graduation to signal the exit.

The next morning I left through Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas where there wasn’t much of note, but at least a few hills still. I got to stop in Newton, Kansas, where Tina had just bought a house that had been trashed by the previous residents. It’ll be a really nice place when she’s done with it, but she was still in the middle of putting lots of time and energy into it when I visited. I thought about giving a hand with the varnishing of the hardwood floor she was working on that day, but for some reason Tina wouldn’t let me help after I grabbed a can of black spray paint and asked her where to begin. And then that night I got to stay for the first time with an Amish family (a progressive Amish tradition called Beechy Amish). There was some great food and conversation and I learned that a couple people in the family had attended a Mennonite Bible Institute very close to where I grew up. It wasn’t nearly as awkward, nor quite as funny as the double-date my Amish-background friend and I had been on a year and a half before when the one girl was making comments about how weird the Amish were before she knew he had grown up in an Amish family, but it was definitely a good evening.

The following day was a lot of driving through the flat, open expanses of Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado. Passing through Dodge City and the site of the first rodeo was not nearly as exciting as I was hoping it would be, and a crazy Midwest storm a couple hours outside of Denver made for a fitting end to a lousy day. The torrential rains came from a pitch black sky in the late afternoon and winds and rain that forced me to wait at a gas station for over an hour and I still drove an hour or so in the not so heavy part of the storm. But, by the end of the day, I was near to the foothills of the Rockies, so I knew I had some nicer roads to look forward to.

That will wait for another day.

Day One

2009-10-01T08:08:00.001+03:00

I woke early August 21st in the hopes of getting started as the sun rose and possibly ending the day around sunset. The goal was Bloomington, Indiana, a distance of 600 miles. Riding a motorcycle requires stopping every hour or so just to stretch, and is much more exhausting than driving a car. On quite a number of occasions I’d driven for 10 to 12 hours in a day and gone 700 or more miles, but this would be a couple hundred miles further than I’d ever driven in a day on a motorcycle. (I did drive from 6am until 4 or 5pm on a motorcycle from Foya, Liberia to Bo, Sierra Leone back in 2006. While that was maybe 200 miles, it took all day as the road was mud and dirt until the last 50 miles of pavement. But oh how nice that pavement was to drive on as I hadn’t seen any for the month and a half prior to it. But I’m not going to get into stories about driving motorcycles in Liberia, because that could take a while as well.) So I had what was an ambitious goal for me, but given the delay in the start to the trip, I wanted to cover some long distances early on.

I hadn’t gone more than 20 or 25 miles, and it was maybe a quarter after 8 in the morning when the rain started. A steady rain at first turned into a downpour in another 20 miles or so, and just as I was nearing the West Virginia border on I-68 cars were slowed down to 30 mph on the interstate due to the lack of visibility. I actually could see much better than the cars with their windshield wipers flying back and forth, but it was too wet to really continue too easily, and after going through several huge puddles and realizing I didn’t want to end up having a hydro-planing caused accident in the first hour and a half of the excursion, I stopped to wait out the rain a bit and get a hot drink. After about half an hour the rain had slowed to a normal rain, so I continued. It rained until about lunchtime almost all the way across West Virginia and finally as I was entering Ohio on US 50 the clouds started breaking up. After shedding my rain gear, the next couple hours were pretty enjoyable as Southern Ohio is a lot more scenic and a better drive than Interstate 70 is. I’ve driven along 70 between Indiana and Pennsylvania probably 25 times, so was really surprised and pleased to find such a scenic route only 50 or 60 miles south.

I managed to meet up with my good friend Jonathan and his wife Sara in Cincinnati for a few hours, but was feeling pretty good and decided I’d try to make it to Bloomington still instead of stopping early. So I left Cincinnati about 9pm for the hundred and fifty mile stretch. It wasn’t too long until I started to recognize the wind picking up and realize that ahead there were no stars or anything visible in the sky. After half an hour I’d realized it was a mistake to try to go farther, but I’d already started, so I thought I’d just push through the rain that was starting. So the rain wasn’t too heavy, but I was right at the edge of the storm, so the wind was just howling and really tried to whip me around on the little motorcycle. I’d lean one way and then a gust would hit from the other direction causing me to drive about 15 miles an hour under the speed limit for the rest of the way to Bloomington. The first day ended with me soaked (I was optimistic in thinking it wouldn’t really rain, so didn’t put on my rain pants until I’d already gotten pretty wet) at about 12:30am at the University of Indiana campus where my friend Corey lives. It was great to see him, but I soon fell asleep while he was talking as it had been a long day, but I had managed to cover 625 miles on the first day of riding on the trek. Not the way I’d have chosen to start the trip, but thankfully the rain held off for a few more days after this.

To be continued again (it won’t be one day per post most of the time, but I’ve realized this is already a long post so am not going to add anything else now and don’t feel like going through and editing this. In fact, I should be packing right now as I leave in 12 hours for Nairobi, but I wanted a distraction because I really don’t feel like packing.)

By the Numbers

2009-09-26T21:02:00.002+03:00

In spite of the early difficulties, I did make it all the way to the Pacific and back.
Here are a few stats from the trip:
the general route is pictured above. Couldn't get the googlemaps highlighted map to display correctly, but this is close

18 U.S. States and 1 Canadian Province
7,300 miles (11,700 kilometers)
That's the equivalent of driving from New York City to Nairobi, Kenya
29 days, 28 nights
16 days over 100 miles driving, 13 days under 100 miles (incl. 7 of 0 miles)
average of 440 miles per day during driving days
longest distance in one day - 640 miles
18 different locations for the night, 5 stops for multiple nights
3 nights staying on my own, the rest with friends

More stories to come...

Is this going to happen?

2009-09-25T01:15:00.006+03:00

I was about to start a trip westward with my recently acquired BMW 650 motorcycle when I rode it nearly 100 miles (2 hours) away to Johnstown. It was a very nice ride across Route 30 over the mountains and should have been a great warmup to the trip I was to begin 2 days later.

BMWs are known to be reliable machines that last and last. I've known people who have ridden them all over Africa, the US, and Canada. Two guys rode from London across Europe and Asia, flew to Anchorage, Alaska, and then continued to New York City on BMW motorcycles several years ago (nearly 20,000 miles altogether), and the documentary (the Long Way Round) was a television series chronicling their difficult journey. The bikes made it ok, though, and if they could make that journey, you'd think I'd have no problem getting across the US and back (ok, mine wasn't as new or the same model they used).

So I'm in Johnstown in the middle of the day and put the key in the ignition. The key doesn't go in. When I pull the key away, I notice the plastic dust guard is cracked. (See the photo with the arrow pointing to where the dust guard used to be if you have any question as to what I'm talking about). I managed to get the bigger piece out, but in the process pushed the smaller cracked plastic piece further into the ignition. I don't know anyone in Johnstown and don't have any precision tools with me and the cycle. So I try using my smallest key and a pen cap to dig the plastic out. No success, but rather it is now even further down the ignition to where there's no chance a key or pen cap is going to fit under. I stop a passer-by who thankfully had a couple of those tiny, long flat screwdrivers that are useful for eyeglass and other tiny screws. I borrow those, which would have been perfect at the beginning, but at this point, I do nothing more than knock the plastic further yet into the ignition, and can no longer even see the plastic without shining a flashlight into the hole. Realizing I'm in a bit of a jam, I call a local motorcycle shop who refers me to a locksmith. The locksmith said unless I had the entire ignition out of the bike, he could do nothing, and that I needed to be careful using anything too hard down in the ignition system as the tumblers (that set the cut for a key to work) could easily be damaged and result in the key no longer working. It's now been 45 minutes or so. Out of frustration, I deduce that since the piece that fell in is plastic, and the screwdrivers are metal, I can carefully smash the plastic into tiny bits so that the key can be jammed in. Of course that didn't work either.

I walk down the road a mile or so to where I was told a motorcycle shop is. The shop owner comes back to the motorcycle with me and takes it back to his shop. It doesn't take long to determine the plastic is not coming out. At this he says he can take a couple hours to get the ignition out, send it to a locksmith, and wait an hour or so till the locksmith can determine if he'll be able to get the ignition opened enough for the plastic to come out, and then take time to put it back into the bike leaving an earliest possible solution coming in the evening for a couple hour ride back to Chambersburg. Of course, there's also the chance that after several hours, it turns out that even this proves unsuccessful and I'm left at square one (minus an ignition). The other alternative is to hotwire the motorcycle and be able to get it home to figure out what action to take. I chose option two. So after an hour or so, my motorcycle was wired up and ran by an on/off switch instead of the key. But I got home that evening.

I didn't feel too comfortable traveling across the country and having just anyone be able to turn on the bike without a key or anything, so started calling to try to get a new ignition ordered to put in. It took a day for the dealership to tell me that they found the right part, but then the next day found the part was discontinued and I had to purchase a three lock set (ignition, fuel tank, and seat) which was 3 times the cost just for the hardware. At this point a friend I was talking with about it said he may be able to drill out the plastic. Having nothing to lose from the ignition being damaged, he tried. It took several hours another day later, but amazingly it worked. An air compressor blew out tiny bits of the plastic, and the final tiny piece that was really jammed in came out through sucking it up into a tiny WD40 straw. Hallelujah!! I can get this show on the road.

Not just yet. In bringing the motorcycle from his shop to my house, he notices an exhaust leak. Instead of trying to start such a long trip like this, I order the part. But, I also got the idea to take the bike to the first stop (a friend's in South Carolina) where there is also a dealer that could order the part, and actually get it in a day earlier. So I ordered it there also and took the motorcycle down in the back of my truck, and my friend in South Carolina was going to drive the truck back to PA. When the store called that the gasket was in, I went to pick it up and it turned out to be the wrong gasket. So, I ended up heading with my friend back to PA the next day, in the truck, with the motorcycle in the back yet again.

The following day I picked up the gasket from the nearby dealer who I'd also ordered from, and thankfully it was the right part. So the bike was put together and I decided to give a third try to the expedition.

To be continued...

Walking like John Wayne

2009-09-22T01:34:00.002+03:00

It's been a long time since I've updated anything here. Well, that is about to change. I've got some writing material following a cross country motorcycle journey. It was a long time in the saddle, but my tookus is now resting and recovering. It was a blast, and the last five weeks might take a few posts to fill in the details of. I don't have all that many photos, but there should be a few to accompany the stories that will be told.

Since it has been so long since I'd posted, I don't know if anyone reads this anymore. So this is just to give those who might happen to check it a notice to keep checking back over the next few days to hear the beginning of the Blue Mamba Trail saga.

Liberian English

2009-08-05T05:37:00.003+03:00

In Liberia, the lingua franca is English. There are lots of tribal languages that people speak, but English is the common language you can find all over the country. While not everyone speaks it, most do, but you might not recognize it-oh. You see-oh, the English in Liberia-oh is not the same-oh as in the U.S.-oh. One thing-oh is that they add -oh to the end to a lot of words. Like hey-oh would be a common greeting. Or yeah-oh a normal response in the affirmative. But, the addition of an -oh on the end is not the only difference in Liberian English, it's just the easiest one for an American like me to imitate.

I came across a video where a foreigner in Liberia recorded a Liberian guy talking on the phone to another Liberian. You see, the foreigner couldn't communicate with the Liberian on the other end due to the accent, so there's a Liberian using his phone to communicate what needs to get across. Click on the link to watch it on youtube and see if you can understand anything. I've been away from Liberia for too long, because I can only pick up a few words here and there.

If that one is a little too difficult, maybe start with a couple of sisters who tell their story of moving to the U.S. from Liberia. Their accents aren't too heavy, but I'd guess most people still won't understand a good bit of it. Plus, it's kind of interesting to hear people's thoughts on Liberia and their initial thoughts on coming to the States.

Darfur, South Sudan

2009-07-09T21:22:00.002+03:00

It's not in the news as much anymore following the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for the president of Sudan back in early March, but Sudan still has chaos in Darfur. Thankfully, people aren't getting killed as much there as they were in the years since the conflict erupted in 2003, but it doesn't look like things are going to be resolved so that people can return to their homes instead of being crammed into camps where there are international organizations present to provide some security and who the people rely on to provide food, education, and most everything else necessary for survival.

And although the killing in Darfur is getting less now, it seems that things in South Sudan are getting progressively worse leading up to the national elections and the referendum on Southern Independence. There have been more people killed in South Sudan this year than in Darfur, but little international attention is given to it. During the 20+ years of fighting with the North that ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, over 2 million Southern Sudanese were thought to have died as a result of the war. A national census conducted last year for the first time in over 50 years listed the population of the South at 8.5 million people. Darfur has had over 300,000 deaths as a result of the fighting there since 2003. And now things in the South are escalating before much of any infrastructure has developed and before the government has really been able to establish itself.

You can read an article just published on BBC news here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8127179.stm.
Please pray for the people of Sudan.

Fireworks

2009-07-09T20:15:00.003+03:00

Bad Axe. That's the name of the town where I spent 11 days selling fireworks. It's in Michigan. I'm not making this up. There's also a town called Hell in Michigan. I am so Bad Axe now. Dr. Mummert and I thought we'd try our hand at sales to try to make some extra cash. We weren't too sure about the whole thing ahead of time, but decided that regardless of whether we made a little money, or none at all, a week and a half in the town of Bad Axe would provide some good stories. And right we were...

For those of you who know anyone from Michigan, you're probably aware that they always use their hand as a representation of the state to reference where their town is located. Bad Axe is in the upper thumb. It's about 15, 20 minutes from Lake Huron on the west, north, and east. Not a lot of people live there. I'm now convinced that it must be because there are no dentists there (or maybe they have them, but the only equipment that the offices are supplied with are pliers for pulling teeth). It's not a wise business move to try to sell things in the state of Michigan during an economic downturn especially affecting the automotive industury (state unemployment at 15%) in a town that has maybe 4,000 people

I think I have an idea of what it's like to be a carny. Selling fireworks out of a tent in a Wal Mart parking lot has to be a lot like running a ferris wheel or one of those stands where you pay $1 to try to throw a ping pong ball into a fish bowl to win a goldfish at a local carnival. The main difference is probably that instead of moving the tent to another town after Bad Axe, we just closed up shop and were done. Since we were responsible for all the fireworks we were trying to sell, and would have to pay for anything stolen, there was no choice but to sleep in the tent every night and thereby spent almost all 24 hours each day in the tent. We weren't busy, and thankfully had brought a bicycle with us, so sometimes one of us would ride around town or go inside Wal Mart and play Mario Kart on the Wii or other things to try and keep from going stir crazy. The tent was 20 ft by 40 ft, and we had just enough room between the tables of fireworks to back the truck in each night so that we could sleep in the bed of the truck. The Econolodge across the street had a shower in the bathroom in it's lobby, so we did manage a few showers. Febreeze and deodorant also helped to keep us smelling fresh enough not to chase customers away before they spent some money.

Although we weren't super busy selling (things picked up on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, but before that we were extremely slow), the rain almost every day kept us busy letting down the tent walls and rolling them up every so often as we had to keep the fireworks from getting wet. Not only did it rain nearly every day, but no two consecutive days did the wind blow from the same direction, and it was always blowing hard enough that the rain was blowing into the tent so much it would quickly soak everything on that side of the tent. The inside of my truck has that damp, wet dog smell to it, but hopefully it will go away soon as I air out most of the stuff that was in it.

After the stand, I worked a few more days processing all the returns from the other tents in Michigan, and it was nice to get hourly pay and know that there would be some benefit in the end after spending all day working for commission in the tent. So, after 50 hours of that in 4 days, and the 11 days in a tent, I've now completed this experience. I don't think I'll have any other reason to return to Bad Axe, and will probably leave my interaction with fireworks from this point to watching them and not selling.

Surfing Liberia

2009-06-12T20:43:00.006+03:00

I met up with a friend a couple weeks ago that I had worked in Liberia with back in 2006. While we were catching up, he told me about a surf resort that had opened up recently. I had heard about Liberia’s great surfing when I was there, and even tried it myself with no success. When we went to the beach, however, there were no hotels or anything, so the option for overnighting (it was a 2 and a half hour drive from the capital, and night travel was not safe) was pitching a tent on the beach and bringing all the food and cooking stuff you needed to cook over a fire of wood you could collect around.

The resort isn’t so fancy yet. It’s got nice canvas safari tents to sleep in that have beds, tables, chairs, and power. And they have a bathroom with toilets and showers. It sounds pretty similar to the way I lived most of the last year I was in Sudan. But, it is currently mostly relief workers who make the trip from Monrovia for a weekend or a holiday, so there are not enough tourists to make it worthwhile to build something too luxurious yet. However, I’m sure it won’t be long until the condos will be going in and people will be coming in from other countries and enjoying some of the best surfing in the Northern Hemisphere.

It’s encouraging to know that people are beginning to think that Liberia is safe enough to begin investing in tourism and activities that can draw people into the country that has scared so many away. You can see a video from several years ago of surfing in Liberia here. Plus, BBC News just had a picture article about surfing in Liberia. And here are some other photos:

Apple Pie

2009-06-01T19:14:00.005+03:00

It has recently been pointed out to me that I've still been posting about Sudan even though I've been in the States for a while. At that point, Roller Derby is the only thing about life in the States I'd posted about. So, I think it's about time I make a post to America's Pastimes.

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet. I've enjoyed all of these in the past few weeks. In fact, just yesterday I enjoyed all of them but apple pie. I watched the Clemson Tigers beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys (a very American mascot) and continue their journey in the NCAA baseball tournament while watching a fan in front of me eat two delicious looking chili dogs (if they weren't $5 at the ballpark, but more like the $1.50 that is still overpriced but reasonable that you'd pay at Sonic, I would have enjoyed more than just the smell and appearance of said dogs and gotten to appreciate the taste), and I went to the game in my Chevy.

Although I have enjoyed America's Pastimes, I have some concerns regarding them right now. I am a Yankees fan (I didn't jump on the bandwagon... I was a huge fan in the late 80s when they had one of the longest pennant droughts in team history, but had the likes of Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield. I watched as the likes of Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, and Joe Girardi were added and led the team to the start of the recent domination) and with the building of the new stadium and the reports of sky-high ticket prices, it is disappointing that fewer and fewer "normal" people are able to go to games. Hot dogs now get a bad rap for containing all kinds of leftovers of pigs and scraps collected off of floors or whatever other rumors people have started, as well as being way overpriced at any athletic event anywhere in the country. And Chevrolet is part of GM, which is filing for bankrupcy protection. It seems as if America is about to solely rely on apple pie to pull us through. Thankfully, it is still something that happens most often at a household level and no person or corporation has really been able to claim rights to or fame for their apple pie. As long as it stays in the hands of the people, I think apple pie will remain a standard in the good old U.S. of A.

Yum, Yum

New Look

2009-05-25T00:36:00.003+03:00

Ok, it has been a while since I've mixed up the hairstyle too much. It's been in the medium-long range without anything different for the last year and a half. I'm to the point where I want to do something to change things up. But, I'm not sure what to really do about it. I feel like the mullet works pretty well for me, but I'm also considering going for something new like the fo-hawk or a military cut or another that I happen to think about the day I end up actually getting my hair cut. Hair is great in that it always grows back (or at least has for me so far... I guess that might not always be the case, but hope I have a while longer till I have to worry about not having options of what to do with my hair). My hair is perfectly straight, and doesn't curl no matter how long it gets, so I do have some limitations as to what I can do with it, and it is rather thin. It has treated me pretty well over the years, though, in spite of my negligence to it. I've often gone weeks without seeing my hair in a mirror, rarely style it, and don't concern myself with what type of products are used for washing it. If you've got any thoughts or suggestions for me, let me know. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a couple of photos of hairstyles that I think don't receive the respect they deserve.

Joe Dierte reporting for work

The rat tail... time for a comeback

Only in the U.S.A.

2009-05-19T21:23:00.001+03:00

(And in a few select Canadian cities).

So I spent this past weekend in Nashville, TN. It was full of some good times, but one in particular I've got to share.

Two words: Roller Derby! That's right, let it soak in.

Since Memphis turned out to be a couple hours further than what we expected, Travis and I decided to stay in Nashville on Saturday instead of going to the bbq festival in Memphis which I'm sure would have also been fun. But, had we headed to Memphis, we'd have missed the excitement and fun of the Nashville Rollergirls crushing the Dixie Derby Girls from Alabama.

I didn't really know what to expect, but was pretty sure that roller derby would be a memorable experience. It turned out to be a lot of fun too. While there were only a couple really good hits in which girls got completely blindsided and laid out by a block, the action was fairly exciting. But I think the best thing about the event itself was the fun atmosphere. The arena was small, and packed. Down on the floor, you could see the expressions on the participants faces as they skated around the rink. They were all having fun, and I don't think any of them are in it for the money (in fact, I don't know if they get paid anything at all). The fans filled in all around the track as well as up above in small balcony areas. Most of the fans were yelling and cheering throughout the entire competition (it lasted maybe an hour and a half total) whenever the team would score any points or when anyone was knocked down.

Another great thing about the roller derby is the creative and fun names and jersey numbers of each of the girls. The best rollergirl was named Rambo Sambo, and her number was M60. She started out the night with a couple strings of bulets (not real) over her shoulders and a belt of bullets as well. Another was named Smith N. Wesson with the number .357, and there was a lot of fishnet stockings, dyed hair, and war paint.

Now that I've been to one, I will look for more opportunities to go to roller derby matches whenever I can. I didn't realize it before, but after some further research, I found that there are about 80 teams that are registered with the women's flat track derby association. And included in that are teams from Harrisburg and Lancaster, PA as well as Ft. Wayne, IN, all of which are places I could have been attending roller derby matches at before now. You should check to see if there's a roller derby team in a city near you, and if so, invite me over and we'll go together.

(Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me, but these photos I found online aren't from the same night, but were from a different match Nashville had).

Going Green

2009-04-21T23:49:00.002+03:00

It seems most places in the world have a change in seasons. This past weekend I was in Central Park with my sister and enjoyed marvelous weather with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70s. The trees are budding and grass is now green as bare dull branches spring to life with purple, white, and various colored flowers showing their buds. The colors started appearing a few weeks ago, but they’ve now taken over everywhere. The beauty of creation is a bit easier to appreciate this time of year than in the winter, and life becomes a little more enjoyable.

It’s about this time that things in Sudan should also be turning green. While the colors aren’t as varied, it is a bit more dramatic. The seasons in Sudan oscillate between completely dry, brown, and dusty to full of life, green, and muddy. While I didn’t see places in Sudan get as beautiful as many other places I’ve been and lived, the drastic change from the end of dry season to the wet, rainy season is more drastic than any seasonal change I’ve seen. I think the closest comparison I could make is when a random snow (enough to cover everything) occurs in late April after things have turned green and trees have flowered. Then, as the snow melts, you see everything go from white in the morning to green by afternoon as the sun melts the little bit of snow. It is almost as quick a change as everything goes from complete brown everywhere to completely green in a matter of days.

The spring brings beauty to North America and we can enjoy getting out of the house or office. Sports go from indoor basketball, volleyball and the like to outdoor baseball, beach volleyball, and others. In Sudan, transportation may go from rough to nearly impossible, but the rain is welcomed by all. If the rains don’t come or get delayed, a drought results in outbreaks of disease and deaths from malnutrition and starvation as nearly all households rely on farming to provide the food that is eaten. Seasons are a wonderful thing, and it’s incredible the different purposes that are served in different areas around the world.

December 28, 2008

June 22, 2008

These photos are on the same hill. They aren't at exactly the same spot, the dry one is looking up the hill as the green one overlooks a bit of the valley, but you can see an example of the difference. In rocky areas such as this, you can hardly tell that any grass would grow when it's dry, but during the rainy season, you would hardly know it was rocky.

A Doozy

2009-04-07T02:05:00.005+03:00

A couple months ago I had the chance to climb Mount Kenya with a friend working in Sudan. It's an incredible mountain that's located right at the equator (0 degrees, 09 minutes south latitude... that's like 10 miles from the equator). The sun feels about as intense as can be, and I got the worst sunburn on my face from the hike over the last 3 years in Liberia and Sudan. I didn't think about it until after the first day when my nose was fried to put sunscreen on. It's about as close to the center of the earth as you can get and find snow. And that's because the elevation of the mountain is 5,199 meters (17,058 ft) at the highest. The point to which we climbed (to reach the highest point, you need more time, climbing gear, and a certain time of year) is called Point Lenana and it is 4,985 meters (16,355 ft).

Phil's schedule didn't allow us too much time, so we rushed our trip into 3 days instead of the typical 4 or 5, covering 30 miles and going up and back down from the starting point at 11,000 feet (3,300 meters). It was something I'd wanted to do back in 2000 when I was studying for a semester at Daystar University in Kenya, but didn't get around to then or during the last two years in Sudan. Thankfully we never suffered from altitude sickness that keeps some from reaching the top. But, we did also have porters carrying and cooking our food while we just carried our personal belongings. That made it easier for sure, and helped us to be able to do it in the three days.

The last day, we hiked a few miles to the top and back down to the camp we'd stayed the night before and then continued all the way down to our origin. We were up at 3am in order to be able to get that all in, and by the time we reached the bottom, we were completely wiped out. It was worth it, though, to get to be at the top for the sunrise (if we'd had another day, I'd have been ok with starting at a normal time and only coming back down to the same camp for the night and then hiking the rest of the way back down the following day).

View from the start

some weird plants

the long valley

Thankfully it cleared up (but on the way back were too worn out, and didn't get a photo when you could see the mountain)

at the summit

Batian, the highest peak

batian is on the right, nelion in the middle and lenana on the left

scenic trail

Point Lenana

Looking straight up at Batian

sunrise

My Last Months in Sudan

2009-03-31T05:05:00.001+03:00

Things in Maridi quieted down, and we finished our operations there in November. Things had slowed down over the previous couple of months, and it was tough to lay off our local staff that we weren’t able to transfer to other sites. For most, they were providing for a large extended family. The road work (that I had posted about previously) came as things were winding down, and thankfully several of our staff were actually able to get jobs with them before we had completely finished. The church and community leaders were grateful for what we had done, and sent us off with God’s blessing and their prayers for our further activities throughout Sudan. The area has suffered from attacks by the LRA in the months since, and it’s difficult to know the people I’ve spent time with are facing problems.

From the end of November, I was fortunate to get to spend time at several of our sites spread across Sudan. I had already known that it is a diverse country, but had only seen it from areas that weren’t so much different from one another in the Southwest of the country. I now witnessed some of the areas closer to the areas controlled by the Northern Government, where the Islamic influence was much more widely accepted. I also ended up on the shores of the Nile and witnessed some of the areas near where the oil fields are and consequently have received a lot more investment. Even in Juba, the capital, there are few cars as the roads require 4x4 traction to move for a large portion of the year, but in the swampland of Malakal on the Nile river, there were hundreds of small Toyota and Kia cars and rickshaws being used as taxis in town during the dry season (apparently during rainy season they are just decorations).

Between this and going back to some of the towns I had spent time in early on, I also was able to witness some of the changes that are taking place over South Sudan. There is electricity in places that hadn’t previously had it, new roads are being made and travel that was previously only seasonally possible is becoming faster and possible longer. There are new buildings being constructed all over and the markets have more and more available. There are still so many in Southern Sudan that are far removed from any of this and haven’t had seen any of this. And, even in the areas where people see the changes, the majority hasn’t had their family’s circumstances improve any but they continue to try to eke out an existence.

Missing

2009-03-18T01:25:00.004+03:00

So it's been awhile since I last wrote anything. Yeah, there's a lot I could and should write about.

This will be brief, though.

I'm back in the States, and have been for a little over a week. I don't have plans for what I'm doing tomorrow or the day after that and so on. I'll be reflecting, processing, and seeking some divine guidance for the future.

But I thought right now I'd just update to share a few things I'm missing:

-Peeing outside

-Diversity

-Hot tea all the time

-Freshly picked fruit

-Picking my nose in public without people looking at me funny

-These guys

-Liz's freshly made mandazi

-Stopping and greeting people on the walk into town

-Warmer weather

-Seeing the colorful wraps covering ladies' curves and babies tied to their backs

-Hearing other languages

-Catching up with Edward, Simon, and the other Yei staff on a short stopover

-I'm actually missing asida and beans (and kisera)

-Seeing children playing soccer everywhere

-All my friends I've left

-Various other sights, smells, and feelings

The upside to being in the States:

-NCAA basketball. Yeah, I timed it well to return Championship Week. But March Madness will be all over April 6.

You were right, Mr. G. It won't take 7 or 10 days till I'll want to be back. But, I'm sorry that I won't be back quite that quickly. I guess we'll see how long I can really stay away, though.

White Christmas

2009-01-04T09:40:00.001+03:00

I came back into Sudan just before American Thanksgiving (not to be confused with Canadian Thanksgiving… although I don’t think even Canadians know when their holiday is). I was able to spend a couple weeks on a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea with my parents and sister. My parents and sister got some good pictures, but I relied on my parents on sister taking photos to capture the experience, so I don’t have any digital pics to post. My favorite ones came from the Coliseum, so if you see my folks, you’ll have to get them to show you.

But, since returning to Sudan, it hasn’t rained once. And apparently the dry heat started a week before I came. So, Christmas was actually a white Christmas for me. The precipitation that fell from the sky was not in liquid form, however, but a constant drizzle of white ash. It’s that time of year. The roads get absurdly dusty and the dust finds whatever crack and crevice it can to get into your clothes, bed, hair, moustache, food and wherever else it manages to make it. The food being all sandy and gritty might be the worst part of it. But, as everything dries and dies, all the plants and grasses that cover the acres and acres of barren landscape get burned off. There are often nights that light up the distance with random fires burning across the horizon, and there is ash everywhere. It floats up with the draft that the infernos cause, and it is deposited all over the country sometimes miles and miles away from the fires. In a way, it really does feel like snow flurries. If only it wasn’t 100 degrees out, I might even be able to convince myself of that.

I did have a good Christmas as I was able to celebrate with a Kenyan, Canadian, and another American who were also in Sudan as we came together at one of our central bases for the day itself. I even saw a Christmas tree with lights, and ornaments. There’s a new cell phone company opening up in the country that used them as marketing tools to advertise the new line. I picked up a few of the ornaments to put up on my tree in years to come. I’ve only got to write on it Christmas in Sudan, 2008 just like the rocking horse ornaments that my grandparents used to get me growing up.

Hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas as well and I hear most of northern North America was covered in the white stuff. Throw a snowball at someone for your friend here in Sudan. And eat a stale, left-over candy-cane for me too. That’s one thing I realized later after the fact that I missed this year.

Very Symbolic

2008-11-26T18:44:00.002+03:00

Since this was the first dedication celebration within 20 miles of this church, many many people came from all over for the occasion and to celebrate. We arrived a little after 10am and left a little before 6pm (with a small meal provided before the ceremony and a big one after). It was a long, but pretty nice day. There was one thing that caught my attention and added to the fun of the day. Notice the cross in the pictures below. That's right, it's a Tasmanian Devil toy figure on top of it. Sweet! And there's sweets tied onto it as well. It was used for the procession of the surrounding areas local pastors and Women's Union members as well as by the first or second of six youth choirs that sang from the different surrounding communities. Not sure if the candy would be considered like holy water is or not, but hopefully the kids were able to enjoy the sweets afterwards. Also not really sure that I'll ever see a Devil on top of a cross at a church service again. But, I'm also confident that noone there new the name of this creature is a Tasmanian Devil.

Sunday Best

2008-11-26T18:36:00.002+03:00

Thought I'd share some images from one of the first opening celebrations we had in Maridi a couple months ago. These are formal occasions, and there was a relatively new guy there who found these things unusual enough to take pictures of. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends on how you look at it), things like this don't get a reaction from me and are normal, ordinary things that I wouldn't have thought to capture on camera.

This is a common hairstyle for ladies in this area (and apparently also just across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo). Our cook also sports this look occasionally, and looks better in it. A smile may have helped this woman also, though. I actually really like it. I just may even give it a try myself. What do you think?

Road Work

2008-11-08T09:15:00.002+03:00

The road connecting Maridi to the state and national capitals is being worked on. Hallelujah!!! It’s not done yet, nor will it be for many months still, but it will no doubt allow vehicles and goods to travel much more easily and open up the town to more development. Unfortunately for us, we’ve already finished all the major transportation we need to in and out of town, but may be able to take advantage of it more in the future as well.

The first task that was undertaken was to clear enough room to widen the road so that it can fit two lanes of traffic. The crew has begun at the town, and they were right outside our compound a couple weeks ago. It has transformed the area as trees, some of which were about 10 feet thick have been cleared and some of the landmarks that were used to give directions are now no longer there.

Did I mention yet that even when the road is done, it will still just be a dirt road??? When hardly any of the roads in South Sudan have been worked on in decades, and it will take thousands of miles of road just to connect all the state capitals, the task of road repair is a big one. And once the rainy season hits again in another half a year, the deterioration won’t take too long, but it will be better than it is now for at least several years. And maybe in a few years there will be the possibility of putting in paved roads. For now, I’ll just rejoice in the better dirt.

Just outside our compound

View when I held the camera overtop of our fence

Side Benefits

2008-11-08T09:10:00.001+03:00

When the road crew took out all the trees, less people have been making charcoal. There have been people outside our compound chipping away at the big trees that were felled and pushed out of the way in order to get some firewood. Cooking is all done by open fire, and near to a town, all the trees that are able to be cut up for firewood have already been, so people are forced to search farther and farther away just to be able to get wood for cooking meals. It’s as if Christmas came a little early to a lot of households, and with the size and number of trees that were brought down, I think it just may even last until Christmas. Here are a couple pictures of whole families getting involved.

Revenge of the Bees

2008-11-08T09:07:00.002+03:00

Do you remember the story I told about getting honey from bees about a year ago? We're even.

The time the heavy machinery was just outside our base for road work, I went out to watch them taking down the trees and clear the way. One of the trees ended up being the home to a huge swarm of bees. Everybody cleared out and watched from far away. I was about a quarter mile away, but a few hundred yards closer than most people to get to see the huge swarm still around the big track hoe that they were using to clear the trees. The machine had doors and windows that must have sealed well as there were thousands and thousands of bees swarming around the thing.

A motorcyclist decided he could ride through the swarm without any problems. He was way off! I was a couple hundred yards closer than everyone else, and then I see this motorcycle coming through. I stood in amazement at first, and then as I see a small swarm of bees leave the hoe and follow the rider, I realize he’s not going to be able to continue. The driver is completely encircled, and ends up crashing the bike, and gets up and runs in my direction. Seeing the bees all around him, I turn around and start running away too. I cut down a small path thinking I’ll escape, but the guy heads right for me still, and then a few bees leave him and come after me. So I begin running too and start stripping off my shirt as at least one got caught in it and swinging it at all the bees. Eventually the buzzing all but fades and I kill the final one I hear which is caught in my hair. I escaped with only two stings, but the motorcycle driver had over 50. The result of all that poison in his blood causes him to vomit violently and we ended up taking him to the hospital as he was totally weak and lost control of some of his bodily functions. Thankfully by late evening he was ok, and no one else made the mistake of trying to travel through the swarm until after they calmed down or just found somewhere else to go.

R.I.P.

2008-11-08T09:05:00.000+03:00

On October 7, 2008 my monkey, Zakayo died. I’m not sure what the direct cause was, but she wasn’t eating and went downhill for the entire week beforehand. Thinking maybe if she was free that she’d improve, I ended up untying her for the last 5 or 6 days, but there was no improvement. At least she was able to roam around a little bit for a few days I guess. I tried medicating it with some antibiotics I had a couple days before death, but I think it was too late to have much effect, and I don’t know if it really would’ve helped anyway. Zakayo was a point of interest for all the visitors we had to our base, so I’ll leave everyone with a few parting shots to remember her.

Olympic Fever

2008-08-16T11:09:00.003+03:00

I made it into Nairobi on Thursday evening for a bit of time out of Sudan. It is always nice to get back to civilization after a couple months "in the bush" as we say. A nice bed and some nice meals can go a long way. I also have enjoyed getting to catch up on the Olympics and the news.

So I guess all the talk of boycotting the Olympics over China's role in Sudan was mostly all talk. I'm sure there are some who are, but I don't think there's any more information getting out to people about the things that have taken and are taking place currently in Darfur. At least a few months ago there was quite a bit in the news to bring awareness and attention to the situation. And I understand that the U.S. had a Sudanese carrying the flag at the opening ceremonies or something, but it didn't sound like any information was being spread as a result.

Being around a television and being able to watch the Olympics has been fun, though. There's just something about it being every 4 years and people representing their various countries that can really get people interested. Here in Kenya, the long distance races are always the most talked about events as they are the ones that the country has excelled at in the past. Yesterday evening the Women's 10,000 meter race (6.25 miles) was on television, and there was a group of a couple Kenyans, a few Sudanese, a few Americans, and an Uzbek from a Russian background watching. Even though it was a 30 minute race, we watched it straight through focused the whole time on the women running. Support for the Americans, Russians, Kenyans, and Ethiopians was mixed throughout our group. We were all trading comments about our country's representative and other country competitors and joking around. But for the last 5 laps (about 6 minutes), the volume kept increasing and increasing and the excitement level kept raising. Finally, over the entire last lap, almost all of us were yelling and standing and cheering. It was the most fun I may have ever had watching any Olympic event, and it was great to watch the Ethiopian woman pull away over the last 200m from the runner from Turkey and to see the look of joy and surprise on the American woman's face as she managed to win the bronze medal in third place. It was surprising to see the Kenyans not fair as well as normal, and unfortunately for our Uzbek friend, the top Russian athlete was uanble to keep up with the American. I guess we've now got to wait another four years until it will happen again. But there's still some more events that can hopefully provide as much excitement over the next few days...

Mills Family Hunters

2008-07-23T11:27:00.002+03:00

My cousin Andy and his hunting exploits here in Maridi (apparently Andy and I are the same person... I can't count how many times we've been confused for one another). Bush rat makes some tasty stew. Honestly.

He couldn't match our gatekeeper's abilities at getting our own monitour lizard

I gave him a hand. Once he had finished the hard work, of course.
And yes, in case you're wondering, we did eat this guy too. It reminded me of salmon, and it was a really nice meat that they cooked up with a peanut sauce. Yum! Yum!

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-23T11:17:00.004+03:00

Some recent pictures of our living area here. We brought in some stones as the rains make it very muddy. And the grass has popped up quickly and been spreading a lot better than it sounds like my parents yard has. Anyone want to come and visit?

A Nice Sunday Afternoon Picnic

2008-07-23T11:02:00.003+03:00

Some pics from a picnic with a few of our staff we took about a month ago here near town. We tried a similar journey another time but got disrupted by rain. As you can see, though, this time of year the rain makes for a much nicer view as everything is green.

Dead Giveaway

2008-07-16T11:56:00.002+03:00

Ok, so I thought I'd have been able to update sooner, and I have definitely lost interest in the song stuff, so I'm going to give one more, and sorry to those who might have liked a greater challenge, but here it is:
You can dance, you can jive
Having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene
Dig in the .............. .............
(I left two words blank because it gives away the song, and I imagine most of you will know the artist if you know this song).

Anyways, I hope to add some pictures real soon and give another update on some of the stuff that's going on. Short story - The monkey's teeth are getting sharper and her bite is stronger (apparently it's a girl, but she's going to keep the name Zakayo/ Zaccheus anyway, because he (I mean she) doesn't know that it's a boy's name anyway. That and Johnny Cash is one of my heroes... If you don't get that one, look at the title to his songs and you'll find out what I mean. And then listen to it).

Singing in the Rain

2008-06-27T12:02:00.002+03:00

I’m not sure how old the idea of a music video is, but the other day I saw some that right away looked as if they were from the 70s. The kaleidoscopic effects, colors, and hair-dos together with the constant zooming in and out gave the impression of an LSD trip. And immediately I and another American working here thought that our Dads would enjoy watching this DVD/VCD that our cook had bought in the market here in town. DVDs/VCDs have newly come to town, just as last year shops starting showing up in Yei (which is the gateway for things coming in from Uganda) with them also. It’s not like in Nairobi, Kampala, or many various other cities throughout the world where there are shops on every corner selling pirated copies of various movies or collections of movies, but they are making their way into Sudan. As a side note, apparently Sudan has not signed any of the international copyright agreements or anything, so the copying and selling of pirated DVDs is actually legal I think.

As a result of these music videos that a couple of our staff wanted to show to us the other day over lunch (and see themselves), I’ve got this song lyric stuck in my head about “a bang, a boom, a boomerang of love.” And, I thought I’d see how long it would take for someone to recognize the singers of this song and the others that were on the DVD that I’m sure I’ll hear playing many times over the coming weeks until our staff find a new cassette or video to listen to or watch constantly. I’ve given you today’s hint, and I don't know if it will be enough, but if not, I’ll keep adding a hint each time I update until someone recognizes the artists. But, I don’t want anyone to go searching song lyrics online or anything, this is a recognition through previous knowledge, not through Google’s advanced search. NO CHEATING!!

So, for those of you who don’t know how to leave comments, please follow these directions:

Click on the green part that shows how many comments have been left on this post just below. Write what you want to say in the comment section. Then, choose your identity from the choices or choose anonymous if you don't have a google account or just wish to remain anonymous and fill in the letters or numbers you see that will be distorted a bit. Then just click to publish your comment. I’ll get a little idea of how musically cultured my readers are (or just what generation they're from) depending upon how long it takes for someone to recognize the group. Personally, I didn’t know until it got to a later song who the group was

How to Write About Africa

2008-06-20T10:59:00.002+03:00

At Christmas, a friend of mine gave me this very short, small book called “How to Write About Africa.” It was quite an entertaining book that contained several short articles that had originated in a magazine called Kwani?. I recommend the magazine and book to anyone who has spent time in Africa. Kwani? (Swahili for Why?) is published and originated in Kenya, and includes many different writings from various African authors and short story writers. As I posted my last entry about the conditions of the roads, I got to thinking about the book and how I was pretty good at writing about the side of Africa that continues to perpetuate its stereotypes and give an impression to the whole continent that is not accurate. I try to provide interesting reading, and it is the type of thing that is part of the “adventure” that contributed to me coming over here, but it what I write is a part of my personal experiences and not a picture reflective of the whole.

The book talks about how people don't want to hear about the intellectuals of Africa or to know about the people who struggle everyday to provide for their families through hard work and ingenuity. I have not done a fair job in portraying this side of things. Most of my readers are from North America and I know we like to hear about what we are doing to help out those "less fortunate." Those working with wildlife are the next best heroes in our stories behind these humanitarian workers who do so much "because they care" as the little book said. While I and those I work with from North America are trying to do what we can to be of benefit, we are not the ones who really have a chance at bringing about true change and benefit to the people's lives ("the people" refer to black Africans while just "people" refer to you and me... also in the book). Please don't trump us up as those who are "sacrificing" and really giving so much. The experiences I'm having are far more valuable than anything I'm giving for "these people."

The book is comical to me, and I joke as I write the different things that were mentioned. It is funny how accurately it portrays the feelings of so many. It's not because those of us who are just visiting or hearing about things are terrible people (for the most part...), in some cases we just don't know how to write in a way that people will understand with other vocabulary and because the perspective and background from the person is always going to come out. If possible, reading things written by Africans from their perspective will always provide a different type of feel and a different understanding of things.

So, if you ever get a chance to read "Kwani" or anything like it, you may learn a lot more, and if you've spent time in Africa yourself as well, it will help in understanding more what people are saying.

Welcome Back!

2008-06-10T21:46:00.002+03:00

My return to South Sudan has been quite abrupt.

In early/mid April I made the journey between the two towns that I've lived in while out here in around 7 hours. The end of last week, it took me 29 hours. 116 miles in 29 hours. Good times. And to think that a week before on U.S. roads, I watched 2 movies at the drive-in theatre (the new Indiana Jones wasn't quite as good as I had hoped, but at least it wasn't as bad as the new Rocky), ate a steak dinner, stopped to fill up on fuel and drove 116 miles in less than the 7 hours it took at the end of dry season back in April to cover that distance alone without any of the extras on South Sudan roads. Why didn't I travel to the States during rainy season instead of just at the beginning of it?

Actually, the condition of the road has gotten considerably worse already because of rain, but it was a bridge that had been broken by two separate transport trucks overloaded with goods that caused the problem. The latest truck had fallen in a day before I made the journey, and we hadn't received the information before leaving town. When the bridge had broken the earlier time, people began trailblazing through the swamp beside the road and forded the river at a rocky spot as the water level was fairly low and the rains hadn't picked up so much to make the swamp too wet. By the time I reached the location, many heavy trucks had already begun trying to get through the swamp again, but this time the rains had saturated the ground and many trucks were getting stuck, and those that weren't just created deeper and deeper ruts.

After walking through the area and doing a quick assessment of the conditions, I saw that one by one, trucks which made it to the new river crossing area were able to slowly be pulled up the hill on the opposite side of the river. Trusting in my tough 4-wheel drive LandCruiser and my superior off-road driving abilities, I determined a route that I thought would avoid the paths completely blocked by large stuck transport trucks and enable me to reach the river crossing and make it across the thigh-high river and continue my journey.

Either the truck or my driving skills let me down. I'm inclined to blame it on the tires as the truck I had did not have our heavy-duty mud tires that many of our LandCruisers do. The truck sank too much and I bottomed out and got stuck in the mud. It's a good thing the truck had a winch (which I knew would save me even if my driving didn't). So, as I go to use the winch, it releases only a little before it stops and will no longer go in or out. Apparently when it had been used last, it was wound in without being held taut, and the cable cinched on itself so tight that it was not free to be released or pulled in. Then, as we began to try to dig out and jack up the tires to put branches and logs under for raising the body and getting better traction, it began to rain heavily. After a while, it was still raining and it was too dark to even bother trying more.

So, we slept in the truck. During the night, the rain continued and the water in the swamp continued to increase as the ground got softer and softer. At dawn, there was still a small drizzle, and we got out to assess our current situation. Ahead, we found the river above waist level, and with the water flowing with more force, we determined that proceeding forward was a lost cause. The swampy area we were stuck in also had much more water in it, and the ground was softer, so we knew it would also not be as easy to head back the way we'd come. With all the stuck trucks, there were quite a few people around eager to make a few bucks assisting in cutting branches, helping dig, and assisting in trying to get trucks such as my own out of the mud. Quite a few bills and several hours later, we emerged from the swamp and got back on the road with no option of continuing forward. As we had some items urgently needed in the town we were headed to a couple hours beyond the river, a vehicle from there was headed to the bridge to meet us. When it arrived, I and the items were able to walk across the narrow section of the bridge still intact and complete the journey in another two hours while a different driver took the truck back to the town we had come from.

There is another route that we will now be taking between the towns, but it will now be over 200 miles and maybe 14 or 15 hours if not getting stuck on the road again. Of course, some local guys will again "fix" the bridge by cutting some more trees that they will tie in to the bridge for vehicles to pass on and thereby open up the shorter route again. But, with the size of loads that will be crossing the new makeshift bridge whenever it is completed, it will not take long before another large truck weighs too much and breaks through the bridge again resulting in continued problems traveling.

What a great thing to go through 2 days after returning to Sudan after 3 weeks in the States. Might as well dive in head first. No point in just dipping the toe in to test the water here. That's the only way to do it. But, it's also necessary to have a working winch. They really are life-savers.

Back to the States

2008-05-28T00:10:00.002+03:00

Corn Dogs, steak, cushioned couches, the English language.
It's been good to be in the good old U.S.A. for a little bit, including a Memorial Day cookout and hike in the woods yesterday. I've been able to eat some good food and see some good friends over the last couple weeks.

One of the other changes over the past weeks is that I've gotten back to using deodorant on a somewhat regular basis. I still haven't finished the same stick of Degree that I brought with me to Sudan back in February 2007. Not sure how much longer it'll last at this point, but I guess I've saved a couple of bucks over the year plus to help out with buying gas for my really good trip I took out to Indiana and Ohio just after returning.

Of course, in the process of being back in the U.S., I've also watched far too much television considering I don't miss it when in Sudan, nor in the time I've lived in the States without one. Between NHL and NBA playoffs, and regular season baseball, though, I've definitely enjoyed getting to watch some TV. I've even gotten to practice a few of my sports skills and had it pointed out to me that I've lost quite a bit of speed during my time overseas. Looks like I've got to get back to doing some exercise to try to get back in shape. Or I can just keep eating a lot more steak, potatoes, breads, and desserts in order to see how much more out of shape I can get.

Some Zakayo Pics

2008-04-30T15:13:00.002+03:00

We're teaching him how to drive... and he's making progress

Apparently he doesn't like the look of himself in the mirror

Mzee

2008-04-30T14:55:00.002+03:00

I now look like a young man of 28.

That’s what our head cook told me in his broken English (which is a lot better now than it was when I first came to Sudan in February of 2007) when I first donned the clean-shaven look. Apparently, with the beard and moustache, Levy thought I appeared to be 42 years old. Glad to know that I now only look 28. Wow. 42!

I hope that I haven’t aged that much in the last year. I used to always be told that I look younger than my actual age, but suddenly it’s a couple years older. I guess I’ve just gotten a lot of life experience in the last couple of years and am maturing. If I start acting 42 years old, someone please hit me really, really hard and tell me to stop it.

A Good Day

2008-04-30T14:48:00.001+03:00

Monday was a really good day. It was just one of those days when things seemed to go really well, and it felt nice.

We were planning to send 300 bags of cement to a site first thing in the morning, and that usually doesn’t go all that smooth. But Monday morning was different. Right after devotions, I let everyone know we were going to be sending out the cement, and that everyone would get to help (“get to” is a bit of a misnomer). So, we took tea and then at 8:30 we started loading the trailers. One got loaded and off and then another. We had a bit of a break after the second load, and then got to the third one of 100 bags. It was incredible as we finished by 10am. I wouldn’t have been surprised had it taken until lunch (1pm). So, I ran to town and picked up a crate of Coke and Fanta and we had another bit of a break to share in some drinks.

I spent the rest of the morning getting some paperwork taken care of and email sent, and the rest of the staff got to their business also. We ended up getting having some productive meetings with leaders of a few different communities we’re working with, got transportation for resources at another site, and began transporting at a church site that is quite far away and we’ve had difficulty coordinating with up until now.

We needed some water on the compound around the end of the day as we’re making cement block here right now, and since our driver is at a training right now I took the LandCruiser to the dam to fill up a couple tanks of water. After loading, a couple of the guys wanted to bathe since the area doubles as a nice, big bath tub. So, while they were bathing, I decided to go for a swim in the big reservoir that results from the dam. It was just a nice end to a nice, productive day.
There wasn’t anything big, but a combination of a lot of productive things, a nice Coke, and a dip in the lake made Monday a really good day.

Hope you each have a good day however that might look where you are.

My new friend

2008-04-26T11:19:00.002+03:00

I’ve gotten the first pet I’ve had since my family had goldfish when I was back in elementary school. I wasn’t even really a fan of the goldfish back then, but I won them at Meijer by throwing a ping pong ball into the little goldfish bowl, so they really meant something to me for those few weeks before they died. Of course, my body has been a host to many parasites over the past year, but I’m not sure that qualifies as animals and I definitely don’t count them as pets.

I must say that my new pet is much cooler than goldfish ever were or will be, and I don’t know that I will ever be able to top Zakayo (the local name for Zacheus). I bought the little monkey two weeks ago now, and although he stayed in my tent with me for the first couple nights, he’s since moved to be a completely outdoor pet. All of our staff love him as he likes to try to fight most of us and it’s always enjoyable to see when the hen that we have gets near him because he actually does fight with her since they’re around the same size.

I don’t know how big he grows to be, but it doesn’t seem like he’s gotten any bigger in the time he’s been with us. It’s not that he doesn’t eat. He loves mango, guava and palm nuts, and we have a tree of each of those on the compound he’s able to get food from. Plus, he enjoys eating ugali, rice, and biscuits which we do give him from our lunch every day. I’m not sure how long it will take to fatten him up to the point where we can eat him. People do eat monkey around here, but I told all our staff that he’s too small right now and that we have to wait until he’s big enough to feed at least 5 people before we can think about cooking him up.

April Fools

2008-04-09T17:58:00.002+03:00

I've been on a bit of a hiatus from blogging. I've got a few experiences I should have updated about over the past month, but have not. Unfortunately, I've been hooked on Prison Break. When I lived in Anderson with my buddy Nick, he got me interested in the show and I saw several episodes from the first season. After that, though, I never really got a chance to watch more. Then, over Christmas when I was in Nairobi following the elections and limited in ability to move about, I saw the complete first season of the show. I got my hands on the second season a little over 2 weeks ago, and over the last 2 weeks I spent most of my free time watching the 22 episodes of season two (I have also played a good bit of volleyball at a local court with some of the free time also), and so I've allowed communication to slip quite a bit.

But, other than recommending the show Prison Break as an on the edge of your seat thriller (maybe it really is good, maybe I've just been in Sudan too long...), I thought I should inform everyone who's interested of my compliance with the wishes of the voters on the blog. Although I wanted to use the excuse of not having 20 votes as a reason why I didn't have to shave off my moustache, with 11 out of 13 votes being in favor of shaving completely, even had 7 more people voted, it would have been impossible for anything else to win in the voting. So, although I'm not posting any pictures of the new look, I have shaved all my facial hair. It has been a bit odd after having the moustache since December of 2006 to go clean, but I'm getting used to it again. I'm not sure how long I will last, though.

I don't know that I can even end with a nice Joe Dirt quote without any facial hair. Instead, I'll leave you with a word from Michael Scott: "Society teaches us that having feelings and crying is bad and wrong. Well, that's baloney, because grief isn't wrong. There's such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown."

Pennsylvania Dutch

2008-03-11T18:03:00.003+03:00

A few weeks ago I was in Nairobi for some meetings. In Sudan I don't come across many women from a similar cultural background. In Nairobi there are quite a few, and I met a lady who was working with a different organization in a different part of Sudan who happened to be in Nairobi along with a friend who was also living in Sudan. Since there was another guy I work with in for the same meetings as me, I decided to see if the girl and her friend wanted to go bowling with us (one of the nice things about Nairobi). The timing didn't work out for bowling, but we did manage to meet up for dinner instead.

You see, people who live in different environments become a bit socially awkward when they do come in contact with those of similar backgrounds. Since we all were in that category, it's no wonder what became of the evening. It started nice enough as we met them at the apartment and covered introductions a bit before heading to a place in town that has Mexican(ish) food. It had been a year since my last experience with Mexican food, and I imagine similar for the others, so we were all pretty excited about it. About 5 minutes in, Mormons or Mennonites came up and the one girl talked of how Mennonites aren't weird like Amish people. Being from Pennsylvania and near many Pennsylvania Dutch communities, I thought I'd probe a little deeper and ask why she said that. She went on to discuss how Amish can't wear buttons and were weird and backwards. And, although there are Pennsylvania Dutch near to where I'm from, the main reason I pushed the issue is that my buddy working with me is from an Amish background. (Ok, now I know you're wondering how it happened that I came across an Amish guy in Sudan, but we'll not get into that right now.)

While she's going into different things about the Amish that are weird, I start laughing quite a bit and my buddy is also, although not as hard as I am. The friend of this girl catches on and tries to interrupt her, but she keeps going on and on about how the Amish don't use electricity and the men have those weird beards (also funny considering the facial hair I have) and so on. When she caught on that there was something unusual, we told her that my friend was Amish. Of course she didn't believe it at first, and she says, "No way. Are you really Amish? If you are I'm going to feel really bad." And then she went on saying other things that she thought were weird about the Amish and reasons why my buddy couldn't be Amish. The driver's license that showed his last name as Yoder didn't even convince her. Because he was wearing blue jeans, not black, asking if he came by boat, things like that. She really still didn't believe us even as he was explaining about Amish life and how he is from a non-old Order (more progressive) Amish background. It took her calling a couple of our staff with my phone who knew this guy's background before she finally did consider it might be true. But, she still continued to bring it up many times and asked all kinds of questions about the Amish. It was an interesting evening of conversation and education for our new friends. I learned a few new things about the Amish too.

And, although it was an evening centered around the Amish, it was fun to be out of Sudan and practicing my social skills again. The food was good and the girls really were nice. We got to talk quite a bit about NCAA basketball and look ahead to March Madness as well, so that was also fun. As all of my MK friends in university attested to, it's a little tough fitting back in after spending time in other environments, so maybe if I can practice every now and then it won't be so bad when I go back to the States for home leave in a few months.

Random Photos

2008-02-26T21:59:00.002+03:00

Here are some pictures of some things which are pretty common to come across.

This is the Sudanese version of a drive thru. Often times, there will be one goat on each side (The chickens he has riding above the tire taste better though)

That is really the body of the queen termite. At one of the building sites the termite mound had to be destroyed and they found the queen down in the middle. It really is amazing how much bigger she is than the others.

If only they had rodeos over here I'd be able to fulfill my dream of being a rodeo clown amongst some of the scariest looking bulls I've ever seen.

I Don't Know

2008-02-18T23:16:00.003+03:00

There's so much I don't know. I'm sure most of you are much more aware of that than I am. But, maybe I'm getting better at not being a know-it-all and not trying so hard to have all the answers. That would be really nice anyway. I'm just too busy trying to have all the answers that I don't really look for questions (or maybe am just focused on the wrong questions).

My friend Josh wrote something the other day that has me thinking. I've always tried to have all the answers someone might ask and trying to be a step ahead. Nick, who I've been working with knows all too well how I try to answer questions before he's even asked if there is a slight pause while he thinks for a moment (I'm not sure if this is a new thing, but something I've recently noticed...those who've known me for a while will have to let me know). I like to be a teacher much more than being a student. I think I give the impression that it's better to have answers for people than questions. And I give the impression because it's how I feel most of the time.

I don't know why God has me here or why he's had me where I've been in the past. I don't know if it's to reach out to this person or that person or if it's because of this thing or that thing that I've done, but even those are the wrong questions. For a long time now I've looked to have answers to stuff like this so I know how to respond and can be prepared. But, God doesn't need me to be prepared for what he has in store. He wants me to be willing. While I might want to know everything, I don't look for what God is teaching me or seek things other than knowledge. I know that I should always be learning, and I know that God teaches us through all circumstances. And I base so much on what I know. It's about time I start asking God again. Not to have answers to tell this person or that person, but to really come to God honestly with questions that I don't understand. There's so much that doesn't make sense, so much that you really can't find an answer to, but have to have answered. Unless I ask, I just get indifferent and apathetic. I want to search after God again. I want to seek. And even though I may not get answers to speak of, I'm sure I'll find God in the search and He will answer. It's not about knowledge, but about a relationship. Who knows what I'll find out and experience in the process...probably a lot about God, about myself, and about living.

Well, I've been back at our main base for the last couple weeks now as three of our experienced staff are out at the time and there's a few gaps to fill. I'll be back out of touch with the internet soon enough I hope, but until then I'll try to keep things updated. I'm glad I could surprise you with all the recent posts and you'll have to keep looking for how I continue to mix things up.

The Office

2008-02-16T16:36:00.004+03:00

Don't know if you've seen the show "The Office" or not. I'm not real sure if it's just because I'm in Sudan, but that show is the funniest show I've ever seen. The first Rush Hour movie used to be my favorite thing to watch, and I watched it over and over again, and this is the first time since that there's been something that I just keep watching. I've seen every episode at least two or three times and keep watching anytime anybody wants to. Please let me know if it's just me or if really is that funny. So far I've only seen the first 7 episodes of season 4 and hear that's all so far because of the writer's strike. Looking forward to the new ones when I get a chance. Here's a few pictures I doctored up quite a while ago that I thought you might enjoy. (The other guys are some of the studs I've been working with who also appreciate the office)

Discrimination

2008-02-12T18:02:00.000+03:00

I came across this article on BBC today, and thought I'd share it with everyone. How dare someone's human rights be neglected simply because of his desire to have a big moustache? (Plus I learned that you don't "have" a moustache, you "wear" one. . . Also, can you believe this guy took 25 yrs. to grow that??? I'll have him way beat considering mine's only taken a year. But, then again, he has probably at least trimmed his, I've only chewed on mine every now and then)

India court in moustache notice
India's Supreme Court has issued a notice to a state-run airline asking it to explain why an air steward was sacked for wearing a big moustache.
Victor Joynath De was grounded by Indian - formerly called Indian Airlines- in 2001 for refusing to shave off his handlebar moustache.
He had earlier lost a case in a lower court which ruled that the airline was within its rights to sack him.
According to Indian rules, all crew members should be clean shaven.
A moustache, if worn, should not extend beyond the upper lip, says the rule book.
The guidelines do not apply to Sikh employees who are allowed to keep moustaches.
'Health risk'
"How can somebody be removed from a job because of the size of his moustache?" the Supreme Court bench comprising Justice HK Sema and Justice Markanday Katju asked on Monday.
The airline has been given four weeks to respond.
Mr De's brush with his employers began in 2001 when the airline argued that his prized asset was a health risk, especially with him frequently handling food.
A spokesman for the airline said at the time of Mr De's grounding its personal conduct code did not allow the display of moustaches which could be unhygienic.
The spokesman said that some passengers could be unnerved by such a striking facial feature.
At the time of his grounding, Mr De said he was proud of his moustache which had taken 25 years to grow and now stretches prominently across both cheekbones.
"I never dreamed of trimming it. All the time I worked for the airline, my moustache attracted many adoring eyes inside the plane and on the ground," he said.
Mr De has worked for the state-run airline for over 20 years.
He is a member of London's famous Handlebar Club, which has campaigned against his sacking.

Jeff is Where??

2008-02-10T18:06:00.000+03:00

I have been in Sudan for nearly a year now, and had a decision to make about just where I would be blogging from. After quite a bit of contemplation and consideration, I've decided to sign on for another year here in South Sudan. My role will be changing somewhat, and we are looking to adjust our programming as well. Previously, all of my and the rest of our staff's attention was directed towards the church building project. We are now opening up and spreading our reach a bit. It has been exciting to see the church project grow in the way that it has and I am really looking forward to the opportunity of trying to develop some other projects to come in alongside and focus on meeting some of the other needs that the communities we've been working with have. It will be a new challenge and I look forward to the doors it may open into some of the communities and the ways in which we may broaden our impact.

I imagine most of you are a bit surprised about this 2nd year in Sudan considering that I like to change things up a lot. Don't worry, however, if you're concerned that my newfound experiment in consistency will result in the moustache from the pictures in my previous post remaining for the entire year. By the way, I guess I never did clarify, but yes, the moustache is still around in full force. Although I may have committed to another year in Sudan, the hair on my head and facial hair have never stayed the same for that long. Not that I have a plan for what will happen next, but I'll make sure and keep you guessing as to how I look. I know it always keeps even me on my toes to figure out what to do next with my hairs. So, I'll try to keep you all informed and updated throughout the next year, but still leave you wondering just what I look like as I'm typing away on the blog.

The Honey Hunt

2008-02-07T13:21:00.000+03:00

As we were clearing land for our new compound back when we first arrived and were trying to get things set up, some of our workers were attacked by bees as they were clearing brush from an area by a tree. We got it cleared ok, but then when we went to start getting the storage and office built, the workers were attacked again. Don’t worry, no one even got stung then, but they were not willing to go back to work in that area because the bees starting coming out. So, our staff were talking about burning the bees out of the trees while some of them were also talking about there being honey in the bees hive. I became interested in this information and found out that a couple of our guys had harvested honey from bee hives before. After some convincing of the others, Elly and I talked the others into getting the honey that night before burning the bees out.

We went late in the evening, just before dark and built a fire under the hole the bees entered from. After smoking the tree for probably 15 or 20 minutes, we undertook the operation. The hole was not big enough to fit an adult hand, but rather than try to get a few six year olds to stick their hands in the bee hive, we took an axe to the tree. I was eager to do this, and took quite a few hacks before the bees started coming out. That was when we began really smoking them out. We lit some dry grass just outside the hole and blew the smoke in to keep the bees from coming out. Then, back at it with the axe. After a while, the hole was increasing, but a couple bees came out, and one was right by my ear. I dropped the axe and started waving all around at my head only to realize the bee had gotten stuck in my hair (Mullets are necessary when performing tasks like this). At this, I stopped franticly waving my arms about my head and simply squeezed the bee and my hair together in my hands to kill the bee before going back to hacking at the tree.

After a few minutes work, the hole was big enough to fit a hand in, so Elly took some grasses and applied the same smoking technique, blowing the smoke directly into the hole. Then, he just stuck his hand in the tree and started pulling out handfuls of honeycomb. It was awesome! Seeing that apparently the bees weren’t troubling him, I jumped at my chance to get some honey and did the same. It was an exciting feeling. You just blow in some smoke and pull out honeycomb. Sure, there were some bees still around, and many were on the honeycomb we pulled out, but I only got stung once. Several of the other guys also tried, including one of our Sudanese staff who is probably 6’3” and 220lbs. He is actually really gentle, sweet, humble, and an incredible guy, but he was initially afraid of the bees. He also got stung once, and our total was three stings for the night, but we all had a good time and talked about it for the next week (I am still talking about it several months later). The honey was so sweet, and it was made all the sweeter knowing that we had pulled it out of the tree ourselves. One of the more fun times I’ve had in my year here in Sudan.

Pictures from the Hunt

2008-02-07T13:14:00.000+03:00

Chop, Chop
He's Loving It
Mullets are mandatory for hunting honey
Some of the Spoils
How Sweet It Is!!

Looking Great in 2008

2008-01-03T02:50:00.000+03:00

Upon the suggestion of some of my fellow staff from Sudan, I thought I would decide upon a theme for the year instead of making some resolution. So, for the calender year 2008, I'm going to be trying to look great. Of course, I have quite a bit of work to do as my sister will no doubt attest to, but there was a natural first step in this process that can be done without much difficulty. And so most of my hair is gone. Now the challenge is going to be trying to get some new clothes that can give me some style to help look great and some tattoos and piercings that will really help me to look my best. The clothes, however, I may have to call in some outside assistance as it's not really something I am probably capable of on my own (especially considering the same awesome silk shirt I wore to church each week from 6th to 9th grades had apparently been out of style since 2 years before I had gotten it. Thanks, Becca, for helping me to see the light.) The looking great in '08 theme for the year barely beat out Try to get a date in '08 and True love waits 2008. Of course, I must admit that Troy inspired the idea's theme is way better than mine. Following themes like Keep it alive in '05, Get your kicks in '06, and It's going to be heaven in '07, this year he is going with 2008: It's going to be ok. Nice, Troy.

Anyways, here are some pictures of how I'm starting the year with this theme. Please let me know of any suggestions you have to help me make this theme for the year become reality.

With Shaps

What was I thinking?

Should I have stopped here? (Had to stick the 'stache in the nose to keep from accidently clipping it too)

Should have left it like this

That's right, I could clean my ears with those

The curls just wouldn't stay too well. (I think I need something stronger than earwax)

2007-12-27T07:34:00.000+03:00

2007-12-26T19:42:00.000+03:00

2007-12-26T15:34:00.000+03:00

Building Process

2007-12-26T15:00:00.000+03:00

Ok. So I think it's probably about time I explain a bit of what is happening over here and what I've been involved in over the past year. I had some pictures before of building in process, but I want to show and explain a bit of the most important part of the project. The people of the churches are involved in the beginning stages of the project through gathering materials and making the cement blocks used in the new church building. Depending on the church, this can either be the easiest part of the job or the most difficult as some churches are very agreeable to work with while others are very demanding. It is important for the community to be interested and involved in the project, or else as we continue to partner alongside the problems are only compounded and many of the simple things become the opposite.

Last month I had an encounter with some of the management of another NGO (non-governmental organization) involved in some development projects. This organization is working on building schools and they have had some contact with some of the communities we have already assisted with churches. They came by the office and were asking lots of questions about how we make our blocks, how it works with coordinating the work that the communities do, and other aspects of our project. You see, they also know that unless the community is involved, the end result often is taken for granted and not used nearly as much as if the community has a vested interest. They are planning to have the communities be responsible for the same locally available resources that we do. It is encouraging to know that others have seen how we are doing things and consider that it is a worthwhile idea to imitate with other projects. The other good thing about this is knowing that some of the communities we have partnered with will also be getting schools built for the children to receive an education.

We continue to press on with our tasks, and as the dry season is now upon us again, we look forward to getting a lot done in the upcoming months.

Miles and More Miles

2007-12-05T12:33:00.000+03:00

651.3 Miles. That’s what the tripometer (or whatever it’s called) reads right now on the bright yellow four wheeler I’ve gotten close to over the past week. While that might not seem like much in a little under a week, the top speed on this vehicle is 40 miles per hour (or a little more), but there are few times on these roads that you actually reach that speed. The rapid survey we are currently conducting is just that, and there were a few teams of us who went out with a translator to some of the far corners of Southern Sudan. I must admit that I feel like a bit of a Nancy. Yes, I may have won Beardapalooza 2007. But, I had a couple months head start on Travis Yates . . . and he still almost caught up with me. I think the mullet helped me convince him to throw in the towel before the end of the year. You may be more of a man than me, Travis, but I’ve got a few years experience on you that gives me the edge in knowing how to prepare for competition.

So, the reason I feel like a bit of a Nancy (yes, that is a derogatory use of a generic female name to signify a condition of weakness. I’ve still got a ways to go to stop generalizing about women in a mostly negative way, but I do recognize that nagging and being physically weaker in general does not equate into being a disadvantage or negative thing in many aspects of life. Nonetheless, being a Nancy is not a good thing.) is because I was supposed to have acquired about another 150 miles or so onto that total. The route I was scheduled for also covered some worse roads and went into some areas that are pretty well cut off from much of anything. I, however, ended up with malaria when the survey was to start and got a less strenuous route to complete once my body recovered. My mileage total also doesn’t include the 125 miles I drove (while sick with malaria but not yet knowing it) on the 4-wheeler back to Yei for the training on how to do the survey. But, that was a couple days before leaving on Wednesday last week instead of Tuesday because of needing the extra day to recover, so it doesn’t make sense to add the mileage total along with the couple days because it will take down my daily average quite a bit. I guess I’ll just need to find another reason why I have to make it to the place where the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and Sudan all intersect. Anybody got some good excuses for me to justify having to make the couple hundred mile trek?

I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures of the journey. As I’m typing this I’m realizing that to really help you understand what traveling during dry season in Sudan is like I need photographic evidence. It has not rained in several weeks now, and so the dust just collects in open windows on everything inside and outside of vehicles, houses, and otherwise. When on a 4-wheeler, this means that your whole body gets a reddish brown tint to it, especially when you have hair covering your face and sticking out of your helmet. I know I’m not known for being clean in general, but a day of travel on an open vehicle right now is like not showering for a month. So, imagine if I hadn’t showered in 4 or 5 months (because I did at least try to rinse out the dirt everyday, but it wasn’t worth really scrubbing and all every evening). Yeah, I was dirty, but it is a pretty sweet way to see quite a bit of Sudan (when not looking straight ahead to determine how to avoid the potholes that cover the roadway).

So, Mom, please don’t worry. Yes I had malaria, but it is not that bad. I am fine. It did cause me to miss out on my chance to have a 2005 Road trip USA style with Phil, Mike, and David (which will never be topped) and instead settle for the equivalent of a trip just to Colorado and back from the East Coast.

Maridi

2007-11-12T11:12:00.000+03:00

Most of you are probably more surprised that I have posted 10-15 times on this blog than that I haven’t posted anything for a month and a half or whatever it has been. So maybe this will be me turning another leaf and getting back into the blogging something like every couple weeks or maybe this one will take quite a long time to be followed up on again. Either way, I hope that it helps those of you who are interested to have an idea of what is going on with me over here in Sudan.

Well, I’ve moved. I’m currently in a town (for Sudan standards, maybe it would be considered a city . . . but probably not even) called Maridi. It’s been a couple of weeks of getting a base set-up by making sure we get a fence up, concrete slabs poured for our tents, a kitchen and storage built, hiring staff to facilitate our operations, meeting with church leaders from the area as well as those of the various churches we are able to partner with, and begin helping these churches move towards the building process through coordinating transportation of natural resources, encouraging the churches to work, distributing tools, food, and getting things prepared at each site for the making of cement blocks. Of course, I’m not doing all this on my own. We have a new staff member from the U.S. that is here with me learning the process of things, and there are a number of national staff that we have added who are helping an enormous amount. We’ve met with fifteen churches (the farthest being about 2 and a half hours away from town) that I hope will all be finished with construction by April and already have another fifteen on their way to being ready for construction.

It’s been quite a change from Yei where there were all different levels of things happening. There, we have kind of a factory where all the trusses and steel going to sites are fabricated, doors and windows and benches are made, and churches were at all stages in the process around there. Here, it is only the mobilization of the churches that is really taking place as things will be shipped from Yei for the construction. Facilitating the churches gathering sand, stone, backfill, and water needed for construction as well as ensuring the proper molding and curing of the cement blocks used for the church are really the only tasks regarding the church building here. Coordinating transportation on difficult roads and in the midst of the continuing rains is the biggest challenge aside from making sure that the setup of the base and coordination with local officials is happening.

So, that’s a bit of an update from me, and here are a couple of photos from here in my new area.

-Joe Dirt

Outside my temporary new home (will be moving into a tent soon)

Looking at a sample of river sand to see if it might be useful for construction

So the roads don't have proper drainage. . . On the right used to be

the road some years back, the bypass on the left is used now

It Happens

2007-10-02T21:43:00.000+03:00

BEFORE:

DURING:AFTER:

Zanzibar

2007-08-17T22:00:00.001+03:00

I got back to Sudan yesterday after an enjoyable time in Zanzibar with three other South Sudan staff and a few days in Nairobi. There are a few pictures of Zanzi for your viewing pleasure, but if you want to see any that include some of the ladies I met, you’ll have to ask. It is a beautiful place that also happens to be the home of Freddie Mercury. I didn’t and probably still wouldn’t know who that was except that my friend Aaron who was along is a pretty big Queen fan. It was way more fun than it probably should have been, but we spent a whole afternoon searching the island for the birthplace of the lead singer of the musical group Queen. Not only that, but when we ate dinner at a restaurant/bar named after him, Aaron sang “We Will Rock You” and “Fat-Bottomed Girls” in an attempt to get the waitresses to recognize who the bar was named after. It is rather ironic that none of the people who worked in the restaurant even knew who the guy the place was named after was. (Other songs by Queen include “We are the Champions” and “Bicycle”).

Some of the other stories of the island include almost spending a night with some remote fishermen due to the tide coming in after a 20 km walk down the beach when we kept thinking there would be another resort just around the next point. If it hadn’t been for Ndumi, the guy who helps run the bungalows we stayed at, and the rescue boat he sent for us, it would have been a very chilly and uncomfortable night’s sleep. Instead, we got to enjoy a sunset and starlit cruise back to where we stayed. There was also two days of renting dirt bikes and cruising the island, one of which was with some new friends, and also a cookout with the yellow-fin tuna and mahi-mahi that two of the guys caught while fishing off a dhow.

I found out quite a bit happened while I was gone. You can read about some of it on Phil’s blog from the link on the side. Things haven’t slowed down any, but are still rolling along in spite of the rains. Our plans have been changed somewhat due to the conditions of things here, but we are adjusting accordingly and will continue to adjust daily as that is a fact of life here. It was a bit more difficult returning this time compared to last time for some reason, but I trust that getting back into the flow of things will help. I do hope that you are all doing well and enjoying the last bits of summer.

Zanzi pics

2007-08-17T20:47:00.000+03:00

Fletcher’s catch of the day

Out for a ride

Is this Freddie Mercury’s home?

The second largest smile I saw on Matt’s face. . .

Some sweet sunsets

Aversion to Polls

2007-08-04T13:55:00.000+03:00

Ok, ESPN.com is one of my favorite websites. While I am a sports fan, possibly the biggest joy I get out of going to the site is often because they always have a poll on the side of their website. Plus, at some of the various individual sport main pages, they will have various additional polls. For some reason, I love voting on polls. I like comparing my votes to others and putting my input into various questions I have an opinion about. And while Page 2 of ESPN usually provides some good reading, I almost always vote in a poll while there are many times I only read the titles of the articles on Page 2. Of course, whenever March Madness is going on, I'm definitely going to be checking how I'm doing in the tourney challenge.

So, I've noticed that only 10 people voted in my poll that I started last week. And two of those people work with me here in Sudan (in fact I think they each voted two or three times). While I am considering that maybe I'm odd in my fascination with polls, I'd imagine at least a few more people would be interested in voting. Unfortunately, I've also considered that it is likely there aren't many people who find my blog interesting and so they don't come to the site and thereby don't have the opportunity to vote. The poll is one way that I will try to keep the information on this blog interesting, but if you have any other suggestions, please feel free to comment and tell me.

I am leaving in just a few hours on an overnight bus to Dar es Salaam and will be catching a ferry from there to Zanzibar where I will spend a little time. So, I hope that you are all enjoying yourselves as much as me this week. My poll this week will be related to this journey. And, for those of you intersted in last weeks answer, I accidentally had a trick question there. At first I thought it was between one and two months, but then when I was trying to track back to the last time I had actually used soap or shampoo, I realized it was probably right about the two month mark. So, if you voted early, it may have been in the one to two month range, but it is likely that it was actually the over two month answer that was correct. Well, keep on keeping on.

Competition

2007-07-30T11:54:00.000+03:00

Denominationalism. It's interesting how the Christian community has traditionally had so many divisions and distinctions. I wouldn't want anyone to associate me with a church that speaks in tongues or preaches about miracle healings or any of that nonsense. People might think I'm crazy. Those people who baptize children are wrong; I better make sure people know that I believe the "right" stuff about God. At least for me, there have been many different reasons why I've wanted to distinguish which denomination I beong to over the years. I'd like to think I've gotten beyond all that separation (for the most part anyway).

It seems sometimes that different denominations are more concerned with having more followers than another or trying to convince more people that they have more of the nuances of Christianity right than another church than in helping non-believers to know the Truth of Jesus Christ. Africa is no different (maybe worse than the USA) in this respect. I hear about churches wanting to start new churches right across from existing ones of other denominations or in the same communities as already existing churches. Communities where people in general are already "Christian" at least by name. Nominalism is rampant. But, there are so many communities that still have no church and people walk for miles to reach a church. Yet the efforts to form churches is not there. As you could imagine, building new, lasting church buildings could easily cause some denominational animosity and friction when most churches meet in grass-thatched, mud-walled buildings. We don't discriminate based on how you practice faith, but there are some factors that affect which churches we are able to partner with that results in partnering with one or two denominations much more often than others. And the sizes of church building vary somewhat, providing more opportunity for jealousy or fighting. I've seen this other places and especially seen it in society in general which, like most of the negative aspects of society as a whole, means it is likely just as large a problem for the church.

It is with this line of thinking that I was surprised and encouraged yesterday. Attending a church opening celebration for a church that was recently finished, I witnessed a service that included and incorporated members of all the other denominations in the area. The speakers from this denomination as well as those from the others and even a representative from the local government spoke of unity. Many people commented on it being the first time they had been in a service like this with leaders from all different denominations present, and the leaders of the church were thanked for including and incorporating everyone. And, traveling with two leaders of different (competing) denominations for the two hour ride to and from the celebration, I heard them talking together and laughing a lot of the way. It is encouraging to meet men of God who are truly concerned about God's kingdom.

Another Day

2007-07-26T22:17:00.001+03:00

This will be a quick post after a couple weeks of silence. Here's a couple of the sweeter pictures I have taken. This church was finished last month and is having it's opening celebration in a couple days. Beautiful place. Unfortunately, climbing the mountains in the background could lead to some problems with the authorities due to local folklore (unless there really is mercury that someone back in the day decided to bury at the top. . . who would want to steal mercury anyway?)

Also, notice at the side of the page that I have added a poll to the site. I am hoping/planning to change the question each week in an attempt to make sure I at least do something each week on the site and to encourage me to add more posts also. So, be sure to check back for next weeks question to be posted next Thursdayish.

Semi-Annual Gala

2007-07-11T23:27:00.000+03:00

So we had our first ever semi-annual gala recently for the staff. The clever name for it kept our staff in suspense as I don't think any of them had any idea what a gala is. And apparently I didn't have any idea either, or else we gave our staff an incorrect impression of what a gala is. Anything with the name of a gala makes me picture fancy clothes, ballroom dancing, formal speeches, and the like. While our head carpenter from Uganda named Belmos did bust out a tie and some of our staff dressed smart (the way to say when someone looks nice here), most of us had on t-shirts and shorts, some of which had been washed in the previous week. Belmos is a great guy who loves to talk about his wife and family and keeps trying to convince me to find a Ugandan wife. He laughs a lot and always has an interesting story to tell. On top of that, we keep him around because he can put together some incredibly nice doors, windows, tables, or anything else you would want to be made of wood. And since most of the wood we work with is mahogany, these things look immaculate.

Back to the gala: Well, after bringing back about 70 field staff from various church sites (a real logistical nightmare) we started in the morning a little late with devotions and a big thanks to the staff before the big soccer tourney. The carpenters beat the masons and the welders beat the mechanics and drivers in the first round with the welders winning the next round. Then, once we had tired them out through having them play two games (had to get an advantage somehow), the administrative/ex-pat staff took on the welders for the championship which we won 3-0 thanks to a hat trick by our Ugandan finance officer, Andrew. Quite a fun lead in to the main event for the day. . . the 7-8 goat roast. When you're feeding probably 125-150 people it requires quite a lot of food. The clothes line (steel post not the line itself) actually provided a nice place to hang the goats for butchering. And now we're trying to figure out where we would be able to butcher a cow for some other reason we haven't yet figured out, but would like the excuse.

It was a pretty fun day, and our staff we were able to laugh and play alongside our staff that have worked so hard to help us accomplish what we have. Good times. Of course getting staff back out to sites following the celebration was not so fun, but it was worth it. By the 2nd semi-annual gala (maybe we'll actually have another one in the next year) I'm sure our staff will probably have doubled or more and I'll wish we only had 60-70 people to worry about getting back.

One of those days

2007-07-01T23:51:00.000+03:00

So we had our biggest transport truck get stuck overnight for the first time with an entire crew over the weekend. I was actually traveling down the same road the day before while the truck was headed to pick up the crew and their materials to take to a different site. I met the truck between two spots where there were other big transport trucks stuck in the road. Thankfully the Land Cruiser I was in is a really nice 4-wheel drive truck that got me through the mess with only a bit of tricky maneuvering that included pulling one van-taxi out of a place where it was stuck blocking me from passing. Our truck eventually made it through the mess with a lot of patience and a little help from the D-8 Caterpillar bulldozer that is being used to help fix the road. It's just too bad they hadn't finished things before the rains came, and they're still leaving it a dirt road that would be and is being ruined by the rains. And when they spread the soil for compacting and it rains before running it over with their roller it just makes a big slick muddy mess.

Well, the road did improve through no more rain overnight and a day of sun, but the 25-30 trucks that were backed up in either direction didn't really allow the road to heal up all the way before our truck got loaded up and hit the road. The biggest problem with the fact that a 3 to 4 hour journey gets turned into a 9 hour journey is that around 15 people were in the truck. You see, here in Sudan, there are no McDonald's or Wendy's to stop at for lunch. Which leaves Taco Bell as the only choice. While this would be no problem for me, the Sudanese don't like Mexican for some reason. Anyways, it takes hours to prepare beans, and since rice or posho/ugali and beans are what we provide to our crews for meals, stopping to eat is quite a process. And we don't encourage open fires in the back of the truck, so cooking while traveling doesn't work nearly as well as it did for me and the crew from Bear Lake when we were cooking sloppy joes in the crockpot plugged into the cigarette adapter of the van on our way to Teen Missions. (Quite a fun and memorable trip.) On top of that, there aren't really lodges on the side of the road at the places where trucks get stuck, so you just keep digging out instead of stopping and waiting for things to dry out which results in some worn-out and tired crews and drivers.

Considering the roads won't really be getting better until late September (hopefully), this probably won't be the last time something like this happens when you consider that we are running 4 crews presently with the fifth about to start up again, and they finish building each church in three to four weeks. That means about 6 times of transporting crews between churches each month. With trucks that keep breaking down, given the road conditions they travel on and the difficulty of predicting when the rains are heavy enough to cause the severe problems, the next few months will be a logistical nightmare. And we had just really been getting the logistical issues ironed out (I thought). Oh well, that's what keeps it fun.

Hope all is well wherever you are. Life's a garden. Dig it.

p.s. It's not nearly as big a deal for people here to go through the above scenario as it would be for most of you or I. It's actually pretty normal for people who travel the roads often during rainy season here.

The Best Laid Plans

2007-06-26T21:21:00.000+03:00

It's amazing how God works. In the last post I was contemplating how we as Christians should use the resources God blesses us with. Is it possible to waste what God has given? Definitely. But, there is no formula to figure out just what is enough or what is too much. Personally, I think focusing on costs so much and being so worried about being "good stewards" that it is the money that is the central factor in a decision is more of a danger for many Christians than being poor stewards. Our focus obviously should be on answering God's leading, and sometimes it might not make sense either financially or through human reasoning to follow God's leading. I am glad that God works in different ways in different areas when it comes to church buildings, and I trust that the leaders responsible for building churches in Liberia, Sudan, or Pennsylvania are (and have) all spent time in prayer and are continuing to seek the Lord's leading.

Along those lines, something that I have been thinking about quite a bit lately is how God works. It is frustrating (refreshing) how He always does things in spite of us (me) and doesn't work the way we (I) would like or understand. A friend of mine who is working here in Sudan recently said that the trick to this place is simple: Nothing is going to go according to plan, so accept it. Now, I like to think of myself as pretty smart. For some reason I think I can plan well and know or can figure out the best way to do things in a given situation. That's not easy here. (It's probably not easy wherever each of you are reading this either, though.) But for me, over the last several months as I try to make plans for how we can accomplish the most in getting churches ready to build and in getting materials and crews out to sites once the church is ready, I make a lot of plans. The trouble is, things never go according to plan. In spite of this, there has been a lot that has gotten done while I have been here in South Sudan. I'd like to think that this is in large part because of me, but it can't be. Things work out often times because the obvious choice for how to get things done presents itself at just the right time. When I try to do something that I think would work best logically, often times I create extra work for myself that proves unnecessary as something else happens to nullify whatever I did, or immediately after I do something it becomes clear that the situation could have been taken care of with half the work had I only waited. Frustrating, of course, but then again, it is good to know that it's not about me (less pressure anyways).

First Corinthians 1:27-29 says "Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God." I'm glad God humbles us (at least today I am, unfortunately many times I can't say that honestly). It's not worth trying to figure everything out all the time. Faith in Christ will lead to some unexpected decisions and situations. Life stays interesting that way, and that is something I can definitely say is a good thing.

So, money isn't nearly as important as we make it out to be. Wisdom isn't as important as we think. Power and importance really mean nothing. Knowing Christ and following him is what matters, even when it doesn't make sense. Being in a place where things never go as planned you would think that I would realize some of this quicker or easier, but it is still a constant struggle to become less and allow God to become greater and greater (John 3:30). I wish you all a pleasant day or night wherever you may be.

More Comparisons

2007-06-10T15:30:00.000+03:00

Hmm. . . Don't know what to think about the differences. Any comments? Three very different churches, three very different costs, same purpose but different ways of meeting that purpose.

Cruising in Style

2007-06-10T15:00:00.001+03:00

A sweet ride:

Not such a sweet ride:

If you ever buy a motorcycle for a place where you are never going to be travelling on paved roads, never under any circumstance purchase a TVS. Yes, a Yamaha AG 100 may be 6 or 7 times the price, but it is worth it (I mean come on, if it costs $300 that should tip you off from the beginning). Sure I may have ended up in a river along with my Yamaha in Liberia when we fell off a bridge together, but when the TVS lost it's seat and took away the option of going over bumps while standing and using my legs as shock absorbers since the TVS's are more or less non-existant. The last 10 minutes to church and then the 45 minutes back weren't very comfortable this morning.

More Opening Pictures

2007-06-02T00:51:00.001+03:00

Breaking and Entering

2007-06-02T00:40:00.000+03:00

So here in South Sudan it is pretty easy to end up in jail. Any traffic violation (from failure to indicate with the proper turn signal to driving along the same tracks that obviously 50 or more other vehicles use every day across the central soccer field in town), taking out a pocket knife around a police officer to clip your fingernails with the scissors (threatening a police officer), taking pictures when police are anywhere around, or even climbing a mountain all could end up in you going to jail. In fact, all of these have happened at some point within the last year to staff here in South Sudan. This is what makes last Saturday all the more ironic and comical.

Church dedications are exciting events with lots of singing, dancing, many guests and visitors, and food. There are many people who put lots of time and energy into making sure that the church is ready and decorated and beautiful. And last Saturday one of the churches that we recently finished was ready for opening. The week before, we had sent some carpenters to do some finishing touches to the doors and windows, and deliver the benches and pulpit. So on Thursday a couple other staff and I stopped by the church and were informed that they didn’t have the keys to open the church in order to clean it before the big celebration. Of course I had no idea where the keys were, but would check back at the office. I did mention it to one of the other staff that evening around dinner, at which time there wasn’t much to be done. The next day (Friday), I forgot about it in the morning and didn’t ask the carpenters or the driver of the truck that carried the materials. While out and about, I remembered again, but couldn’t get through to the office to remind them to check the times I remembered. At 6pm, when I was returning to base and passing the church, I again stopped to find out that the people were there cooking and getting things ready while waiting for the church to be opened so they could clean and decorate inside. Oops. By the time I was able to contact the base, I was about 15 minutes away, and all the national workers had left the compound including the carpenters, and the driver had taken a tractor to a church about 45 minutes away and wouldn’t be back until the next day. So, we spent the evening tracking down anyone we thought might have the key to no avail. We called it a night hoping the next morning the key would be found, while also trying to determine the best way to get into the church causing the least damage in case we couldn’t find the key.

Well, of course the next morning still no one had any idea where the keys were. We swayed back and forth between trying to grind the lock off from between the double doors, trying to squeeze in between the ceiling and the wall, and just taking a chainsaw to the door (we don’t really have a chainsaw). So, we took hammers and chisels, a grinder and welding machine (to power the grinder), a drill, and the biggest crow bar we could find. We got there about 45 minutes before the scheduled opening of 10am (3hrs and 45min before the actual start of 1pm) and thankfully didn’t have more than 50 or so people look at Dan and I rather surprisingly as we walked around the church checking windows and door s and propping ladders up trying to fit between the roof and wall and trying to squeeze between the bars that went above the window. Upon realizing a six year old would probably fit it dawned on us that the 7 or 8 foot drop to the cement floor might hurt the unsuspecting child and leave him inside the building with a broken arm, leg, or back, and us still outside trying to get in to help.

After all the deliberating, we came to the conclusion of trying to break a window and crawl through the lower bars which were quite a bit more spread out than up high. So, as a few more people had gathered, we began banging the new church window as hard as we could (which also happened to be quite loud) and we demonstrated to all present how the window locks are the weakest point of the church and provide the easiest way to break in and steal anything from inside. And by 9:40am, we had successfully opened up the doors so that the celebration could begin. Thankfully, the fiasco of breaking and entering the church the morning of the opening didn’t dampen or dishearten any spirits as probably 400 or so people sang, danced, and celebrated from 1pm up until almost 5 before breaking to eat

(I didn’t actually have a camera with me, so there aren’t any photos of the mission, nor did I stay for the celebration, but these pictures are of an opening celebration I attended the next day and should provide a good picture of what a typical church would look like so you can imagine our attempts to break in.)

And although breaking and entering is probably the most unlawful thing I’ve done in Sudan, it is one thing that didn’t lead to me having to sit down in the police station trying to talk my way out of a prison sentence. Good times.

(Of course the inventory guy found the keys on Tuesday in the most obvious place you would have thought he would look.)

Still Going

2007-05-22T22:11:00.000+03:00

Well, here I thought I was holding things together as the one responsible for things getting done around here only to come back from R&R to find two churches that had just begun construction before leaving nearly done and a third that began the day I left only a couple weeks from finishing. That and two churches finished getting all the materials ready in preparation for a crew while I was gone as well. In the first 8 days after arriving, there were/are 3 church openings. Guess I’m not as important as I thought to the operations around here.

Seriously, though, I have been blessed beyond measure to work with the guys I do and it is exciting to be here at such an active time. There are two people from this base who have been with the project from the beginning and have laid a solid foundation for the work that is happening. Unfortunately for us, one of those guys is not renewing his contract this time and will not be around here in June. So, if anybody is interested in being a technical advisor to a massive church construction project, let me know.

I also get to work with a couple Kenyan engineers, one of which is unfortunately moving to a different site that needs him a bit more. They both have been busy running several crews and sites at once and have been incredibly patient with me when I haven’t had all the stuff they needed at the site to get the job done. The eagerness in helping to rebuild churches that they have and the desire to help the Body of Christ grow is encouraging. After being with Oliver from the beginning of building churches, it is quite a bit disappointing to know that he won’t be back here in Yei working, but it is good to know that he will be able to spread his joy and share the love of Christ in a different area.

I’ll have to try to keep updating about some of the others that have been my encouragement and support over the last three months and will continue.

Pictures

2007-05-21T21:42:00.000+03:00

Ok, so the pictures didn't turn out so good. For some reason they wouldn't post with the text before. Sorry they don't line up based on the info in the other post and you have to use your imagination for the ones that are pictured as well as the other names I'm called that aren't pictured.

Law and Order

2007-05-21T20:15:00.000+03:00

So I previously added a list of names I get called to the sidebar of the blog with the intent to explain a bit and include pictures for everyone to see what they thought fit better, but it has been quite awhile up to this point with none of that. I have recently managed to upload some pictures from coworkers and am now asking for everyone to go ahead and vote on who you think I most look like. For those who can’t figure it out . . . the picture on the left is Chuck Norris, the one in the middle is myself with a pastor here (I’m on the left and Pastor Wilson is on the right), and the one on the right is one person’s representation of Jesus.

Rambo was a one day thing, but there were multiple people who called me it that day so I thought I’d include it. Chuck Norris was the main name being called back at the beginning of April through the end of the month with quite a few times being called Jesus in there. For the last three or four weeks now, however, Chuck Norris has definitely slid to second with me hearing people call me Jesus (or the local language equivalent) at least fifteen times a day. Go ahead and compare the pictures and see what you think.

P.S. If someone who understands could please explain how the title relates to the body of this post, I'd appreciate it.

R&R

2007-05-21T19:28:00.000+03:00

Well I’m back in Sudan after two much-needed (or greatly appreciated) weeks of R&R. It’s amazing what 10 days in Uganda followed by 3 in Nairobi with not too much office time will do when you’ve just spent the last eight weeks juggling a knife, ball of fire, chainsaw and anvil (figurative). My energy level and excitement to get back into things is amazingly high considering by a couple days before leaving here I considered not coming back from R&R (ok, not really, but the last few days my frustration level was sky high).

So I was able to spend the time with one of my college friends and this Canadian that works out here in Sudan out of a nearby base. Thankfully by the end I managed to keep from picking up any of those crazy Canadian sayings like “eh?” or anything. Here is a pic of us at the amazingly powerful Murchison Falls in central Uganda. The crocs and hippos were cool, but the amount of force as the Nile goes from what looks like about 60 or so feet wide to about 10 as it drops about 20 yards was definitely more impressive to me.

The God Card

2007-04-16T22:09:00.000+03:00

Ok, I'm sure we're all familiar with it. Whether it is a girl telling you that she is dating Jesus or that she needs to spend more time with God as a reason why she will not date you or if someone tries to guilt you into doing something because God is telling them that you should help them with whatever it is, no doubt at some point we've all had someone pull the God card on us. And what can you do? Do you know for sure that they are wrong? Hardly ever, and if you think that they are, do you call them out for trying to use the name of God to accomplish their own wishes? Unfortunately, it's not a fun situation to be in.

The other day I got a little upset at someone pulling the God card on me. The card that trumps even four of a kind and can be used even if it opposes reason or logic. So, it all started when there was a question regarding a certain item that a church ministry group was using that I (and others) did not think belonged to them legitimately. Of course, at first the person that I needed to talk to was not there to answer my questions, but I could come by the office the next day to inquire with the proper authority. So, because we are all "Christians" I could let them take the item and everything would be ok to discuss the next day. Surprisingly (I wish I could say I was actually surprised), when myself and another guy stopped by to inquire about the object, the identifying mark that was the point of contention the other day had astonishingly disappeared. When this concern was raised with the proper "authority" who served as the leader of this "Christian" group, he began with the good old "we're all Christians here" statement. Then, the fact that an identifying mark that had been on the machine this group had had for five years (so they said) miracuously disappeared within three days from the time when it was brought to their attention. But, alas, we're all Christians, and so there is no reason that I shouldn't trust them and believe their stories. And then of course I am the evil heathen when I begin writing down all the other identifying marks that might help lead to any type of conclusion as to who bought this item and where it came from. How "unChristian" of me to not trust them and try and get them to sign that the serial numbers I am writing are the ones that are actually there so that when I come back the next time and they are missing too there can't be the excuse that what I had written wasn't what was actually there. Christians have to trust one another.

Anyways, I still don't know what exactly happened and how the item came into their possession, but there's no real point to concern myself with it right now. I just really can't stand it when people pull in the name of God and use that as the only excuse for something. Trust is not something that is given just because the person says that they believe the same thing you do. It is earned. If God is telling you something or leading you somehow, there is some way that you know it. I am tired of people blaspheming the name of God by using it to get the things that they want. And it's not only in Africa that this happens. I was actually talking with a Ugandan just before all of this about the different ways some pastors in the States do similar things. The Bible is always talking of false teachers leading people astray. Test the spirits, ask questions of those in authority. But ultimately, ask God. God chooses not to always follow human reason and logic but rather chooses the foolish things to shame the wise and the weak things to shame the strong. But He also reveals himself to us in different ways so that our paths can be straight and we won't fall away.

Sorry if this is too long or if it leaves you asking what I'm talking about. I left out a lot of details but I hope the point translates. And I hope to soon be adding a few pictures, so keep checking in.

Mangoes

2007-04-08T16:12:00.000+03:00

(Cue music) It's the most wonderful time of the year. (end music) Even better than Christmas . . . sure, Easter is the event that provided a way for us to be justified with God, and that would make Jesus death and resurrection more wonderful than his birth alone, but I am speaking from a humanistic point of view now. . .

Woohoo! It's the beginning of mango season!! And here in the Yei area of South Sudan I am never more than 50 feet from a mango tree. So for the next few weeks, I get to look forward to eating mangoes morning, noon, and night. Bananas are fairly plentiful around here, and although tasting better and fresher here than in the States, they can't compare with a mango. Fresh pineapple is a bit better, but they are quite a bit more expensive and are not always available. So, I am very eager for these next few weeks. Right now the head of the project I am working on in this area is back in Georgia cursing his sister for planning her wedding right at the apex of mango season. He may have gotten a few in before leaving last Thursday, and by the time he returns in another week and a half there will be some mangoes still available, but the best two weeks to be in South Sudan he will miss . . . Sorry Matt.

For me, this season is very exciting. First off, I love fruit. I always have and hopefully always will. I always enjoy the different seasons back in PA as we go from strawberries to melons, peaches to apples, and all the others. When working for Flohr Pools, I always tried to pack some of whatever fruit was in season, and often times when working with Derek and Troy, they would possibly even have some fruit I didn't. So it was always enjoyable to get done working out in the heat and bite into a nice juicy fruit. This past year, however, I missed the most amazing season of all for the first time in quite a while. Peaches. Peach season still is my favorite time of year in PA, and I would prefer to have fresh peaches to fresh mangoes, but I am more than content to be able to partake in mango season and it should help me to get over the fact that last year I missed the peaches.

Starting Off

2007-04-08T14:28:00.000+03:00

So here I am writing from South Sudan. I'm not sure what you can expect from this blog, but anything I share will be based upon how I see things from my perspective. Please do not take everything written as the way things always happen here, and know that I cannot and do not often see the underlying issues or factors in different circumstances. Also, South Sudan is a very large area, I believe it is more than twice the size of Texas, and it encompasses many different tribes of people and varying types of cultures and communities. This blog may give you a glimpse into my life here and some stories of things that are happening and have happened. Happy reading (and maybe viewing if my camera turns up).