http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Sudan , South Sudan en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:19:57 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:19:57 UTC When I signed up for this assignment I was supposed to come and see how the local Development Committee organized by CARE was doing and propose a few ideas for moving forward. Turns out there was no Committee yet. It had not been even discussed.We organized so Mama Hellen head of the compound could propose it to the local leaders. During breakfast the morning of the presentation Mama Hellen m http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-301279.html If you followed the blog you will recognize some of these storieshellip1.Dwaich the gigolo driver was allowed to live and no limb was cut. The local court met in public audience to talk about the girlrsquos lost virginity and Dwaich family agreed to pay 8 cows around 1200 depending on the cow and to take care of the girl if she turns out to get pregnant. Salomonic deal Well apparen http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-301278.html People in Pagak already know me. I am after all one of three lsquobognibognirsquo whites in Pagak. All the other NGO personnel are African mostly South Sudanese Kenyan or Ugandan.It is Sunday and Mama Hellen and I are jogging through the airstrip. She cannot run much so I do a few sprints here and there. A few children approach and I start playing around pretending to chase them w http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-298763.html There are 22km. of road separating Pagak from the closest Payam Yekow. Technically even lsquowalkablersquo. In reality not advisable. Many soldiers some of them kind of lsquonervousrsquo roam the area. Foreigners are only authorized to travel with local staff in official vehicles. And by UN regulations no NGO staff should be out of the compound after 630 pm.Reaching Yekow only one http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-298762.html The following dialogue finished only five minutes ago. While working in my lsquoofficersquo CARErsquos dining room in Pagak Duony enters the room. He looks at me serious and asks the dreadful questionhelliplsquoSo Mario do you have wife in your countryrsquolsquoNope whyrsquoDuony smiles like somebody that just won the lottery. lsquoI have Nuer girl for you. It will only c http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-294520.html Junko is showing me around the Way Station for returnees coming from Ethiopiahellipand we enter a large tent filled with food from WFP donated by the US and the EU.We have a logistics problem here. WFP is very strict about the use that can be given to the food. But when ADRA told WFP that there were going to be less returnees to Pagak this season and that less than the originally planned food w http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-294519.html When I arrived to the lsquoHome and Awayrsquo Center in Juba late of course for the World Bank workshop on Governance the first speaker was already talkinghellip and he talked for around hour and a halfhellipabout everything history decentralization governance the war.The perfectly dressed gentleman delivering this speech originally scheduled for 20 minutes was South Sudanrsquo http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-294517.html lsquoWhat the hell are you doing therersquoIrsquom getting this question a lot. When I got in touch with CARE John Perry the Program Coordinator explained that they were considering applying the Participatory Action Research PAR not to be confused with PRA methodology to their programs in Upper Nile. They needed somebody to come and assess the challenges of doing PAR in this area. Thi http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-294516.html It is 8pm and dark already. Tomorrow Irsquom supposed to fly to the border.. but am IJustin is driving the CARE mobile like crazy. It is clear he does not know well how to drive it. lsquoJustin please stoprsquoHe barely stops the car in time. In front of us the SPLA soldier is shouting and pointing a rifle on us.The whole thing started last night when Justin logistics officer at CARE http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Upper-Nile-/Pagak/blog-294515.html The plan was to stay two nights in Juba and then to depart to my main destination in this trip my fieldwork in Pagak a small locality along the SudaneseEthiopian border. But in this business things rarely work as they are supposed to. Pagak on the Upper Nile region is in the middle of the rainy season and I was told after three hours waiting at the airport that the plane was cancelled due http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Juba/blog-288403.html In this blog entry I attempt to provide a little background of how South Sudan became what it is today. I hope to be fair with a population that has suffered too much for too long while adding some lsquospicersquo to the story. You can skip this entry if you are not interested but I think is a tale worth telling.If you like stories like the one of Che Guevara you should definitely read abo http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Juba/blog-288400.html I have never been through lsquoimmigrationrsquo this fast anywhere in the world. There is no line just a cloud of travelers trying to reach the single immigration officer and to obtain the needed passport seal. In the same room luggage is deposited and picked up. If it took me five minutes to get out was because I had to tie my shoeshellipSomehow South Sudanrsquos customs fitted the a http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-288393.html Working in the dustBy DianaComing back from the holidays was a mix of excitement and sadness. On the one hand I was coming to a new job to a new town to new people. On the other I had had so much fun for three intense weeks in Lima Washington DC and New York...it was hard to come back to the rhythm of life in Africa. A week in Kampala for my introduction to my new employer Malaria Consortiu http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-243372.html So before you say ldquowhat the hellrdquo let us give a bit of background. As the end of the year approached Dan and I faced some tough decisions. With so much welldeserved attention to Darfur in western Sudan by international agencies South Sudan is in a complicated position. Many donors have started to pull out the relief efforts especially in areas such as Kajo Keji which enjoy http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/Wudu-boma/blog-226854.html Today I will leave Torit. The title entry same from Aibek a colleague from Kyrgyzstan.I have spent almost 6 months here and surprisingly I leave here with a greater feeling of emotion than I had thought.As I said goodbye to Peter our Ugandan mechanic's assitant I shook his hand and he had tears in his eyes as I walked away. How does that not hit you in the heartSomeone once wrote the Ou http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-218108.html I have somewhat fallen off the proverbial blog horse in the past few weeks so here I am again.Many things have happened and work has been busy since I returned fom vacation.The biggest thing is that Laura has developed a pinched sciatic nerve due to bulging disc in her lower back. She was somewhat uncomfortable in the mornings in England but I could see a progression in the 10 days I spent with http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-211573.html What we doing out here I can only answer for myself. Diana will handle her section.Dan's SectionI guess the best answer is that I am doing something that I actually feel that I can do and that not just anyone plucked off the street can do. Imagine that. I know I struggle to. Putting up with the stress of Sudan while bringing some limited skills and background is what I do. And yes not ev http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/blog-210832.html Sudan The India of AfricahellipThe first time I went through Sudan was in 1983.There wasa lull in the already oldest civil war in Africa and during this brief moment of peace it was possible to go through the entire length and breadth of this largest country in Africa. I had heard so many different thing about the Sudan and didnrsquot know quite what to expect. After waiting for 2 weeks in Ke http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-204545.html Today was a sad day for the team site of Torit. Scott and Duane our most dutiful of UN Police officers were redeployed read forced to leave to Abeyi near the proposed border area. Scott and Duane were truthful experienced functional police officers and the Team Site will miss them. More on the forced redeployment when I finish my mission.Yannick has departed for Ireland a few days ago http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-202073.html Just a quick note that I think deserves the widest distribution...Two of closest friends Tim and Danielle Jorgensen have brought the newest Jorgensen into this world.Name Elliott Samuel JorgensenSex MaleWeight 7 lbs 6ozLength 20 in.Date September 8th 2007Time 541 amHis arrival has been eagerly awaited by many and I can't wait to get home and give him a hug and a kiss.Danielle is http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-200726.html On Sept 7th I was able to take part in an Air Patrol to IKOTOS in order to investigate allegations of a massacre associated with tribal clashes.Our flight was only about 30 mins SE by helicopter but the journey can take 23 days by road during the rainy season which should give you some indication as to how poor the condition of the roads are. As we landed there was a continuous stream of chi http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-200328.html Today was a bit exciting... I had to investigate a discovery of unexploded mortar munitions. We had a report about their location near the airstrip from the local hospital administrator Francis who is a very kind man who gives off that genuine feeling of caring as soon as you meet him. A man that I respect and admire. Scott the Aussie police officer met him in his office one day sufferin http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-199064.html Our patrol to investigate the reported massacre of 50 people never got off the ground. It was stopped at political levels that are much higher than my pay grade. However the direct intervention by local politics in an effort to dissuadestop our patrol to this destination raised more than a few eyebrows and suspicions. The UN Mission in Sudan is here at the invitation of the parties both North http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-198486.html Just time for a quick note...I'm heading out for a quick reaction patrol today as it has been reported that members of one tribe decided it was a good idea to kill 50 members of another. Sometime I wonder if we are having any effect at all.Scott and Duane began leading discussions about drugs and alcohol to the 1517 year olds at the local school and I a hoping to tag along on the next trip. T http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-197861.html There were a few things I knew before coming to the Kej. I knew for example that I would finally try out the rural life that I would meet wonderful people both from South Sudan and from other countries and that I would finally see Dan after months of separation. I also knew that there were going to be some things that would be difficult to get used to things that would be uncomfortable and t http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/Wudu-boma/blog-188682.html As part of my lsquoGuest Blogrsquo for Diana I figured it might be good to highlight the extraordinary aspects of life in Kajo Keji as she is covering the daytoday life. I hesitate to write about these things for fear of needlessly freaking people out but they are indeed a part of life in Sudan and canrsquot be ignored. Besides people back home do ask about the safety issue here so http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/Wudu-boma/blog-188261.html Today was a lazy Sunday... I woke up earlier than planned so I pulled my chair over beside my bed and watched an episode of Battlestar Galactica. Alex left the season 3 set of DVD's here for us and it's a little difficult to understand everything that is happening but beggars can't be choosers and it killed off an hour. This week was kind of a mix of emotions. Monday was a big high with the http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/blog-184253.html Before departing many of you asked me ldquohow do you get to Kajo Kejirdquo ldquoSimplerdquo was my answer. You take a flight from Entebbe to Moyo a town in Northern Uganda and from there someone from Danrsquos office will pick us up to go to KK. Hmmm. In all fairness it is that simple. However the journey to KK does pose its difficulties. First the plane. Eagle Air flies to http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/Wudu-boma/blog-176766.html Today we have to go meet with the commissioner of Kajo Keji. They have a custom that when guests or visitors come they must meet with him and sign the guest book. Lasursquos friend David came to pick us up and we left. The commissioner is a super chill guy and very smart. He is also a believer so it was exciting to have an ally in politics. Mama Susan mentioned to him that they need workers for http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/blog-175469.html The journey to Kampala can only be described one way LONG. Twenty hours after departing Washington DC I reached Entebbe the airport closest to Kampala after a short and not sweet stop in Amsterdam where security is even tighter than in the US. Tired but excited I arrived into Entebbe on Friday 15 June at 8 PM. Dan was literally a sight for sore eyes. He and the hotel driver picked me up http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Sudan/South-Sudan/Kajo-Keji-County/Wudu-boma/blog-173702.html