South Sudan Update 19

These last few days have gone by so quickly, I guess because there is so much to do. I packed up all my unaccompanied baggage and sent it on the helicopter to Juba, handed all my CF provided medical supplies to the Bangladeshi doctor here in Yambio for the use of my UN colleagues, and sorted through my belongings to make piles of goodbye gifts for my colleagues and friends.

22 July 2011. My last weekend in Yambio. There had been two cute goats wandering the camp for a few days; sometimes they were outside my container, sometimes tied by the front gate, sometimes being petted and cared for by a stray UNMO. We wondered where they had come from and who they belonged to.

The National (South Sudanese) UN staff organized and hosted a party to celebrate the birth of their new country.

The goats disappeared and a huge feast with drinks and fabulous music was laid out.

Each staff member had a party task to complete and went about proudly performing this duty: cleaning mop buckets were transformed into salad bowls, car mechanics into DJs and entertainers, and hard working locals into rock star dancers.

All UN staff, locals, and government officials were invited. Of course, some of us only found out about the celebration the morning it was to be held, but it wasn’t like we had any other plans ;) So we dressed up and arrived for the 1900 hrs timing. You think we would learn? We arrived punctually to discover that, inevitably, the start time had been pushed to 1930 hrs.



Two Canadian UNMOs!



We took advantage of the extra time to chat and take some pictures of us all dressed up and out of uniform!  1930 hrs came and went.  

I think it was about 2030 hrs before the gathering was underway and the buffet meal was served around 2100 hrs. That is the normal meal time for most of my colleagues and the locals here. It doesn’t seem to matter how long I live here -- my body just won’t adapt to such a late dinner and I always need an afternoon snack! Of course, on this particular Friday I was running a bit late and skipped the snack, brutal!

Post-feast brought hours of dancing to an eclectic mix of Ugandan, Nigerian, Indian, and other African music.








It was a lively, enjoyable evening; the celebratory mood was contagious, and everyone was soon on their feet dancing and having fun!

Representing a beautiful cultural mosaic outside in the hot, humid, moonlit night, we danced and rejoiced in the birth of this new nation and the hopes and dreams of its proud yet fragile citizens.





I was so blessed to have the chance to witness the birth of this country; I can’t begin to express my personal hopes, dreams, and fears for its future.

23 July 2011. My last work day, vehicle maintenance day, and time to tie off all loose ends. A UNMO friend from Ecuador lived outside the UN camp in a nearby tukul neighbourhood.

Together, he and I went to visit his community bringing with us many toys, candies, and housing supplies.

One of the neighbourhood boys acted as our translator and organized the children to receive their gifts. 







We explained how to hang the little basketball net on the tree and demonstrated the general idea of the game even though I am not exactly an avid basketball fan.


I love the little boy in the suit jacket!



One of the young mothers saw one of the Canada stickers I was handing out and asked if I was from Canada. She recognized our flag! It was a proud and touching moment for me.

Every Saturday night the UNMOs host a BBQ which is open to our UN counterparts and all NGOs in the area. Some weeks it attracts a boisterous, large gathering while other weeks it simply provides an opportunity to have an intimate family gathering. There is always great food, strong drinks, fabulous company, catchy music, and lively dancing.

It was the highlight of the week, something we all looked forward to and planned our weeks around. It was a time to relax, team-build, and rejuvenate while enjoying each others company in a low stress, fun environment.

This Saturday was extra special as it was a good friend’s birthday and the farewell BBQ for three of us.








It was a magical night that I will always remember, full of broken sheeshas, mangled birthday cake, and passionate dancing under the mango tree.

The energy was equally vibrant and sad. It was a true celebration of our past few months of living and working together. I would miss this.

24 July 2011. My last full day in Yambio. Around midday there was a knock on my door. This was common on Sundays as one friend or another would often cook a huge meal and invite us all to share! 

These lunches normally dragged on for two – four hours, making our day pass more quickly and enjoyably. Days were just too incredibly long and boring to spend alone in our containers.

This time the knock bought an invite to a UNMO BBQ of leftover meat from the previous night: huge chunks right on the bone, hilarious to eat, and completely unacceptable etiquette in our society – they put the average ribs back home to shame!

We had to grab them with both hands, sink our teeth in, tear and pull, preferably while making an uninhibited caveman noise!







What a perfect last afternoon with a small intimate group of good friends, good wine, good food, and good sheesha.

We sat around in a circle and talked, laughed, and enjoyed each others company. It was perfect. Exactly the right type of goodbye I wanted and needed in order to leave this unique place and its remarkable people.

25 July 2011. Not an easy day. Our helo arrived a little earlier than expected so I ended up spending my last half hour in camp running around getting my last clearances checked off, giving away items left in my room, and desperately trying to find everyone for one final goodbye. Then it was off to the airstrip to board our flight.

The trip to the airfield, a drive I had undertaken numerous times since my first exposure to Yambio, was difficult and emotional. It broke my heart to be leaving this fragile place and her beautiful people earlier than expected and right in the middle of such a pivotal transitional moment in her history.

As we drove, I attempted to commit every obstacle, vendor, landmark, and obscure detail to memory. I breathed in the dusty, moist air; savouring the last smells and sights of this wondrous place that had been my home for the previous months. Yes, I would miss it.

I was touched by the turnout at the airfield. Many of the people that I couldn’t find at camp were there waiting to say goodbye. How do you say goodbye forever to people that you have lived, worked, and cried with over such an intense period of time? It is not easy but is a necessary part of our work and lifestyle. We said goodbye for now and inevitably promised to stay in touch and visit if possible.  Luckily, I was leaving with my closet friend -- one less goodbye at that airfield at least.

As the helicopter took off, I focused on the lifetime of experiences I was taking with me. This mission has shaped me in ways unimaginable and I know it will continue to guide many of my life choices as the years progress. Mostly though, as the village faded into the distance, I said goodbye under my breath and held on to the liberating and joyful memory of dancing the night away under the mango tree . . . . 

South Sudan Update 18

The UNMIS mandate ended with the secession of South Sudan on the 9^th of July. As a result of this, we were no longer allowed to patrol since the agreement that was in place to guarantee our safety and freedom of movement has terminated. We continue to go to town, the market, and about our daily business eagerly awaiting news authorizing a resumption of patrolling and actively engaging the population. Orders were finally received to begin UN presence town patrols of our Area of Responsibility (AOR). Since one of my roles is G3, Operations and Planning, I plan patrol locations and composition. I interpreted this new direction to mean that we were to patrol as deeply into our AOR as we could without force protection (for security reasons) to show a UN presence. Allowing us to wave and talk with the population, but not stop and engage in any security assessment briefs or meetings with village chiefs. The purpose of this restricted resumption of activities was to reassure the South Sudanese that the international community had not abandoned them and were still actively supporting them in their country’s continued development. Each day we drove to a different, secure region of our AOR. This lasted for about a week, at which point we were unfortunately instructed to only conduct town patrols within Yambio (about an 8-10 km radius). Luckily, during that week I was able to get out on two patrols, which I will describe below.

15 July 2011. I was patrol leader for a UN presence patrol to NZARA. We decided that radio communications between vehicles, on an internal channel, were to be conducted in Spanish.

Thankfully, I was in a vehicle with a Brazilian who coached me along. It is always useful to know radio procedure in another language ;)

It was a lovely drive to NZARA. Once we got there we slowly explored one end of town near the orphanage.

As we drove, there was a strange feeling in the air; people were not smiling or returning our waves as we passed.  This was definitely abnormal. The air was slightly tense and we were alert for any sign of danger. However, there did not appear to be anything visibly out of the ordinary. We stopped and handed candies out to small children and women along the sides of the roads; gradually, a few smiles emerged.

 On the main road back to Yambio, we came across a small group of school children in uniform. We stopped beside them and my Brazilian colleague handed them some candy and spoke with them in English about their studies. They were excited and proud to show off their knowledge of English!  

It lifted our spirits quite a bit. It is imperative to maintain perspective and triumph in the little things here.

16 July 2011. We approached the STAR Support Group, a Christian Brothers group who do fabulous work with HIV/AIDs infected locals, via a Canadian, Brother Bill Colford, who has worked in Yambio for the past ten years, to reach out to local orphans. Our original intent was to travel to a remote location to distribute toys, candies, stickers, balloons, and clothing. However, due to circumstances surrounding the absence of a mission mandate and obvious security implications, access was limited to the more immediate area of Yambio town. There is no shortage of orphans in South Sudan.

Saturday morning came and we arrived shortly after 1030 hrs for an 1100 hrs timing to meet the kids. They were so excited; they had been there since 0830 hrs. It was heartbreaking. As we entered the room they stood and sang us a beautiful song.

Then we introduced ourselves (a colleague from the Netherlands and myself) and explained that the people in our countries cared about them and had sent toys, clothing, and fun things for them.

They were called up one by one and we distributed appropriate gifts and clothing to each child. Many of the older ones struggled to squeeze into the clothes, which were generally tiny and made for small children.

Yet, again so telling, much of the clothing did fit children who were twice the intended age of the garments.

The big hits, though, were the toy cars, stuffed animals, and balls. Dinosaurs did not go over well at all; in fact, they terrified the kids – perhaps because they looked like the giant lizards that are common in the area?

The morning ended with the STAR group providing milk and sandwiches for the children as we talked and took pictures with them.

 

When we left a short while afterwards, it was with heavy hearts and a strange sense of sadness. You would think that having the opportunity to distribute items sent from such thoughtful people at home would have left us happy and thankful. Yet, we were struck with the ever familiar feeling that it just wasn’t enough; that we were not really making a difference. There is always so much more to be done — they have so little. It is difficult to be surrounded by such sadness and poverty and maintain a sense of hope.

Since conflicting information was coming in from my Canadian chain of command and my UN chain of command on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, we decided that we needed to get all our affairs in order in case official word came to leave Sudan the next day. We took some time to drive around and take pictures of the developments in town that had occurred in the past five months. I also tried to take pictures of some of my favourite spots — attempting to capture the essence of my experience and life in Yambio with a few memorable snapshots. It was interesting trying to recall which places or sites were strangest to me when I first arrived, since the area and it’s reality had quickly become my own!

18 July 2011. UN presence patrol to BAGARE.  You might remember that we had patrolled to BAGARE two weeks before and that they were in need of school supplies. When we returned, we brought all the personal supplies we could muster, printouts of each of the class photos we had previously taken, balloons, and candies for the children.

Although, we did not have enough toys to give out to all the kids they were thrilled with the balloons and candies!

We sat and talked with the teachers for a bit, and they asked us, specifically me, to speak to the children. So they formed up in a hollow square and we went and stood in the middle of them and spoke.

The teachers felt it was important for the children to see what options were available to women in the world; to see that woman could go to school and become soldiers!

When I spoke to them, I emphasized the importance of education and that people around the world, very far away, cared about them and their future.








I stressed that they needed to work and study hard and that they could change things and make a positive difference in their communities. I tried to show them that, as women and men, they were capable of effecting wondrous changes in their country. The other patrol members introduced themselves and explained where they were from.

We then showed them what a punching balloon was, how to blow it up and play with it, and proceeded to hand out Dutch balloons and Canadian rocket candies. 

 

They were still happily playing with the balloons as we drove away!