Ok, so the outbreak of the new year is a time where we all break out in resolution and reflection. Not so sure about the former. Resolutions made at new year seem to be no stronger or effective than resolutions made throughout the year. Have any of you really maintained your gym going habits past the end of January? Ever?
Reflection, now that I can do something with. A year is a nice, functional unit of time to look over, digest, and observe changes and triumphs. Of course it may also reveal failures and catastrophes, but we don't really need to share those in a public forum, do we?
I will but you a deal. I will show you mine, if you show me yours. Please comment with any successes you have, and an explanation, and lets see how far we all got...
My accomplishments:
1) Survived - Not as facetious a comment as you may think.
I am not really talking about the higher level of danger that South Sudan presents to its occupants in comparison to, say, Iceland. No. I am talking about the fact that lots of international workers burn out, freak out, wig out and generally go nuts. I would refer you to the story of a compound manager, responsible for looking after the living and working areas for several NGOs in his compound, attempting to burn it down after getting drunk and only being in the field for a couple of weeks. I have managed to finish my year with sanity still intact.
2) Three months spent researching farmers and their ways in South Sudan - Three babies named after me.
Now, I don't want you to think that those babies were biological relations in anyway. But it appears to be true, they were named so as a result of my visit. I might go back and check one day. The research itself was the first time I had a chance to spend significant amounts of time in one area, and get a deeper understanding of a people rather than a project I have been sent to assess.
3) WaSH evaluations - Where people were proud to tell me their village was open defecation free.
WaSH stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. It is the name given to an area of specialisation within the development field. These three subjects are linked by the common factor of giving people good quality water they can drink and wash themselves in, and then educating them on the importance of doing just that. Good hygiene practices are not universal. Brilliantly, although changing people's habits take a long time, the effects of these programmes are observable and can be quite dramatic. Especially when villages proclaim to the world that they no longer crap in the open by advertising it on their village signs.
4) Evaluation of three Leper colonies - Seriously, they still exist...
...and they come in different forms. Two of the communities I assessed were large, and those that were affected by leprosy had been treated. Their families were expanding, and there was little issue with treatment and care. However, the last one was more along the lines of the leper colony that you might have in mind. Small. Lots of people disabilities. Neglect. No treatment. You name it, they had it. The only thing missing was the bandages, because there were no doctors to put the bandages on them.
5) Month long travel through conflict areas - asking people whether they listened to the Radio or not.
This needs some qualifying. The areas I traveled through were not in a state of conflict at the time, but they are now. The trip through the state of Jonglei was the most challenging road trip I had taken up to that point. It involved training and working with two different teams of people from the Nuer and Dinka tribes, and travelling to the most out of the way places possible. The answer that we got back from the questionnaire? Simple. Mostly, people do not listen to the radio, in the areas I visited anyway.
6) Got stuck in the car, in the mud, countless times - It ended up becoming fun after a while.
This one is self explanatory.
7) Lived through the front wheel falling off said car - Three times
This is never going to happen in the west. Ever. It happens a lot otherwise, particularly in the make of vehicle I was in. Pray that you are driving slowly when it does.
8) Got detained by military for three days - An important tick box in an international worker's life
After posting this on facebook, I now see the point of explaining this event at greater length, as my parents are reading this and their reaction just ain't funny. The military in South Sudan are very suspicious, and like to know everything. As I passed through a town with my team on one research assignment, we were stopped by one observant soldier who decided that the documents we had with us did not prove that we were, in fact, working for an NGO on an agricultural assignment. He and his superiors became certain of the fact that we were, in fact, trying to steal the gold that permeated the hills nearby.
Seriously. They did.
Still, being detained for three days was not too bad. They seized the car keys and satellite phone, and made us stay in town while they checked out our story with their superiors. After the state government threatened the soldiers with arrest for delaying us, we were released. But not before we spent a few nights drinking in a bar showing Korean martial arts movies, while the off duty soldiers stared at us balefully.
9) Left South Sudan before it descended into civil war - This is one of points I don't really like.
Alright, so this is one failure or regret I am going to put in here. Family and friends would happily point out that I was lucky to leave a couple of weeks before the South Sudanese army started fighting itself, sparking a struggle that has killed thousands and divided the country along tribal lines. Intellectually, I agree. However, emotionally I cannot. Friends are still there. Nya Gwa put it better than I can right now. I think my colleague Cleopatra would agree.
Reflection, now that I can do something with. A year is a nice, functional unit of time to look over, digest, and observe changes and triumphs. Of course it may also reveal failures and catastrophes, but we don't really need to share those in a public forum, do we?
I will but you a deal. I will show you mine, if you show me yours. Please comment with any successes you have, and an explanation, and lets see how far we all got...
My accomplishments:
1) Survived - Not as facetious a comment as you may think.
I am not really talking about the higher level of danger that South Sudan presents to its occupants in comparison to, say, Iceland. No. I am talking about the fact that lots of international workers burn out, freak out, wig out and generally go nuts. I would refer you to the story of a compound manager, responsible for looking after the living and working areas for several NGOs in his compound, attempting to burn it down after getting drunk and only being in the field for a couple of weeks. I have managed to finish my year with sanity still intact.
2) Three months spent researching farmers and their ways in South Sudan - Three babies named after me.
Now, I don't want you to think that those babies were biological relations in anyway. But it appears to be true, they were named so as a result of my visit. I might go back and check one day. The research itself was the first time I had a chance to spend significant amounts of time in one area, and get a deeper understanding of a people rather than a project I have been sent to assess.
3) WaSH evaluations - Where people were proud to tell me their village was open defecation free.
WaSH stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. It is the name given to an area of specialisation within the development field. These three subjects are linked by the common factor of giving people good quality water they can drink and wash themselves in, and then educating them on the importance of doing just that. Good hygiene practices are not universal. Brilliantly, although changing people's habits take a long time, the effects of these programmes are observable and can be quite dramatic. Especially when villages proclaim to the world that they no longer crap in the open by advertising it on their village signs.
4) Evaluation of three Leper colonies - Seriously, they still exist...
...and they come in different forms. Two of the communities I assessed were large, and those that were affected by leprosy had been treated. Their families were expanding, and there was little issue with treatment and care. However, the last one was more along the lines of the leper colony that you might have in mind. Small. Lots of people disabilities. Neglect. No treatment. You name it, they had it. The only thing missing was the bandages, because there were no doctors to put the bandages on them.
5) Month long travel through conflict areas - asking people whether they listened to the Radio or not.
This needs some qualifying. The areas I traveled through were not in a state of conflict at the time, but they are now. The trip through the state of Jonglei was the most challenging road trip I had taken up to that point. It involved training and working with two different teams of people from the Nuer and Dinka tribes, and travelling to the most out of the way places possible. The answer that we got back from the questionnaire? Simple. Mostly, people do not listen to the radio, in the areas I visited anyway.
6) Got stuck in the car, in the mud, countless times - It ended up becoming fun after a while.
This one is self explanatory.
7) Lived through the front wheel falling off said car - Three times
This is never going to happen in the west. Ever. It happens a lot otherwise, particularly in the make of vehicle I was in. Pray that you are driving slowly when it does.
8) Got detained by military for three days - An important tick box in an international worker's life
After posting this on facebook, I now see the point of explaining this event at greater length, as my parents are reading this and their reaction just ain't funny. The military in South Sudan are very suspicious, and like to know everything. As I passed through a town with my team on one research assignment, we were stopped by one observant soldier who decided that the documents we had with us did not prove that we were, in fact, working for an NGO on an agricultural assignment. He and his superiors became certain of the fact that we were, in fact, trying to steal the gold that permeated the hills nearby.
Seriously. They did.
Still, being detained for three days was not too bad. They seized the car keys and satellite phone, and made us stay in town while they checked out our story with their superiors. After the state government threatened the soldiers with arrest for delaying us, we were released. But not before we spent a few nights drinking in a bar showing Korean martial arts movies, while the off duty soldiers stared at us balefully.
9) Left South Sudan before it descended into civil war - This is one of points I don't really like.
Alright, so this is one failure or regret I am going to put in here. Family and friends would happily point out that I was lucky to leave a couple of weeks before the South Sudanese army started fighting itself, sparking a struggle that has killed thousands and divided the country along tribal lines. Intellectually, I agree. However, emotionally I cannot. Friends are still there. Nya Gwa put it better than I can right now. I think my colleague Cleopatra would agree.
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