Monday, July 31, 2006

Breakdown!

Well I am back in good old Darfur and diving right back into the work. People were more than happy to see me - not because they love me but the work that they don't have to do anymore. So I have been rather exhausted since my return. On top of that my assistant is sick and it's month end. So I had a bit of a breakdown today. Over the last couple of days I got really great news from home and really bad news. At times like these it makes me really home sick and I start to realize how many big things I am missing in my friend's and family's lives. This is all part of the job I know but it doesn't make it any easier. The pleasure of living and working with the same people everyone knows when you totally loose it. Usually you like people to think that you have things together but there really isn't anywhere to hide. Personal and professional crap crashed here in Angie's little world. But the good thing about the bottom is there is no where to go but up. But maybe tomorrow I can pick up the pieces again and keep moving forward. It's all a little reflective in this country that I work in. Things move along well with peace and stabilization and then it all crashed and we pick up the pieces and start again. Please keep me and our team here in Darfur in your prayers and pray for this country - it needs every prayer uttered.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Kicking and Screaming

Well I am on my way back to Sudan. If I was a little less mature I would throwing a temper tantrum right now. I feel better this week than I have felt in months and I have slept well and suprisingly the beach is just not as stressful as the office. But I appreciate the break and I guess it's time to go back to work. I'm sure I will feel better about going back once I get back into the swing of things. I will write a more detailed blog when I get back to Sudan on my thougths of Cape Town. Here are a couple of pictures of me and the friends that I spent time with.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Beach Time!



After a couple of days of rain and cold weather the sun came out and we were ready to go up Table Mountain. This is one of the must sees of Cape Town. At the top you have an amazing view of Cape Town and you can look down onto the most south west point of Africa. All of this I have only been able to hear about because today was the first day of the 2 week maintenance time for the gondola. Lucky me! So I will be one of the few people that has come to Cape Town and not gone to the top of Table Mountain. But the beautiful day was not totally ruined. We headed down to Camps Bay Beach and enjoyed all the beaches on the way back to the hotel. Because it is winter there are not too many people on the beach or in the water but it was a great walk and I was totally amazed at how many houses they have been able to build out of the side of the mountain. Enjoy the pictures and even though I didn’t get to go up Table Mountain you are allowed to be a little jealous that you couldn’t spend the day with me at the beach.

Friday, July 21, 2006

A little time in Prison


I am now a full fledged tourist. There is no way to get out of the tourist herding when you go to Robben Island. It starts on a boat ride that takes about ½ hour to go from Cape Town to the island. After getting off the boat the loudspeaker on the dock instructs you to board the busses at the end of the dock for your 45min guided tour of the island. So like good tourists we got onto the bus, chose the best seats and got out our cameras. Our tour guide was really good with witty humor and interesting facts about the island. Even though I tend to revolt against tourist activities like this, I really enjoyed it. The island has an amazing history. I kind of expected it to be one big prison but it has played a role of much more than a prison. It has been a leper colony, a military base and is now home to many ex political prisoners and staff for the island. It is also home to thousands of African penguins.

After the guided bus tour we got off the bus at the prison and started the guided tour around the prison by an ex political prisoner. Again I was pleasantly surprised by the tour because when you have a guide that was living in these conditions and has personal stories to tell it turns it from a tourist trap to something that really happened. The prisoners that were brought there to do their time were actually brought there to die. The living conditions were horrible and the food was barely enough to stay alive with no medication for when they got sick. These prisoners made the most of their time and many of them through the teaching of fellow prisoners received an education. There are a number of them that are now in the South African government because of the education they received while they were on Robben Island. I find that amazing. They sacrificed their lives to be able to serve their country the way they are serving now. Democracy and an end to apartheid was what they were fighting for and it is amazing to see it all happen within their lifetime.

We were able to see Nelson Mandela’s cell, his garden and all the other big touristy things. Of course there was the gift shop at the end with the t-shirt hats and key chains just to make the tourist experience complete. Even though I am not a fan of these things I put it high on my list of things to do while in Cape Town.

Today was a rainy day so it was rather quiet but I did have a great sushi supper.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Cape of Good Food


Ahhh Cape Town. I have to say that I am very impressed with this not so little city. I had this strange misconception that Cape Town is a small little costal town so I was a little shocked that Cape Town has the population of over 6 million. I was able to meet up with my friend here with no problems and we have been really enjoying the first couple of days here. The food has been great and easy to find with a sushi restaurant on every block. I do think that I will be able to gain back some of the weight that I have lost over the last three months. With three big meals a day my body is going into shock and I’m feeling great. My guest house was just a 15 min walk from an area called the waterfront. This is the main port in Cape Town and they have built it up to a major tourist center where you can spend days just trying to see it all. I have been able to pick up all the things that I need to take back with me at just one of the malls and we even went to an amazing aquarium today. I think we are going to head back there tomorrow to go to Robbin’s Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years.

Today I moved from the guest house that my friend had booked for me into a hotel that has a swimming pool, gym, and all the perks that I need. Things are a little more expensive here that I thought they were going to be but well worth it. It’s so nice to have a break and get away from work and all the wonderful but tiring things that Darfur brings. I’m looking forward to the next 7 days of enjoying all that Cape Town has to offer. I’ll try to keep you up to date on my travels and adventures here. It feels great to walk around with my map and camera and be a tourist again.

Friday, July 07, 2006

The Game

I have been feeling a little left out of 'the game' lately. My friends at home are all growing up - getting married, buying houses, thinking about babies and yet here I am in Darfur. It's kind of strange to feel so far behind in life. I have this great desire to go home and do the same. We now has DSL internet in the office so that means that I have been spending more time entertaining myself with whatever I miss from home and I can find on the internet. So I have found myself decorating my house in my mind and trying to find clothes that are actually in style and aren't faded and stretched out. Even in the midst of the poverty and lack that surrounds me I still miss some of the 'normal' things that I am used to. No all these things won't make me happy or fulfill me somehow but I am still human and was raised in Canada and I really miss the Canadian things.

Then I was reading BBC today and they mentioned a video game that you can play on line for free. It's called 'Darfur is Dying'. It was created to raise awareness of the situation here in Darfur. So I got onto the web site and played a little. It's funny how a video game can make you think and really put things into perspective. Usually when I get into this self pitty mode of 'poor me what is this life that God has thrown me into', He is quick to remind me that maybe it's not all about me. For some reason I am here and not in Canada with the new house, husband and a normal work day. That doesn't mean that I will never have that life but I am here and I think it's for a pretty good reason. I'm sure there are people sitting in the IDP camps right now as it rains wishing that they could return to their normal life too.

So check out the game and maybe it will help you realize too that whatever is pulling you into the 'poor me' mode may not be all about you. The web site is www.darfurisdying.com

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Nyala Life

Sorry it's been a little while. Yes life gets a little out of control even here in Darfur. I have been plugging away at getting a handle on all the finance issues and finding budgets for everything we are spending. I have also started to dabble in program work. I am heading up a project working with 150 widows and their children here in Nyala. I will give more details later when I get funding and the project starts. I'm very excited about it.

I am up for my first R&R and am planning to head to Cape Town. Due to the many permits that are required here not only to get into Sudan but to travel within Sudan and to leave Sudan I have had to postpone my trip for another week. I'm due for a break but I think I can handle another week in glorious Nyala.

People have been asking for pictures of what I call home. It's nothing fancy but we don't suffer too much. I'm blessed to have my own room and we do have running water to the toilet and shower. The electricity works most of the time. You do get used to the dip in power and the constant on and off of the lights at night. Things are improving - we got an airconditioner this week! It's great to have somewhere to get away from the heat. Sorry about the dull blog but I was told I'm not aloud to talk about gun shots anymore because it scares people. So I won't tell you about the gun fire that woke me up the other night.

Enjoy the pictures of my room and of the girls' compound.