LD and TFS time

Ok so today was the first time Berkeley library failed me. I tried to look up online articles on a Japanese anthropologist, Eisei Kurimoto, for Emma. He came to Southern Sudan in 2007 to study the Pari people in Lafon, and he submitted his findings to the SSRRC. I tried to find more of his articles and books online, but there were only hardcopies available. When I did find an electronic resource, the article just mentioned his work as a reference. I got frustrated, maybe because I also had to relearn Melvyl and all the links again, and so I gave up on that Japanese guy. I then started to look up more Global Fund information and tips on writing proposals, which seemed pretty straightforward. “Keep it simple and realistic”, basically.

We were supposed to go to Keyala (or Heyala) today with Rex and distribute kits made up of non-food items, plastic sheets, buckets, and mosquito nets to about 500 internally displaced people over there. The village was recently burned down, I guess about a few weeks ago, by the army. This whole chaos started with two rival cattle raiding groups uniting and opposing the government, which was trying to get in and stop the whole mess in Keyala. Supposedly only four people, two from each village, were recorded dead, but this happened 4 in the morning...so we really do not know. Anyways, I am trying not to reveal so much to be on the safe side (but it is difficult for me to keep this information to a bare minimum since I am typing this blog for my own sake as well). Just know that now SSRRC and other organizations like Shelter for Life and UNHRC (UN Human Refugee something) are trying to help. Our team is mainly going to see the action of distribution firsthand and get some ideas for our report, but in reality, I just want to go and see this village! BUT, they are still loading their cars with the items and it is taking a long time. So we are going to go tomorrow instead. But this is actually a good delay since it gives our team this whole day to do whatever we need to do. Yeah so I am just reading articles and relaxing right now. This is the first time since we have reached Africa when we have no meetings, conferences, or sites scheduled to attend, and I gotta admit it feels great. I even took an hour nap to freshen up! :-)

Here are some randoms:
1. Right now I am smiling to myself because our cook is listening to Spanish music--Juanes and Shakira. haha oh man, the music here is definitely global.

2. I am itching my legs like crazy because of the stupid mosquito bites. Before I could easily ignore these bites, but now I have a few on my feet which brush up against my sandals. The ones on the feet are the worse, and my calamine lotion is not helping at all. I do not even think hydrocortisone will do anything. Emma claims that the flies are worse than the mosquitos here, but I hate the mosquitos. If there is one thing I will be happy to leave when I come back to the United States, it is definitely the mosquitos. My hatred towards mosquitos is also probably amplified by the ultimate nagging reason I am here in Sudan: to defeat these little critters in our fight against malaria. See, they are the root of all our problems here!

3. Speaking of feet, my feet are looking noticeably awful by the day. Not only are there blotches of red mosquitos bites all over them, but they are becoming more calloused, tanned, and dirtier as each day passes. I mean, my feet were already getting cracked from walking up the hills of Berkeley, but this is worse. I think the first thing I will do when I get home is get a pedicure for the first time in my life.

4. There are so many lizards here! They come in so many different strange combination of colors, like one with an orange body and black tail, and they all like to pump their torsos up and down as if to display some aggressive behavior. There is one on the window pane right now, and it is probably inside because it is hotter here. There is also a skinny, long legged spider wrapping web around an insect it caught right next to me. It keeps rotating the insect around and around into a cocoon...and now it is eating it. eww. The insects here are gigantic! We see inch-long ants, 6-inch long beetles, hella long millipedes, and beautifully decorated wasps. Before taking Bio 1AL, I would have squealed and ran away from them, but now I just stop in amazement and stare.

5. I am not used to using fabric softeners whenever I do laundry at school, but I can totally understand why I would use them here...except that they do not have any. Laundry is handwashed here, by the way.

6.The generator was on way past 11 last night. I was wondering why it was on for so long, since it turns off by 10:30, but then there was a soccer game on with Holland playing. That, apparently, was a major excuse to leave it on.

Ok I am done with the randomness.
We learned some Pari words while we were in the SSRRC earlier today because Emma and George are going to go to Lafon for Emma’s research and George’s mapping. There are many people who are coming back and reintegrating in Lafon, and so the SSRRC is going there to help as well. I will remain in Torit with Ed for a conference on disarmament that Father Vuni will speak in. He is letting me present a piece on how our plan for malaria control will contribute to peacebuilding and development. So I guess I will be preparing for that during the next few days here. I think will leave you today with some of these Pari words (the spelling will be completely off, of course):

Mahadi—hello
Nidi—how are you?
Bear—good
Ningayna—what is your name?
Anapucha—thank you

Enjoy!

-Neesha

P.S. I have a new GemTel number. It is +256.477.171.339, but keep in mind that roaming charges are ridiculous. Email is best.