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habarizamiriamu
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Name: Miriam
Birthday: 6/18/1984
Gender: Female
Interests: Travel, reading, camping, hiking, having coffee and gabbing with friends, watching chick flicks...but also movies with a message, singing, playing guitar and piano, playing games, hanging out with friends and family, waterskiing and warm beaches!
Expertise: Graduating with honours degree in international studies and "Letter of Proficiency" in French.
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
Member Since:
2/19/2006
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| Ok so I know I have been REALLY bad about keeping this xanga site updated...! But I think most of you have been getting my regular updates by e-mail so that's ok...but at last here's another entry. I am back in Nuba again and pushing through a really busy couple months until I go to Tanzania Dec 20 yay! My excitement has been the logistical challenges of trying to find and buy 150 chickens from the area that we are needing for a poultry research project (the offspring of which will be given to 10 women's groups) The last couple days I've been working out quantities for school feeding and FFW activities and how many bags of sorghum and beans we need to buy and distribute in the next couple months...all these little logistical things you get to deal with on the field. I'm about to attempt to get a community to rebuild a sub-surface dam that collapsed in the rains...do I know the first thing about engineering a dam????!! No! Last week it took me 2 days to get to Julud from Dilling (usually only 1.5 hour trip!) But the car broke down on the way...so waited 2 hours for another car to show up...then we get most of the way there and there are 8 SPLM soldiers in uniform with guns in a riverbed. They said the authorities had instructed them to not allow any cars from the government side to pass through (Dilling is government side, Julud SPLM) We tried to ask them the reason but they just said they had been told by the authorities. So we had to turn around and go aaaall the way back...but yeah what do you do...when man has gun and I have no gun...I pretty well have to listen to man with gun! The next day I attempted again to get to Julud only to have the car break down...again... waited a few hours for another car which finally took me all the way there! So yes these are some of the challenges and exciting days I have out here...! | | |
| Well I am learning patience once again as I'm still in Khartoum waiting for my permits to come in to get down to Nuba where my work will be based. They were a bit late in starting the process and so it could be another couple weeks before I get my stay VISA, identity card, and travel permits to enable me to get down there. Gotta love the Sudanese bureaucracy! :) It has been quite frustrating not having a lot to do at the office while I wait to get down to where my work will be based. I am also losing precious overlap time with the coordinators in Nuba who are leaving for good in September.
It has been good to have time in Khartoum to get to know people here and get to know how this office works. But I am really ready to get going! Especially because Nuba is green and cool and beautiful right now! | | |
| Ever had sweat just dripping down your legs while sitting in Church? That is really how hot it is here! Actually so many places have air conditioning that it's not so bad...just wait until I get out to the village in Nuba!
Things at the office have been slow...it's always hard being the new person because there's so much to learn before you can actually 'do' anything! I have helped out with some reports and proposals so far...I'm excited to get out to the field and see these projects in action. Meanwhile I'm trying to learn Arabic...pretty much if you say 'tamam illhamdilallah' (fine, God be praised) to everything it's fine!
Getting used to hearing the mosques echoe around the city in prayer 5 times a day...including 5:00 in the morning!
This friday I hope to go to a Sudanese wedding which should be interesting.
I am learning it's hard to be the 'newbie' in any place. I will just be getting comfortable in Khartoum before I take off to Nuba in a week's time..inshallah (God willing). But these challenges are learning experiences and God is faithful in providing through it all! | | |
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Salaam Alaykum!
Just a quick update to let you know that I arrived safely in Sudan. It is definitely hot here! And dusty, yesterday I couldn't see the sky for the whole day...kind of like a toronto smog day but with dust!
I am getting oriented to the FAR (Fellowship for African Relief) office and so far everyone here has been really welcoming. There are a few expats in the office but many local staff in management which is great to see. It's wonderful to be back in Africa again...even with the crazy driving! I'm attempting to learn some Arabic! I'll be heading out to be based in the Nuba Moutains mid-August which is central/south Sudan. I will be a lot more directly involved with projects there and living in a more village situation. Should be challenging and interesting!
Please pray for me as I continue to get oriented and try to take in everything around me. From seeing the other expats who are here this is a very difficult place to be and people get burned out very quickly. Pray that I can be an encouragement to them and also manage to stay semi-sane myself!
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| 2 and 1/2 weeks to go and I will be on my way to Sudan. I spent this
past weekend with my Mom buying lots of long skirts, long sleeved
shirts and half of shoppers drugmart!! Guaranteed there is not a cream
or pill that I won't have out there :) My Mom's the greatest!
I have thought all along that I would be based in Khartoum with trips
to the projects that FAR is doing around the country. However it turns
out I may be situated for a good chunk of time in the Nuba Mountains
which is central/south Sudan. It is a lot more remote, village type
environment that you have to fly to since the roads don't really go
there. I was surprised and unsure at first but beginning to think this
would be a really great experience to be involved in some projects
firsthand rather than cooped up in an office in Khartoum. Also to
experience living beside Sudanese people in a smaller, remote setting.
BBC News today shows there was another rebel attack this time outside
of Darfur, 250 miles from Khartoum...yeah not showing that one to my
parents! Sometimes I do catch myself wondering what the heck am I
getting myself into?????
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