"Table for one sir?", so came the greeting from the waitress as I walked in to the restaurant of my hotel for dinner. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, given that I was walking in on my own carrying a book, but still...it was a bit depressing to hear. It certainly made me feel a million miles away from life in Sudan.
Having left Doro -possibly one of the most underdeveloped and deprived areas in the world (you cant even get coca-cola there now) - on Tuesday, I arrived in Dubai, UAE - the 7th richest country in the world (according to the IMF). The contrast could hardly be more stark. Last night I checked in to the opulent Marriott Courtyard Hotel, my room comes complete with king size bed, wide and varied room service menu and a minibar. This is on top of at least five restaurants to choose from and staff who appear to be at my beck and call whenever I wish. A week ago I was eating lunch under a tree trying to avoid bat excrement from landing on me...
Perhaps the most galling thing about it is how easy it is to go from one scenario to the other without batting an eyelid. You'd expect that it'd take a while to adapt, but it doesn't. One minute your standing in a (literally) stinking hospital ward with dying children around you, the next your being presented with five different types of bread to accompany your (admittedly delicious) meal. Perhaps that is just the way it has to be...if you thought about it too much you'd probably go slightly insane.
Anyway, in time honoured fashion, now that I have departed from Africa I shall again depart from the world of blogging. Lest I get lured into writing about hard life is as a consultant engineer living in the west end of Glasgow. I dont think any of us want that to happen.
And so, again, I shall bid you farewell, at least until Africa lures me back again. Now I wonder if there's anything left in that minibar...
Sunday 8 July 2012
Monday 2 July 2012
One Last Day
Today was a good day. And not just because I spent the morning wandering around giving advice of dubious merit whilst managing to avoid doing any proper work myself. It reminded me of the heady days of 2010.
I have seldom, if ever, had good last days in Doro but I am happy to say that today bucked that trend. You may recall that my last day back in September 2010 was spent lying under a tree with malaria, wondering if anything I'd done had been in any way worthwhile (apparently tropical diseases can do that to your state of mind). Today I was reminded that it was...
This morning I lead prayers with the CHW's (Community Health Workers) at the clinic. These guys pretty much constituted my group of friends last time around and our get together this morning was just like old times. It was a timely reminder of the value of building good relationships with the Sudanese people and not just focusing on the practical task in hand. A couple of them even called me 'Leader', which was kind of my nickname when I lived here (I've had worse). And there were lots of kind words.
The rest of the day was spent catching up with some missionary friends here, and contemplating if/how/why God calls people to the missionfield, and the relative worth of practical tasks over telling people about Jesus. Challenging stuff.
This evening I treated myself to a walk round the maternity unit that I worked on last time out. It actually looks pretty good (apart from all the spiders webs, rat droppings and thousands of pounds worth of medical equipment lying about in boxes). I think they are hoping to have it opent by the end of the year.
So all in all, I have been reminded of the worth, in every sense, of the time I spent here previously. And have had my desire to return and live here one day reaffirmed.
Also, in case you are wondering, I now leave first thing tomorrow morning. So I am off to spend my last few waking hours with my friend Dau who arrived on the plane we are leaving on. He's the first Sudanese guy I ever held hands with. We have a special bond.
As one of my good friends here likes to put it: My cup runneth over...
I have seldom, if ever, had good last days in Doro but I am happy to say that today bucked that trend. You may recall that my last day back in September 2010 was spent lying under a tree with malaria, wondering if anything I'd done had been in any way worthwhile (apparently tropical diseases can do that to your state of mind). Today I was reminded that it was...
This morning I lead prayers with the CHW's (Community Health Workers) at the clinic. These guys pretty much constituted my group of friends last time around and our get together this morning was just like old times. It was a timely reminder of the value of building good relationships with the Sudanese people and not just focusing on the practical task in hand. A couple of them even called me 'Leader', which was kind of my nickname when I lived here (I've had worse). And there were lots of kind words.
The rest of the day was spent catching up with some missionary friends here, and contemplating if/how/why God calls people to the missionfield, and the relative worth of practical tasks over telling people about Jesus. Challenging stuff.
This evening I treated myself to a walk round the maternity unit that I worked on last time out. It actually looks pretty good (apart from all the spiders webs, rat droppings and thousands of pounds worth of medical equipment lying about in boxes). I think they are hoping to have it opent by the end of the year.
So all in all, I have been reminded of the worth, in every sense, of the time I spent here previously. And have had my desire to return and live here one day reaffirmed.
Also, in case you are wondering, I now leave first thing tomorrow morning. So I am off to spend my last few waking hours with my friend Dau who arrived on the plane we are leaving on. He's the first Sudanese guy I ever held hands with. We have a special bond.
As one of my good friends here likes to put it: My cup runneth over...
Sunday 1 July 2012
Goodbye Doro...Again
So, tonight could be my last night in Doro, or it may not be, depending on how things pan out. A plane is coming tomorrow to take a few of us out to Kenya, where I will reside until Saturday. Whether it leaves Doro tomorrow or on Tuesday is a question that I do not yet know the answer to. The most painful thing about this is that there is a chance I may never return...although I hope that is not the case.
Since I last wrote there has been a lot of working on various tasks, finishing the aforementioned windows, wiring electrics in a house (may God protect the first person to use that), and wandering around Doro and exploring the market here (it didn't exist when I was here).
Today was church in Doro (Where they do not ask you to preach at the drop of a hat), which was a blessed experience. A chance to greet my Mabaan friends one last time, and to greet the whole church. Unfortunately I bottled out of attempting to do so in my rusty Arabic...
I am hugely thankful for the chance to come out here, to see old friends and be reminded of what things are like in the real world. Probably the highlight has been the chance to spend time with two of my best friends in the last couple of days. Yesterday, I managed to find Joseph - what a guy - and briefly catch up on what's been going on in our lives (and re-acclimatise to hand holding with other guys....). This was followed by a visit to the nearest hospital to visit his 2 year old daughter, who is suffering from Pneumonia. Which was a sobering experience. When we said goodbye I promised him we'd meet again, a promise I hope I will be able to keep.
In case you're interested, my plan now is to go on an African adventure in Kenya once we arrive back, having been invited by Gilbert, our Kenyan builder, to visit him at his place. A trip which should allow me to also see John Maruti, my erstwhile right hand man. Ironically enough, the last thing he said to me back in September 2010 was "Don't worry Keveen, we will meet again". At least it looks like there is one promise that will be kept...
And now I should go to bed, a prospect which has become about 90% less appealing since I heard that this afternoon's rain has soaked my mattress (apparently there's literally a pool of water on it) and my copy of My Utmost for His Highest, my bedtime reading...I love rainy season
Since I last wrote there has been a lot of working on various tasks, finishing the aforementioned windows, wiring electrics in a house (may God protect the first person to use that), and wandering around Doro and exploring the market here (it didn't exist when I was here).
Today was church in Doro (Where they do not ask you to preach at the drop of a hat), which was a blessed experience. A chance to greet my Mabaan friends one last time, and to greet the whole church. Unfortunately I bottled out of attempting to do so in my rusty Arabic...
I am hugely thankful for the chance to come out here, to see old friends and be reminded of what things are like in the real world. Probably the highlight has been the chance to spend time with two of my best friends in the last couple of days. Yesterday, I managed to find Joseph - what a guy - and briefly catch up on what's been going on in our lives (and re-acclimatise to hand holding with other guys....). This was followed by a visit to the nearest hospital to visit his 2 year old daughter, who is suffering from Pneumonia. Which was a sobering experience. When we said goodbye I promised him we'd meet again, a promise I hope I will be able to keep.
In case you're interested, my plan now is to go on an African adventure in Kenya once we arrive back, having been invited by Gilbert, our Kenyan builder, to visit him at his place. A trip which should allow me to also see John Maruti, my erstwhile right hand man. Ironically enough, the last thing he said to me back in September 2010 was "Don't worry Keveen, we will meet again". At least it looks like there is one promise that will be kept...
And now I should go to bed, a prospect which has become about 90% less appealing since I heard that this afternoon's rain has soaked my mattress (apparently there's literally a pool of water on it) and my copy of My Utmost for His Highest, my bedtime reading...I love rainy season
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