The good, the bad, and the ugly...
Such seems to be cry of life in Nyala at times...life everywhere I suppose...
The Good
Only a few places in the world do Thursday night and an old warehouse make for the perfect party spot. Various NGO trucks line the muddy streets and a few Christmas lights offer the appearance of decor. Yet this scene has become a wonderfully regular occurrence for those working in S. Darfur. Yet this evening was not marked by music or dancing, but rather the awe inspiring light show taking place outside of the warehouse. Rumbling across the plains of Darfur a huge thunderstorm was fast approaching, shooting streaks of lighting across the clear vast sky. The sheer size and violence of the storm was hard to capture in person and impossible to translate into words...yet standing on the terraza watching Mother Natures cinema we were all happy to be in Nyala at that moment. Good times even here.
The Bad
Over the past two months nearly nineteen NGO trucks have been stolen at gunpoint throughout Darfur by rebel groups as well as three large oil trucks that where stolen from the AU at the cost of two soldiers lives. The trucks roofs are surely chopped off and painted green, permanently transforming the vehicles from humanitarian trucks into Tactical war vehicles. This stock piling of arms and transport is unprecedented in Darfur and in less then a month the AU troops will be gone...with no one coming to replace them. IRC released a report yesterday stating the violence against women is getting worse in the camps. It will only be a short time now until the world sees the sham of a peace treaty fall to pieces. Bad and getting worse.
The Ugly
Saturday is my day off and I was looking forward to sleeping in a bit...until I was awoken by the bleeding of a sheep coming from behind my room. This is not uncommon; I am typically awoken by some various animal (donkey, goat, dog, giant bug, etc...) several times a night. The problem arose when the noise coming from the sheep was cut short by a quick choking sound and numerous voices saying something in Arabic. Quickly I remembered that today was the going away party of Sarah (my good friend and current co-worker) and that this morning was the time to slaughter the sheep for the dinner. So reluctantly I pulled myself out of bed, grabbed a cup of tea, and walked over to the sheep hanging from the tree outside my room to begin to help...so much for that time of vegetarianism...ugly, really ugly.
The Good
Only a few places in the world do Thursday night and an old warehouse make for the perfect party spot. Various NGO trucks line the muddy streets and a few Christmas lights offer the appearance of decor. Yet this scene has become a wonderfully regular occurrence for those working in S. Darfur. Yet this evening was not marked by music or dancing, but rather the awe inspiring light show taking place outside of the warehouse. Rumbling across the plains of Darfur a huge thunderstorm was fast approaching, shooting streaks of lighting across the clear vast sky. The sheer size and violence of the storm was hard to capture in person and impossible to translate into words...yet standing on the terraza watching Mother Natures cinema we were all happy to be in Nyala at that moment. Good times even here.
The Bad
Over the past two months nearly nineteen NGO trucks have been stolen at gunpoint throughout Darfur by rebel groups as well as three large oil trucks that where stolen from the AU at the cost of two soldiers lives. The trucks roofs are surely chopped off and painted green, permanently transforming the vehicles from humanitarian trucks into Tactical war vehicles. This stock piling of arms and transport is unprecedented in Darfur and in less then a month the AU troops will be gone...with no one coming to replace them. IRC released a report yesterday stating the violence against women is getting worse in the camps. It will only be a short time now until the world sees the sham of a peace treaty fall to pieces. Bad and getting worse.
The Ugly
Saturday is my day off and I was looking forward to sleeping in a bit...until I was awoken by the bleeding of a sheep coming from behind my room. This is not uncommon; I am typically awoken by some various animal (donkey, goat, dog, giant bug, etc...) several times a night. The problem arose when the noise coming from the sheep was cut short by a quick choking sound and numerous voices saying something in Arabic. Quickly I remembered that today was the going away party of Sarah (my good friend and current co-worker) and that this morning was the time to slaughter the sheep for the dinner. So reluctantly I pulled myself out of bed, grabbed a cup of tea, and walked over to the sheep hanging from the tree outside my room to begin to help...so much for that time of vegetarianism...ugly, really ugly.
posted by Scott at 1:56 AM
3 Comments:
looked like you could use a comment. i'm sure a lot of people read this blog, i check it almost daily. you are in my prayers, as are the good and bad situations in Darfur.
i'm thinking about trying a modelo on the job. maybe just put it in my nalgene bottle or something....
keep me posted on life in Darfur, ways we can all be praying for you.
miss you much
keep well scott.
simone
scott...stumbled on your blog tonight at 1 am Rio time...said a prayer for you.
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