Tara Clark Photography

I was not planning on using my blog for this trip but I since I now am unable to share images, I want to continue sharing some of my experiences while here and it cannot be conveyed in Facebook's 420 character limit. I will continue to post quick updates on FB as it is easier but will try my best & share here too.

Today was another unforgetable day but it was OVER THE TOP on crazy factor. I am still pinching myself now!

When my guide, Dickens (a “cousin” of the medical director who works in the Ministry of Regional Coordination, picked me up this morning he said we would go to the mountain village but then the driver would go back and I could go w/ him earlier or stay out as Dr. Augustine (the med dir) would be coming out to attend the last rights/funeral in the area. I said I would stay out since it sounded like we would be back by 5 or 6. During most of the first hour of the drive we talked about the current state of Sudanese affairs. I was just soaking it all in, so much to talk about it made for a quick ride. Then I saw women winnowing sorghum on giant rock area that had deep bowl like indentions. I asked to stop. Picture 5 older women bent over sweeping (African brooms, not the type we use) sorghum all over the rock w/ a big herd of goats behind them and then big boulders further off in the distance…incredible! But we had to push on. Then we passed a stream of women carrying wood & I again asked to stop. I ran back to where the women were resting in the shade of a big tree. It was SOOO hot & the loads they were carrying had to be so heavy and then the distance they had to go…it is way worse than the “I had to walk a mile to school through and uphill both ways”. Then we drove on, about 5 minutes later the driver said he did not have enough full to get all the way to the mtn village…okay, we will go back 10 minutes to the small trading area and see if they have any fuel. No fuel there, so Dickens sends the driver back to Torit w/o further discussion. So much for the mountain village. And now I have no idea what the day will bring, welcome to the African way. For all you Peace Corps peeps, remember in training they kept pounding into us the importance of being flexible, you all remember the African way and how a plan you think is really good goes in a completely different direction w/o notice.
So we sat down for a drink, which then became lunch because now I realize we are waiting for Dr. Augustine. Lunch was small, flatter little breads w/ a bowl of 2 big cubes of beef and a soup like sauce. Steered clear of the meat but thanked God for the bread!! Then we sat outside, and we sat…then I decided to get up at least and have a walk while we waited. I found a local “brewery” w/ a few men enjoying the fermented drink. Just 100 yds from there was the local butchery. Oh it was not pretty. There were a handful of smaller parts on a thin word platform drying or waiting to be bought?? Then on another table were the rib section and another big slab of meat near a hand scale. Then there were a handful of people enjoying some freshly roasted pieces over a small fire close to the meat source which my local guide so kindly lifted the hide up to show me the remaining innards & meat. Yes, be thankful while you are reading this for refrigeration & your local butcher!
At around 2pm, after another drink, Dickens tells me we are ready to go. I wonder where we are going since I have not seen the dr arrive. Maybe we have another ride?? No, instead we walk across the road, through the village and I realize we have arrived at the site of the funeral/last rights. We walk into a large open area w/ men seated in groups. We start making our rounds of saying hello (Mong, mong, mong, ogolo, mong, ogolo, mong, mong…a hand shake can go on for quite a long time, I saw one go on like this, back and forth for a good 2 minutes) to all the men and then we pull up chairs amongst the most prominent looking group. Dickens tells me one of the men is the former governor of the state of Eastern Equatoria, another is a member of the parliament, he goes around the circle of men like this and I start wondering who has died, so I ask. This was just any man, it was the KING of the Lotoka Tribe!! What??!!! Everyday just keeps getting more wild! It was a long catholic ceremony followed by 5 speeches and then as we were nearing 5:30 it ended but I knew we would not be on our way back. I was invited to eat w/ these men & then drink w/ these men…but fortunately I also got to leave the vip area and wonder amongst all the women sitting, eating & drinking. How did I get to be amongst this scene, is all I could think! We finally departed at 7:30 to start our return. One stop for one more beer…oh how I really wanted to get back to Torit as I knew my colleagues would be wondering what the heck happened to me! Fortunately they kept it to one beer and the driver was not drinking and I arrived safely home! I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would have that experience in my very brief time here. Oh what a day!! And now I must sleep! Good night!