Well, I finally had a chance to get out to one of our field sites again. I really enjoy the field visits, as it is nice to get out of the bustle of Khartoum into some open spaces. It’s also very useful to meet all of the field staff, and to see firsthand some of their constraints and challenges.
A couple of amusing tales that arose out of my visit:
- our first stop was at a school, and it reminded me of Malawi in the best possible way. In Khartoum, foreigners are commonplace, but in the villages here in Sudan, foreigners are a rarity, and I was treated to being surrounded by thousands of curious eyes that followed me around wherever I went. Not something I want all the time, but it was fun to be surrounded by children again and see some of what my cheque signing pays for
- at another site, we were sitting under a tin roof when it sounded like rain had started to come down. As it turns out, in very hot conditions, you can actually hear the roof expanding. You may think I’m crazy, but I found this fascinating.
- Even more fascinating was a story I heard from our Program Coordinator as we were driving around. I was commenting on the dearth of chickens around, and talking about how in Malawi I was used to seeing chickens running wild in the villages. He told me that in Zambia, they actually paint the chickens to camouflage them so the eagles won’t swoop down and eat them
Anyhow, it was a fun visit. The next big thing on my schedule is a trip to Europe for 2-3 weeks in September. I’ll be visiting Ireland for the first time, and then travelling onto Holland, possibly stopping in London if time and money allows it. All for now!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Life in Khartoum - random snippets
Well, it seems my blog has been suffering from neglect. I just rarely find the time to write something that I think people would want to read. I was originally just intending to use this as a vacation blog, but since I haven’t had a vacation in a while (not counting a month back home in Canada), I haven’t had much reason to write. But I’ve been asked to provide a few stories of life in Khartoum, so here are a few anecdotes:
- the driving here is horrendous. People with no regard for road rules, and the bizarre contradiction that everyone seems to drive around like they are 30 minutes late for their wedding, but yet everyone seems so laid back and inefficient. I can almost guarantee that the guy at the phone company/government office/internet provider probably tried to sideswipe me because they were in such a hurry to get to the office, but if I want service this week, they seem to be in no hurry at all. Can't figure this out.
- Fortunately, I just moved into a flat attached to the office, so Idon't have to deal with the crazy morning traffic commute. Makes my life much better. And I have internet at home now so I can do things like catch up on personal email at 11 when I can't fall asleep rightaway.
- the heat is almost manageable again (down to the high 30s some days, low 40s in others). It’s really unbearable here for the better part of 3 months, but fortunately I have AC at home and in the office. And the rest of the year it’s quite nice, with not a hint of that minus 20 nonsense we get in Toronto.
- Me and my expatriate co workers derive constant amusement from the language mistakes that are made. Most of you have heard me tell of Malawi, where they mixed up l’s and r’s quite frequently, resulting in a headline in the national newspaper “General Erections to be held across the country on May 18th”. Now, nothing that funny has come up yet in Sudan, but the other day I got a list of our staff from HR, and it seems they didn’t know that the abbreviation for assistant is ASST. So, I was looking at our list of ass. Mechanics and wondering why we had so many proctologists on staff
Ok, that’s enough for now. I’ve got to give a shout out to my best friends Dave and Colin, who gave me the fantastic banner (pictured above my desk) for my birthday (you get extra friend points if you pick up the reference)
- the heat is almost manageable again (down to the high 30s some days, low 40s in others). It’s really unbearable here for the better part of 3 months, but fortunately I have AC at home and in the office. And the rest of the year it’s quite nice, with not a hint of that minus 20 nonsense we get in Toronto.
- Me and my expatriate co workers derive constant amusement from the language mistakes that are made. Most of you have heard me tell of Malawi, where they mixed up l’s and r’s quite frequently, resulting in a headline in the national newspaper “General Erections to be held across the country on May 18th”. Now, nothing that funny has come up yet in Sudan, but the other day I got a list of our staff from HR, and it seems they didn’t know that the abbreviation for assistant is ASST. So, I was looking at our list of ass. Mechanics and wondering why we had so many proctologists on staff
Ok, that’s enough for now. I’ve got to give a shout out to my best friends Dave and Colin, who gave me the fantastic banner (pictured above my desk) for my birthday (you get extra friend points if you pick up the reference)
Random Facts about Me
So, it seems I’ve been meme’d. I don’t actually know what that means, but I assume it is blogger lingo for telling me I’ve been asked to do something. On my friend Lisa’s blog (http://lisatheknitter.wordpress.com/) there is a post of 7 random facts about her, and a request for me and 6 other bloggers to do the same on our blogs. Now, I wasn’t going to post this since it didn’t really fit in with my blog theme, but I figured 1) I haven’t really posted anything in a while anyway, so I guess the theme wasn’t working, 2) I was too lazy to start up a separate blog for random musings, and 3) attractive women can talk me into just about anything.
Mom, you can probably not bother passing this one around to the grandfolks. I’ll try to write a proper update later. Anyhow, without further adieu, here are some obscure facts about me:
1) I can solve the Rubik’s magic puzzle in under 5 seconds. Not the cube, the puzzle. Never bothered with the cube cuz I only like puzzles with defined beginnings and endings.
2) I can name the last 50 Stanley Cup winners, and more useless sports trivia than I’d care to remember, and this is the reason why I feel compelled to memorize Scripture.
3) When I was 15, I narrowly missed out on an invitation to the math Olympics.
4) I don’t drink coffee or tea, don’t like vinegar (and thus, most condiments). I like cooked tomatoes and cheese but not raw tomatoes and cheese.
5) I actually derive enjoyment out of aspects of my accounting job like reconciling the books, making fun and functional spreadsheets, and finding obscure patterns.
6) You know that dream some people have where they show up to school in just their underwear? I have an occasional reoccurring fear that something like this actually happened to me at one point.
7) When I was finishing school, I lined up a series of investment banking interviews, before realizing that I had no interest in investment banking. This led to a rather amusing stream of interview events, including:
· Quoting a book in an investment banking interview that basically talked about what a miserable profession it was
· Miraculously getting a second interview with the above company, and deducing that I had little chance of advancement, proceeded to take advantage of the free alcohol and issuing an open challenge at pool
· When another interviewee called me to inform me that I was being passed on, I responded with “That’s ok. I’ll probably see you in a couple years, working for your competition, and making you regret your decision. How do you feel about that?”
Sadly. My efforts were all outdone by a friend in a similar position, who: in the middle of the interview, recommended that the interviewers chase down the previous interviewee (the top student in our class) instead of wasting their time on him; and juggled in another interview, and when asked why, said “I figure this is all one big dog and pony show, so why not?”
So, there you have it. I don’t know if anyone really reads this blog, so these facts may remain obscure. If you’re reading this and you have an active blog, let me know, so I can actually follow the rules of this ‘meme’, which are:
The rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. - DONE
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. - DONE
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. – NOT DONE (I don’t know 7 people who have active blogs)
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Have a good one!
Mom, you can probably not bother passing this one around to the grandfolks. I’ll try to write a proper update later. Anyhow, without further adieu, here are some obscure facts about me:
1) I can solve the Rubik’s magic puzzle in under 5 seconds. Not the cube, the puzzle. Never bothered with the cube cuz I only like puzzles with defined beginnings and endings.
2) I can name the last 50 Stanley Cup winners, and more useless sports trivia than I’d care to remember, and this is the reason why I feel compelled to memorize Scripture.
3) When I was 15, I narrowly missed out on an invitation to the math Olympics.
4) I don’t drink coffee or tea, don’t like vinegar (and thus, most condiments). I like cooked tomatoes and cheese but not raw tomatoes and cheese.
5) I actually derive enjoyment out of aspects of my accounting job like reconciling the books, making fun and functional spreadsheets, and finding obscure patterns.
6) You know that dream some people have where they show up to school in just their underwear? I have an occasional reoccurring fear that something like this actually happened to me at one point.
7) When I was finishing school, I lined up a series of investment banking interviews, before realizing that I had no interest in investment banking. This led to a rather amusing stream of interview events, including:
· Quoting a book in an investment banking interview that basically talked about what a miserable profession it was
· Miraculously getting a second interview with the above company, and deducing that I had little chance of advancement, proceeded to take advantage of the free alcohol and issuing an open challenge at pool
· When another interviewee called me to inform me that I was being passed on, I responded with “That’s ok. I’ll probably see you in a couple years, working for your competition, and making you regret your decision. How do you feel about that?”
Sadly. My efforts were all outdone by a friend in a similar position, who: in the middle of the interview, recommended that the interviewers chase down the previous interviewee (the top student in our class) instead of wasting their time on him; and juggled in another interview, and when asked why, said “I figure this is all one big dog and pony show, so why not?”
So, there you have it. I don’t know if anyone really reads this blog, so these facts may remain obscure. If you’re reading this and you have an active blog, let me know, so I can actually follow the rules of this ‘meme’, which are:
The rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. - DONE
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. - DONE
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. – NOT DONE (I don’t know 7 people who have active blogs)
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Have a good one!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Extremely long Christmas vacation story
Well, it’s now 2008, and I get to reflect on my latest vacation adventure: a 3 week break over Christmas in Malawi and Mozambique. This post will be extremely long, so feel free to read it over several days or not at all. I’ll try to write it with good headlines so you can skip over the boring parts.
Part 1: Return to Malawi
I spent the first day in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. I got to visit with the McLeans, a Canadian family that has been here for a long while. Then I had dinner with the Gondwes. This was a bittersweet reunion, as they had lost their mother, Esnatt, this summer who succumbed to a lengthy battle with cancer. Mrs. G (as we called her) was a coworker and friend while I was here, and she is missed greatly by her family, friends, and by EI (where I worked). However, seeing the rest of the family again was nice, and I got to have a long awaited pool rematch with Emmitt, who had moved away to the UK shortly after I arrived in Malawi the first time.
Part 1: Return to Malawi
I spent the first day in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. I got to visit with the McLeans, a Canadian family that has been here for a long while. Then I had dinner with the Gondwes. This was a bittersweet reunion, as they had lost their mother, Esnatt, this summer who succumbed to a lengthy battle with cancer. Mrs. G (as we called her) was a coworker and friend while I was here, and she is missed greatly by her family, friends, and by EI (where I worked). However, seeing the rest of the family again was nice, and I got to have a long awaited pool rematch with Emmitt, who had moved away to the UK shortly after I arrived in Malawi the first time.
Return to Zomba
On the second day, I hopped on a mini bus for a 5-6 hour journey to Zomba. I was so excited to be returning to the place I called home for a year and a half that I wasn’t bothered at all by the typical African problems: not getting on the more comfortable and faster coach bus, wandering around in the rain to find alternative transport, having to switch buses because of breakdowns. I just kept smiling and enjoying the scenery. One highlight was when I was searching for breakfast and I came across a food stand with two sides. One side said “Nice Shop”. The other said “Cheap Shop”. I love Africa.
Upon arriving in Zomba, I met a few new CIDA interns, said hello to old coworkers and friends, and was told I needed to be ready for social squash in an hour. I was dreading a match with Mike, who had picked up the game in the past year and was reputedly getting much better. As feared, I was handily defeated. But I had fun, and it was great to see the squash gang again.
Prayer Day
Every month, the EI Malawi staff gather for pay day, and enjoy a meal together along with a few skits, a message, some songs, games, etc. Being as this was Christmas break, Prayer Day was a little bit different. For me, it was a great chance to see many of the staff from the field locations and say hello. And we held it at the lake, so it was also a chance for me to see lovely Lake Malawi once again. It was a fun time of fellowship, where I had a chance to play guitar and also to take part in a very elaborate game, organized by a Malawian, that was sort of a cross between Let’s Make a Deal, and the Price is Right. It was hilarious. While we waited for lunch, I reminded myself that I don’t know how to throw a Frisbee, and got to enjoy watching people playing beach volleyball with a basketball, and later with a soccer ball.
After the day was done, I gathered Mike and a bunch of the interns to head up to Zomba Forest Lodge for dinner. It is a tiny lodge nestled in the middle of the Zomba Plateau offering a cool atmosphere, great views of the sunset, and some of the best food I’ve had in Africa, or anywhere in the world for that matter. The meal was truly amazing, just as I remembered. I plied the crowd with some wine and they were kind enough to give me audience for a couple of new songs I’ve been writing. It was a wonderful evening, all in all.
The following day, Mike and I ventured to Blantyre (Malawi’s biggest city) to do some shopping and to try and play some golf. Unfortunately, between rain and the inability to rent left handed clubs (though there were plenty of caddies who would have offered to carve me a set if I was willing to wait), we weren’t able to golf. Another surprising thing to me was that even though I’m making more money now, I still couldn’t justify the cost of some of the things I passed on while I was in Malawi, though I did pay a relative small fortune to purchase some Reese Peanut Butter cups that I happened upon at an overpriced import shop.
We headed back to Zomba to meet the interns who graciously offered to cook us dinner, and joined them to watch High Fidelity (on a side note, I stumbled across the book that inspired this movie and just finished reading it, and this combo would make my all time top 5 list of books that were turned into movies, at least of ones where I’ve both seen the book and read the movie) Actually, that reminds me, if any of you have a copy of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (the book), that is a must read from what I hear. But I digress. I finished off the evening by introducing Mike to Ron White, one of my favourite comedians.
On Sunday, we had a lazier day, playing some squash in the morning and watching the Seinfeld biography Comedian in the afternoon. On another side note, I deliberately brought a bunch of movies that I had been raving about to Mike the first time we were in Malawi, so he could see what the fuss was about. In the evening, I was invited to dinner with Daniel and his family. Daniel is the Malawian that I trained to replace me as Finance Director. It was nice to meet his wife and children, and some children of relatives that were in for the holidays. We had a good chance to catch up and talk shop for a bit, and he seems to have settled in quite well, which makes me very pleased.
Afterwards, I caught the end of a carol sing at the Jones’ (my boss), and managed to arrive just in time for desserts and socializing, where I got to see a few more familiar faces. Our evening ended on a rather exciting note, as we managed to get stuck in the mud while driving someone home. With the help of 6-7 men and a few kwacha later, we were able to get home.
Well, I’m finally up to Christmas Eve. I thought about being more brief with this recap, but I figure I don’t have that big of an audience, so I figure I can ramble. And there was lots of stuff that I want to remember. Anyhow, we played some more squash in the morning (I only managed to win 2-3 games from Mike the entire trip, so I clearly need more practice), and then watched one of my favourite Christmas movies in the afternoon, Die Hard. J We managed to work our way into an invitation to have dinner on Christmas Eve at the Joshua’s house. I knew them because they housed my friend Ann when she was in Malawi, so it was nice to see them again. We had some wonderful evening food and some nice fellowship.
Christmas Day
Finally, we have reached Christmas day! On the spur of the moment, Mike and I got up on Christmas morning, and decided to hit the golf course. I hadn’t swung a club in 6 months, but somehow managed to play quite well, even parring the first hole. It was definitely the best round of golf I’ve ever shot on Christmas Day. After the round, we still had a few hours before dinner, so we decided to watch Die Hard 2, my other favourite Christmas movie. It was great to hear Let it Snow at the end, but I really wasn’t all that sad that it didn’t snow on Christmas. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner at the Jones’ place, where I stuffed myself on ham, which is sadly unavailable in Sudan. It was sad to be away from family, as always, but it sounds like they had a good day, and I will see them all soon enough when I come to visit in May, when hopefully the snow will be gone and it will be warmer.
Part 2: Mozambique
So, Mike and I got up early on Boxing Day to start our drive to Mozambique. The trip there went about as well as we could have hoped. No border problems, we never got lost, the roads were pretty good for the most part (except for one very bad stretch that we had already planned for) The views while driving were great, and the rains made for some awesome sky colours, as Mike had to listen to me try to explain that one of my favourite colours is the blue/grey colour that the sky turns just before a really bad storm. 13 hours later, we arrived at our stop point for the evening, where I ordered a steak and was shocked to get 2!! T Bone Steaks for my $8. Mind you they were tiny, thin, and fairly low grade, but the fact that I got two made me quite happy. We weren’t really into trying to explore the town after a 13 hour drive, so we split a bottle of wine at the hotel and watched a Mystery Science Theatre episode. If you don’t know about this show, then you should.
Day 2 involved a relatively short drive to our first destination: Ilha de Mozambique. It was a less touristy place on the ocean including some great history. The first thing we discovered is that finding English speakers was harder than expected, as most people speak only Portuguese. Fortunately, my limited French and Spanish helped me pick out a few of the basics. The first lunch, we were able to figure out that we were ordering chicken, but really had no idea how it would be prepared or what it would come with. Fortunately, it turned out to be very good. Dinner was a little less successful. Mike never got his meal due to some horrible misunderstandings, and I got what I ordered, a “simple hamburger” which turned out to just be a hamburger patty. Nevertheless, it was a good first day.
We started the second day by exploring some of the history on the island, including an old fort that was used centuries ago during war times. There was also an old church that was one of the oldest buildings in the southern hemisphere.
Finally, there was a very cool museum there where I got some really neat pictures before someone alerted me to the no camera rule. Over lunch, we met up with some other Canadians passing through, and laughed about the general lack of tourists on the island and the lack of English. We found a pool at a nearby hotel to lounge by for the afternoon, before sampling some fantastic prawns for dinner. The group of Canadians was heading to Pemba a day ahead of us, so we said our goodbyes and promised to look them up in a couple days.
The next day we took a boat trip out to a small beach off shore. The beach was nice and the swimming in the ocean was fantastic, but the lack of the shade on the beach caused me to get severely sunburnt despite frequent sunscreen applications (it seems that waterproof sunscreen is not saltwater proof)
Pemba
On Dec 30th, we drove to Pemba, a tourist destination on the coast which was about a 5 hour drive away. We got there, linked up with our Canadian friends, and found some cheap one star accommodation until we got settled the next day. On New Year’s Eve, we upgraded our accommodation and did some exploring of the beach. We met another Canadian, Shannon, who is working in Mozambique, and made plans to link up later for a New Year’s Eve party. I enjoyed a nice time of reflection on 2007 in a lounge chair overlooking the ocean. We had trouble finding a place to eat dinner since most places had large New Year’s Eve gatherings, but we managed, and then ventured out in the rain to have a drink with our Canadian friends before heading out to the New Years party.
The party was an entertaining mix of shelter under construction, people who had been partying all day, horrible DJed music (including, sadly, the Macarena which still manages to get people to dance for some strange reason). Then after 2 countdowns (the slightly inebriated folks couldn’t seem to agree on the time), the New Year was marked by the same inebriated folks setting off some rather dangerous looking but mildly entertaining fireworks. We turned in shortly thereafter as we had aspirations of snorkeling the next morning.
On New Years Day, we were awoken by the sounds of people still partying into the morning. The revelers were finally halted by a large rainstorm, which sadly turned up the water and made snorkeling impossible for that morning (as well as the fact that the snorkeling boat crew was mysteriously absent from work early New Years morning) So, given that nothing else was open, Mike and I went to the fancy hotel and splurged on the all you can eat breakfast buffet, where we paced ourselves through a large feast of mounds of bacon, croissants, omelettes, more bacon, fruit, etc. It was wonderful. The rest of the day was a lazy day spent poolside with Mike and Shannon.
The following day we were finally able to get in some amazing snorkeling in the Ocean. I love seeing fish in their natural habitats, along with coral and other cool things of the ocean.
Having completed what we came for, we headed home over the next couple of days, arriving back in Malawi and stopping for pizza at the base of Mulange, the largest mountain in Malawi. We then met up with the other girls who had gone to Zambia, and we swapped stories for a while. All in all it was a great trip to the coast and a great way to bring in the new year.
Part 3: Leaving Malawi again
Once we got back from Mozambique, I still had a few days to say goodbye to old friends (and new ones I made) in Malawi. Some highlights:
- my boss got great pleasure from beating me at golf (it might have been the first time that happened) It seems my first round was a fluke, as I proceeded to play two very bad but fun rounds of golf before I left.
- In the second round I played, the highlight was when we had to pause on the third hole to try and coax a snake out of a hole in the ground and kill it. I kept a good distance and never really did find out what was going on, but it involved burning grass, long sticks, probably a panga knife.
- Saw a driving school car with the words “Leaner driver” in bold letters on the back. I love the signs in this country.
- Had dinner and played more squash with Lars, a friend from Denmark. He always has a very direct way of speaking that never fails to crack me up. He’s frustrated that he can’t beat my boss at squash, because as he says “I am getting in better shape, but he is just getting older and fatter.” Hilarious.
- ending my Zomba time by taking in the sunset with some friends.
Anyhow, overall it was an amazing trip, that allowed me to recall many great memories of my time there, and allowed me to add some new memories to that list. Now it’s back to full speed at work, while I get to look forward to my next adventure: coming home for a visit in May to celebrate Mother’s Day, my sister’s birthday, and the marriage of one of my closest friends. If you’re in Canada and you’re reading this, I can’t wait to see you then. If you’re somewhere else in the world, let me know where and maybe I can come visit sometime in the next couple of years. One of many things I love about working here is that I have the time to take a break and check out part of the world every few months. I miss you all, and hope to see you soon, or talk to you sooner!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
A little bit about my life in Sudan
Well, I have been encouraged to write some more, so I thought I would drop a not so brief update about life here in Sudan.
Basically, I work six days a week as a finance director for an international relief organization. It is very challenging, but very interesting as well. We work in 5 different parts of Sudan, so I need to coordinate all of the accounting from the field, compile reports for donors, prepare for audits, help with strategic planning and budgeting. Every day is different, and my job has no routine. Some days, I miss having some mindless work to pass the time, but for the most part I welcome the challenge and the opportunity for growth afforded in this job. I also get along quite well with my boss. We share many similar ideas on where the organization needs to go and what we need to do to get there, and it is motivating to have a plan to work towards. I also feel supported when the inevitable challenges and surprises come along, and I feel like my work is appreciated and is contributing to something worthwhile. All in all, it is a pretty ideal job for me.
I’ve been asked how this experience compares to my time in Malawi. Well, there are far more differences than similarities. Job wise, I felt more like a finance manager in Malawi, doing more of the work of inputting and reconciliations and such. In Sudan, I am more involved in higher level decisions. The challenges are greater, the responsibility is greater, but I guess overall the rewards may be greater as well. I think I may have evolved into this role had I stayed in Malawi as well, and am grateful that I had a chance to get my start in accounting there. Life wise, my time in Zomba (a smaller town in Malawi) was quieter, but I was surrounded by more of the beauty of the countryside. I lived on the side of a plateau, with beautiful views, nice trails, waterfalls, and the like just minutes away. In Khartoum, I live in a large capital city. It is much more functional than beautiful. But city life has its advantages, to be sure. There is generally more to do, more people to hang out with, and amenities and food options are easier to come by. It is hotter in Sudan, more humid in Malawi. The work weeks are longer and often more demanding in Sudan, but then I get vacation time every 3 months and the opportunity to explore another part of the world. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already read about my time in Holland, England and Egypt. In 4 weeks, I am heading to Malawi for Christmas, and will be traveling to Mozambique to bring in the new year with some friends on a beach overlooking the Indian Ocean. I love that this job compensates me enough that I can afford to take some adventures and can take the opportunity to see new places (and revisit places like Malawi that are dear to my heart).
In other news, I have begun the process of formalizing my plan to stay here for 2 years. Even though I signed a one year contract, this was mainly due to not wanting to commit to staying if things didn’t work out (since I didn’t know my boss, or much about my job or where I would be living). But as most of you know, my plan all along was to stay here for 2 years unless things really weren’t working out. I am excited when I think of what we can accomplish as an organization in the next couple of years, and I am excited about the part I get to play in moving us forward. For those keeping track, this means I am committed to stay here through June 2009. So, at least I don’t have to think about my next step for a bit. I am confident that the experience I gain here and the contacts I make will make my next transition a bit smoother than my last one. I am grateful for the time I had back in Canada and the luxury I had to be able to spend time with friends and family, but I certainly learned some good lessons about planning and job transitioning that should serve me well in the future.
Of course, one of the other benefits of this job is that I have the ability to come back to Canada to visit at least annually. At this point, my plan involves coming back for a month in May (subject to a close friend’s wedding date being set). If I do come back in May, I would likely consider returning for Christmas. This leaves me with a couple of weeks in September 2008 to do another fun adventure. So if you’re going to be in Africa/Europe at this time, let me know and maybe we can meet up. I know it’s a long time away, but I need to do lots of advance planning. And it gives me something to look forward to on those weeks where there are 8 financial reports due and our payroll file needs to be fixed so people can get their monthly pay. J
As for day to day life in Sudan, some weeks I revolve around my work schedule, and use whatever time I have left for rest, relaxation, and winding down. During less busy times, I am generally able to play a couple games of squash or tennis during the week. I try to attend a weekly study group with friends from a church that I don’t go to often enough (but may start going to more frequently now that things are cooling down). It was easier to listen to teaching from my church in Toronto, which I could do in the comfort of my air conditioned home. But now that I know this will be home for a while, I am making more of an effort to really engage in the community and build a few more roots. I am hoping to start some Arabic lessons in the near future as well. I have a few friends that I generally get together with at least once a week for a movie or a games night. It’s amazing how fast the time can pass. I can’t believe I’ve been here 5 months already.
Basically, life is good. Sure, I miss friends and family, as always. Fortunately, the Internet is making it easier and cheaper to maintain regular contact (good old Skype). And it’s not long until I get to visit again. I don’t miss winter. I don’t miss Toronto, though I do miss many people who happen to live there. I guess I would rather be here doing a job I love than there doing a job that is paying my bills. I guess we will see what happens in the future, but for now, I am quite content right where I am, doing something I enjoy that affords me opportunities to do, see, and learn things that are beyond what I could have dreamed of a few years ago.
Basically, I work six days a week as a finance director for an international relief organization. It is very challenging, but very interesting as well. We work in 5 different parts of Sudan, so I need to coordinate all of the accounting from the field, compile reports for donors, prepare for audits, help with strategic planning and budgeting. Every day is different, and my job has no routine. Some days, I miss having some mindless work to pass the time, but for the most part I welcome the challenge and the opportunity for growth afforded in this job. I also get along quite well with my boss. We share many similar ideas on where the organization needs to go and what we need to do to get there, and it is motivating to have a plan to work towards. I also feel supported when the inevitable challenges and surprises come along, and I feel like my work is appreciated and is contributing to something worthwhile. All in all, it is a pretty ideal job for me.
I’ve been asked how this experience compares to my time in Malawi. Well, there are far more differences than similarities. Job wise, I felt more like a finance manager in Malawi, doing more of the work of inputting and reconciliations and such. In Sudan, I am more involved in higher level decisions. The challenges are greater, the responsibility is greater, but I guess overall the rewards may be greater as well. I think I may have evolved into this role had I stayed in Malawi as well, and am grateful that I had a chance to get my start in accounting there. Life wise, my time in Zomba (a smaller town in Malawi) was quieter, but I was surrounded by more of the beauty of the countryside. I lived on the side of a plateau, with beautiful views, nice trails, waterfalls, and the like just minutes away. In Khartoum, I live in a large capital city. It is much more functional than beautiful. But city life has its advantages, to be sure. There is generally more to do, more people to hang out with, and amenities and food options are easier to come by. It is hotter in Sudan, more humid in Malawi. The work weeks are longer and often more demanding in Sudan, but then I get vacation time every 3 months and the opportunity to explore another part of the world. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already read about my time in Holland, England and Egypt. In 4 weeks, I am heading to Malawi for Christmas, and will be traveling to Mozambique to bring in the new year with some friends on a beach overlooking the Indian Ocean. I love that this job compensates me enough that I can afford to take some adventures and can take the opportunity to see new places (and revisit places like Malawi that are dear to my heart).
In other news, I have begun the process of formalizing my plan to stay here for 2 years. Even though I signed a one year contract, this was mainly due to not wanting to commit to staying if things didn’t work out (since I didn’t know my boss, or much about my job or where I would be living). But as most of you know, my plan all along was to stay here for 2 years unless things really weren’t working out. I am excited when I think of what we can accomplish as an organization in the next couple of years, and I am excited about the part I get to play in moving us forward. For those keeping track, this means I am committed to stay here through June 2009. So, at least I don’t have to think about my next step for a bit. I am confident that the experience I gain here and the contacts I make will make my next transition a bit smoother than my last one. I am grateful for the time I had back in Canada and the luxury I had to be able to spend time with friends and family, but I certainly learned some good lessons about planning and job transitioning that should serve me well in the future.
Of course, one of the other benefits of this job is that I have the ability to come back to Canada to visit at least annually. At this point, my plan involves coming back for a month in May (subject to a close friend’s wedding date being set). If I do come back in May, I would likely consider returning for Christmas. This leaves me with a couple of weeks in September 2008 to do another fun adventure. So if you’re going to be in Africa/Europe at this time, let me know and maybe we can meet up. I know it’s a long time away, but I need to do lots of advance planning. And it gives me something to look forward to on those weeks where there are 8 financial reports due and our payroll file needs to be fixed so people can get their monthly pay. J
As for day to day life in Sudan, some weeks I revolve around my work schedule, and use whatever time I have left for rest, relaxation, and winding down. During less busy times, I am generally able to play a couple games of squash or tennis during the week. I try to attend a weekly study group with friends from a church that I don’t go to often enough (but may start going to more frequently now that things are cooling down). It was easier to listen to teaching from my church in Toronto, which I could do in the comfort of my air conditioned home. But now that I know this will be home for a while, I am making more of an effort to really engage in the community and build a few more roots. I am hoping to start some Arabic lessons in the near future as well. I have a few friends that I generally get together with at least once a week for a movie or a games night. It’s amazing how fast the time can pass. I can’t believe I’ve been here 5 months already.
Basically, life is good. Sure, I miss friends and family, as always. Fortunately, the Internet is making it easier and cheaper to maintain regular contact (good old Skype). And it’s not long until I get to visit again. I don’t miss winter. I don’t miss Toronto, though I do miss many people who happen to live there. I guess I would rather be here doing a job I love than there doing a job that is paying my bills. I guess we will see what happens in the future, but for now, I am quite content right where I am, doing something I enjoy that affords me opportunities to do, see, and learn things that are beyond what I could have dreamed of a few years ago.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
I LOVE MY LIFE – Vacation: October 2007
1st stop – Utrecht, Holland
As I was flying into Amsterdam to visit my friend Lisa (another transplanted person from my church in Toronto, Freedomize), I was reflecting on how my life had changed in the past few years. 3 years ago, I had not been on an international flight, and didn’t even have a passport. Now, I was on a plane heading to 3 new countries I’d never been to (raising my total to 10), carrying 5 different currencies. And I was visiting from my new home in Sudan, my second African home in 3 years. Strange and wonderful times indeed. As I was landing, I remember marveling at God’s artistry, looking at the clouds and the way the sun struck the quickly approaching objects on the ground below.
So after finding the train to Utrecht (for those of you wondering, the only thing I did in Amsterdam was walk from the airport to the train station and back 3 days later), I headed off to meet up with Lisa for a weekend of fun and relaxation. I wanted to satisfy a few cravings I had for things that are lacking in Sudan: beer, wine, bacon and ham, a really good hamburger, and a few choice desserts. I was able to cover all of these things over the course of my trip.
On Friday night, I was a bit tired from my travel day that started at 4:30 AM in Sudan airport, and involved a stopover in Egypt. So we relaxed by the water, enjoyed some pizza, beer, wine, and good conversation, before turning in early and watching a movie. On Saturday, I rented a bike and we biked out to a wonderful crepe place just outside of the city. I must note that I saw more bikes in my time in Utrecht than I think I’ve seen in my whole life to this point. I kept meaning to take a picture of the masses of bikes lining entire streets, but I never wanted to make Lisa have to be associated with the stupid tourist who was taking pictures of a bunch of bikes. Plus, with the high number of bicycle thefts there, I might have looked like I was casing bicycles and been arrested or something. Well, the ride back into town seemed to go much faster after a couple of drinks with lunch, and we headed out for a quiet evening. We happened upon a lovely little corner bar that served some passable wine, had a nice atmosphere and some eclectic but good music playing in the background. It was quite nice, and was one of the highlights of my time in Utrecht.
On Sunday, I went with Lisa to a church service that was entirely in Dutch. It featured a familiar verse for me, so I spent the time meditating on said verse, and trying to sing along to the hymns in a strange language. After lunch, we headed outside the city to meet up with some other Canadians that neither of us had met, but were friends of another friend of ours from Toronto. We had a Canadian Thanksgiving of pumpkin pie, apple cake, and a lovely hike through the countryside. I must note that I haven’t been in Canada for Thanksgiving in 3 years now. After heading home, I crashed early, partly because I had to get up early for a flight the next morning, and mostly because I had developed a head cold (probably due to going from an average of 45 degrees to an average of 17, which was warmer and sunnier than usual, so I got lucky)
2nd stop – England
On Monday, I took the short flight to an airport outside London, and took a train to meet up with my friend Andy and his family, whom I worked with in Malawi. The train from the airport stopped in Cambridge and there was a short layover, so I decided to take a wander around the immediate area. It was here I came across probably the greatest bonus of my trip. There was a lovely botanical gardens near the train station. Knowing I wouldn’t have enough time to wander through the garden, I arranged for a later train, and I spent the next hour and a half wandering around one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I filled up my camera with pictures of late blooming flowers, plants I had never seen before, lush gardens, trees in the wonderful multicolours of autumn. I thought often of my Dad and my friend Ronelle, and tried to be there eyes by taking as many pictures as possible. What a wonderful and unexpected bonus for my trip (and even though I balked at the relatively reasonable entrance price, it proved to be the best value of my vacation)
So, after the walk, I was feeling a bit tired (I did my best to forget about the headcold, but it was starting to remind me that long hikes were not in the cards). So I hopped on the train and went to meet Andy and his family. It was so great to see them. I was treated to lovely country views, and lovely country hospitality. One of the nights I was there, I was treated to a lovely meal of chicken, roasted potatoes, and roasted vegetables that reminded me of home and of family meals I used to have on Sundays. It made me think of my beloved grandfather who would prepare feasts like these. It made me remember us eating rare roast beef with my grandpa declaring “The doctor has told me for 87 years that I shouldn’t eat rare beef, but I’m still here.” It was so nice to be welcomed by the family for a few days. I got to earn my keep a little by helping prepare dinner while the family rounded up some sheep for slaughter. Ahh, life on a farm. I also got my first taste of an English pub with Andy, and got to go to a movie theatre for the first time since leaving Canada (we watched the Bourne Ultimatum, which was another bonus for me since I didn’t think it would still be in theatre) While the kids were at school and the family was at work during the day, I got to relax, get some reading done, and spent most of my days playing their guitar and piano. I miss my instruments.
Anyhow, after saying my thanks and goodbyes to the family, I bought an expensive train ticket to London. It was a sign of things to come. My wallet had a big hole in it for my entire London stay, but it was easily justified by me since I was staying with friends (thus saving room costs), and I wasn’t there that long, and wanted to really enjoy myself. In London, I was staying with my friend Karen, another friend from Toronto who recently moved to London to do graduate work there. I wandered around downtown on Thursday while she was in class, did a little scouting of the bookstores and music stores, and then met up with Karen for a lovely thai dinner. I miss my weekly intake of thai food in Toronto (though there is an Indian place near my house in Sudan that makes a passable pad thai). On Friday, I did some more exploring and book shopping while Karen was in class, and then we met up for a late afternoon matinee of Spamalot (I love Monty Python) It was an interesting stage play version of the movie The Holy Grail, with some bonuses, surprises, and fun. The highlight for me was a song in the middle mocking the sappy love songs that appear in every musical. Great stuff. We capped off the evening with an even better thai restaurant with great food, great wine, and great company.
On Saturday, I got up early to stand in line to get cheap tickets for another show I hadn’t seen in years, and wanted to see in London, Les Miserables. I was debating between this show and the Phantom of the Opera, a show I’ve seen many times but never tire of. I definitely feel I made the right choice. I had forgotten how wonderfully moving Les Miserables is. Well written, well delivered, well casted, it made for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. In sharp contrast to our afternoon, we ventured out in the evening to watch England battle France in the semi finals of the Rugby World Cup. Watching this match in London was a great pleasure for me, and celebrating with the rowdy English crowd when they pulled out the victory was great stuff. After carrying the celebrations to another pub and making fast friends with some other folks who live in Karen’s apartment, I headed back for a good night’s sleep before my flight to Cairo the next day.
3rd stop – Cairo
So, while I was planning my trip to Europe, the cheapest flight option turned out to be Egypt Air. So I figured I might as well add a few days in Egypt to the end of my trip, since I would be stopping there anyhow. So I flew into Cairo Sunday night for a quick day and a half in Egypt. In such a short time, I determined to hit the highlights. Once I got to the hotel, I fell asleep early so I could have a productive and busy Monday. I was met at the airport by Joseph, an Egyptian who runs a tour company, and who happens to be a friend of one of my friends in Sudan. It was invaluable to have a guide who knew the city, and who I knew I could trust in a place where there are many people who are more than happy to separate you from your money by way of overpriced cab rides, overpriced tours, and overpriced souvenirs.
On Monday morning, I headed out to the pyramids, of course. When in Egypt, you go to the pyramids. It reminded me of a quote from Boston Legal, one of my favourite TV shows. “You can’t go to Texas and not ride the mechanical bull. That would be like going to LA and not sleeping with Paris Hilton.” Anyhow, back to my trip. The pyramids truly are magnificent. I had intended to explore them by camel, but with the heat such as it was and with my own personal tour guide, I was able to see the best parts of the pyramids and surrounding area just fine. Seeing the pyramids made me think that I should plan on seeing all the seven wonders of the world. I think there are 7 man made wonders, and seven natural wonders, so it could take some time. I’ve already seen Victoria Falls in Zambia, and now the pyramids, and I’m not yet 30, so I think that’s a good start.
Anyhow, after touring the pyramids (and a quick lunch at KFC: wonderfully Egyptian), I did the second most touristy thing in Cairo: I visited the famous Cairo Museum. I will admit that I am not an ancient history lover, or a museum buff, but I knew that I should go explore the museum. I will admit that much of the display’s significance is lost on me, but it was impressive viewing so many pieces of ancient history. The highlight for me was spending some time looking at an original manuscript of one of the psalms.
After all this walking, I headed back to the hotel for some rest before doing some more exploring of the city. I enjoyed the beauty of driving along the Nile, beauty that I would see under cover of night late that evening. In the evening, I took a boat cruise of the Nile, complete with a buffet dinner, some very electic entertainment, and the great feeling of sitting on deck, sipping a drink, and gliding along the water with a refreshing breeze on your face.
The next morning, it was off to the airport and back to Sudan, my home for now. I am glad to be back, still nursing a bit of a cough, but thoroughly relaxed. I am ready to take on my next 3 months in Sudan. The first 3 months have flown by, filled with lots of challenges and adjustments, but also with lots of rewards. The next few months will continue to be busy, but I like the challenge of my job. I have no routine jobs in my day, and that’s what makes it interesting. Each day presents its new challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. And if things get too demanding, I have my next adventure to look forward to: Christmas in Malawi with a visit somewhere in southern Africa, possibly Mozambique. Should be fun!
As I was flying into Amsterdam to visit my friend Lisa (another transplanted person from my church in Toronto, Freedomize), I was reflecting on how my life had changed in the past few years. 3 years ago, I had not been on an international flight, and didn’t even have a passport. Now, I was on a plane heading to 3 new countries I’d never been to (raising my total to 10), carrying 5 different currencies. And I was visiting from my new home in Sudan, my second African home in 3 years. Strange and wonderful times indeed. As I was landing, I remember marveling at God’s artistry, looking at the clouds and the way the sun struck the quickly approaching objects on the ground below.
So after finding the train to Utrecht (for those of you wondering, the only thing I did in Amsterdam was walk from the airport to the train station and back 3 days later), I headed off to meet up with Lisa for a weekend of fun and relaxation. I wanted to satisfy a few cravings I had for things that are lacking in Sudan: beer, wine, bacon and ham, a really good hamburger, and a few choice desserts. I was able to cover all of these things over the course of my trip.
On Friday night, I was a bit tired from my travel day that started at 4:30 AM in Sudan airport, and involved a stopover in Egypt. So we relaxed by the water, enjoyed some pizza, beer, wine, and good conversation, before turning in early and watching a movie. On Saturday, I rented a bike and we biked out to a wonderful crepe place just outside of the city. I must note that I saw more bikes in my time in Utrecht than I think I’ve seen in my whole life to this point. I kept meaning to take a picture of the masses of bikes lining entire streets, but I never wanted to make Lisa have to be associated with the stupid tourist who was taking pictures of a bunch of bikes. Plus, with the high number of bicycle thefts there, I might have looked like I was casing bicycles and been arrested or something. Well, the ride back into town seemed to go much faster after a couple of drinks with lunch, and we headed out for a quiet evening. We happened upon a lovely little corner bar that served some passable wine, had a nice atmosphere and some eclectic but good music playing in the background. It was quite nice, and was one of the highlights of my time in Utrecht.
On Sunday, I went with Lisa to a church service that was entirely in Dutch. It featured a familiar verse for me, so I spent the time meditating on said verse, and trying to sing along to the hymns in a strange language. After lunch, we headed outside the city to meet up with some other Canadians that neither of us had met, but were friends of another friend of ours from Toronto. We had a Canadian Thanksgiving of pumpkin pie, apple cake, and a lovely hike through the countryside. I must note that I haven’t been in Canada for Thanksgiving in 3 years now. After heading home, I crashed early, partly because I had to get up early for a flight the next morning, and mostly because I had developed a head cold (probably due to going from an average of 45 degrees to an average of 17, which was warmer and sunnier than usual, so I got lucky)
2nd stop – England
On Monday, I took the short flight to an airport outside London, and took a train to meet up with my friend Andy and his family, whom I worked with in Malawi. The train from the airport stopped in Cambridge and there was a short layover, so I decided to take a wander around the immediate area. It was here I came across probably the greatest bonus of my trip. There was a lovely botanical gardens near the train station. Knowing I wouldn’t have enough time to wander through the garden, I arranged for a later train, and I spent the next hour and a half wandering around one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I filled up my camera with pictures of late blooming flowers, plants I had never seen before, lush gardens, trees in the wonderful multicolours of autumn. I thought often of my Dad and my friend Ronelle, and tried to be there eyes by taking as many pictures as possible. What a wonderful and unexpected bonus for my trip (and even though I balked at the relatively reasonable entrance price, it proved to be the best value of my vacation)
So, after the walk, I was feeling a bit tired (I did my best to forget about the headcold, but it was starting to remind me that long hikes were not in the cards). So I hopped on the train and went to meet Andy and his family. It was so great to see them. I was treated to lovely country views, and lovely country hospitality. One of the nights I was there, I was treated to a lovely meal of chicken, roasted potatoes, and roasted vegetables that reminded me of home and of family meals I used to have on Sundays. It made me think of my beloved grandfather who would prepare feasts like these. It made me remember us eating rare roast beef with my grandpa declaring “The doctor has told me for 87 years that I shouldn’t eat rare beef, but I’m still here.” It was so nice to be welcomed by the family for a few days. I got to earn my keep a little by helping prepare dinner while the family rounded up some sheep for slaughter. Ahh, life on a farm. I also got my first taste of an English pub with Andy, and got to go to a movie theatre for the first time since leaving Canada (we watched the Bourne Ultimatum, which was another bonus for me since I didn’t think it would still be in theatre) While the kids were at school and the family was at work during the day, I got to relax, get some reading done, and spent most of my days playing their guitar and piano. I miss my instruments.
Anyhow, after saying my thanks and goodbyes to the family, I bought an expensive train ticket to London. It was a sign of things to come. My wallet had a big hole in it for my entire London stay, but it was easily justified by me since I was staying with friends (thus saving room costs), and I wasn’t there that long, and wanted to really enjoy myself. In London, I was staying with my friend Karen, another friend from Toronto who recently moved to London to do graduate work there. I wandered around downtown on Thursday while she was in class, did a little scouting of the bookstores and music stores, and then met up with Karen for a lovely thai dinner. I miss my weekly intake of thai food in Toronto (though there is an Indian place near my house in Sudan that makes a passable pad thai). On Friday, I did some more exploring and book shopping while Karen was in class, and then we met up for a late afternoon matinee of Spamalot (I love Monty Python) It was an interesting stage play version of the movie The Holy Grail, with some bonuses, surprises, and fun. The highlight for me was a song in the middle mocking the sappy love songs that appear in every musical. Great stuff. We capped off the evening with an even better thai restaurant with great food, great wine, and great company.
On Saturday, I got up early to stand in line to get cheap tickets for another show I hadn’t seen in years, and wanted to see in London, Les Miserables. I was debating between this show and the Phantom of the Opera, a show I’ve seen many times but never tire of. I definitely feel I made the right choice. I had forgotten how wonderfully moving Les Miserables is. Well written, well delivered, well casted, it made for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. In sharp contrast to our afternoon, we ventured out in the evening to watch England battle France in the semi finals of the Rugby World Cup. Watching this match in London was a great pleasure for me, and celebrating with the rowdy English crowd when they pulled out the victory was great stuff. After carrying the celebrations to another pub and making fast friends with some other folks who live in Karen’s apartment, I headed back for a good night’s sleep before my flight to Cairo the next day.
3rd stop – Cairo
So, while I was planning my trip to Europe, the cheapest flight option turned out to be Egypt Air. So I figured I might as well add a few days in Egypt to the end of my trip, since I would be stopping there anyhow. So I flew into Cairo Sunday night for a quick day and a half in Egypt. In such a short time, I determined to hit the highlights. Once I got to the hotel, I fell asleep early so I could have a productive and busy Monday. I was met at the airport by Joseph, an Egyptian who runs a tour company, and who happens to be a friend of one of my friends in Sudan. It was invaluable to have a guide who knew the city, and who I knew I could trust in a place where there are many people who are more than happy to separate you from your money by way of overpriced cab rides, overpriced tours, and overpriced souvenirs.
On Monday morning, I headed out to the pyramids, of course. When in Egypt, you go to the pyramids. It reminded me of a quote from Boston Legal, one of my favourite TV shows. “You can’t go to Texas and not ride the mechanical bull. That would be like going to LA and not sleeping with Paris Hilton.” Anyhow, back to my trip. The pyramids truly are magnificent. I had intended to explore them by camel, but with the heat such as it was and with my own personal tour guide, I was able to see the best parts of the pyramids and surrounding area just fine. Seeing the pyramids made me think that I should plan on seeing all the seven wonders of the world. I think there are 7 man made wonders, and seven natural wonders, so it could take some time. I’ve already seen Victoria Falls in Zambia, and now the pyramids, and I’m not yet 30, so I think that’s a good start.
Anyhow, after touring the pyramids (and a quick lunch at KFC: wonderfully Egyptian), I did the second most touristy thing in Cairo: I visited the famous Cairo Museum. I will admit that I am not an ancient history lover, or a museum buff, but I knew that I should go explore the museum. I will admit that much of the display’s significance is lost on me, but it was impressive viewing so many pieces of ancient history. The highlight for me was spending some time looking at an original manuscript of one of the psalms.
After all this walking, I headed back to the hotel for some rest before doing some more exploring of the city. I enjoyed the beauty of driving along the Nile, beauty that I would see under cover of night late that evening. In the evening, I took a boat cruise of the Nile, complete with a buffet dinner, some very electic entertainment, and the great feeling of sitting on deck, sipping a drink, and gliding along the water with a refreshing breeze on your face.
The next morning, it was off to the airport and back to Sudan, my home for now. I am glad to be back, still nursing a bit of a cough, but thoroughly relaxed. I am ready to take on my next 3 months in Sudan. The first 3 months have flown by, filled with lots of challenges and adjustments, but also with lots of rewards. The next few months will continue to be busy, but I like the challenge of my job. I have no routine jobs in my day, and that’s what makes it interesting. Each day presents its new challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. And if things get too demanding, I have my next adventure to look forward to: Christmas in Malawi with a visit somewhere in southern Africa, possibly Mozambique. Should be fun!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)