LouFia Adventures

So the inevitable happened, one of us got real sick and it wasn't pretty..

I (Lou) had eaten some bad meat for lunch and two hours later became very sick.. Our colleagues said "You are too sick- Go to the Cambodians!".

This is the UN mission's (UNMISS) hospital here in Juba. It's run by Cambodians. They don't speak English and I don't speak Cambodian. This faced us with  the challenge of explaining my symptoms though charades. They didn't seem to understand at first because they gave me some pills and sent me home. Because my stomach was rejecting everything at the moment, the pills came back up in less than a minute.. We went back to the Cambodians. This time, my face was "grey as a ghost", as Sofia described it. They understood the severity of my condition and admitted me. 

The rest of the evening was quite a blur. The hospital is just a bunch of white metal containers and I was placed in an empty one with the sign "Women's Ward" on it. It had one bed (don't think they get many women passing through), and one non-functioning TV. The cambodians got to work right away. I was given an I.V followed by a series of various (and unknown) injections and pills. We would ask what it was and what it was for but they didn't understand and replied "ok, ok" while injecting me with an unknown shot. 

That night we didn't get much sleep. About every other hour someone would come in, turn on the painfully bright fluorescent light, give me an injection, pill or check my I.V, say something we didn't understand and then leave again. I was very lucky to have Sofia stay with me the whole night, don't know what I would have done without her. 

After what seemed like one of the longest nights of our lives, sunrise finally came around. I was discharged later that day with a gift bag more unknown pills to take. We still don't know what they did, or what pills I got, but they worked and I'm back to health. 

That's a great question!

Recently we have gotten many friends and relatives asking "How is Sudan?". We know you ask because you care and are concerned, but - big BUT - we are not in Sudan.

We are in South Sudan. 

Maybe you ask "How is Sudan?" because you don't know that South Sudan is a country. Maybe you think we're in the southern region of the Sudan. But we want to acknowledge that it is an independent new country and inform people that has existed since July 9th, 2011. 

So what? Why does it matter?

People in this country have been at war and civil war for decades. So when you ask us "How is Sudan?" you are disregarding millions of lives lost and tremendous struggles of the people to create this new nation. It's not at all as meaningless as mixing up Sweden and Switzerland. There were children at war for the difference. There were millions displaced over the difference. There was bloodshed over the difference - so it matters. 

Some of you have asked us to post more photos from Juba and the people we've met so we thought we should explain a bit about photo-culture here in South Sudan. 

Photography in South Sudan is a very sensitive subject and people often react somewhat negatively when they see a camera or even a phone taking photos. There have been several incidents where people have been arrested for taking photos, especially in areas surrounding government buildings, national monuments, or even infrastructure.  

[(Above) An "action shot" from the car window. This is the Coca-Cola sign where we turn off of a main road to get to the office. One thing to understand is that there aren't really road names - we have to know where we are based on buildings and and other markers.... like the Coca-Cola billboard!]

The photography culture is quite reflective of the history of South Sudan and the trust issues of the people and the government. After more than half a century of war and violence cameras are (understandably) perceived as a tool of war. 

All of this is to say that we're trying to be very careful. Inside the UN compounds or other NGO or residential compounds photos are OK. But since arriving, neither Louise or myself have taken our DSLRs out of their cases... 

We have now been in South Sudan for a month!

It doesn’t feel like a full month, it’s gone by so quickly!

We haven't been the greatest at updating our blog, much is due to our own forgetfulness but in a developing country we can also blame the slow Internet connection and the frequent power-outs of the generator. Either way, here is somewhat of an update from our first month in the newest country in the world! Living here is both of a challenge and a privilege. We are faced with things we wouldn't expect, and surprised by things we didn't know were options. If one thing is certain, this country will keep you on your toes. 

We can wake up in the mornings and find ourselves without water or electricity. Today we had only had electricity, so no shower or water for us...

It’s difficult at times, but we hear and see things that give our occasional no-shower problem some perspective.

Just the other day we heard some horrible news about the mountain we hiked the other week (see previous blog post). Apparently the SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) planted landmines the day after we were on the mountain and sadly two people have been killed already. So now the mountain is off-limits and we will not return. The most terrifying thought we have about this news is not the timing of our hike, but of the people living by the mountain. When we were hiking we saw many children running around, playing on the boulders. We truly fear for them.

   Like we said, this place will keep you on your toes. It’s a country of constant change and unpredictability.

Last night we celebrated one month in Juba, South Sudan with an Asian Culture night at Hilde Johnson's house. There was food and entertainment from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines. These countries represent some of the peacekeepers, police force, nurses and doctors that make the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) possible. 

Delicious dinner and dessert from every country!

This is one of the projects we're working on getting implemented in South Sudan through UNESCO's GRIDMAP (groundwater mapping) system! 

Celebrating International Literacy Day by the Nile in Juba, South Sudan. 

fiamurad's photo on Instagram

Check out this article about Louise and her upcoming experience in South Sudan written by her alma mater - Elmhurst College!