Merry Christmas from Darfur.......

I cannot believe there is only 3 days until Christmas.  I am a world away where the main religion is Muslim, not a mall to be found and no Christmas music to be heard or decorations to be seen. The whole commercialism of Christmas is totally not here.  We haven’t even had the opportunity to put Christmas decorations up in our kitchen tent. 

Since I work 7 days a week I will be spending Christmas in the office.  It will be good to keep myself busy and my mind off of all the celebrations that will be going on at home.  I am hoping to join my family at the dinner table via Skype.  I am sure everyone will be on the network that day so I am not counting on having a good connection or any connection for that matter….but we will give it a shot.  The Canadian contingent (2 Police and 2 Military) plans on having Christmas dinner and inviting some of our Egyptian friends from the camp where we reside.   I think it will be good to have others join us to see how we celebrate.  I am not sure what the meal is going to be but I am guessing it will consist of chicken and rice. 

Many of you are aware that I am able to receive care packages from home.  Over the last week or so the Sudanese Customs officials seized all our care packages from Canada. We had no idea when they were going to be released and why they were being seized in the first place.  The Canadian Forces have been wonderful and worked hard to get this matter resolved.  The care packages are back in the Canadians hands and have just arrived in El-Fasher.  I should have them upon my return to camp tonight. It will be like an early Christmas (minus the weather).  The care packages are referred to as “gold bags” and literally that is what they are…..big gold bags containing our boxes of goodies (it is so appropriate).

I would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2011.  We are truly fortunate to be Canadian and I appreciate everything I have more and more each day I am here.  Three days ago I went to visit an IDP camp that is approximately 12 km from the camp where I am staying.  There are over 110,000 displaced people from Darfur making it one of the largest IDP camps in the region.  It went on for miles and miles and I could not see an end to it. We sat with the Umdas and listened to their concerns of safety, health, and humanitarian aid.  I could have sat with them all day and listened to their stories.  The men want to be able to provide for their families but they cannot leave the camp for fear of being killed.  The women go out every day to collect firewood however there is a high risk of them being raped.  They are trying to make these IDP camps their homes.  They take pride in what they have and for some of them it is only a couple of sticks with some plastic to shelter them from the sun.  They want to believe that someday Darfur will be safe enough so that they can return to their villages and rebuild their lives again. I hope they can feel as safe and secure as we do in our own homes.   



Zam Zam IDP Camp - Am I that short or are the kids just that tall?



I would like to thank all of you for supporting me on my journey here in Darfur.  It has been a real eye opener and I know there are many more experiences to come.  I will keep you posted. 

I am very lucky and blessed to have all of you in my life.   Happy Holidays!

Everything is tamam (good).....

Asalaam Alaikum........

I am not sure where the time has gone.  I cannot believe we are already into December and my last entry to my blog was on November 11^th.  I apologize if many of you have been checking to see if I have written something.  I have been meaning to do so but have not had the time.  UNAMID is keeping me very busy.  Many of you have sent me emails wondering what my life is like on a daily basis.  Well here is a snapshot of my day here in El-Fasher:

First of all there is no such thing as a day of the week for a Police Advisor.  The military and civilian workers get two days off a week while we work 7 days straight. That’s right….no days off.  The other thing is that weekends fall on Friday and Saturday in Sudan. So a Thursday is considered a Friday, a Friday is considered a Sunday, Saturday is just a Saturday and Sunday is considered a Monday (I hope I didn’t confuse you too much).   Honestly, I have no idea what day of the week it is…..the only reason why I have to pay attention is because I have to take my malaria pills once a week on the same day.  Many of you also know that I like to be early for meetings and functions….well it is true that everything works on African time here.  There is no point in stressing about being late for anything because I will still be the first one to arrive.

Getting back to my day.  I wake up at around 0515 every morning.  At this time of the year it is pretty cool in the morning.  I think we have seen it down to 12 degrees.  I grab my headlamp and make my way out of my quarters to the ablution facilities.  You never know what the water situation is like so you may end up with a cold shower or no water at all.  You basically have a one minute shower. You wash without the water on then dowse off as quickly as you can.  I am beginning to think I should do the GI Jane haircut to save myself some grief.   I jump into my uniform which feels as if it is now my second layer of skin then off to the kitchen tent for peanut butter on a toasted bun.  I have to say the Sudanese bread here is amazing and I have not gotten bored of eating the same thing every morning.  I usually try to Skype with family and friends before I go to work since it is a 10 hour time difference.  It can be a bit rushed but it is worth getting that opportunity to see everyone.  

One of the highlights is driving to and from work each day. You never know what you are going to come across (good and bad).  The sunrise is absolutely gorgeous across the desert horizon.  The sun looks so enormous and the sky is so red.  Every day we drive past a check point for the locals but I have called it the El-Fasher Greyhound Bus Station. It is just a desert field with a bunch of those partridge family buses loaded with people and supplies.  Wherever there is room just jump on board and hold on.  It amazes me every time you see these buses driving down the road. I am not sure how they do it. You also see a lot of the women heading out into the desert on their donkeys to collect firewood for the day.   Every second or third day you see a herd of camels joining you on the road but the sheep/goats are very different looking then in Canada.  Not sure I can really explain it but they have these crazy long tails.  They actually look like a hybrid version.  

Just one of the many sunrises I get to see here in Darfur

It takes about 20 minutes to get to Super Camp where I currently work. We were told that the only rule of the road here is the person on the left has the right of way.  We have learned this is not exactly true.  It could be the largest vehicle, or the one with the loudest horn, or the courageous and daring 125 CC motorcycle or the guy coming straight at you. It depends on the circumstances and/or your nerve. The vehicle that always wins is the pick-up truck with the home made camo paint job and a 50 cal. forward facing as well as a .762 cal rearward facing machine gun that is being driven erratically by a man wearing some sort of military looking outfit with 4 more like him in the back manning the guns and hanging on for dear life.   Oh and the 2 not on the machine guns are carrying AK47’s.  They always have the right of way!  And the military convoy with the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) front and back.  Yes those turrets on top are not for scenic rides for the tourists.  We’ll give them the right of way as well.

There is one main paved road and it runs past our camp and then through the town of El-Fasher.  This is the alternate route from our camp to the Super Camp.  When the pavement ends the craters and potholes begin.  There are humps and bumps and debris scattered about.  It’s always an adventure as people zig and zag to avoid all this and try and seek a bit of a smooth ride.  The taxis of which there are many are tiny little boxy Toyotas and Hyundai’s.  It’s amazing to see one of these tiny cars stop and 7 adults get out.  They are smaller than the old Austin Mini’s!  Well one day Jack and I were taking the paved route through town and the traffic was quite busy.  We were on a particular stretch that is terribly potholed and cratered and following a parade of these taxi types.  We looked at each other and both burst out laughing; having the same thought.  It was as if we had come out of a coma in the middle of a Shriner’s Parade.  The only thing missing was the Barnum and Bailey type Circus music.  So we added that; Do Do Doodle Doodle Do Do Doodle…..You get the idea. 

As I said earlier my job is keeping me very busy.  Last week I was fortunate to get out of the office and work in a Joint Road Safety Campaign with UNAMID and the Government of Sudan Police.  It was like working back on the street again conducting traffic stops.  We had to inspect all UNAMID vehicles so I had an opportunity to meet many people within the organization.  For the most part people were good however I did come across a few unhappy customers.  I have noticed that people like to yell at each other and when I remained calm I don’t think they knew what to do.  I guess my verbal judo training paid off. 



My Road Safety Team which was comprised of Police Advisorsfrom Jordan and Military Police from Kenya.



At the Road Safety Campaign Graduation Ceremony for the Government of Sudan (GoS Police. UNAMID Police Advisors trained the GoS Police in traffic enforcement and safety.



I couldn't resist getting a photo on one of the GoS Police motorcycles.



I also attended the launching of the UNAMID Policewomen’s Network.  It was pretty amazing to see how far these women have come within their countries and as Police Officers. People love to celebrate here and it involves a lot of singing and dancing.  I had the chance to attend an evening event (past my curfew) where all the women cooked a traditional meal from their countries…..I wasn’t quite sure what to bring from Canada so I made chili and told everyone that was made with moose meat.  The people weren’t quite sure if I was joking or not…..a lot of things get lost in translation here.  I have just learned to smile and nod my head.  Eventually we figure things out one way or another.  When I get home I can’t wait to tell you about my excursion home that night.  It was quite an adventure.

UNAMID Policewomen's Network dinner.  I was feeling a bit underdressed when standing beside the Nigerian women

These ladies are from Darfur and working with UNAMID as National staff

My friend Dada who is a policewoman from Nigeria

I did get a chance to visit the market the other day. It was an interesting experience.  Tiny stalls everywhere and what they have for sale is spread out on the ground.  It’s rather difficult to barter as the language here is Arabic and I am having a tough time trying to keep up with my lessons (Mohamed has just returned back from his leave so hopefully I can start up again).  I have learned a few words such as my UN identification number which you need to provide to the guards at the gate to Super Camp every time you enter and leave.  Back to the market, basically you point to what you want and the vendor puts it in a plastic bag and gives you the price.  You are probably wondering what I am buying.  Well I am eating the local fruits, vegetables and meat.  I am not a huge fan of watermelon but the ones they have here are so tasty and melt in your mouth.  So far I have been fortunate not to get sick from the local food.

I usually get back to Hotel Zam Zam around 5 or 6 pm.  I am still working out and running as much as I can. We eat dinner around 7 pm maybe watch a movie or go into our rooms and try to catch up on emails.  I look forward to my first leave which will be in mid-February. The plan is to travel to Egypt and Turkey.   

Once again I have written way too much and I apologize for that.  I will try to make shorter entries on a regular basis.  I hope you are all doing well and getting ready for the holiday season.

Lest We Forget......

I was very honoured this morning to be able to partake in a small Remembrance Day ceremony at the AMIS Compound (African Mission in Sudan).  There were several African Military contingents there all displaying a red poppy on their uniform.  They looked so sharp in their dark green uniforms and the poppy was the prefect contrast.  I was asked to assist our Canadian Military partners in laying the Canadian wreath.  A blue UN helmet was lying at the foot of the memorial site and was guarded by a group of men from the African military.  It was at that moment that I said to myself, “I am really here”.  I was so proud to be a part of this event and something that I will remember for a very long time. 

Jack, Julian, Sgt. Buba Jammeh (The Gambia) and Me



My friends Dimitri and Celestine from Burkina Faso





The Gambian Military guarding the cenotaph.



The Gambian Honour Guard



Laying the Canadian wreath

It has been 12 days since my last post so I will try and bring you up to date.  I am very lucky as far as accommodations go.  It is no Hilton or even a Super Eight Motel but I am calling it home.  We are in a camp called Zam Zam. The Canadian Forces (CF) was here before and they have set it up.  Zam Zam is a fairly large compound and we have 24/7 military protection.  It is surrounded by an earth berm, fencing and razor wire and there are manned guard towers at every corner and the gate.   I am still doing a lot of running however I have lost my old running partner Mohamed and have found a new running partner from Egypt who is also called Mohamed.  He is a Major with the Egyptian Military and has been very helpful in showing me the ropes around this place.  The other day I went to open my bank account and they told me that they had no more account numbers.  Luckily Mohamed was with me, spoke to the teller and all of a sudden I had an account number instantly appear.  I have wanted to take Arabic lessons but it is a bit difficult when I have a curfew of 7pm and cannot get to the Super Camp.  So Mohamed has offered to teach me.  He is pretty regimented when it comes to his lessons (he even gives me exams).  I will be honest…I am not a very good student.  This is not an easy language to learn.  I am sure I will pick up quite a few words by the time I get home.   

As I mentioned before we are very fortunate to have our accommodations with the CF.  I have gotten to know a wonderful group of Fijian policemen and one policewoman.  They are living in a large tent on cots (about 20 to a tent). They have 2 small window type air conditioners and no mosquito nets.  I have a feeling they don’t get much sleep due to the large amount of snoring.  They have no washing machines so laundry is done in a bucket.  A single burner hot plate is on the ground outside the tent and serves as their kitchen. We could have been in this situation.

This is where I will be living in Zam Zam.  My sleeping area is the building to the right just behind the fence and straight ahead are the ablutions.



This is the hallway of "Hotel Zam Zam".  As you can see it is a bit run down.



As you can see we all have our chores. 

This is the inside of our kitchen tent.



 As you can see our kitchen tent is to the left and our living quarters is the building on the right.

 Just beside our living quarters are approximately 50 tents that are

 shared by UNAMID Military Officers

 My room

Not very big is it?

 I could have been living in this tent when I first arrived

These are some of the tents that my co-workers have been living in...did I mention that there are no air conditioners

This is my co-worker, Vincent Traore (Burkina Faso), showing me his tent that he shares with two other officers.

It is desert here so the ground is covered with fine reddish brown sand and rocks.  The vegetation is sparse.  There is always dust in the air.  There are mountains to our west but you usually can’t see them due to the dust.  They have something called a “Haboob” here which is a sand/dust storm like you saw in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” If you see it coming it’s a massive wall of sand-dust and we have been told to take cover. If you are driving you must pull over and can be waiting up to several hours for it to subside. I have yet to experience one.

I'm sure I mentioned the dust but did I mention the plastic bags?  They litter the ground and blow in the breeze like falling maple leaves in the fall.  It brightens up the sky and they come in all sorts of colours. Even the animals consider plastic bags a snack.  I am not kidding….they eat anything and everything.  I always catch the goats and cows chewing on plastic bags and cardboard. Nobody picks up anything.  If it falls or is discarded on the ground it remains there.  Every one walks over it or around it.  There are some exceptions; like the plastic water bottles.  Apparently there are many household uses for these so you rarely see any lying about.  If it breaks down it is often left where it breaks and anything useful from whatever it is, is removed and used.

This is what we drive by every day.  As you can see the garbage and plastic bags are scattered everywhere and the animals eat whatever they can find.

The women are very industrious.  There are always on their donkeys loaded down with all their firewood that they have collected that day from hours away.  The buses and trucks are piled high with people and goods.  It's amazing how much they can load on to vehicles, carts, animals and people!  There are no safety standards or highway traffic rules and it looks quite dangerous to see a bus full of people, piled high on top with luggage and furniture, etc. and then more people perched on top of that.  And all this on very rough dirt roads while weaving through herds of camels, sheep, goats, cows and avoiding the donkey and cart riders and children.  I call these buses “the Partridge Family Buses”.  Some of them are painted in bright colours and look very free spirited. And of course all this activity keeps the dust in the air.

I have been given my posting and I am going to be working under the Executive Officer as an Audit and Inspections Officer.   What does that mean?  I will be travelling to all the team sites in Darfur to conduct inspections.  This should give me a good opportunity to see the region and to see what is going on all over Darfur.  I may have to stay in these areas for a few days at a time.  I am sure I will experience some of these wonderful living conditions that other countries are telling me about.

This is a photo from my office.  As you can see we all work out of prefabricated containers.

I want to thank everyone who has sent me comments on my blog or on my email.  It means a lot and it is wonderful to hear how everything is going back in Canada.  I miss all of you. 



Hello from El Fasher......

Once again you are probably wondering if I have disappeared.  These last two weeks have been crazy.  From the time I landed in Ottawa on October 19^th I have not stopped working.  I was hoping to update my blog however the Internet would not work.  I am partnered with an OPP officer named Jack who has about 35 years of experience.  There are only two of us on this mission so we will be watching out for each other. 

Pre-deployment training in Ottawa.  I feel like a rookie in my new uniform.  

The training in Ottawa was overwhelming and very fast.  Many people who have attended missions in the past continue to tell me that everything goes very slowly and you have a lot of time on your hands.  I have to disagree.  My experience (and I have Jack to back me up) has been completely the opposite.  We have not had any time to get things done.  The training was supposed to be 6 days over a 10 day period.  Our training was for 3 days (we received the condensed version) and were on a plane to Africa on the 4^th day (September 23^rd).  The flight to England was fantastic.  I was able to enjoy one of the Air Canada pods and get some sleep.  We arrived in England at around 7 in the morning and had about a 9 hour layover.  We left around 4 in the afternoon and made a quick stop in Beirut.  I was surprised to hear that we were going there.  We landed safely and were back in the air in no time on our way to Khartoum.  Arrived around 3:30 in the morning and it took us about 2 hours to get through the passport and visa counter.

We were supposed to be met by someone from the UNAMID office however they never arrived.  Luckily, one of the RCMP members who is in charge of the South Sudan mission picked us up and took us to Canada House.  I was so exhausted, nervous, apprehensive but also very excited.  Canada House is like a large apartment in the city of Khartoum.  There were no other members staying there at that time so I was lucky enough to have my own bedroom and washroom.  The conditions were pretty good but it was very hot.

We were able to catch a few hours of sleep and headed into the UN Headquarters.  The minute we stepped into the UN compound we were being rushed around again.  They were doing everything they could to get us through the intake process so they could fly us out to El Fasher.  We were told that we would be in Khartoum till Thursday and start our Induction training on Sunday October 31^st.  Well that didn’t happen.  We were in Khartoum for only two days and back on a flight to El Fasher with no orders as to what we were supposed to do.  It was unfortunate that I was not able to see the city of Khartoum however I hope to get a chance to see more when I return to go on my leave (which will be in approximately 3-4 months).

We had to get up at 4am on October 27^th in order to catch our ride to the airport for 5am.  We arrived with all our barrack boxes in hand (we had about 6 boxes between us).  You should have seen everyone’s faces at the airport as you can only bring 20kgs with you.  One of the staff from UNAMID showed up and was surprised that we were just waiting for him.  We were told that we would be taking our extra baggage to the cargo area.  This guy must have had some pull because we pushed through the security lines and dragged all our gear with us.  Usually that does not happen and we would have had to wait about 5 days for it. 

The plane was so hot that I couldn’t stay awake.  There really isn’t much to see except miles and miles of red desert. A few small mountains in the middle of no where but that was about it.  We landed at the El Fasher airport and pushed our way onto one of the buses.  We were met by one of our Canadian Military officers at one of the compounds. 

There really isn’t much here.  The sun is very powerful and reflects right off the sand and into your eyes.  It is so uncomfortable that you would be crazy not to wear sunglasses.  In the afternoon we had a military officer from the Philippines (Ruben) show us around.  He took us to the Rotation Office to see if we could get our paperwork going before we start training on Sunday.  It was at that point that the Fijian police officers that we met on the flight over told us that the Rotation Officers have been looking for the Canadians.  When we attended the office they informed us that we started our training that morning and they have been looking all over for us.  We completed the necessary paperwork and were told to come back at 8 in the morning to start classes.  We will be joining 89 Rwandan policewoman and 5 Norwegians.

Training is very different from what I am used to.  You get about one 3 minute break in the morning, a two hour lunch and another 3 minute break in the afternoon.   I will be in training till around November 11^th.  I have to do an extra week of classes with the other policewomen on Gender Based Violence.  I am sure Jack will already be assigned to his posting.

There is not much for us to do in our own time apart from sweeping up all the bugs that have somehow made their way into our quarters, eat dinner and try to get on the internet.  I have used the gym by our training centre however I have tried to get out for a run every evening before it gets dark.  I can run around the compound which is about 1.5 km.  It feels so good to run even though the heat can be unbearable.  I sometimes feel as if I am in a prison.  When we are not at the training centre we need to be at our living quarters.  So you can see why running is very important.  I found a running partner along the route today.  His name is Mohammed and is from Khartoum.  What I found really interesting was that he was running in his flip flops because he does not own a pair of runners.  I have a feeling running might be my way of interacting with the other countries that are living on the other side of this compound.  

I had an interview with Human Resources today in relation to my position.  It took about ten minutes to complete and I guess I wait to see where I will be going.  I am hoping to stay where I am and receive a position where I will be able to work in the local IDP camps. 

We are very fortunate to be Canadians.  The people here are very excited to see our country in this mission.  Each day as I drive to and from work I am reminded of how lucky I am.  I know I will not be able to change the world but if I can make a difference or assist one person in this mission then I know I have succeeded.

The day has finally arrived....

I know many of you probably think I am already in Sudan and have forgotten to update my blog.  That is not the case.  I have been delayed for the last 6 weeks and I am still here in Calgary.  However, it is official (I have my plane ticket in hand).  I will be leaving for Ottawa tomorrow.  They will be training me and another member from the OPP for 3 days and then we will be on our way to Darfur (Sudan) on October 23^rd.  I can’t believe it is actually here.  I can’t tell you how many times I have packed and repacked these last few weeks making sure I have everything I need.  How do you pack for 9 months?  Or better yet…what do you pack?  I guess I will find out pretty quick if I have forgotten something important.  I guess the worst case scenario would be having to wait 5-6 weeks for my first care package to arrive.   I will continue to keep you posted as things begin to evolve. 

I will be flying into the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, then flying to

El Fasher (Darfur) which is the region in green

Still waiting............

I have finally created my blog! I apologize that it took me so long to get it up and running.  Many of you probably think I am in Ottawa at this time for my pre-deployment training.  I was supposed to leave on September 8th however I am still here in Calgary.  We are currently delayed until further notice.  Today was the day were supposed to be flying out of Ottawa to Khartoum (Sudan).  Each day is a waiting game however I have been told by many people to get used to this. I expect to be leaving within the next week.  I will keep you posted.

In the meantime, I have been trying to say all my goodbyes and learn as much as I can about Sudan and its culture. I have been fortunate to meet a wonderful friend, Stephen Deng, who has taken the time to share his life story with me and provide me with as much knowledge and background on his country.  Stephen has taught me so much and I believe he has given me the foundation for what to expect in Sudan.  I find the culture fascinating and I look forward to working with the people within the communities.

Before I go any further I would like to thank my family, friends, and co-workers for supporting me in my decision to apply for this peacekeeping mission.  It has been a long process and I could not have done this without you.  Everyone has been so helpful and supportive and I hope this blog will provide you with insight into my experiences while working in Darfur. At this time I am still unsure as to what my role will be in UNAMID (United Nations African Mission in Darfur) however I know that I am up for any challenge.

On August 8th 2010, I was in Ottawa for the National Peacekeepers Day Ceremony



Pennie for your thoughts?



In the garden of the Governor General's home (Rideau Hall) with Sgt. Jim Shaw