Welcome to the Jungle

Well, I finally made it to my posting in Yambio and finally figured out how to connect to the internet. It is pretty secluded here, and although there is a small dirt airstrip, we flew in on a helicopter. The area is beautiful and definitely much nicer than Khartoum and Juba. The climate here is a lot more moderate as well. It is like stepping back in time here. People are still living in mud huts called Tukuls, and although there are a few vehicles and several motorcycles here, I have been told that five years ago there was nothing. There is also no electricity or water either. Living at the UN compound though we do have electricity which is produced by two large heavy duty diesel generators. One of which is not working. There is some well water here that we can drink, however, the water is rarely available and the taps are always dry. When the water has been, I seem to always miss filling up my water bottles.

Food is scarce for us here as well. My partner and I were able to package a small box and fill it with food before coming, but it is pretty much all we have. We also have all of our gear that has yet to be shipped from Juba. A contract with the Russian Air Force expired so the large cargo plane that normally drops off supplies is not flying. Hopefully we’ll get our gear soon. My trailer is decent. Much better than the tent I had in Juba. It is air conditioned and I have a desk and just recently obtained a dresser for storing clothes, food, etc.

The first day on the job was interesting. My partner Wayne and I were immediately told that Wayne was to be the Yambio Team Site Administrator and I was to be the Operations Officer. For those of you that know what a Watch Commander is, that is basically my job. Now I know why I do not want to be promoted. This week I have just been getting to know my duties which means sitting at my desk reviewing reports handed in by other UNPOL (United Nations Policer) officers and also drafting daily and weekly reports and forwarding them to the higher ups in Juba. Oh yeah, the english is really bad as well, so I end up doubling as an english teacher and correcting spelling and grammar. I thought english was a requirement for this job? And since when do I speak or write english good…I mean gooder. By this coming Monday though, I plan on having my duties down to a science and at the least head out on patrol with the rest of the crew on Monday to Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Thursday and Friday are big paper pushing days.

Everything is pretty secure here right now, but there is always the LRA factor as they reportedly continue to congregate along the border. The other hazards are the malaria and the large variety of poisonous snakes. I haven’t seen any yet though so that’s good. We had a thunderstorm last night and wow! I haven’t had one that close for a long time. It literally shook my trailer. It was pretty cool. I promise the photos will get better.

Cheers,

Gonzo