Don't Eat the Meat

Things continue to go well here in Yambio. What a place. I am getting to know some of the SSPS (South Sudan Police Service) officers and have managed to get out on patrol along with my other duties. The people of Yambio are very friendly and seem to appreciate our presence. The SSPS officers are very cooperative as well.

This week has been busy. We have the UN Police Commissioner, Kai VITRUP, coming for a visit and on Saturday, the UN Security General from New York is coming as well. I have to believe they picked Yambio because of all the attention it has received over the last year, especially when the SPLA (Sudan Peoples Liberation Army) shot and killed three SSPS officials just down the street back in November 2007. We had two Dutch UNPOL officers their on patrol at the time and they had to run back to base leaving their UNPOL vehicle behind. It is also likely because Yambio has to be one of the most beautiful places in all of Sudan. I think we‘ll be ready…I hope.

Today we had a new Danish UNPOL officer join the team so I took him on a patrol to a small community called Hai Kokura. We brought a language assistant along to help us communicate. We met some locals and asked questions with respect to the SSPS and the kind of work they have been doing. They seemed pleased with the local police service and we continued on. Our language assistant asked that I stop at Masia market so she could by some meat from what she said was the best butcher around. We got to a small makeshift outdoor kiosk where the butcher was busy with his clever. You can imagine the look on my face to see the head of a donkey on the table along with it’s legs and tail being prepared for sale. I asked the butcher if I could take a photo of his little shop, but he would not allow it. The language assistant paid her money and we left. I ate at a restaurant a few days ago and had some liver. Hmmmmmm….I don’t think I will be eating any meat unless I see what it is before I buy it. As soon as I got back to the UN base I told my fellow Canadian…Don’t eat the meat.
One of my fellow Fijian UNPOL officers has a friend in Yambio who is making a BBQ for us from some scrap metal so he and I are currently enquiring on the purchase of a goat. Sorry Stacey. I have killed a few rabbits and helped with a sheep or two when I was younger, but my Fijian friend promises that he knows what he is doing so we will be barbequing goat here in the near future. Just like mom makes.






Cheers,

Gonzo



Track and Field runners without running shoes.














The Yambio Main Market












My fellow police officer from Fiji and who I will be adopting a goat with.












The Yambio Team from left to right. Nigussie (Ethiopia), Evgeny (Russia), Meheret (Ethiopia), Olufemi (Nigeria), Fazia (Sudan), Joseph (Ghana), The Boss Hazem (Egypt), Okha (Nigeria), Sajid (Pakistan), Wayne (Canada), Josiah (Kenya), Hugo (El Salvador), Evaristo (Zambia), Gonzo, and Sergey (Russia).