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Day Seven.
My heart raced as I awoke to a start…I could hear gunfire all around us and it took me a moment to realize what was happening: the SPLA Day celebration had begun. I grabbed my phone and clicked the screen on…4:46 am. Nice. Sabet had warned us that we would hear gunfire in the night, but he thought the celebration would begin at 10 or 11:00 at night…not at a quarter ‘til 5 in the morning! Kerrie, Elizabeth, Ashley, and I talked about the gunfire. We hoped that people would not be injured by stray bullets or poor calculations on the part of soldiers who were most likely drinking. Ashley and I whispered back and forth about how scary it must have been during the war, and though I thought it was really neat to get to hear so much automatic gunfire, I also wept silently for the suffering that gunfire brought during the twenty years of war in South Sudan. We also laughed, as Elizabeth asked if we should hide under our beds in the event a stray bullet flew through our walls. Kerrie’s response was a definite, “NO, just stay where you are.” For the better part of two hours we listened to heavy gunfire all around us, and the spray from an AK-47 occasionally sounded just on the other side of our compound wall. What. a. night.
Snapshot of Monday:
-SPLA Day celebration
-Drove to Tonj Secondary School, where it was shut down for the holiday
-Visited with the staff in the clinic
-Volleyball with Dinka boys on our compound
-Visited Sabet’s mother’s house that Sabet built for her
-Went to Dinka market (smaller market apart from the “main street” market)
-Volleyball and Football (soccer) with Dinka boys
-Encouragement time with the team
I don’t know how many times I will go to Sudan in my future, but I am certain that I will never like leaving. Monday was our last full day in Tonj, and when I awoke the second time for the morning (the first being to the sound of gunfire) I was heartbroken. I had not spent enough time in Sudan, the week went by too quickly, and my heart was already breaking for having to say goodbye tomorrow.
After breakfast, Sabet took Bob and I over to the secondary school so that we could observe in their classrooms. Unfortunately, it was SPLA day and no one was there. So, I grabbed this shot of the broken and stripped down tank from the war…
Then we drove around town and went by the football field where the SPLA soldiers were rallying. At the moment, there was some type of speech taking place and they were all cheering for the speaker. Glad that we had found the source of all of the noise at 4:46 am, we headed back to the compound where we visited again in the clinic.
She handmade the beaded strings on the end of this as a gift for Bob and Andrew…
Matoch and I…
Agum, Matoch, and I…
Check out Susie’s kill!! This ginormous scorpion was creepin’ around our room the previous night…until Susie smashed it with a rock!
In the afternoon, we went to visit Sabet’s mother’s house. He built this for her, and you’ll notice that it’s not the traditional mud hut. This is a Darfurian style home…though she’s not of the Fur tribe, this type of home is very well ventilated and stays very cool in Tonj’s 120 degree weather.
This is oh-so-random, but quite funny. So, we are all standing around looking at well drilling equipment when I see these two little beetles rolling a ball across the sand. I squat down to get a closer look, and I ask Sabet what they are. He struggles to think of the English word, so I ask, “Are these dung beetles?” He exclaims, “YES! That’s what they are!” I get really excited because growing up I had learned about the dung beetles, and how ancient Egyptians worshipped them. Here were two dung beetles rolling a ball of POO!!! I scared them away as I inched closer to get a picture, but you can see the ball of poo and the beetles running away…
This is what happens when you leave your truck unattended in Sudan. Yes, there was honking, too!
After leaving Sabet’s mom’s house, we went to a smaller market that Sabet said was more reflective of the Dinka culture. It was a lot of fun!!
Fish paste, anyone?
Khawajas attract quite a following. It isn’t everyday that a whole group of khawajas walk through a small, non-descript, Dinka market!
Sudanese paparazzi! This was crazy. We were walking through the market, and when I came through a clearing, these guys threw their phones up to capture pictures of us while I was taking pictures of them!
Michael was my little volunteer translator. I’m not sure when he attached himself to me, but I know that the shop owners were saying things to me, and suddenly Michael was there translating. So sweet!
REALLY?!? Another Indiana Hoosier in Tonj, Sudan? I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this shirt, and I grabbed the kid for a picture immediately. No, he’s not from the States…he just happened to be wearing this donated shirt. I loved it!
That evening, I ended up playing another round of volleyball and soccer with the Sudanese boys that work on the IDAT compound. After their shift ended, we grabbed the soccer ball and they taught me many new moves. We played for a couple of hours, and I was running, kicking, blocking, and hitting the ball off of my head. It was SO much fun…I just had NO idea that I wouldn’t be able to walk the next day!!!
This is Chol…
John…
I hit this one off of my head! They were so cute, because I clearly couldn’t play soccer like they could, but they were completely patient and they took the time to really teach me. I don’t know how many times they would tell me “good job” or “nice block” when I had done something quite basic. I hope they become teachers in the future!
Group shot! That’s Chol, John, me, and Santino…
Cattle horns…
The red dirt stained my shoes and my legs!! It was completely worth EVERY minute…
