Storm Trooper

Pictures from my UN Security Training. Don't worry -I look way more hard core than I actually need to be in my job...

Lock Down!

Soooo, my last week started off like this: Wake up at 6:45, take a shower, get dressed, go downstairs to the communal dining room for a cup of coffee on may way to work. Clearly I was looking intent on rushing out the door and while mixing my crap o cup of Nescafe fake coffee (sorry Dr. D), I hear, "Where do you think you're going??" "Um, to work...I have on a dress." Then, the eight people at the table just laugh laugh laugh and say, "Oh, I guess no one told you. We're on LOCK DOWN!"

Oh I guess no one did tell me that I could actually still be in bed at this ungodly hour of the morning. Apparently, while we were asleep in the night, the SPLA (the body of thugs that serve as the military here in South Sudan) began a disarmament exercise, going house to house confiscating weapons. Where did these weapons come from, you may ask? Well, good question. Most people have been hoarding them since the war (which theoretically ended in 2005) in preparation for the next round of attacks from the North. No matter how much progress has been made in the last five years, as you can see from the below evidence, the people here are clearly still not convinced that the peace will hold.

So for the next three days we were not readily allowed to go out of the house, and if we did, it had to be in massive convoys of UN vehicles (and we had to be back in the house before 6pm). I had at least two sleepless nights, convinced that the SPLA was going to break into our compound and head straight for my room. Though this is slightly unlikely as we are technically diplomats and have immunity status, twice they tried to force their way into our UNICEF offices in the light of day. So I guess, at three o'clock in the morning, I didn’t have the utmost confidence that bands of armed (likely intoxicated) soldiers would respect this little technicality. We got word that the Danish contingency became a bit nervous when three soldiers came into their room (at another compound) and demanded that they hand over their weapons! They consequently were on the next plane back to Denmark. Needless to say, it was quite an ordeal. Now everyone is super paranoid about going out at night (there are apparently still road blocks up) and no one thinks it’s a good idea for me to go running. I guess crazy soldier threat is a pretty good excuse for convincing myself that there is no need to run at the end of my day.

So for your viewing pleasure, here are some of the weapons that have been confiscated in the last few days. Do I feel safer knowing these are off the streets and in the hands of the thug soldiers? Hmmm. Interesting question. I guess there are a few things we can be sure of: there is no lack of civilians in South Sudan ready to go back to war…and no lack of anti aircraft guns or RPGs in the local neighborhood watch association!

Donor Fatigue

Tuesday was incredibly amusing. My colleague set up a meeting between the Ministry and the DANIDA (Danish) people for Tuesday morning at 10:00, right before a meeting that we had scheduled with the Ministry to go over a strategy to present to other donors for a Thursday budget meeting. So at 10, the Danes show up to an empty room, except for me and one other adviser. No ONE at the Ministry was around. Finally, after basically dragging people from their offices to this meeting, we get started 20 minutes late. The chair proceeds to tell the DANIDA contingency that no one knew that they were coming (though this guy had actually met with them yesterday and was the one to confirm the meeting!). He apologized for not being prepared, for being late, for the low turnout, etc - but you see, no one knew this meeting was taking place. This kept on for a good 5 minutes (with various other people saying they had no prior knowledge of this meeting) while the Danes just sat there looking completely over it. THEN the Minister himself walked in and sat down in the meeting. At this point, the Chair quickly changed his story and said to the Danes that, knowing how important this meeting was with such important donors, he had invited the Minister. Meanwhile, the Minister is cupping his hand over his mouth, attempting to whisper to the guy next to him, "who are these people and why are they in our Tuesday morning staff meeting!?" He was clearly not whispering!!

Amazing that the Minister of education is not briefed when big donors come into town and even more amazing that he has no idea what they are giving money for or how much. He then proceeds to tell the Danes that what the Ministry really needs is cars and if they are planning to give us any money, they should be sure to also include cars in the proposal. HA! My mouth was about to drop to the floor. Then, he just got up and left. No need - clearly - to stay and schmooz the donors. Nope, he had far too many more important things to take care of.

So then we proceed with the meeting and 15 minutes later, this director raised his hand - in the middle of a discussion, mind you - and recounted the fact (for 5 minutes) that he had not introduced himself and he felt like the visitors needed to know who he was! It was truly amazing, the comedy of errors that took place in those short 40 minutes. The donors left feeling dumber than when they walked in and most likely wondering why they would ever consider giving this government any money. And the Ministry didn't even care that they had just shot themselves in the foot.

Finally, after the disaster with the Danes, we had our big strategy meeting with the Ministry people to prepare for a budget meeting Thursday. The guy in charge of the meeting said absolutely nothing (even after I had written talking points for him to lead the discussion). He began the meeting and then said to us, "How long do you need to tell us what you need to say?" It was amazing. No ownership at all. To top it off, at the end of the meeting, the chair goes, "We have a HUGE scheduling conflict with this Thursday meeting! The new undersecretary's plane is landing at 11:30 and we all need to go to the airport to welcome him. Then there will be a reception until the afternoon we will not be able to attend. You should do it without us." All I could say was, "But it's a meeting between you and the donors. We can't do it without you. Does everyone need to drive to the airport to meet the new undersecretary's plane? I bet he can manage." The assured me that they could not. OMG!!! How is this line of thinking possible?! Even the best laid plans...

My colleague and I just sat there in our seats after the room cleared out, looking befuddled at the disaster that had just happened and wondering where we went wrong.

Caveat Emptor

My dear friend Laurie has warned me about blogging about my experiences with the government. Hopefully she is just paranoid living in DC, but even so, I'm not keen on getting kicked out of the country just yet, so I have added email and password protection to the blog. Hopefully this is ok for most and hopefully this will remind those of you who do read that discretion is advisable. I, however, will do my best to censor my remarks...but it's just too good not to share. You can't make this stuff up.

Out with the Old and in with the Bureaucracy

Well, if you're one of the dedicated few who follow this blog (insert only Jeff's family), you will scoff when you learn that I have indeed moved from Isohe to the famed capital city of Juba (see blog entitled "Miss Stacey Goes to Juba" to understand the hypocrisy I speak of) to take up a new post with UNICEF. Yes, I may have "crossed over to the dark side" as some have said, but I must admit, I really love my new job! For the next few months, this Gina in Sudan will be going at it alone...cataloging my new life as an employee of the bureaucracy that is the United Nations.

It has been exactly one month since I parted from Jeff and the girls in Boston (terribly tough to do) to become the newest Technical Adviser seconded to the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (could someone please tell me which part of this ministry actually deals with the Science and Technology? because I don't think they are really there) for the Government of South Sudan. Most of my days are spent running back and forth between UNICEF and the Ministry, thus I end up losing a lot of stuff in the process, but sitting right in the Undersecretary's office has already been an incredibly eye opening experience.

The week I arrived here, the current (now former) Undersecretary (this is the most senior technical position in the Ministry - basically the guy who actually gets things done, as the Minister himself is a political appointee who doesn't always have a technical background in whatever he or she is the minister of) was suddenly sent to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. Additionally, the Chief of Education in UNICEF left just last week to take up her new post in Ethiopia. So things in the Ministry and at UNICEF are a bit in flux for the moment. But we are continuing down the path they have set and I am learning a ton in the process.

My new immediate boss is a wonderful gentleman from Zimbabwe, Bernard. He is patient and kind and has quite a sense of humor. He has walked me through the personalities and politics at the Ministry, and talks foreign policy and family with me on our drives to and from each day. I think he is going to be a wonderful friend and mentor in these next months, which is more than refreshing for me.

As for the rest of UNICEF, the jury is still out. Hopefully I will find my niche. It sorta stinks to be the new kid at school again, but I guess it's also a good chance to start afresh, unencumbered by the past, marching forward with a new perspective, an air conditioned room, and green vegetables on the table at every meal! Things are different, but they are definitely moving in a positive direction (save the fact that I miss my dear family).

Right now, I am sitting in a room with four solid walls and an attached bathroom with a flush toilet and an exceptionally hot shower. I have a ceiling fan, air conditioning, 24 hour internet and access to DSTV. But I must say, I do miss my cozy tent and the sound of the bush outside, my cats at my feet and Jeff reading in the chair beside me. I do not, however, miss the 3am trips to the bathroom or the soggy feeling of a tent at night or sweating myself to sleep. I guess there is always a trade off, but it does seem like, at least materially, my life is improving! At least my parents seem to be more at ease...

In any case, I hope this is the beginning of what proves to be an awesome opportunity worth the sacrifices. For now, I am still going strong, still optimistic, and still determined as ever to do something meaningful in the short time I have left in this (almost) country.

Hopefully I will have time to write every now and again, so stay tuned...there is so much more to write (though I may have to censor myself). Until then, I hope all is well on the other side of the planet where temperatures actually dip below 90 degrees!

Here's to "movin' on up!"