One Small Footprint

I recall my professor announcing to my English class in college a few years ago, that “you never really know what you are thinking until you write it down”. Inwardly, I took offense at his remark. It was a beginning English course n basic composition – grammar, essay structure and the like. I knew that I needed additional skills in writing since I had many writing assignments upcoming for my present and future coursework. Yet, I thought to myself, I knew how to write – I had been writing most all of my life. I had not only written many a memo and even technical documentation.

In fact I was the kid in our neighborhood in the early sixties who published the neighborhood newspaper on my Underwood manual typewriter. This was prior to the availability of copy services at the local Kinko’s or even multiple page printing using a dot-matrix ink printer. I laboriously typed with six sets of alternating paper and carbon paper inserted into my old typewriter to produce multiple copies (are you are aware that the CC: function in multiple email addresses derives from “Carbon Copy”?). I wrote on-the-fly – composing as I wrote. By the end of this introductory class I was compelled to share with the professor that he was correct. I did not truly know what I was thinking until I undertook the beautiful and disciplined method of writing on paper. He was right…

Ferry Dock Arrival in Dhaka, Bangladesh Feb 2010

Since that time in 2004 I have written a great deal, but certainly not as much as accomplished or professional writers – nothing even close. I have mostly written informally for my own pleasure as well as publicly on my blogs. I have also written technically. I learned a great deal more about Microsoft Word 2007 during my six week stay in Bangladesh earlier this year. I produced a 1,000+ page computer system documentation and operations manual for the Save the Children Mother and Child Aid (McAid) maternal health and food distribution system which I have been associate with since 2005. More recently I spent several weeks producing a formal review and recommendations technical report as a deliverable to my support of a micro finance company in the West Bank of Palestine in May. these are very dry technology reports for a very narrow audience. But, I have found that I enjoy even that type of writing.

I have written Web Logs (Blogs) since 2006. My first attempt was purely to describe to myself my experiences and thoughts on my first visit to Haiti. My professor was indeed correct. After a full day of traveling to remote areas of developing countries, I needed to somehow narrate to myself in writing what I not only experienced, but what I thought. Most of these blog editions are contained on my business web site for SixBlue Data.

Save the Children USA office in El Geneine, West Darfur - Sudan

Apart for a few sporadic blog entries here in my personal blog, I have strangely been silent. I feel that it has been from dis-interest due to other interests – or likely just becoming lazy. But, in looking back, I see that I struggled in writing on my blog after my return from Darfur in early 2009. Nothing horrific happened during my visit there. I, in fact, have spent time working in twenty countries – few of which would be described as tourist destinations. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Sudan. I spent the first few days in the capital Khartoum immediately after my visit to the Arabian Peninsula country – and seldom visited by Westerners – Yemen. After a few days I received permission to travel west to the regional capital of Darfur – El Geneina. It was a long turbo-prop plane ride aboard a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) flight across the Sahara. I recall seeing the sand-covered outlines of past cities and towns long deserted. The first thing that a visitor sees approaching the small airport outside El Geneina is the sand-bag encircled air artillery emplacements. Not much of an airport that is surrounded by sand and thorny acacia trees. I was there to support a mobile technology training and project assessment for their massive food distribution program operated by Save the Children USA.

Guest House Where I Stayed in El Geninea, West Darfur - Sudan

El Geneina was stable, but you could feel the tension. at most street corners competing group of armed thugs with automatic weapons and rocket launchers stared each other down. Upon nightfall, steel gates shut and one heard gunfire all night long. A bit unnerving, but I was well taken care of. During the day, I openly walked the dusty streets with a staff member. However, I left early since our security staff informed us that trouble was imminent since the Sudanese president was about to be indicted by the International Crimes Commision of genocide charges. One month after I left, there was a forced expulsion of twelve relief agencies, including Save the Children USA . I made it out in time.

So, for some reason that I am unable to explain myself, I have not blogged – until now. A lot of projects are upcoming in the next few moths. I see a possible third trip back to Haiti to conduct on-the-ground requirements gathering for mobile health (mHealth) systems on behalf of the Washington DC-based mHealth Alliance. also, it looks like I will go to the southeastern African country Mozambique to support several projects for Save the children. I love to travel – and share. Still, I am somewhat hesitant. I see that our culture has moved to an ego-centric “look-at-me” style of self aggrandizement. I see that I am no different, wanting people to look at me. Please pardon me, I hope only that you might read something that will give cause to consider another viewpoint or opinion. I learned a while ago, yet not well-embraced, that my opinions cannot possibly be the right ones. Probability shows that my one-in-6+ billion chance of being right are slim at best!

As you may possibly be aware, ten non-governmental organizations (NGO) were told to leave the country of Sudan in response to the United Nations International Crimes Commission indictment of the President of Sudan for complicity in the devastation to the peoples of Darfur. I was in Sudan for ten days from late January until my departure on February 2nd 2009. I spent five days in El Geneina in West Darfur visiting the Krindle I refugee camp briefly and a food distribution point.

El Geneina, West Darfur state, Sudan

The following is an exceprt from Andrew Epstein, who I shared a guesthouse of Save the Children USA with during my time in Khartoum. A note, “ex-pat’s” is short for expatriate,  which means “to leave one’s native country to live elsewhere” and is typically used to describe relief workers that are non-native to the coutry in which they are living and working in.

During this whole “occupation” people at first were very on edge often shouting at each other as the security guys were literally thugs whom seemed to enjoy flexing their power. I had brought a huge, huge bag of lollipops with me from the states to take to schools, so I brought it down from my room and gave them out. The thugs gleefully took huge handfuls and then suddenly all was quiet: everyone had a lollipop in their mouth! They were like big babies!

Most of the ex-pat staff managed to make it to Khartoum and I must say it was an honor and a pleasure to have met them. The night before people began to depart for their home countries…Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, Guinea, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Canada, the US…we all gathered at a restaurant in Khartoum and the devastation of what was happening began to sink in. It was like being at a funeral: where all these people who are aware of each other, like a family spread out across the globe connected by stories and email, finally meet each other in person, but under unfortunate circumstances. It’s was almost too much to think about what the impact will be on the people of Darfur and Nuba Mountains in the absence of these organizations. Notwithstanding the criticism international NGO’s and their staffs endure, it was clear that many people are going suffer severely in their absence.

Instead, individual and sometimes hilarious stories about their experiences were shared as all their hard work and commitments lay there like a white elephant lying in a coffin in the middle of the long dinner table. Peter told the story of how a Janjaweed militia hijacked a Save the Children land cruiser and all the personal belongings of the staff inside. So the next day, he went and found the hijackers in their camp and negotiated the return of the stolen items in exchange for being allowed to access food aid: they were starving too. From then on Peter was the liason between Janjaweed and Darfurian; he was even invited to proceed over Janjaweed weddings.

Lake Crescent, Olympic Peninnsula, Washington state, USA

I found the chance meeting of schedules for both my self and my middle son Stephen to take a couple of days for a ride over the Olympic Peninsula. This area is dominated by the Olympic Mountains which rise to over 8,000 feet northwest of Seattle. Even though it is only a half hours ferry ride across Puget Sound form Seattle, then a couple hours drive, it has always seemed a bit detached from the metropolis of Seattle. One of it’s first expedition of exploration, known as the Press Expedition traveled from north to south along the Elwa River in 1889 – 1890. Even though the Olympics Mountains could be clearly seen by Seattleites in the late 19th century, it was largely an hour unknow except for a few independent hardy souls. This Press Expedition was well-chronicaled in the book Across the Olympic Mountains: The Press Expedition, 1889-90  by Robert L. Wood, and also The Good Rain by Timothy Egan, 1991.

Southeast Shore of Lake Crescent

I have traveled to this region several times, the latest with my wife Heidi just last summer. Stephen and I came over her for a day trip in the late 1990’s that was largely limited to the north coast, including a stop at arguably oldest continually operated general store in the state of Washington located in the city of Joyce. This general store figured prominately in the 1984 movie Kid Colter and was a favorite of my family even while we watched it on video when we still lived in San Diego in the late 1980’s.

Wynola, California Store (Formerly "Manzanita Ranch")

 There is quite a gap here between this blog entry and my prior departure from Darfur. A lot has happened since then. In short, I thought it prudent to exit from Sudan a couple of days early due to the imminent indictment of the Sudanese President by the United Nations International Crimes Commission (ICC). I was to await my Save the Children USA Monitoring and Evaluation co-worker in Khartoum those last two days. But, her trip to Sudan was cancelled due to insecurity in the area. Since I really had no remaining work in Sudan, I contacted my wonderful travel agent Pamela to change my itinerary. She is really wonderful and instantly responded with a new itinerary.

View From my Dubai Hotel Room

I flew out of Khartoum Tuesday night of 3 February to Dubai of the United Arab Emirates. The layover would be for nearly twenty-two hours, but then I had a direct flight back to Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. I booked a room in downtown Dubai to get some rest and take a shower. I did not necessarily like Dubai. it is probably the most expensive and clean city that I have ever seen. But it has an international touch to it that was influenced by the raucous hotel that I stayed in. It was comfortable but there seemed to be an unsavory cast of characters posted outside the lobby bar and other transaction of dubious nature. I was just there to sleep.

View From Inspiration Point in east San Diego County, CA USA

Soon, however, I was on my nearly sixteen hour flight to the U.S. After a quick stop in Atlanta, I was on my way to San Diego for a week to visit my mother and sister. I also took a day to drive up into the mountains east of San Diego. The picture at the top of this post is where I used to frequently stop whenever I was on my way to go hiking or camping in the Cuyamaca Mountains during, say 1971. This small hamlet of Wynola is just west of Julian, a delightful little town nestled in the mountains. It had snowed a great deal there, so I was unable to park in town. Instead, I drove a few miles south to Inspiration Point overlooking a 4,000 foot drop into Imperial Valley to the east.

One of the Younger Soccer Players in Aden, Yemen

I am now back at my home east of Arlington, WA state after over 22,000 miles of travel. Time for a rest.

El Geneina, West Darfur - Sudan

I am now esconced in a modest hotel room in Dubai, of the United Arab Emirates. I departed from Khartoum, Sudan the day after I flew from the West Darfur state. It was a humbling experience. A part of me definitely wanted to depart. However, I seemed to thrive in the climate and the people were so warm and welcoming. I was repeatedly advised not to take any photos, since a special permit from the Government of Sudan is needed to do so. This is in addition to the travel permit I was required to have before I left Khartoum.

Still, the ocassional gunshot outside of our compound walls were unnerving. I do not think I would of lasted ten minutes if I had ventured outside our steel-gated walls at darkness. Military were garrisoned frequently at street corners, some of which I had difficulty determing if they were the UNAMID (joint United Nations – Africa Union) troops or some other paramilitary group.

Street Outside of Save the Children Office - El Geneina, West Darfur

On my next to last evening, the guard at our guest house compound approached me as I was reading a book under the lights of the generator. I thought that he wanted me to evacuate. He only was telling me how a UNAMID driver had been shot at a couple of blocks away. I had heard the shots about ten minutes earlier. The driver was evacuated to Khartoum. It must of been serious, since I was told that the medical doctors could handle most any gunshot wound. I found myself always on alert, but never afraid. I was well taken care of. That was not the case for those outside the walls.

Save the Children PDA Team - El Geneina, West Darfur

Still, the thirty-five Save the Chidlren staff (my largest training group) were enthusiatic and in no need of cajoling to participate. I also had the opportunity to visit a refugee camp nearby (Krinding I) and also an impressive food distribution site. This latter was one of the most orderly and efficient that I have seen. Save the Children is the largest NGO operating in Darfurand distributes food commodities to nearly half a million internally displaced persons (IDP’s) refugees and returning persons.

Map of West Darfur, in West Central Sudan

I just was handed my travel papers allowing me to board a United Nations flight early tomorrow morning to El Geneina in West Darfur. I am excited. I was told that they have arranged for me to visit one of the nearby refugee camps in order to obtain the context for use of the PDA’s for the survey.

View From Guest House

Sudan is the largest country in Africa and covers an area the size of Western Europe. Darfur, of course, has received notable visibility the past several years due to the famine and conflict there. Try as I might, I am unable to clearly understand the causes of the conflict. I guess politics are just beyond my understanding. It is, like most things in life, complex with several stakeholders and interests. I am going there for a much simpler reason.

Morning in Khartoum

 I will  return to Khartoum on Sunday the 1st, and i am unsure whether I will have internet, email, orcell phone connectivity,

Mobile Vendor - Khartoum, Sudan

I am still in the city of Khartoum (“HAR-Tomb”), the capital of Sudan. I am staying in the Save the Children guesthouse but two blocks away. There are three private rooms on each of the three floors, which includes a common kitchen area and bathroom/shower. I am very pleased with the accommodations. I share it with another consultant, Andrew.

The Save the Children Guesthouse - Khartoum, Sudan

On my first evening, knowing that it would be best to cook my own meals in the guest house, I had the driver take me to the Western-style supermarket – Afra. It was expensive, lacking inventory and customers.

View of Khartoum, south of city center

Last evening, I accompanied Andrew and another consultant, Sue, to the Al-Soug al Markzi – the Central Market,  across the busy highway . There are few things that I enjoy more than visiting an open air market. If you would want to sample a region quickly, the market serves that purpose. It is a concentrated area where there is the expression of the agricultural products of that region all dictated by the demands of the customers – it is what they use.

Chair on roof of Save the Children building

I know absolutely no Arabic. I was unable to take any pictures since you actually need a permit to use video equipment in Sudan. It is a crowded are in the open with vendors hawking their piles of fresh leeks, tomatoes, watermelons, beans, onions between aisles not much wider than two persons. An army of boys approach potential buyers with offers of plastic bags to hold their purchases. These young men also offer to carry the filled bags for a small price for both bag and effort. There were also boys and young men with metal wheelbarrows constantly hemming me in and slowing my progress.

Firefighting Station - Save the Children office, Khartoum, Sudan

Well, I was disrupting the local labor pool. I was obviously taking away jobs by carrying my the heavy produce that Sue was purchasing. My “payment” was observing her skills in communicating and negotiating the prices and quality.  I was her “boy”, much to the amusement of the vendors and young workers that I had temporarily displaced.

Myself and My Northern Yemeni friend - Aden, Yemen

Even this post should describe my initial impressions regarding my first visit to Sudan, I have placed a photo of myself with a Yemeni taken on the beach at Aden in Yemen.

Aden Waterfront, Yemen

On my next to final day in Yemen, my guest house co-guests, Seifeldine and Craig, went to the beach front in Aden.

Fish Market, Aden, Yemen

First, we went to the fish market to select three fish for ourselves that had just been brought in by smal fishing boats. Then, we delivered said fish to a nearby restaurant and had them prepared and cooked for our repast.

Fisherman Dwellings Adjacent to Restaurant

The flies were pretty thick, and severeal cats hovered nearby our table. i am practiced to gently, and seemingly unconsciously, wafting my hand across the dinner plates that we share, as we converse and dine.

The Fish Restaurant

The fish was delicious, slightly barbequed whole – head and tail. We used pieces taken from unleavened flat bread to select communally a morsel of fish torn from its flanks.

Yemeni Friend at the Beach - Aden, Yemen

After our repast, and to leave the flies to the detritus remaining, we drove to the beach that was drawing crowds of visitors.

Sea Wall at Aden

Hookah That I Used to Smoke Shisha (apple-flavored tobacco)

Whenever I order coffee in Yemen, there is much discussion. For example, in the country largely consisting of tea drinkers, at the airport my ordering of coffee with milk and lacking sugar was exciting. First, the counter attendant requires me to repeat that fact that I do not want sugar – this is inconceivable.

Usually, another person is brought to confirm that I, indeed, do not want sugar in my coffee. Even after this transaction transpires and i am walking away to pay the cashier, I notice faces alternately leaning and casting glances toward myself, discussing the lack of sugar in my coffee.

Finally, as word circulates among the patrons, nearly everyone is watching me raise the cup of un-sugared coffee to my lips. Whew! If I did not enjoy coffee so much…, but at least I can provide some entertainment.

Aden, Yemen Guest House Main room

I am fortunate to be able to stay in, what is termed, a “guest house” during my stay in Aden, Yemen. The house is owned by Save the Children and provides housing not only for the Area Manager, but short term visitors as well. It is male only and has a bit of a “Man Cave” distinction to it. I have a very comfortable upstairs room. We have mostly eaten out quite inexpensively ($1 – $2).

I really dislike hotels where I often stay, and I have written of this several times prior in the blog. In a guest house, I do not need to evade hotel staff, nor request the most basic of needs from another pserson. In a guest house, most items are provided, but you generally wash your own laundry, prepare your own meals in partnership with other guests. It is just like home. The best part is the low cost. I still have a difficult time having the non-profit agency shell out a couple of hundred dollars a night for a hotel room and meals.

Last evening, one of the other guests, Craig, took me into Crater, asection of Old Aden. Yes, it is located within the extinct crater of a volcano. I just love wandering around the narrow streets of the markets. It reminded me of those that I visit in Barisal in Bangladesh..

Yemen is well know for being both the present and historical source of the fragrant Frankincense resin, which is often used here to provide an aroma to the interior of a house. Upon our return to the guest house each working day, our housekeeper would place afew crystals of the Frankincense onto bits of glowing charcoal withina metal bowl in each room

This evening I will take a late flight from the nearby airport to return to Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. the following morning I will travel the Khartoum, Sudan. this city is situated at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile.

Sunrise in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen

I am surprised that I am doing so well. My flight into Sana’a from Cairo arrived a little before 3 AM (local Yemini time – GMT+3) on the 18th (Sun). I began my travel aboard a 10:30 PM flight departing from Washington DC Friday (GMT-5).I was slowed after arriving at the airport in Sana’a due to all of the equipment that I had brought with me. I was interviewed, with my suitcases laid open, by a succession of three customs officials. I normally do not have many problems bringing my PDA’s into a country. But, this time, it was not until I engaged a fourth person to interpret to the customs officials the intent and use of my equipment, that they finally lost interest and let me proceed.

I was met outside airport security by a taxi driver holding a Save the Children sign. I negotiated with two luggage porters (that I had vainly tried to dissuade from engaging their services) to move my luggage perhaps a hundred feet between the two of them. The first porter was insistent that he had earned at least ten Euros (approximately $US10) for his segment. He received 1 1/2 Euros, which was more than he deserved, and I was not complimented as he walked away.

The driver handed me a Yemenia Airline flight ticket to Aden as we arrived at the hotel. He said “no sleep” as he handed me the ticket. He said that he would pick me up in the hotel lobby at 7 AM. It was 4:30 AM. I packed a bag, and then I took a well-needed shower. I set my PDA alarm for one and one-half hours later. Soon, I was up and heading out towards the same airport that I had been to just a few hours earlier. I repeated the dialogue with the same three customs officials, but this time I succeeded without my translator. We all knew the drill.

Staff at Save the Children office in Aden, Yemen

I am now in the Aden office of Save the Children. It is a whirlwind of activity. Everyone is so friendly and eager to have me be comfortable. I am trying my best to not unnecessarily absorb their time and efforts. I will be taken to the nearby guest house and then all will be well after a night’s sleep. Tomorrow, the training sessions will begin.

Carles De Gaulle Airport outside of Paris

I am in between flights at Cairo after arriving from Paris. Within a couple of hours, I will board my flight to Sana’a, Yemen. While waiting here in the Cairo terminal, I discovered that they have free wireless internet. Here is a link that visually describes this ancient capital city of Yemen:

http://www.pbase.com/bmcmorrow/sanaanight

One early traveler felt the winding narrow alleys and high walls to be a maze, deciperable to the inhabitants, but effectively confusing and excluding to outsiders 

Departure Lobby at Cairo Airport - Egypt

But, for now,I remain sequestered in the iarport at Cairo. I have not been here since a one week trip a couple of years ago, and which included a few days to the Upper Nile city of El Minya.

Charles De Gaulle Airport

I am getting tired…

Near Save the Children office - Washington D.C.

I will provide training for one more day beginning this Friday morning. It is twelve degrees outside, which is cold even for myself. I leave on a flight to Paris out of Dulles airport late this evening. I will route through Paris and Cairo before reaching Yemen.

Krinding I IDP Camp - El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan

I have just received notification that, if security conditions allow, I will be able to visit the same refugee camp for internally-displaced persons (IDP’s) shown in the picture above being visited by the United Nations High Comissioner last year. You can learn more about the complex situation there at this link:

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/chad?page=news&id=462e44c72

International Program Offices of Save the Children USA - Washington D.C.

It is Thursday night and I will begin packing tonight to prepare for my flight from Washington D.C. to Yemen. I have been here in the office of Save the Children providing training that will contribute to a survey being conducted at the refugee camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in West Darfur in Sudan. I will travel to the location later this month to provide in-country training.

By all accounts, the visit to Darfur will be the most challenging that I have undertaken for Save the Children (seventeen visits to Save offices since 2003). Overall conditions there are difficult in every respect. I always remind myself, however uncomfortable it might be both emotionally and physically for me, I have a return airline ticket in my backpack. The families in the refugee camps do not such opportunity to escape.

I have been home but three weeks, and I am preparing to leave once again. First, I will fly to the Washington D.C. office of the Save the Children to provide some training during a three day period. Then, hopefully, I will obtain my visit from the Sudan embassy there. I will then fly, via Paris and Cairo, to Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, in the southern portion of the Arabian Penninsula for an assessment.

After one week in Yemen, I will then fly to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. There, I will need to wait until I receive my in-country travel permit to travel to West Darfur. this will be interesting, and I am very excited.