South Sudan: The Lean Seasons

The sky is mostly downcast each day and there seems to be more gray clouds in the sky. Often the winds would blow and howl, showering dust in almost every surface possible. It also often finds its way down to my scalp despite my thick curly hair. It has all the signs that rain is coming but just as quickly as the wind blows, the clouds are gone too.

Yesterday was a bit different. It was cooler than before and there was a slight spray of water from the heavens which lasted for only a minute. Then, the sun shone as bright as ever. Nature is such a tease here in The Suds.

I was told this is the beginning of the lean seasons. It has been months since the people harvested food and the ground is dry and parched. Everything looks brown except for an occasional speck of green that one would notice only in the town center or near the banks of the River Nile. The borders to Sudan has also been closed for months so prices in the South Sudan side has doubled, tripled and quadrupled. 

I once asked our Logs guy to check out the price of a cup for me. He told me it was 500SSP (3USD if using the bank currency exchange and 1.5USD if the black market) then a week later when I finally decided to purchase one, he told me it is already 1000SSP.

Our clinics has also seen an increased number of acutely malnourished children and women. Some of them are recent returnees from Sudan while some are internally displaced people(IDP) who has started to trickle in on 2010 then just settled here in the borders instead of moving on to their original ancestral lands.

Inshallah, when the rain comes, things will be different. Farmers can now start planting their crops and hire others to till their fields. However, the kids will still grow hungry until the farmers get paid during harvest season. We also expect to see an increased number of defaulters in our program as the mothers will be bringing their children to the fields which are so far from our clinics.

During our SMART survey, we have talked with a couple of people and I have learned something about the culture of the people on this side of the Nile. One person said that they would rather starve than ask food from their neighbors.

Ethiopian Tourist Visa for Filipinos

For Filipinos who wants to travel to Ethiopia, you can't believe how easy it is to apply for a visa there! It can be done in 1, 2, 3! Trust me on this because even with my crappy satellite internet in the fringes of South Sudan, I still got mine in 3 minutes after I paid the visa fee with my credit card.

What I love about African countries (Kenya for example) is how easy it is to apply for their visa online. There is no need to go to an embassy to get one. For example, this trip to Addis Ababa is solely driven by my need to appear in the Czech Embassy to get my Schengen Visa. I had to cancel my original flight to Nairobi because the Czech Embassy in Kenya gave me no reply at all but Martina from the Czech Embassy in Ethiopia was so friendly and accommodating. Hence, here I am.

To apply for an Ethiopian Tourist Visa, go to https://www.evisa.gov.et/#/home. I tried creating an account but it took forever to load so I just clicked on APPLY. Then, I uploaded the scanned copy of my passport and a passport size of your ID picture. These files should be under 2mb. Lastly, pay 52USD. You will then receive an email to confirm your payment and immediately after is the visa!

Now, pack your bags and let us go for some injera!

South Sudan: Henna Tattoo

One of my colleagues was leaving our program for good so there was a big going away party for her!

The preparations for the said event started a week early. For example, a young lady came to add extensions to her natural hair and plait it. It was the first time I have seen it done. The ladies fingers were fast and dexterous! The entire process was amazing for me! (Will blog about African hair soon.)

A day before the event, the same ladies came in and applied henna on her arms and legs. I do henna designs myself but I was totally mesmerized while observing the artist doing the designs freehand. Luckily, due to my curiosity, she also did henna on both of my arms. Little did I know that the henna she did for me is culturally reserved for brides. I only got to find out when my male co-workers were asking me arosa (bride). Men in the souk (market) would also ask me the same question. The local women were not as curious!

A Sudanese bride would usually get her arms and legs painted in "Black Sudani Henna". The designs are bolder compared to the intricate Indian mehndi.

The Sudanese henna is distinctive because of its black color. In the old days, they used natural henna. These days, the "Black Sudani Henna" is a mix of powdered hair dye and natural henna. The downside of this is that, the hair dye contains Para-Phenylene Diamine which causes severe allergic reactions. It has been said that some Sudanese brides have collapsed and died on their wedding day because of anaphylaptic shock.

Another word of caution is, since this has a hair dye content this will permanently color the following:

• your nails until it grows out 
• your arm hair especially if you are blonde. 

My friend had to shave the hair on her arms because they were dyed black while the rest was blonde! I comforted her by saying Iraqi brides shave all the hair in their bodies to prepare for their wedding!