BanBat Soldiers Gala

It is almost time for BanBat5 to go home and make way for BanBat6. In order to celebrate this, everybody was invited to a cultural event and dinner. Entertainment by both BanBat troopers and a group from Yei Teachers Training College, who showed off traditional song and dance from the Yei area. Very enjoyable, and very tasty.

Just in case we had forgotten why we were asked to attend, a big sign next to the stage let us know that this was the Soldiers Gala Night.

The Master of Ceremony welcomed us all and told us of the nights entertainment.

This was introduced as "Bangladeshi choral song"; perhaps not the description I would have picked, but as enjoyable as always. I just wish I could understand a single word they were singing...

The students of Yei Teachers Training College starting their part of the proceedings with a native song... it must be a native song, as it is sung by natives. I don't think the original lyrics in in English though.

It's not a bunad per see, but it's a traditional costume none the less. The YTTC leaving stage in preparation for their second act.

Setting up the instruments for the dance number.

Setting up the drums were a source of much muted discussion.. which of the big drums go on the right hand side?

Quality assurance inspection... apparently everything was in order at this point.

Drummers take the stage, while...

...the dancers waits in the wings.

And start... Dancers moved in, and assumed their places.

Well, eventually took their places. One never does things in a hurry while in sub-tropical Africa, a lesson I myself was quick to learn.

The dancers lined up in three rows: the first line in the straw shirts, performing the part of the dance that conveys the message. Second line of supporting dancers between the first line and the drummers, and the third line of dancing flute players behind the drummers.

The lady on the right is their teacher, or so I was told by the BanBat commander.

As far as I can tell this part of the dance is supposed to show the people watching the marvelous properties and skills of the dancer... did I mention that this dance traditionally was used as a way for girls and boys to meet?

The teacher acting much like the caller at a line dance, calling out the moves.

Much jumping and making sure your top don't fall down...

It's clear that absolute synchronization is not strive for.. but that is part of what makes it authentic.

Timed jumps with legs scissoring... and remember I mentioned making sure your top didn't fall down?

Back to the first moves of the dance again.

To me it almost looks like this move resembles making bread or patties of some kind...

Back up on their feet again.

Jump around!

At least everyone on stage was having a good time - the odd misstep and failing rhythm didn't do much to put a damper on things.

My apologies for the abrupt end of this video - I was 'voluntered' to come up and dance.

The rest of the dance after I had managed to politely extract myself.

If I was to hazard a guess as to the meaning and purpose of this dance: The girls in the straw skirt probably was - traditionally - the girls that were of a marryable age. The first part is where the girls shows off their skills and abilities. The second part is where they invite the guys they have an eye on to dance, allowing the guys to display his interest in return.

In short; nothing more or less than what goes on in bars and discotheques around the western world, just more traditional and probably with a few more taboos and rituals.

The BanBat Commander held a nice little speech, thanking everyone he had meet in Yei and getting slightly sentimental. Not that it's anything wrong with missing your friends, even if you're going back to your family.

Wrapping up his little speech and directing us to the food laden table... making sure I got first in line.

I'll be sad to see these guys go, since their hospitality and friendship have done so much to make my life in Yei so pleasurable. But there is every chance that BanBat6 is just as nice people - I've yet to meet a Bangladeshi in South Sudan I haven't liked.

Joy Bangla!

Sisyphus had it easy...

After all, all he had to do was to push a boulder uphill, watch it roll back down and do it again - for eternity. I mean, he got to be outdoors, had a decent view, plenty of exercise... he was probably something of a tourist attraction too, being pointed out by those just visiting (which was a fair number, according to Greek mythology).

On the other hand, the G1 in a Team Site have to do all the paperwork, set up leave plans, sweet talk both his fellow UNMOs and the people above him in Sector, try to make everything fit together in such a way that not only is everyone satisfied with the result but also keeps the percentage of people in the Team Site as close as possible - but not below - 75%. On top of that, the G1 have to do it in an office, sitting in front of a very slow computer while being buggered by all sort of distractions... just to have people come to him when everything is wrapped up and asking to change their leave (usually with good reasons too).

Yeah, Sisyphus had it easy.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that my carefully laid leave plan for April and May have been uprooted, shuffled and shaken... and I spend all day trying to make the jigsaw fit all over again - with no edges and only pieces of cloud - so that everyone is satisfied. And off course the deadline for sending it to Sector was last Friday... but the G1 in Sector is very understanding and don't have a problem with amendments as long as I can explain why.

End result? After working around two leaves which cannot be changed for very good reasons, I got a new plan down for April and May... but one that means I will miss a family happening myself that I had hoped to be able to attend. In short, my next leave will be from April 13th to May 5th - unless the midden hits the windmill AGAIN!

At times pushing a boulder uphill for eternity looks quite tempting.

Yummy lunch and fake money

Or rather the other way around.

In the last few days words have spread throughout South Sudan that counterfeit money is in circulation, making merchants refuse to accept certain bank notes. Arrests have been made both in Juba and other places of "gangs" that have "machines" to "make money"... translated to western terms, we have a few criminals, owning computers, scanners and colour printers who decided to crank out  hundreds of copies of bills.

Which is not to say that it isn't a problem, off course. If the locals suddenly isn't sure if they can trust the money in their hand no more, we have a problem.

Now here is the real brain twister, which makes no sense at all until you think about how the economy work in these parts: The wast majority of counterfeited bank notes are 1 SDP bills. Yes, the counterfeits spends time and money faking a bill that is worth about 1/3rd USD... but when you consider that a 10 SDP bill is enough by far to pay for a big dinner with a few drinks on the side, and most of the merchants on the market would be hard pressed to give you change back on a 20 SDP bill, it suddenly makes more sense. Add to that how most 1 SDP bills tends to be rumpled, crumpled, folded, spindled and otherwise mutilated - meaning it can be hard at times to even recognise it as a valid banknote, never mind a fake one - it seems that their cunning plan was more well though out that it first appears.

I was hungry when lunchtime rolled around, so I decided - not for the first time - to make dinner for lunch and just have some bread for supper. As I was staring into the pantry - well, my cupboard - my eyes fell on the tin of Australian Processed Cheddar which must been handed down from western UNMO to western UNMO in the Team Site until it reached me. It didn't take me many seconds to decide both that it should be consumed before it went funny, and also that mac and cheese sounded like a delightful meal... so I put some water on the boil, grabbed my can opener and got cooking. The cheese sauce was simplicity itself; a bit of margarine, a dash of milk, every last bit of cheese product and salt, pepper and paprika to taste. End result was pretty good for being container cooking, although a far cry from the mac and cheese my better half cooks.

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire, burn; and, cauldron, bubble...

In one word: Yummy.

Visit to the YWAM School

Being the Acting Team Site Leader does have benefits... like hijacking a town parol to go visiting the Wouth With A Mission Redeem Nurseery/Primary school again. Last week I got a nice phone call and email from the Head Master, telling me that the furniture the old Team Site Leader donated money for before he went home to Denmark have arrived and is in use. So because I promised to take photos, and because I had a couple of envelopes from my family (on both sides of the Atlantic) to hand over, I decided that since the patrol today was going in that direction anyway... well, it's good to be the boss at times.

Both the teachers and pupils were thrilled to see us; it's not often a white face shows up in their compound. School have but recently started up after the referendum, so when I arrived the headmaster was busy explaing the rules of behaviour to the new pupils. And when I was asked to say a few words, I took the opportunity to reinforce his message: pay attention to your teacher, study dilligently, stay in school and get a good education. I skipped the bit about telling them to thank God and Jesus though... it's not my place to tell people what they should believe, weither I agree with it or not. A very Scandinavian point of view, I know, but I am Norwegian...

The pupils in the Primary School was very proud of their new building, even if they still dont have windows, doors or plastered walls... but it's their schoolhouse and their new desks, and they love the fact that they can go to a school that has a schoolhouse with desks in the classrooms. Later this week or next week I will bring the G5 - civil-military cooperations - officer with me to the school so he can write up a new Quick Impact Project; hopefully we can get some money from the UN to help with doors and windows. it shouldn't be impossible - going by the numbers in the old QIP (which was turned down due to lack of money), the remaining work to make the new building as good as the old one is "only" 31500 pounds - or about 10500 USD. The UN uses more on stupier stuff...

New, solid desks. And since the kids are more well behaved* than the school kids back home, should last a lifetime and then some.

*) It's easy to be well behaved when the switch is hanging behind the blackboard... and even easier when the one punishment for repeat offenders is being ejected from the school.

Kittens and laundry

Yesterday one of the NGOs in Yei sent out an open invitation for a get together; basically just hanging out, knocking back a beer or two, slap something on the barbecue and shoot the shit for a few hours. And while it was only five of us all told attending, we did have good time - partly due to the fact that the guy hosting had just become a cat owner... The cat of one of the other Westerners in Yei have disappeared, leaving behind a number of kittens. And since the owner of the mama-cat couldn't handle half a dozen tiny bundles, the call went out for surrogate parents for the 4 week old kittens.

For being able to fit in my hand, Finn (as it has been named) was full of life and intent on exploring - when he wasn't soaking up the love and attention the five of us was pouring onto him that is. Much like Grady back home, Finn was hamming it up and went from lap to lap demanding cuddles, pet-pets and a little rough-housing... his claws and teeth may be tiny, but sharp. By the time we broke up and left the little bundle was fast asleep in a lap, exhausted by all the attention.

As for today it has been a reasonable slow day, but then again it have been Sunday... Got a lot of paperwork done in the office, since I'm currently Acting Team Site Leader, washed, dried and folded laundry, read for a couple of hours on my digital ebook reader - if I hadn't invested in that before I deployed I would have had to fill one of my boxes with nothing but books - and watched an episode of the BBC classic series "The World at War". Overall a relaxing day, letting me recharge my batteries for the new week ahead.