Even the Strange isn't so Strange After a While!

It is amazing how acclimatized to abnormal situations a human can become.  I have been in Africa for 6 days now.  As everyday passes, I feel like this way of life is more and more normal.  A few days ago, I would walk out the front door and feel like I was in a totally foreign land.  That feeling has dissipated and I have noticed I am less surprised and shocked by things I see and experience. 

For example cattle grazing freely around an international airport.  They walked across the ramp and were heading toward the runway the last I saw them.  No body seemed worried even though large aircraft are constantly landing and taking off.  How did they get into a secure international airport?  Well the 8 foot fence with razor wire on top to keep bad people and animals off the field has numerous holes cut in it. The locals cut the holes to allow for quicker transit from one side of the field to the other rather than walking a couple miles around the field.  

Another example, the ability of locals to be able to cut in line and act like nothing is wrong with it.  While in the bank today, I witnessed some of the smoothest line cutters I have ever encountered.  It at least it speeds up the hour long wait in line planning how to put the block on these pesky people!

The Government Of South Sudan (GOSS) is trying to clean up Juba.  One of their campaigns is to put out garbage/recycling stations up along the main streets of town.  It is comical to see a garbage, paper, glass, plastic can on the sidewalk with mounds of garbage everywhere and not a thing in the bags.  

It rained last night.  A rain in Canada, typically cleans the streets and sidewalks up.  In Juba, it means everything gets nasty muddy!!!  It also makes many of the dirt streets smell like a garbage dump due to the sewage in the potholes and rotting food in the ditches.

Early this morning, I awoke to scratching on my window.  I am on the second floor and thought it might be a bird, but when I opened the curtains I scared the crap out of myself.  There staring back at me was a monkey standing on the air conditioner unit.  I leaped for my camera, but was to slow to catch the moment!

You can see a lot on a 5 Minute Walk!

Today on my 5 minute walk to work at 700am I was faced with a army with AK47’s that were deployed on the streets.  I minded my own business, acknowledged the odd guy who looked friendly and made it to work.  As we went about our job, we noticed these guys were all over town.  The tended to leave us alone, but some people were on the side of the road getting searched and patted down.  Many of these solders, while intimidating (due to being well armed) were friendly and looked in their mid-teens.  Surprisingly they appear to be well equipped, with nice crisp uniforms, and new ruck sacks (US origin).  I made it home around lunch and did some work in my room for a few hours.  I then had to head back to the office.  I see these same kids walking by me laughing, guns slinged casually over their shoulder and hats off.  What they were doing, I don’t know.  But this type of thing is apparently common in this part of Africa.

One thing I have gotten use to is seeing guns, lots and lots of guns.  They are everywhere.  They are on the streets, airport, restaurants, hotels, grocery store, bank, and probably even churches (if I were ever to venture into one).  Guns can be used for things other than killing.  I have seen guys scratch the middle of their back (you know that area you can't reach), hold their smoke in the barrel, open a pop bottle, and even lift the skirt of a passing girl (he obviously knew her).

This evening I went to an Ethiopian restaurant with a coworker.  The two of us had a Ethiopian dish, that was way to big to eat and two soda’s each for approximately $12USD.  Walking home I started to notice the hundreds of dogs on the road.  They are everywhere.  Some have collars on, but many are just wild on the streets.  Puppies are curled up sleeping in ditches, under cars, by trees and sometimes in the middle of the road (and yes it was sleeping and not road kill!).

I’m starting to get onto some of the local dialect.  An outsider like me has to talk very broken and clearly.  Most of Juba is still Arabic, local dialect or a tribal dialect and not english.  The people that can speak clear english usually are from countries like Uganda, Kenya or some other old British colony.  Many of the staff in restaurants, hotels or grocery stores are imports to serve the expats and english speaking.  Its 7pm and the sun just set.  The bars and restaurants are hopping, but by 11pm curfew comes into effect until 7am and everything goes quiet.

This isn't so bad, actually its kinda fun!

So I have a ticket on Air Uganda to fly into Juba, Sudan.  I get dropped off at the airport and go through a rigorous check in process.  In Uganda, you have to go through security at the front door of the airport.  Then to have my passport and visa checked.  Of course my nice new visa I got yesterday in Kampala had an error on it.  Apparently I was born in 1918!  We got that issue cleared up that I wasn’t 93.  Then off to get my boarding card and check my luggage.  After a further immigration check I was admitted to the departure area.  My first impression of this airport on arrival was poor, but the departure area was very nice with duty free shops, electronic stores and a restraint.  Can you believe I ate a full meal at an international airport for $2.00 USD and it was tasty!

The flight was called for pre-boarding, and yet another security check, check on ID and I’m aloud to fly!  I climb on board a beautifully painted MD80 that is close to my age but looks like brand new and I’m off to Sudan.

On arrival into Sudan, I was slapped in the face by the heat!!!  Wow its hot here compared to Uganda.  The first thing I noticed was a old mig fighter that had ran off the runway years ago rotting away to the elements.  The airport is a bee hive of activity due to construction.  A new terminal building is going up at much quicker than African standards (because a Taiwanese company is building it), runway lighting is being put in, taxiways are being paved, and the runway is being lengthened by 2200 ft.

The old terminal building is a gong show!!!  Into get my passport stamped, not one but twice.  Then to luggage claim 10 feet away.  The whole terminal is 50x70ft of which the passengers of 1 MD-80, 3 B737’s were all crowded into trying to get the same tasks done.  People here push, and shove and I had to do the same!  My passport was stamped quickly by reaching over 3 rows of people and tossing it on the lap of the immigration officer.  Baggage claim has just received a new toy, a x-ray machine!  The military scans everything entering the country now and since they don’t know how to use the machine, they search your bag right after!  More pushing and shoving I got the job completed rather painlessly.

This evening I went with the crew to a expat camp on the White Nile.  Wow what a great place to eat!  I couldn’t have got a better pizza in  Chicago!  We sat on the river bank, watched young kids swimming and playing in the water and watched the sun set.  I can say I feel like I’m starting to get use to Africa.  I’m sure there will be many incidents that will surprise me in the future and I'm not letting my guard down, but the last day hans’t been so bad, and in fact its been fun!

The Visa trip

So today I am journeying to the city of Kampala, Uganda.  Kampala is about 45 minute drive from Entebbe and is a large city.  This is my first real exposure to this country, as it is now daylight.  The reason for this trip is to get my GOSS (Government of Southern Sudan) visa processed at the embassy.

I felt like I prepared for this trip quite well by researching the heck out of the region.  I watched YouTube video, looked at all the photo sites and googled every possibility out of the area.  But I must admit my jaw dropped and I had a stupid look on my face the first few hours of travels.  

The first stop is the camera shop in Entebbe to get a visa picture taken.  The shop was the size of a closet.  But in Africa you can fit 4 people into that space and function at a very slow speed.  The man could not speak english very well but motioned for me to come with him.  In the back room, surrounded by boxes, kids toys, and other assorted junk, he positioned my head, adjusted various lights and shades and proceeded to do a photo shoot of me for 10 minutes.  25 pictures later he was happy!  Out to the store front where his assistant sits at a computer and photoshops me into perfection.  I tell her to give me a little more hair and a better tan but she didn’t think that would go over well at the embassy.  My handler after much heated discussion in Swahili with the store owner pays the guy and we leave for Kampala.

On the highway, there are motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, taxies and people walking.  All this happens on a 1.5 lane road!  There are shacks which are people’s homes made out of any piece of material they could scavenge.  Many of the businesses look the same.  Everyone is on the commute to work, moving cattle up the road, carrying 5 gallons of water on their head, transporting 4x8 sheets of plywood on bicycles (who knew a person could do that!) and other unimaginable things.

As we drive into Kampala, I notice activity (which I thought was brisk before) has increased drastically.  All I can say is “THIS PLACE IS CHAOS!!”  Most traffic signals do not work, so instead many roads converge and people just sort it out by honking their horns, gesturing (some gestures are international!) and yelling at each other.  Many intersections are roundabouts which is no better, now you have a traffic jam that is in motion!  The amazing thing is I never say an accident all day.

The police are out in strong force.  They wear military looking uniforms and carry AK47’s.  They just seem to hang around different places in town and hold their guns all day.  The traffic police have white uniforms and stand around and blow whistles at passing by traffic.  None of this has any affect on peoples daily business.  

My handlers get me to the embassy.  We pull up to a set of solid metal gates, honk our horn, and a person lets us in.  They have a quick search of the vehicle and in to the embassy we go.  As I approach the reception desk I’m thinking “is this really a embassy? it looks like a rundown living room”.  I tell the secretary I need a visa, she instructs me to go down the left hall and enter my first door on the right.  I do so and give a courtesy knock on the door before entering.  I open the door to find a tiny 8x10 office with a man fast asleep, head on the desk, and hundreds of passports and papers everywhere.  It is only 10:00am and I could understand how he could be tired!  I say hello?  Sir?  Then finally resort to giving him a poke on the shoulder.  He wakes, I leave my passport and paper work with him and am told to come back by 4pm.  I hope he fits in my paper work between his morning and afternoon naps!

As I leave, I finally feel like I’m in a VERY awkward position.  I am in a very foreign country with no passport and thus no way out!!

The next number of hours we run aerons around town, I buy my handlers lunch, shop in “the largest mall” in Uganda and have a nap in the van in the mall parking lot during the afternoon thunderstorm.  Time finally rolls around to head back to the embassy to get my passport back.  In a very simple process the receptionist has me sit in the living room (wait I mean reception area) until she decides it is time to award me with my paper work.  I am presented my passport back and a certificate more impressive (and larger) than my college diploma.  This is my visa.

The trip home is uneventful, just the normal honking gesturing, swerving, driving on shoulders, in ditches etc.  It is funny how what seemed to be very weird this morning has become somewhat normal to me now.  It is truly amazing how one can adapt in a few hours!

What's that smell - It's Africa!

We deplane into a small airport terminal which is like stepping back into time.  Time in the 1930’s.  It smells like it too!  The air on this continent smells like a mix of must, mould, burning garbage and sewage.  I get in a long cue for a VISA along with a couple hundred of other of my fellow passengers.  Only two immigration officers are working and seem to be joking more than working.  After a long wait in line, it is my turn, I don’t even know where I’m staying tonight!  Half my immigration form is empty.  The agent welcomes me to Uganda, takes a digital photo of me, and electronically scans my finger prints.  She doesn’t care about the form I obsessed over, instead throws it into a pile, asks for $50 and stamps my passport.  With a big toothy grin she once again welcomes me to her country.  I pick up my bag at the baggage carousel and start looking for my company contact, who I don’t know.  How hard is it to pick out a white Canadian guy in a crowd of Africans?  Not hard as it seems.  He is standing by the front door of the terminal.  Here we are the minority and stand out!

Now for something completely different - Africa

Ok, lets get the show on the road!!  I’m getting a little antsy and want to get to Africa!  The plane rolls, and climbs up to FL370.  I see the Alps in all their beauty.  I scope out some great looking anchorage's in Croatia ( what a beautiful country from 8 miles up!).   Greece, and Italy!!  What can I say, the scenery was amazing and it confirms my want to visit those countries someday!  We cross the Mediterranean and I spot my first tip of Africa.  It is the boarder of Egypt and Libya.  The pilots do many course corrections to give a good birth to the Libyan airspace.  I see the great sands of the Sahara.  The whole country of Egypt looks like a sand box!

I’m over the country of Sudan heading for a quick stop at Rwanda then on to Uganda to get a visa for entry to Southern Sudan!  It is 630PM and already pitch black out, a huge contrast from up in Canada where day light extends to 10:00PM this time of year!  The lightning is flashing off our right wing in HUGE equatorial thunderstorms that extend 15000 ft above our cruising altitude and well past the tropopause.  Im talking with Rebecca, a 24 year old girl from Missouri, who is going to be living in a village for 2 weeks in southern uganda.  She and her group is going to be rebuilding a school to help a village out.  Her big terror is mosquitoes and malaria.  She reminds me to take my anti malaria pill at dinner.  Thanks Rebecca!

While on board the plane, waiting to use the lavatory, I meet Robert.  Robert is dressed in a full Scout leader uniform and was born and raised in Uganda.  He is a scout leader and has 14 young scouts with him onboard who are just getting back from a Washington DC jamboree.  To the boys, this has been a chance of a life time.  None of them had ever been on a plane before!  I meet a couple of the boys, they are polite and still excited after their big trip.

We approach Kigali International Airport.  Kigali is in Rwanda, which the plane does a quick stop in before carrying onto Uganda.  The one thing I have noticed since dark is Africa is truly dark at night!  There are the odd lights in the country side at night which reminds me of northern ontario.  I see the airport out my window and we are on a right base.  The city looks like the size of Sarnia, the airport, a single runway.  

The pilot slams the airbus onto the runway violently.  The aircraft in disgust leaps back airborne and we slam the pavement again.  After some dancing around trying to get on the centreline, the thrust reversers light off with great thunder.  The wheel brakes must also be set on max, because I hear the tires lock up on and off.  Airbus pioneered ABS and the pilots can select the extent the auto brakes come on.  It is very unusual to hear a tire skid on a large jet like this when the TR’s are thundering!  We come to a stop and turn to back track.  I see the cause of our noisy arrival.  The runway only went 3 more lights down!  Thats approx. 600 ft!  In a large jet like a A330 it is a little to close for comfort, especially when the airport is built on a large hill and the runoff is right into the town!

We leave Rwanda for the quick 35 min hop to Uganda. I still can't get over KLM’s load factor onboard!  Many people deplane, but many more get on.  Almost every seat is full on this A330.  Air Canada could only be jealous about these load factors!

We land in Entebbe, Uganda uneventfully.  I say goodbye to Rebecca and her group and wish them luck. 

The Journey

June 22, 2011

As a promise to Mark, I am going to document my first rotation in Juba, Sudan.

I left Sarnia Airport excited and I must admit a wee bit nervous.  It finally hit me that I wasn’t leaving my wife and daughter for a week or two like my previous jobs, but eight weeks to the other side of the world!  While I don’t tend to be emotional, I concentrated on not breaking down when I saw my wife’s eyes tear up at the airport when she was saying good bye.

As I sat and waited for the Beech 1900 to fire up I could not help but feel this was going to be a life changing experience.  The excitement built and I said goodbye to my familiar surroundings of Sarnia Airport for a couple months.  

I’m sitting at the KLM gate waiting for the flight to board, the agent calls my name and request I come to the desk.  She needs to know my VISA status in to Uganda as she sees there is no record of one.  I stay cool, and say I will get a VISA on entry, not knowing if that was even possible.  As I boarded a KLM A330 to Amsterdam, the butterflies started to migrate in my stomach.  I’m way out of my element with this international travel stuff!  My whole career I have felt I was out of my element when I started a job and I always fumbled my way through and came out on top.

As I watch the sun set at FL390 over the last tip of Labrador (the last piece of Canadian soil I’ll see for two months) I in my heart say good bye to my home land, customs, and familiarity.  It’s the start of something new!

The night was a extremely short one.  The date is June 21, 2011 the longest day of the year.  Over the North Atlantic on the NAT tracks at FL390 the sky never got dark, it maintained a twilight until two and a half hours later we race the sun around to the other side of the world to see a brilliant sunrise over Dublin, Ireland.  This is the first time I have ever seen Europe!  The lights are still blazing on the ground in Dublin, but the sun is brightly hitting the plane.  We cross England and I now can see detail on the land through the broken layer of cloud.  Crossing the English channel, I can see the freighters anchored off shore of Holland, along with oil rigs and plantations of hundreds of wind turbines in the channel.  We are on final, I can see the dykes and canals surrounding Amsterdam.

Chirp, chirp.  Our A330 touches Holland soil.  I can’t get over how pretty the airport is.  Lines are painted fresh, signs are clear, progressive taxi light system guides us to gate E9.  I deplane into the massive AMS Schiphol airport.  What a huge place!!!  My feet are finally off North American soil!!

Sitting in the terminal waiting my body is screwing with me.  The time on my watch says 1:30am but is light out and time for breakfast.  Stupid cadian cycle can’t understand what we just did!