Friday, November 28, 2008

Photography

Very quickly:
I'm not moving to Nyala. I got an amazing offer for a new position and I accepted it. I will finally have the opportunity to take pictures (officially) while staying in touch with a technical domain. And, very important to me, I will be much more in touch with what's happening here. It's challenging, exciting and I am thrilled. So now, I "just" have to fix my left ear and it's the perfect happiness in Sudan (although I'm still waiting for my Spanish translator ;-) ).


Sunday, November 16, 2008

"I think UN is destroying Sudan"

...

- Thank you very much Doctor.

- You're welcome.

- Can I ask you a personal question? But, of course, you don't have to give me an answer.

- ...

- What do you think about the presence of the UN in Sudan? Do you think it's a good thing for your country?

- No. ... I think UN is destroying Sudan. I think UN is destroying my country.

- ...

- Take care of your ear.

- Thank you.

...


I'm still thinking about it...


And right now, although i understand a lot of the complaints against the UN, I just want to return to Darfur, to work and to try to prove him, to prove them that we can make a difference, even really small. Who said "optimistic"?


Saturday, November 15, 2008

Waiting ...

I'm back in Kharthoum, after a few days in El-Fasher, due to a problem with my left ear (they can't treat it in Darfur). It is really frustrating to be here, waiting, as I was supposed to start working in Nyala yesterday and had (and still have) 1000 projects and ideas in mind.
By chance, my friend ITunes proposed me the last album (live) of Gotan Project and I can't wait to listen to it.

But what about the situation in Darfour? I have no idea! I remarked that, maybe just because I'm working in IT,  I have almost no news from the real, local situation. I know about GoS-Rebels negotiations. But what about the situation in IDP camp? What about the security in small villages? I don't know and don't like that. It's time to change that. 1001 ideas in mind.

P.S: Moment of glory tonight. I set up a wireless connection on 2 pc's installed in Chinese (and both owners don't speak English). The rest of the guesthouse is still looking at me strangely. I'm now the "Chinese IT Guy". Does somebody have a job for me in Shanghai or HK?

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Thinking in French in Istanbul

Je suis a Istanbul, sur la terrasse de mon hôtel, achète de la musique sur I-Tune et profite d'une connection rapide. Il est difficile d'exprimer les sentiments que je ressens. La vie au Soudan se passe bien pour moi. J'ai des amis, je ne me sens pas seul, je dors bien et ne ressens pas un stress particulier. Mais vivre au Darfur, cela veut aussi dire rester toujours sur ses gardes et attentif à ce qu'il se passe autour de soi. Donc être ici, écrire ce mot sur une terrasse, se promener dans la rue, s'arrêter dans un magasin, choisir un restaurant pour manger ou fumer un narghilé en racontant des bêtises ressemble à une sorte de paradis. Pourtant, bien que je profite pleinement de cette pause, je sais qu'une partie au fond de moi se réjouit de repartir là-bas. Parce que le pays est magnifique, parce que les locaux sont magnifiques (même s'il faut le remarquer discrètement du coin de l'oeil) et parce que vivre avec autant de personnes d'horizons et de motivations différents est un vrai challenge mais surtout une vraie richesse. Bien sûr, j'attends toujours de commencer vraiment mon travail à Nyala et de pouvoir enfin obtenir qqch de plus stimulant. C'est peut-être le seul gros point noir de ma présence là-bas: Ne pas être utiliser à pleine capacité. 
En attendant, j'écoute le dernier cd d'Emiliana Torrini (et l'excellente "Dead Duck"), attends une amie et, pour augmenter encore mon envie d'aller faire du shopping au 767 de la 5ème à NYC, download le dernier keynote de Steve Jobs.