SCHOOL: IN one place and OUT the other

While children in my hometown are watching the clock and counting the days til summer, the kids (and their parents) in Darfur are shopping for that all important first day of school. It is all about the newest backpacks, colorful headwrap (with glitter this year), and sandals. No one would be caught dead in LAST YEAR's fashion. Have to dress to impress. I do not speak Arabic well enough to catch all the finer points, but that was the gist of a conversation between a mother and her two school aged kids. They were just not having mom's suggestions for the sturdier, jean backpack. Many faces, stares, and stomping abouts later and mom was handing over the 5 Sudanese pounds price for latest in camouflaged school wear.

Sudanese children wear school uniforms. In some areas, the uniform is actually a loose copy of the camouflage blue or grey that the military and police where everyday. I have heard of some areas of the country where the youth demonstrated for the right to wear non militaristic uniforms, but the majority of kids really go for it. The backpack of choice this year is a small, soft bag with sandy and brown patterns. Perfect for blending into the environment on a long trek home.

The school year is about the same length as in the US but they take a break just before the start of the hot season to allow the kids to play and be spared the hottest period. The idea is that by the time the rainy season arrives in June, the kids will have finished preparing the fields for crops with their parents (okay, not all play) and will be free to focus on learning. This week all the elementary schools went into session and next week the secondary schools follow suit.

El Fasher seems very peaceful. Market is bustling with activity and no gunfire at night to speak of. I am having a terrible time getting to sleep however and really need to just have a bed shipped from the states since my organization seems unable to get me a decent mattress shipped from Khartoum now 2 months after my last request. Still wake up with the blasting of automatic gunfire. Who needs an alarm clock?

I was disturbed to read an article today that suggests that things are not as peaceful as they appear to be in this area. The locality (administrative unit) to the east of me has been embroiled in some nasty fighting this week. Although it looks like a stone's throw on the map, the lack of roads and deep sand require nearly 4 days to cross about 200 km. Not something I will be trying anytime soon.

You can read more about the recent events in this article with the inventive title : Sudan Soldiers and Rebels Clash in Darfur. Not exactly a shocker. Try 'Sudan soldiers and rebels exchange gifts and rebuild homes.' Now that would be a surprise. Anyway, you can read the article by clicking on the headline itself.

For those who are click aversed, the article talks about a pretty large battle between the government forces and SLA-Unity (a newly formed group that has ties to the group that attacked JEM). The death toll has only been reported on one side, so I do not think it even bears repeating. They are usually completely made up.

Lots of programs have started and I am plenty busy. Hope to update this blog more regularly but field travel makes it difficult to get my hands on an internet connection.

Hope this entry finds you all well.