Judy's blog

Elana

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Originally uploaded by joodmc.

my neice Elana - she is a true McCallum bookworm.

Rebecca

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Originally uploaded by joodmc.

My neice Rebecca.

waiting to load on the Chi-Cheemaun

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Originally uploaded by joodmc.

here is my bike little black one at the back, waiting to be loaded on the ferry. The weather was beautiful and until we got going, then it misted over and we couldn't see anything until Tobermory! But worth the trip. I hear that there is good diving in the area.

Joshua

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Originally uploaded by joodmc.

My nephew Joshua and his mom (my sister Sara) in the background.

Chi-Cheemaun Ferry.JPG

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Originally uploaded by joodmc.

I went up on my motorbike to meet my sister and her family in Parry Sound in July. I accompanied them to Espanola and then drove down through Manitoulin Island and took the Chi-Cheemaun ferry across to Tobermory, and then spent the weekend at my aunts in Erin.

Quynn.JPG

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Originally uploaded by joodmc.

Here i am with my first godchild, Quynn Morrison (daughter of Tanya Maxwell Morrison and Mike Morrison. She was just six weeks old. We went up to Limuru for the day and had a lovely coffee at the Kentmere club. But it was pretty chilly.

I'm still in Nairobi but leaving this evening to Manchester to see Lisa Greenop (Chisholm) who is also expecting her second - babies everywhere.

Varsity Alumni rugby game.JPG

Varsity Alumni rugby game.JPG
Originally uploaded by joodmc.

It felt like I'd stepped back 20 years watching rugby on the upper field at RVA. Too bad the view of the rift valley was too foggy.

class of 87.JPG

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Originally uploaded by joodmc.

went up to my high school, Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe this weekend for the centennial celebration. Of the class of 87 there were only three of us, but was great to see Chris and Brent - hard to imagine its been 19 years since I saw them, lots more grey hair (and less hair) on all sides, but other than that, they were still pretty much as I remembered them.

We had dinner on Kiambogo porch.

Well, am back in Nairobi and wrapping up my consultancy with Pact. It was an amazing trip and I'm sad its over, but I will be back next year I'm sure. It was really sad to say bye to Mary and the other people at the Kapoeta camp.

mango sellers.JPG

mango sellers.JPG
Originally uploaded by joodmc.

still can't get over the fact that the women smoke pipes.

sinking sand adventure.jpg

sinking sand adventure.jpg
Originally uploaded by joodmc.

One of our last visits was to a village called Lauro, where there is still a fair bit of unrest (we had to take a separate vehicle of SPLA soldiers for security). Enroute I decided to cross the river on foot.

But I stepped in the wrong place - and got sucked in - Lemmy, the driver was farm-boy to my Buttercup impression. Fortunately didn't see any ROUS. Gave everyone a pretty good laugh though.

When we arrived in Lauro we heard that there had been a fight between the Didinga and the Toposa the day before and people were really edgy. A couple days later, when we sent vehicles to pick up participants for a training workshop the Toposa blocked the vehicle and wouldn't let it pass into Didinga territory. The situation is still pretty tense.

Toposa children.JPG

Toposa children.JPG
Originally uploaded by joodmc.

this beautiful girl and baby were in Paringa village in North Kapoeta. The baby didn't like me much unfortuantely.

Pictures from my trip this weekend to Chukudum and Ikotos both in the mountains. The roads were INSANE - and it hadn't even rained in a while! It took us 2 hours to go the 43 km from the main road to Chukudum, and another 2 hours to do the 50 km from the main road to Ikotos. But breathtakingly beautiful in areas, an the birds were incredible.

the birds around here are amazing, but too quick to get good shots of!

One of the ethnic groups here, people called the Lutoku, live way on the top of the mountains/hills. I initally thought it was because of the war (when many people retreated to the hills to escape the fighting), but was told that this is their culture. Here are a few pictures of some of the hill-top villages. I can't imagine being a woman in this culture hiking the water, firewood and crops up to the top. They also keep their livestock up there - which is amazing to see.

Soldier family in Camp 15
On the way home we stopped in "Camp 15" which is the GTZ camp for the road, to meet with "CPA" dissemnators - these are people who have been trained by Pact to distribute the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to the community - and explain it in the local language. Unfortunatly, the ones we found were all drunk, so they couldn't give us a very clear picture of what they have been doing. We heard rumors in Kimatong that they sold the bicycles and tents they were given and have not done much. However, the team in Kapoeta is apparently very good.

Rains coming across the plains towards us, isn't there a song about this somewhere?
We got caught in the downpour driving home, but got out before the road was impassable.

Kimatong town water resevoir and Galcholo compound.

The community based organization that Pact partners with in Kimatong is called Galcholo. They have a lovely compound underneath a huge tree - connected to a school. Pact has helped to build a water resevoir for the town in the massive rock hill behind the town - which of course I had to climb (but not to the very top... rains were coming).

Buya young people.

When we passed a group of women in the river bed, our guide commented that many were widows, when I asked how he knew, he said that because they had their heads shaved and their decorations (beads) removed.