Yaya de Andrade is an associate of the Amida Research Institute currently working in Sudan...
I have experiences that amazes me, with people who don’t mean anything to me, or me to them, but in some fundamental way we meet in Wau, of all places, and mindfully we connect in ways that it is sometimes hard to believe.
It was inspiring to teach a group of 20 Sudanese (2 women), the nationals as they are categorized by UNMIS, the locals… who have to take a training of 2 prior to starting their duties and I had 2 hours to teach them about stress management. It was great. First because there was a storm 15 minutes before the time I would start the session. And I arrived in the conference room with my wet hair, and apologize saying that my hair is far more composed when I don’t walk through a storm… and they laugh. What was a sign of relief to me as I see all these men very serious, looking at me and laughing.
Anyway, this training is similar to one I got in Khartoum, in my first week, but I have now great power point presentation (which I love) and I even have a 2 min video of a stressed man that is very funny to watch, as he is in complete denial – and I certainly tell the group how good I feel that I may be able to help them if they have stress, because here people talk about… and they look at The Nile passing by…. More laughing.
And after all they had questions, one wants me to help him sleep better, a few made notes and read to me and want to know more about cumulative stress, another said he knew what I meant about traumatic stress, and one even shared an accident he had. Unbelievable…. How suddenly we were all there together, learning from each other, and as I told them, in Wau we certainly learn a lot about very strange things… and here they go, laugh again, and I told them how much laugh is good, and I felt so good that this is so easy to talk about, and it may be that it does make a difference for some people to listen openly to the impact of cruelty, of violence, and the habits people may get like drinking alcohol and jeopardizing their careers, the love of their family.
In the end they thank me, and one guy stood up and said this was an excellent class, the best of the day. And we laugh…
So, this experience moved me to another realm that is far from who is meaningful and those I really feel intense affection for, have a need to be close in person, or virtually – I love emails forever and ever…
The day did not end there and in the late afternoon, around 6 PM here I go in my shorts, walking to the airport – something like 2- 3 km from the camp, to see if my name was in the manifest for the flight tomorrow morning to Rumbek again, more work to do there, more couselling… and I got a ride ¾ through with an Australian who is here distributing food. It was the second time he saw me and he made the comment that he admire me walking like the Sudanese around. I never thought that, but it made me feel good, because it is true, most Sudanese walk, they don’t have vehicles like we do.
In my way back to the camp I met 2 Sudanese boys, around 12 years old and they came to chat and I asked if they went to school, and their names, and how good they spoke English, and then we heard honking and there was a convoy – of Chinese military, 4 trucks filled with people. Reminded me the English Patient, those convoys of soldiers slowly in the dusty road… they all waved and smiled, and I thought it was a scene that Bethune – the great Canadian physician who went to China to help soldiers… would see.
This is just one day, and in a simple town of Wau, south of Sudan my heart is filled with so many little things that made this day meaningful, and I want to share with you because your presence is always around me, because you always are – will be meaningful. And I can’t wait the day to come back and go back to the routine at home, wherever is home…
Have a great day
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