As much of an update as dial-up internet will allow

My time in Sudan has come to a close. Right now I'm in EMI's East Africa Office in Kampala, Uganda. Today we did a design review meeting with the Staff here. It was great to discuss design choices with them and to receive some advice.

We were on a mission to design a school and women's center for an organization called Rebuild Sudan. While in Sudan we had a lot of meetings with officials and community leaders. We tried to learn as much as possible about local construction practices and about what a school needs to function in Sudan. My function on the design team was to assist John, civil engineer from Denver. I helped him determine how the locals treat and dispose of wastewater. We also did some water quality testing at various hand-pump wells. We only were able to visit the possible site for the school for a few hours one day, which was a bummer. The dirt roads were very bad due to the onset of the rainy season. While on site, we looked at the soil and the surrounding areas. Last Saturday evening, we presented our preliminary design to Michael and some of the local community leaders. Now as we return to the states we will refine the design and prepare a drafted set of plans and a report.

One of the things I was most amazed by was the stark difference in development from Sudan to Uganda. In Uganda there are many cars, miles of paved roads, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and power lines. Southern Sudan is still suffering from the civil war that destroyed so much of that. There is a cycle of poverty there as well. They have no money to plant fields or start businesses and no good roads to transport goods or materials to build with. Development is very slow in coming. I think the future of Sudan is promising; the people want better lives and will work to succeed.

Last Monday and Tuesday some of the volunteers from our Sudan trip and I were able to do a safari (with a drive through a park and a cruise down the Nile). We saw tons of animals. Half the team has returned to the states, but the rest of us are taking advantage of our time in Africa to go whitewater rafting on the Nile. On the way back to the US, I'll be in London for two days. I'm due back on the 10th.

I'll probably write some more about the trip later, but for now I'm done. I'll definitely post pictures sometime when I get back to the states.