part 1

somalia

if you havn’t heard, or if it hasn’t registered, ethiopia and somalia are fighting. Alot of other people with better information and knowledge than myself have been supplying information on the why and how of this situation.

check out more info here at Google News or at Google Blog Search.

i only mention it here cause it is one of those small situations that could become a really big situation very quickly and have effects all around the world. Especially when you look at who is supporting who, etc. the other reason is that Somalia is Kenya’s next door neighbor and kenya is the country i am currently living in. It has been stated that a war in somalia has the potential of distabilising this whole region and even possibly beyond.

part 2

family

we have had a lovely holiday so far. most of it has been spent going to the homes of Mary’s extended family and eating massiv amounts of food.

Mary is starting to fully recover from the majority of her medical problems that she encountered these past two months. she was starting to complain that she was falling apart at one point.

abarizaa is getting bigger and bigger and starting to make lots and lots of noise, especially in the morning when he wakes up and at night as he is getting ready for sleep. Monday we spent the day at Mary’s uncles house and the youngest cousin, about 2, was complaining about Abarizaa. Apparantly he still undestands baby speak and told Mary that Abarizaa had said the Swahili word “wewe”. “Wewe” means “you”, but depending on the tone and situation that it is said to a person, it can be taken as an offence. And the young boy heard it as an offense and decided he did not like my son.

mushi is doing well. she is staying at her cousins house and is refusing to come home at the moment. It happens in our house sometimes as well. One of the family members Mushi’s age comes to spend the night and ends up staying 3 to 4 days. I have the feeling her mother will make her come home tonight though.

i hope we have a happy new year. it would be a great one if myself or mary managed to get a job. we have a shortage of cashflow at the moment and a steady job would definately help that flow to start moving again. might also help this massive cloud of worry hanging over my head to go away.

somaliaSudanethiopiaislamjihadNairobikenyaeast africa

part 1

post•par•tum de•pres•sion

noun
depression suffered by a mother following childbirth, typically arising from the combination of hormonal changes, psychological adjustment to motherhood, and fatigue.

I know that it is common for mothers to experience postpartum depression. I wonder if there are any studies about fathers having this problem as well.
not sure if I am experiencing hormonal changes, but I think i got some psychological adjustments to fatherhood and the fatigue bit. Plus a number of other issues that seem to bring me down and weigh heavy on my shoulders. Or it could just be the depression & frustration that has been hounding my heels for the past few months and has finally caught up.

whatever it is I hope it goes away soon.

part 2

sudan

A few months ago I spent 4 weeks in a place called Malakal in Southern Sudan. I really enjoyed my time there and enjoyed the place. Good people (for the most part), interesting location and lots of potential. Click on the picture to see photos.

I heard last week that fighting broke out between a couple of military factions based in the city. its very sad because they estimate that at least 150 people were killed, and many more wounded. The fighting lasted for a couple of days until a temporary cease fire was arranged and efforts were put forth to bring things back to normal. Both sides were blaming the other for the starting the confrontation. This is old news now, but i thought I should mention it.

Here are a few more links to get more information if anyone is interested:

1. Google News Links
2. UN Confirms 150 Killed in South Sudan Conflict - Sudan Tribune
3. South Sudan leader warns militias

an unfortunate side effect is that this has the potential to further destabilize an increasingly fragile peace agreement. it has been almost two years since the peace agreement was signed for the south, but almost nothing has improved throughout the region. people are getting frustrated. all sides are to blame for the lack of progress. Khartoum is happy to frustrate the implementation of things while leaders of the south are happy to eat all their fruits before they do any kind of labour. Security is getting worse instead of better. there was so much hope at the beginning, but it is quickly fading away.

if something doesn’t improve soon, then it may never get the chance. and the sudanese will be back doing the thing that they seem to love the most in this life… fighting one another.

one last note concerning Sudan. Recently I have found a number of blogs from people within Sudan or from Sudan who are writing about a number of things. So far a guy called Black Kush is my favorite. You should also check out these others: Amanda in Sudan, Sudan Man, John Akec, Imatong and Precious World. All very interesting viewpoints to different things taking place throughout Sudan.

part 3

family stuff

Mary was back in hospital over the weekend. She had to have a small surgery. Apparently, she had retained a very small portion of placenta at the time of birth and this was starting to cause a number of complications. The surgery ended up being a bit more extensive than we had anticipated and she spent the next four days in the hospital. We are back home now and Mary is doing very well.

So is baby Abarizaa. He wasn’t very happy to have his momma in hospital for so long. He stayed there with her, but he wasn’t able to sit in her lap or be held to often by her. He wasn’t too impressed with his father’s attempts at being a momma.

MalakalSudanNileplacentadepressionNairobipostpartumfighting