Leaving Aweil – last photos

My last few days in Aweil felt quite sad – as I did some last chats with ladies in Apada, said formal goodbyes to people in ministries, and tried to take photos around the town for memories.  Oh, and broke down on the bike a few times.

Film nights and research perspective, in Maper, Aweil town

I am not an anthropologist.  I’m not “trained”, I have no critical understanding of the theories or methodologies, and I have a functional legal background in interviewing, not a research one.  I am also rubbish at “living in the community” – I’m a skinny-jeans-wearing, foreign-food-eating, boozing-and-dancing inappropriate nightmare.

Current events in South Sudan: photos from Aweil

Geography of Aweil’s independence day, 2013

Aweil research: photo journal

I licenced my bike!  After making “friends” with a lot of traffic police.  No fines, just lots of awkward chat.  Which was almost as bad, sometimes, but many of them were pretty happy just to have a chat to a white woman clearly learning how to work gears with her foot.

First week in Aweil: photo diary

Pithy comment on current state of privatisation of public health services in the UK?  No, it’s Nelson’s Hides and Skins LTD.

The Aweil palaces

I live in a concrete hut in Aweil, much like my one in Juba.  It’s rare to find a concrete structure here, particularly in Maper, where I’m moving to in two weeks: Maper is a suburb of Aweil built since 2008, with continuing land demarcation and disputes, and a population getting back on its financial feet following – for most – a huge family relocation.

Aweil: photos

I watched three football matches in three days: the first games of the South Sudan national cup.  That’s officially more football than I’ve seen in months.

Starting research – Aweil

Aweil is very beautiful, in a completely different way.  I really like Central Equatoria, particularly now the rains have started in earnest and everything is bright, fluorescent green, but northern Bahr el Ghazal has something otherworldly about it.