Update 18:

It has been an interesting week. It was my 11th week here in Sudan. 11 weeks have come and gone out of a 3-month contract. Technically I should be getting in a plane to Geneva in the next few days. In actuality though, I have extended my contract for one month. I will now be leaving South Sudan on the 19th January. 4 months in Sudan!

Next week is Christmas, but to be honest there isn’t the slightest amount of excitement on my part. I can’t really believe that Christmas day is in 4 days. I can’t quite imagine what snow is like anymore, and I certainly can’t fully appreciate Christmas when it’s 40 deg.

I remember the only other Christmas I spent away from New Brunswick, I remember it was even hotter than here. It was 48 deg, a heat wave was again sweeping Sydney, Australia. Wildfires were again threatening the suburbs. Smoke filled the air. Some parallels can be drawn between then and now that’s for sure.

I remember the penthouse in Darling Harbour that I was living in. I remember how much money I was making, selling my soul for a huge credit card company, but nevertheless I was living comfortably. And like right now in Sudan, the week before I had spent only one night sober.

But in Australia it was different, I mean there were things to do and we were doing them. Heading to Manly or Bondi or Coombs or one of the other beaches to soak up the rays, enjoy the topless bathing, barbeques and Bundi&Cola’s. Going to Kings Cross. House parties. Eating good food. Riding a crotch rocket without a helmet the wrong way down the street (they drive on the other side, so turning immediate right at an intersection is a bad idea).

This year though I am Sudan. They drive on either side of the street, depending on how they feel, or if they feel they are in a bigger rush than the oncoming traffic. It’s hotter and dustier than the Dust Bowl. Garbage is strewn everywhere, especially the creeks. It seems to be a well-established pattern of garbage removal throughout much of Africa, put it in the creek for the flash floods to magically make it disappear.

There are some similarities, there are barbeques, there are house parties and there is a pool (but no topless bathing allowed), instead of the beach you can lounge on the bank of the Nile (just keep an eye out for crocodiles the size of a canoe). Yes. A CANOE REFERENCE, I AM CANADIAN. I could get on a motorbike and test my reaction capabilities, but the bikes are bought for $700 brand new and are Chinese made, something breaks before you can even start it. So between their lack of quality and insane driving patterns of the country I stick to the Landcruisers.

The biggest similarity though is missing the family. It sucks to be away from home. To know how well they are eating, to know that my niece and nephew are the center of attention and not me (haha), yet to quantify the thing that I miss the most is impossible. But certainly the company, the family, the walks with or without snowshoes, the arguments, the feeling that you get when you are at home that no matter what; they love you, the snow, the cold, the food, the eggnog, turkey, mashed taters, gravy, enhanced hikes with friends, brothers and sisters, trips to the lookout.

I remember my birthday almost two years ago; I remember how great it was because it was hopefully the most miserable birthday I will have. It was so great because now I value so much company that you love on special days. I expect this Christmas to parallel that day. It sounds funny, but I can’t wait for it, I look forward to this Christmas because in the future I will do my level best not to spend one this far from family. I can only hope to always remember this one so that I will appreciate being home so much more in future times.

I am happy to spend these holidays in Sudan. I will never forget this Christmas, this New Years; it’ll be another interesting experience that lives on in my memory. After all, life is made up from experiences. This will be one of them and I look forward to it, almost as much as I look forward to being back home.

So if it’s possible for you, make sure you can spend this Christmas with someone or at least somewhere you love. Try not to take it for granted that you have the privileged life that you do. Not too many people live the way we do, free from disease, malnourishment, war and insane military and police organisations. When you look at it from a different perspective, the problems that we as Canadians face appear tiny and insignificant. I know, I know one shouldn’t compare ones problems to another’s.

I’ll probably put out another update soon, but if I don’t get one out before Christmas. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Think about a New Years Resolution and aim to fulfill it. Thanks dudes, dudettes, ladies and gentlemen alike.