After a hectic month of trying to get my life sufficiently in order to move to Chad, I am finally here. As most things go, it's hurry up and wait. And now the wait: the following long year in Chad begins.
I arrived on a Saturday night. Stepping off the plane my lungs filled up with the warm, sweet, dry and smoky air that I had missed so much. It's always strange arriving in a place at night, not being able to see or absorb anything, particularly in a place with no street lights. These thoughts quickly dissipated when we arrived at the compound where I was welcomed by a friendly colleague from Burkina Faso welcomed me with three kisses and a cold Guiness.
What's even stranger than arriving in a new place at night is entering a compound at night with little options, opportunities, or reason to leave during the following days. This has been my experience for the last few days in the capital, N'Djamena.
The office and guest houses here are in the same walled, dirt-groomed lot protected by barbwire and several lethargic guards. Fortunately, Sunday afternoon I was able to tag along with my colleague from Burkina Faso to Le Grand Marché. Fortunately for convenience's sake, but unfortunately for my curiosity and love to walk, we only leave the compound by car.
My wide eyes were able to scan mud "brick" buildings, men wearing long white robes with turbans seemingly haphazardly thrown on their heads who fill the streets, dodging street vendors selling apples on wooden carts. Rubble on the side of the road lay where just a couple weeks illegal houses were demolished by the government. Not suprisingly, large decorative water fountains in round abouts are dry. Suprisingly, some traffic lights actually work. Here, it's evident why Rwanda has outlaw plastic bags... such a regulation here would do wonders! While little of these sights shock me, I am struck by the clear level of poverty and dust on tree leaves!
Later that evening, the Burkinabe took me out with a Chadien colleague to a bar/club... never in D.C. or Paris would anyone see a club as hot as this was on a Sunday night. Jamais!
Now, as I wait to receive authorization from the government to travel outside of N'Djamena, I am welcomed by and meet a constant flow of colleagues, coming from and going to the field.
I am very happy to meet so many African ex-pat staff and also speak so much French. My colleagues share various reports of "conditions" in Abeche and Bahai in the East--militarization, criminalization, sand, heat, and scorpions. Mais, je vais voir pour moi-meme!
