The Black Santa

When talking about santa, the average child pictures a man in a big red suit, but in this case, santa was black. I was Santa. Upon my arrive and stay with Bishop I brought with me, many gifts for the children. Everything from, beauty accessories, to sports activity equipment, little children toys, and school supplies. Money is very hard to come for many people here, and once acquired, the priority of food comes before play.

Whenever my father, the Rev. Canon Milton Cole, goes somewhere, whether it be to someone's house for supper, or just to visit someone, he always brings gifts with him. The gifts that he gives are generally joyful reminders to the person receiving the gift that they are in his thoughts, and/or prayers. Growing up I could never comprehend the joy of giving rather than receiving. But when I walked into the Bishop's front room with arms full of toy truck, soccer balls and more presents, the faces of these children lite up and my heart felt warm. I now understand how my father feels, as he is always giving gifts and this is one of the many great traits I have picked up from him.

                                                    

The Real World

Outside your parents gates and protection the world is different. Here in the big cities in Africa it is important to be very careful when walking around town. The crime rate is very high here in Kampala, where the Bishop and I have been staying this past week. Pick-pocketing is the most common offense. It very easy to get pick-pocketed because when walking around town people are in close proximity with one another

Today the Bishop and I had business to attend too in town. A young gentlemen named Alison accompanied us. Alison is a friend of the Bishop and also a student studying computers. I have been teaching him computer science the past couple days.

While running errands with the Bishop we came across something we could not complete right away. The Bishop wanted some receipts and asked for them to be printed. Unfortunately the printing would not be done and able to be picked up until 7:30pm. So the plan was for Alison to stay behind and pick up the printing, then make his way back to the Bishops house. The three of us were planning on traveling to Arua tomorrow, where we will catch a plane to Sudan.

While reading the newspaper the Bishop saw an article about the con men and woman of Kampala. He pointed it out to me, and told me some rules of thumb. He explained how since there are so many people in town, if you see the same person 3 times, you are in trouble. He further explained the process these con men and woman undergo while attempting to rob you. What they typically do is take a piece of cardboard and fold it in half with a United States $100 dollar bill on the outside. It is usually a fake $100 dollar bill, and the idea is to make it look like a wad of money. Then what they do is throw it at your feet, and scream “God is with us my friend.” Normally when a person unexpectedly sees a wad of money they are stunned. Realizing this, these con men and woman take advantage of that moment of absentmindedness. They tell you to follow them to a place where it is less crowded so they can split the money with you. It makes a matter of seconds to get from the main road to a back alleyway, and once there they will rob you properly. The Bishop also told me about the dangers of riding the motorcycle taxies, also called bodaboda. Bodaboda is made up word in the Swahili language that means motorcycle taxi. Around 10:00pm the van taxies are finished for the night, however the motorcycle taxies continue all night. The problem with the bodaboda is you never know what kind of person the driver is, especially at night.

By the time it was 8:45pm, and we hadn’t heard from Alison, the Bishop and I began to wounder what the situation was. After the trying to call Alison many times without an answer, he called back. Alison told us that there was a situation with the man on the bodaboda. He had taken Alison to the wrong place. Alison should have realized he was being trapped because the man was offering such a low price for transporting him it should have raised suspicion in his mind. We could overhear the argument Alison was having with the man, telling him that he needs to leave, threw the phone. Suddenly the line went dead. The Bishop and I began to worry. He tried calling Alison back several times, but no answer. Without knowing what else we could do, the Bishop had everyone gather in the front room of his house and started praying. Alison had been conned. At that point we didn’t know whether Alison would be robbed of everything on his person, or if he would even survive the night. It was a very intense prayer lasting around 10 minutes. Just after the prayer ended the Bishop's phone rang. It was Alison. The police found him and rescued him from being conned. After being reassured everything was now okay and Alison was safe. The Bishop raised his hands and announced, “The Lord has heard our prayers.”

Alison, Bishop Peni and I

The Son of Iowa

Last year my father, The Rev. Canon Milton Cole, traveled to Sudan, Africa. The occasion was the consecration of Father Peni becoming a Bishop. His stay was 3 weeks long, and in that time he became known as “Iowa." An Arabic expression for approval and a sort of “Ah Ha” moment. Not aware of the meaning, my father was in the car with four other gentlemen on their way to the consecration. While in the car with the other gentlemen they began conversing among each other, but in their native language. One man in the car would say something and the others would approve by saying “Oh, Iowa."

My dad was not paying much attention to the conversation until he heard the word “Iowa” My family currently lives in West Des Moines, Iowa so hearing the word “Iowa” made him pay a little closer attention to the conversation. After about the 5^th time hearing it my father began looking around suspiciously wondering how they all knew he was from Iowa.

Finally fed up with the curiosity he asked them why they kept saying “Iowa." They then explained the meaning to him and he explained to them that he actually lives Iowa and everyone began to laugh.

Villagers all across Nzara all heard about the “Iowa” story because they knew my father. The less educated villagers are very unaware of the world and are under the impression that the only other place in the world is England, because they were taught that that's where the white missionaries came from. Most of them had never heard of a place called Iowa and now associate it with my father, thus he became “Iowa."

Yesterday, Bishop Peter of Yambio came and visited Bishop Peni and I. Upon his arrive he greeted me has the “Son of Iowa” He told me everyone in Nzara knows my father as “Iowa,"and also that everyone knows about me coming and knows me not as George, but as the "Son of Iowa." And I am proud to be the "Son of “Iowa”

"Iowa" saying goodbye to Me at the JFK Airport

Sounds Of The Night

Sounds of the Night
As darkness consumes the night, the jungle calls

The moon illuminates the night sky,

Coyotes lurk catching goats and chickens who lost their way home,

Balancing the Social Theory, the jungle calls

Howling erupts without warning, the jungle calls

A unison pitch set by the alpha and the others join in,

They stop, all at the same time and start again,

Rain begins pouring and the howling ceases, the jungle calls

The pounding and thundering of the rain fills the night, the jungle calls

Frogs croak their majestic song, bathing in the rain,

Leaping from puddle to puddle and splashing around joyfully,

The rain brings a cooling breeze through the air, the jungle calls

A whimpering dog begins to whine, the jungle calls

Targeted as the weakest, it becomes the next meal,

Cries and shrills of pain echo in the stale dark night and suddenly all is silent,

The weaker has been slain and the stronger prevailed, the jungle calls

First Day In Africa

Awaken by the call of the coyotes, buzzing of mosquitoes, and the ever so soft chirping of birds. Today was the first day of school for the children. School started at 7:30am and the younger kids return at 4:30 but the older students are not out until 6:30pm. Once the children were off the Bishop and I had business to attend to in the town. When someone says the word taxi, most people think of a 4 seat, yellow car, and crazy driver. Well, crazy driver is the the only description of the list that fits. On our way to town the Bishop suggested we take a taxi. A taxi here is a big 14 person van driving crazy fast and picking random people up until it is full. However, just because there are 14 seats doesn’t mean the taxi driver was satisfied with the number. There were a total of 20 people crammed into the van with the Bishop and I as we made our way to town. The roads are unpaved and very bumpy so people were sort of flying all over the place. Prior to my arrive in Africa I was under the impression that most people were poor, which is the case, but of course they still have cars and the traffic was seemingly worse than New York City traffic.

Our first item on the agenda was to get my visa for Sudan. We made our way to the bank, dodging other natives in a hurry, and motorcycles and taxi vans. Once we reached the bank there was a armed army solider with a metal detector making sure that the bank stays safe. After talking to the bank clerk and learning that I can receive my visa tomorrow the Bishop and I made our way to some music stores to purchase a keyboard. We went to multiple stores to compare prices and finally decided on one. For lunch the Bishop took me to a restaurant and I tried casaba and linen bread.Casaba is a root that is frequently used in many meals,

Dodging motorcycles didn’t seem hard enough to the Bishop so he thought we should ride one. The newest form of taxi service in Entebbe is with the uses of motorcycles. It seemed like the only things on the roads were either taxi vans or taxi motorcycles. There are very few street lights so when people feel they want to go there is no hesitation. I noticed how close the cars, vans, and motorcycles came to hitting people and asked the Bishop how people can be comfortable with that. He explained how the Africans don’t worry about getting hit because it is the drivers job to dodge the on coming person. Each time we crossed the street was nerve wracking for me, and the Bishop noticed that and from then on took my hand each time we crossed.

We got back to the house just as the students were returning from school, and supper was being prepared. Fish and rice was what was served and it was delicious, also the Bishop and I picked up some mangos on the way back home and had those as well.

Life here seems very simple for most, and very challenging for others. It was very depressing to see street children laying on the ground begging for money. In contrast to that it was very interesting to see business man dressed up in their fancy suits, and then there are those who fall in-between. American brand clothes was for the most part what people wore here, brands such as Hollister, Abercrombie, and American Eagle.

The Bishop and I plan to travel to Sudan on either wednesday or thursday. We are going to travel by road, due to weight limits of only 20 pound luggage for the plane and also there is a lot of stuff to transport. I have two 50 pound suitcases, a keyboard and a bookbag, so the plane isn’t really a option, however the journey to sudan by plane was favored because it is only 2 hours verses the 3 day journey by car. Sudan had two planes that flew in weekly, but as of late one of the planes has been shut down making it very difficult to book a flight because they are all taken.

View of the Mountain sized Hill from the Bishop's House

In the Suburbs, where the Bishop's house is, there is a sense of calmness and peacefulness and relaxation verses the tension and sense of hurry in town. The air is calm and there are several banana trees that blow smoothly with the wind. The house is surrounded by a 6 foot fence and 10 foot gate. Looking out a distance from the house there is a magnificent view of a mountain sized hill with houses built on it all the way to the top. Since we are close to the equator the day and night are divided equally. The sun rises around 6:00 and sets by 6:00, that makes for a 12 hour day as well as a 12 hour night. As the sun was setting Bishop Peni and I went on a walk to a close store to pick up some things. He explained to me how he enjoys being here because there are few who know who he actually is. We began joking about how he is a man in disguise.

Later in the evening before we all went to bed the Bishop and his many house guest gathered in the front room and we sang prayers and hymns. Unfortunately they sang in Arabic so I could only hum along, but it was very interesting to listen to.

Life here is nice and something I can get use to quick.  

Making My Way to Africa

Accompanying me on my flight to Amsterdam, in the left aisle seat, was a gentleman named Alistair. He had been in New York to see the Mets play and is on his way back home to Scotland. The flight from Scotland to Amsterdam, then to the the USA was a total of 10 hours of flying for him. Interestingly enough the flight back from USA to Amsterdam, then to Scotland is a total of 8 hours of flying. This is due to the North Atlantic Drift. The North Atlantic Drift is a widespread and variable wind-driven surface movement of warm water that covers a large part of the eastern sub-polar North Atlantic and then flows into the Nordic Seas. Conversing further with Alistair I learned he is from a Northern part of Scotland that speaks a Celtic language called Gaelic. A very uncommon language that most Scotia's do not understand and was brought over to Scotland by Irish invaders in about the 5th century. Gaelic replaced an older Brythonic Celtic language. By the 15th century the Scottish branch differed so significantly enough that they were able to create as enforce their own language.

A four hour layover can create many opportunities to meet new people. During my layover I met a very nice young lady named Jacquelyn Pavilon. She was headed to Rwanda to meet up with a friend of hers that was running a marathon there, and also do some serious backpacking. She told me stories of her and her friend going on a 4 day backpacking trip to Switzerland and about her organization called Invisible Conflicts. The Invisible Conflicts organization is dedicated to helping rebuild communities that were destroyed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Since the Invisible Conflicts values education above all they created the Dawn Madiki Partnership, a program stationed in Gulu that raises money to educate, clothe, provide healthcare, and give individual attention to the children and their needs.

Ingram Kampe and I, after our landing in Entebbe

I also met a gentleman name Ingram Kampe who currently lives in Canada. He was born in Uganda and was headed to Entebbe on holiday and to visit his relatives. I asked Ingram how his previous flight from Canada to Amsterdam was and he said it was not very enjoyable. On the flight there was a Chinese man who went into the plane's restroom and decided to smoke a cigarette. The smoke alarms went off and reeked havoc throughout the plane. He told me how frenetically the flight attendants were running up and down the aisle to see what was going on. After finding the man they were able to silence the alarms and return the plane to order.

When we landed in Rwanda there were people who got off and those who got on. Sitting in the row in front of me was Ingram and siting next to him on his left was an Indian man. The flight was about 8-9 hours long. This man said nothing to entire time to Ingram, except when we landed in Rwanda he said, "excuse me I am going to the washroom." We were stationed in Rwanda for about 50 minutes waiting for everyone to get on so we can take off. When it was time to take off I invited Ingram to sit with me, because the seat next to me was empty and I enjoyed his company. But this Indian man was no where to be found. His passport and all his travel documents were sitting out on his plane seat. As we were about to take off I noticed that the guy hadn't returned. I asked Ingram where he went, and that he should tell the flight attendants this. So he did, the flight attendants became very worried but more suspicious than worried. The plane was about to take off, but we told them just in time and than went back to the airport because they are not allowed to fly with unaccompanied luggage. The Captain called this man over the intercom multiple times, no response. Than the Captain came on the intercom and explained the situation to the rest of the passengers, they began to worry. Most people seemed to be under the impression that this man was a terrorist. The entire plane was searched by security back at the airport and we waited there. About 20minutes later they found the man. He was seated in a different seat toward the front of the plane. They asked him about his suspicious behavior and he replied, “I don't know.” Many of the passengers wanted the flight attendants to throw him and all this luggage off the plane. But they didn’t. Had we been on a American plane that man would have been kicked off and placed on the “No Fly List.” The plane took off and the whole time I was holding my breath hoping nothing would happen. We arrived in Entebbe 30 minutes later. Once there we had to get our visa's for Entebbe. I am very glad i met and befriended Ingram, without whom I would have been lost when it came to filling out the paper work for my transit in Entebbe. After filling out the paper work Ingram and I went to retrieve our luggage and the Bishop was there to greet me.

Last Day in the United States

The much anticipated day has arrived. I am in New York City. Though I walk around and people here have placards indicating that the rapture will take place today at 6pm. The significance of this day for me is my travel today, from JFK Airport to Amsterdam and then my travels from the Netherlands to Entebee, Uganda I will be spending a couple of days in Kampala with Bishop Peni as he has business to conduct at the All Saints Cathedral. This Church is the sight where a number of people were buried that were executed by Idiamin. During Idiamin's dictatorship Uganda was the most troubled country of Africa. While Uganda has a troublesome attitude towards homosexuals, it is relatively civil and comparison with most other African countries. My stay in Kampala will be followed by a United Nations flight from Kampala, Uganda to Yambio, Sudan and then to be picked up to travel the last 20 miles by an overland Jeep. All of this will take place within a 4day period. I wonder what the story will be of people that I met in New York's JFK, Amsterdam, Entebee, Kampala, and beyond. More to follow.

Government of Southern Sudan Embassy Visit

Today I found myself at the Government Mission in Washington. The Mission is likened to a country's embassy, my father suggested that we visit this Southern Sudan Government Agency, not knowing what we would find. We initially spoke to a senior official. My father asked this gentleman if there was a Sudanese man in the Mission that had made his way to Washington from Arizona. My father recalled that prior to his February-March 2010 trip to the Sudan he had spoken with a man that fits this description. The senior official said that my father was referring to Enoch Daniel Awejok, the Protocol and Public Relations Officer. The senior official excused himself, only to quickly return to tell us that Enoch was in a meeting, but would like to speak with us. We waited for about 30minutes only to realize that the time on the parking meter was about to expire. I exited the building and ran down 6 long Washington blocks, pumped $3 into a parking meter for 2 extra hours and made my way back, to have Enoch walk in the room 5minutes after my return and invited us into his office. My father thanked him for his advice and help from a year ago. He inquired about my fathers trip, and they shared tid-bits about the Sudan. Enoch than turned to me and asked how he might be of help. I told him of my pending plans to study and work in the Sudan. His face lite up and he said this was amazing. Enoch showed me a copy of the proposed Constitution of the Southern Sudan. He was not able to give me a hard copy, however he was able to email me a copy. We talked about issues to be resolved prior to the July 9^th 2011 birthdate of the new country. He asked about Bishop Peni and the Diocese of Nzara. Upon my questioning he indicated that he is a Presbyterian. He said he soon looks forward to traveling back to the Sudan. His closing statement to me was one that I will always remember. He said “George you are going to be apart of history” I look forward to living into Enoch's pronouncement.

Introduction- and Background Information

Greetings all,
My name is George Cole-Duvall, I just graduated Valley High School, in West Des Moines Iowa, in May 2011. My parents are both Episcopal Ministers, The Rev. Mary Duvall and The Rev. Milton Cole. At a Church Convention my father met Father Samuel Peni, upon seeing him my father noticed that his suit wasn't tailored and he was standing alone. So my father, The Rev. Milton Cole went up and introduced himself. My father learned that Mr Peni was from the Sudan, and was in the United States to finish up his Seminary program, thus a relationship was born. Last year in March Father Samuel Peni became the Bishop of Nzara and my father went to his consecration in Sudan, Africa.

Bishop Peni presenting certificates naming The Rev Mary Duvall and The Rev Milton Cole Canons of the Cathedral in Nzara

I applied and got accepted at the University Of Northern Iowa, but I wasn't sure if I was quite ready for college. After conversing with my parents many times about this up coming college year, my father suggested that I go study with Bishop Samuel Peni in Sudan. 
A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from the 9th to the 15th of January 2011 on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan Peoples's Liberation Army Movement. On  February 7th 2011, the referendum commission published the final results, with 98.83% voting in favor of independence. This independence will take effect this summer on July 9th 2011. 
After learning this, my father and I went to the University of Northern Iowa, and presented the head of the Study Abroad Program with this idea of me spending my first year of college in Southern Sudan, and be there for the birth of the new country Southern Sudan. My major is Political Science so what better place to be at this time than the Sudan. The directors of the Study Abroad Program, Dr. Cornish and Dr. Meredith were nothing but eager to help and assist me as I embark on this journey, and for that my family and I are very grateful.
Throughout the years, for each of my birthdays, starting at age 16, I asked for people to make donations to the Sudan for Samuel Peni and his community in-lieu of receiving presents. I raised a little over $4,000.

Bicycles purchased in Sudan from the
money raised by the "Bike-Run-Stroll"

After my father's return from the Sudan, in March of 2010. He told us about the consecration, how wonderful it was, but also that priests from all over Sudan came, and most of them walked. Some walked as far as 105miles. So my parents and I hosted a "Bike-Run-Stroll" at Raccoon River Park, in West Des Moines Iowa. The turn out was great and we raised $1,234 to get bikes for the priest in the Sudan so they can travel more efficiently. Each bike had a front basket and came with a flat tire repair kit.  


At Valley High School our jazz band, directed by Joe Turner and David Kobberdalh, entered the Essentially Ellington Competition. This is a nationwide competition in which each entering band must record and submit the performance of 3 Duke Ellington Charts. Over 110 bands entered and our jazz band, the Valley Jazz Orchestra was selected as 1 of 16 finalist. We made our way to New York on May 11th, and performed on Saturday May 14th 2011 with Wynton Marsalis as one of our judges.
It was essential that I finish my high school career before the trip to New York, so i can fly out of New York and make my way to Africa. I was able to finish high school 3 weeks early, and gave up walking across the stage at graduation in order to be in Southern Sudan.
In Southern Sudan it costs $35 to educate a child for a year and with all the money I have help to raise I have been able to educate over 170 kids in the Sudan.
Durring my time in the Sudan I will be documenting life, my experiences, the emerging new country, and anything else of interest, as well as learning Arabic. I will also be acting as a teaching assistant, and help teach English to the students that I helped raise money to educate. English that will be the dominate language of Southern Sudan as of July 9th 2011. I will be teaching trumpet, piano, and guitar there as well. I am bringing 2 trumpets, a guitar and a keyboard. I plan on leaving 1 of my trumpets there as well as the keyboard and guitar for the community to use. It will also be my job to bring music to the Cathedral there, and act as the Youth Missioner of the Episcopal Diocese of Nzara.
I am very much looking forward to this experience and further updating everyone about my experience!