T.I.A (This is Africa)

T.I.A. This is Africa. Not only is this Africa, it is a refugee settlement in Africa. I am not quite sure how to explain to you what I mean by that, how to explain to you what life is like here in Buduburam without seeing and experience it yourselves. It is so full of diversities, so complex. Contrasts seem to be the word for it maybe. Sometimes I love it. Sometimes I hate it.

Sometimes I see children starving while at the same time their parents are buying candy or walking around with expensive mobile phones. Sometimes I see people begging and sometimes people drive in the camp at night showing off their brand new BMW’s and bling-bling-bling. Sometimes I see young girls go to school and sometimes I see them with a baby on their arm on their way to WFP for help to feed their babies. Sometimes I see these girls help their parents in their family shop, sometimes these girls sell their bodies at night in order to support their families. Sometimes I hear the wives laughing to their men, sometimes I hear the wives get beaten by the same men. We have a saying here; the men beats their wives. The wives beat their children. The children kick the dogs. The dogs bite the chickens. Domestic violence is of great concern and capitol punishment is widely accepted both in school and at home. It is how they survive. It is how they cope. It is what they have learned. And one of our many challenges here.

Sometimes people laugh and scream, sometimes people fight and scream. Sometimes it is peaceful and quiet here, sometimes it is so noisy I can’t hear myself think: from disco inferno or Michael Bolton to the call of the mosque, hallelujahs, children crying, women shouting, men arguing and dogs barking.

How can a place be so beautiful and so ugly at the same time? How can it be that I want to stay forever but want to leave at the same time? How come this place makes me laugh and at the same time make my cry myself to sleep?

It is diverse. It is complex. It is contradictive. It is all. It is nothing. It is joy. It is pain. It is love. It is hate. It is Africa. It is my life in Buduburam.

With love,
Trine.

OH MY GOD…just got to tell you that I live in the most sleezy hotel ever…yesterday they rented out one of the rooms by the hour… I could not believe it, it is so….I have no words…OH MY GOD!!!!

John: We get beers here lol, every night if we like to 😉 Have not got your parcel yet, but still hoping too! Speak soon!

Mamma: Du (eller Ivar) kan vel skrive noen ord…Puss o kram o maju, mjau, mjau

Sabina: När hade tu tänkt komma till Indien sa du? I vilket fall som helst – det blir sjukt bra att ses där! KRAAAAAM

Mr Svedin: INDIEN IT IS! 😀

Naguib: Thanks for you kind words and loving support, it is people like you that keeps me going! Heaps of love!