No rest for the weary

I tell ya, Achak has his fair share of life dealings. The main focus of today is his sense of belonging and faith. There are several times in the book where he states he does not really know where he belongs in this lifetime. As he is established in one camp, he has to move on to the next. Currently, at my position in the book, he is living at Kakuma within the boundaries of Kenya. Kakuma is so big it has "suburb" camps. Every week, thousands of refugees are dumped upon the camp. As more come, rations are smaller. Living conditions are not ideal in Kakuma. Achak describes it as being a place of death and a place of dust. It is described as most meals not being able to be eaten without chewing gritty sand.

The UN decides it is time to do a census within the camp. The people are opposed to it. Finally, after much time, they are able to do it. With it comes the realization that 8,000 less people live in the camp than thought. People were 'recycling' themselves (leaving camp in disguise and returning with a pseudonym) to receive second ration cards. With this realization, rations become smaller and people are still forced to eat just one meal a day.

During all of this, Achak is living with a man named Gol who is Dinka. Gol is a teacher in the camp; he is waiting for his wife and three daughters to show up to live in Kakuma (one daughter needs medical treatment and can get it here). Achak remains busy as he is living with Gol by pulling his own weight when needed. He excels in school and does his duties. When the census is complete and rations are taken, Achak decides he will recycle himself so he can contribute more to the family when they get here. So, they show up and he sets off to Sudan to sell articles of clothing to return with goats in order to make more money and get a new ration card at Kakuma. It is a complicated process. Along the way he bribes Kenyan officers, takes a ride in a truck bed with dead bodies and meets a man who makes artificial limbs. This man tells him to turn around to go back to Kakuma...long story...read it.

Two side stories:

1) Achak wants to give up on the way to Kakuma. He decides he wants to die like William K and lies in the path to fall "asleep" into death. A girl named Maria stumbles upon him and tells him he will NOT rest in the road or die. She is the reason he is alive by Kakuma.

2) Tabith is killed by her ex-boyfriend. Achak shares the stories and the struggles of the Dinka in America after a Sudanese killed another Sudanese.

Achak struggles a lot with God. He is not sure what he or the many Lost Boys or people of Sudan have done to make God mad. He debates a lot on this.

Today, I returned to Chicago. Home sweet home outside of South Carolina. I miss my family and friends from SC, but Skype is my new best friend. :) My grad class went out to eat tonight, too. I feel like we are finally a cohort. :)

Talk to you tomorrow.