I arrived in Bor, Sudan mid morning around 10:00 o'clock. Shouts of "Ci yi bak" which means hello in Dinka. I had been traveling the day and night before and I was finally excited I was going to have lots of fun with Panther. To Panther this was an exciting time too, because he now lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was excited to see all his people and his home village he had not seen since before his journey with all the Lost Boys to Kakuma and then to America.
First he thought we should have a special lunch with all his friends as a greeting. We had a very delicious feast that was pretty gourmet and special, it also smelled amazing. It included Bamia-Bamia (a lamb stew), rice, Kisra (a type of bread), omelette (it is kind of like a pancake),and cooked vegetables. The feast was also a celebration. During this celebration all of the people did their regular routine of dancing and singing. I always am fascinated and amazed to watch and hear the sounds and music they can make both with their mouth, body and instruments. Then an enthusiastic woman, who was dressed in a vibrant, colorful dress, which felt funny, interesting and amazing grabbed my hand and pulled me into their circle of dancers, drummers, people clapping and making noise with their bodies. She starting showing me how to dance, what to sing and and when to clap and then I would follow her motions. Before this I could have never imagined how it would have felt to be part of this joyful celebration, but I am glad that I got this chance.
After that I was tired from traveling and from dancing, so Panther took me back to his house, which was more like a hut.As soon as I took the scene in I fell asleep.......... A few hours later I awoke to a nice, quiet, and peaceful scene. Outside their was a tall women hanging laundry on a clothesline. It turned out this was Panther's wife, Nyanthiec. She was a very nice, but quiet person. She told me that Panther would be back soon.
The next few days I was in Sudan, Panther showed me around his village and took me to all his special places. One that I will always have a memory of is the performance we went to where Lam Tungwar performed. Panther also showed me the school he is working on. I also liked when we went to a place where some women were making dolls. Panther let me pick one out and I choose, in my opinion the cutest one, it was a little girl with braids and a green and black dress. What a great souvenir! On the last day Panther and I took a walk. After that walk I said goodbye to everyone. Then I was headed home back to Santa Barbara, CA! That was a journey I will never forget.
Here is one of the songs Lam Tungwar sang at the concert we went to:
