We spent the last few days interviewing returnees to the area, seeing schools and visiting a small clinic. Rumbek County is a predominantly Dinka area, and so we've been learning a bit about the Dinka.

Today was our last full day in Rumbek. We took the occasion to visit a few cattle camps outside of town. It was a bumpy, off-road trip in a Land Cruiser, led by our Dinka colleague Abuna Elijah.

We arrived in several large clearings arranged with poles and stakes. They were evidently stockyards but the cattle had gone to graze earlier in the morning. So, we drove on, looking for the herds.

We found a herd a little before noon. It was quite a sight -- several hundred cattle and scores of men, women and children. One man told us there were 700 cattle and 150 people. The people were an extended family.

He said that the family had taken refuge in the wilderness during the war, and the cattle had sustained them while enemy soldiers controlled Rumbek.

We also learned that this is a difficult season for cattle. It is dry and there is little water or forage. Yesterday, there were conflicts between herders in another area. So, there are issues to be resolved.

Most of the cattle headed out shortly after we arrived. We stuck around and talked with some of the people. Melissa took photos of a cow giving birth.

I spotted these two guys fencing with blunt wooden swords. They were good at it and they seemed to be having a good time.

Melissa arrived in Rumbek, Sudan, two days ago. We took a twin-propeller plane from Juba and landed on Rumbek's dirt airstrip. James, our Kenyan colleague, met us outside the plane to start working with us on our assignment.

I was in Rumbek about three years ago and the changes are really striking. Then, the war had just ended, and there were a lot of bombed out buildings. Now, there are new shops, hotels, and even Internet cafe. People seem relaxed and a lot of people are out and about town on foot or on bicycles.

This morning, I was feeling a little queasy so I passed on the opportunity to go to church with James. However, I did make it out for a church choir competiton following the morning service. Six church choirs competing to sing the best Catholic liturgical music in the local Dinka language. I recorded some of the singing and I'm trying to figure out how to post it online. Later, we might get to hear some drumming that happens in the evenings in Rumbek's main square.

The assignment's going well and we're focusing on people who are returning after the war. Everyone is glad there's peace but people are frustrated with how many dire needs remain. One man told me about how there's not enough food and water in the area where he and his family returned to.

One interesting development is that tons of soldiers are active around town picking up unregistered weapons. Because of the war, people have a lot of guns. Now that there's peace, the guns are a threat to public safety. So, the day after we arrived, soldiers went from house to house seizing weapons.

We've been in Juba since last Saturday, and we've got one more full day to go. It's been a great, quick introduction to Juba and a few of its residents. The city is swelling with returning refugees and other newcomers.

Some new residents find their way to Gudele, a suburb springing up on Juba's outskirts. Since the war ended in 2005, Juba County is believed to have grown from less than 200,000 people to almost 500,000. Schools are packed with more than 100 students per classroom. River barges arrive several times a month with hundreds of people returning from northern Sudan. We met one couple who arrived nine days ago on a barge. The whole journey took three months and they had a newborn. I can't imagine what that was like.

So far, there is only one paved road in Juba. The rest are busy, dirt roads. Sometimes the dust makes it hard to see what's ahead of you.

These guys were hanging out next to a central park. Whenever I asked people about Juba's future, they said they thought things were going to get better.

This is the start of a new blog where I hope to post regular updates on my travels with MCC. I'm a writer in MCC's communications department, and I travel three or four times a year to write articles. Three days ago, Melissa (the photographer I'm working with) and I arrived in the town of Juba, Sudan, to begin an assignment.

Juba is the regional capital for southern Sudan, and it is a bustling town. The city's dirt roads are enveloped by clouds of dust as trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians move along. Melissa and I began to get oriented to the city as Rob, the MCC rep, and Minalla, our Sudanese colleague, showed us around.

One of our stops was the grave of John Garang, a former rebel leader who died shortly after negotiating an end to the Sudanese civil war. Rob told us he met Garang and attended his funeral. He said that Juba was chosen as the capital of southern Sudan when Garang's supporters decided to bury him here.

We also payed our respects to the magnificent White Nile, flowing north through Juba. Barges regularly come south on the Nile from northern Sudan, carrying tons of goods and hundreds of returning refugees. Juba is growing at breakneck speed now that the war is over.

My assignment is to find out about what life is like in Juba as thousands of people come home. So far, I've learned that it's not easy, as there are very few wells, schools, clinics or paved roads. Keep checking back because hopefully I'll post more!