Sunny Sudan

The coffee in Sudan is truly delicious- strong but tasty. Just for the record I never actuall liked coffee before I got here. Also, in case I failed to mention it before the food is also great- full of flavour unlike Sudan's neighbor to the south...
V-Day- I went to an amusement park with some friends and hung around with 3 newly wedded honeymooning couples from the country( they wanted to have their pictures taken with me! which makes me feel like a freak and a celebrity at the same time). It was a very nice evening with kids playing (nicely) everywhere, ice cream and unsafe conklin style rides.
Generally girls here aren't really permitted by their families to go out past 9pm so yeah, most of my friends are male just because we share the same freedom. Anyway it was the perfect valentines day, nice and unromantic with only the ocassional Backstreet Boys song being played in the distance...

I just wanted to let you know that yesterday I used your song Alberta Bound in one of my advanced English classes, I hope you don't mind. The response was excellent, all the students loved the song as it has both great music and descriptive lyrics. I did have to explain what a Chinook is and what the word cranked means. The only negative comment I recieved was that you sing too quickly...
So, congratulations to you sir; you now have 35 new fans in Sudan.

Regards,
Etc.

I finally spent the day in a Sudanese home. It was a great day filled with warm family, delicious food, bumping Ethiopian beats and broken conversation. One of the Sudanese teachers at the school invited me to meet his family so I seized the opportunity. One of his sisters is a lawyer and she took me to get my hands hennaed at a local beauty shop. It took about an hour, she is so nice she told me I am now her sister, next week we are going to the market together. When we arrived back at the house the other 4 sisters insisted on dressing me up like a Sudanese bride and taking tonnes of pictures! I felt like a doll- hold your hands like this, now like this, do this... It was fun. The catch is only married women can have their feet hennaed. I am told it lasts for about 2 weeks and then you have it redone. It is one of the things the Sudanese are famous for, well that and war (ie: Paul Thoreaux's Dark Star Safari)

I started my classes last week, the students for the most part are great- and it is very obvious when they don't understand something, which was something I was worried about. I often feel as if I am reciting a solilioque wrong, cause I am up there at the front of the class performing like a jack-ass with absolutly nop response. But that doesn't happen most of the time, and thankfully my 2 beginners classes have been handed over to Sudanese teachers.
Everyday I teach a class at Niliain (that means two niles) University in the Computer Science Faculty, it is in Khartoum so I get to see the Nile twice every day. The guy who drives me is super shy so he never says anything, which is fine cause I am usually tired of talking by that time. I do know that he is a big Janet Jackson fan though... He drops me off in front of the Heavily guarded/fenced US Embassy, so that everyone probably thinks I am American (if they don't already)! I suppose it is worse to be Danish right now anyway, I just hope Stevie Harper minds his manners while I am here.There are sooo many stray dogs that sleep outside the embassy, yesterday I counted 8 altogether puppies and big dogs all in a big gross flea infested pile! At least they aren't mangy or rabid. I always walk very carefully around them, although I almost stepped on one yesterday we all know it is best to let sleeping dogs lie....

Inshallah means god willing. It is a beautiful word that easily rolls of the tongue. Having said that, I ahave discovered that there are many not so beautiful words which don't roll off my tongue as I have just struck a deal for Arabic lessons with a student at the college here. He is a great teacher and very patient, everyone has said that my printing of Arabic script is beautiful and always congratulate when I use a new word!
I had the best pizza the other day realitailian stuff!

I must say I am a little disappointed at the lack of comments posted on this here blog, let me know you are reading it at least!
Many things have happened since my last post, the biggest one affecting all others is the fact that I now have friends. I have gone from total boredom to having to schedule them in...
Friend 1: Is one of the only female regulars at the English club besides myself. She is very conservative, and asked me to go to her relatives weeding that night- so much food- women just kept shoving food in my hands, who couldn't love that? She has an arranged marriage to a man 13 years her senior coming up in July, to which I have been invited-inshallah...
Friend 2: I met on Thursday afternoon through a girl from work (her boyfriends friend), we went to a big expat hotel for coffee that afternoon. The next day he took me to see one of the biggest dam development projects this side of Egypt - Jebel Awlia.
Friend 3: I met while I was praying (actually listening to poems about Allah, while jumping around- it is very good excercise) at the Sufi mosque near my house. She works for the UN, speaks English fluently and is finishing a French degree, she is also a swimming coach-amazing. She offered to take me anywhere in her car.
Friend 4: Is a lecturer in the Faculty of Computer Science at Khartoum University, she asked me to sit next to her, her giant husband and her very bold 1 year old, at a wonderful peace concert last night.
Friend 5: Works at Nilain University where I will soon start two classes, he is a graduate of the English Departmet and has kindly given me a guided tour of the university this morning.
Friends 6, 7, 8, 9 +10: Are a a bunch of guys from a class I substituted for twice last week. I meet them at lunch quite often where they beg me for more info about Canada.

This book is amazing, and has quickly climbed to the status of one of my all time favorites. It takes place in London and Harar, Ethiopia and is about a white orphan girl growing up in Ethiopia as a Muslim. Camilla Gibb has a PhD in Anthropology so the research is tight ( I checked), she also lived in Ethiopia for awhile so relied on a lot of first hand experience. It is a compelling descriptive of what life is live as a refugee.
Really what makes the book so wonderful is that it captures the frustration and confusion of feeling as if one does not belong anywhere in the world, and the relief and comfort that comes with knowing we all belong to whever we choose to belong.
Comment if you have read it, I want to know what you think.

Hello,
Today I recieved my first paycheck which is great. This means that I will finally have enough dinars to go to Khartoum, maybe eat at an Indian restaurant, go swimming at the Hilton and all of that other fun expensive stuff I couldn't do before. Although I was only paid for 1/2 a month (I can't believe that is all the time I have been here), so I will have to show at least a little restraint. Yesterday we had another holiday to recognize the immigration of the prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina. I celebrated by washing clothes and reading Pride and Prejudice...
I started teaching some classes for one of my roomates who decided to take some time off. I really enjoy it, the students are very friendly and love hearing about Canada- yes they do like Celine Dion here too. Most of the students are proffessionals, doctors, lawyers, engineers etc so they are very intelligent and interesting. They said I am a very good teacher! I get my own classes starting on the 4th of Feb.
I hope you enjoy these new pictures. One is of the market the other 2 are views from my balcony.