Sunny Sudan

I have recently aquired a new flat- huge, no cochroaches and by myself!!! Because sometimes it gets lonely living on your own and I never have time to cook my friend Rna has invited me to stay with her family a couple of times everyweek.
Last Thursday night, we drove around downtown Khartoum for entertainment than returned to her house for home made traditional Ethiopian coffee- so delicious!




On Friday everyone in Sudan sleeps until noon, because it is the only day off. Our breakfast was 5 more cups of incredibly strong Ethiopian coffee and traditional Sudanese food I can write in English, but very tasty- one is garlicky porridge and the other sugary couscous.
At around 6 we went to one of Rna's mother's beauty shops (she owns 5) and I got my hair done (extensions) and hands hennaed, I think it took 3 hours cause we had "lunch" at 9.
The process of henna- 1st, you stick your hands in a pit of smoldering cedar for 30 minutes for the ink to absorb better, they call it a sauna, my hands smell like a (forbidden) tasty smoked ham by the end! Secondly, the expert draws an amazingly inspired design she seems to pull out of thin air. It takes over an hour to dry and you can't move your hands at all. When it dries you pick off all the remnants and wash your hands for 15 minutes. It lasts about 3 weeks.
The shop was fun considering they speak Arabic really fast so it is hard to catch anything. They told me to come back everyweek and then I will be fluent.
Anyway the picture is of Rna and I on Friday night at the end of the day.