Examinations

Just after I returned to El Obeid end of semester exams began.  Suddenly the university seemed full of students carrying around armfuls of revision notes and wearing worried expressions.  As there are no lectures I have a new role - typing exam papers!

A couple of days after my return I invigilated my first exam, which was held in one of the classrooms near to the English Office.  Students were packed in like sardines with barely any space between desks, those who came late had to bring their own desks, and one poor girl didn't even have a desk as we couldn't fit any more in the room!  

It reminded me of my own university exams, that feeling of complete dread, the echoing sports hall and the two cheery pensioner invigilators complete with flasks, snacks and squeaky shoes.  Total silence abounded except for one occasion when the fire alarm went off and we were told "not to worry - that often happens - someone will let us know if there IS a fire!"  People walking past the exam areas were castigated if they dared to speak let alone make some serious noise.  You sat and waited with baited breath to be told you may begin, and kept a careful eye on the clock throughout the exam, dreading the words - Stop Writing.

In Sudan? - not a bit of it -  Invigilating in Sudan comes complete with regular supplies; cups of tea and breakfast or lunch depending on the time of day.  Students breeze in casually (some over half an hour late!) and start as soon as they get settle and have their paper.  There is not a clock to be seen anywhere,  from time to time the lead invigilator checks his mobile phone to see how long is left.  Life outside the exam room carries on as normal - During that first exam there was a celebration outside for the opening of new water fountains, with speeches, cheering and clapping.  I was about to go and complain on behalf of the students when someone bought me a lovely breakfast and told me to "take my rest."   For the mature students, the exams take place in the large lecture hall at the Centre Campus of the University, just below the windows there are tea ladies where groups gather to engage in lively banter.  Many students seem to finish the exams long before the time is up - at the half way point when students are allowed to leave, there is almost a stampede.  Some students seem to prefer to "take their rest" during the exam, and will sit with their head on the desk seemingly asleep for an hour or so before springing into action towards the end of the time.  After 3 weeks of invigilating; two exams a day on some occasions; I was glad of the diversion of travelling to Khartoum to attend an English Teaching forum.

A couple of days before I travelled to Khartoum I had been getting stomach pains again, and was considering seeing the doctor.  However, I didn't want to miss the trip to Khartoum and felt well enough to travel so off I went.  Luckily for me, my friend Mohammed from Extra was also travelling to Khartoum, so he kindly arranged my ticket and met me at the bus station so we could travel together.  Not only did he manage to get me a discounted ticket for just 50SDP, but he also negotiated the price for my taxi to Billie's once we arrived in Khartoum.  All the SVP gang were in town for the forum, so it was a great chance to catch up with everyone again.  Unfortunately after the forum I was feeling unwell again, so Billie kindly took me to the doctors, where I was thoroughly examined and asked to take various tests.  

Well, obtaining samples for tests is difficult enough at the best of times, but have you ever tried it whilst trying to hold your maxi skirt up above the hole in the ground toilet, concentrate on the job in hand and keep your balance at the same time?  Mission eventually accomplished, I flushed the cistern and a great tidal wave of water surged towards me, completely soaking my skirt and feet!  Great!  And then to add insult to injury as I came out I noticed that the previously occupied next door cubicle had a standard toilet after all!  Still nice to know that the samples were not produced in vain - I was diagnosed to have a parasitic infection in my stomach, and prescribed various drugs to clear up the problem.  Just to be sure that there was nothing else serious going on they asked me to come back the next day for an ultra sound.  Mary kindly accompanied me, complete with dictionary, should my diagnosis prove beyond the realms of normal everyday Arabic conversation!  As it turned out we need not have worried as the Doctor had lived in Norwich for 14 years!  Still at least Mary got to see some of the football whilst she waited for me!  I was subsequently reassured that there was nothing major to worry about and I should soon start to feel better once the medication kicked in.  Feeling just a tad sorry for myself, I then preceded to lay around Billie and Mary's apartment for a few days doing a very convincing impression of a dying swan until I felt up to chancing the 8 hour bus journey back home, feeling thoroughly grateful that I have such wonderful friends here!

Happy New Year, Independence and other occasions!

Much as I had a brilliant time in Khartoum, it was good to get back to El Obeid.  People were so happy to see me back, even the man I just say hello to every time I walk past his house on my way the Extra Institute was delighted to see me!

Being in Khartoum for "Independence Day", we thought we might see some of the celebrations, however in true Sudanese style celebrations began after the actual day itself!  Driving to work on my first day back in El Obeid, we passed a military mounted procession gathering.  Lines of men on horseback, looking very smart in their traditional "Jalabias" bright white in the morning sunshine.

Later that day I went to the main campus of the University to meet Hassan as Mohammed had told him I had returned from Khartoum "bankrupt"!  They were staging a celebration to mark the Independence of Sudan from Britain in 1956.  A group of students sang a number of traditional Sudanese songs, to which there was much dancing and cheering from the crowd of Staff and Students that had assembled to watch the proceedings.  As usual I had found myself in prime position in the front row.  Amongst the singing, speeches and poetry there was a lively drama, which was very entertaining, despite not understanding the dialogue!  The portrayal of an English Gentleman Soldier was hilarious, complete with the clipped upper class accent.  Little did I know at the time that I was yet to enjoy this celebration a further two times - at Khawr Teggat on the Sunday and again at the Faculty of Education on the following Tuesday!  Although each subsequent occasion had it's surprises - at Khawr Teggat, Hassan joined the students on stage and sang with them, which was great to see!  And at the faculty of Education Mrs Helen was led up in front of the stage to dance in front of the crowd - to much cheering and clapping!  If only they knew - in England several units of alcohol would had to have been consumed for me to make a public spectacle of myself like that!  It was just lovely to share in the joy and celebration with my colleagues and students.  One of whom gave me the best accolade "You are the best English/Sudanese dancer we have seen!"

That evening I met my friend at the centre campus for coffee.  We could hear the sound of drums in the distance so we went off to investigate.  There was a group of boys and a group of girls performing a dance around the basketball court.  One of my students was nearby, and told us that it was a tribal celebration, welcoming new students to the university.  The dance was very similar to the one I'd seen performed at the French Institute before Christmas - lots of fast footwork, as my friend Ness described it - a bit like shuffle! This time I did have my camera but the battery was dead!  Seemingly I am not destined to record this for future reference!  Though it was wonderful to be amongst the crowd, cheering and clapping, enjoying the spectacle.

On the Friday of my first week back in El Obeid, I went to a "circumcision celebration" for two adorable little boys - who's feet you can see in the picture!  Like all family gatherings and celebrations, the ladies and men were separate for the occasion, and of course food was involved too!  After a sumptuous  breakfast, the boys were prepared for their celebration.  Beautifully dressed in their jallabias, with their feet hennaed, they then had red ribbons tied round their heads, with a gold medallion at the front and sticks around the sides which gave them the appearance of crowns.  Then an orange paste was applied to firstly their heads and then to everyone else's (including me!)  The little boys obliged by punching the air in celebration to the delight of everyone there.  There was lots of singing and trilling and at last - I have learned how to do it!  So I can now trill with the best of them at all future celebrations!  I just wish learning Arabic was that simple!

Khartoum Capers!

After the excitement of Christmas Day we spent Boxing day relaxing around the apartment venturing out after dark for some delicious ice cream at a very swanky ice cream and cake shop appropriately named "Luxury" on Africa Street.  It is easy to forget you are in Sudan in this part of Khartoum, as you can go for ice cream or a meal and hear English being spoken all around you and all the waiters seem to understand English much better than my broken Arabic!

The next day we start out with a plan to go to Souk Omdurman, then on the way back stop at Souk Arabi and see Paul the SVP coordinator.  However, it takes us a while to get going (as is often the case here in Sudan!) so we have a brief shop in Souk Arabi after something to eat, and go directly to the SVP flat.  Whilst we are out and about, Brent, calls and invites us out for something to eat.  Given the choice of Fuul, The Yemeni Restaurant (where we have eaten many times), Pizza or Indian - the Brit in me straight away opts for the Indian!  The Tanoor Inn, Khartoum 2 does not disappoint!  The food and service is fabulous and the price is reasonable too.  So having had a Chinese in Goa, I have now had an Indian in Sudan - what next?

My holiday in Khartoum seems to default into lazing around for most of the day then eating with friends in the evening - quite the opposite to my daily life in El Obeid, where I tend to spend my days at the University and my evenings alone in my apartment recharging my batteries!

Jess went back to Wad Medani on the Thursday morning and Billie was working at Neelain University (www.neelain.edu.sd/) , so I decided to go along for the ride and see what Neelain is like compared to University of Kordofan.  It is situated in a very nice part of Khartoum near to the Nile confluence (hence the name!)  The building is quite spectacular, beautiful architecture much more in keeping with the style of some of the more traditional buildings in England.  The lecture halls are similarly equipped although they have white boards, instead of chalk boards and the head of department shouts out of the window to order tea as they do at University of Kordofan.  The difference being that the tea lady is downstairs and across a busy street!  However, she happily brings the tea, just the same!  I guess it's good exercise!

That evening we joined Christine, Brent and Rebecca at Ozone, a well known cafe where anybody who is anyone in Khartoum hangs out!  I'd driven past it many times, but hadn't previously sampled it's delights!  Whilst we were there I got a call from my friends Jenny and Paul to tell me they had arrived safely in Khartoum and would arrange for a car to come and pick me up in the morning.  Billie, Mary and their friends were going to Port Sudan for New Year, but were happy to let me stay in their apartment for the duration of my stay in Khartoum.

It seemed surreal seeing Jenny and Paul sitting in the back of a car in Khartoum!  The last time I'd seen Jenny was enjoying a meal with our dear friend Julie, in the Butchers Arms, Greens Norton (http://www.thebutchersarmsgreensnorton.co.uk/), shortly before I left for Sudan.  It was a wet August evening and I remember vividly the view out of the window and across the street - a quintessential English village view - houses and cottages and the church spire.  I remember thinking "I don't suppose I'll see a view like this again for a while!"  And here they were in Riyahd!  

We spent a very pleasant day being driven around in their air conditioned car past some of the sights of Khartoum.  I don't think Jenny and I really noticed them, we were just happy to be having a good old girly catch up!  After our sight seeing trip we went back to Hotel Assaha, where Jenny and Paul were staying, for tea before getting ready to go to one of Paul's Sudanese colleague's weddings.  The wedding was beautiful, a lovely mixture of Sudanese and English style wedding (Mohammed was bought up in Solihull!)  Jess joined us at the wedding as she'd arrived back in Khartoum to celebrate New Year with Martha and Christine, so after the wedding Mustafa (the driver) kindly dropped us back at Billie's apartment.

 

On New Year's Eve morning I packed an overnight bag, as Jenny and Paul had kindly booked me into their hotel for the night (only one of the best hotels in town!)  They arrived to pick me up with Mohammed, who is a business contact of Paul's, and we headed off to the Camel Market which is some way out of Khartoum.  I had been to the local El Obeid Camel Market, but this one was much bigger and far more spread out.  We were allowed into an enclosure with half a dozen camels, but we weren't allowed to take photos - presumably because these were top secret racing camels or something??!!  After a bit of a wander round we went and had a very delicious breakfast of lamb and camel meat, with lashings of  "Leban Up" to wash it down with.  "Leban Up" is yoghurt mixed with 7 Up, and is not only very nice, it is said to aid digestion of the meat!  I vow to start making my own at home!

When we get back to the hotel I go to register and check in - only to find that as I have Sudanese residency they do not need to hold on to my passport or fill in any forms!  I take my belongings and the case of "swag" that Paul and Jenny have bought me over from the UK to my room and unpack. It's a good job that I've bought a large bag with me to take everything back to Billie's!  The ever thoughtful Jenny has included some extra presents - body shop pink grapefruit body butter and emergency chocolates from non other than Hotel Chocolat, which I will try and keep as a treat for my birthday! The Hotel Assaha is famous locally for it's Lebanese Restaurant, and they had program of entertainment planned so they suggested that we didn't come down too late for dinner.

We had a relaxing drink together before going down for dinner.  During which time we kept a watchful eye on the restaurant below, to ensure we managed to get a table!  The food was excellent and as we were eating the restaurant filled up to full capacity and the entertainment began. There was music and Sudanese dancing. I had been pre-warned that New Year is not such a big deal here in Sudan, so was not surprised at the lack of countdown or cheering!

However there was a nice atmosphere, the music was good and we had sparklers!The biggest advantage was that you could send texts around midnight without any problem!  In fact Karen rang me on the stroke of midnight, bless her, if she was hoping to hear a rowdy countdown and raucous celebrations, she would have been surely disappointed!  At least we were able to have a decent conversation! Things quietened down further around 1am so we headed up to Paul and Jenny's room to stay up for New Year UK.

In the morning I treated myself to a bath, my first in over 4 months!  Then I sat around in the fluffy bathrobe for a bit before getting ready to meet Jenny and Paul for breakfast.  We decide to start the New Year with a walk and ventured out of the hotel to walk to the Blue Nile Sailing Club - another one of Khartoum's haunts that I have driven past many times but never been into.  It turned out to be quite a long walk, so we are glad of a relaxing, well deserved Shay by the Nile, when we got there.  We had hoped to find a boat trip to take us up to the confluence, but no such luck.  Seemingly most of down town Khartoum was shut, it was a public holiday after all!  The walk back seemed quicker, after which we treated ourselves to a drink at Ozone, where I bumped into a chap from the French Embassy whom I'd met in El Obeid - small world isn't it!  

Later we went for dinner at Tanoor Inn (Paul and Jenny asked for my recommendation, it was good and I figured it'd be a while before I got the chance of another Indian!)  Once again it did not disappoint! After the meal Mustafa dropped me back at Billie's apartment, where not only did I have the embarrassment of having the security guard insist on struggling up the stairs with my extremely heavy bag, I then had the shock of seeing a light under the door of the apartment!  Luckily it was Mary and her parents back from Port Sudan and not burglars!

The next morning Mary kindly offered to come and help me get my bus ticket! Thank goodness! Her Arabic is excellent, so I could rest assured that I would be on the right bus, at the right time and the right day!  Mustafa and Jenny came to pick us up and Mary explained in her brilliant Arabic where we needed to go. Once we got there he was a man on a mission, finding the same bus company that I'd travelled from El Obeid with and he and Mary sorted out my ticket, before we dropped Mary back home.  Jenny and I met Paul for a spot of lunch at Ozone, where this time I bumped into Paul Fean!  I find it so strange that I'm bumping into people I know all the time in Sudan, but back in Milton Keynes I can go all over the place without seeing a single familiar soul!  After lunch we went back to Assaha where Paul and Jenny packed before going to the Airport.  I have to admit I felt pretty emotional when we dropped them off  - realising that they were going home to England which I wouldn't be doing for nearly six months yet!  

When I got back to the apartment, Mary was busily cooking.  We'd invited people round to spend my last night in Kharotum with us.  Billie was back from Port Sudan too.  My last night in Khartoum was spent eating all Mary's delicious cooking, chatting and smoking sheesha with Mary, Billie, Bob and Omar!  A perfect end to a brilliant holiday!

Again I was up before Dawn Prayers the next morning - I'd booked an amjad to take me to the bus station at 6:30am for my epic journey back south!  By the time I'd got on the bus I was looking forward to getting back to El Obeid, and it's slow pace of life!  Kharotum is far too busy and expensive for me! I'd got barely any money left - Though it was worth every Sudanese pound to spend such a great time with fantastic friends old and new!  I know I will always remember how I saw in 2012!

Khartoum Christmas!

On the 23rd December I got up in time for dawn prayers for the first time since I've been in Sudan.  No I haven't finally found religion - I was catching the 715am bus to Khartoum and Hassan was coming to pick me up at 645am.  I had no idea what my first Christmas away from home was going to be like, but I'd figured it was all the excuse I needed to take the long trip back to Khartoum, to see my SVP friends.

My friends at Extra had been laughing at me as I'd been fretting about the bus ticket for the whole week, worrying that they might sell out and I wouldn't be able to get to Khartoum for Christmas!  In my mind I had visions of it turning out like one of those cheesy American "Home for Christmas" movies, where everything that could possibly go wrong on the journey does, although in my version I couldn't picture the happy ending!  However, seemingly as long as you avoid travelling during Eid you can pretty much bowl up at the bus station on the morning you want to travel and you'll have no problems getting a seat.  

Much as I was looking forward to seeing everyone in Khartoum I was dreading the bus journey.Spending ten hours on a bus without a toilet and only one stop halfway was not on my bucket list strangely enough!  Still I needn't have worried as it was a relatively painless mere eight and a quarter hours, with a driver who wasted no time and ignored the speeding alarm constantly beeping all the way!  By 3:30pm I am standing in the sun outside the bus station in Khartoum, waiting for Billie to arrive.

Billie rang and asked me if I was standing next to a Sudanese person, which made me laugh so much - I was the only white person outside the bus station!  Of course I soon realised the reason she was asking me was that she'd got lost and a Sudanese man was helping her with directions!

It was so great to see Billie after all this time, and to know that Jess was on her way too.  Billie's apartment  in Riyadh (which is a very upmarket Ex Pat area of town) is amazing.  Her bedroom alone is bigger than my apartment!  At one point there were four volunteers living there together, but now it's just Billie and Mary, with Mary's folks in town for the festive season.

We had all been invited to Paul Fean's; a fellow SVP volunteer's house; for the big day and each needed to provide something to eat and a secret Santa present.  So on Christmas Eve, after a nice long lie in we headed for the Ex Pat supermarket in search of edible goodies and then off to the mall for something for secret Santa.  

Later on we had arranged to meet Martha and Christine at a Restaurant called "Solitaire"  for something to eat before attending Midnight Mass at the Catholic Cathedral.  We surprised ourselves by arriving relatively on time and found a nice table and settled down to wait for the others.  After a fair few minutes of waiting with phone calls back and forth we realised that there were in fact two "Solitaire" restaurants in Khartoum!  Martha and Christine were waiting patiently in the other one!  So we went and hailed a rickshaw to take us to them, aware that time was moving on and we were all starving.  

However, this proved to be no simple feat - we had picked the rickshaw driver who had just arrived in town and had no idea where anywhere was including Khartoum 2, a whole district!  After he had stopped and asked for directions for about the 4th time we abandoned the rickshaw paid him something towards the petrol and got an amjad to take us there instead.  By the time we arrived it was 11pm and Martha and Christine were just finishing off their meal so that they could get to the Mass in time.  Luckily the service was very quick so Jess and I still managed to get to the Cathedral before the Mass started.  

The place was packed, mostly by local people with a smattering of Ex Pat's here and there.  Unlike in England the Mass actually started at midnight and went on until close to 2am!  It was the most up beat "jingly jangly" Catholic Mass I have ever attended, although we were slightly disappointed by the lack of Carol singing opportunities.  However we did manage a few versus of  "Oh come All Ye Faithful" on two occasions!  I finally fell into bed around 3am, feeling quite Christmassy at last!

On Christmas morning I awoke to find a card and present of a much needed Arabic book from Jess - bless her, she's so lovely and thoughtful.  I also had another gift to open from my dear friend Rabha, who had given it to me the night before I left El Obeid - nice perfume which I have been constantly wearing ever since.

After a very relaxing start to Christmas Day, we set off for Paul's in the sunshine wearing tinsel with Billie carrying a small Christmas Tree she had made with the children at the Coptic Catholic School. On arrival we were greeted warmly by Paul and Brent who were waiting outside so that we could find the house.

The house was full of SVP volunteers, friends and family, with more friends arriving later on.  We put our secret Santa presents under the tree and set to work in the kitchen preparing our feast. 

My contribution was cauliflower cheese, to go with the roast chickens and stuffing provided by Brent and Paul.  The table looked amazing, full of delicious food that everyone had made.

After dinner we played pass the parcel - which was new to both the Sudanese and Americans!  It's amazing what SVP does for international relations!  Then we opened our secret Santa presents.  Mine was a beautiful handmade box with a two bank notes in it; one Sudanese and the other from South Sudan; which I know will prove to be a truly memorable souvenir in years to come!

I chatted to my mum and children on facebook and by telephone, although it was hard hearing their voices and not being there with them, knowing they were all happy too made my day complete.  I also had calls and texts from my friends in El Obeid wishing me a Happy Christmas, which was lovely and unexpected, especially bearing in mind that it is not a day of celebration here in Sudan.

Christmas Day 2011 may have been spent thousands of miles away from dear friends and family, but all the friends I have made in Sudan since September made it truly wonderful in it's own unique and special way - I am sure I will always remember my magical Sudanese Christmas!

Comparisons, differences and a bit of cultural exchange!

A question I'm often asked is "How do you find Sudan?"  The flippant answer of course is "go to Egypt and keep heading south!"  It is so difficult to put into words exactly how I find Sudan.  To begin with I found it incredibly hot and just so different to anything I'd experienced before.  The people here are exceptionally warm and welcoming, even after 2 months in El Obeid, perfect strangers still call out to me in the street and want to shake my hand and welcome me to their country.  It is unlike other countries where people want to know you because they are eager to get you to part with your money - quite the opposite - I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've paid for a meal, bus or taxi fare since I've been here.  "Murrer ja" they tell me - "Next time"  but next time never seems to come!  When you visit friends in their homes you are constantly being told to eat, drink or take your rest.  So as you can imagine life is pretty tough!  All that eating and resting - I've never felt so relaxed!  

Life in Sudan  is very different to life back home in England - in so many ways.  I still can't make up my mind which is easiest or preferable as there are advantages and disadvantages to living in both countries.

Here people live together in extended families, often several people share one bedroom.  Despite this I'm still asked to go and stay with students and friends and treat their home as my home - which of course involves eating a lot and taking plenty of rest!  It's not uncommon when you visit people here to see a guest asleep or sprawled out on a bed!  There are always plenty of beds in every house - many people don't bother with sofa's or armchairs - they have 2 or 3 beautifully made beds which people sit or lie on depending on how tired they feel!  Could you imagine going over a friends house in England and stretching out and promptly falling asleep?  They would probably think you were most rude!  Here in Sudan they would be delighted that you had made yourself at home!  

Eating is a whole new experience in Sudan, firstly it is rare to see any cutlery and secondly, meals are "shared plate" where everyone literally digs in with their hands.  Someone gave me a tip about eating when I first arrived - never eat until you are full and then stop, as once you say you are full you will always be asked to have more, so you need to pace yourself!  Another thing to watch out for is when everyone else stops eating before you and insists that YOU finish the plate! I am always being told to "akli, akli!" which means "eat, eat!" as they tell me I eat slowly, which I do - as I worry that I'll appear too greedy and I like to give everyone else sharing the plate a chance!  Although I think eating quickly is a skill you quickly develop growing up in Sudan in a large family - either that or go hungry!  

Marriage is a major obsession here, not just amongst the young!  My students never tire of talking about it - I'm sure the Sudanese are the most romantic race on the planet - even the boys are very open about feelings and not afraid to show them or talk about them.  I'm constantly being asked if I would marry a Sudanese man or being told I must find myself a nice man and get married.  Telling them that I tried it once and it didn't work out for me, is futile - with family being central to everything here, they just can't understand why anyone would want to be single and live alone - so I am every bit the eccentric English woman in their eyes!

A couple of weeks ago I developed a burning pain in my right abdomen, which I tried ignoring and hoping it would go away.  Then after a particularly painful and restless night when I convinced myself I was dying and they would have to get some bolt cutters to break into my apartment and discover my corpse, I figured I should get it checked out.  So later that evening my friend Hassan came and collected me and took me off to the doctors, where despite a fairly packed waiting room I did not have to wait very long before seeing the doctor.  As well as friend and mentor, Hassan was there in capacity as linguistic expert who could translate Arabic to English and vice versa.  I needn't have worried - the doctor spoke clear and perfect English!  He asked about my drinking habits (Now, Now - he meant WATER!!)  He then said he'd like me to have a scan, at which point I thought we'd be leaving to go home and wait the 6 weeks or more for an appointment letter.  Not all all!  I was shown to another room to wait a couple of minutes and my ultra sound was performed there and then, within about 10 minutes I was back with the doctor discussing the results!  Everything was fine - I probably had a bit of inflammation due to changes in water, the water here is quite salty which can cause kidney problems.  Within an hour or so I was home, with the tablets the doctor had prescribed for a total cost of just under £30, which the University refunded me for later.   Of course, I don't know what it's like for the average Sudanese person who gets sick and needs treatment that maybe they can ill afford (no pun intended!)

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to the Alliance Francias D'El Obeid, where they were receiving guest's from the French Embassy in Khartoum.  The Alliance is just a short walk from my apartment so I said that I would make my own way there.  Knowing the Sudanese approach to time keeping I was a little unsure of what time to get there, especially as I'd never been there before.  The event was to start around 530pm, so I figured if I left my house around that time I wouldn't be too late and maybe some people I know may have arrived by then.  

Over the last week or so I had rediscovered the brain cell that was storing my knowledge of the French language; quite by accident; when trying to communicate with a group of students studying French, who's English was about the same level as my Arabic - to my surprise we were able to carry out a reasonable conversation in French.  Spurred on by this discovery I was a little less daunted by the prospect of being amongst total strangers.  When I arrived I was greeted warmly and promptly forgot all Arabic and French as well as the good manners to attempt to introduce my self - I just shook hands and smiled a lot!  I was shown to a very comfy seat right on the front row.  There was no sign of Professor Haider or anyone else I vaguely recognised.  Still I had a nice comfy seat and refreshments were in front of me so I was quite happy.  After a short while a bus arrived with students from the university, some of whom sat behind me and chatted to me in a mixture of 3 languages.  As the people from the Alliance waited eagerly to greet their guests I suddenly had a panic - What if they think that I'm one of the French delegation, how embarrassing would that be? 

I was distracted from this thought, by activity on the stage in front of me.  It would appear that the festivities were about to start, and the delegation had not arrived yet!  The stage filled with men and women wearing African costumes who started performing a very lively and vigorous dance to the drum music that was being played.  It was the most "African" sight I'd seen since arriving in Sudan, and I didn't have my camera to capture the moment as I'd lent it to a friend!  The students behind me told me it was traditional Sudanese dancing.  The dancers had what looked like small pyramids made of tin cans tied to their calves, which sounded as if they were full of sand or beans, making an amazing sound as they danced frenetically.  Some of the men were dressed like witch doctors and were jumping around chanting.  It was quite a spectacle to behold!  And still the delegation had not arrived!

Eventually, much to my relief my colleague and the delegation from the French Embassy arrived and were duly introduced to myself and other people.  After a short time there was a repeat of the dancing, much to my relief - I would have hated to think they'd missed out!

The evening was rounded off by the Alliance "house band" (two guys on keyboards, a drummer and a singer) playing some music after which the delegation left and I found myself talking to a charming local teacher, who told me I was welcome at the Alliance any time as they have something happening most evenings.

Celebrations and Festivals

Having just spent a hectic Eid week of eating, visiting and partying, I can categorically say that the Sudanese sure know how to celebrate - and without the aid of alcohol!

The week before Eid (Eid al-Adha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha) I was lucky enough to attend a graduation ceremony at the University.  Apparently I had already missed at least one of the parties that the students hold to celebrate this momentous occasion, but I'd made it to the "main event."

Without wishing to offend anyone, graduation ceremonies are great occasions where fantastic achievements are celebrated but let's face it they can be a tad boring!  Especially for the proud relatives and friends who sit through seemingly endless speeches from Professors they have never heard of about things they don't care about - at least if you are a graduand you get to sit with your friends and gossip about the good old days at Uni, until you are herded into a long orderly queue ready to go onto the stage to collect your award.

So as I took my front row seat at the University of Kordofan, Faculty of Arts 2011 Graduation Ceremony, I prepared myself for the usual long speeches and even longer lists of names that would be even more tedious as I wouldn't understand any of it!  Thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong!

My colleagues formed an orderly line up beneath the stage, which was well lit with a large sound and video system.  Music was playing, names were read out and the students made their way, in their own time, complete with entourage of family and friends to collect their awards, stopping on the way to be congratulated, introduce their family to their teachers and pose for photo's to mark the occasion.  Relatives and friends were cheering and trilling and fireworks were going off everywhere.  There were a few speeches, but they were not overly long and they were appropriately in Arabic, French and English, congratulating the graduates of each language, to which some students responded by taking the microphone and thanking their lecturers.

Much to my embarrassment there was even a small tribute to me for joining the team at the University!  There were no orderly queues and the crowd were spilling in front of the stage completely obscuring my view, much to the annoyance of the "Graduation Committee" students who were trying hard to keep them under control.  "It's no good, they can't be controlled, they won't listen," one of them told me.  For me it was exactly the sheer organised chaos and excitement combined with the contrast to a "Traditional English Graduation" that made it so thoroughly entertaining!  These students had worked hard for 4-5 years, and families had supported them and made sacrifices to keep them at University - they were all very proud and they were showing it!  Whole families were there, some of whom had travelled miles, none of this "two tickets per graduand" nonsense that we have back in the UK.  Once the "formal" part of the ceremony had been completed,  one of Sudan's popular singers took to the stage and all the students were cheering, dancing and singing and throwing each other up in the air.  It was at this point that myself and my colleagues made a dignified exit and left them to enjoy the rest of their evening!

On the last day of term before Eid, my friends and colleagues Majid, Arsen and I  stopped off on the way home to buy a sheep - like you do!  Once the beast had been selected; on the grounds of size and condition of the tail, state of it's coat etc, they did no more than load it into the boot of the car!  Half way home it made a desperate bid for freedom and nearly escaped!  I sat in the front of the car in hysterics whilst Majid and Arsen wrestled with the sheep to get it back into the boot; resisting the urge to get out and take pictures.

The next day Majid picked me up and took me to his house to have henna applied to my hands and feet, which is a tradition for married ladies in Sudan.  I also had my hair braided and his wife showed me how to dress myself in the beautiful green tobe that Majid had given me earlier.  All I needed to do now was get the right shoes and skirt to wear with it!  So the next day I ventured to the market alone to shop.  Luckily I ran into my colleague Elzain, who was out shopping with his wife and daughter and they helped me pick out some "ship ships" (leather flip flop type sandals) that would show my henna off in all it's glory!  After that various strangers took me all around the Souk helping me to find the perfect skirt at the right price.

Sunday November 6th was the first day of Eid.  Majid arrived at 9am to take me to his house to enjoy the celebration with his family.  By now my transformation into a Sudanese lady was complete - I was wearing my tobe (all be it badly!)  On the way we saw men in their traditional dress of "jalabia's  and emmas" (white tunics and turbans), coming out of the mosque, drumming and marching down the street.  Everyone was stopping and greeting each other, smiling broadly, children were wearing their best clothes.  It was a wonderful atmosphere of happiness and celebration.  Neighbours stopped us in the street on their way to visit each others houses.

Once we got to the house I surprised myself by sitting and watching while Majid's brother, Adam, slaughtered, skinned and gutted the sheep without me fainting or being sick!  We then enjoyed a hearty breakfast; complete with offal; cooked in the traditional way over charcoal, before heading out to visit some of our colleagues in their homes after being re-dressed properly in my tobe!

The Sudanese ladies look so elegant in their tobes and wear them so effortlessly - whereas I struggled to get mine on properly and every time I moved, it moved - consequently at each home we visited I had to be re-dressed by the lady of the house before we could move on to the next one!  It was worth the effort though, as my colleagues and their families were thrilled to see the transformation from English to Sudanese lady!  Everyone was telling me I looked beautiful - though to me I just looked like an English woman wrapped (badly!) in a large piece of fabric!

On the second day of Eid, we visited Arsen and had breakfast with his family and on the third day (which is the last day of slaughtering) we had breakfast at the Vice Chancellor's office at the University.  I did not think it humanly possible to eat so much meat in such a short time!  Although I couldn't help but wonder how my two vegetarian colleagues in Khartoum were getting on!

Also on the third day of Eid, I went to the "Henna Party" part of the pre wedding celebrations, which I suppose is much like our traditional "Hen Party" with the absence of  alcohol and the male stripper!  However, it is just as much fun - a large group of women gathered together to dance, laugh and gossip.

The actual wedding took place two days after the Henna.  I was taken to join the ladies at the end of the religious part of the marriage, and told it would be an occasion where I would have to practice my Arabic as most of the ladies would not speak English!  Although what my friend Mohammed hadn't reckoned on was that a white woman in El Obeid at a party is like a heat seeking missile to those who want to practice their English speaking skills, so I had soon found some English speakers amongst the guests!  When I arrived there was a lady playing a traditional drum and singing, whilst others danced.  She kindly dedicated a song to me in Arabic and I was obliged to join in the dancing and show of my best Sudanese dance moves, much to the enjoyment of the crowd - I wasn't entirely sure if they were laughing with me or at me, but I didn't care, they had made me feel so welcome and a part of their celebrations.  Later we moved on to the main wedding celebration, picking up the polystyrene boxes with the wedding suppers in on the way.  It is the custom at such gatherings for all the women to sit one side together and the men on the other side, but everyone in Sudan loves to dance!  So the dance floor is a mixture of men, women and children enjoying the music and all dancing together, around the bride and groom, who by now have joined the party to be congratulated by all their guests.

Sudanese weddings are quite different from English

weddings in many ways.  Firstly in Sudan the celebrations can last up to a week, secondly the actual "marriage" is conducted in private between the bride and groom's families, and thirdly there is no such thing as a seating plan or guest list!  In Sudan when someone gets married everyone goes - non of that worrying whether you have a "plus 1" on your invitation or not!  You are welcome and so are your friends, the more the merrier!  The first weekend I was in Sudan a friends colleague's brother was getting married, so our friend took about six of us along to join in the fun - not only we were made most welcome we were thanked heartily at the end for attending.  Not something you would see at your average English wedding reception!

Eid week is a popular time for weddings, with many people finding themselves double and triple booked and having to attend several parties during the week, some on the same night.  After my non stop week of celebrating I was happy to get back into my work routine - until Christmas in Khartoum of course!

Suddenly it feels like home

Technology is a wonderful thing!  Without it you wouldn't be reading this now and I wouldn't be able to keep in touch with all my friends and family back home.  I can't describe how much speaking to my children and friends on skype lifts my spirits if I am feeling a little homesick.  One of the most crazy things about this amazing country is that in all my time here I have yet to be without a good mobile signal, so I have always been able to keep in touch with everyone.

After my spell of homesickness I realise how lucky I am.  My landlord can't do enough to make my apartment as comfortable as possible for me - bless him, he has now installed a water tank on the roof just for me and is sorting out some air conditioning too.  Although as I am acclimatising and the weather is cooling down for winter (it's now only a mere 35 degrees!) I am managing comfortably without it - in fact one night I had to get up and turn off the fan as I was cold!

Some of my colleagues have no running water at all in their homes, they live a happy and simple life in the houses that they were brought up in - taking water from the well in the yard and living without many things that we in the west would consider necessities.  

Every morning you see boys with donkey carts delivering water to people's homes, you can hear them making their way through the streets as they bang the plastic containers with their sticks!

 A Donkey Water Tanker!

One day the Dean takes me to the University along the old road, where we see all the donkey carts filling up.  "This place is called Donkey!"  he tells me, much to my amusement!
The old road (well I use the term road loosely!) is very scenic, it is mostly a track across the countryside to the University Campus.  We pass settlements, greenery and an abattoir along the way.  It actually takes less time this route than on the newer road, but it is impassable during the hot summer months due to the depth and fineness of the sand.  I have still to master the knack of walking on the sand - usually when walking on a hot sandy beach I elect to walk alongside the water on the wet sand - but this is not an option here!  There is sand, and lots of it everywhere!  Along the street and especially around the University Campus.  I marvel at how the Sudanese manage to keep their feet so clean, and feel very conscious of my own grubby sand ingrained ones!

I've settled into life at the University.  It is so comfortably relaxed I feel that I hardly justify the living allowance that they pay me.  My students take me for breakfast most days, giving me the opportunity to try all the local foods on offer.

Breakfast of "bush" with the students

One of the favourites is "bush", a mixture of traditional "Fuul" and bread.  Apparently it gets its name from George Bush, when he sent food aid during the 1980's famine!  Another student takes me to a restaurant near my home for a traditional meal of "Agashir" which is chicken cooked over coals, served with onions and limes - Laziiz! (Delicious!)

Everyone here is constantly going out of their way to make sure I am happy and have everything I need - I feel thoroughly spoilt!

When I venture to the market or into town I often bump into people I know or here someone calling my name down the street.  People here always have time to stop and chat.  I smile to myself thinking "I may have only been here a month but this is my town!"

 My front gate