Sand, Sun, Dirt, Donkeys--Home Times

I’m back in Sudan. Every time I come back here and sort through the stuff I left here because I don’t use it anywhere else (thobes and extra sleeves to wear under short sleeved shirts and various currencies I’ve had with me coming in or out of a place), I feel annoyed with all the crap I’ve accumulated. But I usually can’t get rid of it for various reasons. For example, should I take my semi-winter coat back to the US or leave it here to help me survive when I end up suddenly in places like Hungary or France in the dead of spring or fall? My life is full of quandaries like that one.

But it has been good to be back. While it is a miserable 8C/45F in Paris (not shorts weather unless you are a crazy Swedish guy, Johan) it is a beautiful 35C/97F in Khartoum, where the sun always shines on a happy land. (Note: No math was used at all in the previous C/F conversions. They are not accurate in any way.)

So far I’ve already enjoyed a midnight picnic by the Nile and the World Cup Rugby Final—two things I would probably only ever do in Sudan. Although, maybe if I were in Egypt I would take a midnight Nile-side picnic, but I didn’t when I was there last time. Picnics in desert lands tend to be done after dark (though I’d be fine either way). In Sudan, half the fun is searching for a patch of grass on which to spread out your feast. I’ve seen people picnicking on the median of large roads because there is a little bit of grass growing there. Sorry I don’t have any photos of that, but here are some of our party:

I'm drinking water, FYI. And I spilled it ten seconds
after this photo while posting it on FB.

The picnicking crowds

Moon over the Nile River-best I can do with an iPhone

Camel rides, anyone?

World Cup Rugby was also very important to me because Tim and Micaela needed to be around calm people who do not understand the rules enough to care who wins the game. This is because they have a mixed marriage - a beautiful cross-cultural relationship between an Aussie and a Kiwi, both of whom fully understand the rules of Rugby Union. I think that the very fact that I was there, eating Wallaby and All Blacks cupcakes, has helped to keep their relationship strong. Also, Micaela didn’t gloat too much, being more concerned with the fact that the All Blacks’ Haka dance was not caught on the mics.  (Note: that was very sad. If Whale Rider taught me anything, it was that you CAN ride whales and Haka dances are even cooler with sound.)

And finally, it seems my Arabic is still with me, though there are people who still insist on translating for me, those are also the people who are really impressed by the depth of my Arabic vocabulary. For example, Mukarram and I were talking about physical fitness, a discussion prompted by reading the helpful tips on the tag of my tea bag. He wants to gain muscle weight, and I suggested that he try working out. I feel like that is the way that people do that generally. He is surprised that the occasional game of soccer isn’t enough to bulk him up. I mentioned that he could maybe add in some push-ups because I am basically like a personal trainer. (Although the time I tried to get Selma to do yoga with me, she ended up collapsed on the floor for 30 minutes.) Later at lunch, Zuhoor’s husband was hanging out with us and the subject of push-ups came up again, because at IAS we care about physical fitness. And when I joined in the conversation, he looked amazed and said, “You know the word ‘booshub’ in Arabic? I can’t believe it. Your Arabic is so advanced!” Then he challenged me to a booshub contest, which I won because I don’t smoke sheesha very much (anymore) and also it’s possible that my shirt was not appropriate for that particular activity and he was being polite.

And speaking of shirts, you know you are meant to be in Sudan (at least for a week) when it seems more natural to throw on a thobe than to search for appropriate clothing to change into (or, you know, remember where you put your bra) when running down to the office for a few minutes to use the internet. Which is something I can’t do right now because the electricity is off. But at least when the electricity is off, so is the AC, and all is right with the world.

Appropriately clothed.

P.S. We just had some unexpected guests in our office, during this time of darkness, and after they left Mukarram said to me, “Amanda, I like how you play the game.” So even if my Rugby Union skills are limited, I can play Sudanese mind games, and really, those are much more challenging.

P.P.S Leif just said to me, “Wow, your Swedish is so fun.” I don’t think it’s a compliment, but it is hilarious.

Helpful Rugby Tip for You

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