Handymen and 'The Hash'

I must start this week by reassuring those who, reading about my front door last week, became concerned about the security of my apartment. Rest assured, the locksmith from the school (actually more of a handyman) did eventually arrive to fix my lock in true Sudanese style! On arrival, there was no attempt to diagnose the problem, he just immediately dismantled the entire locking mechanism. Obviously concerned, I asked him if he was going to put it back or get a new one. Unfortunately, with no Arabic, communication was difficult but he seemed fairly non-committal and promptly left.

At this point, I should say several apartments in my block are occupied by teachers Unity High School, including all 3 on my floor, so I was not completely alone in this situation. A teacher from Australia whose apartment is opposite mine invited me across for coffee and even phoned Mustafa (the schools ‘head’ handyman) on my behalf. A couple of hours later he returned with a new lock and a friend with a drill, although this his friend did not seem to achieve much apart from plug in the drill and wander aimlessly around my apartment. However, after a lot of banging and drilling (some of which I’m sure was just for effect) the lock was replaced and I’m pleased to report it does work!

Incidentally, I’ve since met Mustafa a couple of times at school, who is very friendly. He has subsequently arranged for an electrician (who I’m sure was the man with the drill) to replace a few wall sockets which weren’t working and replace the plug on the fridge which had melted into an adaptor. Tip for anyone moving to Sudan: never trust the mains electricity supply!

A fairly uneventful week at school followed, although having now marked books and homework, I should amend my description of the students in last weeks blog. I had described them as clever and well-behaved, which they are, but like many teenagers they are also extremely lazy! I may have to issue a few sanctions next week for those who have not improved.

In an attempt to keep fit (or should that be get fit?)  I met up with a local expat running club yesterday called the Khartoum Hash House Harriers, or ‘The Hash’ for short. When I say running club, it is more of a social club which meets every Saturday for a run with a twist. The idea is that one member (known as the hare) plans a route and marks the course using flour for waymarks. However, each waymark consists of two or three arrows offering a choice of directions. If you pass two more circles of flour in the next 100 metres, you know you have chosen the correct route. If not, you have to return to the waymark and choose a different direction. Clearly, there is an added complication on days when there is a light wind!

In total, the run yesterday was about 10km, which was more than enough in the Sudanese heat! The route took us along the banks of the Nile and through a few cornfields, following some of the many irrigation channels which serve those fields. It was certainly good fun – and I surprised myself with how far I could run. However, the highlight was after the run, when everyone drives off in convoy to a ‘house’ for food and a few drinks, the details of which I won’t disclose! However, needless to say the patent ‘Hash House’ can cooler did come in very useful! I think I will join the club as a permanent member and run every Saturday.