Burns Night in February? How Bazaar!

Throughout my first month or so in Khartoum, I have been fortunate to be working with such great friends and colleagues, who have introduced me to the various expat clubs and societies which exist in the city and invited me to various events. The strict shariah law and cultural differences which exist in Sudan, can make life boring (or even lonely) for an expat, especially if used to the vibrant night life found in most western cities. However, once part of the expat community, any visitor to Khartoum should find there are plenty of opportunities to socialise.

I have found the key to enjoying life in Sudan is to network at any opportunity, join any club going, and develop a wide range of contacts. This is why I joined the Hash House Harriers, mentioned in an earlier blog, which incidentally was cancelled this week due to a sandstorm which engulfed Khartoum. I did take some photos, but obviously they don’t show a great deal! Needless to say, it was extremely unpleasant outdoors and running with the Hash in those conditions would have been unwise.

Another club I joined in my first month is the Khartoum Caledonian Society, which meets in the British embassy once a week for Scottish dancing and liquid refreshments. It will come as no surprise that Burns Night is the main event in the Caledonian Society calendar, but celebrating it last Friday night may be more of a surprise. I think security was the main reason for the months delay, although perhaps it was just on Sudanese time! (In Sudan, everything and everybody always runs late). Traditionalists will however be pleased to learn there was the obligatory ‘piping in the haggis’ and poetry readings, as well as witty (or should that be tedious?) speeches by various dignitaries, including the ambassador. I had the impression the coalition goverments austerity measures may have affected the event too, as my portion of haggis did seem rather small! Never mind, the dancing which followed dinner was great fun, even if I did feel a little underdressed compared to all those in kilts and/or dinner jackets.

The first half of term also ended this week with the PTA school bazaar, which was a well attended event with music, a fashion show, children’s races, market stalls, and of course lots of food! (I tried some Malaysian food which was available at one of the stalls). Unfortunately, I had drawn the short straw with the ‘helping out’ rota, and found myself supervising the extremely popular children’s races from 3pm until 5pm – in the heat of the day!! Children paid 2SDG to enter various events including the sack race and the egg and spoon race.

I am now looking forward to a weeks holiday, and am planning to visit Port Sudan, which will be my first experience travelling outside Khartoum. A full half term report will follow next week.

A busy week at school.

My sixth week at can be summarised as ‘busy in school, but uneventful out of school’ and so this weeks blog may be less entertaining than usual - but hopefully no less interesting!

I seem to be spending an increasing amount of time lesson planning and marking – which is probably wise whilst I am on a three month probation. This is standard for any new teacher and although just a formality, I know I will soon have a lesson observation. I have also been kept busy this week writing and marking end of topic geography assessments across Key Stage 3.

It’s interesting for me to see that, just as in the UK, some students work hard and achieve good test scores whilst others do the bare minimum for both homework and revision. I have also noted that whilst behaviour is generally very good, there are individuals who do push boundaries. It just goes to show that despite the many cultural differences here in Sudan, there are some things about teenage behaviour that are universal!

I also attended a year 9 options evening on Tuesday evening, met a few parents, and hopefully persuaded a few students to take Geography or Environmental Management iGCSE next year. Considering it is not usually an option back in the UK, I was surprised to find Environmental Management is a very popular choice with students at Unity High School.

There were also a few school events worth reporting this week, including a litter picking ‘Citizenship’ trip for the year 9 boys. The school had teamed up with a local organisation called ‘Our Environment, our responsibility’, and I spent a couple of hours with students picking up litter in Sunut Forest, which is on the edge of Khartoum on the banks of the Nile. For those who aren’t aware, litter is a major problem in Sudan, just as it is in many developing countries.

Also worth reporting this week was the cancer fundraising day, which both the primary and secondary schools were involved with last Thursday. The secondary school raised over 3000SDG with a ‘purple themed day’ for which students paid a small amount to wear purple items such as socks, headscarves and of course buy the purple ribbon. However, the primary school raised over 8000SDG with a very profitable (and tasty) cake stall. In total, that is almost £3000 sterling. This impressive amount of money will be donated to the local cancer hospital here in Khartoum.

A restful weekend followed, as I needed to recharge my batteries for the final week before half term.

Learning Arabic and the Whirling Dervishes

The big news from last week is that I have now started weekly Arabic lessons with a private tutor, and am slowly picking up the basics. So, I’d like to welcome you to this blog with ‘As-salaam alee-kum’, which is very respectful greeting, literally meaning ‘peace be upon you’.

Unfortunately, that is almost the limit of my Arabic at the moment. Although I have shared ‘Ism-i William’ and ‘Ana min England’ with random shopkeepers who seem delighted that I making an effort. But it’s a bit embarrassing that I then can’t ask for a pint of milk without reverting back to English!

I can also confidently tell a taxi driver ‘tawwaali’ to go straight-on. However, asking him to turn left or right, or stop, would be tricky if alone. Needless to say, I am hoping to make some progress over the next few weeks!!

My Arabic tutor, called Adil, does more then just take teach the language. He also keeps me informed of what is going on in Khartoum, including events of religious and cultural significance, which he knows I may like to experience. Last Friday, he invited me to see the Whirling Dervishes of Omdurman. This is the popular name of a group of Sufi worshipers who gather just outside the centre of Khartoum every Friday, to dance and worship Allah.

The event begins when a large crowd of Sufis (which is part of the Sunni faith) gather outside a small mosque in the centre of a rather eerie graveyard, and spontaneously stand in a large circle which is surrounded by worshipers and a few interested tourists. A group of Sufis then march into the circle, wearing brightly coloured green robes, and begin chanting and dancing.

They are known as the ‘Whirling Dervishes’ because of the frantic way that many of the Sufi spin around the space which is created in the centre of the circle. I was told the purpose of the ceremony is for the Dervishes to reach a state of ecstasy and enlightenment that enable them to link directly to God.

It was certainly an amazing spectacle, and what struck me was how happy and welcoming all the Sufi worshipers were. They were quite used to expats and tourists watching the ceremony, and did not mind these photographs being taken. There was even a moment when I was asked to join the circle, which I did. Luckily there is no photo of this rather embarassing spectacle!

Until next week, 'Shukran' and 'Ma-a s-salaama' (thank you and goodbye)

A weekend on the Nile, blood and curtains for me!

Last week began with the school suddenly announcing that I was to be taken to the ‘Alien Registration Office’, so that my standard visa can be converted to a working visa. As you might expect, the name of this office had me thinking of ‘Men in Black’, but instead it was just men in white coats who met me. Luckily, I wasn’t taken away, but a vile of my blood was. A blood sample has to be provided and screened for HIV, before a working visa can be issued. Anyone found to be HIV+ would be immediately deported – but obviously I’m fine!

The avid and eagle-eyed readers of this blog will have noticed from week one that my flat was very sparse and without curtains. This is slowly improving, as I have now purchased a few pictures for the walls and the school has provided curtains, which make a huge difference to the feel of the flat. I have also employed a cleaner to visit once a week. On her first visit, she spent ages mopping the floors and dusting – and even made my bed! All this for just 100 SDG (about £20) every month!

To celebrate the prophets birthday (see last weeks blog), there was an extra holiday this Saturday – The normal weekend is split on Friday and Sunday – and I’m pleased to report that I took full advantage of the three day weekend which resulted! On Friday, I was invited on a three-hour cruise down the Blue Nile, on a decent sized boat complete with on-board BBQ and music. It was a great day out – both fun and relaxing – although at 37 degrees it was quite hot! Away from the prying eyes of the Sudanese police, I was able to take several great photos of the river, but no bridge close-ups for the reasons noted in last weeks blog. On Saturday, there was another race with the hash harriers, which was also along the banks of the Blue Nile.

The Nile-themed weekend continued on Sunday, as I was invited to a picnic to Jabel-e-Olia, about 30 minutes north of Khartoum where there is a dam across the river and a beach area, which is popular with the locals. Unlike the cruise on Friday, this was the actual river Nile (as opposed to the Blue Nile) which at this location is vast and hugely impressive. Unfortunately the picnic area is less impressive with more dried mud than sand, and an incredible amount of rubbish.

After eating, we took a small boat out into the river and I took a few photos – but, again, there are no dam close-ups – just in case! As of the time of writing, I have not been able to find out the precise history of the dam, but I was told it was built by the British about 100 years ago for defensive purposes but is now used to manage the water supply and facilitate irrigation. If anyone has any more information on this area, please do leave comments.

Sports day, birthday celebrations and photos!

My third teaching week in Khartoum and already I’ve had a day off! Well, not exactly a day off as it was sports day on Thursday, but this did mean one less day teaching (It’s an easy life!!!). Sports day was great fun, but unfortunately the house which I have been assigned to (imaginatively called ‘Nile’) came second. If only I had won the teachers race!!!!

Most of the field events took place in the school grounds, where I was in charge of the long jump, but the track events took place in a field owned by another school called Comboni. Although when I say field, I really mean sand pit! There was so little grass that the lanes had to be marked out using flour! (so that’s where the Hash got the idea from!) Luckily it wasn’t too windy or else the lanes could have moved half way through a race. Having said that, most students had trouble staying in their lanes anyway!

Unfortunately there are no photos of sports day (There are official photos, but obviously I can’t publish them without permission). In fact, taking photos in Sudan is problematic at the best of times, so it is not just a question of child protection in school. Taking photos of any public building could land you in jail (especially bridges), and obviously many local Sudanese will also take offence if photographs are taken of them. This is because according to some interpretations of Islam, taking a photo of an animate and living being is forbidden. So as you may have noticed, I have been very conservative with photos on this blog so far. Having said that, it is possible to obtain a photograph permit in Sudan, which I aim to get in the near future.

I’m now going to completely contradict myself by admitting that I actually took lots of photos at a celebration of the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday (peace be upon him), which I attended yesterday (Sunday) in Riyad, which is part of Khartoum. The event was an amazing spectacle, and a fascinating insight into Sudanese culture. On the one hand there were many local Sudanese and religious leaders preaching, praying and chanting hadith. On the other hand, there were so many brightly coloured flags, fairy lights, sweet stalls and even party hats – it was just like any other birthday celebration!

I even saw a gathering of the legendary Mahdi Party, perhaps best known for leading the Mahdi uprising against Anglo-Egyptian rule in Sudan at the end of the 19th century, which ultimately led to the death of General Gordon. Mahdists also believe in the return of ‘the guided one’ who will return to earth before judgement day to redeem Islam. This legend is told in a series of hadiths (hence the chanting) and is not actually mentioned in the Qur’an, which is why it is not universally accepted across the Islamic world.

Of course, it is experiencing events like this which attracted me to Sudan in the first place and so I hope I will get further opportunities like this in the future.

NB – When referring to the Prophet Mohammed, you should always follow this by saying or writing ‘peace be upon him’ as I did above. I considered this wise, considering everything which is published on-line, is and will remain public. I’m sure any comments will be equally respectful.

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.

First impressions of Khartoum

Just 10 days ago, I was relaxing in the garden of england (or should that be stressing in Kent?) wondering what the next week would bring. I had accepted a job teaching at Unity High School, an independent school in Khartoum, the capital city of the new Republic of Sudan. The BBC were reporting of fighting in the border area with the recently created South Sudan, but of course Khartoum is much further north, so I was sure this was not something I needed to worry about. Working out what to pack, and hoping I would enjoy my new school was of greater concern.

One week on, and I have just completed my first week teaching (Geography at KS3 and Environmental Management at iGCSE level). The kids at the school are wonderful, clever and well behaved (with the odd exception, of course). It's been a busy week - getting a new timetable, learning names, writing lesson plans, and attending 2 parents evenings!! But my colleagues in the school have also been wonderful at helping me settle into not just a new job, but a new country.

In fact, after my first week, if I had to sum up Khartoum with one word, it would have to be 'freindly'. Everyone is so polite, helpful, and happy, that I think it will be impossible for me to not enjoy living here. It is also extremely safe, which will suprise many people back home in England, who follow the news. I would also decsribe the local sudanese as extremely relaxed (some may say 'chilled'), which can be good, but can also be frustrating when trying to get something done.

I have moved into a large but simple apartment in central Khartoum, which is on the 7th floor and therefore has great views of the city. Pretty good I think for 'free' accomodation, included as part of my employment package. The city skyline is generally quite low, but is punctured by occasional tower blocks and numerous minarets. Whilst writing this, I am waiting for someone to come and look at a broken shower rail and (more worryingly) the lock on my front door. I just hope he is not too relaxed when he arrives!

Start of a new school week tomorrow, but no need to set an alarm, I will be woken by the calls to prayer which begin by 6.30 every morining!