Recommended read

Interesting article relating a displaced Somali's return to his homeland.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/returning-to-somalia-after-20-years.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

Impressions of Khartoum (continued)

"so, how many blacks did you interact with there? the north is accused of racism...? if so, did you see any of that? how did people feel about the break up? what were your impressions of the conflict there? what was your main task? seems like Khartoum is insulated from all the fighting...?" - PP 

The vast majority of my time in Khartoum saw me either consumed with work or passed out in a coma-like sleep. We worked past 8pm on most nights and on others, till 11:30. Regardless, we did somehow manage to fit in some exploration time during which I was able to get a decent taste of the political and social climate, not to mention stuff myself silly with Lebanese food (it's diet time, btw, for the next several months!)! 

By "blacks," I am assuming you mean darker-skinned Africans, such as those from Darfur, S Sudan, etc (I'm still getting used to Ethiopians, Eritreans and other lighter skinned Africans considering themselves "brown," as opposed to "black;" and referring to themselves as "Ethiopian" and "Eritrean," but never "African.")? Yes, I did see and interact with a number of "blacks" during my stay in Khartoum, something I found surprising. Noting the government's propensity for xenophobia, one would think that someone of darker skin tone would find life in the "Sudanese Arab"-dominated north precarious to say the least. Apparently this is not true for all, however. During our ventures out into the city, we saw individuals that were dark as night even, sitting peacefully (or seemingly so, at least) in Khartoum's cafes, or working as wait staff. We had a chance to chat with an individual from S Sudan and another from Darfur, both of whom seemed comfortable with their lives in the North. In fact the S Sudanese guy was actually complaining about his new change in nationality because it meant he would now have to apply for a work permit and visa to remain in Khartoum. Our driver, who I guess would be classified as "brown," (???) told us that he loved President Bashir and basically said "good riddance" when we asked him for his opinion about S Sudan's independence. "The Southerners caused us so much trouble," he remarked. "They never wanted to be apart of this country. I'm glad they're on their own now." None of the locals we met in Khartoum seemed to think ill of the Bashir administration. None seemed to be disadvantaged by Bashir's continued rule, except of course the refugees, whose every day lives are led in fear that they will not see the next. Persecution against refugees, especially those who are Christian, is real and daunting. I left Khartoum wondering to myself if the refugees I interviewed would be safe as they made their way back to the camps, let alone till the adjudication of their USRAP applications.

Because of the observations I noted above, I do feel that Khartoum is isolated from the fighting in Darfur and along the border with S Sudan. At no time, did my colleagues and I feel that our safety was threatened. We were free to walk around the city as we wished, regardless of the time of day. As a non-Muslim woman I was not expected to where a head scarf. I was however expected to respect the laws and traditions. Alcohol (for men and women) is forbidden and women are expected to dress on the conservative side (long-sleeved tops that do not expose the chest and dresses/pants that loosely cover the legs). Khartoum may be safe for a white westerner like me, or a light-skinned, Arabic speaking Sudanese, but the same cannot be said for less fortunate migrant, refugees particularly. Sudan is the first country of asylum to thousands of refugees, but we consistently heard stories of refugees being arbitrarily locked up, tortured, and harassed. Sudan is predominantly Muslim and adheres to Sharia law. Nothing wrong with that, except that Christian refugees are not able to avail themselves basic human rights guaranteed to them by international law (Sudan has been a signatory to the UN Convention/Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees since 1974. Reference: here). They report relentless hardship, inclusive of rape, taunting, death threats and suppression of their rights to movement, religion, education and employment.     

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USRAP: United States Refugee Admissions Program         

Farewell

Just back from dropping my mother off at JKIA (Nairobi's main airport). We were together for a whirlwind of 10 days during which Mom experienced everything from Luo cooking and dancing lessons to Zanzibar's spice farms, sumptuous cuisine and disturbing history. My house feels quiet; too quiet. My bed, sofa, chairs, ...even the air in between!...feel empty, as if they are all on pause, waiting patiently for the warmth and love that Mom brought to them. As I said my farewells to Mom at the airport, I was still riding on that natural high that comes from familial companionship and reunification. No tears came as my cab driver and I spend off back to Westlands. In fact, I was smiling to myself. Mom's visit had brought such a breath of fresh air and comfort to my life.

Back in my cottage now. I'm stretched out on my lumpy sofa, lost in thought. Mom's footsteps out the door have left this place encased in a silence that seems deafening. She hasn't been out of my sight for even 2 hours, yet I find myself yearning for the sound of her voice, or even the mere sound of her rummaging through her things. 

Tears come...

 Dammit. I thought I was stronger than this. I miss you, Mom. Safe journey home. Come back soon. 

Hello from Zanzibar

We are now on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, located off the coast of Tanzania. It is a lush island rich with flora, animal, avian and aquatic life. The locals are a mix of dark-sinned Africans and “cappuccinos,” as they called themselves, the result of generations of intermarriage between Indians, blacks, Italians, Portuguese, Osmani, you name it. We've found the "Zanzabarians" to be very pleasant and hospitable, eager to share their culture and history. 


We've found Zanzibar to be the perfect short vacation as it has many attractions including historic sights, luxuries (spas, sandy, white beaches, scuba diving, etc), cuisine (world's most amazing octopus) and nature (red colubus monkeys, ant eaters, mangroves, dolphins, etc). At the same time, the island is relatively small in size making most of the attractions easily accessible. Yesterday, the three of us traveled to the spice farms where our guide introduced us to the abundant variety of spices and fruits the island has to offer. Cinnamon, cumin, lemon grass, ginger, chili, black pepper, coffee, you name it, it was probably there. During our tour, we were assisted by a young villager named Ali who happily climbed up into the trees and into the prickly bushes to pick samples of the spices for us to taste and smell. He and other village children also wove hats, purses and rings out of banana leave for Mom and I, as well as a crown and tie for my bf. :) Our guide also amused us with alternative uses for the spices we were being introduced to. Nutmeg, for example, is used by the locals as a female aphrodisiac, while turmeric can be used to cure acne. 


Today Mom wasn't feeling well, so my bf and I went on a snorkeling date to Bahe Island and also to Prison Island. The latter doesn't sound all that romantic, I know, but I promise you it really is. The beaches on that island are lovely and it is home to countless tortoises, offspring of the 4 tortoises gifted to Zanzibar by the Seychelles government in 1919. The tortoises were neat. You could get right up next to them and watch as they chomped away on their spinach and other greens. The larger tortoises there were well over a century old and showed no signs of kicking the bucket any time soon. There were also newly born tortoises barely the size of your palm - absolutely adorable! 


More to come later! For now though, I am afraid that I am in too desperate need for a nap that I don't dare to type any longer, less I start typing gibberish! Cheers from sunny Zanzibar! Pictures to come. :) 



Impressions of Khartoum

Perhaps I am more influenced by Western media and resigned to believe other people's opinions than I care to confess. 


I expected Khartoum to be different. 

I expected a city like the Taliban-run Kabul that Khaled Husseini writes about in his novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. I expected a city dominated by Arab-looking men in white jallabiya and white taqiyah. I expected Khartoum’s women to only be those able to walk the streets if they were covered head to toe in black burkas - like moving shadows against city walls - seen, but never to be heard or interacted with. Before I departed from Nairobi I was told (and mistakenly took as fact) that as a woman, men in Sudan wouldn't address me or answer any questions I might have; that I would be "treated as if I didn't exist;" that I should "just resign to the fact that I would need to do all my communication through a male colleague." 

And then I got off the plane. 

And then day 1 went by. And day 2 and day 3...and I am still not experiencing any sort of gender-based discrimination. Though nearly all women here where the hijab (a shawl  wrapped around the head to cover a woman's head and neck), I've only seen a handful of them in full burka. All women are expected to dress conservatively, but non-Muslim women need not wear a head scarf. I have been wearing long skirts and long-sleeved shirts each day and I have not felt any disapproving eyes from the general public. 

Whereas in Nairobi, I am constantly on my guard for possible purse snatchers or con-artists, my gut feeling about Khartoum is that it is safe. And this has been affirmed by UN staff, expats,  and even our security officer back home. Darfur? The border region between Sudan and the newly independent South Sudan? Not so safe. Khartoum is safe however and when you ask the local expats why they'll tell you it is because of Sharia Law. They say if you get caught steeling you're hand will be cut off. Alcohol consumption is forbidden for me and women alike; and it is not just women, but men too who are expected to dress conservatively. I have noticed that people here lean more towards generosity, particularly to guests and the poor. The poor, in return, are just as respectful. A beggar in Nairobi will ask you for more if your charity doesn't meet their inarguable assessment of what you're capable of giving. Beggars here will thank you profusely regardless of what you give and then be off on their way.  

Sudan gets a bad wrap because of a laundry list of issues - Darfur is the first that comes to mind. Darfur is the region in western Sudan that has seen some of the world's worse human rights violations. Sudan's president, Omar Bashir is most often held responsible. He is accused of using the Janjaweed, or "Devils on Horseback" to wipe out the ethnic Fur and other native Darfuris. 2.9 million Darfuris have been displaced so far and there doesn't seem to be a plausible end in sight.  Fighting appeared to have been diminishing in the early 2000s, but has seen an intensification in 2010/11. With the long-awaited independence of South Sudan after 20 plus years of bloody conflict, the world now wonders, "now what about Darfur?" 

<to be continued...this blogger needs some "Z"s>

Something sad…

A not so distant evening in the past saw some colleagues and I chatting over dinner at one of Khartoum’s many outdoor cafés. As friends so often do, each of us threw into the conversation relevant stories from our past and tidbits about countries we knew best. One friend tossed in stories about the Middle East, while another matched his with tales from the Swahili Coast. Not wanting to be sidelined, I tried throwing in Japan tidbits. Disinterest fell like silk across their their faces and my Japan contributions were frustrated with interruptions of a completely unrelated topic. Japan is one of my favorite conversation pieces and yet when I talk about the country here, in Africa, people look as if I’m talking about the driest thing ever. I realize that most people here haven't been infected with the East Asian bug, but honestly, it's difficult for me to dampen my passion for the country even after a year and a half of living on the opposite side of the world. I realize it sounds childish, but it hurts when people seem disinterested in what I have to say. And it is one of my biggest pet peeves when someone "mulitasks" when I'm sharing something with them. I'm not so conceited to think that everything I have to say is the most fascinating bit of knowledge you've gained all day, but at least show me the respect I think and hope I show you. When sharing my frustrations about this evening with someone close to me, it was pointed out that he, at least, doesn't think I am always as good at listening as I prefer to think I am. This saddens me, but at least it is something I can do something about! Try again and again, my dear, and you will see what a great confidant I can be. 

7-11 (Khartoum Day 2)

My blogging editing tools have been automatically switched to Arabic...it took me a good 5 minutes of trial and error just to get to "compose a new entry." Good grief...hate it when my pc tries to outsmart me. f-_-;

Today was our first day of interviewing refugees in Khartoum. The refugees were all cooperative and gentle souls, but good God did their cases take forever to complete. Personally, I had to complete the equivalent of 6 cases, two of which were for a family of 8! On top of that, we had major IT issues that delayed processing so much so that we were literally working from 7:30am to 11:00 PM. ELEVEN! Thank God  the three of us love our jobs because we certainly don't get paid enough for the number of hours we put it in the field - especially on this circuit ride. By the time 8pm rolled on by, my right hand started going numb from clicking my mouse all day. By 8:30, my female colleague and I gave up on any shyness we might have had inside us and started singing out loud to Blondie and Beyonce. By 9, we reached that point where you're so tired that the littlest things will make you giggle till your stomach hurts. By 9:30, we became dizzy from having focused our eyes on our computer screens for so long. By10, we were complete zombies. And by 10:30, I found myself envying my cigarette-smoking colleagues because at least they had a pick-me-up (for the record though, I didn't pick up a cig myself...and never will :p). It's miraculous how inspiring hard-working colleagues can be however. As exhausted as I was, there was no way I was going to be the first to throw in the towel. I'm sure my colleagues felt the same way. It was only after our Field Team Leader asked us for the 5th time if we wanted to pack up and head back to the hotel that my fellow female colleague and I finally conceded. 

Tomorrow the cases will be smaller in size and our IT issues shouldn't be as cumbersome as they were today. Personally, I'm praying that by the end of the day tomorrow, I will have a stack of completed, all-my-"i"s-and-"t"s-crossed-cases to feel proud of.      

Sinful till the last minute (Khartoum Day 1)

Arrived safe and sound in Khartoum after a fairly pleasant flight on Kenyan Airways. Thankfully our logistics officer avoided making our flight reservations with Sudan Airways as they apparently have one of the poorest reputations worldwide, not to mention several recent crashes. <gulp> While still in the air, one of my colleagues and I decided to have a light drink seeing as drinking alcoholic beverages is forbidden in Sudan. When I went back to the flight attendant area to request a bottle of wine however I was met with a surprisingly cheerful male, Kenyan flight attendant. He grinned at me and asked how long I'd be in Sudan. "Two weeks," I replied. "Oh God, don't take just one bottle of wine then," he said, "take two!" He then handed me two small bottles of white wine and gave me a knowing wink.Back at my seat, a Brit sitting next to us assured us that we could easily get through Sudanese Customs with the extra bottle of wine by just concealing it in our pockets (Sudanese Customs officers only check bags). Not wanting to risk being the one foreigner who DID get caught with alcohol at Customs, I ended up leaving my extra bottle of wine in the airplane. Call me a wimp, but having a celebratory swing of wine at the end of the day just isn't worth getting deported from a country known to be strict when it comes to crimes forbidden under Sharia Law.I'm only here for 2 weeks so I'll abide by their rules and taboos. Long-skirts and no alcohol it is. ...Interestingly enough though, my male colleague WAS able to  pass through Customs with a bottle or two of those small brandy bottles in his pocket. 

We have arrived in Khartoum late at night so I've yet to experience the Sudanese culture, atmosphere, food etc. I will be sure to write again soon though so as to share my experiences. After all, as my org's HR head said to me yesterday, "of all places!! Who gets to say they've been to Sudan?"