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The journey back was uneventful. We arrived in CDG airport around 1 pm, after checking in our bags, we went to the meditation room. My husband managed to join the Friday prayer. We spent our last euro buying chocolates and took off at 4.45 pm. Arrived in Cairo about 10.30 pm and went to mcdonald to have dinner. After dinner we let the kids play in the play area because our flight is not until 2.30 am.
They kids were really tired. When we reached Khartoum airport at 4.30 in the morning, Amir was really cranky and Hadi was really sleepy. We reached the apartment at 6 am and slept until 12 pm.
Thinking about Paris, all I could say is that the place, the architecture, was wonderful...but the people need to learn basic courtesy and a little English...though, I don't mind going again...hehehe...
Not far from our apartment, there was an outlet shopping village in Val D'europe. In the evenings, we would walk there to do some window shopping. There was a variety of designer shops like burberry, bodum, anne solene, guess, polo etc. It was definitely cheaper because they're the outlet stores, but still designer goods...sigh... no way we can afford things there.
Can you imagine, a handbag which normally would cost 400 euro, was only 200 euro. But when we convert it to ringgit, it's still rm1000...ouch...I could see a lot of Asians walking around with shopping bags...I'm so jealous...but what to do...sigh...anyway, being able to have a holiday in France is a luxury enough. I am truly grateful to Allah.
There was one shop which was truly interesting. It's called Espices and chocolat...(spices and chocolate), very, very nice chocolates. One was a bubbly chocolate which pops in your mouth. The ingredients were gas like in fizzy drinks and chocolate of course...hehehe...the kids preferred the eiffel tower chocolate (eiffel tower in milk chocolate), really rich in chocolate, melts in your mouth...sigh...
The second day we were early and we went to the rest of disneyland park. We went to the frontierland, adventureland and discoveryland. We even went to the phantom house which was not scary at all...hehehe...the kids were scared of course...
Actually apart from fantasyland, there were not many rides for kids. So we covered everything in a day. We even went back early to Val D'europe. Luckily the kids were not so demanding, they were satisfied to go on each ride once. Thank God for that, because the parents were really tired of walking...hehehe
We spent the third day in disney studios. We went to practically all the attractions. The interactive stitch slot was entertaining but the best one of all is the stunt show...really incredible. Hadi got his wish to ride on lightning mcqueen so he was happy. Aliah managed to get the autographs of several disney characters and Amir was generally happy anyway...hehehe, so it was safe to say that we had fun in disneyland...Yippee!
The kids were so excited to go to Disneyland. There's two main attractions actually, the disneyland park and also disney studios. The train ride was very swift, barely 2,3 minutes. Then, we were there...yippee! But, my husband had forgotten to bring our passports with us. The passports would enable us to get hadi's entrance fee free. So, what to do?
My husband was furious but I insisted that he went back and get it...because since we're going to get the 3 day 2 parks tickets, each would cost 129 euro. Imagine using that money for souveniers...Anyway, while waiting for my husband, I acted as a dentist for Aliah...hehehe...one of her bottom tooth was literally punched out by Amir a few days before we went to Paris and I pulled the other one infront of disneyland...just something to keep the kids occupied.
It took my husband about half an hour, but the good news was, not only we get the 3 days tickets, we get a year's pass (365 days). That means we can go to disneyland resort paris free for the next year! yippee! We also get 10% discounts on anything we buy in disneyland (including food)...hehehe...
Anyway, we spent the first day in fantasyland and we went on all the rides. This was because all the rides in fantasyland were suitable for the kids, even for Amir. There's only one problem though, the long que everywhere. My husband and me took turns whenever possible (when Amir was sleeping). Otherwise the whole family went everywhere together. It was definitely fun for the whole family.
We even managed to see the parade of all the disney characters. My husband took lots of pictures. Hadi was the one afraid of all the characters in costume...sigh...
On Sunday the 15th of June, we were running a bit late, so our programme for the day which was to finish the tour of Paris went down the drain... We arrived in Paris about 11 am. By 12.45, we're at the Eiffel Tower, the line was so long that only at 2.30 pm, we were finally up the famous Eiffel Tower. The kids were excited but it was also freezing up there. We took lots of photos...even though it was a bit crowded, it was well worth the effort ( for a lifetime experience, I guess).
When we came down, we managed to get on the 3 o'clock river Seine cruise. We were so hungry by then, the kids devoured all the snacks and a bag of popcorn. The cruise lasted about 1 hour. Very nice actually... After that, we tried to get a taxi to Paris Mosque. I was really pissed off at the french taxi drivers, not very helpful at all. One even told us that the mosque was behind the eiffel tower and within walking distance. Crazy! We're not stupid...
Finally, as the last resort, we approached a taxi driver who was having his lunch. Alhamdulillah, he's an Algerian muslim and took us to the mosque. The taxi fare was around 12 euro but we gave him 20, well it was worth every cent to be able to pray zohor. It was a lovely mosque, built in 1922, tiled with moroccan tiles. We also found a few halal shops around the area. We had wonderful kebabs and the kids had pizza. We went on the metro at Jusseau. And it was difficult to get on the metro with a stroller...Luckily the kids were wonderful, not a sign of tantrum anywhere (and we did push them to hurry up every few seconds...hehehe)
Since we didn't manage to go to several places in Paris, we went back to Paris on Thursday. We used the metro to get around. Unlike me, my husband's sense of direction is actually quite good, so we didn't have any problem (despite the fact that we had to carry the stroller up and down stairs...sigh). We went to the Louvre, Arch de Triomphe and walked along Champ E'leysee. We didn't buy anything there because everything's so expensive. The same keychain we found in Notre Dame costs triple there. For e.g: in Notre Dame it costs 3.50 euro, it was 9 euro in Champ E'leysee... So, there ends the Paris sightseeing episodes...
The first day, we went straight to RER station Auber. We could see the Pariscityrama office from the station itself. The train ride was uneventful, and it was only about 30 minutes ride to Paris city centre. We got the two day L'Open tour tickets and off we went to the green line (there's four lines altogether, green (the famous spots), blue (bastille), orange and yellow (sacre-cour area)). With the hop on hop off tickets, we could see Paris at our leisure.
Despite the chilly wind, we went up the open top bus. The view was fantastic, the kids loved the experience. The first stop was the Louvre but we didn't get down there. We went to Notre Dame Cathedral first. There was a cue but it's a moving one, so it wasn't so bad. We spent about 1/2 hour there and afterwards went outside to the street shops to buy some souveniers. If I remember correctly, this is one of the cheapest place to buy souveniers. Since it's our first day, my husband cautioned me not to go overboard.
It was quite comforting to see the same printed paintings on display (from my college days). Each costs 2 euro. Since I am not very particular about arts, we didn't buy any. Next, we hopped on the bus for the blue line. We didn't stop anywhere, just took lots of pictures while listening to the commentary via headsets. The kids were sleeping soundly anyway. Even my husband slept, can you imagine, we were in the middle of beautiful Paris and my family slept through it...Hehehe...
Next, we hopped on the orange line (going through Champ E'Leysees area). By that time, we were getting hungry and instead of appreciating the sights, we were scouring the area for halal restaurants. We met a family of Indonesian muslims and we went together to find a halal restaurant. We saw a halal pakistani restaurant but when we went near, it was closed. I knocked on the door regardless and asked where we could eat. I was directed to go to a pizza place where we could eat the vegetarian or margharita pizza or walked a bit further to a kebab's place. We opted for the pizza while the Indonesian went to the kebab's.
After that we went back to Val D'europe and did some more grocery shopping. My husband managed to find a halal section where he went crazy and buy lasagne, burgers etc...Hehehe...We ate rice and brahim's...so nice even though the rice was a bit watery...
The journey to Paris wasn't too bad, despite the fact that Amir had to sit on my lap. We went to Khartoum airport at 3 in the morning. I was actually worried that we couldn't make it because 2 days before there was a burned airplane at Khartoum airport. Luckily for us, it didn't affect our holiday plans.
Even at 3 am, the airport was bustling with people. The cue (or lack of one) was long because people kept on cutting cue. I was a bit frustrated, but we managed to get into the departure hall by 5, just in time for subuh prayer. We took off at 6.30 am and landed in Cairo at 8.30 (it was only a 2 hour flight...yippee!). We went to have breakfast in McDonald, but since the kids didn't like the big breakfast, we went to have cake and muffin in the next cafe.
At 11.30, we took off for Paris. Since we're in economy class, the arm rest in between seats could be lifted, so I didn't have to carry Amir all the time...yippee! Plus the fact that it was only a 5 hour flight to Paris. There was practically no time difference (only an hour)... so there's no jet lag to worry about. We arrived at 3.30 local time, everything went smoothly. The only thing was we had to wait for our stroller because it was the last item to be brought down.
Anyway, managed to get a taxi to Val D'europe despite the language barrier. The price was a bit steep, more than 70 euro, but as long as we arrived safely...Residence Rive Gauche is a bit small, 2 twin beds and a double sofa bed, but it was just nice for our family. At least it was clean and new and more importantly, it was quite cheap at 85 euro per night.
We went to the supermarket nearby to get our supply, milk n bread etc. The only thing that we didn't anticipate was the prayer times...hehehe...we have conveniently forgotten that subuh is at 3 am, zohor at 2 pm, asar at 6 pm, maghrib at 10 pm and isyak at 12 am. Waiting for isyak the first night was really terrible, we were so sleepy while the kids zonked out at 9 pm.
Another thing that we didn't aticipate was the weather. When we reached Paris, it was only 15 degrees. Luckily I packed sweaters and jackets for the kids, the parents have to suffer a little bit of cold...hehehe...we have enough fat to help us survive...
I definitely need another holiday...to get over the Paris holiday...sigh... It was so tiring, I think I walked more in Paris than the 2 months I was in Sudan. But it was really wonderful to be in Europe again. So many nostalgic memories...
The kids enjoyed it, especially eurodisney. The decision to stay in Val D'europe for the whole duration was a good one as it was easily accessible to Paris and Eurodisney. I'll write more about the vacation some other time. I'll just need a good rest as I am not feeling so well after the holiday.
Yesterday, my husband came back with the news of our move to the new Petronas Complex. Finally...
Actually, the complex should be ready end of year 2007. But being in Sudan, we have to learn to be very patient. That is one of the reasons why we decided to come here in April, so that we don't have to move twice. But well, that is exactly what is going to happen now. After countless setbacks, the complex is finally ready to be occupied.
The rational of the move is that all Petronas staff and family could be easily 'evacuated' because everyone is staying in one place. I've seen the complex from afar. It has a big compound and situated near the Nile river, quite beatiful really. But actually, it is more expensive to stay at the complex than the present accommodation.
I actually like staying in blocks. I am in block G, with 3 other families and several single status engineers. We are more isolated and quite free to do what we like basically. I dread the 'politics' of being in a large group...sigh... Plus the fact that we have a bigger apartment now. The new apartment is definitely smaller, but the complex has lifts and 3 bathrooms (as if we are going to use them all at one time...). I do not know where to put all our stuff...
The move is scheduled throughout July and August. Ours will be in the middle of August. sigh...packing and repacking again...that is basically what I have to look forward to after Paris...sigh...
The preparation to Paris is well under way. I have packed two suitcases, pink (my daughter's choice actually)...but it does help to identify it on the carousel. Well, one suitcase is for the kids clothes and the other one for me and my husband plus all the 'ration'. We are just bringing enough clothes for 4 days because we are going to find a laudromat when we are there.
As I said earlier, we will be staying in Val D'europe, which is at the outskirt of Paris, but very near to Eurodisney. We have to commute to Paris by train, it'll take about 40 minutes. We are playing it by ear, actually. We do have a loose plan on what to do in Paris. We definitely want to join the L'Open Tour bus, because then we do not have to struggle with the undeground. There were so many stories about our friends who missed certain stations because all the instructions are in French. At least, if we are on the bus, we can see where we are going.
We will be going to the main tourist attractions, plus Paris Mosque. Travelling with kids is not going to be easy...I am just praying that they wouldn't have one of their tantrums. Aliah's anticipated problem would be walking long distances, but I hope travelling in a foreign city would alleviate some of the tiredness...heheh. I am only worried about Hadi and Amir. They are too young to appreciate the sights. I am not sure if we are going to the Lafayette Centre or not because shopping is definitely not our main concern in Paris. We'll just see how it goes.
Since we are not very sure about the 'eating arrangement' in Paris, meaning the availability of halal restaurants, we are bringing along some maggie mee, brahim's (to be eaten with french bread) and some cereals for the kids (at least, they will have a filling breakfast. We are also bringing along some sweets and chipsmore for snacks. I am not sure how much is enough, though by looking at my husband's face, I've packed enough to feed an army...heheh. Better be prepared than sorry, eh?
Yes, we are going to Paris in another 3 days. Everyone is so looking forward to it. We have even started sleeping earlier, the kids especially. Today, they are supposed to sleep at 9 pm. Knowing my kids, it's practically impossible but because they were so excited, they were asleep by 10. Not too bad for the first night...
We planned the trip because we came to Khartoum at a bad time, the schools were closing for the summer holidays and they have to wait until August to start their schooling again. And the fact that most Malaysian families went back to Malaysia in May, to enjoy their holidays...they have no friends... Pity the kids, to have me as company for 5 solid months.
At first we wanted to go somewhere nearer, the most likely was Egypt. But after realising that we are just going to swap one hot country for another, we decided somewhere in Europe would be better. I wanted to go to Spain but I don't think my kids would enjoy all those beautiful sights. We ended up with Paris because they have Eurodisney and they are currently in the midst of their 15th anniversary celebration, and kids under 7 could stay and play free...Yippee...
After two weeks of intense netsurfing, we decided to stay in Val D'europe for the whole duration. Instead of spending a lot of money for an apartment in Paris, we'll use that money to commute. I agree with my friend Nora that the French is a bunch of stuck up people, they think they're better than other people. I've been there twice actually (during my student days), but I could not forget the beauty of the city. It's the essence of Europe actually, and I remembered the street performers...they were so wonderful.
Aliah had seen my photos in Eurodisney and she was quite jealous actually. I think Aliah and Hadi would appreciate the experience. My husband had been to Paris too, but it was when he was as small as Amir. This will be an experience for him too...Anyway, I hope we would have a wonderful time.
I would like to go to the top of Eiffel Tower because believe it or not, I've never been to the top. There is a story behind this actually... When I was a student, my friend, Azhar and I actually climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower (stupid huh?), but it was on a dare and a way to save money...hehehe...We thought that on the second tier, we could buy a ticket for the lift to the top. We were very unlucky because on that particular day, the lift decided to have some technical problems and we could not buy tickets to go to the top. The climb of hundreds of stairs was horrible, we nearly vomitted for the sheer vertigo and the tiredness...oh the tiredness...I could still remember the disbelief when we realised that we were not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower...the horror...Now, I could remember with some amusement the journey down, how dejected we were...heheh
I couldn't wait to go to Paris, again. I want to walk on the cobbled streets, and sit at the sidewalk cafes and look at how well dressed the Parisians are...We are going on Friday morning, the flight is at 5.45 am from Khartoum to Cairo (3 hours journey) and 11.30 am from Cairo to Paris. We will be arriving in Paris at 3.30 pm, Friday. I hope everything goes well, insyaallah.
The souks are actually the markets. It's where everyone shops. For the past two weekends I've been to two souks. Actually I wanted to buy sandals for myself. We left the kids in the van with the driver because they were sleeping. Yes, they were not sleepy at home but once we hit the road, they just had to sleep...sigh...
Anyway, my husband and I went in. There was no pavement, it was all dirt. Like the normal open market, it was packed with vendors. Everything that you would and could want I suppose... They do sell clothe materials, quite colourful, it must be imported from China. In Sudan, the traditional attire for ladies resemble an Indian saree. Beautiful, but as we are foreigners, very expensive.
It was kind of funny though because we didn't have a clue what the traders were talking about...hehehe...it was like the blind leading the blind kind of thing. I did buy a pair of sandals, actually, after much hand gesturing...and also finger pointing...Macam ayam ngan itik...Heheh...In souk Bahari, we bought a dress for Aliah, this is where we used the handphone as a haggling tool. Since we do not know numbers in arabic, we had to keep on flashing the numbers on the phone to the 'lucky trader'... I was trying very miserably not to laugh and we finally went out with the dress which was too big for Aliah...Never mind, it was a wonderful experience.
The souks are wonderful places where the atmosphere are very relaxed and laid back. I think I'll have to learn a little bit of arabic before I dare venture into one again. But well, I do not know how long I'm going to be here, so watch this space. You'll never know, probably at the end of my stay, I'll be the haggling devil or a souk shopoholic...Heheh...Miracles do happen. One thing I noticed though, the carpets were quite cheap...I think there is still hope for me...
Since I came to Khartoum, I've been to the 'mall' only once. Surprising isn't it? Heheh, for a shopoholic like me, that in itself says a lot... The Afra Centre is situated in the middle of town. It is quite big, sprawling actually.
As I mentioned before, we went to Afra to take passport photos. The first thing that greeted us was the 'security gate'. 'Security gate'? huh? at the entrance of a mall? It was actually a metal detector and also a security guard who stood there checking people out. Heheh, but it was put there just for show because everyone was waived through. It didn't matter if your pocket was full of metal or whatever because it was there just for show, I guess.
The next thing that hit me was the heat, there was no air-condition in the mall. To put it mildly, shopping in a non-air-conditioned mall, in a middle of african summer is not my cup of tea at all. We braved the stores though, because we wanted to buy slippers for Aliah. We were sweating, the kids were not happy...
The final straw was the prices of goods. It was ridiculously expensive. No wonder there were not many people around, because who can afford the goods. If they were designer goods then I wouldn't say a thing but those were made in china products. From my observation, the mall is not thriving at all. It reminded me of Plaza Phoenix or some such place. Sad really with all the space...
But, they do have Gloria Jeans Cafe. We had to appease the kids by buying them ice-cream. It was good and served by filipino girls who could speak English. So, that ice-cream saved the day. Heheh...
As I mentioned earlier we have to make an entry visa if we ever want to get out of this country. Another requirement is passport photo. In the midst of our hectic preparation in KL, we have forgotten to do that. So, here we are in Khartoum without the important photos.
My husband suggested taking it in the Afra centre, the biggest shopping complex in Khartoum... Heheh, my friends would know that the mere mention of a 'shopping complex' would start me drooling with excitement. When we went there, the photo shop was closed but they do have a Fuji kiosk. We asked the man and he said he could take our pictures...Yippee... Here comes the funny part...
He asked us to follow him and like idiots we followed him into...not a studio, but a jewellery store. He used the jewellery cabinets as the backgrounds, to our horror and embarrassment. Another frustrating thing was that, his camera was out of battery, after countless running back and forth to his booth, I offered the use of our camera. Finally, we got the pictures printed. I can tell you that it was not professional at all, but since the authorities didn't really care with the outlook, we just gambled and it was accepted...heheh... In my next post, I'll tell you about the "mall"...
I just want to share my experience of 'blood taking' in Khartoum. Normally, we have to obtain a visa to go to other countries, right. Here in Sudan, it's a little bit different. You can come into the country (without visa), but to get out of the country you have to obtain a visa. It's very easy to get in, but difficult to get out...
During my first week here, I had to go and have my blood checked for HIV. Actually, I had done numerous checkups in Malaysia, including a blood test. Never mind, I went to the crowded hospital and while I was waiting for my turn, I had a panicked attack, the needle was so big...there was no such thing as a room to shield the patient from the others...heheh...so we could see what was going on from where we were sitting.
In the next instant, I was called. The medical assistant was a very big and black man. The next thing I knew, he was grabbing my arm and putting the needle in (no warning whatsoever and definitely no chance for me to clench my hand...like we used to do in Malaysia). But, hat's off to the man, I didn't feel a thing, but the scariest moment was when he didn't get enough blood in the tube...he just pumped the blood out. Just imagine this, to parents out there, I'm sure you know how to pump out the medicine from the bottle (especially a near empty bottle)...it's something like that.. in and out..in and out...But as I said earlier, it didn't hurt at all.
It was done in a few minutes, but my husband was smirking at me, probably he guessed how terrified I was. Hehehe..at least that's done and over with...
As I mentioned earlier, I have lots of time on my hand. Luckily, I shipped at least 2 boxes of books. I went crazy in Kinokuniya, MPH , BookXcess and other book shops. Now, is the time for me to enjoy reading at leisure. For the first two months, I've read 20 odd books.I'm not very particular about what I read. I have fantasy books, chick lit. books, classics etc. It doesn't matter what I read, as long as I enjoy it. So far, i've read Sophie Kinsella's novels (3), Judith Mcnaught, Charlotte Bronte, Roald Dahl, Sue Townsend etc.One of the books that I like is P.s I Love You by Cecilia Ahern, it was surprisingly good. I've been avoiding reading that book because I thought it was overrated. I've also read Nora Roberts novels, it reminded me of my youth actually. All those romance novels that I used to read with my friends Anne and Nora in a boarding school. Those were the days, right girls. Reading with the help of the corridors light, under the bedsheet...hehehe...until the prefects switched off the light, that is...Another author that I like is Sophie Kinsella's (her shopholic series), wonderfully funny and light reading. Sometimes, her antics with shopping really hit a spot. Before I came to Sudan (for the past 10 years actually), my reading consists of all fantasy books, David Eddings, Raymond E.Feist, Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Terry Pratchett...etc.. I have to confess here that once I like an author, I'll read all his books. My husband is another fantasy reader, so we are like two peas in a pod actually. Now, I've broaden my scope of reading, including all the chick lits as well (an aisle where I've always avoided before...hehehe). Thank God, for the foresight of buying all those books, if not, I'll be a wrecked right now. My only concern is that I'll run out of books before the year is out. Sigh... There is no international bookstore in Khartoum, they have loads of arabic books which I do not understand...sigh...never mind, I'll just take it one book at a time...Oh, how I love reading all those crispy, new books.
Omdurman is at the outskirt of Khartoum, it's where old Khartoum used to be. It is sprawling with shops of all kinds. This is the best market in Khartoum, best meaning the cheapest here. You can haggle your heart out, but since we're the foreigners here, be careful because they would tend to cheat you. The best way to do it is to have somebody who can speak arabic with you at all times. Since I do not speak arabic, my first trip to Omdurman is confined to the interior of the van. But we did went through some of the streets.
They have gold street, carpet street and so on. Anything that you need really... I saw a lot of colourful materials (probably from China) and it was full of people. The locals call us 'the fair skinned' and equal that to having dollars (a lot of money). So, for me, it is not a good idea to shop in Omdurman alone.
A week after we went to Omdurman, there was the 'incidence' of rebels fighting in Omdurman. We were asked to prepare ourselves for the evacuation if necessary. It was quite sudden and it caught us off-guard. There was a 3 days curfew. It was a little bit scary because we do not know what's happening outside. The only news that we could understand is from Aljazeera International. We had to pack a contigency bag for evacuation, but try as I might, one bag is just not enough to fit all the necessities for a family of five. The pampers and milk alone fit into a bag.
It has been a month since the 'incidence', but the bags are still unpacked (just in case, there are other emergencies). You'll never know in this country, we just need to be prepared, that's all. My husband went to see the exhibition of all the weapons used during the fighting (they have it on display), and it consists of quite heavy machinery, quite a few rocket launchers and stuff. So, it wasn't that harmless, actually. Okay, for me, it was a new experience and I am definitely not an ordinary expat's wife. I thought Darfur and the war are far away, but actually they're not...
Just pray for the safety of our family. Insyaallah, everything will turn out all right.
When I first came to Khartoum, I was so eager to see the city. Well, it is the place where the blue Nile meets the white Nile afterall. But, I had to wait a week to see it. It was okay, but the road (or lack of it scared me...). The first trip was the most fun as I couldn't stop myself from 'mengucap' everytime we're on the road. It's a right hand side drive. This is a bit confusing for me plus the fact that the main roads are still under construction. "Now you see it, now you don't" kind of thing. It's very difficult to explain.
There is no such thing as a 'proper' traffic light. There are honking noises everywhere and the drivers are just plain terrible. No such thing as courtesy on the road. Even though I've seen ladies driving here, no way I'm going to sit infront of a steering wheel. I think I have to post a picture for you to believe it. There's all kinds of vehicles on the road, including donkey carts. Since Hadi is a big fan of animals, we had fun 'spotting' the donkey carts.
The only tarred road they have are on the highways or main roads, otherwise it's all dirt roads. Luckily, it doesn't rain that often, if not the road would be terrible. Anyway, I've seen the Nile, it's gorgeous. We could see that the land along the Nile is very fertile, full of vegetations (fruits and vegetable farms). The tomatoes here are delicious, sweet and fresh.
At first I wanted to go and see the oldest pyramid in the world (yes, the Sudanese were the ones building the pyramids in Egypt) but since it's summer, we'll just be frying our brains out if we go now. I've been as far as Omdurman, but I'll write about it in the next post.
I honestly confess that before I came to Khartoum I do not cook. My kitchen is just a place for me to heat up food and that's it. One gas cylinder can last me 1 and a half years...seriously. I buy everything outside, even have a menu for each day of the week. Which restaurant for what day of the week kind of thing...
Here...there's practically nothing! Well, there are quite a few places that a girl can eat out, but it is b****y expensive. The second week we went to this very fancy restaurant, it's a lebanese village. To eat steak and pizza for the kids, we spent about USD100. Huh! In Malaysia, we could eat out for about a week with that kind of money.
So, now I cook for the family... breakfast, lunch and dinner...sigh. And everything from scratch. No short cuts. But now I can safely say that I could make delicious doughnuts, even though the shape is something to think about...hehehe. The kids love it, however mishapen it looks. I'm still trying...I've baked lots of cakes, crumbles and even attempted to make icecream homemade...and that's only the first two months here...who knows, after three years, i'll be a pro. Though, if my husband thinks I'll cook in Malaysia, think again...heheh
There's a blessing in disguise in all this, I guess. At least now, Aliah can get excited helping me in the kitchen. Not to help though, just to lick the leftover dough...sigh...sometimes I think, I'm definitely not an expat's wife, more like a servant...So used to holding a pen and not a knife I suppose. Anyway, at least the family is together.
It is so hot here...God only knows. We arrived on Saturday evening, so it was not too bad. Come Sunday morning, we were hit by the 'hotness' of everything. My husband was at work and we were trying to adapt living on our own. Early in the morning, the doorbell rang. When I answered the door, a small Sudanese woman was standing outside. I just let her enter as I do not speak arabic...Hehehe...She was to be my maid...I just let her run free. Do whatever she had to do and go. Well, since everybody knows how 'good' I am with housework, she is definitely a blessing. My husband forgot to tell me that we would get a daily maid.
To make things interesting for the kids, and since this is the first time that we are sleeping apart (in Malaysia, we all shared a room, here Aliah and Hadi are sleeping together)...I would give them a present everyday. Actually, the presents were 'old' toys as well as their birthday presents given by our family and friends. So, they would look forward to waking up every morning and get a toy each. I managed to prolong this tradition up to 3 weeks...
We came at the wrong moment as it were because the schools were about to close for the summer holidays. They would reopen in August. So my kids had to learn at home for the next 4 months. We have anticipated this 'vacuum' and were prepared with hundred of books (story books as well as exercise books). And thank God for Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. It has been 2 months since we came and we are adapting well. Aliah has 'mengaji' lessons 5 days a week and she has Maths and Bahasa Melayu tuition every Sunday and Tuesday mornings.
I am quite happy with what God has given us, alhamdulillah...
I would to share the experience of bringing three kids across thousands of miles to Khartoum. We decided to go on Aliah's birthday the 5th of April. I was so glad that a lot of relatives and neighbours sent us off. It was very touching indeed, to be surrounded by friends and family. Thank you mummy, daddy, angah's family, adik, ayang, mamud, along's family, hanie, zali n ema, man n ina...Thank you for being there for us at the beginning of our journey to the far reaches of another world, so to speak.
The kids were excited, that was the first time they ventured into new experiences, long flights, new country...Luckily, we are travelling business class with emirates. Since Amir was under 2 years old, we couldn't get a seat for him, so he had to sit on my lap throughout the journey. As i said, thank God, we're travelling business class. Even then, it was not easy carrying a 13kg baby on your lap for 6 hours (KL-Dubai) and another 3 hours (Dubai-Khartoum). Aliah was excited playing games in the flight, Hadi was sleepy and Amir was boisterous.
We had to beak the journey in Dubai, stayed in the Meridien for a night as there was a 14 hour wait for the next flight to Khartoum. We were tired, slept late and we didn't have enough time to shop in Dubai. Never mind, as I want the journey not to be so tiring for the kids. From the hotel, we went straight to the airport and we went crazy at the choclate section of the duty free...hehehe...
Hadi was especially excited to go to Khartoum because we had already shipped most of his toys in January. We arrived in Khartoum in the evening, about 6 pm. Luckily I didn't have a very high expection of my stay here, so it was actually not bad (compared to my mental picture). We were met by a few Sudanese officials and everything went smoothly. But it was so hot......... Probably about 45degrees....We were wilting....
The accommodation is not too bad, we are currently staying in a 3 room apartment, spacious with a lot of room for the kids to play. I will continue later as I have to feed the kids...
Thank god my family is finally asleep. it's now, 1 am local time. But since i posted my first entry, i just couldn't sleep. there are so many things that i wanted to share. Okay, let me begin by introducing my family. My husband is currently working for an oil company in Khartoum, Sudan. We (the kids and i) came about 2 months ago. My eldest is a cheeky 7 year old girl, Aliah. Hadi is my stubborn, 4 year old son. and last but not least, my cherub, Amir who is going to turn 2 this July.
They are a rowdy bunch, to say the least. Sometimes, they drive me up the wall, but at the end of the day, they are my precious...my sweethearts. Especially when they are asleep, they would look like angels...i think parents everywhere would agree with me that it is at the end of the day when we gladly admit that those kids are ours...definitely not in broad daylight...hehehe...
Why do i blog? Well, i've just read a friend's blog actually. I had to spend 3 days to read her blogs since her first entry in 2005. i was intrigue initially, but at the end of it i managed to catch up with her life. So, blogging is a way to communicate and it's very appealing to me. why not? even if i won't be able to write everyday, i'd still feel i'm connected to the world at large. I think my bed beckons me, slowly but surely...so, good night and sweet dreams...
I'm new to this...blogging thing. Since this is my first entry, i'd like to introduce myself. My name is mazlina mohamad aris, married to fasri mohd fadzli and have three kids. They're currently surrounding the computer to see what i'm writing. they are driving me bonkers at the moment...sigh...i don't think i can write anymore before their bedtime...sigh..my daughter is asking me to stop blogging...
i guess i have to stop now and carry on tomorrow...
