Technical breakdown

I am so glad that my technical breakdown is finally over...sigh... my laptop was attacked by a bad, bad worm last sunday... so, for the past one week I was in a limbo. Without emails to amuse me, I nearly had a nervous breakdown... hehehe ( I'm kidding...). But now I know how hooked I am to blogging because I really miss being able to reach people that I know by writing about my life here...sigh... I have so many things to share, so watch out for the next few posts... Now, I am just going to relax and check my emails. Thank you En. Khairudin for helping us with the laptop...

Where do we live?

Where do we live? The answer is, "I don't really know". Puzzling isn't it? But, it's true. I don't know exactly where we are staying...it's somewhere near the Makkah Eye Centre...and that's the closest that I could get to our home address. I think, it's the culture of the region not to have the same concern about having an 'address' like we do. Probably, it's enough to know the landmarks surrounding your house.

But for me, not having an address is like not knowing where you are. If I were to be left in the middle of Khartoum, finding my way back would be close to impossible...hehehe, plus the fact that I'm very bad with my sense of directions. It also means that people couldn't write to me, so I'm only left with a 'virtual' address. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just irritating not to have an address of some kind. I'm sure they have a mail delivery system of some kind, I just haven't discovered that yet.

Another problem of not knowing your house address is the fact that you couldn't have a delivery of your favourite pizza for example, because what would you say when you call in? Plus the fact that we'll be fumbling with the use of English and Arabic to let the other person understand your order...hehehe...

Hopefully the problem will be solved when we move to the Petronas Complex. At least, we could use an address like this: Blok A-1-7, Petronas Complex, Khartoum, Sudan... I truly don't know, we'll see how it goes... But I do hope that we'll get a 'proper' address soon, just for my peace of mind...

Rainy season

This year the rainy season starts early. Normally it starts in July, but this year it starts to rain in May. Coming from Malaysia and so used to torrential rain, I was a bit surprised with the rain in Sudan.

When I first heard the pattering of the rain (and being curious), I opened the back door. I thought it was sandstorm because of the wind but in amazement I told my husband, "it's water". My husband laughed and said, "what do you expect, it's raining". It's nothing like the rain that I'm used to. Even rain in England has more 'character'...hehehe. It's just like big droplets of water, but quite sparse... And it doesn't last. After about half an hour, it stopped.

But it did leave its mark. The next morning, I could see the 'leftover' red dust courtesy of the rain at the verandah. There's also potholes in front of our building. Because Sudan is very dry and seldom see rain, the soil is hardened enough not to be able to absorb the rain water. So, we are left with potholes everywhere. As I mentioned before, most roads in Khartoum are dirt roads and after it rains, we'll have a 'camel trophy' kind of ride in the van...

Living in Sudan is definitely not for the faint hearted but the good news is you'll be able to appreciate your own country more...

Water supply in Sudan

Unlike electricity, water is practically free, it's very cheap. I don't know why it's called 'hard' water, probably because like coke, it can scrape your insides...hehehe...just kidding, but we are definitely scared enough not to drink it raw. We are lucky because the previous occupant left their water filter behind.

For drinking and cooking purposes, I have to boil the filtered water first or use mineral water. At first I just boiled the filtered water, but after discovering mineral deposits at the bottom of the jug, I've opted for mineral water instead, especially to make milk for Amir. Alhamdulillah, since we came, there's only one incidence of stomach ache for Amir.

Another main use for water is definitely for washing our clothes. I've learnt my lesson the hard way, no more washing colours separately for me...why? Because whites would never remain whites again... hehehe, the water tend to leave 'marks' on whites (I think on all clothes, but it's just more obvious on whites). And no amount of bleach can help remove it. Using 'vanish' is also futile. The water here can make new clothes look jaded by the second wash. I can attest for the mineral deposits in the water because every few days, my washing machine would get clogged with sand and even small stones. I've become quite the handyman...hehehe...I've also found another use of a toothbrush, as a 'declogger' tool!

To make my life less miserable (for the duration of our stay here), I have decided to buy only coloured clothes for the family. That is what I call 'adapting' to the way of life here.

Electricity supply in Sudan

As I mentioned in earlier postings, electricity supply in Sudan is definitely expensive. Probably those who can afford it are the rich and the expats. When I first came to Khartoum, I was a bit apprehensive when the electricity supply was cut off sometime in the morning. Luckily, Kak Rehana (a neighbour) assured me that it is normal. Huh?!! But, it's true, it is normal that in a course of a day, we'll have several power cuts.

It's not actually power cuts, it's just that there's no power supply and there'll be a black out! That's also why there's a big generator at every building, including our block. So whenever there's a black out, the generator will kick in after a few minutes. It happens so often that at first it drives me crazy.

Can you imagine, if the washing machine is on, it would stop the cycle immediately and you have to start all over again. Sometimes, it's very inconvenient to say the least. During the JEM attack, it was worse. It's like chipsmore, now you have, now you don't kind of thing...hehehe. The kids used to scream whenever there's a black out, but now they're such a pro that if there's a black out, they'll just stay put until the lights is on again. It's just something that we have to get used to. It's just a fact of life that in Sudan, the electricity supply is unreliable.

Oh yes, another thing about the electricity supply... Each electrical appliance will give out static shocks...hehehe... it's true, even while I'm typing this post, I could feel the static from the lap top, I have learnt to avoid touching the side of the lap top because the static is worse there. Sometimes, Amir would get static shocks when he tried to disturb me...hehehe. Sometimes, touching the freezer or the washing machine could make your fingers numb for a little while. I guess that's a part and parcel of the 'perks' staying in this country...hehehe

100 days in Khartoum

Well, well, what do you know? It's been a hundred days already since we first came to Khartoum. Not that long really, just over 3 months...but feeling-wise, it's been ages...hehehe...and I long to go back to Malaysia where I can gossip with friends and neighbours alike...hehehe, that's one of the things that I really miss actually, keeping in touch with friends and neighbours.

'Dah lama parlimen pokok mempelam tak bersidang'. That's what my husband used to call us, a few ladies with shared interests...hehehe. I really miss Kak Normah, Kak Arah, Hani, Ema, Ina, Kak Eda (my neighbours (Tmn Sri Rawang and BTP) and Sha, Shima, Zu , Farah, Kak Bai and Nisa (my workmates)...sigh...I wish I could gossip with all of you now...It's been lonely here. Luckily I have my SSP friends for company...hehehe...though my husband could kill me with the amount of internet prepaid that i've spent.

Anyway, back to the 100 days report. All I can say is that it has been interesting, living with my family in a totally different setting. We've learnt so much about relying on each other and having fun as a family unit. I've learnt that I really couldn't teach Aliah (lack of patience...sigh), and potty training Hadi has been hell...that's another story all by itself...hehehe. But, what's important is that we are happy (most of the time) and the kids do not miss Malaysia as much as me...hehehe...and I've learnt to cook (of sorts), just to keep the family alive...Nora, I'm still a survival kind of cook. I think that's all for the first 100 days, there'll be more days to come...sigh...

The Souk

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...

The 'Mall'

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...

Picture taking in Khartoum

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"...

Blood taking in Khartoum

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...

Books...oh glorious books

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

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.

Sightseeing in Khartoum

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.

Everything from scratch...sigh...

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.

Hot, hot, hot....

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...