Last night we were hit by an enormous haboob (sand storm). Emily, Neetha, John and I were hanging out in the living room, when all of a sudden John yelled, "look outside!" An enormous cloud of sand was heading right for us. It came incredibly fast. I barely had time to snap a couple photos. We rushed to close the windows, but we were too late. Within minutes the wind picked up and the entire sky had gone black. Sand poured through the slits in the windows, covering everything. John and I went up on the roof, where we were pelted with sand and blown about. You could literally chew the air. My eyes, nose, mouth and clothes were filled with sand.

In the middle of the storm, Liam came home with a new skin color. Most people stay inside, but he decided to walk home from his University. The Sudanese people acted like it was nothing out of the ordinary. There was a guy sitting across the street drinking a Coke and smoking a cigarette as the storm raged. It lasted about an hour.

Afterward, we all went to Agfad University to attend a dinner for the national English language debate tournament. Many of the volunteers (encluding Emily, Neetha and Liam) are coaching teams at their Universities. I am not coaching, because my main placement is at the Police Department. The dinner was catered by the Hilton. I have not eaten that much, or that well, since I have been here! We all gorged ourselves.

Peter and I visited Souq Lybia, which is also known as the camel market. They don't sell camels, but they sell plenty of camel meat. Beef, chicken, fish, lamb and goat are much more popular, but camel meat is still eaten. It took us a while to figure out the arabic word for camel (we should have looked it up before coming), but we figured it out and got a reccomendation for a good meat stall. The "restaurant" had only three walls, which were lined with chairs, and a small coal fire for cooking. An old Sudanese woman cooked the camel meat in a large saucepan with holes in the bottom. She served it with bread and hot sauce. The meat tasted like goat, but it was not nearly as tender. It took awhile to chew each fatty piece. After we ate, we walked around the souq and stopped for some hot, sweet tea, which is served in abundance everywhere you go.

Before coming here, I had very little expectations. Never the less, many things have surprised me about Sudan. Here's a short list:

-Everyone (except the very poor) take great care in their personal appearance. The men wear either western style button down shirts with slacks or the traditional Jelabia. Their clothes are always exceptionally clean and ironed.
-The woman do not feel oppressed at all. They wear the head scarves by choice and feel like they are free to do as they please.
-They LOVE sugar. People here drink sugary drinks like soda and fresh fruit juice all day long. It is necessary to consume sugar to keep your energy up during this heat.
-The food is incredibly fresh and tasty. I can never get this quality of fruits and vegetables in the States.
-They love watching English football (soccer), American Professional Wrestling, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Bollywood films, and bad American films.

We visited another IDP camp. This one was worse off than the last one, because there are no NGOs there to help.

Here are some photos from Souq Omderman, a photo of the Khartoum University Library, and one of Reem and Nuha at their graduation ceremony.

I went to a big football (soccer) match between Hillel (a local team) and a team from Nigeria. Most games cost 500 Dinars, so I only brought 1000 Dinars. This game cost 2000 Dinars, because it was a big match. I walked up a ramp leading to the expensive seats (the ramp is taller than the stadium wall) and watched the beginning of the game from there. The view was not very good, though, so I went across the street where many people were watching from a rooftop. The view was a little better, but you could only see one goal. At half time I decided to invoke Hawaja Privilege (taking advantage of the fact that white people are rare and well respected) and got in for free. Inside the stadium, I met some Sudanese fans who spoke decent English and watched the game with them.

The place was absolutely packed. It was the deciding game for entrance into the African League Semi-Finals. Sudan lost 3-0 in Nigeria, so they had to win by more than 4 points. No one thought it could be done. Hillel scored one goal after another. Each time, the fans lit newspapers on fire, shot off Roman Candles (fireworks) and danced around hugging each other. It came down to an exciting sudden-death shootout and Hillel won! I the whole city of Omderman (and probably the rest of the country) celebrated for hours.

At the police station where I teach, they serve a huge breakfast everyday at 10:00. Meat, ful, chicken, taimia, cheese, salad, dessert and three or four types of drinks. Today they slaughtered a goat (probably the one that was tied up in front of the building yesterday), which is pretty common for a big meal here in Sudan. They don't waste a thing. The head is a delicacy. The stomach and intestines are cooked in a special sauce. The liver is eaten raw. The rest of the meat is served with a spicy sauce. I tried everything except the head, but could not enjoy it because I had met the goat yesterday.

We all went to the Khartoum University graduation celebration today. I had trouble getting there, because I thought it was in Buri at the Police Home, but it was actually in Khartoum Two at the Police Club. The party was not like any stuffy graduation celebration in the US. It was held at a large amphitheater. A live band played Sudanese music on stage and everyone danced (which is usually not allowed in this overly modest, religious society). The wealthy families had tables full of food, which they generously shared.

By the time I got there, I was starving. I have to leave at 7:30am to teach the police officers. I got to the party 14 hours later and had not eaten since breakfast. Yes, even in Sudan you sometimes get too busy to eat. The party ended at 11:00, as all parties do, because amplified music is not allowed after that time.

I went to Souq Omderman to take photos, but I forgot to bring my photo-permit. You need a permit for everything here. Most people were excited about getting their photo taken. Often a small crowd would gather and each person would wait their turn to be photographed. I always asked before taking a picture, but some people got upset about me even asking. The real problem didn't start until I took a picture of a homeless family. I was approached by an undercover police officer and questioned. "Why are you taking pictures of these people," he said. I replied, "It is to show my friends and family the people of Sudan." "Why show them this?" he said, "it is illegal to photograph negative aspects of the country."

The conversation went on like this for a while. I tried to leave, but he kept me there while he called his office. Eventually he let me go, but said that I should bring my permit next time.

Ok Todd, you want it, you got it. Here are directions to Khartoum University (The police station was too hard):

Start at Tuti Island (the crescent shaped island between Khartoum and Omderman). This time look for the South East corner of the island (it is gray). The tip of the island points East, along the Blue Nile river. Zoom as much as you can and follow the river East. Just South East of the tip of the island, you will see a white boat. South of the boat is the Presidential Palace. Keep following the shoreline to the East and you will see the Sailing Club (where I often go). Look for the road which runs East-West; it is just South of the sailing club. Follow that road East for a couple blocks. You will see a large dirt field (South of the road) with a shape that looks like an electric guitar in the upper right corner. You are now on the campus of Khartoum University. Look for the bright white building in the center of campus. That is where tests are held. North of that building is the Library, built by General Gordon. The buildings East of the library are where I hold class.

Emily and I visited an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp outside of Khartoum. We went with Al Adeen, who runs a NGO to help the camp. It was much different than I expected. The camp has been around for 20 years, helping people from the war torn South and now from Darfur. It houses 40,000 people and has been built up like a small city. The houses are all made of mud and they are in great need of repair. Most had crumbling walls and no ceiling. We visited one family's homes within the camp. Thirteen people lived there, but it was little more than some crumbling walls, which use to delineate rooms. There was a piece of cloth over two rooms, where the ceiling should have been, to provide some shade. Al Adeen brought a bag of clothing to hand out and the house was soon full of neighboring children and parents. They fought desperately for the clothing. I was amazed at the sheer size of the camp. With 40,000 people, it was like a small city.

I found our house on maps.google.com - here's how you can find it too:

Start by searching for Khartoum, Sudan. Zoom in until everything looks brown and dusty. Look for the crescent shaped island between Khartoum and Omderman. That is Tuti Island. On the left side of the island, near the top of the curve and just across the river, you will see a bridge that goes between Khartoum and Omderman (it crosses another small island). Follow that bridge to the left (Omderman side) and curve right when the road splits. The road should now be following the Nile. Take a left at the next split. There will be a football field on the right and a large empty field just past the football field. The road seems to end at the top left corner of the larger field. The small silver dome to the right of the large field is the Mahdi's tomb. This is where it gets tricky. Head north on the street between the dome and the large field and turn left at the big intersection. You will now be going north west. The road ends next to a large mosque (which will be on your right). Look for the street that sticks out on the eastern corner of the mosque (you are now north of the street you were just on). At the first intersection there will be a building with a green roof. At the second intersection are some houses with white roofs. That is next to our house. The building on the north east corner of the intersection (south of the white roofs) is ours! Good luck!

Emily, some friends and I went to an art opening at the restored site of an old bar in Khartoum. The building was very nice, bohemian looking with a mosaic floor and a large outdoor seating area. The bar was still there, but it only served soda and juice now. Outside there were well groomed trees old columns, relief paintings and a live band. Inside were three rooms, each one displaying the paintings of a different artist. It reminded me of what a beautiful city Khartoum had been before it was overtaken by religious fundamentalists.

My police officer class took me to the zoo. The conditions were pretty appalling, but the animals were beautiful. Many of the cages were falling apart and held closed by chicken-wire. They gave me unrestricted access to the cages, because I was with the police. Instead of staying a few feet away from the lion's cage, I was able to go right up to it and sit face to face with the lion (from 6" away). The female police officers acted like they had never been to the zoo before. While they were looking nervously at the lion, I jumped toward them and roared. They ran away screaming. There was also a chimp who spoke Arabic. They would give her a few different objects, then ask for one; the monkey knew which one to bring.