day-to-day life

There is quite a discussion going on in the comments from the 'Winter' post below about FGM. Just thought I'd mention it if you are interested.

So my life seems to have already slipped into a comfortable routine. I work 6 days, in Sudan the weekend is only Friday. I only work 2-4 hours a day and almost all my classes start at 2pm. I have one on Thursdays that starts at 8am just to keep me on my toes. On Monday and Wednesday nights from 5pm-10pm I proof read for the newspaper. I'm slowly starting to get to know the people at the newspaper. they call me "Russia" which I rather like, or "Rayshell" which is easier to pronounce, and those who speak french call me "Rachelle".

I have a lot of students, about 100, they seem to come and go to and from random classes. The largest class I have taught was only about 30 students. sometimes I have only 3. I still struggle with the names the typical Mathew, Mark and John (English, in Scots that would be: Andrew, Robert and David) is Mustafa, Alshareef and Mohammad. I Like the students and really learn a lot from them. That is a really great thing about leading discussion classes.

Anna (another volunteer) is moving into my house. I was just beginning to really enjoy living alone. it is a one bedroom apartment, but I have already claimed a corner of the lounge. I prefer the lounge as I get a good breeze from the balcony. The bedroom has no windows. I now have Television, satellite, Several English channels like BBC world and NBC 2 that screens back-to-back movies. Luxury. I think it will be fun to live with Anna, good to have the company.

My front door has a large metal grill across it which I lock with a padlock when I go out.

On Fridays I try to do something touristy. last week I went to see a Sufi ritual. There are German, French and Greek cultural centres here and the British council that has a library. It is a city that had been effected by all the humanitian and aid workers here. this is why there are so many things catering for westerners. There is even a German Club where (for a price) you can swim in their pool... in actual skin-showing swim suits, it would feel like not being in Sudan for an afternoon if it wasn't for all the NGO workers discussing the humanitarian situations beyond the walls. I met a cartographer who drew a line wrong on a map and caused hundreds of refugees to end up in the wrong place.

There are power cuts each now and again. last night the power went out when I was right at the end of a long email (sorry Aldo, I'll write it again soon) . It's a good way to regularly defrost the fridge.

I have bought my very first pumice stone to file all the dead skin off my feet, feels better now.