Welcome to Sudan

This is an appropriate title for my first entry from Sudan because I have heard that phrase from so many people. As I researched Sudan while I was considering accepting this job, I read many times that the people were incredibly friendly and hospitable and I have certainly found this to be true during my first week in the country. From the Sudanese teachers and staff at my school to the guys working at the market to my landlord to people in the street, everyone has been very kind. As many of you have probably experienced, this is not always the case in other countries and it has definitely eased the transition to this very different culture. So for this entry I want to give you an overview of my job and Khartoum in general.



I won't bore you with travel details but I will just say that it took forever to get here. It is not a great distance from Crete to Khartoum, but after overnight ferries, delays, and layovers, I was in transit for almost 36 hours from door to door. And let me just say that clearing customs in Sudan was an experience I will never forget. I know that is cryptic but I just don't feel like explaining that experience in detail. Anyways, Khartoum is about as different from Crete as you can get. A friend asked me my first impressions of Khartoum and my response was that it's flat, hot, and dusty. This is the "winter" time and it is probably 90 degrees in the middle of the day. They call this winter because apparently it gets to be 120 degrees in the summer. But it feels great in the evening and mornings and thank God for air-conditioning. It's also very dusty. The main roads are paved but all the roads within the neighborhoods are dirt, so yes, I live on a dirt road. And it is not the rainy season, hence the dust. And when I say flat, I mean literally no hills in sight. The main attraction in Khartoum, and it is quite the attraction, is the Nile River. In fact, Khartoum is the place where the Blue and White Niles converge before heading north through Egypt and into the Mediterranean. I must admit, seeing the Nile River for the first time gave me chills. There are many different boat and ferry trips one can take on the Nile so I look forward to doing that. Other than that, Khartoum is not the most beautiful place I have ever been, but it is still a fascinating place. In fact, I have already met two of the most interesting people I have ever met in my life, my roommate and my boss. They deserve their own post, but I will provide a basic introduction. My roommate is an American who left the States four years ago and has been teaching and travelling since. He became a Muslim in Cambodia and married a Cambodia woman and while I thought I had some interesting stories, he puts me to shame. We have already spent hours discussing life, travelling, religion, and many other things. My boss, also American, is the son of Eldridge Cleaver who was the Information Minister for the Black Panthers in Oakland in the 60s. After becoming Muslim, he left America in '99 and has been living and teaching across North Africa and the Middle East for the last ten years. I look forward to spending more time talking with him about his life.

As far as my job, I am working with young kids, which is a little different than I expected. I teach Math and Science to the 3rd grade class a couple times a week. Then my main job is to be a reading tutor to the kids who really struggle reading English. I meet with small groups of 4-6 for thirty minutes at a time and practice reading. Some can hardly read at all so I have to start with the basics and some can read fairly well so I can challenge them a bit more. English is a second language for these kids so they need lots of help. I think I can have a great impact on their education, which is an exciting opportunity.

This will be an incredible opportunity for me to learn about myself and a very different culture. Sudan is a Muslim country so one of my main goals is to learn about and study Islam. I never really had any Muslim friends growing up or in school. And while I took a class on Islam in college, that was before I became serious about academics and I really don't remember much. So my roommate gave me a copy of the Quran and I have been reading it every day. So as I continue my reading of the Quran and other books on Islam that my roommate and my boss have given me, I will try to write about my thoughts and experiences. I am also trying to learn Arabic and hopefully can learn enough to get around, we shall see.

Sudan is a Muslim country ruled by Sharia (Islamic Law), so that means no alcohol or pork products. I have been told their are places one can drink, specifically the British Embassy, but I haven't made it there as of yet. Although I was a little worried about this lack of access to booze at first, I think it will be a good thing. It will definitely be better for my health to avoid alcohol and I will spend more time reading and studying and doing other things rather than drinking. Since there is no alcohol, the nightlife is fairly limited. Most people spend that time with their family or friends just hanging out and talking. The only difference is they are drinking tea or juice instead of wine or beer. I have already spent many enjoyable nights discussing all sorts of things with Yusuf, my roommate, over a tasty guava juice.

Anyways, that is my introduction to my life here in Khartoum. I will try to write often but I do not have internet at my apartment so it will have to be on Saturdays. Here in Sudan, and in most Muslim countries, the work week is from Sunday to Thursday. Friday is the Muslim holiday and many shops and businesses are closed, including the school. Saturday is a planning day for the teachers so that is when I have time to use the internet. So I will try to stay in touch but please be patient with me. I also have to get a permit from the government to take pictures (I know, its pretty crazy) and I haven't had a chance to do that yet so hopefully I can get that soon and I will post some pictures. That's all for now. Alakum Salaam!

Next Stop: Africa

When I left Atlanta almost six weeks ago, I really had no idea where I was going to end up teaching. I wanted to teach in Crete but I was open to any number of possibilities. After being in Crete for about two weeks I realized two things. First, there weren't many teaching jobs in Crete. The school year had already started and apparently there are already lots of teachers on the island. And even if there were jobs, schools are much more likely to hire EU nationals since it is much easier for them to get work visas. In fact, there were three American girls who took the certification course in August and they stayed in Crete looking for work and still haven't found anything. Second, and more importantly, I realized that living in Greece would not present a significant challenge to me. Greece is a beautiful country and I absolutely love this place, but I have lived here before and I am very comfortable here. One of the main reasons I began this journey was to challenge myself and broaden my worldview and to be honest, that wouldn't happen in Greece. So I started thinking about other place I would want to live and I kept thinking about Africa. I have been to Kenya twice and I have always wanted to see more of that incredible continent. So I started looking for jobs teaching Enlish in Africa and found that most of them were in Northern Africa. One place that caught my eye was Sudan. All I had heard about Sudan was the Darfur conflict so I was suprised to see that there were English teaching jobs there. But after doing some research, I found that many parts of Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, were very safe and secure. So I applied to a job in Khartoum kind of on a whim. However, they got back to me and after a phone interview, offered me a job. I spent the next couple of days doing some serious research and some soul searching, I decided I would go for it. Living and teaching in Sudan will definitely present some significant challenges, but it will also be a great adventure and I know I will learn so much about myself and about a completely different culture. So as I said last night, this blog is about to take a very different turn. I will try to write as often as I can but I'm not sure about internet connectivity. I know there's internet at my school but we'll just have to see. So please keep me in your prayers as I embark on this next stage of my crazy odyssey. Next time you hear from me I'll be under the African sun!

Journeys in Crete II

So I left Hania last Friday and took the bus to Heraklion, the capital and largest city in Crete. First of all, the bus ride from Hania to Heraklion was spectacular. One of my favorite things since I've been in Crete has been driving/riding around the island. I have always loved driving through mountain roads. I think it goes back to my childhood when I would meet my grandparents in Dillsboro, NC and we would drive through the Appalachian Mountains along I-40 on the way to their home in eastern Tennessee. Something about those sweeping mountain views just moves me in a profound way and makes me feel connected to the earth in a very spiritual sense. Anyways, I got to Heraklion Friday afternoon and after checking into my hotel, I checked out the city. It is a big city and on the surface it is not as aesthetically pleasing as Hania or Rethymno. However, there are still some cool sites and I have enjoyed my time here. For starters, I visited the gravesite of my favorite author, Nikos Kazantzakis. Kazantzakis (author of Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ, among numerous other works) was born in Heraklion and grew up in a village just outside of town. I first fell in love with his work when I was studying abroad in Athens and I read Zorba the Greek. I absolutely loved that novel and it has become my favorite book (I've read it at least 3 times). Since then, I have read most of his other novels and I am currently reading The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel, his sequel to Homer's Odyssey that picks up Odysseus' journeys after returning to Ithaca. I could go on and on about Kazantazakis, but I digress. His grave is on top of the old Venetian walls in Heraklion and it has gorgeous views of the city and surrounding countryside. It also looks down on the stadium of the minor league soccer team in Heraklion and I was able to catch part of a game while I was up there. There are also lots of beautiful churches in Heraklion and I have enjoyed checking out the icons and other artwork found in those places.

I have also taken a couple day trips into some mountain villages near Heraklion the last couple of days. First, I visited the village of Anoyia, about 1 hour southwest of Heraklion. My classmate at Via Lingua who was from Hania told me that Anoyia was a great example of a traditional Cretan mountain village so I made it a point to visit. Again, the journey to Anoyia through the mountains was spectacular, and the village was really cool. When I arrived, I just wandered through the streets and enjoyed the scenery (Picture #1). The village is divided into two parts, the lower village which is in a small valley, and the upper village which is essentially built into the side of a mountain (Picture #2). After exploring the village and taking in the beautiful mountain scenery, it started to rain, so I found a taverna recommended by my guide book and stopped in for lunch. The grilled lamb was spectacular and I tried some local wine as I waited for the weather to pass. It finally stopped raining so I continued my exploration and came across a really interesting WWII memorial. After the Battle of Crete in 1941, the Germans brutally occupied the island until 1944. However, there was widespread resistance to the occupation and Anoyia, due to its mountainous location, was a center of this resistance. Therefore, the Germans ordered the complete destruction of the village and executed all of the adult men. The monument had a statue with the name of those executed as well as the copy of the German order to destroy the village and it was a very interesting site. It started raining again so I found another local spot where some old Greek dudes were hanging out and drinking and joined them in the festivities. It was really funny as they kept trying to ask me questions and I did my best in my very limited Greek to converse with them. After about an hour, I had to catch the bus back to Heraklion but even with the rain, it was an enjoyable afternoon.

I also visited a village called Archanes located only 30 minutes south of Heraklion. Archanes is a wealthy farming village and is located in a lush, fertile valley that was extraordinarily beautiful(Picture #3) . After arriving in town, I hiked up a hill to an ancient Minoan site. Unfortunately, the site was closed for the day but the views were well worth the hike. On one side of the hill was a view of the valley and mountains, and on the other side was a view down to Heraklion and the sea. I walked through an olive grove and found a secluded spot that provided 360 degree views of the area (Picture #4). There was nobody else in sight and I just sat there for about half an hour enjoying the view and meditating on life. It was Sunday afternoon so I couldn't help but think about all the people back at First Pres getting to church and getting ready for the day. While I definitely miss everybody back at FPC, I couldn't help but think that I enjoyed my current setting more than FPC on a Sunday morning. Anyways, I slowly made my way back down to Archanes and explored the town. There were some cool little churches and lots of old houses and narrow streets to explore. I stopped at a local cafe for a coffee before catching the bus back to Heraklion. At least that was the plan. They told me the last bus back to Heraklion came at 6:00 pm so I was at the bus stop at 5:50. And I waited, and waited, and waited, but no bus. At about 7:00 I was getting a little worried and asked some locals what was going on. They seemed confused and assured me the bus would come. At 7:30 I thought I was screwed for sure and figured I would have to pay for a hotel room in Archanes, but a taxi showed up and offered a ride back to Heraklion for 10 euros. I jumped at this opportunity and was so thankful to make it back to the city. Even with that madness, it was a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

So that basically concluded my Cretan journey and this blog is about to take a very different turn. I take the ferry back to Athens tomorrow night and then I'm off to Africa. For those of you that don't know, I have accpeted a teaching job in Khartoum, Sudan. I will write one last blog entry tomorrow morning going into more detail about that. But for now, I'm signing off from Crete.

Journeys around Crete

Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been spending most of my time researching my next teaching job, but more on that later. So after finishing my TEFL certification course on October 9, I've basically been on vacation and it has been very nice exploring more of the island and relaxing. Since my hotel/apartment in Hania offered the room for 15 euros a night, I decided to stay there for a few days and take some day trips. My first trip was to Rethymno, a city on the north coast of Crete about an hour east of Hania. The main attraction in Rethymno is the Venetian fort built on a rocky hill above the city. It is supposedly the largest Venetian fort in the world and it was quite a magnificent site. I spent a couple of hours wandering through the massive structure and I particularly enjoyed walking around the outer walls and taking in the impressive views of the surrounding area and the sea (Picture #3). There were also these really cool lookouts built into the walls and of course, I had to climb in one and see what the defenders of Rethymno would have seen many centuries ago from their defensive positions (Picture #4). There were also several cool little churches scattered throughout the complex and one rather large mosque. Modern Greek history centers around the occupation of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent battle for independence and its always interesting to see the two cultures side by side. Many churches were converted to mosques during Turkish rule and this still fuels some rather strong resentment among some Greeks towards the Turks. Anyways, after wandering through the fortress, I made my way down into the town. Rethymno has a Venetian harbor like Hania, only much smaller (Picture #2). I spent some time wandering through the old town and along the modern beach front avenue before making my way to the bus station and back to Hania. Rethymno was very nice. It's a city, but much smaller and more intimate than Hania and the Venetian fortezza was definitely the highlight.

The next day I tried to visit the small mountain village of Fournes. When I got on the bus, the bus driver didn't speak any English and I said Fournes but he looked kind of annoyed with me. So we headed out of Hania and through the beautiful surrounding countryside. We went through a couple small towns and headed towards the mountains. Since I've been travelling by myself, I like to put my headphones on and listen to some tunes as I watch the Cretan countryside go by. So as we go through another town at the base of the mountains, I think that it might be Fournes, but I didn't see any signs and the driver didn't stop so I figured that wasn't it. Well, we started heading back into town and it became apparent that I had missed my stop. I tried to ask the bus driver what the deal was but he just spouted some stuff to me in Greek and I really wasn't in the mood to argue. A student on the bus explained to me in broken English that I had to push the stop button to let the driver know when I wanted to get off. This was news to me as I had taken the bus in Crete before and not pushed the button, but this was the first time I was going to a small village not really frequented by tourists. Anyways, I basically paid 4 euros for a scenic drive through the countryside and decided that wasn't such a bad deal.

My final trip from Hania was to Stavros, a small beach community on the Akrotiri Peninsula 30 minutes outside of Hania. Stavros' main claim to fame is that several scenes from the movie Zorba the Greek were filmed there, including the famous last scene where Zorba and Basel are dancing on the beach. It really is a beautiful beach. It is a small lagoon set back from the sea with a steep rock face and moutains surrounding the far side of the beach (Picture #1). I spent the afternoon wandering around the area and just chilling out, relaxing and reading. During my travels in Crete, when I find a nice quiet spot in a beautiful setting, I really like to just have a seat, stare at the beautiful scenery, and think about all the people that have been there before me. It's also a nice time to just think about life. I actually really do enjoy travelling by myself. It is definitely nice to have someone to talk to, but the peace and quiet and solitude can be nice as well. Anyways, on Friday I had to pack up and leave Hania so the next group could move in. I absolutely love that city and I really enjoyed my time there. It was kind of sad to leave but I know I will return someday. More adventures in the next post!

Greek Culture

So it's been a really long time since I posted anything on this blog. I was pretty busy with class the last two weeks and didn't leave Hania either so I guess there wasn't too much to report. But now I'm done with class and figured I should catch up. First, I wanted to write about Greek culture. I don't think I'm gonna be staying here in Greece to teach so I figure now is a good time to write about the incredible culture of this country and Crete in particular. And when you talk about culture, what's most important? The food. I absolutely love Greek food. It's very simple cooking, not too many ingredients or crazy recipes. Just simple, fresh ingredients, a few spices, and always plenty of olive oil. Since Crete is an island, the seafood is particuarly good. My favorite is the octupus, usually cooked in oil and lemon and so so good. I also love the Greek salad. For those who may not know, a true Greek salad (village salad to the Greeks) doesn't have lettuce in it. Just fresh tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese and oil on top. Feta cheese is everywhere here and it's good on most things. And it's so much fresher and tastier than what we get in the states. There's also lots of other Cretan cheeses that can be much stronger but still tasty. And of course, my staple throughout my time in Greece, the gyro. Again, different from the States, gyros here aren't made with lamb, it's either pork or chicken. I usually get pork but I won't frown on the chicken. The meat is then served on a pita with onions, tomatoes, tzaziki, and the real topper, french fries. There's a great place right by my school that served them for $2 a pop and I proably ate 20 of them during my time here. I could go on and on about the food, but the people really make up the culture. Greek people are a fascinating bunch. They tend to be talkative, expressive, and they take their time to do anything, except driving a car. And I love it. Getting a coffee takes at least an hour. A proper meal is minimum two hours, but usually more like 3 or 4. And nothing ever starts on time. But there is such an appreciation for what is really important in life. There is not a focus on getting ahead or working your ass off to make more money. In general, the Greeks would rather not work as hard and enjoy good food, good drinks, friends and family. For instance, most shops close at 2 pm for a 2 hour lunch break, then open back up at 4 until 6 pm or so. And everything, except the touristy stuff, is closed on Sunday. This certainly has its drawbacks, it can take forever to get anything official done with the government. But in general, I think this mentality creates a healthier, more relaxed lifestyle that I certainly appreciate coming from America. And another thing that sets Cretans apart is their hospitality. I have met and hung out with a few Cretans and they always insist on paying for everything. There was a girl from Hania in my class and one Sunday she and her boyfriend picked us up and took us to the Venizelos Tombs and then out for coffee. We all had coffee and snacks and Mannos, Maria's boyfriend, would not let us pay. He actually seemed offended. He told me that money just is not that important, that if he has it, he would rather spend it on his friends or new people than save it. And Maria told us this is a common belief among the Cretan people. Again, there would be some drawbacks to this mentality, but it's a breath of fresh air as an American. So I will miss this beautiful island and this welcoming culture, but I will always remember Crete and this definitely won't be the last time I ever come here. More to come on my journeys around the island this week.