Final trip to Meroe!

This was it- our first trip to the Sudanese pyramids in the company of ADULTS! And what a difference! We had a great time with good food, great friends and some quality laughs. Here are a few photos from the journey. Emily and I weren't too concerned with the pyramids and history as we had done that twice before with 12 year olds. But we were happy to explore a bit more! And pretty excited about the decor in our bus! Check that out!

Fridge Freak Out

A little excitement in our house- Last Wednesday, the business manager at school found us to say that there had been an 'accident' in our kitchen. It seems the maid and her son (see above photo) were in our apartment and realized that the fan in our refrigerator had caught on fire! She ran to get the guards, who busted in and expertly doused the fire (and the rest of our kitchen) with the fire extinguisher. They got a hold of the maintenance supervisor, who came to check it out. It was quite the mess! He brought 5 workers from school to clean up the mess, washing every individual item that was salvageable from our fridge.

Yes, we arrived home to find five men in blue jumpsuits washing our bbq sauces and ranch dressing! We were able to save lots of things, but lost a fair amount as well. But, we got a new fridge and are happy everyone was safe. And really happy the maid was there that day! Whew!

Excitement builds...

Ok, I have to be honest. I am so, so, so excited to move to Senegal! Its getting hard to focus on our last couple of months here.

Part of the problem? I've been talking to our friends going to Bamako, Mali, and they are in the same position we are. They get the same money for shipping, and they're also busy scheming what to ship, how to ship, etc... We're talking pool toys, bikes, inflatable kayaks... Yup, we're all getting each other a little worked up.

We're all looking forward to making our next places feel like 'home'. Here, while its home, its always felt a bit like we're living out of suitcases. We're committed to making sure it doesn't feel like that there, in part because we all want to stay at our next schools longer than two years.

Nothin' says home like an inflatable kayak. Or bocce ball set. Or bonsai tree.... (The possibilities are endless, see?)

Labneh

One of our favorite things here- Labne. Its almost a thick, thick yogurt. It's sorta like a soft cream cheese. Whatever you call it, with a little olive oil and spice, it truly is delicious. We always order it alongside our hommos and other mezzes. We even buy it by the quarter kilo at the deli. AND we've found that its going to be super easy to make at home! See the device to the left? Look at the product HERE. I'm pretty excited to get one this summer to try making my own labneh!

Thinking of you, family

Here's an awesome sign I found in Khartoum. I don't know what the Arabic says. Oh, well...

More of the beach

We spent all day at the Nile. No shade- something that isn't really a factor for our Sudanese friends. But we were hurting. It was hot. But the cool water of the Nile was so, so nice. The currents weren't too bad, and it was fairly shallow until nearly the middle. Plenty of room to frolic and play! Of course, we were all making attempts to be modest. I was swimming in basketball shorts and a tee shirt. In any other world, I would say we looked silly. But here, well, we still looked silly. But we had a blast!And I swam across the Blue Nile! And then back! (you can see my accomplishment in the background of above photo.)
Everyone brought food and we shared a big feast. Some of the guys grilled meat, others made a traditional cucumber/tomato/peanut salad. It was pretty awesome to have so many cultures and people on this random outing. Students. Teachers. Doctors. Aid workers. French. Austrian. Palestinian. Sudanese. American. Italian. There were all kinds of languages being thrown around. And it really was amazing and fun, probably one of my favorites here in Khartoum. Below photos show us smoking sheesha in the Nile with Nile water. Well, that's what they show if you can look past the white legs.

A day at the beach

My friend Marissa and I went with some friends and friends of friends to a secluded beach in North Khartoum. We had no idea what we were getting into. To kick it off, we had several cars and trucks get stuck in the sand trying to reach the beach. Even the 4x4s were having a rough time. More photos to follow.

Living the dream?

It's funny when people say they're jealous of our lives. And people do say that. And I guess I understand why. We do have some amazing opportunities, especially to travel. But our day to day life can be really not exciting. And the sacrifice is that we experience 'really not exciting' without the comforts of home and family and friends.

Here in Sudan, the country is slowly preparing for the national elections. As of now, they are set for April 10th. Campaign posters are popping up on every street and there is already plenty of election chatter.

We aren't too concerned about the elections yet, instead busying ourselves with planning our spring break- Safari! We're busy contacting and researching companies... deciding between camping and safari lodges... It's a lot of money. And there's almost too much information out there!

Tickets are booked!

We've finally bought our tickets for Spring break! We're going to fly into Mt. Kilimanjaro airport near Arusha, Tanzania, for a little bit of a safari adventure. Arusha has lots going on. It's is not only the place to kick off for safaris in the Serengeti and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, but it's also the jumping off point for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! (Don't worry- that's one hike we will not attempt!) It's sure to be beautiful and amazing. Hopefully, we will also get to pop over to enjoy a bit of the coast.

This is also our last holiday from Sudan. Next year, while we'll still be in Africa, East African adventures will probably be beyond our budget. So let's live it up now!

Engagement Brunch

We hosted a little fete for our friend Marissa, who recently got engaged. We made our delicious and beautiful bagels, and other friends brought all kinds of goodies. It was a 'house dress' brunch, meaning everyone had to wear house dresses. And boy, were the guys good sports! :)It was so much fun, albeit a pretty unconventional 'shower'. But come on- what else would you expect from us?

Sheesha khalas

Our friends went to our favorite restaurant last night. (Cedars- remember it, mom?) Its good food, good atmosphere, and quality sheesha. Those three factors combined make for a great night out. Except last night, when they asked for sheesha, they were told no, that they were no longer able to serve sheesha to women. Say what?!

It has never really been a 'law', but we all know that any self-respecting Sudanese woman wouldn't smoke sheesha in public. Us being foreign, we don't really care. Except now, apparently, it has become the law.

The last of the vices has fallen! Oh, Sudan!

Looking to the future

This is a pretty awesome article about the music scene in Dakar. As the weather starts heating up here, we're all the more content to look ahead a bit to next year!

Happy Valentines Day!

BAGELS!

We did it! We made them ourselves! Super delicious bagels! We found a recipe online, and then added our own toppings- sun dried tomato and basil, Parmesan, spicy cheddar, everything, onion, garlic, crushed almonds, cinnamon and sugar.... What a treat!

Computers in Africa

Computer problems are scary here. Many of the parts aren't available, and if they are, they tend to cost a lot of money.

Luckily, we have a good techie department here at school, so when my computer died 18 times in one evening, I had people to go to.

She seems to be better. We'll see how long that lasts!

Quality of Life

Click Here!

This is the International Living's 2010 Quality of Life Index. As you can see, Sudan is quite near the bottom (above only Yemen and Somalia overall!) It's kind of fun to click on the column headers and sort the countries in different ways. No matter how you sort it though, Senegal is a major step up for us!

Happy Birthday, Em!

I'm still trying to preview all the silly videos from Em's scavenger hunt birthday party. (I know we're teachers, but it seems several aren't appropriate...) So, I'll just say Happy Birthday, Emily!

Nuba Wrestling

The KAS Bazaar brought the Nuba Wrestlers to campus. I'm not sure I really understand what was going on, but it was definitely impressive. And there were some pretty snazzy women in toabs dancing- we took them as cheerleaders. Very fun to watch! Check out the pink war paint on the wrestlers!

As the seventh graders looked at news coming from Haiti, they were moved to action! At this weekend's KAS Bazaar, they sponsored a table- selling used clothes and household goods. They got some great donations, and managed to raise over 2,000 sdg! (That's close to 1,000 dollars!)

Pumpkin

I'm sorry, my posts are pretty heavy with school these past few weeks... I guess that's reflective of our lives!

Today was a big day at school- we got a school donkey! The first and fourth grade classes made it happen- researching, fundraising, and putting it all together. Today we had the official ceremony- PUMPKIN is now a member of the KAS family!

Very cool. The 'donkey songs' of the elementary school definitely put a smile on my face! I'm not 100% convinced yet, but I'm starting to think every school should have one! (check out the shelter, researched and designed by the students- built by our workers!)

Why I love my job

There are many reasons why I love my job. Below is one of them. I am teaching a 5th and 6th grade exploratory this quarter. The topic? Making music videos.

The focus of our second class was meant to be 'lip syncing'. These guys in the below video did a good job of it, but were a bit more excited to dance. And that's ok. They are having a lot of fun, as you can tell.

As a final product, they will be making a music video that combines dance, lip sync, and acting to tell the story of the song. I have a rough group of boys, but they are all so excited and involved that we're having a blast together!

Clean up day

I've posted photos of 'the forest' before- a crazy area along the Nile that offers lots of shade, a little green, and no grass. Its dirt. BUT, its shady, and local Sudanese picnic and hang out there. Its nice, for here. Or rather, it could be, if it weren't completely trashed by litter and plastic bags. Its disgusting. We're really talking about massive piles of trash under trees, millions of plastic bags stuck in trees and blowing along the ground. MILLIONS. My photos don't do it justice.A colleague of ours has been working on a project with the eighth grade. As a part of their work, they met with the overseers of this land and arranged a clean-up day for the KAS community. So, this morning, we loaded up 3 buses with students, teachers and parents and spent the morning in the forest. We tackled one small area, attempting to make it into a 'model area', from which people might learn to clean up after themselves. We passed out gloves, trash bags, and everyone got down and dirty.

We also posted some signs about cleaning up.

Its a complicated issue here, as there aren't trash bins available (who would empty them?) and there is a serious lack of education. While I'm sure this area will soon be littered again, it seemed to prove a very valuable lesson for our students. We filled over 120 large trash bags with atleast 1000 lbs of trash. I think many of them will look at plastic bags in a very different way. I know I will!

My grade 7s

We had a student leave this week. As everyone enjoyed the chocolate cake and candy supplied by her mom, they were also sweet enough to want to take a few pictures with her in the garden. See below! And check out how their garden has grown!

Legit

That's it. The contract is signed. It is now official.
Senegal.

DONE.

ITS (almost) OFFICIAL!

It's decided- we are moving to Senegal in August!
We are really, really excited to have found such a great school in such a great place.
The school's website is www.isdakar.org. Check them out! (They even have a video of what its like to live there- check out MOVING TO DAKAR, under EMPLOYMENT!)We're so excited to enjoy Senegal- speaking French, living on the water, enjoying one of the most amazing music scenes in the world, a pool at our house... There really is a long list.

A few ways that our lives will be significantly different than here in Khartoum:
No sanctions (online bank account access! ATMs! Credit cards!)
No Sharia law (French wine! Local beers! Dancing!)
No red tape for travel (leaving the city without travel permits!)

We're ecstatic. Life is good. See you all in Senegal! (You are visiting, right?)

Back in the groove

We're back to work here... (Only 9 and a half weeks until Spring break!)

While others are already planning their next holiday adventures, we are anxiously waiting for word of our future. I'm quite the crazy stressball these days, not in a position to make holiday travel plans! I can hardly plan for my classes!

I think we're both excited to know where we're headed next year. Once that's decided, it will be great to relax and enjoy our last few months in Khartoum!

the search

For people waiting for that long-anticipated job update... keep waiting! We're working on it! We attended a job fair in Bangkok, and left there without any clear prospects. BUT we're positive something fabulous is going to work out, and when we know, you'll know!
Thanks for all the well-wishes and support!

New Year's Eve

We spent New Year's Eve in Chiang Mai, right in the middle of all the fun! They blocked off several streets to make way for the crowds, the street food, and the sending off of paper lanterns! For about 1 USD, you could buy the whole package- the lantern and the wax center. Then they'd even light it for you! The sky was beautiful with all the lights. We sent two lanterns into the air, one saying goodbye to 2009, and another to welcome 2010.

Around Chiang Mai

We spent almost two weeks relaxing in Chiang Mai, enjoying the city as well as a few country drives. These photos are all from some nice drives through the countryside. It was so nice for us to enjoy the cool, mountain air. Of course, hearing all the stories of crazy blizzards, we wished we could have a little taste of snow! You always have the dream of a white Christmas...

Christmas in Thailand

Christmas in Thailand! This year we spent the holidays in Chiang Mai with Emily's dad and his family there. It was really wonderful to be able to really celebrate the holidays- with Christmas cookies! a tree! And turkey dinner! It was also great to be in Thailand and enjoy the amazing food and culture that we love there. Here are a few festive photos...