Day One continued

The open road in the Serengeti- amazingly beautiful. We both commented how it reminded us, in some ways, of the great plains, without the amber waves of grain.

(above) a leopard! A real, live leopard! Close enough to jump in our car, if it wanted to. Everyone says that these are rare to find, as they hide themselves away in the trees for most of the day. Jackpot!

(above) Our campsite for the first two nights. While we were camping, we were also pretty taken care of. It was just Emily and myself traveling with a guide and a chef. They would set it all up for us and make us delicious food. The campsite itself was pretty basic. It was also inside the Seregeti- no fences or anything, just open plains. In the night we heard lions roaring and hyenas wailing (cackling? laughing?). CRAZY!

Safari Day One

For the first day of the safari, we left Arusha and drove- a lot. We stopped for views of the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara, both places where we would later return. We passed from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the Serengeti National Park, where we drove another couple of hours to our campsite.

(above) looking into the Ngorongoro Crater(above) Chameleon on the arm of our guide(above) Emily, her box lunch, and her new friend
(above) A pride of lions resting on the rocks(above) Looking out over the Serengeti

Safe and Sound

We survived! We went on an amazing 5 day Tanzanian safari in the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. It truly was a trip of a lifetime. There are many stories to tell and many, many pictures to share... We'll dedicate some time to that tomorrow. More photos in the next few days, I promise.

Melissa and the Prince

Our buddy from upstairs, Melissa, joined us for coffee this morning. Since we were cooking breakfast at the time, we dragged two chairs into the kitchen. (Silly me, I thought Emily was making me breakfast and I would get to sit and chat.) Well, before I got the chance to sit, it became clear who the chair was really for. Here's Toab and Melissa, enjoying coffee and some trip planning.

Public art?

We're not sure what to make of the new developments on Africa Road. It looks like the government is installing a series of pieces dedicated to traditional culture here. This seems to be the first one finished- the jebana or traditional coffee pot. There are more in the works. (Right now they're just concrete, not yet painted up all fancy.) We'll try to snap the whole series before we leave here.

Amwaj

To celebrate the start of spring break, eight of us went to try a popular local restaurant. Despite being told repeatedly how good it was, none of us had ever gone. And boy, are we sorry we waited so long! It was a no-nonsense kind of place- plastic wrap on the tables and huge piles of fish, lamb, chicken- whatever you wanted. And it was delicious. We all agreed it was probably the best fried chicken we've ever had. Anywhere. Sorry mom and dad for not knowing to take you there!

We had waited so long to go because it was always pretty intimidating- so much traffic surrounding the place, and we weren't sure there was even a menu to order from. But people were so nice! And the menu was even in English! Success! We will be going back!

ok, ok one more song

Alicia Keyes would be so proud...

Tanzania!

We leave tomorrow night for 9 days in Northern Tanzania, including 5 days on safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. This will be our last tour in East Africa- and we're excited! Happy Easter to everyone! Hopefully we'll have great photos to share when we get back!

Action

Middle School Karaoke Night!

We survived karaoke! The kids were all so, so excited- dressed up all sharp and fancy. We had arranged soda, popcorn, and a karaoke list of about 80 songs. And I had worked with the tech guys to set up a whole karaoke system with my computer, speakers, microphone and projector. And it all worked!I've attached some photos. The videos are pretty awesome too. Those will come later. I feel really good about the night. For some of these kids, it was a really big deal.
A few highlights of the evening (besides the singing itself):

Me: "Hey- It's so great you could come tonight! I thought your parents might say no."
7th grader: "They did."
Me: "Oh, but you're here!"
7th grader: "Yeah, I just cried please, please, PLEASE, PLEAAAAAAAASE until they said I could come just so that I would be quiet."

Me: "You're wearing make-up! You look nice!"
7th grader: "I'm not wearing make-up. I never wear make-up. I hate make-up. But my cheeks look red, right?"
Me: "Yeah, they do. How did you do that?"
7th grader: "I ate hot noodles!"

Tick tock

Wow, ok. We already have our tickets home in hand! That's pretty crazy. And exciting. And maybe reason to freak out. We haven't even gone to Tanzania yet! But when we come back, we only have six and a half weeks of school until we're finished here! I'm getting ahead of myself, but just a little...

Countdowns

There are many things worth counting down for....
1- We leave in just 10 days for our Serengeti Safari in Tanzania!
2- We have our preliminary booking for travel home- leaving Khartoum and arriving in Kansas City on May 24th.
3- MIDDLE SCHOOL KARAOKE NIGHT! THIS THURSDAY!

A couple more from Meroe

These were taken by our colleague, Marlo...

The most fabulous goodbye

Our dear friend Paul is finally leaving Sudan. Well, so he claims. He has lived here off and on for the past several years. It seems he always finds something to bring him back. These past several months, he has come back several times for 3 weeks at a time, working for the Sudanese Education Ministry. This trip, though, is his last. For now.

To celebrate, a good friend of his (Sudanese) went all out. Sudanese style. Basically, he threw him a wedding party without the wedding! There was a glitzy tent with lights set up in the empty lot next to Ahmed's house. All the neighborhood dressed up and came out to sit in plastic chairs and listen to loud music. There was dancing, a singer (live!) and even a camera crew!I certainly kept looking around for a surprise bride! I hope below video works- Sudanese wedding-style party in action! And if you're lucky you can spot Emily in the mix, dancing!

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!