update from sudan

I made my mind up to go into this new adventure with no preconceptions, with no picture in my head of how things would work. I came into Sudan with no expectations, it’s a good thing because the last week has been outside of any scenario I could have predicted.

Let’s take a step back…After rushing back to Lebanon from Syria upon hearing that my visa for Sudan had been granted, I spent a few days packing, saying goodbye to friends, and attempting to organize travel details, then began my journey. The first hour of the trip was the most harrowing of all. I arranged for a taxi to pick me up from the orphanage in Lebanon at 2 am. I loaded my bags and settled into the front seat of the taxi (I was sweating profusely from hauling my bags to the road and needed to be as close to the AC as possible), and we headed towards the airport. As we began the descent from our mountain suburb into the heart of Beirut, I noticed that the driver was moving slowly, too slowly, especially considering the empty late-night roads. It didn’t take long to realize that he was either drunk, high, had not slept in 4 days, or some combination of the 3. He was dozing off, driving in the middle of road as far from the edges as possible, and slowing to a crawl for every curve and passing car. I briefly considered demanding to be let out, but the prospect of standing on the side of the road, at 2 am, with 2 suitcases, a carry-on, and a backpack did not strike me as particularly appealing, or any safer than my current situation, so I stuck it out. For the duration of the 45 minute trip that should have been 20, I gave directions, and pointed out any upcoming hazards, and did my best to keep the driver awake. Whenever the conversation lulled, his eyes would begin to get heavy and so, with death in a fiery crash becoming all too likely, I would have to jump back in with some question about his family, the political situation in Lebanon, the problems of America, anything to keep his mind functioning and his eyes open. At last, after much prayer and several near-death experiences, we arrived at the airport.

Now began the fun part, getting myself onto an already overbooked flight to Abu Dhabi. Thankfully, I have managed to make some friends in the right places, one of which, a flight attendant with the airline, called the captain and convinced him to allow me to sit in the extra jumpseat (where the flight attendants sit during take-off and landing.) Had I not been able get on, I might still be in Beirut now, as all flights were overbooked for the next 10 days.

After the rather uncomfortable 3-hour flight to Abu Dhabi, I discovered that the next available flight to Khartoum was 42 hours away. Oh yes, I forgot to mention a seemingly unimportant detail. Francis, the director of our programs in Sudan (my boss and the only person I know in the country), was in Egypt when I left Lebanon, retrieving a visa for a month-long fundraising trip to the US. No problem though, as I was stuck in Abu Dhabi for a few days, giving him enough time to return to Sudan before I arrived. Moving on...after a night in a hotel, my last good American meal (at Fuddruckers…yes, there is Fuddruckers in Abu Dhabi…who knew? They even have fountain sodas and free refills), and some time with friends, the hour came to catch my flight to Khartoum. The boss was still stuck in Cairo, but would surely be back by the next day.

I arrived in Khartoum early Sunday morning and after an hour or 2 of waiting in lines get the correct visas and stamps, I officially entered Sudan and found the driver that was sent to take me to the hotel where I would sleep and wait for my boss to contact me. After a day of waiting at the hotel, Francis was still not back, so the travel agency that worked on my visa arranged for a taxi to take me to my long term living arrangement, a guesthouse run by SIM. I arrived at the guesthouse Monday afternoon, and am currently, on Friday evening, still waiting on Francis to return from Egypt. His passport is stuck at the American Embassy and he can’t leave until he gets it back. What was supposed to be a quick 2-day trip has turned into a 2-week fiasco.

The circumstances of my arrival have not been ideal, but as I said at the beginning of this note, I came to Sudan with no expectations, a good thing because I certainly would not have expected my first week to be filled with boredom and waiting. There have been some positives…I am now very well rested after a few days of travel with 2 overnight flights. I was able to visit the main orphanage yesterday to meet the staff and the kids and gain an understanding of what my work environment will look like. I have also come into contact with some other Americans living and working in the area where I live. This has been a welcome surprise. I was even able to help a new friend teach an English class in a very poor area, a welcome change from the upper-class neighborhood where the guesthouse is located.

So, here I am. After some interesting travels, my new life in Sudan has gotten off to an unexpectedly slow start, but I’m in this for the long haul, so while a week of inactivity might be frustrating, it’s far from disastrous. At least I didn’t die with my drunken taxi driver in Beirut.