The Path I Chose

Though it may be dusty and in a few places completely trashy, Khartoum has a certain beauty about it. Yes, I am still stuck here and slightly bored. However, I have come to realize in the past couple of days that Khartoum has a lot to offer. Firstly, where the Blue Nile and the White Nile meet is an awesome sight. From the bridge crossing the White Nile you can see the intersection and a mass of rapid moving water through an enormous city is quite astonishing. Unlike the Nile I saw in Egypt, here in Khartoum the street level is only a few feet from the water level and the water is moving very quickly. Across the river on the northern side a mosque with three minarets can be seen behind the papyrus. It is interesting to me that I see very few boats on the river. I expected to at least see locally made "canoes" but I have only seen one from a distance. Also, beautiful trees line the edges of Nile Street. They are perfectly inline with the sidewalk which suggests to me that they were planted long ago and are not natural. I find this to be a disconcerting because they seem to be the only large trees left in Khartoum.

Anyway, until I get my camera I can't show any of this to you and even then, its illegal to take pictures in Khartoum so it might not happen.

If I don't get my travel pass before Thursday I will be going camping north of Khartoum somewhere...hmm conflicting interests. When I was invited to go camping I found myself hoping that my pass won't come through until after the weekend. Crazy.

Posted by Aaron at 12:44 AM | Permalink | Comments

It is ironic that the first mobile phone I have ever had I got in Darfur. That's right, we have mobile phones. Of all the places for me to finally catch up with the world I chose to do so in Darfur. Within the the town of Nyala a company called Mobitel has built a network that works surprisingly well considering we are in western Sudan. It is amazing how far technology, food items and western pop-culture can reach. In Nyala, the main town in the Darfur region, I can get on the internet wirelessly, buy pringles "Texas BBQ" potato chips, and hear Bob Marley blasting out of someone's speakers as they drive by.

Most of this is not interesting to me. Wireless internet is nice, but it is a convenience and not a necessary service. The food? Well, most of the things like pringles are stale by the time they get here from Khartoum and the chocolate bars have melted and been frozen three or four times.

What I find interesting is the mobile phones. Not because I use them but because I find watching Sudanese people use them to be fascinating. They answer the phone saying "Hello" and then they continue in Arabic. Sometimes they talk so loudly and it seems as if they think the person is far away so they should yell.

A few weeks ago a young lady passed by me, wearing a veil and obviously was quite conservative. As she passed her mobile phone rang and it was loud enough for everyone in the street to hear. I recognized the tune but couldn't place it at first. Then I got it and burst out laughing. The tune was Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie".

But still, my favorite thing I have seen, and I have seen this more than once is the Motorcycle-Mobile Phone combo. Both in Nyala and Khartoum I have seen people screaming into their mobile phone as they ride a very loud two-cycle motorbike down the road. It is absolutely astounding to me. You can't stop for two minutes, say what you need to say and then go again? Who came up with that idea? Oh wow. I am laughing even now as I type this and think about it.

I'm out.

Posted by Aaron at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments

That's what I had for breakfast. mmm. Chunks of whitish and yellowish stuff floating on the top of an already terrible drink. But actually, if I didn't think about what it was and what it looked like, it tasted ok. Probably because I dumped half the bowl of sugar into it once I saw that the milk was spoiled. mjanja. Life is what we make of it.

*If any of you are wondering about the link to "My Photography" down in the right corner it will be a link to that in a short while. I don't have my digital camera with me and I don't dare get my film developed in Khartoum. So for now, the gallery will be empty.

Posted by Aaron at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

August 15, 2006

Khartoum, Beatles Restaurant and Café

Suffering.

While tragedies unfold in various parts of the world what does one do? It would seem that giving everything to the poor is futile without a change of one’s own heart. If I drain my bank account into the lives of others what will I accomplish? It seems that giving financially to those in need is not sustainable. And what is material wealth really worth anyway? Have I really helped someone by filling their life with all the confusion of possessions?

I had the pleasure of spending some time with Abdul Hamid, an employee in the education sector of Samaritan’s Purse here in Sudan. I went to his house, a modest, crudely built place with a few rooms and dirt floors. As I arrived I swung open the makeshift gate, which was constructed of sticks and corrugated iron roofing, and there, playing in the dirt were his four children. Smiles burst from their faces as their father opened his arms to embrace them. He had only been gone for a few hours yet the joy of his return seemed unprecedented to me. I don’t know if I have ever seen children so happy to see their father. His wife called to him from inside one of the rooms and when she heard his voice she came out, her eyes wide and her smile bright. A family that functions is happiness. Loved ones surrounding you, that is joy.

Appreciation…is that the appropriate response to other people’s problems? Appreciation for my own situation? Appreciation for the blessings that have fallen in front of me seems to be a difficult thing to do. While reading articles in magazines or watching documentaries on the BBC I find myself aching inside for the suffering of those around. Then I put the magazine down or turn the TV off and enjoy a $4 cup of coffee. What is wrong with an expensive cup of coffee, luxurious clothes or a big house in the suburbs with a two-car garage? I suppose nothing…intrinsically. It is the attitude I carry with me that I find sickening. When I can’t enjoy certain luxuries I act in a manner similar to someone who has just had their village burned, daughter raped or husband murdered. I find myself creating a lifestyle around me that is so cosmetic and fake that when I am faced with a real tragedy, such as what I have seen here in Darfur, I can’t accept the reality of it. I have no way of relating to the suffering experienced by the Sudanese people that I have worked with. Right now the biggest problem in my life is cavity developing in one of my molars. Life is good if the only pain I feel is when I drink cold sodas too quickly.

Obviously I cannot change the whole world on my own yet it would be foolish to deny that I do have an effect on others, other individuals, in my daily actions. And probably more obvious is the fact that others shape me in return. Just as Abdul Hamid and his family have shown me a glimpse what wealth truly is, so can those who are in need physically show those who have everything what it is to be wealthy. So what now? If wealth isn't in possession should we walk away from Darfur? No. Rather we should realize that the aid, the relief, or simply the help that we give is not soley comprised of what we give physically, but the relationships we build along the way.

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