The arrival of Eid al-Adha (January 9) and the Islamic new year (today) so close together has given the city of Khartoum a festive feeling. Lots of buildings decorated with lights. Today, the shops and banks were closed to celebrate the new year. I see people in the streets wearing their best and heading for mosques or parties.
I also have something to celebrate. An airport official facilitated the recovery of my luggage, which was tucked under a small mountain of other bags waiting patiently for their owners. Some of the bags were leaking liquids creating a small moat around this monument to lost luggage. Fortunately, my bags were visible and dry, and I was able to maneuver through the throngs of blissful travelers returning from the Hadj - religious pilgrimage - to pull them free. Getting out of the terminal was not so easy. The customs officers created a very efficient barrier to the bring the movement of persons and goods to a trickle, so that they could tag and subject people returning from their pilgrimage to searches and appraisals of their carts of boxes and bags.
I hope to leave for Darfur sometime next week. In the interim, I am going to get a chance to stroll the streets and take in the local culture. I did manage to find a falafel stand and I spoke my first sentence in Arabic while actually being understood. With confidence, I hope to build on that experience with an actual brief conversation about the weather. I may sound simple, but in this environment, any social contact is great progress. Sudanese do understand some English, but, unless educated, they do not engage willingly in the language of Shakespeare. Most of the people I have encountered answer my English questions in Arabic.
Now, excuse me as I revel in the unpacking of my new year's gift.
Ma’a salama
1 comment:
Fursa sa'ida!!
Looking forward to reading your blog.
Be safe. :-)
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