On the Way Home...

I was on the way home. Finally, actually on my real way home. Not the fake way home that I thought I was taking before.

So, I went to the market by myself tonight, and we live a bit farther out now, so I was trying to take a bus home. I was asking for help, but most people rattled off to me lots and lots of Arabic as I stared at them in dis-belief. Sometimes I'm shocked that they would actually think I could understand all that?! Do I look African?

Anyway, to make a long story short... I got on the wrong bus and ended up very far away from home. I was literally 'on the other side of the tracks!!' We're talking vast fields of nothingness and cattle ranches (at least that is what it smelled like).

So, I got off the bus when I saw signs of human life and bargained with a rickshaw driver to take me back where I meant to be going in the first place. This time there was no room for confusion. His price was my only measure of how far away from home I actually was. "Five thousand?" Yikes, that's far.

We took off. 9 o'clock and freezing with the cold air blowing around in the rickshaw. My poor little toesies aren't used to this weather. The driver asked me if he could stop for gas. No problem. And as we approached the gas station... it was lit up in green (like BP) and for a split second I thought to myself "Oh, this is perfect!! While he's filling up I'll just run inside and grab a cappuccino to warm me up on my way home."

[deflating sigh]

Of course I knew right away that that isn't possible here. But isn't it funny how your mind plays tricks on you sometimes?

25 minutes later. I was finally home. And now I'm settling for a cup of chamomile tea.

It's Official

Well, my friends, It's official. There are no more black plastic storage trunks in my life.

Today was a momentous occasion for me. My heart filled with joy as I emptied the contents of the last black tub into the cabinet, and carried the tote across the house to join the collection of other empties.

It has been 4 months that I have dug around in those things each day for my shirts, extra lotion, printer paper, games, etc. But NOW, I am free from the temporary luggage, and I am living like a real person who keeps their belongings in a closet! Or in a cabinet! Or in a drawer!! Or in a nice looking basket on the shelf! Anywhere, but in a black tub!!

Feeling more and more like we're actually living here...

Test?!

On Monday, one of our Arabic teachers said that we would have a test on Wednesday. I thought "No way... he doesn't really mean that!" They've never given tests before, and I thought it was just another one of those things that get said, but never really happen. And we don't really get grades in this school, so why test?

Nevertheless, it prompted me to study. Not because I fully believed that we would have a test, but just because...

4:00am

It's 4 am. I tried sleeping. I really did. For an hour or so I laid there. Then I gave reading a shot and skimmed through 75 pages of a book. Then I thought maybe a little snack, a quick trip to the bathroom and my eye-blinder would do the trick. But I laid in bed for at least another hour. Wide awake.

So then I just got plain frustrated and got up. Now I've been on the internet for 1 hour and 44 minutes. Not doing anything particular... just wasting time reading stuff and battling with one pesky mosquito. I've had numerous chances to smash it, but I fear the noise of my hands slapping together would wake Mike, and he'd be really delirious and confused about why I wasn't in bed. It might be mildly entertaining for me to see him get up and look for me, but I rather he keep sleeping... he needs it.

I'm meant to wake up at 6:50 so we can be on the bus to language school at 7:30. Not gonna happen. Think I'll fall asleep in the next hour or so? Then when the alarm goes off, I'll tell Mikey that I'm not going anywhere and guiltily roll over and snuggle my head back into the pillow for another couple hours. Don't I deserve it?... it's been a rough night.

The problem is my mind. It won't stop racing. Too much to think about. So much happening (and not so much happening all at the same time) How's a girl to slow down her mind when there is so much buzzing around inside of it? Drives me nuts.

Question: Am I an insomniac because I have sporadic sleepless nights?...

Eggs

Never thought I'd pay 4 dollars for a dozen eggs. 4 stinkin' dollars. Maybe I should take into account that they are most likely 'organic' eggs (they're kinda puny, so I don't think they've caught onto the use of hormones yet), and in the U.S., people pay a bunch of money for organic foods. But I must admit I never paid extra for anything organic! Anyway... 4 bucks for 12. That makes each one 33 cents each. We had a friend who accidently dropped one, and her husband gasped and looked on with horror... she quickly scooped it into a cup and put in the fridge so that it wouldn't go to waste. Couldn't bear to see 33 cents go down the drain like that....

I think this recent egg-inflation is taking the biggest hit on Mike. Poor guy. I had to cut his 3-egg omelet down to 2 eggs, and also cut back his omelet consumption in general... he's having a hard time coping.
he he

Think of me when you crack open your 8 cent egg...
:)

Eid Eve

Today was the first time I went to the market by myself. Don't ask me why I chose today. Pretty sure it is the equivalent of the Day-after-Thanksgiving shopping in the U.S. See, tomorrow is the Muslim Holiday Eid. It is the celebration of the end of Ramadan (the month of fasting during daylight hours). And they celebrate this holiday by visiting all their friends and family, and eating like horses! It's the biggest holiday of the year. Everyone is wanting to look their best, have their home in tip-top condition, and serve the nicest refreshments this week to their visitors. Everyone is making special preparations.

So anyway, the market was madness! It's a good thing Mike didn't come... he would be HATED every moment. There are at least twice as many people selling things as usual, and I think every citizen of Khartoum is out there buying from them. It was full on pushing and shoving, rummaging and bartering.

And I had a GREAT time.

Of course, I got much more attention than I would have liked... (got a marriage proposal today, because Mikey wasn't by my side to scare off the fellas). But I ignored all the stares and bargained with the best of 'em. Sometimes I think I actually got the local price, and not the foreigner price!

They were selling anything you could imagine... especially if you were in the market for some gaudy-middle-easternish decorations, cheap clothing, plastic shoes, fake-brand cosmetic products, and mobile phone accessories. You know... the typical third world local market kinda stuff.

The place was bustling... with loud music playing at some shops, and other areas had all their workers saying some sort of a chant to tell everyone the price and try to sell more stuff. People arguing over prices, buying fancy sweets, greeting each other... all the while walking on more garbage in the streets than you have ever seen.

The sun was beating down and I was exhausted by the time I reached back home with my purchases. But I had a wonderful time, and somehow... I feel a bit more at home here having experienced this day out there with all the rest.

77.2

Last night, our bedroom reached an ALL-TIME low of 77.2 degrees. (gotta love those portable digital clock/thermometers!) I woke up in the middle of the night to pull an extra cover on. And then I woke up again, later... still COLD! It was 77, and I was so cold.

That is not normal.

Anyway, this morning at school we asked our teacher how to say blanket. Later this week we're gonna go shopping for some bataaniyya...