Thursday, May 15, 2008
One day in Syria
This week we took a quick trip north up to Syria. After an eight hour wait at the border and catching a new taxi about a half hour later after a collision with a wild dog on the dark night road rendered our original car undriveable, we made it to Damascus and pleasantly found our room at the convent where we were staying to still be reserved for us. Here are a few random pictures of our time.
Friday, May 09, 2008
I am in Jordan
Our neighborhood here in Amman is in an area roughly between west and east Amman. In west Amman--which also happens to be the more "western" part of the city--there are large, single family homes mixed in with newer apartment buildings of shiny glass and clean white stone. The streets are wider and quieter, and there is a possibility of being surprised by small patches of green grass at random locations. In the business areas many of the buildings look like smaller versions of those downtown at home, with large glass facades, less stone and more color, and if the business is selling clothes--with giant advertisements featuring white people. In these areas it is also possible to find one of the nine Starbucks that have recently cropped up here and be surrounded by an interior that mirrors exactly the interior of every Starbucks at home. In east Amman--which also happens to be the more "traditional" part of the city--there are no single family homes, just older apartment buildings in various stages of dirty brown. The streets are narrower and loud, and seeing patches of green grass definitely would be a surprise. The businesses look much like the apartment buildings--mostly dusty stone--and there are no Starbucks.
The point of describing all of this is to say that there are places in Amman where an American can go and--if you want to--be surrounded by home, and almost forget you are in Jordan. However, if I ever do forget where I am--which will mean I am spending way too much time in west Amman--it is conversations like the following that will snap me back to my reality.
One day a friend of mine whom I visit two or three times per week asked me if I wanted to go out to a coffee shop on a particular night. I said that would be great, but before I gave a final answer I would just have to check to make sure with my wife first. At this statement he furrowed his brow and cocked his head to one side, betraying noticeable, genuine confusion.
"Why?" he said. There was no malice or contention in his voice; he was actually, sincerely curious as to the answer.
"Because she's my wife, and I need to check with her," I said. "I am not the lord of the house."
He said nothing, as if he was still pondering what I had said and letting the words swim around in his head.
"Is this strange?" I said.
"Yes. This is the Middle East," he finally responded. "We don't need to ask."
"You are the lord of the house?"
"Yes, we are the lord of the house."
A few days later he was discussing a trip he might take to Egypt, and he asked me if I wanted to come with. Now, a trip to Egypt would be no small endeavor, and of course much bigger than a trip to a coffee shop, so I gave him the only answer I could at that time. "Maybe," I said. "But first--" and then he stopped me.
"You have to ask your wife?" he said.
"Yes," I replied with a smile, knowing full well his exasperation with such an answer. "I have to ask my wife."
With that, he smiled, chuckled gently and shook his head. This business of asking my wife was indeed a bizarre, humorous thing to him, and I think as much of an interesting cultural experience for him as it was for me. His reaction and our ensuing conversation also served to remind me that I am, indeed, in Jordan.
The point of describing all of this is to say that there are places in Amman where an American can go and--if you want to--be surrounded by home, and almost forget you are in Jordan. However, if I ever do forget where I am--which will mean I am spending way too much time in west Amman--it is conversations like the following that will snap me back to my reality.
One day a friend of mine whom I visit two or three times per week asked me if I wanted to go out to a coffee shop on a particular night. I said that would be great, but before I gave a final answer I would just have to check to make sure with my wife first. At this statement he furrowed his brow and cocked his head to one side, betraying noticeable, genuine confusion.
"Why?" he said. There was no malice or contention in his voice; he was actually, sincerely curious as to the answer.
"Because she's my wife, and I need to check with her," I said. "I am not the lord of the house."
He said nothing, as if he was still pondering what I had said and letting the words swim around in his head.
"Is this strange?" I said.
"Yes. This is the Middle East," he finally responded. "We don't need to ask."
"You are the lord of the house?"
"Yes, we are the lord of the house."
A few days later he was discussing a trip he might take to Egypt, and he asked me if I wanted to come with. Now, a trip to Egypt would be no small endeavor, and of course much bigger than a trip to a coffee shop, so I gave him the only answer I could at that time. "Maybe," I said. "But first--" and then he stopped me.
"You have to ask your wife?" he said.
"Yes," I replied with a smile, knowing full well his exasperation with such an answer. "I have to ask my wife."
With that, he smiled, chuckled gently and shook his head. This business of asking my wife was indeed a bizarre, humorous thing to him, and I think as much of an interesting cultural experience for him as it was for me. His reaction and our ensuing conversation also served to remind me that I am, indeed, in Jordan.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Sites of Jordan: The Dead Sea
Part of the reason we do this blog and live in Jordan is to help people get to know Jordan and the Middle East a little better. We haven't blogged much about the sites and attractions of the country during our two years here but there are many, and we have decided to start drawing some attention to them here. Just call it our small part in helping to boost tourism in Jordan, which is the number one industry of the country and somewhat of a lifeline for the economy.
Seriously--although we do not love everything about living here--we do think there are many things to like about Jordan and many great things to see and experience for a traveller. So, expect periodic entries from now on dealing with the touristic possibilities of Jordan.
The first site we want to highlight is the Dead Sea, since we were just there recently with our friends Erin and Neeraj and their son Ezra who were kind enough to visit us from the States. The Dead Sea--known as the "Salt Sea" and the "Sea of Arabah" in the Bible--is located in the Jordan Valley and is the lowest place on earth, about 1300 feet or 400 meters below sea level. It is referred to as dead because there is nothing that lives or can live in it, due to the high salt content of the water, which is around 30 percent. This is about ten times as much as the salt content of the oceans of the world, and about twice much as the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
Such high salt content means that the Dead Sea is not where you want to go for a refreshing dip to escape the heat of a summer's day in the valley. Dunking your head into the water will cause debilitating, paralyzing pain when you open your eyes. Also, any major or minor cut on your body will be brought to your attention immediately when your body hits the water, and you will at once totally understand the significance and meaning of pouring salt in someones wounds.
However, such high salt content does mean that the Dead Sea is where you want to go if you just want a carefree, relaxing, and one of a kind float atop the water. The Dead Sea is unique because you cannot sink in it; the salt keeps you afloat in any position. It is because of this that I love going there, as to me you cannot beat the feeling of near weightlessness you experience while floating effortlessly over the sea. In fact, when we went last time I spent an hour alone just drifting--hands behind my head and feet pointing out of the water in front of me--not just physically on top of the water, but also mentally between a quiet pondering of the intricacies of life and a state of semi-conscious napping. I recommend trying it, but don't forget your sunblock. Here are some pictures of our time there.
Seriously--although we do not love everything about living here--we do think there are many things to like about Jordan and many great things to see and experience for a traveller. So, expect periodic entries from now on dealing with the touristic possibilities of Jordan.
The first site we want to highlight is the Dead Sea, since we were just there recently with our friends Erin and Neeraj and their son Ezra who were kind enough to visit us from the States. The Dead Sea--known as the "Salt Sea" and the "Sea of Arabah" in the Bible--is located in the Jordan Valley and is the lowest place on earth, about 1300 feet or 400 meters below sea level. It is referred to as dead because there is nothing that lives or can live in it, due to the high salt content of the water, which is around 30 percent. This is about ten times as much as the salt content of the oceans of the world, and about twice much as the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
Such high salt content means that the Dead Sea is not where you want to go for a refreshing dip to escape the heat of a summer's day in the valley. Dunking your head into the water will cause debilitating, paralyzing pain when you open your eyes. Also, any major or minor cut on your body will be brought to your attention immediately when your body hits the water, and you will at once totally understand the significance and meaning of pouring salt in someones wounds.
However, such high salt content does mean that the Dead Sea is where you want to go if you just want a carefree, relaxing, and one of a kind float atop the water. The Dead Sea is unique because you cannot sink in it; the salt keeps you afloat in any position. It is because of this that I love going there, as to me you cannot beat the feeling of near weightlessness you experience while floating effortlessly over the sea. In fact, when we went last time I spent an hour alone just drifting--hands behind my head and feet pointing out of the water in front of me--not just physically on top of the water, but also mentally between a quiet pondering of the intricacies of life and a state of semi-conscious napping. I recommend trying it, but don't forget your sunblock. Here are some pictures of our time there.
A word of caution on the way to the Dead Sea.
Neeraj and I floating.
Israel/Palestine in the background.
Near the shore.
Somebody enjoying a smoke while encased in Dead Sea mud, which is good for the skin.
Sunset, with the buildings of Jerusalem becoming visible on top of the mountain in the distance.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Easter in Jordan Part II, or Happy Egg
Writing about Easter the other day reminded me of a story a friend of mine told me last year. It's not a long story, but to me quite funny, and also indicative of how little many Muslims here know about the Christians who live amongst them.
According to my friend, two years ago on Easter he wanted to wish his Christian friend a good Easter. Being a Muslim, however, he was apparently unsure of exactly how to do that, as he proceeded to say to his friend not "Happy Easter," or "Have a good Easter"--or something along those lines--but instead, "Happy Egg." He said after this his friend had a good laugh at him. I didn't catch if his friend then took the opportunity to tell him what Easter is all about, but I do know that he at least found out from him that "Happy Egg" is a dubious Easter salutation. It is, however, the thought that counts.
According to my friend, two years ago on Easter he wanted to wish his Christian friend a good Easter. Being a Muslim, however, he was apparently unsure of exactly how to do that, as he proceeded to say to his friend not "Happy Easter," or "Have a good Easter"--or something along those lines--but instead, "Happy Egg." He said after this his friend had a good laugh at him. I didn't catch if his friend then took the opportunity to tell him what Easter is all about, but I do know that he at least found out from him that "Happy Egg" is a dubious Easter salutation. It is, however, the thought that counts.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Easter in Jordan
Yesterday was Easter here in Jordan. Since Easter occurred a month ago at home, this may surprise a lot of people who read this, but we celebrate Easter here according to the Orthodox calendar, which is different from the western calendar. Since Sunday is the first day of the work week here, Easter Sunday is, of course, different from Easter Sunday at home. Christians may have the day off--although not necessarily--but everyone else is working, or does whatever else they do on a regular day of the week. Also, at the most the population of Jordan is around 5 percent Christian, so very few people were actually celebrating the holiday.
Still, there were signs that Easter was being celebrated here. At 11 o'clock the night before we could hear the bells from a church ringing in the distance, calling worshippers to a pre-Easter, midnight service. As I sat in the windowsill, taking in the cool night air and enjoying the absence of almost any other sound, it was a simple, beautiful reminder of the coming of the day. Also, it is traditional here for Christians to visit their friends and family on Sunday after the Easter service and for one or two days afterwards, like Muslims do during their two Eids. We have several Christian families on our street, and as a result on Sunday we saw a steady stream of people outside our apartment making the rounds in their best clothes. At times we could hear them laughing or just talking loudly--cheerful sounds that we don't always hear on our street. This helped--along with the church bells--in a small way to give the day a festive, holiday atmosphere, at least in the area around our apartment.
Happy Easter From Jordan!
Still, there were signs that Easter was being celebrated here. At 11 o'clock the night before we could hear the bells from a church ringing in the distance, calling worshippers to a pre-Easter, midnight service. As I sat in the windowsill, taking in the cool night air and enjoying the absence of almost any other sound, it was a simple, beautiful reminder of the coming of the day. Also, it is traditional here for Christians to visit their friends and family on Sunday after the Easter service and for one or two days afterwards, like Muslims do during their two Eids. We have several Christian families on our street, and as a result on Sunday we saw a steady stream of people outside our apartment making the rounds in their best clothes. At times we could hear them laughing or just talking loudly--cheerful sounds that we don't always hear on our street. This helped--along with the church bells--in a small way to give the day a festive, holiday atmosphere, at least in the area around our apartment.
Happy Easter From Jordan!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Mapping Amman
Among the many things about Amman that struck me when we first moved here was a simple, yet extremely noticeable detail: the city had few street names and few actual addresses. This seemed strange to me--especially for a city of several million people--since I was coming from a city like Minneapolis, where every kind of street is named and which runs on a straight and easy grid pattern, making any destination easy to find if you just know the address. Because of the lack of street names and building numbers here, however, most destinations are not always so easy to find. Instead, if you want someone to find your home, for instance, you end up pointing people to the nearest large landmark, then to a certain falafal shop, then a certain number of streets, and so on. Or, to find someones home you have to navigate directions like those we were given below (some details have been taken out):
From _____ go under the tunnel toward _____. Continue straight through _____.
Take the first right (at a toy store).
Go through two stop signs. After the second, turn left at the next street.
Go until the road T's. Turn right.
Take the second left.
This is a dead end street--they are at the end--#____ on the right.
Their apartment is on the ____ floor--use the middle set of doors and head up the stairs.
Recently Annamarie ran into some German tourists near our apartment who asked her for directions to a certain restaurant. They were frustrated, as they couldn't find any reliable maps, and even if they could, they said, nobody they asked could tell them where the street was that they were looking for.
Perhaps, however, this is changing, as a few months ago big, blue numbers like this began appearing on buildings in many parts of Amman.
Then, new street signs like this one began appearing at intersections throughout Amman.
I don't know if these streets already had names but just weren't signed, or if they got names and signs at the same time. Whatever the case, it appears that in the future, navigating the city will be easier for me--and for German tourists.
From _____ go under the tunnel toward _____. Continue straight through _____.
Take the first right (at a toy store).
Go through two stop signs. After the second, turn left at the next street.
Go until the road T's. Turn right.
Take the second left.
This is a dead end street--they are at the end--#____ on the right.
Their apartment is on the ____ floor--use the middle set of doors and head up the stairs.
Recently Annamarie ran into some German tourists near our apartment who asked her for directions to a certain restaurant. They were frustrated, as they couldn't find any reliable maps, and even if they could, they said, nobody they asked could tell them where the street was that they were looking for.
Perhaps, however, this is changing, as a few months ago big, blue numbers like this began appearing on buildings in many parts of Amman.
Then, new street signs like this one began appearing at intersections throughout Amman.
I don't know if these streets already had names but just weren't signed, or if they got names and signs at the same time. Whatever the case, it appears that in the future, navigating the city will be easier for me--and for German tourists.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Living Overseas 101
"WE DO NOT NEED TO UNDERSTAND OTHER PEOPLE AND THEIR CUSTOMS FULLY TO INTERACT WITH THEM AND LEARN IN THE PROCESS; IT IS MAKING THE EFFORT TO INTERACT WITHOUT KNOWING ALL THE RULES, IMPROVISING CERTAIN SITUATIONS THAT ALLOW US TO GROW."
Mary Catherine Bateson, writer and cultural anthropologist
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Presidential Politics in Jordan
A few days ago I saw a short report on CNN discussing the views on the presidential race in the United States from people in various countries around the world. I can't remember all the countries from which CNN reported, but the theme was the same in each: the reporters believed most of the people in the country wanted either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to win, and they also didn't really know who John McCain was.
I found this report interesting because it exactly mirrored the opinions of everyone--and I do mean everyone--I know or have discussed the election with here. All of these people want Clinton to win--although they would accept an Obama victory--and very few know much about the Republican nominee or even know his name.
From the conversations I have had, this overwhelming affinity for Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in general seems to stem from two reasons. First, most of the people here really like Hillary's husband, Bill Clinton. Exactly why this is I am not sure, but it probably has something to do with his push to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Most of this occurred late in his presidency, but I think most people here believe that his approach to the issue was more evenhanded than is George Bush's approach. Although one can debate the specifics of this point, it is at least a reasonable position to hold, unlike the position of one particular friend of mine, who told me he likes Bill Clinton because when he was president, "there were no wars in the world." Of course this position is not just debatable, it is not true.
This does bring me, though, to the second reason that Jordanians support Hillary Clinton for president, would accept an Obama victory and know next to nothing about John McCain. They know that Clinton is a Democrat, and that her main challenger in the general election will be a Republican, the same party as George W. Bush, whom they do not like. Most Jordanians see Bush as one who has created chaos in their part of the world with invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, supported oppression by maintaining strong ties with Israel and yet is still perhaps willing to cause more chaos in the general region by invading Iran. He does not have a good name here, and as a result neither does his party. I supported decisions other than what the president made and continues to make regarding these issues, so I can agree with a lot of what people say here and believe that many of their opinions are again at least reasonable, debatable positions to hold. However, people here can be lead by their dislike of the president to hold some unreasonable and irrational positions and attribute too many of the problems in the world to him, such as my same friend, who believes all of the wars and war-like violent conflicts in the world currently being waged are the fault of the president--somehow even, he said, the war in Darfur, Sudan in which a Muslim government is fighting Muslim rebels and killing Muslim civilians.
Whatever their reasons--reasonable to me or not--the Jordanians I know hope Hillary Clinton is the next President of the United States. If she loses the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama, though, I'm sure they will then hope for an Obama victory. I'm also sure that over these next few months as election day in the United States nears, a lot of Jordanians will be almost as interested as I am to see what the outcome will be, and what that means for American policy in this part of the world.
I found this report interesting because it exactly mirrored the opinions of everyone--and I do mean everyone--I know or have discussed the election with here. All of these people want Clinton to win--although they would accept an Obama victory--and very few know much about the Republican nominee or even know his name.
From the conversations I have had, this overwhelming affinity for Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in general seems to stem from two reasons. First, most of the people here really like Hillary's husband, Bill Clinton. Exactly why this is I am not sure, but it probably has something to do with his push to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Most of this occurred late in his presidency, but I think most people here believe that his approach to the issue was more evenhanded than is George Bush's approach. Although one can debate the specifics of this point, it is at least a reasonable position to hold, unlike the position of one particular friend of mine, who told me he likes Bill Clinton because when he was president, "there were no wars in the world." Of course this position is not just debatable, it is not true.
This does bring me, though, to the second reason that Jordanians support Hillary Clinton for president, would accept an Obama victory and know next to nothing about John McCain. They know that Clinton is a Democrat, and that her main challenger in the general election will be a Republican, the same party as George W. Bush, whom they do not like. Most Jordanians see Bush as one who has created chaos in their part of the world with invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, supported oppression by maintaining strong ties with Israel and yet is still perhaps willing to cause more chaos in the general region by invading Iran. He does not have a good name here, and as a result neither does his party. I supported decisions other than what the president made and continues to make regarding these issues, so I can agree with a lot of what people say here and believe that many of their opinions are again at least reasonable, debatable positions to hold. However, people here can be lead by their dislike of the president to hold some unreasonable and irrational positions and attribute too many of the problems in the world to him, such as my same friend, who believes all of the wars and war-like violent conflicts in the world currently being waged are the fault of the president--somehow even, he said, the war in Darfur, Sudan in which a Muslim government is fighting Muslim rebels and killing Muslim civilians.
Whatever their reasons--reasonable to me or not--the Jordanians I know hope Hillary Clinton is the next President of the United States. If she loses the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama, though, I'm sure they will then hope for an Obama victory. I'm also sure that over these next few months as election day in the United States nears, a lot of Jordanians will be almost as interested as I am to see what the outcome will be, and what that means for American policy in this part of the world.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Spring is Near
Days here in Amman are starting to be longer and warmer. You can feel a change is coming and we are ready. Winters in Amman may not be as severe or long as they are in Minnesota but we find them harder somehow. Maybe because there are no outdoor activities here like cross-country skiing, quiet walks in Powderhorn Park after a fresh snowfall, sledding or broomball. Or it could be because the heating systems in most houses in Minnesota provide relief from the cold, which the heating systems here don't always do. This is especially noticeable on those days here when we can see our breath inside!
Spring in Jordan is my favorite season as the country that is normally dusty and brown blooms in color for a few weeks. The weather is nearly perfect--warm enough to relax in the sun but cool enough so that you aren't ready to run for shade after 10 minutes. Over the weekend the weather was warm and sunny--the beginning of spring in Amman--so we decided to go for a picnic. We packed a bag of warm pita and fresh hummus and went up to the Citadel, the site of the biblical city of Rabboth Ammon and the Greek and Roman city of Philadelphia which is located on a hill overlooking downtown Amman. We were greeted by some new friends who sat and talked with us and shared our food.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
A Final Sudan Post
While in Sudan we stayed with some friends in Um Durman, a city north of Khartoum just across the Nile River. All the homes there--and throughout the Khartoum area--had high mud walls all around them like the one behind the girl in this picture.
Two girls near our friends' house.
Annamarie washing her feet at the basin in our friends' courtyard. Many homes in the Khartoum area have basins like this in the area in front of the door to the house.
Matt pretending to help clean up the kitchen after lunch. Like all homes we saw, this kitchen was located in a separate area outside of the main part of the house.
The neighborhood dry cleaner.
Two men in a busy market in Um Durman.
We had the opportunity to visit several friends during our time in Sudan. After about an hour on the bus, this three-wheeled vehicle--the driver is inside--took us the rest of the way to the home of one friend in an area just south of Khartoum. We were told this particular town was the last place in the Khartoum area that had electricity.
Annamarie with another friend and her children at their home in another area outside of Khartoum.
A soccer match outside their house.
A woman selling Sudanese coffee and tea on the street in Khartoum. These women were everywhere, and we stopped every day for a drink.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Khartoum
This is the main bus station in downtown Khartoum. We spent a lot of time here, as all city buses are directed to this station. We found Khartoum to be filled with buses, so much so that it is difficult to find any picture that we took of the city that does not include at least one bus in it.
Downtown Khartoum. Sudan is a dusty place, and a large percentage of the streets downtown are still dirt. Also, even some streets that were paved were overtaken by dirt.
Downtown, behind a group of women selling various wares. There were many women--mostly widows--throughout the city selling such things as spices, bread and coffee to support their families.
Dogs taking a break from the heat of mid-day. Wild dogs are were common sight wherever we went.
An outdoor barber shop, set against the wall of a building.
A mosque in downtown Khartoum.
Chickens hanging from the window of the bus next to us.
The Nile River, which cuts through Khartoum.
A market just outside of Khartoum.
Traffic jam.
Traffic jam.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sudanese Impressions
Two weeks in a country isn't nearly enough time to learn a lot about it, but we felt that after running around Khartoum for that amount of time we were able to get a decent sense of what life is like at least in the Khartoum area. It was also more than enough time for us to be impacted by some of the characteristics of the city that stood out to us and form some impressions that we will remember for quite some time.
First of all, Sudan is the first country we have visited that is not really a tourist destination. A lot of people, for instance, dream of visiting Egypt or Morocco--and even Jordan--but never have we heard anyone speak of a yearning to visit Sudan. We like to do a little bit of basic research before going anywhere, but there is no "Lonely Planet" Sudan travel guidebook, and surprisingly the Internet doesn't provide much information either. Even finding a map of Sudan--when we were in Sudan--was difficult. That Sudan is not a travel hot spot--and that the government doesn't seem to care that it isn't--in itself made our trip different from others we have taken.
Sudan is also the first country we have visited that can really be called "developing" in every sense of the word and which is developing in every part of the country. This is different from a country like Jordan, which still could perhaps be considered a developing nation, but only in parts of the country and not in major cities like Amman. Jordan may be lacking in some of the amenities that we are used to back home, but it is far ahead of Sudan in terms of things like standard of living and infrastructure, particularly in the two capital cities. Seeing this difference made us realize how much we have here, and how much easier life is here.
What else? We noticed that vehicular traffic in Khartoum wasn't bad for a city of 6 million people, which perhaps was so because most of those 6 million were instead walking. We did a lot of walking in Khartoum ourselves, and everywhere we went the streets were full of people walking. Mobs of people, walking everywhere--on some streets only occasionally disturbed by a car or truck--probably because most people there don't have vehicles. This continued after sunset and into the evening, at which time we were always further impressed by the strange experience of walking with thousands of other people in the downtown of a large capital city in the dark. Of course it wasn't pitch black--some shops had dim lamps and cars would occasionally drive by with lights on--but there were no street lights downtown, which meant that at night Khartoum turned very shadowy.
We were also struck by the number of dirt streets in Khartoum. Since Khartoum is a large capital city this was a surprise, especially coming from Amman, which is a fully concreted capital city where even the parks sometimes have more pavement than grass or dirt. Some of these dirt roads even had big potholes or random mounds of dirt that cars needed to maneuver around. Also, the city is so dusty that even some streets that were paved had been overtaken or were being overtaken by dirt, as if nature was reclaiming what people had tried to claim. To be sure, We did see many nice paved roads, but in the heart of downtown it seemed that there were more dirt streets than paved. These dirt roads definitely told us we were far from home.
Finally, we found Sudanese people generally to be friendly and open. We also found many to be quite tall. Relations between men and women also seemed to be a bit more free and relaxed than in Jordan. Men and women seemed to interact more together, and I even shook the hands of several women when greeting them, Muslims included. Not only that, but those women shook my hand in a manner that indicated it was not something they were doing for the first time, as I usually feel here on those rare occurrences when a woman extends her hand to greet me. So in the future whenever I think about our time in Sudan, I guess my dominant memory will be of a lot of tall, smiling people, walking everywhere, shuffling along sometimes on dirt roads, sometimes in the dark. They better know where they're going, because no maps are available.
First of all, Sudan is the first country we have visited that is not really a tourist destination. A lot of people, for instance, dream of visiting Egypt or Morocco--and even Jordan--but never have we heard anyone speak of a yearning to visit Sudan. We like to do a little bit of basic research before going anywhere, but there is no "Lonely Planet" Sudan travel guidebook, and surprisingly the Internet doesn't provide much information either. Even finding a map of Sudan--when we were in Sudan--was difficult. That Sudan is not a travel hot spot--and that the government doesn't seem to care that it isn't--in itself made our trip different from others we have taken.
Sudan is also the first country we have visited that can really be called "developing" in every sense of the word and which is developing in every part of the country. This is different from a country like Jordan, which still could perhaps be considered a developing nation, but only in parts of the country and not in major cities like Amman. Jordan may be lacking in some of the amenities that we are used to back home, but it is far ahead of Sudan in terms of things like standard of living and infrastructure, particularly in the two capital cities. Seeing this difference made us realize how much we have here, and how much easier life is here.
What else? We noticed that vehicular traffic in Khartoum wasn't bad for a city of 6 million people, which perhaps was so because most of those 6 million were instead walking. We did a lot of walking in Khartoum ourselves, and everywhere we went the streets were full of people walking. Mobs of people, walking everywhere--on some streets only occasionally disturbed by a car or truck--probably because most people there don't have vehicles. This continued after sunset and into the evening, at which time we were always further impressed by the strange experience of walking with thousands of other people in the downtown of a large capital city in the dark. Of course it wasn't pitch black--some shops had dim lamps and cars would occasionally drive by with lights on--but there were no street lights downtown, which meant that at night Khartoum turned very shadowy.
We were also struck by the number of dirt streets in Khartoum. Since Khartoum is a large capital city this was a surprise, especially coming from Amman, which is a fully concreted capital city where even the parks sometimes have more pavement than grass or dirt. Some of these dirt roads even had big potholes or random mounds of dirt that cars needed to maneuver around. Also, the city is so dusty that even some streets that were paved had been overtaken or were being overtaken by dirt, as if nature was reclaiming what people had tried to claim. To be sure, We did see many nice paved roads, but in the heart of downtown it seemed that there were more dirt streets than paved. These dirt roads definitely told us we were far from home.
Finally, we found Sudanese people generally to be friendly and open. We also found many to be quite tall. Relations between men and women also seemed to be a bit more free and relaxed than in Jordan. Men and women seemed to interact more together, and I even shook the hands of several women when greeting them, Muslims included. Not only that, but those women shook my hand in a manner that indicated it was not something they were doing for the first time, as I usually feel here on those rare occurrences when a woman extends her hand to greet me. So in the future whenever I think about our time in Sudan, I guess my dominant memory will be of a lot of tall, smiling people, walking everywhere, shuffling along sometimes on dirt roads, sometimes in the dark. They better know where they're going, because no maps are available.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Exploring Sudan
Sunday afternoon we returned from a two week trip to Sudan; hence the break in our blog entries We spent our time there visiting Sudanese friends and trying to get a sense of what life is like for them--and others--there.
In terms of size, Sudan is the largest country in Africa, and according to the United Nations has a population of around 35 million. The Nile River flows through the capital city--Khartoum--which has a population of around 6 million (bigger than the entire population of Jordan).
In terms of religion, Sudan is about 70 percent Muslim, 25 percent various indigenous beliefs and 5 percent Christian. Although just 40 percent of Sudanese are Arabs, Arabic is the official language of the country, although 134 tribal languages are spoken, along with over 400 dialects. The northern region of Sudan is mostly Arab and Muslim, while the south is mostly populated by the various tribal groups who practice the indigenous religions or Christianity.
Sudan struggled through 21 years of civil war between the north and the south, although a peace agreement was signed in 2005. Of course, there is now war in the Darfur region in the west of the country--populated entirely by Muslims--which has gone on for about five years now. The people of Sudan have suffered a lot during these wars. It is estimated that over 2 million people died during the civil war, with 4 million displaced--including 500,000 who fled the country. Currently in Darfur, it is estimated that approximately 300,000 people have died, with over 2 million displaced from their homes. We spent all of our two weeks in the Khartoum area, where the only sign of all this fighting are the people who have moved there to escape it. However short our time and the little we saw of Sudan we are very grateful for the time we had to visit. We hope to share with you some of our experiences over the next few days and we will post more pictures from our time there as well!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)