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.

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.

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!

Enjoying the Views

Doors from Syria, Tunisia and Morocco
(The door Matt is standing in was used in the filming of Star Wars)

I Went walking on Wednesday and this is some of what we saw

Love Bombs

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be...Martin Luther King Jr.


These days when the word extremist is used we tend to think of specific images associated with destruction, hatred and bigotry. But wouldn't it be great if when the word extremist is used we would think of extreme acts of love, peace, reconciliation and life instead of things related to violence and death?

This is a photo that we took last fall while we were back in Minneapolis for Matt's sister's wedding. If you really think about it dropping bombs changes lives but what an incredible idea to change lives through love. It isn't a new idea but one that continues to be difficult to actually execute in everyday interactions with people. We can only hope and pray that we will all be extremists who fight for justice and peace and who struggle to show acts of kindness to all. Dropping love bombs throughout our lives!

What kind of extremist are you?

Cold Jordan

Here in Jordan we are experiencing what the overflowing water tanks on the rooftops of apartment buildings or water squeegeed out of those buildings on cleaning day. When I asked the guard shivering in his telephone booth sized shack outside the Turkish Embassy a few days ago if the weather was "a little cold", he aggressively responded--not in an angry but in an I-can't-believe-what-I'm-seeing way--"A little cold? Look at the street! There's ice on it!"

The buildings here aren't exactly made for this type of cold weather. Several days ago the pipe from one of our water tanks burst, sending a waterfall cascading down from the roof on to our back porch. The water was promptly turned off and the pipe fixed the next day, just in time for a different pipe from the same tank to develop a small tear, launching a sprinkler like stream into the air. That problem is still ongoing. Also, the temperature inside our apartment tends to hover around the same temperature as outside. There are many in Jordan that do not have heat. Most people, including us, use space heaters to keep warm. The rooms where the heat is on do get warm, but in the rooms where the heat is not on we can see our breath when we exhale (this makes it very hard to get out of bed in the morning!). Last week we visited some friends and while at their house we all sat in their salon on mats on the floor in the traditional Arab way, each one of us with two large, thick blankets covering us to keep warm. There we could easily see our breath, like we were all smoking and exhaling clouds of fumes as we talked between tokes. Some of my toes were actually frozen by the end of our time there.

Being from Minnesota we are of course used to living in cold weather. Most of the people here, though, are not, and I think right now there are a lot of people here who feel like that Turkish Embassy guard.

Even our cat is cold.

Cruising the Countryside

George W. is Near

As many of you know, George W. Bush is in the region this week, making his first visit to Israel/Palestine since becoming president in the hopes of helping to forge some kind of peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. One would think this would be big news here and cause for much hope. After all, this isn't Condoleezza Rice or some other lesser representative of the American government coming over for vaguely purposed "talks" or relationship building initiatives. This is the leader of the purported most powerful nation in the world finally deciding to push harder for peace by visiting the region just a few weeks after meeting with Arab leaders in America to push for peace there. He even said in Jerusalem--in reference to the land we in America call the West Bank and the Arabs call Palestine--that there must be "an end to the occupation that began in 1967," that there must be a home there for the Palestinian people.

However, while I haven't discussed Bush's visit with many people here, I am positive that most Jordanians--approximately 60 percent of whom are of Palestinian origin--are somewhat less than optimistic about it. Over the years, they have seen a lot of world leaders come and go and a lot of unimplemented agreements made. Just within this decade, there has been the end of the end of the seven year long "Oslo Peace Process," the European, American and United Nations backed "Road Map for Peace" and the Saudi Arabian sponsored "Arab Peace Initiative." I think the one friend I did discuss Bush's visit with--also Palestinian by origin--speaks for the majority of the people here. "There have been a lot of people coming and going, travelling, making speeches, talking, having meetings," he said. "I don't know what they talk about in those meetings." He doesn't expect much from all those meetings, and instead of exciting him or giving him hope, he is uninterested in them. "They are playing," he said. "We are bored."

A year ago today

A man and his sheep in Sousse, Tunisia

PEACE in the MIDDLE EAST

The Dead Sea in Jordan looking towards Jerusalem

Happy New Year!

We started 2008 with days and nights of fun and laughter, enjoying a fun filled time with our dear friends visiting from Minnesota. We ate good Arabic food, enjoyed lots of coffee and yummy wine, laughed a ton and toured around Jordan a bit with them.
We hope that this year brings everyone continued joys of
laughter, love and hope.

Merry Christmas to All

...and to all a good night!
Merry Christmas to everyone around the world from us here in Jordan.

Pilgrimage

All Muslims who are physically and financially able are required to make the pilgrimage--Hajj in Arabic--to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia at least once in their lives. Mecca is the home of the holiest site in Islam--a shrine to God that Muslims believe was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael--and the pilgrimage to this site and others in the surrounding area coincides with Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice mentioned in the previous post. This pilgrimage is obviously an essential aspect of the Islamic faith, and many Muslims take the title Hajji--one who has performed the Hajj--after completing it. Also, the household of those making the pilgrimage will decorate the front of their home to welcome them back from their journey, and also to announce to the neighborhood that someone in that particular home has completed this important duty. The above picture shows this decoration, which was recently put up by the family that lives below us in our building.

Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha--the Feast of Sacrifice--started today in Jordan, and all across the Islamic world. The Eid is a four day holiday during which Muslims commemorate Abraham's sacrifice of the ram provided by God to replace Abraham's son, whom God had asked Abraham to sacrifice in order to test his faith. Although Christians and Jews believe this son to have been Issac, Muslims believe the son to have been Ishmael. It is during this time that Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca as well. During the three days all normal life in Jordan stops, and people put on their best clothes to visit their friends and family.


This is the scene in downtown Amman the night before the Eid, as many people were making last minute preparations, buying food, clothes and gifts.





It is traditional for families to slaughter a sheep as part of the holiday, and the above two pictures show a sheep being slaughtered on a street not far from where we live. In keeping with Islamic practice, the sheep must specifically be killed with the cut of a knife through the jugular vein while saying the words "In the Name of God", and all of the animal's blood must be drained--which you can see on the sidewalk--before it can be eaten. Although not everyone we know is doing it, it is a major part of the occasion. Last year we were in Morocco during the Eid, and everywhere we went we saw sheep being lead away for slaughter on all types of transportation--carts, trucks and even motorcycles. One of our friends here told us the way out of her neighborhood was blocked this morning by a long line of cars driven by people waiting to buy sheep in a lot nearby.

Eid Mubarak!
(Blessed Festival!)

The Lessons of Bab al-Harr

This month I've been trying to finish watching online a Syrian mini-series called "Bab al-Harr" that played all throughout the Middle East and North Africa during this past Ramadan. It was played every night during the holiday, and it so captivated Jordanians that--in the words of a Jordanian friend of mine--when it was on you would "not find a person on the street." I too was captivated by it, with its portrayal of life and culture inside the old city walls of early 20th century Damascus, and I'm still watching it now because we left the country for a bit towards the end of Ramadan and I missed the last week or so of the show.

Much of the plot revolves around the family of a man called Abu Isaam, who--after a particularly nasty disagreement with his wife of many years--divorced her. Because of the cultural conditions of the time, this divorce set off a terrible chain reaction within the family, as the former wife was obliged to leave her home and move in with her brother, as--even if she had the means to do so--no honorable woman of the time would live by herself. Also, the father of the man who was engaged to the daughter of the divorced couple forced his son to call off the wedding, as no family of the time would want to be stained by the dishonor of divorce, even when just connected to a family being married into. The program skillfully depicts the social customs of the time, customs which are still in evidence today where we live. Yes, of course there are many differences between early 20th century Damascus and early 21st century Amman, and it is--as another Jordanian friend of mine said--"just TV." However, the overriding culture of honor and shame in which the requirements of the family are put first--as opposed (for better or worse) to the more individualistic nature of American society--remains the same. Also, it is possible to learn from a good book or a good movie, and even a good television show.

Something I ponder when I watch the show regards the male dominated nature of the society portrayed. Whenever anything controversial or important occurs on the screen, the men of the community all gather together to yell at each other, discuss or think about the problem at hand. Meanwhile, the women of the community sit around and wait for a decision or ruling to be made on an issue that may affect them, but on which they have no voice. Once a decision is made, the rest of the community must abide by it. This strikes me as simply a bad way to do life. To leave important discussions to one segment of society while excluding another segment of society from those discussions seems to me to not be the best way to make wise, informed decisions. Such an approach utilizes only part of the brain-power available in a community. Men and women are different, and sometimes have different ways of thinking, and leaving women out of a decision making process eliminates the possibility of hearing different attitudes and perspectives, and as a result short-circuits any potentially more creative solutions to a given problem.

This approach to problem solving is still noticeable in Jordanian society, and some women we know have lives that aren't as full as they could be because of decisions made for them by men in their lives. I also think, though, that it has by no means disappeared from my own American society. For instance, I see this still taking place in our current presidential election season, as some say that a woman--irrespective of her qualifications are lack thereof--should not be elected to the office of president. I also see this especially still taking place in the church, where women are still not welcomed into pastoral roles in many denominations and often shut out of various decision making processes, and are often told to be subordinate in their families.

But just like in the male only arena of Bab al-Harr, this strikes me as a bad way to do life. For a church to be lead only by a group of people from one segment of society, and for a family to rely on the man to lead and the woman to follow seems to me to not be the best way to make wise, informed decisions that are for the benefit and encouragement of all. The church--like society--consists of both men and women, and as such should be lead by both men and women. A family should rely on the leadership of both of the people who--in the words of the author of Genesis--"united" to "become one flesh." Shutting women out simply because they are women--regardless of their ability to lead or provide a different perspective or creative outlook on a certain situation--seems to shut out the possibility of obtaining the best solution to a problem or situation for growth. So many times in Bab al-Harr what the men decide for the group ends up causing pain or more trouble. Yes, it is just TV, but it does mirror what actually happens in Jordanian society and even, to some extent, what happens in American society. I think a complete inclusion of those still not entirely allowed to be part of decision making processes--while not ultimately bringing about perfect solutions or situations--will create a situation where better, more equitable and more human decisions are possible.

Cat Attack

In a past post we wrote about the ubiquitous presence of street cats here, as they can be seen running around everywhere kind of like squirrels at home. We live on the second floor of our building, and occasionally one makes its way to the rooftop built over the garden terrace of the apartment below us, giving it a perfect view right into our apartment. After making the climb up the other day, this particular street cat apparently found our street cat turned house cat quite mesmerizing, enough so that we were able to snap this picture before it got scared and ran away.

Elections in Jordan

Jordan recently held parliamentary elections. It seemed to be quite hotly contested, as there were almost 900 candidates for the 110 seats, and campaign signs and banners and large posters bearing their awkwardly smiling faces were posted all over Amman in the month or two before the vote. Of the nearly 900 candidates, 199 were women. By law, of the 110 seats 12 are reserved for Christian and Circassian candidates, and 6 for the top women candidates. Probably the biggest news once the results were known was that the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood fared poorly, with the number of seats they hold dropping from 17 to 6.

Unfortunately--despite the large number of candidates--the disposition towards the election of most of the people we know was something between apathy and disdain. Some felt people were just running for the prestige of the position, and others said the winners would turn their backs on the people once they took their seat. Many people talked beforehand about some candidates actually going door to door and buying votes, saying it had happened in the past. At least, though, if they wanted to vote, they really had no excuse not to, as election day here is a national holiday. Whatever the case, it was interesting to observe the democratic process here.

Simple Differences

America and Jordan are two very different places. Recently we travelled home for my sister's wedding, and after almost 18 months away we were already struck by certain differences even before landing back in Minneapolis. There are larger, more substantial and important cultural differences than these below, but these were our immediate impressions that were formed just from the long journey home.

First, in America there are lines! Here in Jordan, there is no such thing as a line. Whether you are at the post office or waiting to order a shawarma, you must constantly be on your guard, fighting to keep your position amongst a mob of people waiting for you to lose focus enough to slip by you. Once at the bus station in the clamor to board a bus that just arrived we witnessed a group of men jumping up the side of the bus and climbing through the open windows to skip the line waiting to get in through the front door and ensure their spot inside. In opposition to this, when we arrived in Chicago everyone calmly made their way from the plane to the immigration area, and then quietly marched back and forth through the aluminum railing maze that brought us to passport control. For us, the environment there at the airport was eerily calm, and we both marvelled at the stark contrast compared to what we knew would be happening in a similar situation where we had just flown from.

Also, we observed that Americans are a casual people. This we noticed specifically on the short flight from Chicago to Minneapolis, where we saw a lot of blue jeans, t-shirts and white sneakers on people young and old. This actually fit the apparel perception that Jordanians seem to have of Americans, as it has been remarked more than once to us that Americans are viewed as what they call "simple" dressers. In opposition to this, here people dress more formally. Adults almost never wear jeans, and although young men sometimes do, they are usually of the darker and tighter variety, and never worn out or with holes. In fact, pants with holes in them are rare enough that when the jeans I was wearing when we were in Syria developed a small tear, somebody asked me if I needed money for new pants. Young men also often wear a buttoned shirt and wing tipped shoes with their darker, tighter jeans. No t-shirts, no white shoes. As a result of this, it was really a jolt to both of our sensibilities to see such a sea of denim on the airplane. It's nothing that we ever would have noticed before, but we notice it now.

Clouds in the Desert

The other day a friend of ours told us that when she and her four year old son walked outside he looked up at the sky and began to cry. She asked him what was wrong and he said, "What are those white things in the sky mom?" She had to remind him that they were clouds! It has been a while since we have seen clouds here in Jordan, and when you live in a country that has clear blue skies at least six months out of the year, it is nice to see them. Even if they are kind of scary at first!