Inshallah

Hello,

Well, this post is a bit overdue. I made it here over a week ago. Man! A lot has happened since then. Sorry for no photos, but I haven't taken pictures- as I'm waiting for my photo permit. But anyway, First, coming off the flight to Khartoum, oh, man, it was hot. We landed about 6 p.m. and it was somewhere around 106 degrees. In pants and a scarf around my arms- it was proven to seem warmer than that. I ended up staying in Khartoum for a couple of days before I headed to Darfur. This gave me enough time to enough this fabulous drink Lemon with Mint. We were at this restaurant, and so I asked the waiter what the green-looking slushie thing was he brought out for the other table- he said that is the Lemon with Mint and that I am sure to like it- or he would bring me something else. Oh, man- he was so right! I became addicted. It is just nice to have on a hot day. It's quite refreshing

The first couple of nights, it was hard to sleep through the call to prayer. I've lived by mosques and have heard it, but when you're in a place with multiple call to prayers, it can seem quite loud and quite startling when it wakes you up from sleep. I can't describe it as anything less than hauntingly beautiful. The melody is enticing and to then watch the prayers of the faithful is quite a humbling thing to be a part of.

So, I made it to where I'm supposed to be, where it's a bit cooler than Khartoum- as we're getting a bit of rain. The team here is great and the staff are even better! They are so gracious that my Arabic is terrible- although- i must say in the week I've been here my Arabic has grown about 80%, but that's because it wasn't very big to start out with....Lesson number 1 that I learned quickly is to soak your sheets in water at night....it helps to actually get to sleep before you start sweating profusely, wondering if you will survive the night.

I survived my initial getting acclimated phase. which means i survived my initial sickness. It's common to get a bug here or there and I got one alright. Luckily it was on Thursday before our day off on Friday. However, due to this, I have developed an unhealthy addiction to 7UP. It's probably not healthy, but i can't help it, it just tastes sooo good.

Anyway, so this week has been getting lots of information. I'm glad to be back on the field again. Excited to be working in part with hygiene in schools. Remember, poo and water don't mix- (by the way, Bev, I never got that on a t-shirt....why is that?) it's just a great feeling to be around people that have the same heart, who are here because they believe that they can somehow make a difference. I'm not saying that those who aren't in the field are otherwise....it's just nice to not feel awkward! We live in the same place, we see the same things, and even though we are here, we still wonder if we're even making a difference. Well, I've survived my first 10 days. Here's to the next 10.

Inshallah.

If God wills.

~Patty