Green Beans and Girl Friends

Living in Sudan is all about seeing life in its rawest form: naked (literally), unrefined, un-cushioned. Rather than fighting against nature, the Sudanese, whether out of necessity or immense wisdom, have learned to not fight against the harshness of the world, but rather to live with it. There is no such concept as a “well-sealed” house. This is an indoor-outdoor living culture with usually only sleeping done under the protection of a roof. Kids aren’t coddled but rather are expected to work for their keep. Even the smallest toddlers wander around lugging jerry cans. By the time they are 5 or 6, girls are expected to care for weaned infants, carrying a baby half their size around on their backs. Animals are valued solely for the meat that they can provide or the dowry they can buy. Goats are pulled around by their horns or hind legs, while chickens tend to by carried around upside down by their feet or (not too uncommonly) by just one wing. (Boy, do I have stories for PETA). It’s a place filled with acacia trees and their accompanying slightly-toxic thorns.

It’s understandable, then, why Sudan is a difficult place to love. What I’ve come to discover, though, is that such an atmosphere allows you to really appreciate simple joys.

…Like green beans. Fresh out of the garden, warm, crunchy, green beans. Today Francis and I enjoyed the first fruits of our garden. After two months of (kidney) beans, rice, and fried potatoes, the fresh, crisp flavor of the green beans was like candy. I had vowed to take a picture of my first harvest, but once I started eating the green beans, I couldn’t stop. Maybe you’ll get a picture of the second harvest.

…Like having a girlfriend. Someone you can sit across the coffeetable from with your feet curled under you, and chat about whatever is on your mind: recipes, frustrations of being stared at by Toposa women, which stores in town sell the best bread. Not that Francis’ company isn’t lovely (seriously, I would have already bought a ticket back to the US if I didn’t think so) but having someone to have girl-talk with is something that truly is a blessing.

…Like drink mixes. Tang, Kool-Aid, Crystal Lite. In such a climate, your body requires A LOT of liquid. But seriously, you can only drink so much room-temperature water. What a joy it is to tip back a glass and have sweet liquid tickle your tongue! Thank you NASA or whoever it was that came up with Tang and all of the other powdered drinks after it.

So, that’s what I’ve got right now. No huge news this week. Our stuff is still not here so we are splitting our time (and meals) between our empty house and the safari camp. With everyone returning from Christmas, I’m back to supervising crews doing excavations/leveling around the compound and plan to resume my job hunting. Wish me luck…