I remember eight years ago when I made the decision to return to Sudan to pursue my college education. My experience with living in Sudan was limited to a 2-month summer vacation almost every year, where visiting the neighbors was as close to being wild and adventurous as I could get. Still, during my childhood years I was fascinated and intrigued by what “Sudan” was; that marvelous, vast and dirt-infested country, home to many rakshas, Ethiopians and amputees that until recently was the largest country in Africa. I constantly bombarded my parents with endless questions about our culture and history, and essentially bored them with my infinite gibberish which I considered as 'ideas to improve Sudan'.
Spending weeks every summer with my family at the big house AKA the housh, I wondered if there was more to Sudan than the family gatherings, social visits, weddings and funerals, feasts and food trays, flavored tea and jabana, mint candy and dandurma, tiny crystal balls of billy for kids, captain Majid biscuits and jersey chocolates, glass-bottled pepsi, resident cats, stray dogs and goats… the list could go on. I loved these things and often marveled at them (except for the funerals of course, that would be just weird), but as I grew up I couldn’t help but question if there was another Sudanese realm which I had no access to.
I wanted to know everything about everything… why did most of the neighbors splash their stinking sewer water on the street? If al-Jack was Sudanese then why does he look so different and why is he ironing our clothes, also what’s up with his name? Why does my grandmother’s face look so weird and missing a significant amount of skin, and why is her lower lip dark blue? Why are the roads filled with so much dirt? Why does the power keep going off for hours everyday? Why is having running water everyday considered a luxury? Why do random people keep asking me about my tribe? Why aren’t my female cousins allowed to wear pants? What’s that smelly black stuff my uncle rolls up in a ball and probably swallows? Why is there no air conditioning or telephones? Why is it so freaking hot?
It took me some time to figure out some of the answers, and funnily enough, a decade later I still muse about the rest…
(to be continued)
Spending weeks every summer with my family at the big house AKA the housh, I wondered if there was more to Sudan than the family gatherings, social visits, weddings and funerals, feasts and food trays, flavored tea and jabana, mint candy and dandurma, tiny crystal balls of billy for kids, captain Majid biscuits and jersey chocolates, glass-bottled pepsi, resident cats, stray dogs and goats… the list could go on. I loved these things and often marveled at them (except for the funerals of course, that would be just weird), but as I grew up I couldn’t help but question if there was another Sudanese realm which I had no access to.
I wanted to know everything about everything… why did most of the neighbors splash their stinking sewer water on the street? If al-Jack was Sudanese then why does he look so different and why is he ironing our clothes, also what’s up with his name? Why does my grandmother’s face look so weird and missing a significant amount of skin, and why is her lower lip dark blue? Why are the roads filled with so much dirt? Why does the power keep going off for hours everyday? Why is having running water everyday considered a luxury? Why do random people keep asking me about my tribe? Why aren’t my female cousins allowed to wear pants? What’s that smelly black stuff my uncle rolls up in a ball and probably swallows? Why is there no air conditioning or telephones? Why is it so freaking hot?
It took me some time to figure out some of the answers, and funnily enough, a decade later I still muse about the rest…
(to be continued)
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good times. love it or hate it, it's the only roots we have.
ReplyDeleteVery well put!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading your post.
Waiting for more.
Hala
Mimz, it seems that our experiences growing up as 'mogtaribin' was identical when it came to the vacations and the joy of spending time with all what you mentioned. Except in my case, I never asked the questions you did. I always assumed that this is what Sudan is and this is what it should be. I assumed that tap water should look like lemon juice and that electricity should be cut from 6AM until 6PM so that we could run and sing in joy when it comes: (الكهربه جات أملوا الباغات حسي بتقطع). I assumed that I should get sick with Malaria because my loving aunts will pamper me and tend to my needs and shower me with love and compassion. I also assumed that the road between Khartoum and Sinja (My home town) will be filled with pot holes and be congested with lorries because that would call for a more dangerous and interesting trip. what was I thinking? I don't know. Maybe I was thinking I was going to a summer camp knowing that my comfortable bed and clean room will be waiting for me when I get back...that they are not going anywhere!
ReplyDeleteOff to part 2.