Sudan - my new flat

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Well, it's been a baptism of fire to say the least. At first Ahfad University were saying that I had a contract with them and not SVP, and SVP seemed not to want anything to do with me!! Not good. I was stuck in a place where I didn't know where I was, staying with Amna, the Head of the English Dept of the university where I was going to be working, I didn't have any contact with any other volunteers, Omna's family were, I felt, less than welcoming. I was given a bed in a room with two beds, shown the kitchen that didn't have any gas so I didn't have any cooking facilities, etc. etc. I asked Omna for her mobile phone number - she wouldn't give it to me! said I could get her at the university. Then when I was taken to the SVP offices to have my visa extended, they didn't want to know. They flatly refused to accept that I was an SVP volunteer, they reckoned I was the responsibility of Ahfad University. It was only the continued persistance of a guy called Mohamed, who had taken me to the SVP offices and who would not take no for an answer, that finally persuaded Sabir, the SVP guy, to sort out my visa.

Omna was expecting me to go into the University for five days a week - certainly not my understanding at all and she was talking about me signing a contract.

Also, all the other SVP volunteers had been taken to Khartoum, were all housed together, were provided with SVP staff to take them all over Khartoum, show them the ropes, how to get on buses, etc. etc. I finally phoned David, the guy who runs SVP in London, in floods of tears. Only then did anything even begin to get moving.

On another occasion, when I was in Amna's office, I got really tearful. Sabir was there at the same time and he later really apologied to me. Anyway, once SVP had accepted some sort of responsibility, did things start to happen. I've since met up with all the other volunteers and spent a lovely day with. Also, after a hell of a lot of pushing on my part, I'm finally sharing a flat in Omdurman (the place where Ahfad Univerity is) with two of the other volunteers, one lovely young American girl and a young woman from England. Result. But, it was tough going. I'd almost got to the point where I was going to come back home, I felt really down. I've never felt such a sense of isolation. Anyway, as I say, with things being sorted out, I'm feeling a lot better about stuff.

I've started teaching - not in Ahfad yet, but in Khartoum. Ahfad University has agreed to offer communication classes to Customs Officers (Immigration officers) in Khartoum. It's been quite enjoyable and the students (up to 25 in each class so far - though one young woman volunteer had about 175 in her class!!! You can't possibly teach anyone anything with crazy numbers like that.

Tomorrow I will try to get on a bus on my own to get to the University. And trust me, the buses bear absolutely no resemblance at all to we regard as a bus. So, that should be fun.

The flat is lovely, quite big, basic, only two beds so far, kitchen, a good working shower. Good stuff.

I'll let you know how I got on with catching the bus! Heavens, it can't possibly be that difficult. Can it?

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