after the dust settled

the alley just behind my flat.

i woke up on thursday to a world filled with dust.

i thought i knew about dust, about sand, about the way the wind picks it up and spins it around like i'd imagine tornadoes do houses in kansas. i thought i knew about the way the desert creeps into shoes, into bed sheets and onto roads.

i learned all about that in arizona, and sudan was kind enough to remind me.

but what i woke up to on thursday was different. the dust was everywhere, it was inescapable. it filled the air like fog does in london. it stained my clothes, stung my eyes and found its way into my nose and mouth and ears.

but then i can't complain. see, the dust brought with it some cool weather. well, relatively cool. just last week, temperatures were nearing 120 degrees. today, we're topping out at a cool 98. elhamdulillah.


the alley ... just in case you didn't get 'it' the first time around.


my flip-flops the morning after.


clean | dirty

shake it

more polaroids shot with my tz artistic film ...

this is a traditional coffee -- or 'jebana' -- server.


the mountains in kassala.


the bouganvilla here reminds me of arizona.


a camel at the omdurman camel market.

even in sudan, we craft

friday was dedicated to coffee and crafting and curry. in that order.


i saw this cool tiger on a cement bag. so i ripped it off and collaged with it. that's how we roll in khartoum.


i also made a little map collage. 'yella' is the arabic version of 'allons-y' or 'vaminos' or 'let's go.'

my friend amelia's collage. way cooler than mine.

so i went to the mountains

the bus dropped us off at the mountains.

i'm not gonna lie: i've been a little homesick these past few weeks. homesick for green things, bike rides, mountains and cool temperatures. homesick for monday night dinners and dancing and crafts. funks, i suppose are normal. but that doesn't make them any easier.

it's the city, i think, with it's crowded roads and constant noise that's been wearing on me. so, if i can't import stumptown, i can, at least, get out of khartoum and find some peace.

an 8-hour bus ride away from khartoum is kassala, a smallish town on the sudan-eritrea border known best for the mountains that break up its desert skyline. we didn't spend much time there, just two days, maybe a little less. but it was enough to relax at the rooftop cafes, climb the smooth base of mountains and eat some good fuul.

it was enough to remind me why i came here.


near the heart of the city.


on the way to the mountains.


a couple hidden in the rocks.

a women and her child climb down the mountain.

some friends caught between the sky and the earth.


there's a beautiful tomb at the base of the mountains.


part of the old mosque at the base of the mountains. once upon a time, the roof was set on fire.