Life in the Foreign Service in
Security:
Please note: I am no longer updating
this FAQ but it remains as a rough guide to those that may be traveling to
Since it's still regarded as a
difficult hardship post, you'll need to take proper precautions when traveling
about the city. No reports of violence or theft against the Embassy staff have
occurred during the year I've been here. Other Embassies and groups may have a
different take on this since they might travel by other means and are more
exposed to the populous. I seen a couple student
protests against the local government, one ending in tear gas being shot to
disperse the crowd. To be frank the conditions are far from the norm here.
People have lived with it knowing any uprising would be met with swift
retaliation. Word can travel quickly if someone has intentions to step off the
party line. With US sanctions against the local government, there's reciprocity
directed back towards the States. We're experiencing that right now with visas.
I've gotten my first taste of how a government reacts to being told by other
countries what it needs to do. Wherever you go around the city you can see
where money isn't being spent. Clay brick homes and dirt paved roads a stones
throw from mansions, palaces and mosques. Outdoor markets seem to always sell
oranges, onions, bananas, tomatoes, watermelons, and the same selection of
liter bottles of soda. It's a country that uses agriculture for self sustenance
instead of generating economic returns. I've gone off on a tangent here, but it
helps give you an idea of the conditions people live in. The unemployment rate
is high, but those that do work are grateful and appreciative. Begging is not
as prevalent as some other countries. I still see my share of children, women
and the elderly asking for small handouts.
I've been told by several locals
that Americans are appreciated here. They are confident as long as the focus is
on
Some traffic accidents have been
reported to the Embassy. These have been met with quick response by our
security staff. I recommend taking the motor pool for the first month to get
use to the driving and to learn how to get around the city. Usually the
accidents that have occurred have been by new people just arriving and getting
use to the driving.
I know driving is seriously a
problem here. I myself feel like I've improved in my defensive driving just
from the sheer lack of consideration drivers have for each other. An occasional
driver will stop and allow you the right of way but it's usually a pleasant
surprise when it happens. Once you get use to the local rules of the road
it’s alright. As far as danger, there are warnings of demonstrations that
we're told about and where they are so we can avoid them. I'm usually with
several coworkers if I am out late at night. I've been jogging more recently
and have cautiously watched for any acts of aggression. But mainly, it's just
been stray dogs and bad drivers I have to look out for.
I wish I could give a more detailed
picture of how women are treated here. There have been a couple of cases where
locals have said something about women attire or uncustomary activities but
nothing physically aggressive towards women. One girl I know was accused of
splashing a pedestrian with mud or bumping him with her car mirror, and
resulted in being followed via another car until the man corner her vehicle. It
ended with her doing a 3 point turn and leaving the scene. Security was
notified during the event but she removed herself from what she thought was an
uncomfortable situation with the crowd that was starting to gather.
With that being said, I tell people
to keep their Embassy badges with them along with the cell phone and radio.
Roadblocks pop up at night and I've never had any trouble with them. Once they
see the Diplomatic license plate, they wave us through without any questions.
So to be secure in
Clothing:
I'm conscious of what I wear and
abide by local customs of pants and short sleeve shirts for men. Sandals, blue
jeans and t-shirts are commonly seen along with semi-formal attire such as
khaki pants, polo shirts, and long sleeve shirts. Women cover their shoulders
and can wear short sleeve blouses and pants. Shorts for men and women are not
advised unless going to workout or lounging in the residences. My usual work
attire consists of cargo pants, polo shirt or rolled up long sleeve dress
shirt, along with hiking shoes. I've brought a couple suits and more formal outfits
for special occasions and have had 2 opportunities to wear them. I also have a
collection of baseball hats and a felt outback hat for days I know I'm going to
be out in the sun for long periods.
Remember, this is a guide for work
attire consistent with Embassy staff. Other organizations will have their own
dress code.
I recommend (for men)
First
off, most of my wardrobe consists of light colored clothes. The darker colors
and my dressier stuff I seldom wear.
A
pair of tennis shoes.
Couple
pairs of sandals for pool lounging and casual dinners
Dress
or formal shoes depending on your work. I've worn my dress shoes twice. I
prefer a pair of semi formal shoes that are more comfortable for occasions
besides anything black tie.
Something
rugged for day to day - my favorite is my North Face hiking shoes. Since work
requires some outside walking I wear them the most.
Linen/Cotton
blends for some shirts. I like the light weight. Also the lack of having to
iron them. Their long sleeve and I like the sun protection.
Polo
shirts - a must. The all cotton can be a pain on the hottest days but I live
with it for the short sleeves.
A
couple pairs of dress pants. I've only worn mine a couple times but they've
been nice to have for more formal occasions.
At
least one suit. Throw in whatever you need for dress shirts, ties, etc.
Cargo
pants, I can't live with out the extra pockets now.
Socks
- I like light colored (tan) socks since they go with most of my clothes. I'll
wear some dress socks with darker clothes.
Hats;
ball caps, boonie hats, clam digging, whatever you
need to keep protect from the sun.
Exercise
gear? I have a mix of loose pants and shorts, along with various wicking
t-shirts.
Sunglasses
- obviously
Wear
glasses or contacts? Be prepared for the dirt in the air that will scratch them
over time. I didn't buy a new pair since I figured they'd be scratched up by
the time I left. They are starting to get that way. I wear contact lenses often
and have to dispose of 2 week lenses in 5-6 days usually.
I recommend (for women):
Anything
you'd wear to work conservatively is probably ok.
Short
sleeve blouses and other shirts that allow arms to be revealed are common
Pants
are common from dress slacks to blue jeans
Comfortable
shoes since outside walking can be a bit on the rough side with dirt roads,
cracked sidewalks, etc. For work it depends on what you do, but bringing a pair
for several occasions is advisable.
Foreign
women will get looks here. It's a Muslim country but not as strict as some
Middle Eastern countries.
Consumables:
Several things are available here
and I did bring some items that I didn't have too. Mixes like brownies and
cakes can be found but if you want to bring you're own it's cheaper. Here's a
rundown on things I'm glad I brought that were a little more pricey here or not
available. I was limited to 750lbs of consumables that I could ship here. Take
advantage of every pound. Netgrocer.com is your friend if you decide to buy
some things after you get here. Just be prepared for shipping costs.
Not Available
Canned
fat free milk
Salsa
or Con queso dip
Tuna
- local stuff is like blended cat food
Tacos
or Tostadas
Bisquick
Toilet
paper - stuff here is a bit rough
Paper
towels, Paper towels - did I mention paper towels? Definitely bring what you
need, there's none here or if you do find it, it's an oddity.
Paper
plates and paper napkins. Plates you can find but you have either flimsy or
Styrofoam for a choice.
Napkins,
same as towels, you won't find any. They like to use tissues for napkins.
Junk
food - pop tarts, any chips but Pringles (they have Pringles since it comes
easier to ship in the cans).You'll find some other chips but they cost around
8US a bag.
Oreos
or any other kinds of cookies you like. All the cookies here are imported and
seem to be in small quantities at 2.50 or so a package. They're alright but you
might want something more familiar.
Gatorade
- you'll appreciate it if you like to be outside during any free time.
Lemonade
or any other drinks you prefer. Orange juice is a bit hard to find but I've
seen it available. They have oranges for sale everywhere anyway if you want to
make your own. They sell sugary carbonated lemonade and apple juice.
Box
and bottle juices are available but they're pineapple, guava, mango and carrot.
They sweeten some mixed juices. Grapefruit juice seems to be a hit here.
Peanut
butter - it's available but not the name brands your use to.
Jellies
- Jams are available but usually small jars of stuff that have preserves
Spices
and Seasonings - bring what you need to cook. The local spices are available
but what you're use to is hard to find. I've seen Sage, Mint, Chili pepper,
Oregano, and a few others
Pet
Supplies - buy it online at Pet Smart or Netgrocer.com
What's available?
Converters
- you can buy some but our households come with a few for electrical appliances
that need to fit a plug-in.
Transformers
- 220 to 110. Houses come with two. I suggest a few power strips to allow you
to plug in more than one at a time if needed.
Voltage
regulator - houses come with one. Good for your home entertainment system.
Maple
syrup - available at
Olive
oil -
Breakfast
foods; cereals should be checked for expiration dates.
Powdered
milk - available
Rice
- available
Pasta
- available
Hygiene
supplies - Deodorant, soaps, mouthwash, toothpaste and brushes, shaving cream,
etc. Pretty much everything is available.
Coffee
and tea are available but you might want you own favorite blends
Cooking
oils - mostly corn
Cigarettes
- but you should quit anyway. (local varieties and hard to find Marlboro lights
and reds)
Meats
- chicken, fish, shrimp, beef (pork is not readily available obviously, but
occasionally can be found)
Produce
- onions, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, watermelons, bananas, oranges,
cantaloupe, garlic, etc
Canned
goods - kidney beans, corn, lima beans, peas, etc - Also available in frozen
bags but mainly peas, and mixed veggies
Sodas
- wide selection. They don't have much for diet except light coke and light
sprite; I've seen light Pepsi also.
Sugar,
Flour, salt, pepper, chili pepper, mint, sage, oregano, and several local
spices.
Cat
litter but it's not always available
Cat
and Dog food but not the best quality, some of it was expired already when I
bought it. Now that's old.
Light
bulbs. I've found two stores that carry what I need. I go through a lot of
bulbs with the electrical surges or outages.
Cleaning
supplies. You'll find everything you need for household cleaning.
Misc; I've picked up dishes, candles, and other items around town easily.
Electronic
stores and kitchen items can be found. I know someone bought a couple coffee
makers locally during their short time here.
CDs
and tapes. I purchased both. The CD's appear to be lesser quality and possibly
copied. Watch what you're buying. Some people say DVD's can mess with your
players if their knockoffs. One report noticed someone standing up in a theater
during the playing of a copied movie.
Sefco - has a grocery and a small section for household goods.
Sabco - haven't been there yet but hear it's similar to Sefco
Afra Mall Grocery - the big kahuna of food stores.
They have a wide selection and it's just like being in a major grocery store.
The Mall itself has women's clothes, fast food, a Turkish restaurant, bowling
alley and movie theater.
Latife - another grocery with a nice selection, albeit around the
size of Sefco and Sabco.
Restaurants and Grocery stores:
There are more shops and eateries popping
up all the time. Some also close frequently so you have to be ready to start
looking for another shop at times. You can find several ethic restaurants like;
Chinese, Korean,
Grocery stores like Afra,
Housing:
You’ll find mostly furnished
apartments and a townhouse complex. Rooms are spacious but you're limited on
the weight you can have shipped here. At last report you'll only receive 750lbs
of household effects, 250lbs of unaccompanied air freight and 750lbs of
consumables. See above for consumables. The housing consists of 3 bedrooms,
full kitchen, a pantry with washer/dryer, living room,
dining room, 2-3 bathrooms, some come with outdoor patios and balconies. You'll
have a VCR and TV also. The VCR's are compatible with the tapes I
made back in the states. I brought my DVD player so most of the time I just
watch DVDs. The kitchen comes with a microwave, refrigerator, full freezer,
water distiller filtration system, and dual sink. Sorry no dishwashers. A
couple voltage transformers are provided that allow you to plug one 110V
electrical item in at a time. I brought a couple of electrical plug adapters
that seemed to come in handy when I have something that runs on 220 but needs
an adapter to make it fit in the wall plug. Every outlet in the house uses
standard British outlet plug-ins. If they have 3 square holes or say
The townhouse compound has a tennis
court, basketball hoop, a swimming pool, and outdoor bar for parties, and a
grill for cookouts.
Apartments are larger living
quarters with a patio or balcony.
POV: (personally owned vehicles)
At this time you cannot bring your
own vehicle(s) with you. The embassy provides a motor pool with drivers to
transport staff around. Some staff are assigned their
own vehicles depending on positions and being on call. It requires a bit of
planning and patience since there's so many people that could call for a car at
one time. i.e. start of a work day, evening social
event, dinner party for several employees. I've only had to remind the motor
pool dispatch my car hadn't arrived a couple times. But then I work different
hours sometimes so it's understandable. Most people arrange the night before
for a car.
Mass transportation is not
recommended. An occasional Tuk Tuk
or Ruksha can be interesting for a short trip but is
not the safest mode of transport. (Think beefed up golf cart). They run for 100
dinars (basically 40cents).
Social activities:
Right now it seems the Americans
here enjoy entertaining at private homes and having a private party open to
invited guests and friends. We're starting to organize more functions at our Rec site that should provide an alternative to what we're
been doing. We've done a few movie nights there but since several satellite
companies are available most people watch them in the comfort of their homes.
There's also weekend trips planned
for shopping at the Souk in Omdurman, an all day trip
to the Pyramids, several other historic site field trips, trips to Port Sudan,
Museums in Khartoum, A movie theater in Afra mall
along with a bowling alley that's still in pretty good shape even with novice
bowlers that like to throw the balls halfway down the lane.
The Rec
site offers Olympic sized swimming pool, and there's also a functioning fitness
room.
The
I've been to several events that
other expats organize including some that American's
have put together. Every week there seems to be some function that I'll get an
invite too. You'll get them too if you start to show up for anything. Some
folks choose to stay at home all the time and that's fine too. Invites are
usually made anyway incase they decide to change their mind. My first two weeks
here were so busy going out I never had time to unpack. A "no" and
sticking to your guns will suffice if you want to do a night alone.
Photography Permits:
With a photo of yourself and an
application form, both of which you can get after arriving, you can get a photo
permit for taking pictures in the country. Even with a permit, you're not
allowed to photograph Mosques, Military facilities, Bridges, or pictures that
would show poverty/unflattering scenes. If the police or a guard somewhere
feels you have violated one of those, he will confiscate the film or memory
card from the camera. That said, I haven't had any trouble and just keep it low
key when I take a shot.
Language training:
I never received any before I got
here, but I'm a specialist so the Department doesn't make it a requirement. My
predecessor got a crash course before he came out but he was one of the first
that arrived to help reopen so it was probably beneficial. They nixed it for
me. Fortunately, someone organized a class for beginner Arabic last November.
So I picked up a lot of phrases, the alphabet, numbers, greetings
and how to write and read a bit. It's come in handy when talking to shops and
local staff that don’t have a strong background in English. But for the
most part, at work everyone's English is very good.
Telephones:
Every home residence has a telephone
but I never hear of anyone using them for long distance calling. The only thing
most people use them for is local calls and dialup connections for their
computers. The Embassy provides cell phones for employees. Personal calls are
charged back to the employee on a monthly basis. The same billing works for
residences when you use the land line phone for long distance. Most of the time
it's something to do with the local provider Sudatel
but occasionally there's a wiring problem that needs to be checked out by our
phone techs.
Weather:
Here's Karl with our 12 month
forecast.
Jan
- cooler temps, some winds, around 50 for lows at night
Feb
- warmer with temps staying at 60 for a low and hitting 90+ during the day
March
- Hot (temps are hitting 100+ already)
April
- Hot
May
- Hottest time of the year (horoscope says "Stay inside the month of May
if you can")
June
- Hot, over 100, but its a dry heat
July
- Still Hot, over 100
August
- Hot and sometimes wet (Start of the rainy season) Hits 100+ during the day
September
- See August
October
- Cooling a bit, but still hot, and you call that rain?
November
- Cooling off more, actually enjoy what feels like Spring
days. Temps 80-90
December
- Coolest of the year. Lows dip to 50's. First time I ever had to put on a
fleece pullover while staying here. Day temps around 70-80
Goto Jan
What to bring for entertainment:
I thought I would have more free
time between hanging out with people and work but I have to admit I don't touch
half the stuff I brought with me. However I'm still glad I did, since I didn't
have a clue what to expect for free time and what I would feel like doing. For
me a day off consists of playing a game of something outside, fixing a nice
meal, practice my "fill in with your favorite hobbies", working on
this website, reading, taking a day trip to see some of the sites, attend a
party or dinner offered by other expats, watching a
movie, or working out. Mind you I'm basically working 6-7 days a week so your
mileage may vary.
The American Recreational Site has
completed construction. The Olympic size pool is ready for swimming now.
There's also a fitness room with free weights, treadmill, Elliptical, Cycles,
Universal weights, and music and DVD player for working out. The main building
houses the kitchen and has space for indoor events that members of the Rec Site will be able to use. There's also an outdoor bar
and grills for parties. The
Things to see while here:
So far I've gone on trips for:
The
Camel Market
The
Pyramids
The
Souk (Market)
Several
restaurants including Chinese, Italian,
If
you're here for a long period of time you'll probably get a chance to see a
Sudanese Wedding
Tutti Fruity -for those gelato ice cream fans out there. Look for the big ferris wheel near the airport.
It's close to that.