Anxious, excited, happy, nervous, sad are those feelings that I had when we first came to this continent 2 years ago. I was happy for the new experience and lifestyle that we would face. Nervous for what those unexpected things. Sad that I have to leave behind my career and opportunities that came at that time. But I always remember what my parents & parents-in-law always said - "Ikut je husband pegi mana even kalau dia masuk hutan". So that was what made me think deeper and made the decision to follow hubby.
Imagine the feeling when you first see the country from the sky and it has little to compare with when landing at KLIA. You can see lights everywhere. The feeling worsened when I first saw the condition of the airport -the so called 'international' airport - at that time. There has been changes (still not a KLIA!) but better than before. I had to make do with the limited rations that we brought with us; our 'kontena' would only arrive 3 months later. Tension la jugak masa tu. Dah la Ehsan only drink a soy base milk which is not available here. Even though I thought I was prepared mentally and physically, but I faced difficulty when actually facing the situation myself.
It was winter when we first arrived. Having to be in the kitchen all the time and constant contact with cold water made my skin terrible and horrible! It was sore, cracked and also luka - it just made me so depreseed during the first few months here. But I was lucky too - I made some nice friends, friends who can share and exchange views on 'surviving' here.
Having stayed here for the past 2 years I can see a lot of positive and negative sides:
+ve side :
1- I got to bring up my kids my way, by myself, without interference
2- Sudan has taught us to be independent, wiser and mature
3- To appreciate and always be thankful of how lucky we are to be Malaysian
4- I got to prepare the food for the family everyday without fail. (once in a while bila malas tak kira la....!)
5- I get to experience my kids' development and achievements. Kalau kat Malaysia selalunya bibik yang dapat tengok dulu.
6- The country is much safer compared to Malaysia.
7- Learning about a new culture and religion. Even though it is a Muslim country but they follow Mazhab Hambali which is different from our believe.
8- In term of food, there is nothing to worry about since the meat is slaughtered in the islamic way.
-ve side :
1- The weather is too hot during summer. (50 degree days!)
2- The country is full with orang-orang yang 'bodoh sombong'.
3- Full of reckless drivers
4- The Facilities are not up to date
5- The quality of work here is not good
So on our 2nd anniversary of our arrival in Sudan, I am grateful to be brave enough to leave all the good things and opportunities in my life to bring Ehsan and follow hubby to Khartoum. We celebrated by going on a picnic at Burri Beach (yes, even the Nile has a sandy beach!). We just let Ehsan & Erica spend the time playing in the sand, making sand castles and putting up the Jalur gemilang. (The weather was nice, but a bit cold so the kids needed to wear extra layers).
Imagine the feeling when you first see the country from the sky and it has little to compare with when landing at KLIA. You can see lights everywhere. The feeling worsened when I first saw the condition of the airport -the so called 'international' airport - at that time. There has been changes (still not a KLIA!) but better than before. I had to make do with the limited rations that we brought with us; our 'kontena' would only arrive 3 months later. Tension la jugak masa tu. Dah la Ehsan only drink a soy base milk which is not available here. Even though I thought I was prepared mentally and physically, but I faced difficulty when actually facing the situation myself.
It was winter when we first arrived. Having to be in the kitchen all the time and constant contact with cold water made my skin terrible and horrible! It was sore, cracked and also luka - it just made me so depreseed during the first few months here. But I was lucky too - I made some nice friends, friends who can share and exchange views on 'surviving' here.
Having stayed here for the past 2 years I can see a lot of positive and negative sides:
+ve side :
1- I got to bring up my kids my way, by myself, without interference
2- Sudan has taught us to be independent, wiser and mature
3- To appreciate and always be thankful of how lucky we are to be Malaysian
4- I got to prepare the food for the family everyday without fail. (once in a while bila malas tak kira la....!)
5- I get to experience my kids' development and achievements. Kalau kat Malaysia selalunya bibik yang dapat tengok dulu.
6- The country is much safer compared to Malaysia.
7- Learning about a new culture and religion. Even though it is a Muslim country but they follow Mazhab Hambali which is different from our believe.
8- In term of food, there is nothing to worry about since the meat is slaughtered in the islamic way.
-ve side :
1- The weather is too hot during summer. (50 degree days!)
2- The country is full with orang-orang yang 'bodoh sombong'.
3- Full of reckless drivers
4- The Facilities are not up to date
5- The quality of work here is not good
So on our 2nd anniversary of our arrival in Sudan, I am grateful to be brave enough to leave all the good things and opportunities in my life to bring Ehsan and follow hubby to Khartoum. We celebrated by going on a picnic at Burri Beach (yes, even the Nile has a sandy beach!). We just let Ehsan & Erica spend the time playing in the sand, making sand castles and putting up the Jalur gemilang. (The weather was nice, but a bit cold so the kids needed to wear extra layers).
Erica trying to rake the sand
Ehsan making a sand castle
...a happy moment for both of them
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