Made it through another week

Well Just finished the first full week of school. Things are starting to settle down and I'm getting used to the routine.
This weekend I went out to a cafe on Thursday night and to the U.S Embassy rec site on Friday evening/night. Both places were a lot of fun. The rec site is right on the Nile which is very high right now and moving fast. Apparently it will drop 30 feet by the time winter rolls around.

The highlight at the rec site was the pool! It was great to get into a pool -which is not that easy in this city. The pools that do exist are at exclusive clubs and they aren't that cheap to join. I think some US YMCA pools are less expensive than the one here. We also had a BBQ and some good dancing music. There were other folks at the rec site who work for the Embassy or UN or Red Cross and other NGO's and we had some Salsa music on an I-POD and had a little party. Apparently there used to be big parties there last year but with the security situation changed recently they are not allowed to have them there any more. We are hoping we can have small gatherings like the one we did (BBQ and pool fun) in the future.
The only reason we got to go last night was because on of our new teachers husband works for the Embassy and they can invite guests to the Rec site.

I also posted some pictures of some flowers I saw on my walk to the grocery store Friday morning. Also a picture of a rickshaw-which is the cheapest (and most dangerous) way to travel around.

Interesting story about a rickshaw. When a small group of us came back last night from the Rec site to our apartment-we took a rickshaw. Before you get in one you negotiate a price and then you take off. I negotiated in my simple arabic a price of 10 sudanese dollars. Or so I thought...
We were about 3 min from home when the rickshaw breaks down. We are on a dark street at 11 at night. We all have very limited arabic skills. So our driver runs off to somewhere and comes back with another rickshaw driver. Then he starts to try and negotiate with us. We are trying to figure out what to pay him since he brought us most of the way home. Then we luck out and a few teenagers come by who know English and hear us struggling. So they help translate.

Well apprently the driver was expecting 15 dollars not 10. So I argue using my hands saying La Ashra (No , ten!) But he's not hearing it and we still have to get home- now with his friend. So we give in. Then we get in the rickshaw of his friend and he clearly doesn't know where he is going. I'm some what familiar with the area and eventually give directions -tawali (straight) yameen(right) shemal(left) and find our way home.

When we get home-he looks at us like we should pay. We shake our heads no and say Shokaran (thanks) and walk inside. I really need to learn my arabic numbers and not take rickshaws late at night!