It is 5:00 a.m. in the morning, I still cannot fall asleep. The AC is blasting over my head; I am cold despite the 100 Fahrenheit outside.
It is getting close to 6:00 a.m. I can hear the call for prayer… yes that is right, I am here now, it is going to be home for 2 years.
8:00 a.m. Jim went to work, I am at home, staring from the window. The street in front of our house is sandy, it has never been paved, like most of the streets here.
The sun has a strange color, kind of pale and washed off. Few dusty palm trees are standing around the houses.
I always admired palm trees, they strive on heat and dryness and they produce the sweetest fruit: dates. I decided to eat dates everyday, I have to get this powerful fruit in my system, probably this will be the key to surviving the dryness of this place.
10:00 a.m. Mira is taking me to the local market today. I am going to wear my long sleeves shirt and the long skirt I wisely purchased from H&M before getting here. However I will skip putting a scarf on my head, it is too darn hot after all.
13:00 p.m. market is packed… the produce are not too bad, it is kind of a Farmer’s Market; only local seasonal fruits and vegetables are sold here. I got tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, mango and oranges for less than $10.
I had to be quick, act quickly and leave quickly … I should have worn this scarf on my head after all.
15:00 p.m. I am happy to be back home. I have sand in my hair, on my skirt, and my shoes are filled with this gold dust, as if I was playing in a sand box all day.
I get in the shower…water is too hot… it is boiling…I must have turned the hot water on…NO! Wait a minutes, both hot and cold water are boiling!!! My skin is burning, I cannot take it anymore. I get out of the shower with soap in my hair and on my skin….
I want to cry knowing that tomorrow I have to go through this day all over again…
6:00 p.m. I am snacking on the vegetables and the fruits I got from the market this morning… they are delicious, I am happy and I smile for the first time.
Tomorrow I will take my shower early in the morning, when the water temperature will only be 80F. First milestone; to know when to take a shower!
A big hi and lots of love from here 
to you Charlie, Holly, Gwen, Richard, Debra, Alicia, Neyla, Jade…I miss you my friends, and I promise to catch up on your news soon.
Dearest Mirella,
You must be feeling very strange and far away from everything you know. It must be hard when Jim goes off to work and you see the day stretching ahead of you.
But I promise you this; each day will bring you a small gift, a new experience, a new friend. You won’t know where it is coming from, sometimes the most unexpected place. So all you have to do is show up, as they say. Here is a tip for the shower that may work – let the water run for a bit first. Take care of yourself, I am thinking of you a lot in your new home.xxx
Kerry, thank you for your wise word, I can use some of your knowledge about Africa:) thank you my friend! and thanks for reading my blog.
I am sure tomorrow will have a gift for me:)
for now I am happy with the gift of friendship I am experiencing on this blog.
Thank you Kerry!!
Mirella
P.S.: I jusst ry your tip about running the water and it worked!!! youpieeeee!
I have just written a message to you on facebook not knowing that you had already started to write about your Sudanese experience. It is really interesting for me to learn about life in that unknown country. I see that sand and hot water are all around you and the good news is that you won’t have to pay for water heating, haha. Hugs.
Yeh I saw your message on Facebook Birthday girl!!!
you made laugh about not paying the bill of a hot water LOL LOL this is something positive I have to think about!!! LOL It is going to be a warm warm winter LOL…
Enjoy your birthday Alicia and good to hear from you my dear friend!
Mirella
Wow, good to hear from you. I bet you get thru this transition period in Africa and you learn to love it. Have a wonderful adventure, stay away from fire ants and the sun! Is that possible?
Rich, I needed a laugh today so I went on your blog LOL LOL.
Thank you for being a friend!
Mirella
Fire Ant suckkkkkkkkkkk but I am staying away from them! thanks:)
Gosh, welcome back to the blogs … I had wondered where you were!
Hey Cindy, so good to hear from you!!! I am back!!!!
Thanks!!!!
Mirella
Mirella: Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s hard enough to move somewhere new, let alone someplace so different from what you’re used to. If anyone can approach it with a sense of adventure, you can.
I hope it will get better as you learn the tricks and find unexpected friends and gems. I look forward to learning alongside you. Know that your friends are here online waiting anxiously to hear more and provide support when you need it. =) xoxoxo
Gwen thank you for your sweet words and your support!
You know Gwen during this process I thought a lot about you! I know moving between States within the US is easier, but I can feel with you, and the obstacles you had to go through to ensure that your family will have a home wherever you all go. Your family is lucky to have you!
When I am homesick I go to your website and check on your daily life. Your tweets also very entertaining Gwen and I read them all!
XOXOXO
Hi my sweet friend,
I have a feeling there is something changed in the way you write…and maybe in you. I can’t pinpoint it but the style is diferent, sentences flow smoothly, words are heavy with meaning…I adored it. For me, it was the best I’ve read of you! So maybe this experience will allow you to search deeper, move slower… Not so bad after all!Keep writing, when you feel it, as you feel it. I will always be there to read you and think of you. Love and hugs
Nayoulllll, What a nice compliment! I think my words came from a wounded heart LOL LOL
Comme a dit Ibn Elmoukafah: Ijrah El Kalba ….
lol lol
Thanks Nayoul!!! it means a lot to me what you said,
and I am glad you enjoyed.
Kisses and love to you too!
Mirella
Don’t get me wrong, I know this must be extremely tough on you. I was (and still am) worried about you. But your words, style came out perfect. I could almost breathe the dust, hear the silence, the stillness…I was sitting there with you. And this my friend is not an easy task to convey in writing. Je t’embrasse et pense a toi tres fort.
Thanks Nayoul, je pense a toi aussi! J’espere te voir bientot si on va au Liban.
Bisous
Mirella
I am so glad you are back!!! I have missed you. I’m glad the markets are OK. I don’t think I could manage in that heat, I don’t do well in hot weather. I hope you will be able to cope. Don’t forget, Italy is not far from Africa. I will be back in Bagni di Lucca in February. You can always come for a visit.
Thanks Debra, you are so sweet. I hope to be able to visit you one day but I don’t see it happening soon:)
:)
Thank you for stopping by Debra, I have to catch up on your beautiful blog and let me self go with its Dolce Vita!
Thanks
Mirella
Mirella – I hope it gets better for you and Jim – I think about you guys all the time.
Love You
Jennifer!!! What a nice surprise hearing from you!!!
Thank you sweetie, Jim and I miss you so much!
We wish we were in your backyard, right now, chatting and laughing!
Love you too!
Cannot wait to be back….
Mirella
Boiling water from both hot AND cold?! Ugh. The way you wrote about your day I could picture it almost like I was there, complete with even feeling gritty from all the gold dust. Are you taking pictures? I would like to see what the trees and the road and the fruits and the sky all look like. Did people stare when you didn’t have your hair covered? Is it easy to communicate when you’re buying something? Do mostly women visit the market or a mix? I’m so curious about everything! Thank you for sharing your story! I too noticed the shift Nayla mentioned, your words are poetic and very fluid. Reading them felt like swimming in a warm soothing stream. Miss you, Baby girl! Say hello to your sweetie for me.
Holly I am loosing it, not only man stare but women stare too! and this is even when I am all covered with no skin showing except my face…
You cannot take pictures unless you have a permission, an official government permission.
THank you for saying nice things about my writing.
I miss you so much!
I am glad we had the wonderful lunch in DC before I left, I can still taste the Tapas in my mouth:)
Love you Holly. (JIm send you love)
Mirella
Oh..now the adventure truly begins my friend…I have missed you and I’m looking forward to hearing about all your experiences there. I keep watching LinkTv which is the only place I can get news about what is going on there…take care my dear friend.
I missed you too Charlie, I think of you a lot and about your trip to Morocco, it is a very similar experience here…. you can understand what I am talking about.
Things are very tensed on the political scene, they have historic moments going on right now. In January the South will have independence from the North and the country will be divided. Some people want it and some people are resisting it. Will see!
I will try to write as much as I can (allowed) and will stay in touch.
Love
Mirella
Ah, so you are in the Sudan and there is a shift in your energy and your writing. This is why, maybe?.
I will visit here often to follow. I will do some research on the Sudan.
Blessings and thanks for stopping by my place.
Thanks Jamie