”Ya khawaja! I don’t like my coffee to get cold!” It is the third two-day workshop we are conducting in a week, 20 Sudanese around me are more interested in their coffee than in me finishing my sentence. I must admit, after a quite intense week with language difficulties, pedagogical challenges and different cultural codes, I am about to get very frustrated. Even though I know it’s not necessarily rude to interrupt or to address someone as “white person” instead of saying their name, it still gets to me. It might be the knowing, but not accepting, which is frustrating to me. I leave the room; I need to be alone for some minutes. After a short time the man who doesn’t like cold coffee, comes out to check on me. He is terribly sorry, apologizes countless times. He asks me to drink coffee with him, and we are friends again.
The next day, the volunteers have brought homemade breakfast to the workshop, instead of the boring ful (horse beans) they complained about the day before. We now know when they like to have their tea, and the coffee is served hot. We explain everything more carefully, give them more time to discuss in groups and make plans for the following months. It is amazing to see how much difference this makes, both for them and for me. For the first time in a week, the volunteers are not impatiently waiting to go home at 3 p.m. They stay with us for a while, recite poems, exchange phone numbers and invite us for coffee at their place. It seems like we finally got the food and tea code in this country; hot food and drinks served at the right time. It is not only the content of the workshop that is important.
(In english because of the language of your blog ;)
SvarSlettHi again, Anniken.
I am impressed with the strong efforts and the job you two are doing. And if I may share some of my own experience in this last blog; Khawaya is an annoying term. It is hard to not think of it as excluding or categorizing one in a unfair and homogenuos group (White). But they really do not mean an insult as you said and with a kind, but firm, tone you can ask them to call you by your name and they will respect your wish.
I recognize the faces of many of the volunteers in your workshops. Can you greet them from me and Anine? :)
Espescially Mahmoud, the volunteer coordinator. Tell him I still think of the good times we shared, frequently.
Thank you.
I give you and Ingvild an inspirational delegate hug and wish you guys the best of luck.
Thomas
Hi Thomas! Thank you:)
SvarSlettIt is very inspiring when the volunteers are interested, and we feel that we have found something important to work with. As for the "khawaja", I keep telling myself that it's just a statement, not a jugdement. It's just something we're not used to from home at all.
Of course we'll say hi to the vol's from you, they speak about you all the time :)