The following are a few traits that are true about most
people who come to volunteer in Sudan:
- Has a genuine interest in travel or learning about different cultures than their own
- College educated
- Doesn’t know exactly what’s next for them in life
- Has volunteered in the developing world before
- Doesn’t speak Arabic
- Did not wake up one morning and have some sort of epiphany about saving the world
- Owns a copy of the Bradt Sudan Travel Guide
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| Sunset over Hamed al Neel Omdurman |
Declaimer: These are loose caricature profile descriptions,
in real life many of my fellow volunteers have characteristics from several of
these categories and perhaps some don’t fit into any of these categories, despite my catchy title. Even
I don’t fit into all the statements above, this is my first time volunteering, and
just because I’m able to give an outline of “who” volunteers, it is much harder
to encompass “why” people volunteer. People’s motives are personal and in many
cases too complex to fit into a nice short categorized description.
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| Building on Tuti Island |
The 7 types of people who volunteer in Sudan are as follows:
The Arabic Student
The Arabic student arrived to Sudan with two suitcases. One
with clothes and supplies and one with books. The Arabic student declines invitations to
hang out at a pizza place with fellow ex-pat colleagues opting for meeting
local friends for their cousin’s wedding (the 4th wedding they’ve
been to this week). They throw Arabic phrases in all their conversations even
those with their kawaja (white) friends. The Arabic student even buys a
jalabiya (local dress for men) or rocks henna on their hands (local tradition
for women) and doesn’t shy from talking to people in the street.
The World Traveler
The world traveler is deeply interested in gaining a new
cultural experience. The World Traveler has been a passport holder for as long
as they can remember. They’ve camped in the desert, meditated with monks, and became
a tour guide in Cairo. This isn’t their first time at the rodeo of working in a
“developing country.” They are
interested doing the “touristy” stuff in Sudan to check items off their bucket
list, and also meeting and enjoying the company of the Sudanese people. The
world traveler can cook cuisine from many countries thru some creative
improvisation with local ingredients and gives great small gifts from their
past travels. The world traveler has great advice.
The Long-term Volunteer
The long-term volunteer is a quirky but awesome individual. One day he/she found an ad in a newspaper calling for volunteer teachers in Sudan and the rest is history. They can’t
help themselves but keep coming back with a month trip home every couple of
years. Even though they have lived here the longest they aren’t self-centered or
conceited in the least bit. They are always willing to share advice, jokes, and
stories. They maneuver otherwise sticky situations gracefully with a huge
smile, decent Arabic, and a spring in their step.
The Recent College Grad
The recent college grad is looking for a break, trying to
push off the “real world” or seeking unemployment by choosing to come to Sudan
for a “meaningful” gap year. The recent college grad probably studied
international affairs, history, or anthropology. In school they specialized in terrorism, women
and forced migration, or peace studies. They would like to find work in their
government’s Foreign Service, international development, or apply to a graduate
program in conflict resolution. The recent college grad expected they’d be
living in a hut but is cool with the modern conveniences of Khartoum.
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a white man who came to Sudan because he is
lost. He talks about his plans to start a business, he is destined to be a
social entrepreneur, but never will because then he’d have to grow up. He
thinks it’s such a shame that Sudan has let itself go since the British left. Peter
Pan complains about how frustrating the Sudanese culture of being late, laid
back, and unorganized is but ends up acting this way as well. Peter Pan is a
charmer. He fancies himself a number of things. He works the system. He’d rather “live like a king” in Sudan. Peter
Pan doesn’t want to settle down in one place just yet and probably will stay in
Sudan until he secures his next gig in Thailand or Argentina.
The Ex-Corporate Lawyer
The ex-corporate lawyer is a nonsense risk taker who
decisively knew they had to make a change in their life and quit their fancy
high-paying job at a law firm. The
ex-corporate lawyer is head strong and unafraid of new experiences. They went
back to school and decided they wanted a job with more meaning in life. They
are the “mom” or “dad” of the group planning socializing time, encouraging
volunteers step out of their comfort zones, and making sure everyone is
healthy. The ex-corporate lawyer has a strong moral compass and is assertive in
stating their opinions. . They throw themselves into their teaching job like
they would any work they had done back home,
and plan lessons extensively which can be frustrating when as happens
people are late, buses take wrong turns, and classes are cancelled but their
enthusiasm ensures that they make great Sudanese friends.
The Religious Person
I don’t know much about the religious person because up to
now in my short experience I have yet to meet someone who fits this profile. I
do think its worth mentioning the religious person due to the numerous stories
and instances of this character I’ve heard about. It seems as if the religious
person is usually female, very sweet, and means well, but at times finds
themselves isolated or at tension with life as a volunteer teacher in a predominately
Muslim society and with the comparatively less-religious volunteers.
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| Khartoum Botanical Gardens |
