3 Lessons learned from trip to Sudan

About two summers ago, my family and I made the decision of embarking on a journey back to our home country, Sudan. It's been almost a decade since we've last walked the streets of Khartoum. As you can imagine, a lot has changed ; like the secession of South Sudan from Sudan. Sudan, once being the largest country in Africa now split in half. We've been warned of the arms war and constant rioting and boycotting but we decided to continue with our trip. A decade is just too long for one to be away from their family and friends, we couldn't wait any longer. During our 3 month visit I've re-discovered many treasuries and tragedies, but more good than bad.

1. The whole country isn't in a "War Zone"

Before arriving to Sudan, I was somewhat expecting the unexpected. The media often gives stories about horrendous things happening in Sudan like wars and genocide. While this might be happening in some parts of Sudan, the majority parts of Sudan are peaceful and war zone free.

2. Food is Everything

If you are planning to visit Sudan anytime soon, be prepared to EAT! Sudanese love to work really hard and then be rewarded with a tasty, flavorful meal usually enjoyed in the company of others. Sudanese stick to traditional cultural foods passed down from generation to generation. Your basic Sudanese foods will include Aseda, which is a cooked dough like consistency made out of water, flour and salt. This is usually eaten with a grounded beef stew made out of yogurt or regular tomato salsa. Nothing says Sudanese more than Aseda.

3. Skin bleaching is a huge problem

It is no secret that Sudanese admire a person with a lighter skin complexion, it automatically puts you in a higher bench in society. This has lead to a increase of people, majority of which being women bleaching their skin to fit expectations of beauty. It has got to stop. There are many dangers that come with skin bleaching overtime. The only one who is benefiting from this epidemic are these skin bleaching companies who have found a huge market in Sudan, appealing to insecure women.