Wednesday, January 13, 2010

First Sudanese LGBT Oganization

http://freedomsudan.webs.com/apps/photos/

About Freedom Sudan:-

Freedom Sudan is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organization in Sudan. Our organization has been formed in December 2006. Our status is illegal. Homosexual behavior is illegal in Sudan and homosexuals facing the death penalty. That's why our organization was formed in secret and all our activities are carried out secretly, hoping that one day we will get accepted in our communities and even in our families, and hope that we can be FREE to be the way we are. Freedom Sudan is an organization run by volunteers only.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sudan Elections

Want to read party profiles and know  more about the elections in Sudan? Interested in reading about the Debated issues?

Follow the elections @ http://www.electionnaire.org/index2.php?q=4&a=-1

Thanks to the Peace Research Institute @ the University of Khartoum (U of K) , Media in Cooperation and  FES sudan, you have a unique website with a lot of resources. 

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The art of job-hunting


Wholeheartedly Sudaniya is a graduate! 
After 3.5 years of writing papers, pretending to study, taking notes, interning, volunteering and attending lectures given by Jimmy Carter, the Queen of Swaziland (no I don't mean Switzerland) and Jerry Leach (he is such a sweetheart!), she is done. No more papers and waking up at 5 in the morning to register for classes and no more student discounts (I just realized how useful being a student is a month ago when I finally decided to get fit and join the gym!). 
After a summer of pretending to be working and doing important things...wait:- why do people ask you about your plans a week after you graduate? are you expected to get a job the day you graduate?
I wanted to chill the whole summer,but I did end up working as a research assistant twice and doing some volunteering ( I was a lazy volunteer!) , but I did think about getting an actual full-time job. Not the 9-5 crap because once you start doing it, you are sucked in. You are in it "till death do you part".

Finally, after Ramadan...
I started job-hunting.  I looked at the usual :- relief-web, alert-net, Irin news etc... Anything to do with communications in an NGO or other humanitarian vacancies. Then I had to write cover letters, now this is the difficult part, I hate writing cover letters...why? I lack the qualifications to "bull-shit". I can't convince you of something to save my life....

So after a number of cover letters..... I got lucky. 

 I never got any full-time job, but I did get lucky. A freelance opportunity here, an editing stint there, I managed to keep myself busy and satisifed. The hard part is when people ask me what I do. I mean, come on, working from home or in your pj's is not considered "real work" in the minds of older people ( the emphasis is mine!). I'm expected to find something proper, wear trousers , a shirt and carry a formal (black or brown) bag , wake up at 7:30, drink my cup of coffee and rush out the door. 

For now, I'm gonna continue doing random things, sleeping in and reading my favorite magazines and books.

Maybe I will get a "normal" job someday, but for now, I feel very blessed:)


Monday, October 26, 2009

Pretty in Uggs!:)


Who said you need to live in a cold country where it snows a lot to wear uggs:)
It was in  the cold( warm compared to other countries) winter of 2006 in Cairo that I was first introduced to the wonderful Ugg boots  by my best friend Sarah. We used to work with refugee children an hour away from where we lived, waking up at 7 o'clock in the  coldest winter ever was not my favorite experience!
 
Sarah is so in-love with the Chest-nut Uggs (see picture)

For a great ugg-boot brand, check out Ugg boots. They offer very warm and comfortable ugg boots at great prices!
PS:- If you decide to buy whooga ugg boots, mention my blog and get a $20 discount!:)

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Poetry

I'm loving Kenyan poet and artist, Shailja Patel.

Check her out @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8bxP2AP5xQ&feature=player_embedded#at=177

Monday, September 7, 2009

Since when is wearing trousers against the law?

Most of you don't know me in person, but anyways, I love Jeans...a lot. I wear jeans all the time, everywhere, even in Sudan. So when Lubna and a bunch of other women were arrested for wearing pants, I was shocked.
This is how I see it, Lubna is a journalist (so she is targeted by the government) and not only that, she writes a controversial column and being the brave woman she is, she is not afraid to write about anything an anyone. So the whole thing was probably targeted at her.

she was arrested with other women at a cafe in Khartoum for "indecent dress" (sounds vague?). This doesn't really happen in Sudan, you just don't get arrested for wearing pants!
A Sudanese official said she was actually arrested for smoking shisha. Again, you don't get arrested for smoking shisha.
So why was Lubna arrested?

Someone is not telling us the truth.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Amnesty International and Domestic Violence

preview_600_424.jpg

Amnesty International doesn't only expose atrocities worldwide, they also have a new unique interactive billboard. Looking at it, you see a happy couple, when you look away, the image changes to one of domestic violence. 

This is what happens all over the world, domestic violence happens behind closed doors, we don't see it. so we don't always acknowledge it's existence.


Great job Amnesty International.