Sudan and O levels

We arrived in Khartoum yesterday, most of us with almost no idea of what to expect. I personally had no idea. Its first impression is of wealth but rigidness. We drove on the better roads than we'd seen in two weeks but were stopped every hour by police to check our passports.
However the rubbish is everwhere. Plastic bag trees are by far the most common form of vegetation in this dry, flat and rather boring landscape. Another aspect that catches the eye is road kill. Heaps of decaying camel, cow and goat carcasses litter the side of the road.
The people are extraodinarily friendly though and that comes as a bit of a relief. Ethiopian people just do not hold the same amount of genuine joy to see you. You are somewhat seen as a source of material goods there.
Our first night in Sudan we camped wild just outside a town called Gedaref. We wriggled our cars through a tiny village who's people were delightful. They gave us time to set up camp in the hills beyond and then sent a small delegation to check that we were ok. Just lovely. I was also invited to play football with a couple of Arabic boys called Hassan and Salim. We had no common language except the football, but got on really well.

Four days ago I recieved my O level results from Zim. They was something that I had put to the back of my head since the 21st of November last year when my last one had finished. However in five incredibly short and tense minutes I had got through to a great friend and teacher in Zim. It was a bad line but that wasnt the only reason I had to ask for several results twice. I will try to remain modest but must confess that I was overjoyed by some of them. 4 A*s, 2A's and 2 B's. For once in my life I am not desperate to find out the individual marks for each paper, just the symbols are enough.
Max