Otherwise known as ...

After hearing a number of postal horror stories from people during this last year in Italy, I had been quite preoccupied over the fate of my own passport after sending it off to London to have my Sudanese visa processed.

So, you can imagine the huge wave of relief I felt when I heard the buzzer ring late this afternoon. There, sure enough, was a rather harried looking courier asking me to sign. “Kate McIntosh?” He asked three times, while becoming increasingly impatient while I ducked inside to press the buzzer and open the gate. 

Inside the parcel I found my passport, a photocopied map of Khartoum and Sudan, as well as an introduction DVD. 

I flicked open my passport to find a rather simple pale green visa inside. It was mainly handwritten, with some official Arabic stamps and lettering. 

My Sudanese visa

I was slightly in awe at first. I never imagined I’d have a Sudanese visa in my passport after all. Looking at it I also started to feel the nervous flip-flop of butterflies in my stomach, which actually seemed more like elephants than butterflies. 

Having the visa inside my passport gave a sort of finality to my decision, as well as the sense that there was really no backing out now.

After inspecting the visa more closely, however, I noticed my handwritten name had been misspelt and instead read “Kate McInlash”. Well, I don’t suppose it will make a difference in the end and it certainly brought some levity to the situation...

Getting organised

My time in the countryside has come to an end and I've arrived back in Rome again. After rolling green hills and vineyards, the noise and rush of the city is still a bit of a shock. Getting up early and doing what needs to be done in a beautiful place – whether it be picking veggies, cleaning cobwebs, replanting carrot seedlings – gives you a sense of purpose…even if the task isn't particularly interesting or challenging.

Often I would get lost in my thoughts as I went about my different chores, analysing different scenarios while enjoying the sun on my back.

Being back in Rome again I felt a certain sense of aimlessness, but I'm also aware that if I'm going to take up the opportunity in Sudan I need to get myself organised.

I've written a ‘to do’ list – a habit I have acquired from my inspiringly organised Dutch friend Irene and which I find helps me focus on what really needs to be done. The only problem is I continue to add to it and I'm starting to feel like I'll never get to the end of it before I leave. 

There's certainly no shortage of things that need doing: a medical check, vaccinations, police check, some more conservative wardrobe additions. Also on the list is a bit of background research on Sudanese history and culture, as well as sourcing some English coursebooks and materials. 

But first up I decided to take the plunge and send my passport of London so my Sudanese visa can be processed.  Momentarily at least I have become more preoccupied with the task of sending my passport to another country rather than any of the doubts and questions that continue to swirl around inside my head about the logics of my decision to move to Sudan. 

While courier delivery is obviously the more secure option, after astronomical quotes of 50 euro-plus, I decided to risk it and send it with Poste Italiane. Now anyone in Italy knows the postal system here is not the most reliable, but money is tight and I didn’t really have a choice. 

I spent a fruitless 40mins waiting in line and another 10 more or so filling out useless forms at the local post office only to be told by a woman with a rather distracting hook nose that there was no envelopes left ...  because why on earth would a post office have ENVELOPES!! Her colleague soon joined the rather disjointed conversation and eventually I was told that sending my passport was not possible: end of story

I wandered out slightly dazed and annoyed with my wasted morning, when I spotted a small UPS agent across the street. In the end it was all so simple. I paid a 33 euro fee, filled out the address details and the efficient woman behind the counter sealed the envelope with a flourish and told me it would reach London the following day. This remains to be seen, of course.