THE PROBLEM IS NOT AVAILABLE

The Problem is Not Available: 364 Days in Sudan
When Anila Goldie accepted the job offer to teach in Khartoum, Sudan, she set out to overcome her fear of living in a Muslim country. She made friends with her fear through befriending the local Sudanese. Written in a conversational style, her informative, entertaining, and authentic short stories will bring inspiration as you experience the daily, exotic life of the Sudanese Muslims. You will also encounter mortar fire exploding next to her hotel, a Hadendoa medicine man saving her life, an erotic wedding dance, a Muslim family keeping vigil over her when she is terribly ill, and a feast prepared in her honor by women from a local mosque.  She combines vivid descriptions with insight, wisdom and lessons learned. A deep respect for all of humanity shines through on every page of The Problem is Not Available: 364 Days in Sudan.

364 Days in Sudan

 Anila Prineveau Goldie 

Anila Goldie, M.Ed., has degrees in cultural anthropology and education. She thrives on teaching and immersing herself in different cultures. Anila has resided in several foreign countries including Colombia, Tanzania, Sudan, and China. She lives near Seattle and enjoys public speaking, kayaking, hiking, live music, meditating, and laughing with good friends.

Ms. Goldie gives presentations about her experiences in Sudan. For a list of upcoming presentations, see Events


From the Preface

In this alphabet of up-close and personal stories you will discover an unfolding of the Sudanese people and their culture, which in many ways is exotic compared to ours and in other ways not very different at all . . . Now I invite you . . . to experience rare and authentic stories written from inside a country where not many Westerners are permitted to reside for an extended period of time and thus very few receive invitations into the homes, mosques, and hearts of the Sudanese as I did.  


From Chapter 62: The Problem is Not Available, Peace

Words are powerful. With our words we create perceptions and thus our reality.

The Sudanese use some of their words and expressions with different approaches to life than we do, and I like the results . . . Mafee mushkala is one of my favorite Sudanese expressions. This is said in situations when we, in the United States, say, “No problem.” But, here they say, “Mafee mushkala,” which means, The problem is not available. Using this sentiment it’s easy to get on with living your life productively, and not get bogged down in problems manufactured by your mind. Another way to look at this could be: don’t believe everything you are thinking. Furthermore, don’t believe what someone else is falsely thinking, and is trying to convince you to believe is true. I think this is an expression that can’t be translated exactly, but I like the end result of the translation that was given to me because shifts in perception open the mind, and opening the mind leads to creative thinking followed by the possibility of creative action.