The pace is (not yet) taxing. My flatmates seem to spend half their time sitting around reading books; I might even indulge in some myself once I have displaced everything else. I suspect as is often the case the first week, month and quarter will all seem to pass equally quickly, so I am not making too many plans. I learnt my lesson earlier in the year when I worked my socks off on a paradise island and ended up being too tired to unwind.

There is a certain familiarity waking in a hot country, the ceiling fan whirring, dust in the breeze, and noises from the street. Everything is fine so far, looks promising, obviously I will have to work soon and earn my living but until then I can have fun making my new home. Temperatures range from 25 at night to 41 in the day so showering morning and night has become routine.

I have brightened my room with some pop posters. www.nancyajram.com. One of my friends thinks she looks like a doll, but hey, the choice here is pretty limited. Apparently she won Lebanon's Pop Idol and the locals here think she is marvellous.

The "ful" (brown beans sprinkled with cheese) served in the local "souq" (market), is truly delicious.

I think I have now met most of the other volunteer teachers. Six of us went out the other evening (with some former volunteer teachers) for an Ethiopian meal; quite a pleasant change.

The other foreigners living in Khartoum are mostly the sort that drive around in white Land Cruisers. I have only chatted with one so far. He works from 8am till 7pm in an air-conditioned office. He walks twice a day between the car and the office and tells me that the heat is really not that bad. He is not allowed to go on buses.

I have not yet been along to hob-nob at the Embassy. I rang the Ambassador's PA who told me that the "Pickwick Club" is limited to 15 guests and that this Thursday's "get together" was full as she had just added her three mates to the list. She offered to consider me for a future date if I told her where I got her phone number. Essex girls, they must be the same the world over?

I joined the library at the British Council and borrowed a recent biography of a really obscure singer-songwriter about whom I once did a radio documentary 25 years ago. I also offered to help with the European film festival in December but it seems that the British tax payer already has someone doing this; still I was promised an invitation to the opening night as a consolation.

I have not been inspired to run yet. I reckon my best chance is 6-7am but I still need an attractive route (along the Nile would be good) and a sleep dividend. The problem with hot days is it is so pleasant to stay up into the night when the temperatures are more agreeable.

I walked through Omdurman Souq the other morning for a few hours with flatmate Eleanor and we did not see any other khawajas, it is easy to feel immersed in another culture. That said we can get Pringles at the corner shop and broadband internet is available on every street so globalisation and technological advances reduce the differences and the hardships.