Although Sudan is one of the largest countries of the continent, it seems quite common to bump into the same people over and over again. Earlier this week it became clear that I needed to fetch my new visa from the Sudanese Embassy in The Hague. So yesterday night, I drove to the airport to start my journey back to The Netherlands. Once I had arrived at Khartoum airport, one of the rickshaw drivers who had given me a lift a few weeks ago, recognised me and started waving. I proceeded to the KLM check-in desk and while I was queuing up I immediately recognised two couples I had met on one of the Euro football evenings at the German Embassy. At the passport control I met up with one of the colleagues of my friend's husband. The greatest surprise came when I entered the plane and discovered I was seated right next to a Sudanese woman I had met in the waiting room at the Sudanese Embassy in The Netherlands two months ago (while waiting for our visa). She reacted like I was her long-lost sister and she was obviously very curious to hear more about my experiences in Sudan. Eventually she fell asleep; her head comfortably touching my shoulder. While she happily snored the time away, I concluded that (- though it's a worn-out saying) it is indeed a small world.
