مع السلامة السودان بلدي الآخر .. رسالة وداع من مدير العلاقات العامة بالسفارة الأمريكية رونالد هوكينز

\Farewell Sudan, my other home
مع السلامة السودان، بلدي الآخر

رسالة وداع من مدير العلاقات العامة بالسفارة رونالد هوكينز

For those whom I have not met, my name is Ron Hawkins and I am the Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Khartoum. I took up my posting in August 2012. Sadly, the time has come for me to say farewell to Sudan. I have spent the past two years getting to know the people of this country. My first impression shall also be my last that the people of Sudan are among the friendliest and most hospitable people in the world. I have visited your schools, your Mosques, your Churches, as well as your homes. In every town, in every place, I was welcomed not as a visitor or a guest, but as a friend. I learned a lot about the history and culture of Sudan, but I could have read about that in a book as well. It was by being here for two years, I learned about the beautiful people of Sudan, their warmth, their humor, and their desire for a better tomorrow.

We share that same hope that together we can make this a better world for ourselves and for generations to come. As I said to Sheik Kabashi, when I attempted to reciprocate in my home for his wonderful roadside Iftar, I truly get a sense of community here in Sudan and the desire to build on that community. I believe the people of the United States and Sudan can work together to build what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the “beloved community.”

And so I say goodbye to Sudan, a place that has provided me with two years of unbelievable memories, incredible experiences, and lasting friendships. It is a place to which it is difficult to say goodbye and will be impossible to forget.