Too Developed?

I'll begin by saying that it would be disingenuous for me to say that I actually think Sudan is too developed. I mean, we're still talking about the second least developed country I've ever been to. And I'm sure that no one here would describe their country as "developed" let alone "too developed." But I'm finding that Sudan is more developed than I would have thought and that I'm not necessarily happy about that.

This feeling arises primarily out of the number of imported products available here. As frustrated as I used to get about not being able to buy certain things in Asmara, there was something I liked about the simplicity of the lifestyle there. The dearth of imported and indeed manufactured goods really forced me to go back to basics and figure out what kinds of things are actually necessary in life and what are merely luxury. (Besides, the lack of junk food was good for my waste-line.) Sure, I arrived in Asmara with a laptop and and iPod and a few other western luxuries, but I still feel like simplified my life while I was there. But here, I can buy Ben & Jerry's ice cream!!! Not to mention pretty much any kind of soda I could want, the ever trendy energy drinks, and soy milk. And with these various imported/international products at my fingertips, I see myself living more like a westerner, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Now, I realize that pretty much anyone in Eritrea would be envious of the variety of goods available in Khartoum as opposed to Asmara and that none of them would be complaining that Sudan is "too developed." I understand that life is not easy for people in Eritrea, that it's a very poor country, and that there is a strong desire for imported goods (as evidenced by the size of the market full of items from Sudan in Tesseney). But I can't help feeling that my life there was more "real" than anything else I've experienced. And there is part of me that is disappointed to find that life in Khartoum will not be that "back to basics." Instead, the only thing that seems hard to get a hold of is alcohol (Sudan is a dry country, governed by sharia law.). And that is not the kid of simplicity I'm looking for...