Hi - this is Al & Sara's blog!
We are 2 VSO volunteers working in Assosa, Beneshangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia for 2 years from Feb 2008 to 2010.
Don't try to find us on the map, 'cos we don't appear. We are proud to announce a grand total of 0 entries in the Lonely Planet - Ethiopia & Eritrea and um, 0 entries in the Bradt guide. In fact as an "emerging region" within Ethiopia our area is pretty anonymous both internally and (clearly) internationally. With the mud strip airport being relaid with tarmac we had a 2 day 4x4 journey here from Addis. That said, Assosa is a regional capital, has a p... full info
Pining for the cheese counter Oh dear! Yes, I remember only too well my yearnings for cheese in South America.
In the end, I caved in and started to eat the local stuff in the markets, but (i) no matter how hard I tried to persuade myself, it wasn't really a substitute for a lovely bit of Brie; and (ii) I was always a teency weency little bit worried about whether my stomach would be up to the local bacteria (but I survived!)
Just off to open the first beer of the bank holiday weekend :-)
Thanks for your blog from a soon to be Ethiopia VSO Hi there,
I stumbled across your blog by chance and it's great preparation for me. I leave London in a month for Addis where I'll be working as a Fundraising Advisor for local HIV/AIDS NGO.. your blog has really brought it all to life, so thanks.
Maybe I'll get to meet you both at some point.
Thanks again
Kirsten
Al and Sara
Al Mercer & Sara Hassen
Mutah Paneer
Al wants to know if you had Mutah Panner, because he's interested in the peas, and I'm interested in the cheese?