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Oromia Region Travel Blogs

Background: Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule, with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974 a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender sensitive territory.

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By Alex and Sarah
February 23rd 2009

Zanzibar to Addis Ababa via Nairobi Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region » Moyale

Our View of the Nakumatt Fire

Firstly, apologies for the rather poor ratio of pictures to words in this entry, but this leg of the journey has been spent either on the road or in large African cities, which from our experience are neither the most photogenic places nor the safest to carry cameras round. In any case this can hopefully make up for any jealously that our photos of Zanzibar may have caused! It was high time we started heading in the right direction and north towards Ethiopia. The first leg of this journey was a return trip to Nairobi, via the same means that we [View Full Entry]

By Tizmo
January 5th 2009

If I wasn’t married to the streets, it would be my second blog Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

So, as many of you know, my first entry did not make a successful appearance on my original blog (I can’t even type in the address because the Ethiopian government blocked it in every form). But the internets being as they are, I located a different site that serves the same purpose. Hooray for internet! Hooray for blogs! Here is my first entry that I typed on my computer after the first week, as well as successive entries. [View Full Entry]

By JohnnyLamoney
January 3rd 2009

January 3 Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

We finished our 4th week today. I just want to say that everyone in the Peace Corps gets the same mood swings I was getting. No worries. Next week is going to be a big one for all of us. On Tuesday we have our Language Proficiency Tests, and on Saturday, we will recieve our locations. It is kind of ridiculous about how secretive they are being about our sites. We had a slew of speakers come in this week and explain about their organizations and projects. The only one that spoke about any type of Income Generating Activities was from [View Full Entry]

By JohnnyLamoney
December 30th 2008

36 hours till I don't celebrate New Years... Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

Today was the first day since my last post that both the phone lines and the power were working at the same time. Ethiopia has made me realize how much I hate Dial-up. So all of the Volunteers brought gifts for a Dirty Santa game. The limit was 10 Birr or 1 dollar. I bought a chinese power converter that only works in China(it's useless here) and a DVD of The Cowboy Way, a horrible movie with Kiefer S. and Woody Harrelson. All in all a pretty terrible gift, I would say. Of the 40 volunteers, I drew number 33 and [View Full Entry]

By JohnnyLamoney
December 25th 2008

Christmas!!! Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

Sorry everyone I spent all my money on some local beer and haven't been able to afford the internet. The Peace Corps Staff took all of us to a place called Lake Wenchi today. It was so beautiful. It is a giant crater lake. I would say about a kilometer across. The best part was the hour and half walk down the mountain side to the lake. I can't wait to be able to load some pictures on here for all of you to see. It has been a weird day though. We have been singing Christmas Carols all day but [View Full Entry]

By JohnnyLamoney
December 15th 2008

107 weeks left... Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

I felt really bad for my host father yesterday. He took me and my neighbor(who is also a Peace Corps Volunteer) to a local park and waterfall. It really was amazing just being able to sit and relax, and tune out everything that is on my mind right then and soak up the scenery. Anyways, the trip almost broke my host father's wallet. First off, the bus ride was 2 birr for locals, 5 for foreigns. Next the park entrance fee was 2 birr for locals, 10 for foreigns and an additional 10 to bring in a camera. Then the ride [View Full Entry]

By JohnnyLamoney
December 13th 2008

First Week Completed Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

Well it is 2pm on Saturday. We got out early today because we were tested today. I did pretty good. The language is actually really fun. It is all formula like spanish so there are rules to follow in every situation. Amharic is like a giant puzzle. I have a 45 minute walk down the main road so today I left an hour early so I could play soccer with some of the kids in town. Everyone is super friendly and if you didn't want to, you wouldn't ever have to lift a finger. Some of the other Peace Corps members [View Full Entry]

By JohnnyLamoney
December 11th 2008

Two Entries in Two Days Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

Hello Everyone, I am trying to remember what I have told you and what I haven't. Oh, so the group I am with is 40 volunteers. They are pretty much split down the middle as far as gender. They are from all over the US. There is one guy from Franklin, TN, so that is pretty neat. After this we will be dispersed throughout the country. AHHH! Let's talk about culture. Ethiopia is a very conservative country but this does not limit its beauty. The colors are just as vibrant as anywhere else in Africa. In my house, I have 5 [View Full Entry]

By Kim309
November 29th 2008

Escaping Addis Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

View from Menagesha Forest

One of the many nice things about living in Addis Ababa is how easy it is to get out to the surrounding countryside, which is especially easy when invited to go camping for the weekend by someone with access to a car. Two hours after leaving home, having circumnavigated Addis on the ring road and driven out through Sebeta, we were driving up a rough track into Menagesha Forest. The first bit of the forest is plantation, reminiscent of parts of Northumberland in the UK, but soon gives way to indigenous trees. We arrived at the first campsite, a stunning clearing [View Full Entry]

By Kim309
September 21st 2008

Weekend in Weliso Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region

Meskel Flowers

The sun shone, ants bit and the lone hyena, out in the daylight, skulked in undergrowth. The first stop on the Wildlife Society trip to Weliso was the ‘National Fishery and Other Aquatic Life Research Centre’ at Sebeta. Apparently the half-empty pool covered with green algae is where Emperor Haile Selassie used to come to bathe. The fishery tanks didn’t seem particularly cared for, but we did see a few Tiger Fish (at least, I was told that was what they were). This spot was probably best remembered by the group for the hyena (seen by some) and the large ants [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region