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Blogs from Somali Region, Ethiopia, Africa
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March 27th 2012
The alarms were set for 4 a.m. to get the bus from Addis Ababa to Jijiga and we were in a taxi at 4.30 a.m., with our bus leaving at 5.30 a.m. This Selam Bus was the first proper coach I had taken in Ethiopia and was as good as the ones in Sudan. The road was also fairly good all along the way, which made reading possible and we even had a break for lunch. The scenery on the stretch from Harar to Jijiga was incredible, with lots of strange rock formations. This seemed to be a pretty poverty stricken area with a lot of people living in tents by the side of the road. It was about 5 p.m. when we pulled into Jijiga. We got a tuk-tuk to bring us to a hotel ... read more
January 29th 2012
An opportunity to make a business trip to the 2nd most populous nation in Africa was a bless for me. The trip to Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia took abt 10hours from Kuala Lumpur with stop over in Dubai. Arriving Addis, we were welcomed with friends whom had been waiting us outside terminal building since afternoon. The temperature was comfortable ranging between 19-24 C. Located at 2300m above sea level, Addis enjoying cooL weather all year round and because of the high altitude, I had short breath almost at all times? Probably due to lack of oxygen :) Ethiopia is also known as one of the oldest sites of human existence,and the site is well acknowledged by Muslim world as one of places which has close relation to expansion of islam througout the world. Habsyah, ... read more
January 28th 2011
11:51 This morning we got up and dressed and helped out in the refugee camp. I helped…well played with some of the children in the camp, There were some adults but mostly children that only had a few days left. It was heartbreaking watching those mothers watch their children slowly get weaker and weaker, skinnier and skinnier and ever so far away from survival. Most people were from Somalia who had travelled up here across the border to find help. This afternoon, we (Me and the family) are going to look after and feed the crops because yesterday the few cattle left died, leaving us with only the crops as food. They still aren’t ready from when we last checked them but we are very hungry so we might pick them anyway and cook them for ... read more
January 27th 2011
18:02 I woke to the smell of baking porridge. I got up and found the family sitting round a small table eating. I took my bowl and carefully started eating, making it last, knowing it would probably be the only thing I eat for another 3 days. The family were bursting for joy when I exposed my 12 big bottles of clean water. We soon had a big queue outside the house waiting for some water. It cleaned me out but I knew they needed it more than me and that I could have lots to drink at home and at my next stop. The family’s joy of the clean water was soon taken over when we went to milk the last group of cows and found them all dead on the floor. I was astounded ... read more
January 26th 2011
15:41 I was sickened by the sight of how desperate these people are. Some were so skinny that you could have mistaken them for a skeleton…it was appalling. Suddenly I was angry and I didn’t understand why people didn’t take it seriously and why Countries, other than the U.K aren’t giving as much they can. I tried to help them but I’m no medical advisor. They really need help. They live in tatty, graffiti covered, old, mouldy and worn out houses. On their last legs they try and survive but millions are dying every day. Only 1 in 8 people have access to safe clean water. The population in Somalia has gone down as many are traveling to Dolo to try and get into the refugee camp but they can only take care of so many ... read more
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January 25th 2011
7:14 The journey, Addis Ababa – Dolo, took us 20hrs with a great driver (I didn’t know but in Ethiopia you get your own personal drivers because the roads are so rough and rocky) for some other trucks it took 4 days but for us only 20 hours. Some of the things we saw on the journey were indescribable. They were so exceedingly eye-catching and amazing. There were unique plants, exotic trees, scary animals, peculiar people and wonderful sights. We were driving through the night and halfway at a stop point the driver swapped jobs with another driver so he wouldn’t fall asleep…well that’s what I heard anyway because I was asleep most of the journey! This afternoon I am going out for a walk and meeting a local family that I am staying with during ... read more
November 10th 2008
Since my first cell phone was stolen, I have purchased the same mobile phone again. I am a big supporter of Nokia and perhaps I will invest in their stock when I return to the USA. Of course, I suspect most of the phones in Jijiga are smuggled from other countries—primarily Arab countries and I suspect Nokia doesn’t see any of the profits. I say Arab countries because my phone has the numbers in Arabic below the regular numbers. I loved having my first phone for the 2 days that I had it. It made me so happy to be able to call people and text them. I really enjoyed it and after 2 months without a phone -- pretending to feel blissful for not having the expense or the responsibility, I was suddenly thrilled to ... read more
November 10th 2008
Bojana and Radek were scheduled to leave August 26th and we decided to have a leaving party for them at our house. We planned a get together at 8pm on a Friday so that we wouldn’t have to provide dinner. We had gotten all the beer, soda, food, etc prepared…we had samosas, carrots, bread, chips (French fries), bombolinos, and some potato chips. People were satisfied even though I am sure they would have liked a real meal. Everything was set up and the music was playing when the electricity went out. The whole town…the electric company decided to ration the electricity from 7-10 pm that Friday night after weeks without any blackouts. UGH! We continued to party and we were happy to see people still came. We got the candles out and we pointed the ... read more
October 16th 2008
After two months in the field, I was almost to the point of burnout and I was really, really, really looking forward to my R&R (rest and relaxation). Kavita, Vitalina and I were all scheduled for R&R at the same time due to the way our contract extensions worked out. So, we decided to hire a car to take us to Addis. We couldn’t wait for the plane as Kavita had a flight on Friday to England and Vitalina’s husband arrived in Addis Thursday evening. We also wanted to travel together to share costs. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into…the guide books tell you the trip by local bus is 2 days. So, we estimated anywhere between 8-10 hours in the car to Addis. It was 14 hours! First we had to ... read more
September 22nd 2008
In the beginning of August, we decided to get a cat to help us get rid of the rats. We had not seen any rats in our kitchen but we had seen the droppings --in our silverware drawer and various cupboards. So on the 13th of August, while we were in Kebribeyah, Mary Kate and I were discussing the need for a cat with our colleagues. At the end of our meal, we were given a small, orange kitten and then the woman at the restaurant we ate lunch at gave us another black and white kitten to keep the orange one company. They were kind-of sickly kittens, sneezing a lot and the black and white’s eye was oozing some pus. I wasn’t sure if they would live but we put them in the UNHCR bus ... read more
