Blogs from Southern Nations Region, Ethiopia, Africa - page 5

My final bus journey in Ethiopia is to be spread over two days, with just seven hours of travel on each day. Seven hours is a bearable duration, especially with the road being tarmac all the way to the Kenyan border. The bus does not depart full, with the engine housing acting as a seat for only two people. We depart at 6AM on both days and it's only one lane each way so there are numerous hold-ups while we wait to overtake slower vehicles, but these two days are arguably the most pleasant that I spend on Ethiopian transport. Since my last bus journey, I have read that the Ethiopian aversion to opening windows is because of a belief that draughts can cause infection. This would be an amusing little quirk if it didn't fly ... read more

Some vids from the traditional Hamer coming of age ceremony I went to near Lala... read more

Some photos from my time in the Omo Valley with the Dasanech and Hamer Tribes, including a Hamer 'Coming of Age' Bull-jumping ceremony up in a village in the hills near Dimeka ... read more

I am writing this on a friend's computer. A fellow volunteer, Jordan from Franklin, TN, traded his computer and hard drive for my PSP for the week. It was really nice being able to watch movies and TV. So what did I do this week? I found a really great NGO that I am going to start volunteering at. It is actually called the Forum of HIV/AIDS NGOs. They are working on a project to compile all of their members' mission statement, goals, projects, and contact information into a website. This actually works out great because they have gathered a lot of the information that I need but haven't done anything with it. I figure I will volunteer at this place for as long as our interests align. Also, this past week there was the National ... read more

OK ... I know it has only been a day or so since my last installment but I have to tell you one hilarious thing that happened to me yesterday. I was walking home after my "productive" day. I live by the bus station and was just talking with some of the guys who hassle me everyday; just passing conversation. I start to walk home down my dirt road and no sooner than I hit the road do I slip and catch myself just before my butt hits the ground. Everyone was laughing, including me, and I thought to myself what did I slip on? So I look down and see that I had slipped on a banana peel. Unbelieveable. I thought that only happened in cartoons. I laughed the whole way home. Slipping on a ... read more