Yes, happiness is a choice.
And I’m choosing it.
So can you.
(Photo: School children in Assosa, Ethiopia)
Storks hearing no evil, seeing no evil, speaking no evil…but of course! They are mute!
Lesson of the month: Don’t expect to perform well in a race when you actually didn’t find the time and exert effort to train. Period.
(Photo: Huge storks by the lake in Hawassa, Ethiopia)
Arabian (night) day it’s not! There are many camels (with one hump, take note) up the northern highlands of Ethiopia.
If only they are offering camel trekking! To ride a camel, wearing a flowy dress and dark sunglasses, with cocktail glass on one hand…
…ok, ok, who says I can’t dream, right?
(Photo: Camels by the roadside in Adwa, Ethiopia)
What I like in Assosa is that I wake up in the morning to the gaily chirping of birds. Actually, that’s almost true across Ethiopia. It’s a bird-watcher’s paradise. Colorful birds — big and small ones — are a common sight. And nobody’s bothering them.
If these birds were in the Philippines, sadly, they’d either be in a cage or someone’s dinner by now. (Ok, well, in some areas only, to be fair.)
(Photo: Birds living near Lake Tana, posing for pictures in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia)
It’s the journey, not the destination. Gone were the days when I’d travel to see and be comfortable in the process. Now, it’s to experience — without care for comfort or opportunities for grabbing nice photos. I now go for whatever I’ll stumble upon while on the road and the people I meet and get to interact with in the process. I hope it’s not a sign of aging.
Just hitting the (long, winding, and often very rough) road again for a break from monotony of lack of definite work was wonderful. Maybe it was because I can already communicate much better in Amharic (which made everything easier), or maybe it was because I caught up with friends and made a lot of new ones, or maybe because I finally saw baobab trees (I’ve always wanted to see one since I was in high school) and camels.
Itching from flea bites, patching the holes in my pocket, and losing sleep to catch up with backlogs, I am still smiling and without any trace of regret. And yes, I’m up for the next one.
(Photo: Lake by the monastery at Dessie, Ethiopia)
If you’re a grouch or you don’t enjoy mingling with other people, then you should think twice before going to Ethiopia. Greeting people is a way of life here. It really is a HUGE part of daily interaction for both people you know and don’t know.
Typical start of conversations goes like:
“Dehna na / nash?” (How are you?) ”Dehna negn.” (I am fine.) This repeats several times, back and forth, which still puzzles me until now. Many times, as a form of conversation, you’ll just hear the bouncing of greetings for 4-5 times.
(Photo: Berta man from Keshaf village in Menge.)
Ah, the pains we have to undertake to beautify ourselves.
The Berta people have scarifications on their face apparently for beauty.
(Photo: Berta woman from Keshaf Village in Menge district near the Sudan border.)
I’m not much into traditions. As such, communities who uphold theirs, particularly ethnic groups, fascinate me.
Photo shows a Berta (Bertha) mother and child from Keshaf Village, near the Sudan border. Theirs is among the 5 largest ethnic tribes in Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. Living near the Sudan-Ethiopia border, they have maintained much of their tradition throughout the centuries.
(Apologies for inverted photo. It keeps on doing that no matter what I do.)
Fancy and dainty footwear has no room here.
Reddish dust and soil from unpaved roads are making shoe cleaners a hit here. Almost every corner has its own resident shoe cleaner. Thriving industry. :)
So it has been 17 days since I got here in Ethiopia, and 3 days here in Asosa, where I’ll be based for the next 11 months. I’ll write a proper blog soon. To say the least, I’m still adjusting to the pace and kind of life here.
I’m missing a lot of things that I don’t usually miss whenever I travel even if these are not available. I guess it’s the thought that I would not be able to get hold of them for a long time that’s making me miss these stuffs.
But they do have very friendly people and very wonderful coffee!
Asosa is a remote town in Ethiopia, near the Sudan border. The population includes 5 other tribes, as well as some Sudanese population. So far, it has been peaceful. :)
I hope I can be effective in the development work I’m supposed to help them with.
(Photo: Market in Asosa. This is a small one, seen on Wednesdays. Big market’s every Saturday.)
And so we meet again Mt. Pulag!
My mountaineer friends organized a send-off climb for me — my first and last for the year. ’Twas really fun catching up and climbing with them once more, despite the beating that our legs & thighs got after we took the much longer, never-ending assault-up Akiki-Ambangeg trail.
Thanks, friends! Until the next climb, whenever and wherever that may be. :)
(Photo: at the summit of the 3rd highest mountain in the Philippines with mountaineers catching the first rays of the sun)
Teaching. It’s more fun in the Philippines.
“Security guard,” replied Larry when I asked what he wants to be when he grows up. Larry is one of the Dumagat kids from Aurora province.
“What else?” not satisfied with his answer. “A Soldier.” Don’t get me wrong. Being an individual who helps protect establishments and people is noble. It is a good job. It’s just that it saddens me that their circumstances in life are limiting the world that they are living in.
…which should not happen.
Dream big, little girl. Don’t be afraid to chase them no matter what. The world is yours. Never tire of learning as it will help you reach what you want.
what if everyone stand by this creed? must be a lovely world to live in.
The real tragedy is not when help does not reach the intended recipients but when there’s a chance and capacity to extend some but failed or chose not to.
~ hana 2011 (trying to be poetic and all just not to work)
(Photo: Serenity of this place in San Ildefonso, Casiguran, Aurora hides the bitterness of weather in Northern Mindanao that claimed the lives of more than a thousand people.)
