destinations: unknown

Little angels...

These pics were taken in the village of Hurso.  We came here to, again, drop off some donated school supplies. We got invited to this young girls home for coffee.  We were greeted by numerous children as you will see, and they are just too funny sometimes.

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There are many things that I will remember from this year in Ethiopia…but one of lasting impressions will be meeting the new Ogas (King) of the Ese tribe (hansard.millbanksystems.com/written…/esa-tribe-delegation).  We went to visit a remote village one day to drop of some donated school supplies, and we were told the new Ogas of the tribe is studying there…learning from elder members of the tribe…essentially learning how to be King.

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Just learned what it means, and am excited to share with you:

It is Swahili (Kiswahili if you’re a purist) for “No Worries” or loosely “Don’t Worry” or very loosely “Chill” will approximate it.

Very literally it can be translated as follows:

Ha = No

Kuna = Exist

Matata = Concerns

Swahili is spoken mainly in Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, home to the Maasai Mara and Serengeti game parks, where the film Lion King is roughly set. Freddie and I will be traveling to Tanzania in November…Hakuna Matata!!!

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Classroom Presentation

So I just completed my Educational Training project that has been going on over the last few weeks and it was interesting to say the least!  Teaching Somali women about family planning and pre-natal care is nothing I ever thought I would do in this lifetime…lets just say I was VERY thankful to have a US civilian Nurse, Neva Crow, there with me.

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From left to right...Seelu (Ethiopian driver), Rodriquez, Major Pedersen (secret service guy), Teddy Afro, Me, some Diplomat guy that came with Pedersen, Hoden not looking at the camera

So I recently went to Addis Ababa.  Addis is the capital of Ethiopia and much much different then Dire Dawa where our safe house (Dire Dawa is Ethiopia’s second largest, second only to Addis).  Among other national treasures, Addis boasts Chinese food, internet cafes, Grey Goose vodka and Teddy Afro!

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Since my last update, I’ve been thoroughly surprised by amazing culture and natural beauty of Ethiopia.  The more we integrate with the locals here, the more I learn about myself and this country that was relatively unknown by me.  The people have a genuine quality that is very unique, and the people’s resolve is amazing.  The wonderful colors they wear are reflective of their vibrant outlook and personalities, despite the poverty and health issues that challenge them.  What words cannot describe, I hope these pictures will…

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Greetings from Africa!  I know it has been quite a while since I last wrote, but I promise to make my updates more frequently in the future. So far, my travels have taken me to Djibouti, Ethiopia and now back back in Djibouti for a few weeks.

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Hi All!  I am finally getting a free moment to sit down and give an update!  I am currently in my 22nd day on Active Duty and I have about 343 days left…but no one is counting!  The crazy part is, even though it feels like I have been gone forever already, I haven’t even left the States!  To date I’ve spent about 3 weeks in between Camp Blanding near Gainesville, FL and now Fort Dix, NJ for the last round of training.

I am slowly adjusting back into the “military mindset,” and even though some things are still misunderstood, I am picking up the lingo again.  Here, the cafeteria is the “chow hall,” the restroom is the “latrine” and the morning is always “0′dark thirty” no matter what time it really is!  I have been asking some of the old timers where these names originated from and no one really seems to know.

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