settling in...

well, even though it's only thurs night, it's the weekend! being as it's an islamic country, plus the weather makes it impossible to work entire 8-hour days here, people get fri off and work sat and sun...although i think in the american spirit we're going to take both fri and sat off... would you expect anything less from me?!

so it's much much quieter here than in addis, it's a smaller country, people aren't as visible in the streets, and everything pretty much clears out in the afternoon. very different from what i was expecting after being in a bustling, dirty, crowded african capital, but at least i get to breathe clean air here and am not having problems walking around due to the high elevation!

sometimes i forget where i am, since so many things here remind me of france, from the language (duh) to the architecture, to the food and supermarket products! i'm running out of moisturizer, but never fear since they carry my french brand here!



have no idea what to bring back for souvenirs, since there are no indigenous natural resources here really, no handiwork or craft-type things like in kenya, sudan, ethiopia, nigeria. better for me, although would be nice to bring something back to remember this little country by. maybe this weekend if i manage to get out of the city! otherwise i'll be lounging by the pool for like 15 minutes before i decide it's waaaay too hot to be outside. take care and will write again soon!

from djibouti!

hope everyone is doing well!! just wanted to send a quick note and let everyone know everything arrived in one piece this time, luggage and all! after almost 24 hours (plus a 12-hour layover in paris), got to djibouti sun morning, with the hot sun and humid air to greet us.

the first thing to hit me was how much stickier this place is than ethiopia, which sheds light on why people here only really work from 7:00am to 3:30pm, since it's just too hot to be active at all in the afternoon. once things close up, most people spend the rest of the day chewing qhat (sp?), the local drug of choice, a plant with hallucinogenic properties that you chew for hours....guess they get any amusement here they can! and for those of you wondering, no i'm not going to try it!!

i have to say, traveling with a former u.s. ambassador is definitely the way to go, as the ministry of foreign affairs was on-hand to meet us at the airport, shuttle us into a private, air-conditioned room, take care of customs matters, and collect our luggage for us! and saying we're with the u.s. embassy helped secure some pretty decent hotel rooms in an otherwise completely-booked hotel. so, all in all, a good day's work....with some long (and early!) days ahead of us. we'll be meeting with opposition and governing political parties, media reps, civil society organizations, other international organizations, and whoever else wants to give us their opinion of how the elections here will go.

so far this place has a very different feel than addis, much quieter and more low-key. djiboutiville is located right on the gulf of aden, so is surrounded by water, and its port is extremely busy, with thousands of containers coming through every day. there's also the presence of numerous military forces: u.s. camp, french camp, and german offices in our hotel! aside from the smoking, the germans haven't been too bad, and think we'll be bumping into them quite a lot. haven't seen many u.s. or french soldiers yet, since they keep on-base most of the time, but there are quite a number of expats in the city, probably how the french supermarket and the few higher-end restaurants stay in business!

anyways, will send more updates as i get settled in... am glad it's only for two weeks, as this weather is waaaay too hot for me!!

stateside for a weekend!

i'm back in the u.s. now, arrived in d.c. fri afternoon and then promptly spent about 6 hours in the car during rush hour on the drive down to nc... not so fun! but definitely good to be home, even if just for a few days....

yup, as most of you have come to expect, there's no such thing as stability in my life! here i was, having just gotten to rome on my way back from ethiopia, and the receptionist at the hotel told me i needed to call the office back in d.c. so the next thing i know i'm being asked whether i want to go to djibouti for two weeks, to help iri out with a pre-election assessment (election day is april 9). the temptation to continue making some sort of living, and the chance to practice my french, was too much for me to overcome, so i agreed!

so...after spending this weekend in nc doing laundry and running errands (bank, library, post office, etc.), i fly back to d.c. on monday morning and then leave for djibouti on thursday... craziness!! the current plan is to come home on april 2, so shouldn't be too bad!

had a fabulous day in rome, wandering around the city on foot (it's the best way to see a place!) and visiting st. peter's, vatican city, the coliseum, spanish steps, a few different piazzas (practically on every block), tons of fountains, eating delicious homemade tortellini and relaxing at an outdoor cafe with a cappucino. oh yeah, can't forget the yummy gelato either!!



as soon as i get my computer fixed up, i'll send pictures... can't wait to see some of you in d.c., and promise to respond to emails the next few days!! have a great weekend!

heading back...

this'll be my last post from ethiopia...since i'm leaving tomorrow! amazing how fast a month can fly by, although i have to say i'm ready to go home. maybe that's my limit in foreign places these days, around a month. for a variety of reasons, i've decided not to extend my stay here, and will be back in d.c. by friday!



it's been a whirlwind last week, but i finally got outside the city for a little bit! went hiking at mt. zuquallah -- an extinct volcano -- with a bunch of friends, about 45 km from addis...and let me tell you, the altitude kicked my butt! now i know i'm not the most in-shape person in the world, but it's not even that my legs were tired, just that i couldn't breathe!! had to stop about every five minutes to prevent myself from having a heart attack! our incentive to keep going was the pepsi stand at the top of the mountain, that and the monastery and crater lake. the view from the peak was beautiful and extends for miles...and it was nice to see a bit of greenery amidst the dry plains.

then the country director for iri got here on thursday, so it's been back-to-back meetings and administrative matters since then. have handed everything over to her so i'm breathing a big sigh of relief that it's all over and i'm no longer responsible for anything here! today will be spent packing and relaxing...maybe a chance to finally use the pool here, which i haven't yet done. apparently there is an abundance of natural hot springs in ethiopia, and the pool water here is hot spring water. hopefully it'll soak away all the stress of the past few weeks....

so it's off to rome for a few days, maybe i'll catch a glimpse of the pope from his hospital window....heehee. then landing at dulles fri afternoon, will probably spend the weekend in d.c. and then head back to north carolina on sun. i promise once i get home i'll send pictures and respond to emails individually! you'll also be able to reach me on my cell phone: 919-946-7777. can't wait to see people and catch up in person!!