Liza in Ethiopia
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
(After Ethiopia) Top 10: Amharic Expressions that Fascinate, Amuse and Sometimes Annoy Me
Aizosh! |
While my Amharic vocabulary is bet’am tenish tenish, it exceeds ten words, for sure. Indeee! There’s the usual – selam no! konjo no! sinte no? chigeryelleum! – but I’m listing down 10 expressions that I hear all the time, and all over, spoken by students, colleagues, friends, strangers which are annoyingly fascinating.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Last meals...
Ground beef with greens. |
It's my last week in Dire Dawa and I'm finishing off my last ingredients. I've been going out too much this past week, having not prepared food and dined at home, but that was getting to be too expensive, not to mention, tiring. I'm too old to become a basket case all over again. (Well...)
So, I bought half a kilo of ground beef and some beef bones that should set me up for the week. Good luck to me.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Beyond Borders: A Visit to a Somali Refugee Camp in East Ethiopia
Me at Sheder Camp, Ethiopia. |
June 20 is World Refugee Day, dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.
With news of hundreds of migrants risking death each year in the Mediterranean Sea and the Rohingya crisis in our Southeast Asian waters, the wars in Iraq, Syria, South Sudan and other African countries, the refugee question now, more than ever, needs to be highlighted and addressed not only by world leaders and humanitarians but everyone.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Listen, hombre!
Condescension. The trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior. A communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient. A congenital disease common to Westerners, white folks, people from the developing world with symptoms that range from disdain to, ignorance of and prejudice against people -- blacks, browns, yellows -- from the developing world (aka their former colonies).
Ever since I got to Ethiopia and met and interacted with more "white" people (I had a crowd of international people back home, but they were mostly like-minded liberals, activists if you must, with the occasional drunk prick lost in the islands looking for exotic women), I've been subjected to hues of prejudice, some negligible (the folly of being human) but most are annoying, deprecating and infuriating. Because, no these guys are good guys, essentially. Not the usual arrogant, insolent, self-complacent racist, xenophobic bigoted troll. I've shot back a few times but mostly let it slip by.
Today, I've had enough of it.
Ever since I got to Ethiopia and met and interacted with more "white" people (I had a crowd of international people back home, but they were mostly like-minded liberals, activists if you must, with the occasional drunk prick lost in the islands looking for exotic women), I've been subjected to hues of prejudice, some negligible (the folly of being human) but most are annoying, deprecating and infuriating. Because, no these guys are good guys, essentially. Not the usual arrogant, insolent, self-complacent racist, xenophobic bigoted troll. I've shot back a few times but mostly let it slip by.
Today, I've had enough of it.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Strange Encounter: Dream, dream, dream
As I was about to enter the DDU main gate, a guy just coming out from campus, lit up upon seeing me.
"Hi. How are you, architect?" While stretching his arm for a handshake, of course.
Who is this guy? Puzzled, I answered smiling. "Heeey. Fine. How are you?"
I did not know the guy. It's probably the first time I'm seeing him. Yes, I tell myself. I don't know this guy. But that's fine, everyone says hi to everyone here. Most of the time.
But then...
"Hi. How are you, architect?" While stretching his arm for a handshake, of course.
Who is this guy? Puzzled, I answered smiling. "Heeey. Fine. How are you?"
I did not know the guy. It's probably the first time I'm seeing him. Yes, I tell myself. I don't know this guy. But that's fine, everyone says hi to everyone here. Most of the time.
But then...
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
Got my grapes!
Green, green bokeh! |
The best feature of my little compound is definitely the grape vine trellis. (Especially, when I transferred to the "house" proper of the compound, where the trellis is.)
It yielded fruits last year, but wasn't keen to "harvest" them, because when I tried to taste one from off the vine, it tasted rather sour. (On hindsight, it must be because I picked up an unripe piece.)
But this year, the translucent green goblets hung too delectably to resist.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Fish Week!
Fried tilapia with crispy fried red onions |
Following the meat frenzy to mark the end of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's fasting season -- Fasika ( aka the Ethiopian Easter) -- seems like I took a bad bunch, which interestingly was not from the Fasika feast (doro wot minamin minamin), I think, but from the fiyel (goat meat) tibs from a local restaurant... and then some... (minamin minamin).
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
It's that time of the month. (It's always that time of the month.)
Pasta with nothing. Okay, there's garlic. And in other parts that's cool, pasta al ajillo, anyone? |
I'm imagining Gambas Al Ajillo Pasta, particularly Dong Juan's, but all I got is this. Pasta al ajillo. Not even cooked with olive oil. No herbs. And of course, forget about the shrimps (or prawns), there's none in Dire Dawa.
But the thing really is, even if there were any, I prolly will not be able to afford it.
#volunteerslife
*mic drop*
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)