Got (Camel's) Milk?

So, camel's milk...

So Krishna, who is also leaving Ethiopia, has this brilliant idea of cleansing/detoxing via camel's milk, before we go. Because, you know, Ethiopia.

You see, camel's milk is said to treat constipation which means...

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...

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.

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).

Let's eat, kamote!

Too red. Means, it's a little bit overcooked. But still yummy, to me.

Deep-fried caramelized sweet potato. Easily one of my favorite Filipino snack foods.

Dancing in the Dark

A gleek even in the dark. 

I wish.

There's been almost daily power outages ever since the hot season kicked in. This is nothing new, but still something to bitch about. Second only to the sweltering Dire Dawa heat.

Ah well. 

እኔ : ሴት : ነኝ :: I. Am. Woman. Je. Suis. Femme. Exhibit Opening (Photos)

Getting the Party Started! (I.Am.Womam 2015 Art Exhibit Ingress)

2nd year architecture students mount their sketches on frames provided by Alliance.

We'll be winging it. That's always been the idea.

The exhibit ingress, we announced to participating students, would be today, Saturday, the morning & afternoon before the exhibit is set to open at 6pm later. We agreed to an 8am assembly time.

So, this is actually happening.

After months of contemplation (yes, I've been trying to do a Baji -- like this, and this, and this, and this -- here...), weeks of consultations (read: side talks during lulls over beer) and discussions with anyone who might be interested, and then finally, getting some people interested, to the point where they're actually now the ones pursuing me about it (read: success! but to me, really: aneurysm) -- it's finally happening: a DDU-organized women's month arts exhibit here in Dire Dawa.

Overlooking Dire Dawa

Overlooking Dire Dawa.

Finally, I scaled one of the hills surrounding Dire Dawa.

And not bad after a Saturday night out, yeah.

I lost my phone - again.

Of course, it happened. Murphy never fails.

Barely a month after I bought a new smartphone, there, it's out the window again. Actually, out the bajaj. That's definitely where I lost/dropped/left it. Same as last time. Damn.

A Melkam Genna at Emebet's Home

Doro wat, always doro wat. My favorite. (Note to self: have to ask the recipe from someone.)

While last year, Gavin and I were invited for the Ethiopian Christmas Day at our landlord's place, the next-door neighbor really, for some sumptuous doro wat and coffee, this year, our dayguard, Emebet, (also our landlady's sister), invited me to celebrate Genna with her and daughter Seppora.

A Happy New Year

Strike sparks everywhere aka an attempt at light-painting.

So, I ended up hosting a New Year's Eve party. Thanks to everyone who came, it was a blast.

Paint Weekend

You talkin' to me? Luscious lips for the girls, Kalkidan and Amen at it.

Inspired by Ronch's lecture on street art and urban planning last Thursday, and the serendipitous (yah, yah...) visit of their artist/architect friend, colleagues were swept into a random (street art - inspired) paint weekend in their compound.

Happy Ethiopian New Year!

Melkam addis amet! Ethiopian kids don their best clothes for Enkutatash where they sing carols to friends and family in exchange for gifts.

To the rest of the world, today is 9/11 aka the day Al-Qaeda terrorists attacked the U.S. But here in Ethiopia, September the 11th, is Meskerem 1 aka Enkutatash, New Year's Day in the Ethiopian Calender (Julian Calendar).

Melkam addis amet! (Happy new year!)

Today marks the beginning of year 2007 in the Ethiopian Calender (E.C.)

Walk This Wadi

It's alive! This mostly dry river (seasonal river aka wadi) has sprung to life with sandy yellow water rushing through.

So Andy and I finally decided to go for a trek towards one of those hills surrounding downtown Dire Dawa.

Trekking Kulubi-Gabriel

Kulubi-high. (Or not.) Chewing on sugar cane, after the climb.

So, colleagues at the university have been talking about Kulubi all week. It's supposed to be a huge Ethiopian Orthodox Church pilgrimage site. And this week is apparently one of the two feast days of the site dedicated to St. Gabriel. 

Kulubi is less than an hour away from Dire Dawa, see, so why not?  But actually, a couple of the other Filipinos (Ma'am Luzzette and Ma'am Ana) and I had talked about going to Harar yesterday but the weather went nasty in the afternoon (rains and thunderstorm) that we decided to cancel and perhaps just join the other friends who've talked about goin' to Kulubi today.

Look up. More.

First locust cloud, I've seen. Some kinda scary amazing, up close.

The things one would, could, miss if, when, one does not look up. More.

Like clouds of locusts swarming through a midday sky that's suddenly turned to dusk.

Which I could've missed if a student didn't tell me to open the window, and look up.

Craaazy.

Becoming francophone (well...)

After finally connecting with Alliance Francaise and meeting some really cool people, learning French language, why not?

So, this evening was our first class for French Language Level 1 at Alliance Ethio-Francaise (aka Alliance Francaise aka Alliance) Dire Dawa. I was able to half-convince two of my Filipino colleagues, Lizel and Luzzette, to register as well, but I came alone this first day to scout the scenes...

Media Noche in Ethiopia

Not quite lavish, but was most filling, nonetheless!

While we didn't celebrate Christmas with the tradition noche buena, Filipino colleagues at the university, Ma'am Luzzette, Ma'am Liezl, (with their housemate Ma'am Ana from TVET) and Doc Rommel, and I, bid goodbye to 2013 with a very meager media noche at the 3 ladies' flat.