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.

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...

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.

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.

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. 

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*

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.

Need more meds

Doxycycline + Ibuprofen + Ascorbic Acid

I've never been exposed to synthetic drugs, growing up. The family was all about organic, herbs and roots, steaming and stuff. Having a legit shaman aka traditional healer in the family, my grandfather Talio, helped a lot, too.

I (stove-top) baked a cake.

Chocolate cake!

And ate it, too. (Bad pun, geez.)

It's cake mix, of course. Not the best. But at least, there's some chocolate there, unlike the so-called "black forest"cake, pastry shops sell here.

Craving for chocolate cake satiated. Off to the next hungering.

My 2014 in food

My year in food (that I cooked/prepared) can be summed up in one word: eggs. Hands down.

But it was also a year, of invention & reinvention, or should I say cover+remixes. And sure I can count the burnt rice, burned meat, spoiled dishes, expired food, the many food stuff that I had to throw away, whilst mumbling, so-sorry, but there were good times, positively.

Have I adequately fed myself? Definitely, maybe.

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.

My 2014 in films & reads

An eclectic mix, I'd say.

Next to brooding and sleeping, what's a volunteer to do when trapped at the solitary confines of one's home?

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.

Goodbye, 2014!

Happy Holidays, World!

New Smartphone

Huawei smartphone

Bought a new smartphone, finally. 'Had to. Will probably loose it, again. Yes, Murphy's Law. But I need a smartphone for internet-on-the-go and stuff. 'Cost me ETB 2,800. 

My mint's thriving.

Smells like 'mint' spirit.

I can actually already smell the mint in the air around my little mint pot. Thanks for the mint, Andy.