Ethiopia

Earlier this month I had a eye-opening assignment in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. It was my first visit to any part of greater Somalia or the Horn of Africa and I really enjoyed learning about it. Always a fan of a true coffee culture, I loved meeting people under trees and in small coffee shops at any time of day. It was quite common to be sitting with my colleagues and have someone pull up a plastic chair and start talking to us. As a white/foreign woman, I feel like I had a special pass of sorts and was able to be present in places where my Somali female counterparts would not have access. We spent some time in the regional capital and then flew down toward the border and saw some of the irrigation and agricultural projects interwoven with the pastoralist landscapes. Our colleagues also dressed me in traditional Somali dire for a big meal, complete with fermented camel milk.  Kind of tasty, actually!