Short clip of me and my buddy steve-o swimming with the whale sharks in the Guld of Tajoura. This was nothing short of a chance of a lifetime.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas from Africa!
25 Dec 11: Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti
11 Degrees North Christmas Tree
F-15 Squadron getting into the spirit of the season (sort of)
Gingerbread house in the Bob Hope Galley on Christmas Day
Getting excited about Christmas at the Sheraton in Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWednesday, December 14, 2011
Tanzania: The Jewel of Africa
Cocoa Beach just down the road from our hotel in Dar es Salaam
Lovin life in Tanga
Outdoor bar with thached roof at our hotel room in Tanga. Watched the Tanzanian Soccer team blow a lead at this bar with the locals
US Embassy in Dar. I would brief the embassy staff moments later
Plumeria blooms in Dar es Salaam. Couldn't believe how much this place looked like Hawaii
Monday, October 17, 2011
Just Over Two Years Later...
We finally made it back to Germany and Austria! We left in July 2009 and returned in Sept 2011. During that time, we've lived in two different houses in Texas, had both kids enter school, learned a bunch of new stuff, made some new friends, and have done so many other things.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Ethiopia: Injera, Shoulder Dancing, and Coffee Tourism
So as a kid growing up in the early 1980s, if you were to ask me what the poorest, most desolate place on earth was, I would have instantly answered, "Ethiopia." My perception of Africa was shaped by stuff like the "We are the world" song and thirty second commercial spots between episodes of Diff'rent Strokes about how for only a dollar a day I could sponsor some poor kid in Ethiopia. Needless to say, I didn't have very high expectations when I found myself on a trip to Ethiopia. When I landed, my world was turned on its head. Instead of the 110 degree hell on earth that is Djibouti, it was about 68 and drizzling. Never in my life was I so happy to be in such "bad" weather!
The sterotypes continued to be quashed. This place was so lush and reminded me a lot of Southern California in the early spring. Also, the food was outstanding. I wasn't so sure at first but I had to try the local dish which includes injera, which is a staple of the Ethiopian diet. It's like a spongy cross between a tortilla and a crepe. It's a lot like the rubber non slip rolls people use on the bottom of their shower or on the bottom of their cupboards. You break off some of that injera, use it to scoop up some form of meat (usually beef or lamb), dip it in some spicy sauce, and down it like there's no tomorrow. Preferrably this is followed by a few sips of beer but in this case, that was forbidden by the strict no drinking policy we have to follow in all of Africa.
There were some stereotypes that were right on th money. First, coffee here is legendary. Lonely Planet had an article about coffee tourism and listed Addis Ababa as the number one destination ahead of Seattle, Paris, and Columbia. I quickly discovered this was for good reason. First, coffee in Addis is cheap. REALLY CHEAP. I paid 12 Burr for a double machiatto (see pic below) which translates to around sixty cents. Same cup of coffee would have cost about $3.66 in the US.
Aside from coffee, I got to experience a great culture in Ehtiopia. A group of us headed out to a Ethiopian Restaurant called Yod Absynnia in downtown Addis. After parking our car next to a guy with an AK at his side (true story), we went inside for what can only be described as an Ethiopian Luau Oktoberfest complete with beer, local music, cultural dances, and tons of quirky local food. Check out the video:
Finally, here are a couple more pics from my trip:
Sahara, the house pet at the Civil Affairs BN house I stayed at
Me just after leaving the US Embassy there in Addis. No uniforms=no problem!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
11 Aug: I had the chance to go out on Tues and spend time with some locals who were trying to learn English. It reminded me of Adrian Kronauer from the movie Good Morning Vietnam. Anyhow, it was very iteresting to hear their views on things like religion, love, and
such. Based on what I saw, the Djiboutians are living proof that you don't need a lot of money to be happy. These were some of the happiest people I've seen and they have virtually nothing. One of the questions that was discussed amongst the group was "What is your best and worst day?" Many of the Djiboutians couldn't even think of a day that they would classify as their worst but all could easily come up with their happiest day. Also, I had a good discussion with a local on Sunday. I asked her what she thought of the Americans she said were well-liked amongst the Djiboutians. We give them jobs and build them schools. The French, according to her, are a bunch of bums and are simply relics from their colonial days
1 Aug: So let's talk weather. The problem is that when the winds blow from the ocean, it's super humid which makes it unbearable. 97 degrees with 100% humidity is miserable. The other problem is that there are few trees down in the low lands such as here. The trees that are here are stringy and are more like bushes. I'll take some pictures when I get a chance so you'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about. I suppose it could be worse considering that the weather today up in Saudi is over 120 degrees.
So I'm passed my second milestone--I'm in a new calendar month! Glad Aug is here and it came in with a bang! It rained hard last night. Yes, it rains here! Started around nine at night and lasted until around midnight. Feels really great. The air quality here is crap due to the blowing sand and the absolute lack of environmental measures when it comes to waste disposal and such. The rain cleans the air if for only a few minutes. Don't get me started on the air qualtiy around here. It's terrible.
28 Jul We went out to eat last night to a restaurant called "The Mask" in downtown Djiboutiville. While the surrounding area was super ghetto, the restaurant was an oasis. Atmosphere was phenomenal...kinda reminded me of the Elephant Bar. The walls were covered with bamboo and tribal warrior masks. Anyhow, I actually had to think about what day is was when I woke up this morning. This is actually a good sign! When the days start to blur together, that means time will start to fly by. Thank goodness. It helps that I've bonded with some of the other medics in the office across the hall. Definitely makes the quality of life better.
26 Jul: Today marks the 10% mark in my deployment. Only 90% to go. I hope it goes by faster than the first ten percent. To add to the good news, Jen and I are going to meet up in Germany at the end of next month. I'll be up in Stuttgart for a conference and will be allowed to take a few days off afterwards. This is the alternative to our Dubai trip. As it turned out, they won't allow military to go there on vacation. Guess it's too close to some global hot spots. Ironically you are allowed to go to Israel but it's definitely more dangerous there relative to Dubai. Regardless, Jen had zero interest in going there for whatever reason. Guess I'll have to make a pilgrimige to the Holy Land
without her someday.
Work is going well. Some days fly by and others drag on. I worked all weekend because of the newly declared famine in Southern Somalia. I'm hoping we'll be asked to help these people out the best we can. Can't go into much detail but due to government policies, we have to be invited to assist. So far, the call hasn't come and it may never will.
It's nice to get off the base for a change. I was stuck here over the weekend because of the potential mission but I'm determined to break free this weekend. Next month they have arranged a bunch of morale trips to a local resort that is supposed to be spectacular. That's the weird thing about this country--there are little diamonds in the rough. Much of this has to do with the historic presence of the French in this area. These little gems are usually run for the French and for other Europeans.
17 Jul: Anyhow I'm about to watch the us put the smack down against japan in soccer. Will u be watching? (Post Script--We lost. Barely)
8 Jul: It's day two here in Djibouti and I have only 177 to go. Hope it goes quick. Anyhow, I made it here just fine and was travelling for two straight days. Needless to say I was super tired when I arrived. Things are much better now that I got a little sleep.
Living quarters are fine. Exact same as the last time I was here. In fact there is a chance that Im in the exacct same containerized living unit (CLU). Oh the irony. Got a roommate for now but will have my own place once a space opens up in the Field Grade CLUs. Until them I'm stuck. The good thing is my roommate is cool and is also a Major. That is always a concern.
7 Jul: I'm now up and running here at camp lemonnier. Just after landing we went off post and went to a training session with new medics from dj. No rest for the weary. Anyhow the heat here is legendary and is even worse than I remember it. Not sure how I'm going to train for the half marathon.
6 Jul: I'm in an airport terminal in Bahrain for another ninety minutes before we split for Dj. The journey so far hasn't been too bad except for a guy behind me that kept kneeing my chair. I was woken up multiple times by that fucker. Aside from that, it's just been a long trip. I've been sleeping on every leg so that time is passing alright. We're on a commercial charter flight and have made stops in Rota and Sigonella Sicily. Both of those places were fantastic and I was hoping the plane would be grounded while we were there. The weather in Sicily was perfecto and I was able to slip out of the terminal to find the NEX. I bought some sicilian cookies, pesto, and a ceramic wine topper. Was nice to be in Italy if only for a couple hours.
5 Jul: So the airport was crazy this am! Bags were checked but late. Am on the plane but bags may not make it. I finally got trough the line a mere 45 min before the flight. I'm crossing my fingers.
such. Based on what I saw, the Djiboutians are living proof that you don't need a lot of money to be happy. These were some of the happiest people I've seen and they have virtually nothing. One of the questions that was discussed amongst the group was "What is your best and worst day?" Many of the Djiboutians couldn't even think of a day that they would classify as their worst but all could easily come up with their happiest day. Also, I had a good discussion with a local on Sunday. I asked her what she thought of the Americans she said were well-liked amongst the Djiboutians. We give them jobs and build them schools. The French, according to her, are a bunch of bums and are simply relics from their colonial days
1 Aug: So let's talk weather. The problem is that when the winds blow from the ocean, it's super humid which makes it unbearable. 97 degrees with 100% humidity is miserable. The other problem is that there are few trees down in the low lands such as here. The trees that are here are stringy and are more like bushes. I'll take some pictures when I get a chance so you'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about. I suppose it could be worse considering that the weather today up in Saudi is over 120 degrees.
So I'm passed my second milestone--I'm in a new calendar month! Glad Aug is here and it came in with a bang! It rained hard last night. Yes, it rains here! Started around nine at night and lasted until around midnight. Feels really great. The air quality here is crap due to the blowing sand and the absolute lack of environmental measures when it comes to waste disposal and such. The rain cleans the air if for only a few minutes. Don't get me started on the air qualtiy around here. It's terrible.
28 Jul We went out to eat last night to a restaurant called "The Mask" in downtown Djiboutiville. While the surrounding area was super ghetto, the restaurant was an oasis. Atmosphere was phenomenal...kinda reminded me of the Elephant Bar. The walls were covered with bamboo and tribal warrior masks. Anyhow, I actually had to think about what day is was when I woke up this morning. This is actually a good sign! When the days start to blur together, that means time will start to fly by. Thank goodness. It helps that I've bonded with some of the other medics in the office across the hall. Definitely makes the quality of life better.
26 Jul: Today marks the 10% mark in my deployment. Only 90% to go. I hope it goes by faster than the first ten percent. To add to the good news, Jen and I are going to meet up in Germany at the end of next month. I'll be up in Stuttgart for a conference and will be allowed to take a few days off afterwards. This is the alternative to our Dubai trip. As it turned out, they won't allow military to go there on vacation. Guess it's too close to some global hot spots. Ironically you are allowed to go to Israel but it's definitely more dangerous there relative to Dubai. Regardless, Jen had zero interest in going there for whatever reason. Guess I'll have to make a pilgrimige to the Holy Land
without her someday.
Work is going well. Some days fly by and others drag on. I worked all weekend because of the newly declared famine in Southern Somalia. I'm hoping we'll be asked to help these people out the best we can. Can't go into much detail but due to government policies, we have to be invited to assist. So far, the call hasn't come and it may never will.
It's nice to get off the base for a change. I was stuck here over the weekend because of the potential mission but I'm determined to break free this weekend. Next month they have arranged a bunch of morale trips to a local resort that is supposed to be spectacular. That's the weird thing about this country--there are little diamonds in the rough. Much of this has to do with the historic presence of the French in this area. These little gems are usually run for the French and for other Europeans.
17 Jul: Anyhow I'm about to watch the us put the smack down against japan in soccer. Will u be watching? (Post Script--We lost. Barely)
8 Jul: It's day two here in Djibouti and I have only 177 to go. Hope it goes quick. Anyhow, I made it here just fine and was travelling for two straight days. Needless to say I was super tired when I arrived. Things are much better now that I got a little sleep.
Living quarters are fine. Exact same as the last time I was here. In fact there is a chance that Im in the exacct same containerized living unit (CLU). Oh the irony. Got a roommate for now but will have my own place once a space opens up in the Field Grade CLUs. Until them I'm stuck. The good thing is my roommate is cool and is also a Major. That is always a concern.
7 Jul: I'm now up and running here at camp lemonnier. Just after landing we went off post and went to a training session with new medics from dj. No rest for the weary. Anyhow the heat here is legendary and is even worse than I remember it. Not sure how I'm going to train for the half marathon.
6 Jul: I'm in an airport terminal in Bahrain for another ninety minutes before we split for Dj. The journey so far hasn't been too bad except for a guy behind me that kept kneeing my chair. I was woken up multiple times by that fucker. Aside from that, it's just been a long trip. I've been sleeping on every leg so that time is passing alright. We're on a commercial charter flight and have made stops in Rota and Sigonella Sicily. Both of those places were fantastic and I was hoping the plane would be grounded while we were there. The weather in Sicily was perfecto and I was able to slip out of the terminal to find the NEX. I bought some sicilian cookies, pesto, and a ceramic wine topper. Was nice to be in Italy if only for a couple hours.
5 Jul: So the airport was crazy this am! Bags were checked but late. Am on the plane but bags may not make it. I finally got trough the line a mere 45 min before the flight. I'm crossing my fingers.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
A New Chapter
So two years have passed since we've returned from Europe and the blog has remained largely dormant since then. Now it's time to open a new chapter! Time to blog not about Europe but Africa. Thanks to Daniel for urging me to get this started again.
Today, 14 Aug 11, is the 20% mark in my deployment to Djibouti which is located in the Horn of Africa. I'm going to begin with a retrospective from the last month or so and then will take it from there.
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