Closing Credits Time #ForeignServiceProblems

Some of the people Evelyn will miss the most. Photo by Lyn Englin

With my globally nomadic life I often feel like I'm living in a movie. Except instead of 2 hours, my movies last about 2 years.  It is closing credits time again, and we've been attending a string of goodbye parties for friends whose assignments are also ending. (FYI: The French events are extra cinematic with the nostalgic American dance tunes and visually dramatic venues.)

Closing credits time is when we attempt to tie up all the loose ends of our life here. When something can't be done I try to tell myself that it wasn't that important after all. I begin to lean out instead of in; no point starting something new, of meeting new people, of becoming more attached.  The folks I'd intended to reach out to and get to know better? That woman who was going to tutor me in Swahili? The themed parties we were going to host?  The Sheikh Djibouti dance school we joked about creating?  Not going to happen.

Being a global nomad is a bit like channel surfing.  On one hand, you get a glimpse of what's on every station. On the other, you're left wondering how the story lines would have progressed if you'd stuck around.  

Closing credits time in the foreign service isn't about "happily ever after."  It's about saying goodbye and going separate ways.  As folks who study these things know, it generally takes about two years to really get your full stride once you've moved to a new place-- to form friendships that go back years (2, to be exact), to have bonded with those who are slow to trust, to have integrated yourself into a community--to have found your niche.  Most foreign service assignments are three years long, but we're heading to yet another two year gig because Algiers is also considered a hardship post.

Now sure, at each post some folks are ecstatic to leave, but those folks weren't so happy where they were; I'd prefer to keep falling in love and having sad goodbyes.

And so, a toast to Djibouti!  Thanks for the beautiful memories. I will miss you all--especially those whom I was only just starting to get to know better.  May your lives be filled with bright sunny days.       

Happy in Djibouti

Hands down the best music video I've seen made in Djibouti.  Congratulations to everyone involved in this project!

Tourism and Terrorism in Djibouti

Hiking in Foret du Day, Djibouti

As most of my readers probably know, last weekend two suicide bombers went to a popular restaurant in downtown Djibouti and killed themselves and a Turkish citizen as well as wounding over a dozen other expatriates. Al Shabaab claims responsibility and threatens to attack again. While I've always felt safe here in the pocket of calm that is Djibouti, last weekend was a sad reminder that no place in the world is immune to terrorism.  My heart breaks for all those who were impacted directly by the attack.

I am also sad for all the local businesses and their employees who will suffer financially because of reduced tourism activity (especially with Camp Lemonier back in lockdown mode).   My good friends at Phoenix Travel Services had several cancellations, and our pals at Dolphin had so many snorkeling/scuba excursion cancellations that they've announced they are closing at the end of the month (hopefully to reopen in the fall).

The thing is that while, yes, you might want to think twice at the moment about going out for drinks and/or clubbing at places popular with ex-pats in Djibouti in the evenings, I still feel safer here than I do in much of the USA in terms of fear of being a victim of a violent attack or mass killing.

So, on that note, let me do my part to promote Djibouti tourism by telling you a bit about the great overnight road trip we took in Djibouti via Phoenix Travel Services. We drove to Lac Assal (which we'd visited before), lunched and took a quick swim at the beach in the bay of Goubet, and slept at the campground up in Foret du Day (high elevation, so nice and cool).  The next morning we hiked around the 'forest' (sadly, due to climate change, most of the trees are dead, so it was like visiting a ghost forest. We toured a reforestation program, though) and then crawled through lava tunnels on our drive back to Djiboutiville.

The rare dragon tree is found in Djibouti

Bay of Goubet--great spot for lunch or even camping

Hiking in Foret du Day

The campground huts

more of the campground. Quite civilized camping.

nursery at the Foret du Day reforestation program

We were told this is a highly hallucinogenic plant--traditionally popular at wedding parties

 

climbing lava flows

crawling through lava tubes

 

Mourning Zibi in Djibouti (or, Mourning with Strangers)

Last Thursday evening at the Djibouti Protestant congregation's women's association meeting, Yolanda announced that Zibi had died.  "Who?" was the general response.

Zibi, a Cameroonian footballer had recently moved here on a contract from a Djiboutian team. Between his training schedule and the birth of their son, Zibi and his wife Princess were strangers to most of us at church. But, they had presented themselves to the senior pastor upon their arrival, so as far as the women's association and the church council were concerned, we had a moral responsibility to pay our respects to Princess and offer financial assistance in her hour of need.

And so, last night, there we were-- a menagerie of foreigners (Congolese, Malagasy, Cameroonian, Ethiopian, Swiss, German, French, American, etc.) gathered in the sparsely furnished apartment of a dead man we didn't know so that his widow--a foreigner like us--could ritually mourn his passing with the support of a community of faith. A handful of his teammates--some I'd seen at church--were there as well. Perhaps they were also flatmates.  

Princess sat in the circle with us.  I noticed her bald head (in mourning or her style?), her muscular build (also an athlete?), and the face of an emotionally drained but spiritually strong woman. As we sang, she changed her son's diaper. Her way of mourning that evening reminded me of a friend of mine.

When the church leaders had finished offering all the words, songs, and gifts of comfort they had brought, Princess informed us that Zibi had been a happy man. He wouldn't want to be remembered through songs of mourning. Could we close instead with a joyous song of faith?

And so, we did.

Family Fun in Djibouti Part II: Decan Wildlife Preserve

In my last post, I completely forgot to mention another fun family outing in Djibouti: Decan Wildlife Preserve.  It's not far from town and an inexpensive way to spend an afternoon.  Below are some of animals you'll find there. Camels, on the other hand, require no special trips. You'll often finding them snacking on the few plants outside your gate or blocking the road on your way to work. (see my post on Camels)

Click Here for More Decan Photos

Family Fun in Djibouti

Since I've been writing heavy posts lately, I thought I'd switch gears and return to my quest to reform Djibouti's bad reputation with my "Djibouti can be a nice place to live" series. Today I'd like to debunk the myth that Djibouti isn't a kid-friendly post. True, even the posh homes have paving slabs for yards, but we also have access to swimming pools, sandy beaches with gentle surfs, playground equipment and a recently re-opened bowling alley.

Mosques are everywhere if you are a Muslim family. If you are a church-going family, the Catholic and Protestant churches in town have a children’s program, and there is a group of expats who have formed a “Monday School” that meets in the homes of English-speaking families.

For Americans coming to work at the US embassy, you’ll also have access to the embassy's fantastic Health Unit and swimming pool as well as many of the perks at Camp Lemmonier: air-conditioned movie theater, concerts and visiting celebrities, multi-faith chapel, shopping at the Exchange, affordable all-you-can-eat dinners at the galley, etc. There are also informal weekly playgroups organized by embassy families.

I'll let my pictures make my case.

With a day-pass at the Kempinski you can enjoy the large shallow pools

That entire rectangular portion of the pool is waist deep for my toddler!

The bowling alley welcomes families and even has high-chairs in its restaurant

Entrance to this playground is equal to $1.50 USD per child (adults free)

Khamsin! (or, Why my house is filthy and I'm covering my entire head in public)

Exhibit A: This front porch was swept and mopped Tuesday evening. This is how it looked Wednesday morning.

So I just got back home to Djibouti after about two months of traveling.  I've got lots of travel stories, but more about that later.  Right now I want to tell you about my first July in Djibouti.  I'd heard all sorts of horror stories about the heat of Djiboutian summers, so I'd braced myself for the worst.  Stepping off the plane this weekend I thought "Well, it is hot, but it's not that hot what with this strong breeze."  Thus began my introduction to what many around here refer to as the khamsin winds.

What is the khamsin like?  Well, imagine standing in front of a giant industrial fan... only then imagine that the fan isn't blowing just air; it's blowing hot dirt and sand at you.  Yeah, that's Khamsin.  According to Wikipedia, the name comes "from the Arabic word for "fifty"... these dry, dust-filled windstorms often blow sporadically over fifty days, hence the name." The amount of dirt the winds blow into the house is incredible.  Any effort to dust or sweep it all away is a lost cause.  And trying to accomplish anything outdoors (like, say, shopping at the produce market) is miserable;  the sharp winds sting exposed skin, make the eyes scream and coat the hair in filth in a matter of seconds. 

It now makes perfect sense to me why women from this region of the world would decide to wear a long dark robe to cover all their skin and their nice dress and then wrap a scarf around their heads (and why they would assume that anyone who didn't do likewise was showing off her body----kind of like those undergrads who go out in miniskirts on freezing January nights in DC)  This isn't about modesty, folks; it's about weather-appropriate clothing over vanity. It's got me thinking that perhaps some of those passages in ancient religious texts about women covering their hair in public would be like me thinking "Dang Girl, put a coat on!" 

Just something to consider...

Exhibit B: Since I didn't want to wash my hair again and my daughter just broke my new sunglasses, wrapping a scarf around my entire head (I could see through the thin fabric) was logical thing to do when taking the dog out for his walk today.

 

Moucha Island, Djibouti

Moucha Island beach near the mangrove forest

Next up on the Joy of Djibouti highlights list:  Moucha Island

Moucha is a small sparsely populated (i.e. vacation homes for the wealthy) island about a 20 minute boat ride from Djibouti city. It is great for snorkeling and scuba. If you are one of the lucky ones with access to a private boat, then just hop on over, find a nice patch of sand and enjoy.

Beach at Lagoon Bleu, Moucha Island

 For the rest of us, I'd suggest going to Lagoon Bleu via Djibouti Divers. They offer half-day, all-day and multi-day (overnight) options with delicious meals and beach chairs and shade umbrellas included.  The place has a small playground and rents water equipment (like kayaks and such).  Snorkeling can be done right off the beach or you can rent a boat/driver to take you to the best nearby spots and/or a tour around the island to see the mangrove forest.  Prices are extremely reasonable making it an ideal daytrip or romantic weekend getaway.

The bungalows for overnight getaways

 Their bungalows are simple but clean and feature comforts such as air-conditioning and private full bathrooms.  Reservations should be done in advance via their office at the Kempenski Hotel since spots on the boat do fill up.  Boat to the island leaves from the hotel and keeps a strict timetable. 

snorkeling

mangrove forest

Some friends from work had their wedding there, and a gorgeous event it was! The staff there did a wonderful job with setting up the seating and catering.

Beautiful spot for weddings