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(Greg) We hadn’t yet been told that, just a few weeks earlier, a Zimbabwean fellow had been killed by a lion exactly where we were walking, but I didn’t need that happy yarn to keep me on my toes. This was our first walking safari and I felt a certain responsibility to my own four […]

(Dana) Admittedly, we all have a natural fascination with spotting predators – lions, leopards, wild dogs.  But elephants are the animals the 6 of us have grown to love during our time in Africa. We relish the times when they have come near to observe them up-close. Most Americans have seen an elephant in a […]

(Fausto) Ethiopia? Why do you want to go there? People are starving and dying! This is the general impression of the general public about this very populated country in the Horn of Africa. And yet, when you start researching deeper, a different story will unfold. Ethiopia has some of the most fertile volcanic and alluvial […]

(Dana) In many cultures, there is a rite of passage – an event that marks the transition into adulthood.  At home, some teens become a bar/bat mitzvah; others are confirmed.  In the Hamar tribe in Southern Ethiopia, girls of marrying age (14/15) are circumcised.  Boys of ~18-21 prove their maturity through bull jumping. When a […]

(Reis) Riding in our 4×4 vehicles on the crazy, bumpy roads of Ethiopia had no shortage of wild and well… bumpy experiences. Important to understanding our long pilgrimages to and from villages is that most of the roads in this country are made of dirt, a substance quite susceptible to the elements. The displacement of […]

(Andrew) Giggles erupt from the group of 40 Karo children as I bounce a knock-off Super Pinky Ball on the dusty ground. They run after it once it takes an odd bounce off a stone. The kids sprint after it, eager to be the next one to throw it. An older kid of no older […]

(Alex) Walking through an Ethiopian tribal village is like being a celebrity on the red carpet. Kids stop what they are doing to stare at you and follow your every movement. A few timid hands reach out to touch your pale skin. Some little brave hands slide into yours… then suddenly, like an explosion, the […]

(Greg) The Southern Omo Valley in Ethiopia – just north of Kenya and just east of Sudan – is a tough place to get to. That is exactly why we are here. It is so remote that its indigenous cultures have been largely unspoiled by modern civilization. Until recently. With the exception of a few […]

On New Year’s Eve, each family member identifies one thing that he/she wants to make go away for the upcoming year. We write our item on a slip of paper and burn it.. This year, Emma’s was to reduce waste in her life – trash, paper, food, etc. In keeping with Emma’s goals, I opted […]

(Emma with Dana) Water is the most important component of life. Without water there would be nothing: no humans, no animals, no plants. Thanks to friends in my town of Dover, we helped 120 people receive clean water for life.  In 2011, during our annual town fair, Dover Days, we raised $1,050 to built 3 […]