So So Smart (Phone)

You could leave the country for a month and come back astonished by the latest tech gadget out there, but two years later, you are just overwhelmed. The biggest change while I was away is the smart phone. Before I left, the iPhone had been released, Blackberrys were common amongst business folks, but smart phones as we know them today were non-existent.  The word "app" was new to me, and I've still never been on Twitter. I have a lot to learn.

My family has a Sprint family plan and we have been anxiously awaiting the HTC EVO 3D release before using our very very overdue upgrades.  Last week they finally became available and on Monday our four shiny new smart phones arrived! In true Dad fashion, he had all four plugged in to charge before we even knew they had arrived (he's a sneaky one!).  As you can probably imagine, since Monday we've hardly let the things out of our hands.  We're adjusting slowly, but loving the ease and accessibility.

New  phone vs. old phone...

I've always been fairly old school about cell phones, and feel they have no place at a dinner table, but knowing I can check the internet from anywhere is a convenience I can definitely appreciate.  When I first moved to my small town in Ethiopia in February 2009 I remember being shocked that there wasn't even any dial-up internet in town (sob story here), so now having high-speed internet at my fingertips any time I need it is strange and wonderful.

My favorite apps so far?

• Skype (obviously, since boyfriend is in Europe)
• Pulse (little bit of an information overload, but also just really nice)
• Google Sky (how cool is that?!)

   Suggestions? What am I missing?

My First Groupon

This modern obsession with couponing deals is something I know I’m late to join.  But these days it’s pretty common that I fall into the category of having been “under a rock” when talking about trends and happenings since I’ve been living in Ethiopia for two years.  In the spring I was finally introduced to the wonderful world of Groupon and Living Social.  About a month after the discovery I made my first purchase, a Groupon for Queen of Sheba Ethiopian restaurant in Atlanta.  The restaurant was recommended to me before I even knew what Ethiopian food was, so I knew it must be good, but until last night I still hadn’t been.

I admit to falling into the trap of Groupons (as I assume many others have figured out before me), thinking at the time of purchase that I’ll use it right away, but letting those six months lapse and almost letting it expire!  Just four days before I would forfeit my $10 coupon I made a point to schedule dinner with friends I knew would appreciate the cuisine: fellow Ethiopia Peace Corps volunteers.

On the way to the restaurant it started pouring down rain and didn't let up even as I waited in my car for friends to arrive. I couldn't help but think that it was appropriate summer weather for eating injera (Ethiopian flatbread) since summer in Ethiopia is rainy season.

Ethiopian food in Ethiopia

We all agreed that it was the best and most legitimate Ethiopian food we've tasted in America! Above is a picture of the different stews on injera from Ethiopia, and the food at Queen of Sheba looks very similar. I'm sure I would have eaten at Queen of Sheba eventually, but the Groupon definitely inspired last night's visit. Overall, I'm happy that we had an excuse to get together and eat Ethiopian food, especially at a discount! Now I should go see about that Groupon I bought for a bookstore. I'll be spending that one soon!

Blogging: Past and Present

I’ve blogged before, but always with a direct source of travel stories. My first blog was about my trip through Southeast Asia backpacking with a friend. It is filled with long, detailed stories of adventures and pictures of backpackers not really sure what they were doing.  Looking back at that blog and thinking about those times brings back a lot of great memories, but it was pretty much just a day-by-day journal of our experience.  That trip through Asia was my first experience in a developing country and I don’t think I fully analyzed my time there until I got home and had time for it to soak into my mind.  I wish I had documented more of my daily thoughts on that trip and less of my daily actions.

In a tuk tuk in Cambodia on a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia.

My second blog documents the two years I spent living in Ethiopia as a Peace Corps volunteer.  In contrast to my first blog, I hardly ever talked about day-to-day errands (aside from my “day in the life” entry), but decided to focus on special holidays and travels.  I love going back and reading my stories from that blog, but I know I was afraid to really express a lot of the hardships I went through, for fear that I would worry my friends and family back home.  Not that my stories are all “happily ever after,” but I wonder if I edited too much.

Walking along the road in Ethiopia with villagers on their way to market.

This blog is… I’m not quite sure yet. I hope this will be a place to tell all those stories I didn’t have time to type-up in Ethiopia.  I also hope to be able to write about upcoming travels and plans.  Often I find myself telling one too many stories that start with, “Well, in Ethiopia…” But maybe this blog will give me the freedom to tell all the stories I need to tell.

How it All Began

The blog began today, as a new outlet for my traveling mind to express itself. I have been a traveler for as long as I can remember, going on family vacations around the world from a young age. But it was during university that I realized I could travel by myself and with my friends, apart from family plans. Since then I have hardly stopped traveling.  I traveled so much that I would consider time at home a vacation. And now I’m back here, where I grew up, trying to figure out how to travel again, and wondering if it’s time to settle in one place and get a job. I don’t know if my traveling mind will allow me to stay in one place long enough for those normal things. But at least I can try.

I’m not quite sure what direction this blog will go, but I like the idea of having a place to collect my thoughts and write about past and future travel plans, as well as those other things in my life that may prevent me from traveling.  Right now I’m dealing with a little bit of delayed reverse culture shock (yes, reverse culture shock is an actual thing) after leaving Ethiopia in January, a must-visit travel list with highlights including Peru and India, and a long-distance relationship with the most amazing man who happens to be on the other side of the Atlantic.  Somehow I am still stressed out even though I don’t have a job yet, and most days I just feel like taking off on another adventure. The only thing that really calms my nerves is talking about traveling and that ever-so-addicting confirmation email you receive after buying an airline ticket… off to search for flights!

Me, backpacking through Southeast Asia.