One of the most fascinating things about language is that it doesn’t just enable us to talk about things, it also impacts the way we see things.
From a Filipino perspective, a relationship of any sorts is about a merging of spirits and the shared space.
All the credit goes to @sikodiwa for being the first to connect the dots for me on deeper meaning in Filipino language. Go check out his stuff for the richest insight into Filipino psychology.
The Sundarbans is one of the most important tropical forests in Asia. Right at the coastline of India and Bangladesh, its mangrove trees can serve as important buffers between those countries and the surge of cyclones that routinely pass through the Indian Ocean.
It also happens to be home to a lot of species, but most famously the bengal tiger. The bengal population has been concerningly low over the past few years, so protecting this area carries a lot of importance for both human and wildlife communities.
Some of the more unique drinks I discovered while in Ethiopia…
Areke – a traditional alcoholic beverage. When I tried a shot of it, it tasted like a pretty mild tequila. That flavor can be deceiving, though. Supposedly it can run up to 80 proof pretty regularly. The distillation process did look a lot like tequila’s.
Negus/Sen’q/etc. – One of the more popular soft drinks are carbonated malt beverages, and some are given a little bit of a coffee flavoring too. I definitely developed the taste for this stuff while I was there.
Special Tea – even its Amharic name translates to Ethiopian Special Tea. This was a very bright tea made from citrus and ginger, and heavily sweetened to the point that it tasted like a creamsicle. Honestly it was quite good.
Within days of returning from Ethiopia, I started getting WhatsApp messages from a lot of the people I met there. Are you alright? Where are you now?
The region I visited took a serious turn for the worse just after I left. Ethiopia’s had some pretty intense conflicts within the country, and those really flared up a few months ago. The internet was shut down across the region. The airports were shut.
War feels all over the place lately. And while I don’t know people in every region where it’s happening, I do know the feel of the WhatsApp messages. What about your family? Is it as bad as it looks from here?
If nothing else, it reminds me that Sudan and Armenia are no mere hashtags. They’ve got soul and people and people who love those people. These encounters make conflict a little less abstract, a little more human. I think we could use some more of that right now.
Rhys and I took our first father-son camping trip together. I kept wondering if it was gonna be like A Goofy Movie, but my memory’s fuzzy so I think I’ll need to rewatch that to draw a proper conclusion.
We camped at Alice Lake, just outside of Squamish.
I also wanted to spend a little bit of time in Vancouver with Rhys as well. It’s such an interconnected city, and there’s plenty to do with a kid.
So happy with how this weekend shaped up.
Ethiopia has maintained its independence going back to ancient times. They were able to resist Italy over and over and avoided being colonized.
As a result, there are so many things that Ethiopia just does in its own unique way, from coffee to the alphabet to Christianity.
One of my favorite uniquely Ethiopian things, though, has to be the calendar. Ethiopians are living in 2016 right now. Their calendar has an extra mini-month, and it runs a few years behind the Gregorian calendar mostly used elsewhere.
This weekend was one for the books!
Did some storytelling about bucket lists, the Floor is Lava, and making time stand still at @truthincomedydfw Had such a blast doing what I love and seeing good friends, family, and Metal People come out to join.
Myself and two other storytellers shared some personal stories we’ve written. Then comedians came out to perform based on elements of those stories. An artist created three pieces of work based on the stories as well.
I was incredibly impressed by @adrianhuthpaintings painting based on my story… he hadn’t even seen photos of my kids, but somehow captured the Kai & Juniper vibe pretty spot on.
Huge thanks to @stampsbyron for this gem of an idea, @lucey_love_comedy for the last minute stand up set, and everyone who turned out to support!
A while ago, I came upon some super cheap flights to Vancouver. I love Vancouver. I immediately thought, I should go on a little father-son outing with Rhys, now that he’s big enough for that sort of thing to be enjoyable.
I also figured, we should go camping! There’s a plethora of good camping spots all around the Vancouver area. Plus Kai and Juniper aren’t at the best age for that sort of thing, so getting our fix during a father-son trip seemed just right.
Here’s how the adventure started. Rhys still tells me the Vancouver airport is his favorite, because of all the escalators.
One of my biggest goals this year was to trim down the amount of activity I had going on in my life so I could have a little more space to take it all in.
Have I done it?
Sometimes it’s hard to notice. With three littles, it’s never gonna be slow paced, exactly. But I am finding myself with a few more moments where I can take a mental snapshot of how things are right now and I’ve been appreciating that a lot lately.
Rhys, my man. Getting to watch you grow up is seriously the best.
I am so lucky I’m your dad. When we were on our camping adventure in Canada, I kept thinking, this is a special kid. Handled such a big adventure so early in life like a pro. Traveled better than many adults.
I love your imaginative play, your go-with-the-flow nature, and your love of nature. Especially when things in nature erupt. And you’re such a natural at the big-brother thing. Kai & Juniper are lucky too.
My earliest memories that are clear come from year four. It’s a good one! Keep indulging your passions and I’ll be right there with you.
Getting to see the Sundarbans mangrove forest close up. In real life. Bengal tiger territory!
I did not see a tiger… but that’s actually a good thing. The stories I heard of the tiger-and-human interactions were all pretty tragic. For both species.
I did see plenty of macaques, but those guys are jerks most of the time. Lots of white spotted deer, which are gorgeous. And then some crocodiles. I did not realize that a croc can live up to 70 years old until this visit, but that’s pretty cool.
Ethiopia’s popular party drink, turbo, is… well… I don’t want to be rude. But it kinda sounded like a cup of chaos.
White wine, beer, sprite, fruit, and ice. It kind of feels like you took the spirit of a ten year old at a soda fountain and threw it behind a bar.
But you know what?
It works. Like… turbo wasn’t bad at all. Sangria-like in an odd way.
Would you drink this?
“This is my birthplace, I will always feel emotionally connected.
We are under the mother’s care in this area.
We are proud to live in this beautiful place.”
Man, people have mixed feelings on Addis Ababa.
As one of Africa’s biggest cities it’s a hub of diversity and activity. But it can also be a bit crowded and chaotic and a fair amount of people suggest spending most of your time in Ethiopia outside the capital.
I had one full day in Addis Ababa to see for myself. Here’s how I spent it:
🇪🇹 Meandering the Shola Marketplace
🇪🇹 Visiting the Ethiopian National Museum
🇪🇹 Big ol’ Injera lunch
🇪🇹 Coffee, beer, and fried fish
🇪🇹 Checking out the church of St. Maryam and the park on Mount Entoto
“You don’t need to spend that much time in Addis Ababa.”
“It’s too chaotic and crowded of a city.”
“People will be much nicer elsewhere.”
It’s true that going outside capital cities and major metros is usually a good move if you want to develop a more intimate experience with a country. It’s true that there’s a correlation between city life and being busy, which is often a precursor to less friendliness.
That said, I spent a day in Addis Ababa while passing through and it absolutely had a warm heart.
🇪🇹 Spent the morning exploring Shola Market, checking out the vendor’s crafts, and learning a ton about spices and grains.
🇪🇹 Went to the National Museum and got a deep dive into Ethiopia’s history. Two centuries of immersion in less than two hours. I also got to see Lucy, as in, the human ancestor! I probably forgot the part of 6th grade that mentioned she was found in Ethiopia, and she’s still there.
🇪🇹 A little walk up Mount Entoto for some incredible views over the whole city.
🇪🇹 Spent some time at Maryam Church for the first of many encounters with Ethiopian religious life
🇪🇹 A bit of a turbo food tour, including a proper injera spread, shiro, a fantastic fried tilapia, and a beer & beef pit stop.
🇪🇹 Some rich insight into how Ethiopia’s history sets the stage for its current struggles from our guide Bule.
Do we need a loud and clear wake up call to start actually worrying about climate change?
This might sound surprising, but I don’t think we do.
We don’t need a natural disaster of epic proportions to move the needle. We’ve had plenty. We’ll keep having plenty, year after year.
And people are worried, especially young people. But the goal isn’t to create worry. It’s to reduce emissions and protect the planet. As far as worry goes, I think it’s accomplished what it can accomplish. In some cases, it’s even backfired, making some people give up doing anything about climate change because ‘we’re already screwed.’
I think what we need more of are stories about solutions, and case studies of people adopting those solutions in their community.
An opinion like ‘it’s too late, why even try,’ just doesn’t cut it after you’ve spoken with a farmer in Thailand who’s convinced his whole community to stop monocropping and to plant hundreds of trees per person.
Eskista.
This night was ridiculous but I it let me know right away that I was going to love it here.
How to have an awesome weekend in British Columbia:
1) Have an incredible kid
2) Spend three years and eleven months raising him to be a great adventurer.
3) Take him on an epic father-son camping trip to Alice Lake.
Regarding number 2, you don’t need to do much to ~make~ him an adventurer. He comes that way upon delivery! Just keep that fire going!
Such a good time in British Columbia but my main takeaway was: Dang! I got a really awesome kid. He took to travel and camping more easily than most adults. My man became an expert on bear safety, the green line of the Vancouver rail, and noodle parties.
He’s a stellar big brother and I love our big wild family, but getting to toss in some special one-on-one adventures is really sweet.
The best person I know is having a birthday today.
It feels like we’ve been through everything together, and I suppose that’s cause we really have. Tiny humans. Meaningful work. Loads of adventures.
There’s an endless amount of things I love and appreciate about Deanna but these days I get to see her emotional intellect on full display around the clock, whether it’s with kids or at work or with me. It instantly makes wherever she is a safer place where people can shine.
