Travel The World

According to weather reports, the temperature hit 111 degrees in Djibouti yesterday.  I believe that is the hottest temperature I've ever experienced.  I don't even want to go outside!

I've been miserable this week!  I don't know if it's the heat or the culture finally wearing me down but I've been angry with everyone and overreacting to every event.  I have nine weeks to go but I wonder if I can hold on until then without doing something crazy.  I would kill right now for a good conversation.  I would also pay money to be left alone while walking around in public.  I lay in bed at night fantasizing about being home and doing the most mundane chores. This isn't culture shock, it's culture electrocution!!!

Well, I am now over the halfway mark for my time here in Djibouti.  I'm supposed to be here for a total of six months and I only have about two and a half left.  I was hoping the remaining time would pass quickly but then I thought of a mountain I climbed five years ago in Slovakia.  It was only 2,500 meters but the two-hour walk to the base had already tuckered me out.  I really struggled to reach the summit but once I did, I heaved a sigh of relief.  I mean, after all, I knew the walk back down would be much easier than the climb up.  Yet, when I began the descent, I began to experience worse pain than I could have possibly imagined.  Every time my foot hit a rock, a jolting pain would shoot up my spine.  At the end, I was totally worn out and demoralized. I hope the descent in Djibouti doesn't have the same effect on me!

Or, maybe he didn't.  You can see in this picture a shepherd tending his flock.  Actually, you can't see the shepherd very well because he's lying on the ground sound asleep.  Admittedly, I have no experience in this vocation but common sense dictates that a shepherd should stay awake while doing his job, right? Just another day in Djibouti.