First day in Mekele

This morning, we arrived in Mekele - in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia - on a sunrise flight. Again, we quickly got to work after landing. Marjorie actually even had a couple of relevant strategy meetings on the plane with familiar faces that happened to be on the same flight as us! After a walk around town, (and some macchiatos and "special foul" (pronounced "fool") for breakfast - a mixture of beans, scrambled eggs, and spices served in a bowl - it was actually in my breakfast picture on the first day) we had a meeting with the director of the local government weather service office - who then invited me to his house for a coffee ceremony and lunch. What an experience. I felt so honored to be welcomed so thoroughly by his family. The dusty streets were later quenched by a gentle afternoon thunderstorm... it was so beautiful and a welcome contrast to busy Addis. A great day.

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Sunrise flight.

Amharic warning notice.

Tigray. A bit dry. Marjorie says it reminds her of El Paso.

Sunday Ethiopian Orthodox church service.

Downtown Mekele.

Soccer match from my hotel window.

View from my hotel window.

Waiting for the coffee ceremony at Yosef's house.

Yosef's wife making the coffee.

Yosef talking animatedly about climate change adaptation.

The front of Yosef's house, with their 2 cows.

Yosef's son walking his bike.

Terracing Yosef and his brother constructed near their house.

The small bridge that Yosef and his brother built.

The road from Yosef's house back to town.