Oh, the smell of frankfurters in the morning! Just landed in Frankfurt en route to Cairo. Team bonding is at its height. Thing we have found out about each other: 1) Ed Cohen is the “Honey Badger,” 2) Manasi has already been handed a “demerit” by the demerit-keeper: Joe Queenan, 3) Meghan really likes sleeping, 4) Cory can’t sleep on planes, 5) Joe S wants to go to Iran, and 6) Rob gets profiled at airports…. More exciting stuff to come soon!
Ethiopia, the Beginning.
??? (Selam), friends. Today we (some pictured below), a team of four University of Notre Dame MBA students, one Masters of International Peace Studies student, one Law student and one management professor as part of the course Business on the Front Lines embark on an exciting two week journey of learning in Ethiopia. We are trading the comforts of our community in South Bend, Indiana (and happily a hectic and sleepless week of finals, for some!) for the opportunity to combine the knowledge fostered during our studies to better understand the work of Catholic Relief Services and Hararghe Catholic Secretariat in Ethiopia. Through our visits to Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa and beyond, we hope to broaden our world views and discover what defines Ethiopia’s NGO context and populous, which includes more than 84 ethnic groups, some 50 percent of whom are under the age of twenty years old.
As we trek to Ethiopia via Istanbul, we read about news of Ethiopian Prime Minister Zenawi embarking in peace talks with Somali leaders, as well as of continued negotiations to free international journalists recently jailed in Ethiopia. Clearly, this country (see the map below for geographical context), which is thought to be the birthplace of humankind, has much to teach us about both peace and conflict.
Tune into this blog and our Twitter page for regular updates on our journey. We’ll paint a picture of our insights, adventures, struggles, and hopefully a few noteworthy epiphanies. We’ll chat about the people we meet, the things we eat (lots of delicious injera bread, we’re told!) and the lessons and excitement that result.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure… stay tuned!
Team Ethiopia,
Ashley Bernard (MBA,), Aldo Leal (MBA), Ezekiel Freeman (Masters of International Peace Studies), Emily Block (Management Professor), Jose Luis Lopez Amador (MBA), LaDawn Burnett (Law) and Mary Claire Sullivan (MBA)
Team Philippines: Ready to Go!
As team Philippines prepares to embark on over 24 hours of travel, there is nothing but excitement among the group. We will be examining mining on the southern island of Mindanao. We hope to learn a great deal about the industry and the context of business within Mindanao.
Team Guatemala: Getting Ready for the Trip
And with a blink of an eye, a mod has passed. We are only hours away from embarking to Guatemala. All the research, studying, thinking and packing we have done to prep ourselves for this trip will soon be put to the test. Soon, we will leave behind the comforts of home and take on the role of “The Other”, strangers from another world. Please check back regularly for highlights from our journey.
Team Egypt’s First Blog Post Ever!
Team Egypt is off on Friday afternoon (March 2nd) from O’Hare to Cairo via Frankfurt. Cairo was hit today with a dust storm, which generally lasts for about 4-5 days, so will be arriving to a Cairo that looks like the picture shown above. Nevertheless, we are really excited to land on Saturday and meet our wonderful in-country team: Hani, Britton, and Rosalie, and to begin our exploration of Egypt.
Fear not, we will be sure to update the blog every day with schedules, pictures, and anecdotes. Starting on Friday/Saturday, our travel days, you will see exciting pictures, such as Rob sleeping…
– Team Egypt
(Cory, Ed, Joe Q, Joe S, Rob, Meghan, & Manasi)