Ice Cream and Poverty

Djibouti, Staff Story l March 13, 2013

A Life Overseas … by Rachel Pieh Jones

My 7-year old went to her Somali/Arab/Afar dance class one Saturday afternoon. The guard outside informed us that there was no longer dance on Saturday afternoon, no matter that we had signed up, no matter that we had paid just last week.

Discouraged, we ran errands instead and ended up at a store which sells Magnum Bars. Be thankful drool doesn’t come through the internet. Mmmm….Magnum Bars….mmmm…My husband was a country away, my twins were at boarding school two countries away, dance class was canceled…We decided to buy two ice cream bars and eat them while taking a stroll through the neighborhood together.

I left the store with three little white plastic bags of items like canned corn and tomato paste and toilet paper. As I reached the car I heard my Somali name.

The Value, Diversity and Power of World Languages

Djibouti, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Media, National Stories, Vietnam l April 26, 2011

Image: The Value, Diversity and Power of World Languages

By: Donna May Lyons, REI Communications & Fundraising Assistant

Protecting the cultural diversity & historical value of world languages while promoting versus harnessing the power of progress.

Middle Eastern Turmoil, Part 2: Update on Djibouti

Breaking News, Djibouti, Staff Story l February 28, 2011

Image: Middle Eastern Turmoil, Part 2: Update on Djibouti

REI staff report that things have calmed in Djibouti.

Last week, the REI home team received the startling news from our staff that Djibouti, like most countries in the Middle East, was beginning to experience pangs of uprising. With presidential elections on the horizon (set for April), the political climate had become tense in the region, with small protests erupting in Djibouti City’s suburbs. However, we had heard that all of our staff were still safe and that they weren’t concerned that their safety would be threatened.

On Saturday, we received a report from staff that Djibouti has calmed. There had been rumors that strikes would come from last Saturday (February 19) through Friday (February 25), but they remained rumors and none of the strikes occurred.

Middle Eastern Turmoil

Breaking News, Djibouti, Staff Story l February 21, 2011

Image: Middle Eastern Turmoil

Our staff in Djibouti give us an update of the turmoil in their country.

Amidst all the turmoil in the Middle East, our staff in Africa have been holding their breath to see how it affects the countries where they live and work. Our staff in Djibouti, up to this point, have not been impacted by the protests in other countries, but just this past Friday, the REI home team received a new update on protests in Djibouti.

Djibouti: Poor in Water

Djibouti, National Stories l January 4, 2011

Image: Djibouti: Poor in Water

Read a BBC correspondent’s description of Djibouti as land of “constant thirst.”

REI has more than five staff (and their families) who live and work in the Horn of Africa in one of the hottest places on earth: Djibouti. What is Djibouti like? Read this BBC Correspondent’s article below called “A Life of Constant Thirst Beside Djibouti’s Lake Assal” for a taste.

Breaking News: Part 1 of Roderick’s Around-the-World Adventure!

Breaking News, Djibouti, Egypt, Home Office, Staff Story l November 3, 2010

Image: Breaking News: Part 1 of Roderick’s Around-the-World Adventure!

REI’s CEO reports on his recent round-the-world trip visiting REI staff in Africa and the Middle East.

REI’s President and CEO, Roderick Beidler, just returned last week from a round-the-world trip to visit REI staff in East Africa and the Middle East. He was joined by REI’s Regional President for East Africa and the Middle East, Rick Heupel, and together they visited REI’s staff in Djibouti and Jordan—and boy, were they excited about what they saw.In Roderick’s words, “Nothing substitutes for being there!”

Life in Djibouti: An Expatriate’s Diary

Djibouti, Staff Story l September 7, 2010

Image: Life in Djibouti: An Expatriate’s Diary

Learn about Djibouti from an REI worker’s perspective.

Rachel and Tom Jones, along with their kids, have lived in Djibouti doing REI work since 2004. Read her story below as she reflects on what she’s learned as an American living in Djibouti over the past six years. To read more of her reflections on Djibouti, check out her blog.

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Being an expatriate in Djibouti is an opportunity to learn to live all over again.

I stepped off the plane in 2004 and thought I knew something about living in east Africa. I had already finished a teaching stint of eight months in Somalia where I had learned how to tell goat meat from camel meat, how to ignore machine gun fire and how to explain English idioms to non-native English speakers. But Djibouti is an entirely different place and I soon realized that I’ve only begun to learn.

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