I really hope I am pronouncing Djibouti correctly when I say ja booty. To be honest, Djibouti is what drew me to picking this route. In 7th grade I remember learning geography from Mr. Hebden and the immature middle school class all erupted into laughter when he told us the name of the country. Then all my campers giggled as I listed off this country, and every teammate of mine has also shared stories of the name provoking laughter as well. I am hoping that it is a foreshadow of Djibouti bringing great joy to our squad as we will be entering the half way point of the race in Djibouti! We are the first team to come to Djibouti through Adventures in Missions so we have the opportunity to pioneer the program and find the connections for future racers. We will also be there with the August Expedition route who we will meet at Training Camp! Djibouti is roughly the size of Connecticut so I can’t imagine we will be far from each other! Djibouti also has the largest American Military base in Africa, so it should be an interesting experience!
Djibouti: Month 6
Map:
Flag:
Language: French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Religion: Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Population: 884,017 (July 2018 est.), Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian)
Unique Animals: Red River Hog, hyenas, jackals, antelopes and gazelle. African wild dog is considered now as an endangered species. Ostrich, grebes, tropic birds, pelicans, frigate birds, flamingos, ducks and many others. Nile crocodile, sand snake, puff adder snake and chameleons. And 11 different types of Scorpions!
Special Foods:
Injera is what Djibouti calls its traditional flatbread.
Banana Fritters: In Djibouti, banana fritters are made with mashed ripe bananas mixed in a batter of flour, sugary water, and a dash of nutmeg.This batter is poured onto a pan, in the same way you would cook pancakes, then fried until golden, then served warm.
Samboussa: In Djibouti, this savory pastry is made with a filling of meat, leeks, and onions, folded into a triangular pastry, then deep fried until golden brown and crispy. It can be served with some African hot sauce.
Cool Geography: Djibouti is mainly desert but it also contains some awesome landforms including Volcanoes! Its highest peak is actually a volcano, Moussa Ali. Lake Assal is a crater lake an it is 10X saltier than the sea. It is the one of the most saline bodies of water, after Don Juan Pond, and is the world’s largest salt reserve. You can float in it like the Dead Sea. It is also the lowest point in africa.
Fun things to do: Visit Lake Assal. Day Forest National Park. Visit Lac Abbe. Rushing Water Adventures (includes snorkeling, kayaking, and other water activities). Dolphin Excursions
Prayer
Please pray as we enter Djibouti that the peoples hearts will be open to us and the Gospel. We are the first group from Adventures to go into Djibouti and we get to scout it out. Pray for safety and guidance.
As always, if you have any thing about Djibouti, please share in the comments, I would love to know your thoughts! 🙂 <3 KJ
