Photograph by Michele Zousmer
The distance in miles from San Diego, California to Egudi, Ethiopia is 9,700. This village, home of the pastoralist Arbore tribe is difficult to reach during the rainy season as the one road quickly turns into a river. In the dry season the dust and gravel kick up and the rocks and pebbles become projectiles on the road. It is here, in this village where the cycle of life is governed by the changing of the seasons and the rise and setting of the sun that I received a life lesson from a girl who didn't know her age, couldn't write her name and sleeps on the hard ground on a goatskin. People live together, eat together, sleep together, laugh together and dance together. It is thought that the more they dance, the healthier their tribe will be. But for me the most symbolic event that I photographed was this lovely girl drinking from a gourd. As she told my translator, when I asked if she could relate differences between her life and mine; " a water bottle is only good for one person to drink from; a gourd is big enough to be shared by many". After I photographed her sitting in the shade, I realized why I just traveled 9,700 miles. I am not sure I will give up my water bottle but on my next trip I will be sure to share the gourd with the people that I meet along the way.
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