Flying into Madagascar was something like a dream. Green beauty stretched out in front of the plane window as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful and set the stage for a very interesting trip to visit the Madagasy people. After a day of walking the town and speaking with locals, I got a lot of the usual responses of family and friends but one unusual repeated response stood out from the others: Security and Safety. It seemed that the latest government coup in 2006 still stood fresh in the minds of all the residents and the number one response I received was that people were happy that the government was safe, secure and calm. It was strange to see how much that affected everyone's thinking. At night, in search of the local food, I got to see Madagascar take on a new face and show a very different form of happiness. Karaoke! The local dish is beef cubes skewered, grilled and served with shredded cabbage. I found this open air hole in the wall where they were served. Although it was dingy, dirty and filled with smoke from the grill outside cooking the skewers, it was charismatic in it's own way and I was happy to be there. The big surprise, however, was that the place had karaoke set up and it was going strong. It didn't matter whether people had singing talent or not, no one was afraid to get up and sing and despite the talent level, everyone sang with their heart and soul in the music. Also, people didn't sing alone. Entire groups of five and six got up there to sing so that a person would be singing the lead and he would have four or five backup singers going, "Ohhh, ohhhhhhhh." Of course, you know, I would have sang as well but I just don't know that many Madagasy songs.;) It sounded very strange but it was very enjoyable. You haven't lived until you've listened to Madagasy karaoke:)

We arrived pretty late in Tanzania. It was one of those arrive-late-in-the-afternoon-leave-in-the-morning gigs. So what to do in such a short time? Our hosts told us that the Tanzanian people a. love to hang out with their family and friends b. love to party. Now that would have been a good excuse to go partying ourselves (we have to find the happiness right?) But since we had an early start chose to be reasonable. We’d just have to take her word for it. 

So we decided to explore the first option. Now we wanted to know where we could see people hanging out together. ‘The beach!’ they said in unison. You would think the beaches would be packed with tourists. ‘Nah! Tanzanian people always hang out at the beach!’ Well we never say no to a beach, as we don’t often get the chance to see one (nope this is not a holiday guys!).

We got there just before the sun went down and hurriedly chatted to some people. But it was obvious from just watching them that this was definitely something that brought them happiness, just being together and enjoying the warm sea and last rays of the sun. There must have been something in the air as one of our hosts came out of her shell and gave as a wonderful performance.

Visiting Uganda was a bit different for us. We arrived right at the end of the three month mark for the start of this trip. Generally, people always ask us how tiring this trip is. At times, we are a just a tad bit tired but in Uganda, having marked three months, we were much more reflective. In the previous country, Ethiopia, Kelly and Antonio witnessed poverty in the children on a level that they have never seen before. Afterwards, when they came back to the hotel, they were in tears and the time that we spent together afterwards reinforced that steady bond that we are developing during this trip. Our tears together turned into laughs together which then turned into special and more shared moments together. Uganda for us was a chance to look back on it all so far and appreciate how far we have come as a group. We could have never imagined sharing so much with each other. At this point, we have no secrets from each other, we have seen each other's best and worst days and we can make one another laugh without thought. Our inside jokes are limitless and we can finish each other's sentences. We even make games where we answer each other's interview questions without error. This trip has had moments where it would normally be tiring or difficult to stay focused. Those moments never fulfill themselves however, because we are always there for each other to provide some laughter, a simple smile, some encouragement or a shoulder to lean or cry on. In Uganda, we realized that because of this trip, we have be bonded through adversity, beauty and a shared experience like no other. We have moved well past friendship and are now in the deepest levels of family.

When one thinks “Ethiopia”, the first image that appears is a heart wrenching scene of a child with a big undernourished belly and a number at the bottom of your screen where you can make your donations to help fight hunger. The country is indeed very poor and our heart broke several times faced with the despair of the street children. 

“How can we find happiness here?” We thought. Until we were met by a bunch of school kids armed with a football. You see one thing that can really make the people happy here is indulging in their one and only passion : football! If there is a ball, everyone will play. The street kids join in with the adults and are united by the love of the game. 

Passion is one thing we have found to be a source of happiness. It doesn’t take an expert to see what these kids were passionate about. Just seeing the smiles on their faces proves that they truly love the sport and it is a definite source of happiness for them. They might now have much, or next to nothing, but being able to share a passion like that with a whole nation gives them a feeling of being part of something that transcends all of them. It was a pleasure to see so much pleasure in someone’s eyes. 

We finished for the day feeling happy to have shared with the youngsters but sad because of the haunting look in the eyes of the street kids.

Binyam, one of our hosts here, tells us about the coffee ceremony here in Ethiopia. It's a really important part of their culture: they eat and then they sit to drink coffee and eat pop corn (yeah, pop corn with coffee... And believe it or not it's delicious). And it's all about sharing with the family and friends while they enjoy this tradition that goes way back in time.

Maram, one of our hosts, tells us that one of the coolest things she did once here in Egypt was to ride a horse that was named Shakira! She had an awesome time although her horse wasn't paying much attention where to go. The horse was doing what she wanted to do and Maram was laughing the entire time! Look at how happy Maram is standing next to the horse! ;D

We're in the bus, in the middle of the city. We turn a corner and suddenly... There they are! The pyramids are just there behind the city's horizon. 

Our new friends in Egypt explain how important the sun is to them. It's really interesting considering how important the sun has been in Egypt throughout the ages, even once being considered a God.

Un país misterioso, con una cultura milenaria que ha fascinado a muchos seres humanos a lo largo de la historia. Un país que me ha fascinado y ha intrigado desde hace mucho tiempo. Egipto: un país vibrante, lleno de vida, que nos invita a sumergirnos en su historia. Pero no sólo en la de su pasado sino también en la de su presente. En nuestra estadía en Egipto hemos conocido gente que encuentra su felicidad en ayudar a otros seres humanos; gente a la que se le ilumina el rostro cuándo ven que han logrado cambiar tu día o tu estado de ánimo; gente que, sin importar lo que reciban a cambio o no, está dispuesta a dar lo mejor de sí para contribuir a que los que están a su alrededor estén lo mejor posible; gente que busca aportar cosas nuevas al mundo que los rodea buscando causar un impacto positivo. Ciertamente me gusta el concepto de felicidad de Egipto.