My Summer Trip to Eritrea

Overthe summer break this year, I visited my home country Eritrea for the very first time. To many, my country is unknown to them due to its small size and the fact it is relatively a very young country. In 1991, my country gained independence from neighboring Ethiopia after a brutal war was fought. Although the war resulted in many casualties and tragedies, it also resulted in freedom. However, this sense of freedom was short-lived due to extremely complicated political problems within the country.

Currently, Eritrean civilians have no access to direct and fast wifi and other necessities which lead to the country given a poor reputation globally.

Traveling to my home country and seeing it for myself made me realize that everything that I had heard prior to my departure was false.

As odd as it sounds, it was as if I had been placed in a time machine and was living in the 60s. Everything was old-fashioned and vintage. To many, not having access to modern living conditions would be seen as a punishment rather than a vacation. But to me, it was the best thing to have ever happened to me. For possibly the first time in my life I felt like I was truly living.

In today’s world, our social life stems from social media. Everything seems to be through our phones these days which can be beneficial, but it can also be detrimental.

Due to the political state of my country, wifi and access to social media is something that is almost nonexistent. At first, it was extremely hard for me to adjust to these unfamiliar living conditions. I went from waking up every morning and checking my Instagram feed to waking up without even glancing at my phone. This isolation from social media and society as a whole brought an immense amount of peace to my life and changed the way that I see the world in a way.

What made this trip interesting though, wasn’t the fact that I was able to adjust to the lifestyle as quickly and smoothly as I did, but it was the people who reside there who left me in awe.

The biggest observation I made in terms of the differences between life here and in my home country

Editor-in-Chief: Chaimaa Assli ‘23

Editor-in-Chief: Juliana Luong ‘23

Editor-in-Chief of Print and Design: Kayley Glavin ‘23