English 269
Laney collage
Fall semester
Mr. Mullen
Essay #1
Biniyam Tesfaye
10-12-07

Wrong Journey

It was a beautiful summer day. We were playing soccer. My friend Betre told me to take a brake and to discuss about the plan, when we would go and how to get Djibouti; one of the smallest country in Africa. We went through the Franco-Ethiopian railway system which links Djibouti to the heart of Ethiopia.

I knew my friend Betre since first grade. It was our dream to go to the neighbor country Djibouti. Most people used this country as a transit to Europe and America. That is why we want to travel over there.

A week later we made every thing ready like food, clothe and some pocket money. Then we made appointment to the next day. We went to the station and we start watching out for the train to come. At six in the morning, one cargo train was leaving the station. We started running to jump on the train. We did every thing successfully.

The train started moving faster. It was noisy and very windy, but for kids like us it was fun or adventure. Minutes changed to hours. The train moving across the city, town and farms. We saw some thing attractive which was a vast grass land with randomly planted acacia trees. It was one of the biggest parks Known as “Awash National Park”. Located at the southern tip of the Afar Region. Wild-life in this park includes the east Africa Oryx, Soemmerring Gazelle. Dik-dik, and the lesser and greater Kudus, as well as over 350 species of native birds. We were lucky we saw some of them.

The time was almost six in the evening. The train reached its destination. Before it enters to the station we jumped down. That was great, nobody hurted. Then we walked around the station. We heard same language, that we spoken. How? It was our question. To get the answer we had to ask someone. One old man told us that was Addis Ababa the capital city of Ethiopia. It was hard to believe; we were in the wrong train.

On the other side of the street we saw home less; some of them slept under the big building, others talking each other and bagging. With out saying any thing we crossed the street and we sat on the corner. A few minutes later I opened the plastic bag then I took banana and bread. “Hay, take some” I said to him. He was not happy. I said “it is good for you, you can get some energy”. No respond. Silence for a minute. “Ok give me banana” he said. I gave it to him.