In our past articles NUEYS introduced the new group that has been made by the Eritrean diaspora youth within NUEYS called the Eritrean Youth of the Fourth Front (EYFF). The aim of the formation of this group was to create a space where Eritrean diaspora youth who had come to Eritrea could come and gather in an organized manner and enjoy their motherland with other youth who have similar point of views/mindsets as themselves. Other than connecting at the EYFF meets that take place every week, the youths in the group also hold different events that they organize within themselves. So far the group has gone to the Orphanage in Asmara, to a facility for the mentally impaired, to Biet Gergish for a mini tree-planting project(which is still continuing), and to a nice dinner.
In a continuation of these EYFF plans, the group decided to create plans that were more laid-back & relaxing. So the after thinking through a lot of ideas, it was decided that the first trip (outside of Asmara) they EYFF would go on, would be to one of Eritrea’s beautiful coastal cities, Massawa.
So on Friday morning the group began their journey to Massawa. The group decided to take public transport, thereasoning behind taking public transport is that the EYFF thought it’d be a more authentic experience, rather than taking a private car which would basically isolate you from the real thing. The ride down from Asmara to Massawa was incredibly beautiful, with endless greenery and such beautiful landscape as far as the eye could see. Though the temperature did gradually begin to increase as they began to enter the lowlands, it was near-impossible to acknowledge petty inconveniences such as the heat while gazing at such breathtaking sights.
After an hour or two of riding the bus, the driver made a rest stop at Gahtelay (a town outside of Massawa). There the group had their breakfast and a sneak peak at what Massawa had in store for them. The EYFF arrived in Massawa after approximately three hours at around 10:30AM. It took some time for everyone to adjust to the heat mixed with humidity as they rested and unpacked.
Immediately everyone decided the next move for the group was to go to Gergusum Beach in order to cool down. So the group took a taxi and went to the beach. Once they had gotten to Gergusum the winds coming in from the sea did a good job of slightly cooling everybody down a bit, and once everyone was in the water the heat was completely forgotten about. Though the sea water was extremely salty, nevertheless, being in it was tremendously soothing.
Another highlight of this trip was on the second day. On the next day of the trip the group decided to go to Green Island. This is a small Island a few kilometers of the coast of Massawa. Its beauty is jaw dropping. The island itself is petite and slender in size, the water body surrounding it is crystal blue in color and it’s as clean as can be. The sheer beauty of the sea looks like it has come out a scene of a movie taking place in the Caribbean. After we had finished treating ourselves to a good time on the gorgeous island, we began our return to the mainland.
As they we returned on the small boat the group witnessed another beauty on top of everything that had been seen already, Dolphins. These majestic amphibious creatures were seen in their own group of around five. As if they had been intentionally waiting for a crowd, the Dolphins began shooting up into the air and doing acrobatic flips as soon as we came close enough to see them. The driver of the boat circled around to them so that the group could get a closer look, and once again as if they had been waiting for our reaction they began jumping up and diving back down again while making adorable little dolphin noises and producing large splashes.
After two days of relaxation in Massawa the groups’ trip had come to an end, on Sunday afternoon the group returned to Asmara. The EYFF’s inaugural adventure outside of Asmara was a success and the group came back satisfied as well as a bit exhausted. But at the end of the day like all EYFF events, the trip to Massawa helped create closer and stronger bonds within the EYFF. It also showed that this group can be a great way for Eritrean diaspora youth to enjoy their country.
Written By: Raey Berhane