The end is too near

When I arrived to Ethiopia three months ago I knew next to nothing about it. I had focused my studies on the Somalia and how other countries in the Horn of Africa affected the dynamics within it, but I had never taken the time to truly study those countries.

My education about Ethiopia began immediately and continues to this day. I have been so amazed with the people of Ethiopia and their rich history. Whether it be the urban dwellers in Addis Ababa or the people of rural Gambella, all have extended their sincere kindness to me, and there is really nothing I can do to repay them for all that they have done for me.

I have so many stories and experiences that didn’t make this blog, there are many subtleties that I could never explain, etc, etc, etc…

I have been so blessed to have a fair amount of time to say goodbyes to those I have developed friendships with here. The best part about it is that it doesn’t feel like a true goodbye. I am quite confident that I will remain in contact with all of them, hopefully see many of them again, and maybe even help one come to the US. 

mmmm.... kitfo

Me, Rakeb, and Fikerte eating the kitfo

The mysterious Sam Ray

One last trip to Jazzamba

Rakeb & Fikerte enjoying Ethiopian Jazz

Pool Party

Have you ever completely overextended yourself? That is where I sit at the moment. 18 credit hours for grad school, working 20 hours per week, pulling together a fundraiser for iEmpathize, taking the Foreign Service Officer Test, countless meetings, and trying my best to have a life on top of this is what awaits me upon my return to Denver.

Thus, the best thing to do before returning to the US is to go to the Hilton and enjoy their pool which is fed by natural hot springs! 

Sporting the Farmer's Tans... 

Rakeb learning how to swim

After a summer long search, I have found the illusive Hakim Stout!

One Week

88 Days is where it started. The countdown, which crept by much too slowly upon my arrival in Ethiopia, is now down to a mere 7 days. I have no idea where the last 81 days went, and while I could not be more excited to see my beautiful wife again, I am completely unprepared to leave Ethiopia. To suppress my sadness I have when thinking about leaving, and the anxiety I feel about returning to an utterly chaotic last quarter in grad school, I have decided that the best thing to do is eat as many sweets as I can and take photos of those I will miss dearly. 

Sara and Rakeb at Sara's going away party

Discovered out of desperation in Panama, reintroduced in Ethiopia

Eyerusalem and I at CCL before she left to finish her studies in S. Africa

Who knew you could find fancy cupcakes in Ethiopia?!? 

Pictures from Gambella!!!

View from a cool bridge

Old overgrown Italian fort

Coffee Shop at the fort

The church I attended and spoke at

World Food Program's first operation involving sending barges to Gambella to pick up food. 

The "palace"

Trucks that have transported food from Djibouti all the way to Western Ethiopia

Kitfo in the middle of the plate = raw meat and butter

World Food Program operation where 16,000 tons of food will be shipped down the river to refugees in South Sudan

How work gets done in Gambella. Tigest (Left) Rehima (Middle) are two of our new staff members, and we are cruising around town in a bajaj to meet with all the organizations we hope to partner with

The restaurant/gathering area at my hotel. Flag at half mast because of the passing of Prime Minister Meles

Last moments in Gambella

It is all about relationships

After a 6 hour delay in getting out of Gambella, I have made it back to Addis! What a refreshing change to step onto the tarmac and be greeted with a rush of cool air!

Since arriving back I’ve been reminded of the power of relationships. While it was challenging to leave the friends I made in Gambella, I was immediately surrounded by amazing friends in Addis to help make the transition easier. I know that this cycle (on a deeper level) will be repeated in just 10 days when I leave Ethiopia. I fully expect to have my heart ripped out as I say goodbye to everyone here, but I know that my friends and family in Colorado will be awaiting me with open arms. That is comforting.

It is incredible to look back on the places I have been in my life, and know that the relationships that were built there still mean something, and connect me to that place on a level not gained through mere travel. That I could go back to Michigan, Estes Park, Denver, Panama, Ethiopia, etc… anytime and have it feel like home is deeper than just returning to a place. It really doesn’t matter so much on the location, but the relationships and bonds that you have formed with the people there.

Even more abstract is the understanding that when the people you form these relationships move to another part of the world, you suddenly have a connection to that place. Why else would so many friends who had never thought about Panama before have come to visit? Why else would I go visit Nashville? These are great places, but not many people would put them at the top of their list without a further reason to go there.

Just some light thinking for you today… anyways, the fast internet has been down since I arrived back to Addis, so I apologize for being unable to load pictures. As soon as it is fixed they will be up! 

Breaking the mold…

Gambella is full of NGOs and organizations working to “help” the people. This work is normally done in large walled in large compounds encircled by high cement walls and razor wire. When ventures are made out into the community it is always in a big SUV.

The Center for Creative Leadership does is breaking the trend though. Our new office (which you’ve already read about) was obtained for free through a partnership agreement with a local church. We have one small room that contains one light, one window, one door, and one electrical plug… plus the snake.

When we venture out into the community it is to meet directly with leaders in the local churches and school, and we are partnering up with about 30 different organizations in the project I am working to implement. We do not have an SUV though, so we either take the small bajaj taxis or walk. People are somewhat used to seeing white people here, but not having them walking through their neighborhoods, eating local food at their restaurants, or sitting next to them at one of their intimate cafes.

To me, this is how it should be done. How can you can the respect and trust of a local if you refuse to interact with them in their own environment? With trust, much can be… and is being accomplished. 

Side note... I fly back to Addis Ababa on Friday, so pictures will be posted soon!!!

A new mascot?

We moved our office in Gambella today! The government needed our old office, so we scrambled to find a church that had some extra office space and were successful. The only problem with it is that there is definitely a snake living in the ceiling. You hear something move around up there every now and then and it definitely doesn’t have feet. So, that should keep things interesting for us.

I was in the local market trying to have a skirt made for Amanda. My co-worker was translating for me to the man who will make it. While this was going on, a woman he had previously made a dress for came up to him with the dress on and told him that she didn’t like how it looked in the area of her stomach. He proceeded to tell her that it was because she was fat and had nothing to do with the dress. You can imagine how well that went over… 

There is usually a moment in all of my foreign travels where I think to myself… no wonder so many people dislike Americans. For the most part my time in Ethiopia has excluded these instances though. In fact, I have no idea what nationality they are, but some other white guys staying at the same hotel in Gambella are now making Americans look like respectful angels. These guys are not young college kids, but rather mid 40’s to mid 50’s guys. Yesterday they stayed up til 2am drinking and yelling. Of course there was no power at that time, so none of the other guests could drown out their ruckus with a fan, tv, etc. This morning they were already at the bar drinking before 9am! Then tonight, I had the joy of watching them make utter fools out of themselves as they berated the servers to get their double whisky’s faster, yelling at other guests, and then not having enough cash to pay the bill in the end. This was all fun until it started to rain and they decided to come inside and continue their yelling. Guys can relate to the feeling when you walk into a public restroom and nobody is there. You choose a urinal in the long line of urinals and then someone else comes in and decides that instead maintaining a comfortable distance, they will take this opportunity to display their lack of common sense and end up at the urinal right next to you. That is when you start looking around and asking yourself… really? Well, inside the restaurant tonight there was me and only one other guy. At least 20 seats were open and the first drunk guy to come in decides to saddle up right next to me as I am eating my dinner. Already off to a bad start he leans in to talk with the smell of whisky permeating from him before he even opens his mouth. Of course he doesn’t speak English either. When he started talking, I started grabbing my plate and preparing to move. To whatever he said in drunken jibberish, I said “no”, as I was standing up. He took great offense to this and and stumbled into the next chair over. Goodness people… I hope to learn more about these people soon, because Gambellans will not put up with this for long.

Church in Gambella

Working for CCL has thus far been amazing. Throughout the summer I have progressively been won over to the concepts of human development and improvement through leadership education, training, and just investing in others. The significance of this really hit me this week as I helped our small Gambella office hire more staff members for an extension to our current project. While conducting interviews, I continually found myself attempting to gauge the potential of the person on the other side of the desk. The people we will hire are qualified to fill their roles, but I am so excited to give them an opportunity to grow and develop though their upcoming experience with CCL. My only regret is that I will be leaving soon, and will not be the one who is able to help them do this.

I recently was invited to and went to a church service here in Gambella. In the middle of an obscure field sat a large structure with a zinc roof. I arrived fashionably late (1 or 2 hours late that is), and caused quite a stir for the preacher as I had to enter from the front of the structure and proceed to the back. After he finished his sermon I was invited to get up on the stage to present myself and my work to the 500+ people in the audience. Everyone was very kind, and translators were provided for me since I know very little Amharic and none of their tribal dialect. After I finished, two or three more people got up and preached for a while. All of this was fine and dandy, but what came next floored me. The keyboard was fired up, a tune was begun, everyone rose from their seats, they began swaying back and forth, and on some unknown cue they began singing in unison. Singing is not really the right word. It was more shouting at the top of their lungs with all the passion and conviction that a person could possibly muster. It was truly incredible though, as it all melded together! I have no rhythm, but I found myself swaying back and forth and smiling the rest of the evening. 

Work in Gambella

My day usually begins after a breakfast that takes longer than it should. The hardest part of breakfast is getting someone to actually bring you a bill at the end of it.

So CCL has a nice office space right in the center of Gambella town in a big bulky government office building. I usually head over there and develop a game plan for the day with the other CCL staff. Most of my work at the moment does not actually take place in the office though. If it did, I don’t know how I would manage. The office is usually over 100 degrees. The air conditioner stuck in the wall is there only to tease you since it has never been operational. The fan is operational but the lack of electricity often transforms it into another object of torment. The last options are the three windows, but unfortunately breeze, even slight, is quite a rare commodity here in Gambella. Basically the office turns into a sauna and you constantly watch the power level on your laptop as it slowly dies because there is no electric.

My days during this trip to Gambella mainly consist of getting out of the office ASAP, hopping into a bajaj taxi, and whizzing around town to schools and churches where we meet with school directors and church elders. Since they now know what CCL is all about, these meetings are really just explaining the new project we are hoping to collaborate with them on. About half of these meetings take place in English, where I take the lead, and the other half in Amharic, where my colleague takes over. These meetings halt at noon each day though, as the town has collectively decided that work should not be done in the heat of the day. So between noon and about 3pm people eat long lunches, take naps, or do whatever they can to escape the heat. Then afternoon meetings take place over a cup of peanut tea, a glass bottled Coke, or an excessively strong coffee.

Ahhh… now this is the life! 

Difficult Choices

Life in Gambella town for a foreigner is full of difficult choices. For example, what would you do if your randomly assigned hotel room turns out to be the “presidential suite” at the "nicest" hotel in Gambella? The quick response is, take it! But the real response is much more difficult. While it is the only room with A/C and a nice flat screen TV, is it really worth it when a swarm of about 2,000 bees decides that is where they want to hang out as well? Once you wait out the bees, grasshoppers, flies, mosquitos, ants, and cockroaches then you have to decide if it is worth having A/C despite the smell of a full septic tank gravitating from the bathroom? The answer for me was yes and yes. Gambella is just way too hot and humid to pass up an opportunity to have A/C. Now if the power would just stay on so I could use it… 

This is hard!

Blogs get to be hard to write! The first month was a breeze as every experience was new for me. This past month it has progressively gotten more difficult to share my experiences. Now, I have sat here and stared at this computer screen for way too long trying to figure out what to write before leaving for Gambella tomorrow. At some point the work you are doing, the relationships you have built, and the things you see just begin to mean something to you on a deeper level than can easily be expressed in a quick and simple blog.

It doesn’t interest many to hear about the creative ideas you and your colleagues put together to assist in women’s empowerment projects.

It doesn’t work to explain the utter heartbreak you feel when you see the suffering that some people are in. Until you look into the eyes of someone willing to sell themselves to you for $1, it won’t mean the same thing when you hear about it.

Not many people care about a relationship that you pour yourself into eventually developing to a level where you would do absolutely anything for that person.

So, while I work on figuring out a way to express the deeper stories for you, I will take advantage of my last day with unlimited broadband internet for a while, and just share some pictures….

Ethiopian National Theatre

Rakeb & a lion statue

The Derg Monument on Churchill Road. Pretty twisted if you Google it

A bunch of colorful traditional scarves

I just read a long and confusing online account of this. This is a model cannon placed in the middle of a busy roundabout on Churchill road to commemorate a Swiss guy who built a cannon upon request a long time ago despite Addis Ababa being the most impractical place for cannons to be built and shipped.

A photo being used to advertise medical services here in Addis

Rakeb and I after eating a "traditional" American meal of buffalo wings and chicken fingers