Flying by!

I am over halfway through my time in Ethiopia, and things are happening at a fast pace these days.

Over the past couple of weeks my Amharic teacher, Rakeb, has been working hard to get me up to speed on the language. Unfortunately I have not been the best of students and am still stuck at simple greetings and random words I can spit out in unstructured sentences. I did finally purchase a English-Amharic dictionary, but if you’ve ever seen the Amharic alphabet, then you will realize that it doesn’t mean much. An example of where I am at… I recently got very excited when I saw that a shop was selling Snickers bars. I went up to the lady and asked “Sintino?” which means (How much does it cost?). Since I only know numbers 1-10 though, I had no idea what she said back to me. Then there is the awkward moment of pulling out a 100 Birr note ($6) and waiting to see what happens.

Rakeb showing me Meskel Square

Thanks to Rakeb and another Ethiopian friend of mine, Antennah, I am finally getting a good feel for Addis Ababa. They have kindly taken the time to show me popular sections of town, the best cafes, museums, and historical sites. It has been so nice to not have to manage the taxi bus system on my own during these adventures. It is hard to explain, but basically unless you are ready and willing to shove or even use an elbow on an elderly woman, then you are not going to get on a taxi bus during rush hour. Seriously.

Another view of Meskel Square, a cool place where large gatherings occur during Ethiopian Holidays

We will purchase plane tickets next week, but it looks like I will be flying back to Gambella on Sunday, August 5^th. I will be there for about 3 weeks implementing a new project for CCL and then I will fly back to Addis Ababa and hopefully fly right to the Somali region of Ethiopia, take a bus to the border of Somaliland, then take a bus to the capital of Somaliland. If anyone is familiar with Somaliland, you will understand my excitement of getting a Visa to go there since it is not a recognized country! Hopefully it all works out! Then about the time I get back from that adventure I will be packing to head back to Denver. Scary to think that time is going by so quickly!!!

Not the best picture, but this is an area near my guesthouse called Kazanchis. I am always amazed by the contrasts in this country. The right side of the road is full of new towers, fancy hotels, clubs, nice restaurants, etc... while the left hand side of the road is tiny shops, rusty tin houses, shady bars, etc. So close together, yet worlds apart! 

Addicted

I have recently come to the realization that I am addicted to macchiato. I just cannot get enough! Every morning I get a double macchiato and an amazing pastry for about 30 birr, or just under $2. My regular waitress doesn’t even have to ask me what I want anymore. Somehow I won the parking attendant over as well and he rushes out to great me each time he sees me, even if I am not going to the café. So while much of what the Italians did to Ethiopian citizens is horrific, the legacy of good strong coffee, macchiato, cappuccino, etc… is something positive that remains. Be honest, you surely did not picture people sitting in nice little cafés sipping on their macchiato when you thought about Ethiopia did you?

Me at the local bakery

Answering the call of nature is always an item that people pretend to be grossed out by, but deep down we are all curious. I have seen a wide range of options here. The most interesting one is the acceptability of just stopping wherever you are to take a leak. The side of a crowded pedestrian walkway with only minor thought to who can see you is always popular. Women usually step off the walkway to squat in the grass if they choose to partake in the fun, but this option remains male dominated. When it comes to actual facilities the   most basic is a hole in the ground. You do your business and then take a small pail of water and rinse anything you happened to have bad aim with down the hole. The next step up is a toilet bowl but no seat. It seems quite odd at first, but you figure out how to make it work. Finally, if you are in a classy operation then you will find a toilet bowl with a toilet seat and even toilet paper.

One option...

The Chinese built African Union!

Artwork that lines the gates surrounding the AU compound

Gambella Part 2?

I spent the last week working on completing a $110,000 grant proposal to extend and expand the work that CCL is doing in Gambella. The grant has already been approved, so now it is just a matter of getting it up and running, and it appears that I may be in line for another trip to Gambella to help implement it! If all goes as planned, on August 1st I will head back out there to do just that, and I could spend the majority of my remaining time in the country out there. I could not be happier with the experience and opportunities that CCL is affording!

My guesthouse in Addis Ababa

Fun facts... while I am between 7 and 9 hours ahead of most of you reading this blog, I am 8 years behind you. According to Ethiopia, it is 2004 right now. No joke. More oddities include the Ethiopian New Year always begins on September 11th, they have 13 months each year, and time is told much differently than we are accustomed to. Right now it is about 4pm according to me and you, but they read it as 10. I never hear anything relating to AM or PM, it is just 6 hours ahead or behind what I consider the time to actually be. So, good luck wrapping your mind around all of that. I know I still do not understand it.

How many mattresses can you carry through heavy traffic?

One small section of a part of Addis called Merkato. Regular taxi is what you see in the middle of the road, taxi busses are what I take and they are located on the right side of the road. 

Street Kids (Longer, but worth the read)

I was told before arriving in Ethiopia that one of my main projects would be working with their street kids training program. This past Thursday I was finally able to attend part of their training that day, and from this observation I am now expected to create activities that can better draw out leadership lessons that they can apply to their lives. That is the boring mumble jumble background for you… here is what I saw…

I saw 45 boys and young men between the ages of 10 and 18 that two different organizations had sent them along for this training session. All of them had developed their own coping mechanisms for dealing with the harsh reality of living on the street. Notebooks and pens they were given quickly vanished if not hidden in some ingenious space. There was always a constant tension at each table full of boys and it often boiled over into a hard jab to the stomach or chest to settle the matter. During activities the materials given to the boys were thrown maliciously at other participants even though the activity was meant to support teamwork. I saw tough kids acting tougher than they were because if they didn’t they wouldn’t make it.

Working Together in one of the activities

At this point I was imagining how in the world can a group like this be contained? How can all of this energy be used positively? Is there hope for these guys? Then some other stories started coming out that made me feel awful for even thinking that last thought. 15 of these kids had not been sent to the training on busses that were provided by my organization. They had heard about what was going on and wanted to be a part of it. They wanted to learn and they were willing to pay money out of their own miniscule pockets to get there. I saw that there is a passion for education in these guys once you get past the rough façade.

Sharing what he has learned to the rest of the group

Throughout the morning I made my best effort at joining different tables and interacting with their broken English and my feeble attempts at Amharic.  These efforts were met with comments that I could not understand, obvious annoyance, and laughter. I remained in their midst despite their attempts to make it hard for me. I had seen it before, and I knew that these kids wanted attention and someone who cared, so I gave it to them as best I could. At the end of the morning when I was being led off to another meeting I went up to one kid who had just volunteered to sing a song (a cappella) in front of this tough crowd and gave him some knuckles before walking back to the car. Then a stream of these kids came up to me and all gave me knuckles before I left. That sealed in my desire to do whatever I can for them. The plan is to visit 4 or 5 organizations next week that are working directly with street kids here in Addis to see what their conditions are like and how CCL can continue to help give them these kids more tools that they can use to better their situation. 

The story I meant to tell in that longwinded description above did not fit, so here it is… The training facility being used was located on a compound for the blind, and the room we were using had a small café located in the back of the room. So while a short lecture was being given to the kids, two old blind men staggered through the front door. Then, before they even got to the challenge of navigating around the kids, tables, and chairs situated between them and the café, two young boys (who, don’t forget, have no material possessions and fight for their food and lives each and every day on the streets) jumped out of their chairs, rushed over to the men, grabbed their hands, and patiently guided them to a seat near the café. I was completely humbled! 

My favorite picture from Ethiopia so far. There is just so much to learn from this boy!

3 Unrelated Items

Camel Meat

About 1 1/2 years ago I began contemplating working with Somalis. This idea came while in the Peace Corps when I knew absolutely nothing about Somalia other than it was a place everyone else seemed to avoid and Foreign Policy magazine ranked it as the #1 worst failed state in the world. During a visit back to the States and via email, I remember kicking the idea around in conversation with many of you just to see what kind of reaction I would get. Nobody discouraged the idea and I pursued it. Somalia was the topic of the large majority of my papers and research this past year in grad school, but I had still never interacted with a Somali or experienced their culture. Today, I am one step closer to seeing this crazy idea become reality. I ventured to a Somali district in Addis Ababa with some of the colleagues I have at our new office. One gentleman is fluent in Somali and friends with many in the area. He took me to a restaurant that serves camel meat, camel milk, spaghetti, and rice. The food is all eaten without utensils, so I have much to learn with technique, but I ate and drank everything put in front of me. Camel milk is delicious, camel meat is tender and salty, and the camel hump is pure fatty deliciousness.

Camel Milk (tastes like vanilla milk)

Camel Meat (hump is the top center of the plate to the left), spaghetti, and rice.

Pickpocket


This past weekend Sara and I explored a new part of Addis Ababa called Piazza. After eating at a nice Italian restaurant, we were walking back to where the taxi-busses depart from. I was walking a bit behind Sara when I happened to notice a guy was walking very closely to her. At that point I looked closer and realized he was grasping her purse and trying to open it. I ran a few steps to catch up slammed one hand into his chest and pushed him away from her with the other. His face showed that he was completely shocked that someone had stopped him, and he immediately retreated into the shadows.


An Anxious Moment


I asked Sara to cut my hair the other day since I had brought my hair trimmer over here from the States. She agreed despite never having cut anyones hair before, and got off to a great start. Unfortunately, the voltage in Ethiopian electrical outlets is much higher than that in the US and my hair trimmer was not prepared for it. The dull pop next to my ear and the subsequent plume of smoke were clear signals of this. With half of my hair cut short and half much longer, I was momentarily flustered. Luckily my electric razor has been up to the challenge of the extra voltage thus far, and after much consideration I decided to use the trimmer feature to shave my head. My hair is now much shorter than it has ever been, but at least it is all the same length.

It was inevitable...

Adjusting to Addis

Life in Addis Ababa is much different than Gambella, and I have spent much of the past 5 days adjusting into what will be my home for the next two months. Here are some of my highlights since getting back to the capital...

Working ~

CCL just got a big grant to continue working in Gambella! I have a meeting on Monday to help determine what that might look like, and I would love to go back at some point this summer. (Interesting side note… I met some Peace Corps Volunteers here and they told me that their rules only allow them to travel to 30% of the country due to security concerns. Gambella is not included.)

Living ~

            It is cold in Addis Ababa! With it being located at an elevation of over 7,600 feet and in the midst of the rainy season, I often find myself struggling to stay warm despite having 3 heavy blankets on my bed! It also makes drying clothes difficult, but luckily the Peace Corps teaches you to be creative. I have overcome this challenge with a space heater, drying rack, and patience.

Playing ~

            I met a really nice Ethiopian guy who is currently living in Denmark, but back here visiting right now. He took me out last night to see some live traditional Ethiopian music at the oldest hotel in Addis. I mean… jazz flute, crazy guitars, and shoulder dancing… wow! 

The makings of a traditional coffee ceremony

One of CCL's office in Addis. Cool use of old semi trailers!

Inside the office during a time management training

mmmm.....

Live traditional Ethiopian music!

Pictures!

My flight back to Addis Ababa was scheduled to happen yesterday, but it just was not meant to be. First of all, the guy in charge, despite constant prodding from yours truly throughout the week, did not pay for my ticket in time and thus I was on stand-by for the flight. I waited outside the airport for 2 hours before learning that there was a seat for me. The way this flight works is that it leaves Addis Ababa, arrives in Gambella, then heads back to Addis with new passengers. About 10 minutes before the plane landed a huge thunderstorm erupted. Lightning was striking the runway, etc… and after an hour of circling above, it gave up and headed back to Addis and the flight was cancelled. My ride had left me at the airport long before the cancellation occurred and because the airport is in the middle of nowhere, my cell phone did not work. I ended up jumping into a mini-van shuttle that took about 18 of us (okay… it was only 15) back to Gambella town. Of course this trip back was eventful in that about halfway back, a tire blew and we all had to peel ourselves out of the vehicle to stand on the side of the muddy road in the rain while the driver fixed the flat. Fun times! Fortunately the flight was rescheduled for today and it went off without any issues. So, I am back in Addis Ababa and ready to tackle new challenges and tasks. Up first… providing you all with some long overdue photos!!!  

Coming out of the mountains and down to Gambella

Some of the children at a small orphanage in Gambella

One of the many little "coffee shops" in Gambella

One of the activities during the women's leadership training

The group of women during our first week of training

Some Sudanese food I ate. Colorful no?

Colobus monkeys at my hotel in Gambella

A Bajaj taxi

Gambella from above