I have three days left in Addis before I fly to Lalibela and begin my new job there. As much as I am excited to go to Lalibela, I am sad to be leaving Addis, especially as it seems to be such an important and useful time for me to be at the orphanage.
A week or so ago, the orphanage itself was 'audited' by Caritas, their main donor, and a report was produced, listing strengths, weaknesses and recommendations. This audit was incredibly useful for the orphanage, showing them exactly where they need to improve things, where they can work more effectively, and how exactly they can do that.
For us as a charity, it shows clearly where we can help the most.
Although we help the orphanage by sending money and buying resources, we also help with 'capacity building' and providing skills – for example, I've been helping them write project proposals and design promotional material, which is just as useful to them as providing clothes for the children.
We have also been focussing on ways we can ensure the orphanage works effectively as possible, and is sustainable. The orphanage grew organically from Hanna, and she is the driving force behind it all, so if – God forbid – something happened to Hanna, the atmosphere and ethos of the orphanage would be deeply affected. We want to ensure that the orphanage has a life above and beyond Hanna by making sure staff members have the right skills and knowledge to be able to continue running the orphanage as well as it's being run now.
The Caritas report confirms that we're on the right track, which is good!
Consequently, we are going to use some money raised to provide computer trainings for some of the employees, as well as project planning and management training for the project officers. We are also looking at sourcing software training for the accountancy staff, as only one person currently knows how to use it, so if that person is sick, nobody can access financial records easily.
As for me, I am continuing to type up and computerise records for the orphange (both in English and Amharic), and I am working on assisting S, the Project Officer.
So although I will be Lalibela, I will still be able to do some admin things for the orphanage. In fact, I was really sad to be leaving today, which surprised me a bit. Sometimes, working at the orphanage, I am so frustrated with the lack of progress or the slowness with which things happen that I want to bang my head on a brick wall, and I know that I am constantly bossing S around. And yet, I am going to miss it. And even stranger, they are all sad to see me go – Weird people!
Saturday, 20 December 2008
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Surprising things that might happen to you in Ethiopia:
- You might discover a grand prix
One Sunday morning a few weeks ago, I was walking down Bole Road to meet a friend at the Ghion Hotel when I noticed that even though it was Sunday the road was unusually quiet. All become clear when I turned the corner and discovered what appeared to be the Grand Prix going on in Meskel Square. Small, brightly coloured cars with 'go faster stripes' were being driven round a professional looking track at alarming speed, and crowds of Ethiopian men packed the streets and sat on top of walls to watch it all going on.
There was no way I could get across Meskel Square without being either run over or arrested by the many policemen who were hanging around, so I had to give up the idea of meeting my friend. Instead, I spent a few bewildered minutes watching these cars screech around the track before making my way home. I later find out that car racing is a completely normal part of Ethiopian life, and this particular race takes place every year (run, I think, by a group of Italians). Not what I expected to find that day, though.
- You might get a doughnut when you wanted a coke – or a macciato when you were promised a mango juice
N sat a table at Saay Pastry, waiting for me to finish in the internet café. After a long search for mango juice in Addis, she was very excited when the waiter confirmed they did have mango juice. Fabulous! A while later, the waiter reappeared with a beautifully presented macciato and placed it on the table in front of her. When she pointed out this was not a mango juice, the waiter agreed. So N drank the macciato.
At the same café about two months later, I had the following conversation:
Me: "und coca? Cass casa? (one cold coke please!)"
Waitress: "eshe (okay)"
Waitress walks away to get order, then turns to me:
Waitress: "one doughnut?"
Me, mildly confused: "No, one coke"
Waitress walks down a few stairs: "Two doughnuts?"
Me, even more confused: "No doughnuts. Just one coke?"
Waitress: "doughnuts?"
Me, completely bewildered: "Coke … coca. Pepsi!'
Waitress: "ahhhh, Pepsi! Yes!"
Sigh.
- You may discover a fashion show populated by girls wearing balloons and not much else
I went to meet U. for dinner at Lime Tree restaurant which is a real 'hangout' for Farangis, but normally fairly quiet. So I was surprised to hear booming music and shouts and cheering as I approached. The cheering wasn't for me, sadly, but instead for whatever was going on
in a huge marquee outside the building. I shifted around so I could see what was going on, and was surprised to see Ethiopian women strutting along a catwalk … dressed in bikinis and balloons. Balloons.
It looked for all the world like a fashion show – but one for clothes made out of balloons. Everyone watching was very stylish and well dressed, and clearly the event was a big success!
- A goat might fall on your head
On one of the last days of our trip to the south, we visited a Salt Lake at a town near the border to Kenya. It was deep down in a crater, so we started early and did the half an hour walk down the mountain before 7am. It was quite slow going down, with many unstable rocks, but of course it was much harder climbing back up and it took us a good hour.
N. led the group, with U. somewhere in the middle and, true to form, me miles behind, sweaty, red, and out of breath. The path went up the mountain in a zig zag, and as N reached one corner, she could hear a 'scrabbling' above her head. It didn't sound like it was another person following the track, and U and I were way behind so it wasn't us. All of a sudden, there was a crash and a goat fell from the path above and landed beside N – causing both of them a considerable amount
of shock, I would imagine.
It's a good job the goat didn't land directly on her, if only because nobody wants to have to fill out a travel insurance claim with the reason for injury being 'goat fell on my head'.
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
5th December, 2008
I have been in a really tense mood for about a week now, and this morning I woke up with a pounding tension headache to prove it. I feel like I either need to get really, really drunk, or go to the gym for a really good workout.
I'm not sure why I'm feeling so tense and scattered – possibly because I still don't have a date for moving to Lalibela and it's getting very near Christmas: this means flights are getting busy, and if there are any free seats, they're really expensive. Plus U is coming to stay with me in Lalibela and we have a whole Christmas planned (I have crackers, a Christmas tree and everything!) which will be no good if I'm still in Addis! Oh yes, and I'm a bit of a control freak and I don't like it when I don't know exactly what's happening when.
A more serious reason for my mood may be because I have been transcribing the stories of the children from the orphanage, and quite frankly they're enough to make you lose faith in all human beings, let alone 'get a little tense'. Some people might read the stories and feel real sorrow from the children and the things they've been through, or pride that they have managed to get through all life has thrown at them, and I do feel that too. However, I'm afraid the overwhelming emotion for me is anger at the ignorance shown, and how people – particularly those who are supposed to love and care for them – treat them.
These children are bereaved (often by HIV or Aids) and then looked after by other family members, sometimes a surviving parent and a step-parent, or a cousin, or a sibling. Some of these children are raped, abused and beaten by those family members, others are thrown out when children from the new marriage appear and take precedence. Some are taken to a city (usually Addis) by 'friends of the family' who then put them to work in someone else's house as a servant, while pocketing all their earnings.
Having a maid is a normal thing in Ethiopia – it's not just for the rich or middle classes. It's a way of creating jobs, after all. But who employs an 8 year old to look after their baby and cook for them, as one girl's story tells? I am not immune, the family I live with had a maid, and she worked long hours – but she is a grown woman. An 8 year old?
And then there are the stories where people get sick and so go to a 'cultural' healer. They tell them the sickness is not medical, you don't need drugs, it's because of some 'spiritual matter' and you must go home to your family (leaving your children in Addis) and pray a lot. Shockingly, this doesn't work and the person dies, leaving their children to the mercy the streets or people wanting to take advantage of them.
Now, I know I sound disrespectful, and my rational brain says think about all these situations properly instead of having some knee-jerk reaction (a-la readers of a much mocked daily newspaper in the UK …). People are trying to survive in difficult circumstances and they do what they have to do, while if someone gets ill and you don't have the knowledge to understand it, you are going to try and explain it within the context of your life and beliefs. It doesn't just happen in developing countries, either, it happens all the time in our own lives.
It still makes me mad though. It makes me want to shake people and tell them to wake up, open their eyes and act!
And now I'm off to the pub or the gym. I haven't decided which, yet.
Make a Difference Day Ethiopia
I know I declared blog bankruptcy a while ago, but this is the one story I do want to make sure I tell.
On the 18th of October, 2008, we held a 'Make a Difference Day' (see www.csv.org.uk) event at the orphanage, where nearly 40 children, many members of staff, and several expats gave up their morning to paint the compound, library, offices and classrooms of the orphanage. The Hanna's Orphanage charity provided the paint, and paintbrushes (which of course will be useful in the future) and we all provided the manpower!
I know I often moan about how the pace of life (and therefore work) is much slower in Ethiopia, but my goodness these children can paint fast! We started at 9 o'clock and the whole thing was painted, everyone cleaned up and admiring their handiwork by lunchtime! I've honestly never seen such teamwork and military precision.
On the 18th of October, 2008, we held a 'Make a Difference Day' (see www.csv.org.uk) event at the orphanage, where nearly 40 children, many members of staff, and several expats gave up their morning to paint the compound, library, offices and classrooms of the orphanage. The Hanna's Orphanage charity provided the paint, and paintbrushes (which of course will be useful in the future) and we all provided the manpower!
I know I often moan about how the pace of life (and therefore work) is much slower in Ethiopia, but my goodness these children can paint fast! We started at 9 o'clock and the whole thing was painted, everyone cleaned up and admiring their handiwork by lunchtime! I've honestly never seen such teamwork and military precision.
The kids were really excited about painting, and soon there were teams washing down the office walls with mops and a hosepipe, preparing the paint tins, and organising who was going to paint which bit. There were so many eager children that I couldn't manage to get a paintbrush (story of my life!), so after helping to wash down the office walls I was relegated to taking photos and videos and providing moral support to those doing the work.
Health and safety is obviously a very important part of volunteering and these kind of events, but I have to admit that the older boys were making very unstable looking towers of chairs and tables to paint the top of the walls, while the little ones crouched under the tables and painted the lower parts of the wall. Luckily, no disaster befell us – though more by luck than judgement – and everyone was still in one piece by the end of it.
As the compound became more and more green, expats and friends started to arrive to help. U and her flatmate B came along first, shortly followed by Y, one of the Ethiopian family I live with. Then M, a friend of a friend from England who hadn't been in Addis for that long, came and joined the group. Of course, the fact that there were no more paintbrushes and the children were running the show like a military operation meant that they had to be content with watching, meeting the children and being shown around the orphanage.
My theory is, the more people who know about the orphanage, the better. B works for the Danish embassy and was soon able to suggest different grants programmes they could apply for, and I spent a while explaining exactly how the orphanage worked, the ethos behind it, and what people could do to help. I guess I felt that was my 'Make a Difference Day' volunteering, as I certainly wasn't needed to help with the painting!
By lunchtime, everything was painted and everyone had cleared up, and a very happy bunch of children went back to their individual homes for some lunch. Next year we're looking at possibly painting and cleaning up some of the community homes, so maybe 'Make a Difference Day' will become a permanent fixture for the orphanage?
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
29th November, 2008
Things are busy at the orphanage at the moment – which is great! I like to be busy and feel like I'm being useful!
One of the main things I'm doing is attempting to computerise the orphanage's records. As with many organisations that have grown so organically (in this case, from Hanna taking in one child around 24 years ago) the information is often held in people's minds and in the collective memory of the organisation, and not always shared effectively. The orphanage do actually have hard copy information on every child – and every staff member knows each child personally – but they are handwritten and in Amharic. This doesn't make it very easy for funders (such as us) to be able to access them, and it makes them quite difficult to update on a regular basis. There are also some gaps in the information.
So currently I am working with T, a psychology student who volunteers for the orphanage, to translate the current files, fill in the missing bits of information, and transfer it all on to computer. We will then have a typed file on each young person, as well as a database to enable us to monitor and analyse the information. We will also ensure that there is a computerised version in Amharic. This kind of thing will help the school to keep track of the children's academic performances, share information to enable better care for them all, and will enable them to compile data quickly for project proposals and reports etc.
It's quite a time consuming job, and tedious in places, but it's been a privilege to be able to read the individual stories of the children. Some I knew, some I didn't, but all of them show just how important it is to look after these children. So many have lost their parents, only to be abused by the people who were supposed to be looking after them, or they were simply left out on the streets when other relatives couldn't – or wouldn't – take them in. In the next few months I hope to be able to share some of the stories with you (with permission from the children, of course).
Maybe it's because I'm doing this work that I have a sudden fascination with what everyone is doing in Ethiopia. Today we went to an 'NGO Fair' and a 'Diplomatic Bazaar' (no, I wasn't sure what they were either!) and there were faranjis as far as the eye could see! In between eating fabulous food sold by all the embassies, and buying hand made crafts from NGOs, I just kept wondering how on earth all these people had ended up in Ethiopia. The few non-Ethiopians I know in Addis are here doing internships for various charities or aid agencies, but I am always seeing young families around, and at these markets today there were people of all ages and from as many countries as you can think of. As J pointed out, it was probably the most white people we've ever seen in one place since we came to Ethiopia!
As it's probably not polite (and definitely not British!!) to go up to strangers and ask 'why are you here?', I was left wondering as I walked around the stalls. Had that English couple over there come to Ethiopia specifically to adopt the Ethiopian baby they had with them? Or were they babysitting? Or had they adopted the baby in the UK and come for a visit? What about the woman in the Channel twinset, with the immaculately coiffed hair and string of pearls? She must be something to do with the embassy, surely? Is the teenager with the long blonde dreadlocks here because of his parents, or is he on a freakishly early gap year? What about the old couple who are rushing around, making sure everyone has coffee? And the man over there who must be at least 6 foot 4, with a long silver ponytail – what's his story?
In fact, there were some moments at the NGO market, which was held in a Lutheran Church, where I felt I could have been at a church fate in Surrey. It was a slightly surreal feeling! On a slightly different but related note, I was quite impressed with the variety of things on sale at the Diplomatic Bazaar, where every country with an Embassy in Addis was showcasing the best bits of its country. I was a bit disappointed that the UK stall was selling copies of Heat magazine and 'Take a Break', but U was impressed with the mulled wine, and I loved the Harrods biscuits and packets of Foxes Glacier Mints (what's the betting someone picked them up at the airport? They were on special offer when I left!). However, U and I are still a little baffled over the fact that the Austrian stall was selling screwdrivers. Is that really something they're famous for?! Apparently so!
One of the main things I'm doing is attempting to computerise the orphanage's records. As with many organisations that have grown so organically (in this case, from Hanna taking in one child around 24 years ago) the information is often held in people's minds and in the collective memory of the organisation, and not always shared effectively. The orphanage do actually have hard copy information on every child – and every staff member knows each child personally – but they are handwritten and in Amharic. This doesn't make it very easy for funders (such as us) to be able to access them, and it makes them quite difficult to update on a regular basis. There are also some gaps in the information.
So currently I am working with T, a psychology student who volunteers for the orphanage, to translate the current files, fill in the missing bits of information, and transfer it all on to computer. We will then have a typed file on each young person, as well as a database to enable us to monitor and analyse the information. We will also ensure that there is a computerised version in Amharic. This kind of thing will help the school to keep track of the children's academic performances, share information to enable better care for them all, and will enable them to compile data quickly for project proposals and reports etc.
It's quite a time consuming job, and tedious in places, but it's been a privilege to be able to read the individual stories of the children. Some I knew, some I didn't, but all of them show just how important it is to look after these children. So many have lost their parents, only to be abused by the people who were supposed to be looking after them, or they were simply left out on the streets when other relatives couldn't – or wouldn't – take them in. In the next few months I hope to be able to share some of the stories with you (with permission from the children, of course).
Maybe it's because I'm doing this work that I have a sudden fascination with what everyone is doing in Ethiopia. Today we went to an 'NGO Fair' and a 'Diplomatic Bazaar' (no, I wasn't sure what they were either!) and there were faranjis as far as the eye could see! In between eating fabulous food sold by all the embassies, and buying hand made crafts from NGOs, I just kept wondering how on earth all these people had ended up in Ethiopia. The few non-Ethiopians I know in Addis are here doing internships for various charities or aid agencies, but I am always seeing young families around, and at these markets today there were people of all ages and from as many countries as you can think of. As J pointed out, it was probably the most white people we've ever seen in one place since we came to Ethiopia!
As it's probably not polite (and definitely not British!!) to go up to strangers and ask 'why are you here?', I was left wondering as I walked around the stalls. Had that English couple over there come to Ethiopia specifically to adopt the Ethiopian baby they had with them? Or were they babysitting? Or had they adopted the baby in the UK and come for a visit? What about the woman in the Channel twinset, with the immaculately coiffed hair and string of pearls? She must be something to do with the embassy, surely? Is the teenager with the long blonde dreadlocks here because of his parents, or is he on a freakishly early gap year? What about the old couple who are rushing around, making sure everyone has coffee? And the man over there who must be at least 6 foot 4, with a long silver ponytail – what's his story?
In fact, there were some moments at the NGO market, which was held in a Lutheran Church, where I felt I could have been at a church fate in Surrey. It was a slightly surreal feeling! On a slightly different but related note, I was quite impressed with the variety of things on sale at the Diplomatic Bazaar, where every country with an Embassy in Addis was showcasing the best bits of its country. I was a bit disappointed that the UK stall was selling copies of Heat magazine and 'Take a Break', but U was impressed with the mulled wine, and I loved the Harrods biscuits and packets of Foxes Glacier Mints (what's the betting someone picked them up at the airport? They were on special offer when I left!). However, U and I are still a little baffled over the fact that the Austrian stall was selling screwdrivers. Is that really something they're famous for?! Apparently so!
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
23rd Novermber 2008
After a holiday home to the UK that was supposed to last 2 weeks but actually lasted 5, I am finally back in Addis! I'm really glad to be back and my time at home has made me realise that I'm not finished in Ethiopia yet, I still have a lot I want to do and experience, both personally and in connection to the charity. However, my joy at being back is mixed with the realisation that I've stepped right back out of my comfort zone …
Everything is easy back in the UK! Nobody points and stares (well, not often), everyone understands what I'm saying, I don't make embarrassing mistakes because I'm not familiar with the social etiquette, and power cuts are rare, not a daily occurrence. Also, I don't feel guilty in UK for having money, and I don't have to second guess my response to every situation involving poverty. Here, I have to think 'is me helping them actually making things better for them, or simply making ME feel better?'.
So, I am very, very glad to be back (see how fast I ran to Lime Tree restaurant Saturday night to have dinner!) but there is definitely going to be a 're-entry' phase! I have around two weeks in Addis before I start my move to Lalibela, and that's going to require an adjustment period all over again!
But enough with the moaning; I'm back and I'm hitting the ground running. Literally! Today was the 8th Great Ethiopian Run and I was privileged enough to be taking part. U+I were running it to raise money for Hanna's Orphanage, while B ran with us to give us some moral support!
The Great Ethiopian Run is 10k long, and it grew with help from the team that started The Great North Run in the UK. It's an NGO now which uses the event to promote running in Ethiopia and health and social issues such as education for girls and safe sex. When there are so many young people taking part in one event, it's a great way to get messages like that across. Nearly everyone runs – people who have never run before in their life take part, and there were a considerable amount of people running in jeans! But after all, this is land of long distance runners, so they barely need to train to be better than us! To remind us of how talented Ethiopia is at running, Hailie Gabre Selassie spoke before the race. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear what he was saying as one, he was speaking in Amharic, and two, the microphones didn't appear to be working! It was enough to just see him.
At 9 on the dot we were off! There weren't as many costumes as you would see in the London marathon (although there was one person dressed as a condom - I'd love to know who the person was!) but the red and yellow tee shirts created a really colourful crowd. There was live music at various places around the course, and with all the people (32,000 people registered to take part!) it was a like a lively, sweaty, moving party! Thanks especially to the group of men who sang all the way round (including a rendition of 'Criss Cross' at one point!) – it kept my spirits up! It was wonderful to look round to see people from all walks of life taking part, and crowds lining the street to clap and shout encouragement.
Quite a few Westerners could be picked out in the crowds; some were in proper running shorts and obviously meant business, and some just seemed to be there for the experience. M (a friend of a friend from England who is now living in Addis) was running, and the Germans from the Awash trip were there somewhere too, although we didn't see them. I even hear rumours that the British Ambassador ran!
Now, bearing in mind I have not run anywhere since running 5k back in May sometime, and for the last month I have been spending my time eating and sitting on the sofa, I was expecting it to be hard. And it was hard – the sun was intense, the altitude makes it a lot more difficult to breathe, you couldn't always set your own pace as there were so many people, and the course wasn't exactly flat. It was such great fun, though, it didn't matter! I ran most of the first 6k, but after that it was walking. U went great guns and could have finished in a much better time, but the three of us wanted to finish together. I came in at 2 hours and still standing up, so not bad, if I do say so myself!
It was a great way to spend a Sunday morning in Addis! We each got a medal, we raised money for Hanna's Orphanage (thank you to people who sponsored us – and there is still time to sponsor us: email jenny@hannasorphanage.org.uk for details!) and managed to be interviewed by a journalist, so hopefully we got some exposure for the charity too! And I still pretty much have the use of my legs (although in a very slow, I'm-82-years-old kind of way!). I'm proud I finished it!
The man dressed as a condom finished ahead of us, though, so I guess I shouldn't be congratulating myself too much …
Monday, 17 November 2008
The Story So Far!
I have declared Blog Bankruptcy – I am so far behind, there is no chance that I’m going to post all the ones I’ve started! So, I’m just going to do an update which covers the main points!
Awash National Park
The weekend after the Debre Zeit trip (which was the last blog entry), I went to Awash National Park with U and four Germans she knows – M, G, P and D. After an eventful couple of hours, which included waking one of the guys up and a speedy stop to pick someone up from the airport, we drove the 5 hours to Awash.
It was probably the first time I’d been on a proper trip out of Addis and it was great. We spent the first half a day seeing animals in the park – crocodiles, monkeys, kudus and warthogs to name a few. Definitely the first time I’d seen these animals in the wild! We stayed at a beautiful hotel by a (now defunct) train station, and after a hairy ‘gari’ (horse and cart) drive around the village, we had dinner and were asleep by about 9pm!
At 4.45am the next morning we all rolled out of our respective beds, had breakfast of bread and omlette, and drove to the hot springs in the North of the park. Whenever you go into the park, you need an armed guide – in theory to protect you from the animals, but actually to protect you from any roaming tribes people. The Afar tribe live in and around the park, and don’t take particularly kindly to visitors - indeed, they used to have a custom of chopping off a testicle of any male intruder!
The hot springs were really hot, not just warm! There were a few girls swimming when we arrived, and G and P had a dip, but you had to be careful – the water was so hot that actually your muscles felt like they didn’t work properly, and it would be quite difficult to get out! The boys did get out safely, and I didn’t swim, I just decided to take an unplanned dip in the mud around the springs. What is it with me and muddy water? Anyone who knew me in primary school will know that I seem to be able to fall into water no matter where I am, and this was no different.
So I did a quick change in the middle of the open plains of Awash (and may have shocked a few tribesmen in the process!) and wore U’s jeans for the rest of the day, while she wore her pyjama trousers (thanks U!).
On the way back we got a flat tyre … and discovered our spare tyre had been stolen. Nice! Thankfully it didn’t happen while we were driving along the deserted roads of Awash, but instead while we were relaxing at Sodore Hot Springs Resort. A man was dispatched to Nazereth, the nearest town, to get a tyre while we relaxed in the restaurant.
Eventually we got home, much later than planned, and I spent a very satisfying 10 minutes in a hot shower!
Baby!
Shortly after this (the next morning, in fact!) E’s baby was born! A little boy, who is incredibly cute and looking more and more like his dad every day! When a baby is born in Ethiopia you go and visit and eat ‘gunfo’ (apologies for the bad spelling!) which is a mixture of grain and butter. I think it’s revolting, but it’s traditional, and it means I can say to E’s little boy ‘I ate gunfo for you when you were born!’
Trip to the South
At 3am on the 2nd October, I stood at Bole Airport, Addis Ababa, holding myself up on the airport barriers, sweating profusely and waiting for N to arrive. I wasn’t just overcome with excitement at N arriving, I’d been being sick all day thanks to some bad meat I’d eaten (Giardasis, if anyone’s interested!).
But N arrived, we slept, I drank lots of water and all was fine the next morning. We then went for a trip to the South of Ethiopia along with U. I would love to be able to write everything down here – and if only I were as good as N and U at keeping a travel diary (I’m not) I would have all the info. Instead I have some wonderful pictures, and lots of fantastic memories – just no will to reproduce the whole thing here!
Suffice to say, we saw:
- the Mursi tribe
- the Karo tribe
- Crocodiles
- Hippos
- Monkeys
- The Hamer tribe
And we
- walked through a river
- fed monkeys
- taught the Hamer tribe ‘If You’re Happy and You Know it …’
- danced in the only nightclub in Turmi
- locked the keys in the car … twice!
Not always an enjoyable experience, but always amazing!
Lalibela and Going Home
N went home on the 17th October and I had a ticket booked for the 20th, which I wasn’t sure I was going to use. But then I was offered a job working for a UK charity in Lalibela, a place I visited in 2006 and fell in love with. I will be living there, working with the teachers and the school to bring in an ‘alternative ciriculum’ – so doing community engagement stuff, teaching dance, drama, music, after school clubs, that kind of thing.
And so I decided to come home before hand. Just for a few weeks, to gather resources, see my family and friends, and just prepare for the move to Lalibela.
Not exactly what happened, but that’s for a later story ….!
Awash National Park
The weekend after the Debre Zeit trip (which was the last blog entry), I went to Awash National Park with U and four Germans she knows – M, G, P and D. After an eventful couple of hours, which included waking one of the guys up and a speedy stop to pick someone up from the airport, we drove the 5 hours to Awash.
It was probably the first time I’d been on a proper trip out of Addis and it was great. We spent the first half a day seeing animals in the park – crocodiles, monkeys, kudus and warthogs to name a few. Definitely the first time I’d seen these animals in the wild! We stayed at a beautiful hotel by a (now defunct) train station, and after a hairy ‘gari’ (horse and cart) drive around the village, we had dinner and were asleep by about 9pm!
At 4.45am the next morning we all rolled out of our respective beds, had breakfast of bread and omlette, and drove to the hot springs in the North of the park. Whenever you go into the park, you need an armed guide – in theory to protect you from the animals, but actually to protect you from any roaming tribes people. The Afar tribe live in and around the park, and don’t take particularly kindly to visitors - indeed, they used to have a custom of chopping off a testicle of any male intruder!
The hot springs were really hot, not just warm! There were a few girls swimming when we arrived, and G and P had a dip, but you had to be careful – the water was so hot that actually your muscles felt like they didn’t work properly, and it would be quite difficult to get out! The boys did get out safely, and I didn’t swim, I just decided to take an unplanned dip in the mud around the springs. What is it with me and muddy water? Anyone who knew me in primary school will know that I seem to be able to fall into water no matter where I am, and this was no different.
So I did a quick change in the middle of the open plains of Awash (and may have shocked a few tribesmen in the process!) and wore U’s jeans for the rest of the day, while she wore her pyjama trousers (thanks U!).
On the way back we got a flat tyre … and discovered our spare tyre had been stolen. Nice! Thankfully it didn’t happen while we were driving along the deserted roads of Awash, but instead while we were relaxing at Sodore Hot Springs Resort. A man was dispatched to Nazereth, the nearest town, to get a tyre while we relaxed in the restaurant.
Eventually we got home, much later than planned, and I spent a very satisfying 10 minutes in a hot shower!
Baby!
Shortly after this (the next morning, in fact!) E’s baby was born! A little boy, who is incredibly cute and looking more and more like his dad every day! When a baby is born in Ethiopia you go and visit and eat ‘gunfo’ (apologies for the bad spelling!) which is a mixture of grain and butter. I think it’s revolting, but it’s traditional, and it means I can say to E’s little boy ‘I ate gunfo for you when you were born!’
Trip to the South
At 3am on the 2nd October, I stood at Bole Airport, Addis Ababa, holding myself up on the airport barriers, sweating profusely and waiting for N to arrive. I wasn’t just overcome with excitement at N arriving, I’d been being sick all day thanks to some bad meat I’d eaten (Giardasis, if anyone’s interested!).
But N arrived, we slept, I drank lots of water and all was fine the next morning. We then went for a trip to the South of Ethiopia along with U. I would love to be able to write everything down here – and if only I were as good as N and U at keeping a travel diary (I’m not) I would have all the info. Instead I have some wonderful pictures, and lots of fantastic memories – just no will to reproduce the whole thing here!
Suffice to say, we saw:
- the Mursi tribe
- the Karo tribe
- Crocodiles
- Hippos
- Monkeys
- The Hamer tribe
And we
- walked through a river
- fed monkeys
- taught the Hamer tribe ‘If You’re Happy and You Know it …’
- danced in the only nightclub in Turmi
- locked the keys in the car … twice!
Not always an enjoyable experience, but always amazing!
Lalibela and Going Home
N went home on the 17th October and I had a ticket booked for the 20th, which I wasn’t sure I was going to use. But then I was offered a job working for a UK charity in Lalibela, a place I visited in 2006 and fell in love with. I will be living there, working with the teachers and the school to bring in an ‘alternative ciriculum’ – so doing community engagement stuff, teaching dance, drama, music, after school clubs, that kind of thing.
And so I decided to come home before hand. Just for a few weeks, to gather resources, see my family and friends, and just prepare for the move to Lalibela.
Not exactly what happened, but that’s for a later story ….!
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