13th September 2008

Delicious breakfast. Mekdes has taken to making me yogurt.

Unfortunately I can’t vouch for the preparation but the taste is excellent. Mixed with my organic muesli from Bumble Bee and a local banana, it is the gastronic delight otherwise missing from living in Ethiopia.

If that wasn’t enough, I also ate the remains of a piece of bread/cake given me on New Year’s Day when I visited Mekdes. The little neighbour from next door had reached the grand old age of 5 and the family celebrated with baking a large loaf – a cross between a scone and loaf in texture and containing cinnamon.

I toasted the remains this morning in my new mini oven toaster, spread it with the Dutch margarine that lasts forever despite no fridge, and a layer of blackcurrant jam. This consumed on my sunny veranda whilst offering crumbs to the multi-coloured birds that inhabit the garden.

The garden is full of yellow, red and burgundy flowers sprawling everywhere following the rains.

New Year’s Day

11th September – 1st Maskaram

New Year’s Day - A repeat of Easter.

First to Mekdes’s family for lunch, then to Belete and Adina for dinner. I took a bottle of Gin to each. It was supposed to be Ouzo. Mekdes’s mum thought it was great and drank a small wine glass full. She then offered it to her son – who gave back his glass for more and to another visitor who happily consumed a glass – nothing added.

To the neighbours.

I watched as Kibebe and Adina cooked dinner whilst Belete and his friends played cards.

Later another neighbour visited. Bhair from Nigeria with his 3 children. Food was served and my protests were finally adhered to and I only had to eat what I wanted – this was helped by Bahir telling them how odd it was that they kept making people eat when they did not want to. This is a custom frequently applied in Ethiopia and does cause a lot of problems for visitors. My story about how the doctor says I must restrict the amount I eat especially of injeera, seemed to do the trick.

At Mekde’s house, the same applied but Mekdes had come up with an ingenious idea to help me eat the over spiced food; a dish of yogurt was served and it was great. The only battle there was only to drink one beer.

Missionary of Saint Theresa

7 September 2008

Four hour hike with Karlijn around the back of Gonder. Perfect day, beautiful clear sky. Sprice on the hotel roof. Home to lunch (cheese on toast) followed by a rest. Hole in the garden to bury my rubbish and a bit of weeding of the larger weeds that have taken over my garden over the past few months. Then a cold shower and more reading – catching up on 2 months of guardian weekly.


Taking a Rest on my Gonder Walk

Had a great lunch at the Blue Assa Restaurant which apparently is some sort of ‘chain’. There’s one in Arada, one in Gonder and one in Addis! Very impressive. This one was so tucked away you might have missed it. But the food was great – fish and veg dish with injeera – although I could have asked for dabbo. I concentrated on eating as little of the injeera as possible and it worked.

Coffee at the Red Lion hotel – couldn’t have it at the Blus Assa because they had sent the machine to the new restaurant in Gonder!

At 2 o’clock we went to the Missionary of Saint Theresa – this is the place where people go who have nothing and more particularly where babies that no-one wants end up. A predictably sad place.

The carers and nuns look after the physical needs but there’s not much time for anything else. Cots lined up and tiny little beings, some with bottles wedged into their mouths, some without because they’d fallen.

I cuddled and fed three of the babies. It took some getting used to – I was fighting back the tears especially when I thought of my grandson only just a month old and already twice the size of these little ones.

I spent some time trying to engage with 18 month old twins, a boy and girl. They could sit. In fact, that’s all they seemed to do. Sit and look with serious little faces at people around them. I tried to gently ‘bounce’ them but there was no response in the legs at all. One responded to a small toy and made some attempt to hold it.

Later, I went with Miriam to another room where we organised games and activities for the toddlers and children. Great excitement. Some mothers were with them – they also took part in the colouring activities and like the children, sought admiration and approval for their colouring activities.

Back to Gonder

4th September 2008

Back to Gonder. So good to get back to my little home.

The garden is totally overgrown – huge grasses and flowers reaching up to waist height. The area outside the garden is the same – totally transformed from the time I first arrived in February.

The police/military compound has also changed. I was challenged as I tried to reach my house by the normal route and a makeshift fence has been put across the pathway. Now I will have an extra 10 minutes to my walk each day.

Mekdes very happy to see me, lots of hugs and kisses and then both of us not quite knowing what to do next. She returned to her cooking; Shiro and a potato and cabbage dish served with injeera mmmmmmmmm my favourite!!!!

I began the unpacking; sorting through to see what I had remembered and what left behind. Eventually found the ‘phone’ I’d bought for Mekdes – a cheapie £14 type.

Mekdes was very happy and then showed me what she’d been up to with my old phone: downloaded music and new pictures. Decided in the end to let her have the old phone and I took the new one. My one is not so good, it doesn’t have half the features but I never use them anyway.

Text messages welcoming me home from Karlijn and Nicholas. Alaseb came round after work. So I felt very much welcomed home.

Great to finally unpack and put everything away. Looking forward to my bed.

Church at Adari Mariam and Tiya Stellae site

3 September 2008

Amy had organised a day trip out from Addis today – I jumped at the chance having not seen much of the Southern part of Ethiopia.

First stop Melka Kunture which has an archaeological site and museum. The museum consists of 4 traditional buildings each with a different emphasis and time period.

Melka Kunture is the name of a ford of the Awash river, the Ziquana volcano is nearby and many of the exhibits demonstrated the geological formation of the Ethiopian Rift. Exhibits that would be carefully encased in an English Museum, lay on carpet tiles but we were warned not too touch!

The next stop was to visit the rock hewn church at Adadi Mariam.


Church at Adari Mariam

Not quite as well preserved as the churches at Lalibella (so I’m told) but a fascinating construction. These structures are incredible. It is difficult to conceive of just how many people must have been involved in the construction. Built somewhere between the 12th and 14th Centuries.

After lunch (cold spaghetti), we moved on to see the Tiya stelae – a burial site which the guide suggested was developed at the crossroads of paganism with early Christianity. The evidence being that some stones marked small, squarish areas and others marked the more Christian based rectangular shape.


Standing stones at Tiya Stellae

The early ones apparently being buried in the ‘foetal’ position whilst the Christian tradition is to lay the deceased flat. Again there is some dispute about the actual dates and even what the various symbols represent. I was fascinated by the fact that the carvings were ‘raised’ as opposed to indented. That must have meant chipping away a large part of rock to produce the desired image.



Standing stones at Tiya Stellae

Back to Addis where we turned off to go round the ‘ring road’, a motorway style road but which still had the odd person, cow, donkey wandering along!

Flying Home

Sunday June 29th

Last day and night in Addis before flying home.

Clear blue sky and sunshine – decided to walk to the National Museum and visit ‘Lucy’. The walk to Arat Kilo (4 kms out of town centre) was largely uphill. The first part was pleasant enough, plenty of people about but not so overcrowded that you couldn’t easily walk. As I approached Meskel Square, it got much busier with a mixture of street vendors, beggars and the fall-out from the church.

The atmosphere was busy and pleasant – no people hassling me. Stopped at my favourite eatery for that part of town, Sun Ra and reflected on the last meal I had there with David, Alan and Gordon.

On to the National museum. Presenting my resident’s card, I was surprised to find that I only had to pay Birr 2 – I checked and was assured that as a resident, I only had to pay 2 Birr – about the equivalent of 20p.

For Ethiopia, a well organised museum. Dimly lit to protect the artefacts, the information often stuck too high on the wall for me to read.

‘Lucy’ remains (3.2m years old), very small but with long arms, clearly the highlight of the exhibition.

Interesting information about the evolution of some of the indigenous animals. Up to the first floor for an exhibition of Art. I find little to enthuse about here. One or two pieces vaguely interesting but nothing to make me stop and stare. An interesting photographic display was marred by the electricians re-wiring the gallery – well, it’s what you do on a Sunday!

Walked back down, taking little detours that usually ended up in dead ends but with an interesting mix of housing. Clearly not the shanty town area here.

Nobody about for dinner so ate alone and went for an early night. The meal had just been served when the power was cut. Sat in the dark for about 5 mins – totally alone in the restaurant. I sort of expected that someone might come along with a candle to enable me to finish my meal. In the event, no candle could be found. The waitress eventually turned up with an opened mobile phone which she set by my side in order for me to see!

Fortunately, the generator was kicked into action shortly afterwards.

Starting Back to the UK

Saturday June 28th 2008

The taxi was on time, had to cut short Mekdes’s coffee ceremony but was a bit nervous and anxious about flying anyway – beginning to get used to the short hops to Addis and packing a weekend bag, but wondering whether I’ve packed all the things I need to take home gets a bit tiresome in the end. Checked and re-checked all morning.

Got Nicholas to phone Mekdes and try to make an arrangement that she would follow. Not very promising. Mekdes very excited however and determined to spend hours everyday on her English so that she is completely perfect for when I return - won’t hold my breath. She spent some time with the little phrase book and as I was about to leave said ‘come back softly’ very proudly!

The passengers all being present and correct, as far as I am aware, the plane to Addis left an hour early!

A bit of a bumpy ride especially coming in to Addis because of heavy rain clouds.

Opening a new building at Meseret School

Thursday 19 June 2008

Walked up to Meseret school and met up with the rest of the group. I didn’t know what I was letting myself in for and had dressed quite smartly but had put on my walking shoes.

We embarked on a 1½ hour hike mostly uphill, across a river on stepping stones and through heavy duty mud. The views, when I could look were wonderful – green rolling hills and superb views over Gonder.

We arrived at the school Aba Entenous to celebrate the opening of their new building – courtesy of Link Ethiopia. The school, again set in a beautiful but remote area, has two satellites that are unreachable during the rainy season. We will go in September/October. One with over 100 children and the other with 20. The latter school has no building but meets in a makeshift shelter – we will visit that one next semester as well.

The school director met us. A stunning, young looking woman who must have been older than her appearance. She served us with bread rolls filled with a potato, onion and garlic mixture served with coke.

Outside, excitement was mounting and we, the special visitors, were eventually wheeled out to sit at the front of a gathering of children, parents, local councillors and others. Speeches were made, prizes were given out, more speeches from the audience sadly over my head. Then the big moment. I was asked to cut the ribbon for the new building. I pointed out that EthiopiaLink had paid for the building and it should be opened by the representative from EL. Mulugeta obliged whilst I took the photographs but they insisted on presenting me with a bouquet of flowers (made from fabric – not for the Ethiopian people the luxury of fresh cut flowers).


The New School Building

More food served with beer and then coffee.

Eventually, a small group of us made our farewells and I walked back with Mulugeta and a few others. A very welcome hike on a day that the showers held off until after I got home.

Mike from Mekele arrived about 5ish. Mekdes prepared the coffee ceremony and left us with a meal and beer. Mike is the only VSO education worker specifically engaged to advise on Special Needs and inclusive education.

We spent a couple of days looking at schools catering for children with disabilities. In particular, blindness which is a major problem here. There is an enormous shortage of appropriate Braille board that the children can use, a project I will look into later. Anyone with advice on where they can be acquired, please pass it on.

A good day with Meleshew

Wednesday 18 June 2008

A much more successful day at work. Meleshew came in.

A meeting was held with Alemayhu, Meleshew and Mulugeta to go through the Action Plan. Lunch with Meleshew. In the afternoon, we went through her personal action plan and I managed to get Meleshew to complete it on the computer.

She felt great afterwards. Hope it lasts!

The Tara Project

18 June 2008

Decided to try and find the Tara project. Turned out to be very easy following on from Kate’s instructions.

Spent some time in the school – a model classroom, 25 Grade 1 children (5/6), sitting at small round tables, their art work on the wall – they were in the middle of an environment lesson on different animals that could be found in different environments. They finished off with a little song and dance routine demonstrating cultural differences in Ethiopia.

Had a look at the playgroup – small children rushing around in pedal cars, tricycles etc – have never seen anything like this anywhere else in Ethiopia although in fairness, I’ve not visited many kindergartens.

Had an official talk and tour with Tara’s Guide. He explained the sponsorship programme – they register all children and ‘arrive’ at a date for their birth day. Once information has been gathered, they seek out sponsors. The sponsors fund the children at school but also provide enough for the families to be supported with Health Care. There was a filing cabinet draw full of children registered waiting for sponsors.

The aim of the project is to try and break the cycle of poverty by taking children from the urban slums of Gonder, educating them and their families and following the child through to the highest possible level they can achieve. They currently have 3 children at university.

The school started this year but the project has been running for much longer. Before the school, the children were sent to private schools in the area and those presently at the Tara Centre will continue their education in private schools.

Those at the school arrive in the morning. They shower and change into school uniforms – their clothes are washed ready for them to go home. They get breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack.

Next year they hope to run to Grade 1 classes and continue with the children they have now into Second Grade.

Some parents (mothers) are employed at the project carrying out activities supporting the project e.g. washing the clothes, preparing the food. More recently some parents have been employed to weave rugs and make simple bags for sale in the shop.

A shop also stocks items from parents that they have made and visitors are asked to pay whatever they want but to consider it a donation to the family – the money goes direct to the producer.

Animals are also cared for. A rescue centre for monkeys and geladas that have been taken from the Simien mountains and dogs and cats found or handed in are cared for, given rabies jabs and offered to new homes. More employed parents/youths take them out to graze daily and efforts are being made to reintegrate them into the Simien mountains.

On Saturdays, the staff run a youth project. In 4 week blocks, 30 street children are taken in – they arrive at the centre, shower, have breakfast and then go out in supervised groups to pick up litter in the town.

In the afternoon they have a variety of activities with training on alternatives to street life and healthcare advice. At the end of the 4 weeks they receive a new set of clothes and then back to their normal existence.

The focus of the project as a whole is self-help and promotion. Nothing is given, services and products are paid for helping people to build their self-esteem

Steve and Gemma, and Meeting Kate

17 June 2008

This evening I had been invited to go to a gathering of ferenjis and friends to say goodbye to Steve and Gemma who have been living and working in Gonder for over two years. Wasn’t high on my agenda this evening but my colleague Nicholas talked me into going – a good move since I would have stayed home thinking about the events of the weekend.

The gathering included a mix of friends and colleagues they have met at the university and hospital. Some American Peace Corps people, the ‘Dutch’ contingent – Karyln and friends, and local neighbours and friends.

A young, mainly male crowd. The good part was meeting Kate. I have heard of her work and been told I should get in touch with her but our paths had never crossed until tonight.

We got on instantly and spent most of the time talking to each other. Kate is married to an Ethiopian and has been involved in Ethiopia for the last 14 years – the last 6 living here permanently. She is running a multi faceted project aimed at changing the lives of urban slum dwellers. I’ll write this up separately after I’ve visited the Centre.

David

16 June 2008

Yesterday the phone went – my programme officer from Addis. Ringing on a Sunday, it could only be bad news! And it was. Saturday evening four volunteers were returning home when they were hit by a bus.

My friend David died at the scene. Holly is in intensive care. Oscar and Pamela are in general wards recovering. They are all in Nairobi – air lifted out by air ambulance.

Except for David. He will be flown back to the UK on Wednesday.

David was my age. We were on two training courses together prior to coming to Ethiopia and 3 weeks in Addis. I had lunch with him a month ago when I went to Addis for the cluster conference.

His loss has not sunk in. I’m still trying to process it in my head. He was someone that I was not in constant contact with but always pleased to see. I may not have seen him again anyway but now he will live in my memories.

His loss is an enormous shock for the community of Volunteers. Reminds us how fragile life can be. It could have happened in the UK. It could have happened anytime, anywhere. But the fact is, it happened here and my life takes on yet another flicker of mortality.

Dave was a good man. Like so many of us, there was sadness and frustration in his life. No doubt major disappointments as well. But he was not one for sitting around whining about how awful life was. His pro-active nature brought him to Ethiopia – and that is where he died. The contribution he could have made here will be lost. The hole that will be left in the lives of those he left behind will remain empty. The ‘why’ questions never answered.

His life cut short. Goodbye David

Goodbye Monty Day

13 June 2008

Goodbye Monty day.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to be at the airport until 9:15 so we had the opportunity of sitting over breakfast. Toast and marmalade Ethiopian style minus butter.

Addis airport is a modern, stylish building. That’s about all you can say for it. As I was flying back the same day, although in the afternoon, I was allowed to check in early so that I could go through and wait with Monty.

Monty had trouble checking in because he was registered to fly on the 11th despite the fact that he had a ticket and receipt for the 13th. A good 30 minutes of trying to convince the man on the desk that no further payment was required since it was their error and not ours, finally got us through – grudgingly! One thing the Ethiopians are not good at is acknowledging that they, or their organisation, might be in the wrong. But because we persisted, they check-in man finally gave up and issued the required boarding pass.

After saying goodbye to Monty, I ended up chatting to the airport announcer. A very elegant, sophisticated Ethiopian capable in about six languages – but has only ever been out of the country once to visit her brother in America. An independent woman with no family since her father died – she explained that their relationship had been very close. The secret of her language skills is using her breaks to nab whichever tourist happens to be around so that she can practise.

The flight details on the board did not change. No gate was given. No time. 3 o’clock came and went. I then got speaking to a young Swedish woman who was off to visit a friend in Bahir Dar. She approached concerned about what was happening. I checked at the desk as was told to come back in 15 minutes. We went off in search of something to eat only to have our names called for embarkation immediately.

The sadness of the journey back to Gonder was caused by a feeling of homesickness and wishing I was on the plane back to the UK. I cheered up when I arrived at the airport to be met by Geshaw, a driver from the college who was there to meet another person from the college. This meant I didn’t have to negotiate and bargain with the taxis. Whilst waiting in the mini bus, I received a phone call from Mekdes to see where I had got to as she had coffee ready! I cheered up! After all, I have more than one place I can now call home. Mekdes had also cooked for me so it was a pleasant homecoming all round.

To the Simien Mountains (2)

? June 2008

Woke early the next morning. Still no hot water or heating. Went down for breakfast and ordered cornflakes followed by scrambled eggs. Told I could have one or the other! By this time, I was very annoyed. The other guests had started to arrive and when asked, said they had hot water and heating.

I went to see the manager. The manager said he would look into it but did nothing more than prepare the bill and then come and present it to me. No apology, no reduction, no courtesy. I have to say this is par for the course in Ethiopia – out of Addis, there are few places that offer customer service as opposed to simply providing food. Very little thought goes into training staff. However, this is supposed to be an international standard hotel. It certainly charged prices to reflect that. I spent 1,500 Birr for a bed in a cold room, a sub-standard meal and meagre breakfast. That is about £75 and equates to my allowance as a volunteer in Ethiopia for one month. So, whilst I have thought carefully about writing such a negative review of one of Ethiopia’s few attempts to offer a higher standard of service, it is unlikely that it will attract more than the very committed traveller.

Another 4 hour hike the next morning to areas of outstanding views including the waterfall.


Waterfall Simien Mountains

We started back towards lunchtime. By this time the ‘road’ was dry so we were not slipping and sliding but very definitely bumping. Lunch in Debark where I tried to obtain some cash as the Hotel had cleaned me out. However, they don’t do credit cards or traveller’s cheques in Debark. Fortunately I had a $100 dollar bill and after checking via three bank staff and putting through a machine and ensuring my id was appropriate, they finally cashed it for me.


Baboons

To the Simien Mountains (1)

? June 2008

The highlight of the trip was the visit to the Simien Mountains slightly tarnished by the extremely poor service at the Simien Lodge.

My friend Mulash had organised the trip and like Monty, I wasn’t overly sure about what to expect. We were picked up early in the morning by Mulash, his friend and a driver in a hired line taxi. We drove to Debark where we picked up two more passengers, this time a guide, Bibi and a scout – with a Kalashnikov rifle! The latter two are compulsory when travelling in the Simiens. Though I never did quite make out what the rifle was for.


Ruth and Monty

The road was nothing more than a mud track and the journey hazardous but the scenery was stunning. We arrived at the Simien Lodge at lunchtime. The lodge is made up of locally designed truckles; a large central one houses the administrative centre, kitchens and restaurant and a series of smaller ones contains the rooms. The rooms boast under floor heating and showers powered by solar panels. Unfortunately, on this particular day, there had been a power cut – something we’re very used to in Ethiopia but oddly, this ‘international’ complex has no generator! They also seem to have a problem with the solar panels because there was no heating and no hot water.

We enjoyed a 4 hour hike during the afternoon and returned eagerly awaiting a hot shower and decent meal. I had set aside savings for this treat since the cost of an overnight stay at the Simien Lodge is in excess of Birr 1000 and that doesn’t include meals.

The room was freezing. That is not an exaggeration. The beautiful shower room with it’s power head unit and beautiful tiles was like walking into a fridge.
So, no shower. It was too cold to wash. We simply changed.

At 6 o’clock, we made our way down to the main lodge for dinner. Still no power so the restaurant was also cold. The waiters were busily making a fire in a large central fireplace. They moved our table closer for warmth and provided a candle for the table.

Sadly, the only other guests on that evening were a group of large evangelical Americans who found it necessary to pray and sermonise their way through the evening.

No menu was available, the ‘chef’ had managed to produce a chicken soup (from a packet) and chicken cutlets with vegetables. Had I been eating in the Lamergeyer Hotel close to my home, I would have been satisfied and would have expected to pay in the region of Birr 50 including a glass of wine. Here my bill came to over Birr 300!

The walk back to our room was stunning. It being pitch black, the stars were magnificent. Layer upon layer indicating those closer and further away….

By now the temperature had dropped and we were not sufficiently well-prepared to stand for ages gazing and so it was an early night.

2 June 2008

Back to Gonder. Greeted enthusiastically by Mekdes who performed the coffee ceremony.

The next few days were given over to visiting the sight of Gonder in between the rains. Fasilades castle was a treat with a very knowledgeable guide who would have kept us there all day if we hadn’t at some point expressed our tiredness!

Fasilades Castle is a World Heritage site – I wonder what that means? The local people, even those in good jobs would find forking out Birr 50 (about £2.50) for each member of the group a bit much when salaries are around 2 – 3 Birr (in education anyway). This would put the site out of reach of most Ethiopians I know.

During his visit, Monty visited Mekdes’s House and the home of my neighbours where he was a big hit!

He tried all the food, squished himself into line taxis and took part in the general day to day life that is Gonder. Seeing it through his eyes, I could see that this is not an easy place to visit or get to know. I had 3 weeks of training in England before setting foot in Ethiopia plus 3 weeks orientation in Addis before trying to settle into life in Gonder. I knew what to expect. Flying into Ethiopia and adjusting within a few weeks is a much harder task.

Addis Abbaba and Sylvia Pankhurst

1 June 2008

Up at crack of dawn – not difficult since I hadn’t been able to sleep – nervous anticipation of what was to come!

I had not seen anyone I knew apart from VSO people since I’d arrived. Although I had been writing a regular blog I knew it wasn’t going to be the same as actually being here.

On Saturday, we woke to rain. I was grateful that I had decided to book a taxi tour of Addis for the afternoon.

Wehib picked us up after lunch and in between downpours gave us a good tour of the key sights of the city. Although I had spent some time in Addis, I had not seen a great deal and most of what I had seen was located in the poorer areas.

A highlight was a visit to a church I had seen back off the road and not generally on the tour route. Known as the Selassie or Trinity Cathedral it is relatively new. The decorations were fabulous, paintings, murals, stained glass windows, chandeliers and elaborate carpets. The Guide was knowledgeable and with excellent English.

But the ‘find’ was the tomb of Sylvia Pankhurst, the suffragist daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and sister Christabel. Whilst Emmeline and Christabel were active in the Women’s Suffrage and Political Union, Sylvia was busy working alongside working class women in the East End – an early socialist/feminist who was thrown out of the WSPU for having continuing the suffrage movement despite the war. Syliva was also anti-racist and campaigned firstly against the Italians and then the British for the restoration of Ethiopian independence. She lived her latter years in Ethiopia where she died at the age of 78 and was give a state funeral. Among many of her literary achievements, she wrote Ethiopia A Cultural History.

We also visited the Makardo, supposedly the largest market in Africa. I had absolutely no desire to get out and look around – apart from the rain, it did not look attractive or inviting.