Friday, June 19, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Farewell Ethiopia
We left Babagayu after a late breakfast. The morning traffic was heavy, so we arrived at St. Joseph at 10:00. We had been invited to graduation. Our friend, the Archbishop was the chief guest, but we too, were recognized by Mr. Demesse. The honored alumni was from last year. He received the top score in the country on the national exam (as his brother did the year before). The school has a lot of brain power!
After graduation, the long awaited SHOPPING!!!!!!! Bargaining is the name of the game and everyone came away with great treasures.
The trip home: 3 continents, 30 hours, 8 time zones. What else can one say!
It was a great trip. Many, many thanks to our hosts. I still feel like I have been hit by a truck, so this is short. I am looking forward to seeing all of the photos.
Although I am not finished organizing all my photos, you can see them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/msafari/.
After graduation, the long awaited SHOPPING!!!!!!! Bargaining is the name of the game and everyone came away with great treasures.
The trip home: 3 continents, 30 hours, 8 time zones. What else can one say!
It was a great trip. Many, many thanks to our hosts. I still feel like I have been hit by a truck, so this is short. I am looking forward to seeing all of the photos.
Although I am not finished organizing all my photos, you can see them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/msafari/.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Nazaret and Babagayu
Maurice:
As the trip comes to an end, so many emotions are running through everyone’s mind. I’ll get to that shortly. While we were in Nazareth, we visited my twin school, St.Joseph and we actually got to meet some of the students even though there weren’t many at the school due to testing. The 1st day we played with the kindergarten (KG) which was really fun because they were so energetic about seeing us. They also sung a couple different songs for us which were really nice and they sounded beautiful. The staff, afterwards, held a ceremonial coffee ceremony which was one of the best because the KG came in and danced for us while we were drinking coffee. When we got done with the school, we went back to the house to eat lunch. After lunch, we decided to go to a natural hot spring and the water was boiling hot. That was probably because it was hot outside and that warmed up the water. Me and a couple others decided to go get massages, which were excellent and if I had a choice I would go back and get another. We also had ice cream too which was really nice. When we got back, we ate dinner and after that we reflected.
Then on Friday, we went back to the school, but it was a different part of campus where the older kids go to school. One of the brothers who work there gave us a brief history of the school and a few statistics. The highest paid tuition is 152 birr, the lowest 98, and the avg. class size was about 55-60 students in most classes. He then took us for a tour around school and the school is very beautiful and very well kept up, even though it was made in 1951, it still looked nice. We later saw the senior class and introduced our self to them. We saw the library, computer room and the fields they play on futbol and basketball on and we played basketball there. We ate lunch and left for Babagayu.
During the last reflection, a lot of people had a lot of mixed emotions and were stuck between “I want to go home” and “I don’t want to leave this place.” And I see where they come from because it’s been three weeks since we’ve seen our families and friends; at the same time, we don’t want to leave a place like this and everyone we’ve meet on the trip because we’ve become so close with one another. No matter where we are or where our future lead us, we will still have all of the great memories from ETHIOPIA.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Meki
Needless to say, the last blog wasn't sent. Meki is getting electricity only every other day and I report that is not a certainty. Today is an electricity day, but the power has been off most of the morning. Without electricity, water is also sporadic since the necessary pumps are electric. But that is mainly and inconvenience which has not hampered the enjoyment of our stay here in Meki.
We are lodging in the pastoral center across the street from the school. We are taking our meals with the Brothers who are located on the adjacent side of the school, so it is a short walk across the school compound and the soccer field.
There are four Brothers here: Brother Betre, the headmaster and Brother Getachew in the school; Brother Cassi, works at the farm; and Brother Taye, who is 4th year scholastic visiting here for a month.
Unlike the other schools we have visited, Meki Catholic is in a smaller town, perhaps 60,000 people. The area is very, very poor. There are 1517 students in grades KG-12. Until recently it was the only secondary school in town. The government opened their secondary school this year. There is a great need as over 1600 students applied for the 50 open spaces last year. The school is double stream, meaning there are two classrooms for each grade, with the exception of 9th grade, for which there are three. There are 25 classrooms (that is 60 students per room). The school population is comprised of 790 boys and 727 girls. The ratio between boys and girls is decreasing.
Students in grades 1-6 pay only 25 birr per month ($25.00 per year); 7-8, 30 birr per month; 9-10, 35 birr per month; and 11-12, 45 birr per month. This tuition covers only 15% of the real cost of the education.
There are many issues revolving around the female students. Many girls are being forced to marry after grade 9. There is no real motivation to educate a female student. Marriage brings money to her family in the form of a dowry. Even the girls who do continue their education face many difficulties. The girls, after attending school, are required to do much of the work around the house, such tasks as gathering wood and water. They also must work late into the night. The exhaustion showed on the faces of many of the girls in the classroom. The school is meeting these problems by both advocating for the girls and building a hostel where they can live if the situation forces the removal from the family.
Monday we broke into groups and observed classes. In the 6th and 7th grades, many of the questions concerned why we were here, the global economic situation and American politics, especially Obama. In the mid-morning we were introduced to all of the teachers and had tea and biscuits.
Playing before a packed arena, we lost yet another basketball game. This one was at least close. We have been swarmed by kids ever since we arrived.
After dinner, Brother Betre showed a powerpoint on the school, which I hope you all will have a chance to see.
On Tuesday morning, we visited Meki Farm. The farm is an initiative to not only teach modern farming techniques to the local populous, but to insure the future survival of the school. The farm is about a 20 minute drive from the school.
Betsy: Brother Amilcare gave us the farm tour. It is a wonderful example of combining the natural resources available with modern agricultural and genetic techniques. Right now they have 30 hectars (about 120 acres) of land very near
They have already planted thousands of plants. There are between 500-1000 each orange trees, mango trees and papaya trees. They have a more than a 1000 banana trees planted and have planted small grasses between the trees for the cows to graze. The theory of intercropping not only conserves space and uses vital farm land efficiently, it also keeps down the weeds so the farmers (women) don't have to spend so much time weeding. One interesting result from the intercropping was that the banana trees didn't grow well when alfalfa was planted with them. Now they have only small grazing grasses planted. They also have many standard farm plants: corn, tomatoes, onions, etc. Finally, they have established an amazing vineyard. They have planted more than 20,000 grape vines of seven varieties including merlot. Brother said that once the vineyard is producing at full capacity in several years, they hope to bottle well over 100,000 bottles of wine.
They also are planning to have a large herd of cows that they will use for making yogurt and cheese. The Christian population fasts about 200 days out of the year so they don't use much of their milk. The hope is to exchange cows to the local farmers in return for their milk. Then the Meki farm will make the yogurt and cheese. In addition, they will be selecting specific cows that are hardy and can live off the land and cross breeding them with cows that are high in milk production. Because of the specific genetics, the cross breeding has a high probability of success. This will ensure strong healthy milk producers for the local farmers. Finally, they will only need to maintain one or two bulls to keep the large female population impregnated (all by artificial insemination).
The buildings are well on the way to being completed. They include the main building, class rooms, the dairy, the cheese room, the jam/marmalade room and the winery. We toured the upper level of the winery by walking up a wooden scaffold. It was a challenge to come down it successfully and we are glad to still be here to write the blog.
Alex: In Meki, we met with the LaSallian Youth to experience the culture of the region. To kick off the festivities, a student dressed in traditional clothes started the coffee ceremony. It smelled delicious. While the coffee was being prepared, the students introduced Abraham, who was supposed to do a modern dance for us. As soon as the music came on, he came out dancing his heart off and doing really well; however, the power was out, something that is a reality in
Maurice: While we were in Meki, we paired up with students from the school who were in LaSallian youth and the goal was to see how each student lived. In my group we had three from the school so we went to three different homes and a church. The 1st house we went to was Seble's. I was really surprised by how modernized the home was. The had a living room which had four couches, a TV, a stereo set and a china cabinet with really nice dishes. They prepared the cultural coffee ceremony and we also had popcorn. After we did that, we visited Abreham's house. His home was different from Seble's because she lived in a house made from brick and he lived in a mud/stick house. Another difference was that Seble's home had different rooms from different purposes while Abreham had one room for many different purposes. It surprised me because there was a big difference in homing and how people lived and it was all in the same city. Even though they didn't have much, they were still welcoming and very humble. That's what really surprised me since day one how these people have so little or maybe even so much and they keep up the same positive attitude day in and day out. And to see all of the different homes was really nice and an experience I will never forget.
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Pentecost Sunday--Harar
June 7, 2009, Pentecost Sunday.
The distance between heaven and hell is 19 km.
As you travel from the floor of the Rift Valley, the temperature quickly drops from the "breath of the Devil" to the much more refreshing breeze of Angel's wings. As quickly as the temperature changes, so does the landscape, the number of people and commerce. The mountains are agricultural, where the semi-desert is pastoralist. The drive to Harar (I have found it spelled "officially" three different ways) is short.
We arrive and the first order of business is lodging. We find two hotels near each other which can accommodate our number. Once everyone gets settled in, we head to find the hyena man. Harar is an ancient walled city, with twisting streets and alleyways. The roads outside the old city are crowded with taxis. There are very few vehicles within the walls, because there is no parking nor roads wide enough for them to pass. The streets are alive with vendors and animals. Except for the electric lights (which our hotels were without), it was like stepping back hundreds of years.
Outside the wall, where the city fades to countryside, lives the hyena man. Shortly after dark, we arrive. Soon an old man comes out of his nearby house with a bucket of meat scraps and begins to whistle and call the hyenas by name. You see their eyes first. Soon the dominant male overcomes it fear of all the people gathered to watch and the hyena man feeds him a scrap of meat from his hand. After a few moments two younger hyenas appear, perhaps a female and its pup. The hyena man then invites the visitors to give it a try (using a 10 inch stick). He positions the person next to him, puts the stick in his hand and then drapes a piece of meat over the end. Cautiously the hyena approaches and quickly snatches the meat. Over and over the procedure is repeated with different people. Some bravely put the stick in the mouth. It is a fun experience. Once the scraps of meat are depleted, some "helpers" dump a bag of bones and as people back off nearly 20 hyenas end up showing themselves for the feast.
We depart to the Ras Hotel for dinner. Again, no electricity, so dinner is by generator. There is no injera (somewhat like the restaurant in Heathrow being out of English Muffins). So we opt for western fare. Not so successful. My lamb chop which the waitress said was fried, was chopped lamb at best: braised. So we returned to our waterless and dark hotels. Both lights and water came on shortly after midnight. We left the following morning at 6:00 am.
We stopped in the town of
We passed the same route as we did on the way to Dire Dawa. However, this time we travelled the lower elevations in the heat of the day. By the time we left the mountains and arrived at the town of
We finally arrived at
The night we arrived we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant. They served both Ethiopian and Western fare, so everyone was happy. Every so often we will see "Westerners" in the places we stay. At the restaurant a large group of Europeans sit at a table near us. While the man I spoke with was British most of the group was Dutch. They were all on scientific research grants studying water issues or wildlife.
For once we got to sleep in on Sunday morning. Again, everyone was happy. We walked to Mass at a different retreat center run by the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady, not far from the Brothers. (The priest-director told us that the government is trying to take their prime spot to turn it into a resort.) Today we celebrated the Feast of the Pentecost which marks the end of the Easter season and commemorates the story in the Acts of the Apostles when the Holy Spirit came in wind and fire on the disciples after Jesus had ascended to heaven. Under the power of the Spirit the disciples were enabled to speak in different tongues or languages and preach the Good News to all the foreigners who had gathered in
After Mass, we had lunch at the Sisters. They had prepared, goat, fried cauliflower, green beans and carrots, a lentil dish and rice. It was delicious. After lunch we walked back to the Brother's retreat for a swim. Because the lake is an old volcano, the water is deep, fed by cool subterranean springs.
We are now on our way to Meki, where I hope I can send this.
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Friday, June 5, 2009
From Dire Dawa to Harer
June 5, 2009
Upon arrival at Dire Dawa, one of the Brothers said the usual pattern is to either water or electricity. That has certainly been true. We started to get water again yesterday, but electricity has been sporadic. Of the two, I choose water.
It took me over an hour to post the last blog from here, so I don’t know if this will get posted before we leave Dire Dawa for Harrar later today. We are going to feed the Hyenas, stay overnight and then continue to Nazarit tomorrow.
Yesterday we toured the facilities of the Sisters of Charity. Here in Dire Dawa they care for over 1200 destitute and dying people. The facilities, like those in Addis were clean and well ordered. The street leading to the shelter was lined with people waiting to be admitted. There seem to be many homeless people here. Many of the streets are lined with them at night, sleeping against walls on pieces of cardboard.
Sr. Vincentina, met us at the women’s and children’s section. There were at least 10 newborns many of them orphans, being cared for. The cribs were all covered with netting to ward off the flies. We also visited the special needs children. When a woman brings in a sick child in this area, the bring all the rest of the children also. So immediately we had children with whom to hold hands and carry. There was also a section for mentally disturbed women, which we did not tour. Every section of the facility has a Sister in charge. Again, they were all smiling.
Down the street was the clinic and the men’s section. There were many more men than women. We visited a number of wards: geriatric, a ward where wounds needed watching and changed, HIV, those that are dying, and the undiagnosed…the Sister’s are very, very organized in their care. They also had an area of the mentally disturbed. Currently there were 400 men there. The usual number is 800, but because of construction to enlarge the facility they had to send the least violent back to their villages for the time being. Sister Deo Gracia, from Tanzania greeted us. She was full of laughter. We greeted many of the men and shook hands and then liberally applied hand sanitizer. Even here, everyone is very welcoming.
Later in the day we visited the street boys program run by the Brothers. There are 20 boys in residence in all age ranges. They go to local schools, but come to the center for meals and sleeping. Each day we enter or leave the Beserate Gabriel school compound , we are mobbed by street children, most of whom are savvy and aggressive. The Lasallian Youth from Besrate Gabriel spend their Saturday’s clothing, cleaning, feeding and teaching the kids. Brother Taddele, who is in charge of the program, then chooses the ones with the most regular attendance to become part of the program as room is available. As we go around town, we meet many alumni of the program who have successfully completed grade 10.
The oldest boys in the house are 18 and they watch after the younger ones. Zelalem, in particular, an 18 year old grade 11 night school student is articulate, kind and very good with the younger boys. He is fiercely proud of his little mattress in one of the rooms that he shares with two others. He showed us his wardrobe and his pile of school books sitting on top. He really enjoys natural sciences and hopes to study chemistry at the university. The boys live in a house that is on loan from Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity because the Brothers have been trying to obtain a piece of land to build a permanent home. We just got word that after a morning meeting today (Friday, June 5th), the Brothers received a gift of land from the government. They want to build lodging for 20 street boys and then lodging for an additional 20 rental rooms to subsidize the cost of the street boys program.
When we visited the Lasalle Boy’s Home, we gathered our chairs in a circle and had the chance to ask each other questions. Both groups were shy it seems so few questions were asked. Instead, some of the Lasalle boys performed traditional dance for us in the middle of the circle. One of the boys had an amazing voice and sang the traditional tunes as he led the dancing. Over and over again we are seeing the several dances that are unique to each tribal or regional group. Even some of the very small students at the school are proud to show us the dance moves that they know. Megan and Kylie in our group offered beautiful songs and Ryan and Jon attempted a few simple dances. But unfortunately, we have nothing to offer them by way of traditional dancing or singing. When they asked us to perform, we could think of nothing to show or, I suppose, that the students don’t know or don’t feel connected to traditional American dances like square or contra dancing.
Ethiopia is still very much a traditional culture. Cultural rituals and symbols are emphasized in the home and at school and students are very proud to show off what they know. In fact, the students know more than just the rituals of the tribal group they belong to. They are able to perform the dances and the song of the several major regional groups. Ethiopia is certainly diverse, but stresses unity in its diversity. By contrast, in some ways, in the United States unity has so trumped diversity that we are more homogenous and without strong knowledge of traditional cultural symbol and rituals. There are exceptions of course; I think of traditional Irish step dancing that many young people still learn today, but those kinds of examples are rare. I think our students are keenly aware of those cultural differences between our societies and (some at least) have expressed sadness that we don’t have those same ties to the past. It may be easier to have connections to a culture that is 3000 years old as opposed to an American culture of only 200+ years.
June 5th,
Today we visited the two primary schools that adjoin Besrate Gabriel, one run by the Conventual Franciscans and the other by the Sisters of Notre Dame. Besrate Gabriel is the only one which offers 11-12 grades. The Sisters did at one time but because of government regulations now stop at 10. The Franciscan Brothers have about 730 students. It seems to be single stream, there were three students to every bench, so even though the rooms were very small, there must have been upwards of seventy kids in every classroom. The whole school was crowded, but we were given the grand tour. The A-V room had a variety of visual aids for biology and geography…all hand painted on canvas. I think of all the maps and charts our students have access to and compare to what little is here in the terms of visuals for the students.
The Sister’s school was beautiful. It was clean, well ordered and very disciplined. In one of the rooms the little kids (maybe 1st graders) were watching a projected video which was teaching them the names of colors and body parts in English. All of the schools had computers (often old and mismatched), but seen as necessary for the total education of their students.
June 3rd.
Monday we left Arbaminch at 6:00 in the morning. Father knew of a shorter route with better roads through the mountains. And it was. Although the roads were dirt, they were much smoother than the temporary roads which skirted us around the road construction. The scenery was beautiful. As we climbed we had awesome views of the lakes. The mountains were very populated at the lower elevations, rich with agriculture on terraced fields. The dwellings here were very different. They were very tall, thatched buildings, mainly circular, but seemed to have a front porch or entry way. They were very graceful and well-kept. As we climbed higher, the area was much more alpine, with great expanses of conifers. It really became a horse culture, both as transportation and work. Plowing was still done with oxen. The area was lush, green and cool.
We came out within 20 km of Soto, (for those of you following our journey on a map, both Arbaminch and Soto are on the map I found on the Encyclopedia Britannica site.) We stopped very little, so reached Addis in about 11 hours…right at rush hour. The van went on to the city of Debre Zeyit, where the Brothers have a retreat center on the lake, Babugaya. The truck went to the Postulancy building to pick up luggage. Unfortunately, the luggage truck was delayed by traffic, so it stayed in the city overnight. The group met up the next morning to begin the journey to Dire Dawa.
Dire Dawa, “the Queen City of the Desert”, is hot. May is the hottest month, but someone forgot to change the calendar. It is 11:00 am as I write and it must be pushing 100 degrees. Although last night was cool. Air-conditioning certainly hasn’t made it here yet. We asked Br. Tadele if his room had air conditioning and he nodded yes as he showed us his tiny box fan. Obviously definitions of “air conditioning” vary around the world!
Leaving Babugaya, we passed an area that was heavily agricultural. Many fields were being plowed by oxen, a now familiar site. The area did not have the diversity which the area South of Addis enjoyed. Most of the fields seemed to be maize. The area didn’t seem as prosperous either.
As we moved eastward, we again seemed to pass through several tribal areas, witnessed by style of structures and dress. Although still in the highlands we passed through a very arid area. Here, farms thinned and a pastoralist lifestyle was evident. There were great herds of goats, camels and cattle. One of the herds we passed must have easily had over 1000 head of cattle. The herdsmen all carried rifles. The men wore Afro hair styles, either a western style shirt or a loose waist length tunic and a knee length piece of cloth wrapped around their waste. The women really didn’t have a very distinctive way of dress. Most had their heads covered, long dresses with a length of cloth twisted around the waist. Many wore a bright saffron yellow. For ornamentation many women had necklaces made of large chunks of amber or intricately embroidered collars.
The dwellings here were typical of the Maasai or Turkana people of Kenya. They are moveable villages, as they continually move to better pasture lands. The huts are made of small branches covered with mud and dung topped with a tarp. Each year they might return to the same camp. Each encampment is surrounded by thorn branches to protect the herds from predators and theft (the reason herders carry rifles for the larger herds that cannot be brought home for the night). Many of these groups have the same creation narrative: God gave cattle to them, so they really aren’t rustling, they are just taking back what God gave to them. The herd is a bank account on a hoof. They buy a bride, they provide life. The relationship between animal and man is very close. Cattle are not eaten. These tribes survive on milk and blood taken from the animal.
We stopped in the town of Awash for breakfast. Omelets (or Omleets on the menu) and coffee. The coffee here is strong and there was a special coffee waitress for those who wished traditional coffee without milk. She sat on the floor, which even in the restaurant the small area was covered with a fresh grass (which is actually available for sale in the markets). She had all the cups arranged on a low table in front of her. There were two braziers of charcoal, one to hold the black ceramic pot, keeping it hot and the other to keep a continuous supply of coals and to burn incense from a small basket she kept nearby. Every order of coffee was accompanied by a pinch of incense.
From Awash we began to climb to a higher elevation. The people seemed much poorer and the towns mainly of very small shops made of mud, with a tin roof. There were two crops, maize and chaa. Chaa is a mild drug, legal, but none-the-less, a drug. It is sold mainly to the Arab countries to the north. Truck drivers use it to stay awake, but long time use leads to insanity it seems. The dwellings here are long rectangular buildings. It took me a while to figure out the larger building in relationship to the apparent poverty. They some started having two doors: a dwelling for both people and their animals.
We passed rusting shells of several military tanks, remnants of the war with Somalia in the late 1970s, grim reminders that many of the problems of this country are man-made.
At the highest elevation, it was very cool and raining hard. Then we dropped back into the Rift Valley. Probably at least a 3000 ft. difference by a constant series of hairpin curves. Brother Kassu was tired so I took over the wheel of the luggage truck for the last 60 km. My driving skills, honed in Kenya came in handy. Not only do you have to negotiate the road, but around all the people, goats, cows and donkey which also share the same road. It make for an interesting drive.
We finally arrive at Besrate Gabriel school at about 4:00 in the afternoon. Besrate Gabriel means the Annunciation of Gabriel (the story in the Gospels when the angel Gabriel “announces” to Mary that she would bear the Christ child, the Son of God), a fitting name for a school that announces the good news! We were greeted by a banner over the drive and a great number of children who were still in the school yard, even though classes ended at noon (because of the heat). During final quarter of the school year, which corresponds to the hottest part of the year, the day begins at 7:00 am and ends at noon. The boys immediately engaged themselves in a game of basketball and the girls volleyball. Thankfully afterward, there was enough water for showers. Dire Dawa is a city of 400,000 and because of some problem there has not been water for several days. We are all staying at the brothers residence. They have moved beds into their library for the boys and the girls are in the adjoining building.
I rose early to attend 6:00 mass. The mass is in the compound of the Conventual Franciscan, who live next door. Next to that is a school run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame from India. Mass was in Amharic, but it was the Roman Rite, so I could follow it pretty closely. Breakfast, very Ethiopian and good, was at 6:30.
After breakfast many of us went to the morning assembly. The students line up outside in front of the classrooms for prayer and announcements. All the little kids wanted to shake hands, and came running to do so. I don’t know if it because I am old or they thought I was a priest, many of the smaller children either kissed my hand or pressed their foreheads to it.
The school was built in 1945 ec (Ethiopian Calendar), which translates as 1953. Originally, it was only a primary school, but with help from the twinning schools and international help in the last 15 years has added many new buildings and is now one of the 4 secondary schools in the city, the other three are run by the government. The daytime enrollment is a little over 1500 students. There are two classrooms for each grade KG-12. I will save you the math: the smallest classroom had 48 students, the largest 78. The children are in the same classroom all day, the teachers move. They sit in rows, two abreast on benches without backs. Some of the benches had three students. We visited classes today. The students were all eager learners. The 4th grade class was learning a small poem in English. The teacher wrote in on the board and then read it once, then the students all were eager to read it individually (with 60 kids not all got the chance).
In the sixth grade, one of the students proudly demonstrated how to figure the time difference between Ethiopia and the United States using longitude. First, he knew the longitude of both, which amazed me. Second, he could multiply the degrees and divide them by 15 (and knew that was the process). And third, he came up with the right answer!
I was very impressed with a little girl in the 9th grade. John Dols asked her what the difference was between Ethiopian students and American students. She basically and very articulately said that American students have so much in both educational opportunities and materials and the Ethiopians have so little. She went on to comment on the seriousness of the students here, noting that American movies and music are not only a waste of time but they corrupt the tradition here because many students want to imitate what they see. Not only was the answer impromptu and astute, but in her second language.
In addition to the 1500 students that attend day school, there is a night school attended by shop-keepers, shoe-shine boys and the like who want to get an education. The night school begins at 6:00 pm and lasts until 8:30. It take them two years to finish one grade. In the day school tuition is in a series: KG-4 students pay 85 birr per month; 5-6, 90 birr; 7-8, 105 birr; 9-10, 115 birr; and 11-12, 150 birr. Since there are approximately 10 birr to the dollar and the school year is ten months the amounts above can translate into dollars per year. So a 12 grader pays about $150. The night school too, has a graduated tuition. First grade pays 7 birr a month…yes that would be 70 cents. The tenth grade (the highest grade offered at night) pays 35 birr a month. The teachers are the same as for the day students and get paid more for teaching night school. The Brothers said they tried to raise the tuition for night school several years ago, but it caused so many people to drop out, so they lowered it again.
Despite the seeming low tuition, they have 103 students on scholarship. Many of the students have to find transportation to school, which for some of them amount to more than tuition. It is not an easy situation.
There are three Brothers currently at the school. Brother Retta is the headmaster, Brother Taddele, who has been accompanying us teachers 7 and 8 grade morals. And Brother Peter de Groot. Brother Peter is originally from the Netherlands. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 17. At 21 he joined the Brothers in the California district and has served for the last 16 years in Kenya and Ethiopia. I think Brother is about 74 years old. A fourth Brother, Brother Sheferaw is here from the scholasticate in Nairobi as part of his fourth year program of studies.
It is hot here. The students say it is about 35 degrees Celsius. I just know that by 9:00 this morning, it was oppressive. We went to watch the girls volleyball team take on another one of the city teams. They played on a concrete court, barefoot. After returning from volleyball we had the opportunity to chat with the 11th graders who were on a break, since Brother Peter has finished his morals class with them for the school year, since he is going on his home visit to the states. After lunch there are several hours of down time, a siesta, where everything slows down in the heat of the day. At three, our students in pairs went with members of the Lasallian Youth here to visit their homes. Brother Peter, who handed out bread to homeless people who were sleeping next to the walls of the school on the way to Mass this morning, took members of Lasallian Youth to the Sisters of Charity’s orphanage here to hand out fruit for an afternoon snack.
Alex: After lunch, all the kids went to visit some houses of the students here. We all lined up and were picked like it was a game of dodgeball. I got picked by a girl and we started off to her house. On the way, I quickly realized that we are a lot the same. She complained about school, her siblings, parents, and how she wasn’t ready to pick her future. We took a cab—a motorcycle with three wheels and a body around it—and went about two miles outside of the city to her house. It was very nice compared to the slums we have seen having a gate, courtyard, multiple buildings, televisions, and a computer, all the luxuries that we experience in the states. Then, two other girls arrived that were late to the initial meeting, and we went over to another girl’s house, again taking a cab. There, I experienced the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. The girl got out coffee beans, a pan, a burner, cups, and the coffee pot. She roasted the beans as she explained how usually the hostess must wear traditional clothes, but she felt it was unnecessary at this time. After the beans were black, she crushed them into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. She then poured the coffee beans into the pot and added water. While the pot was on the burner, all the girls explained that there is three rounds of coffee, each tasting less and less strong. On holidays, the hostess would be making coffee for fifty people the same way. If one person was late, she had to start over for that person. I was amazed at how tedious the ceremony was, yet it was still amazing and another testament to the Ethiopian’s hospitality. She served the first round of coffee, and it was very good. With the coffee she served fresh grapes from her tree in the courtyard, it was all so good. After the first round, the second round was served, but being a coffee novice, that was all I could handle. It was very simple but beautiful, and I am glad that I got to experience it.
There was boy with an Obama tee-shirt on, which prompted one of the Brothers to tell me proudly of Henock, a former student. Evidently, when Obama visited the region several years ago he passed through Dire Dawa because of the U.S. Army base nearby. Henock was his official interpreter, so when Obama was elected president a large billboard was erected in the center of town with a picture of Henock and Obama.
The ladies here did laundry for us today…an amazing feat considering there is no running water. They were carrying buckets all day, because the kids hadn’t done laundry for a week. Most of the adults had done their own while we were in Arbaminch…I guess the kids were hoping for the best! It is pretty incomprehensible for most Africans that kids don’t know how to wash their laundry by hand. I don’t even know how to explain the fact that we have machines to do it for us…and dishwashers, too.
A mighty wind blew in this afternoon and it rained for a short time. It barely settled the dust, but it cooled things down.
Monday we left Arbaminch at 6:00 in the morning. Father knew of a shorter route with better roads through the mountains. And it was. Although the roads were dirt, they were much smoother than the temporary roads which skirted us around the road construction. The scenery was beautiful. As we climbed we had awesome views of the lakes. The mountains were very populated at the lower elevations, rich with agriculture on terraced fields. The dwellings here were very different. They were very tall, thatched buildings, mainly circular, but seemed to have a front porch or entry way. They were very graceful and well-kept. As we climbed higher, the area was much more alpine, with great expanses of conifers. It really became a horse culture, both as transportation and work. Plowing was still done with oxen. The area was lush, green and cool.
We came out within 20 km of Soto, (for those of you following our journey on a map, both Arbaminch and Soto are on the map I found on the Encyclopedia Britannica site.) We stopped very little, so reached Addis in about 11 hours…right at rush hour. The van went on to the city of Debre Zeyit, where the Brothers have a retreat center on the lake, Babugaya. The truck went to the Postulancy building to pick up luggage. Unfortunately, the luggage truck was delayed by traffic, so it stayed in the city overnight. The group met up the next morning to begin the journey to Dire Dawa.
Dire Dawa, “the Queen City of the Desert”, is hot. May is the hottest month, but someone forgot to change the calendar. It is 11:00 am as I write and it must be pushing 100 degrees. Although last night was cool. Air-conditioning certainly hasn’t made it here yet. We asked Br. Tadele if his room had air conditioning and he nodded yes as he showed us his tiny box fan. Obviously definitions of “air conditioning” vary around the world!
Leaving Babugaya, we passed an area that was heavily agricultural. Many fields were being plowed by oxen, a now familiar site. The area did not have the diversity which the area South of Addis enjoyed. Most of the fields seemed to be maize. The area didn’t seem as prosperous either.
As we moved eastward, we again seemed to pass through several tribal areas, witnessed by style of structures and dress. Although still in the highlands we passed through a very arid area. Here, farms thinned and a pastoralist lifestyle was evident. There were great herds of goats, camels and cattle. One of the herds we passed must have easily had over 1000 head of cattle. The herdsmen all carried rifles. The men wore Afro hair styles, either a western style shirt or a loose waist length tunic and a knee length piece of cloth wrapped around their waste. The women really didn’t have a very distinctive way of dress. Most had their heads covered, long dresses with a length of cloth twisted around the waist. Many wore a bright saffron yellow. For ornamentation many women had necklaces made of large chunks of amber or intricately embroidered collars.
The dwellings here were typical of the Maasai or Turkana people of Kenya. They are moveable villages, as they continually move to better pasture lands. The huts are made of small branches covered with mud and dung topped with a tarp. Each year they might return to the same camp. Each encampment is surrounded by thorn branches to protect the herds from predators and theft (the reason herders carry rifles for the larger herds that cannot be brought home for the night). Many of these groups have the same creation narrative: God gave cattle to them, so they really aren’t rustling, they are just taking back what God gave to them. The herd is a bank account on a hoof. They buy a bride, they provide life. The relationship between animal and man is very close. Cattle are not eaten. These tribes survive on milk and blood taken from the animal.
We stopped in the town of Awash for breakfast. Omelets (or Omleets on the menu) and coffee. The coffee here is strong and there was a special coffee waitress for those who wished traditional coffee without milk. She sat on the floor, which even in the restaurant the small area was covered with a fresh grass (which is actually available for sale in the markets). She had all the cups arranged on a low table in front of her. There were two braziers of charcoal, one to hold the black ceramic pot, keeping it hot and the other to keep a continuous supply of coals and to burn incense from a small basket she kept nearby. Every order of coffee was accompanied by a pinch of incense.
From Awash we began to climb to a higher elevation. The people seemed much poorer and the towns mainly of very small shops made of mud, with a tin roof. There were two crops, maize and chaa. Chaa is a mild drug, legal, but none-the-less, a drug. It is sold mainly to the Arab countries to the north. Truck drivers use it to stay awake, but long time use leads to insanity it seems. The dwellings here are long rectangular buildings. It took me a while to figure out the larger building in relationship to the apparent poverty. They some started having two doors: a dwelling for both people and their animals.
We passed rusting shells of several military tanks, remnants of the war with Somalia in the late 1970s, grim reminders that many of the problems of this country are man-made.
At the highest elevation, it was very cool and raining hard. Then we dropped back into the Rift Valley. Probably at least a 3000 ft. difference by a constant series of hairpin curves. Brother Kassu was tired so I took over the wheel of the luggage truck for the last 60 km. My driving skills, honed in Kenya came in handy. Not only do you have to negotiate the road, but around all the people, goats, cows and donkey which also share the same road. It make for an interesting drive.
We finally arrive at Besrate Gabriel school at about 4:00 in the afternoon. Besrate Gabriel means the Annunciation of Gabriel (the story in the Gospels when the angel Gabriel “announces” to Mary that she would bear the Christ child, the Son of God), a fitting name for a school that announces the good news! We were greeted by a banner over the drive and a great number of children who were still in the school yard, even though classes ended at noon (because of the heat). During final quarter of the school year, which corresponds to the hottest part of the year, the day begins at 7:00 am and ends at noon. The boys immediately engaged themselves in a game of basketball and the girls volleyball. Thankfully afterward, there was enough water for showers. Dire Dawa is a city of 400,000 and because of some problem there has not been water for several days. We are all staying at the brothers residence. They have moved beds into their library for the boys and the girls are in the adjoining building.
I rose early to attend 6:00 mass. The mass is in the compound of the Conventual Franciscan, who live next door. Next to that is a school run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame from India. Mass was in Amharic, but it was the Roman Rite, so I could follow it pretty closely. Breakfast, very Ethiopian and good, was at 6:30.
After breakfast many of us went to the morning assembly. The students line up outside in front of the classrooms for prayer and announcements. All the little kids wanted to shake hands, and came running to do so. I don’t know if it because I am old or they thought I was a priest, many of the smaller children either kissed my hand or pressed their foreheads to it.
The school was built in 1945 ec (Ethiopian Calendar), which translates as 1953. Originally, it was only a primary school, but with help from the twinning schools and international help in the last 15 years has added many new buildings and is now one of the 4 secondary schools in the city, the other three are run by the government. The daytime enrollment is a little over 1500 students. There are two classrooms for each grade KG-12. I will save you the math: the smallest classroom had 48 students, the largest 78. The children are in the same classroom all day, the teachers move. They sit in rows, two abreast on benches without backs. Some of the benches had three students. We visited classes today. The students were all eager learners. The 4th grade class was learning a small poem in English. The teacher wrote in on the board and then read it once, then the students all were eager to read it individually (with 60 kids not all got the chance).
In the sixth grade, one of the students proudly demonstrated how to figure the time difference between Ethiopia and the United States using longitude. First, he knew the longitude of both, which amazed me. Second, he could multiply the degrees and divide them by 15 (and knew that was the process). And third, he came up with the right answer!
I was very impressed with a little girl in the 9th grade. John Dols asked her what the difference was between Ethiopian students and American students. She basically and very articulately said that American students have so much in both educational opportunities and materials and the Ethiopians have so little. She went on to comment on the seriousness of the students here, noting that American movies and music are not only a waste of time but they corrupt the tradition here because many students want to imitate what they see. Not only was the answer impromptu and astute, but in her second language.
In addition to the 1500 students that attend day school, there is a night school attended by shop-keepers, shoe-shine boys and the like who want to get an education. The night school begins at 6:00 pm and lasts until 8:30. It take them two years to finish one grade. In the day school tuition is in a series: KG-4 students pay 85 birr per month; 5-6, 90 birr; 7-8, 105 birr; 9-10, 115 birr; and 11-12, 150 birr. Since there are approximately 10 birr to the dollar and the school year is ten months the amounts above can translate into dollars per year. So a 12 grader pays about $150. The night school too, has a graduated tuition. First grade pays 7 birr a month…yes that would be 70 cents. The tenth grade (the highest grade offered at night) pays 35 birr a month. The teachers are the same as for the day students and get paid more for teaching night school. The Brothers said they tried to raise the tuition for night school several years ago, but it caused so many people to drop out, so they lowered it again.
Despite the seeming low tuition, they have 103 students on scholarship. Many of the students have to find transportation to school, which for some of them amount to more than tuition. It is not an easy situation.
There are three Brothers currently at the school. Brother Retta is the headmaster, Brother Taddele, who has been accompanying us teachers 7 and 8 grade morals. And Brother Peter de Groot. Brother Peter is originally from the Netherlands. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 17. At 21 he joined the Brothers in the California district and has served for the last 16 years in Kenya and Ethiopia. I think Brother is about 74 years old. A fourth Brother, Brother Sheferaw is here from the scholasticate in Nairobi as part of his fourth year program of studies.
It is hot here. The students say it is about 35 degrees Celsius. I just know that by 9:00 this morning, it was oppressive. We went to watch the girls volleyball team take on another one of the city teams. They played on a concrete court, barefoot. After returning from volleyball we had the opportunity to chat with the 11th graders who were on a break, since Brother Peter has finished his morals class with them for the school year, since he is going on his home visit to the states. After lunch there are several hours of down time, a siesta, where everything slows down in the heat of the day. At three, our students in pairs went with members of the Lasallian Youth here to visit their homes. Brother Peter, who handed out bread to homeless people who were sleeping next to the walls of the school on the way to Mass this morning, took members of Lasallian Youth to the Sisters of Charity’s orphanage here to hand out fruit for an afternoon snack.
Alex: After lunch, all the kids went to visit some houses of the students here. We all lined up and were picked like it was a game of dodgeball. I got picked by a girl and we started off to her house. On the way, I quickly realized that we are a lot the same. She complained about school, her siblings, parents, and how she wasn’t ready to pick her future. We took a cab—a motorcycle with three wheels and a body around it—and went about two miles outside of the city to her house. It was very nice compared to the slums we have seen having a gate, courtyard, multiple buildings, televisions, and a computer, all the luxuries that we experience in the states. Then, two other girls arrived that were late to the initial meeting, and we went over to another girl’s house, again taking a cab. There, I experienced the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. The girl got out coffee beans, a pan, a burner, cups, and the coffee pot. She roasted the beans as she explained how usually the hostess must wear traditional clothes, but she felt it was unnecessary at this time. After the beans were black, she crushed them into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. She then poured the coffee beans into the pot and added water. While the pot was on the burner, all the girls explained that there is three rounds of coffee, each tasting less and less strong. On holidays, the hostess would be making coffee for fifty people the same way. If one person was late, she had to start over for that person. I was amazed at how tedious the ceremony was, yet it was still amazing and another testament to the Ethiopian’s hospitality. She served the first round of coffee, and it was very good. With the coffee she served fresh grapes from her tree in the courtyard, it was all so good. After the first round, the second round was served, but being a coffee novice, that was all I could handle. It was very simple but beautiful, and I am glad that I got to experience it.
There was boy with an Obama tee-shirt on, which prompted one of the Brothers to tell me proudly of Henock, a former student. Evidently, when Obama visited the region several years ago he passed through Dire Dawa because of the U.S. Army base nearby. Henock was his official interpreter, so when Obama was elected president a large billboard was erected in the center of town with a picture of Henock and Obama.
The ladies here did laundry for us today…an amazing feat considering there is no running water. They were carrying buckets all day, because the kids hadn’t done laundry for a week. Most of the adults had done their own while we were in Arbaminch…I guess the kids were hoping for the best! It is pretty incomprehensible for most Africans that kids don’t know how to wash their laundry by hand. I don’t even know how to explain the fact that we have machines to do it for us…and dishwashers, too.
A mighty wind blew in this afternoon and it rained for a short time. It barely settled the dust, but it cooled things down.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Feast of the Ascension
I have lost track of the Ethiopian calendar, since I know they only have 30 days to each and every month. They add the remainder to their thirteenth month…and all is good. Today is Sunday, the feast of the Ascension.
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We left Addis on Friday morning at about 5:30. Stereotypically, the seven hour journey took fourteen. But it was well worth it. We were heading to Arbaminch, south of the capital. There is a national park there and several lakes Chamo and Abayo. But more on that later.
The journey from the capital took us into a even higher elevation before we dropped into the Rift Valley. The roads were great, certainly better than any in Kenya, most in Mexico and sorry to say Kentucky or Missouri. For the length of the 500 km journey there was never a moment that there were not people visible on the sides of the road. The Ethiopian highlands are a very fertile area, exporting food to the rest of Africa during the reign of Haile Sellasie. The drought of 1984 and the starvation which ensued was probably as much the fault of the government's inability to distribute food throughout the country.
We passed through three distinct tribal areas, Guragie, Kembata, and Wolayta, each with their own style of dress and huts. The first area the Guragie was interesting as the huts were asymmetrical, made of mud and waddle, with high thatched roofs. The compounds always consisted of several structures. There always seemed to be one topped more intricately that the others. This stayed consistent the whole journey. At one point, in another tribal region the huts took on a more square shape, reflected both in the walls and roof. And finally, an area of round huts with less pitch to the roof, indicating less rainfall.
The agricultural variety was amazing: maize, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, a non-fruiting banana with a thick trunk (the inside of the trunk is harvested, wrapped, buried in the ground for a couple of months until formation occurs, then is dried and ground and made into a flat bread, called ocho). The livestock, cows, goats and sheep were ever present but feed from gathered grasses rather than allowed to graze in the open. The steep hills were terraced to maximize production. It was a beautiful landscape. We passed through several larger towns, that showed the inroads of Western influence. It was apparent from the amount of commerce traveling toward the towns that it was a market day. On carts drawn by donkeys, transported on home-made carts resembling wheel barrows, on the back of donkeys (or for the poor folk, the backs of the wife), came cow hides, clay pots, bundles of grass, bananas, bags of all shapes and sizes; cows, sheep and goats, either being herded or pulled to the market. Actually, there was very little motorized conveyance: an occasional bus or minivan and closer to town little three wheeled vehicles which basically are a motor scooter taxi.
We passed two funeral processions. Each very different. In the second area, which was decidedly Muslim, a small group of mainly men were carrying a body, wrapped in a shroud, on a their shoulders. The other was lead by a truck, carrying the body in a casket and the grieving family, followed by hundreds of mourners, all dressed in white.
The highest elevations were plowed and reading for planting. The rainy season begins next month. There were some fields of maize already planted, so if the rains come on time, they will have a head start. Further along they were still working the fields with a plow, drawn by oxen. The plow is a single large pole. Through the front a single wooden bar is inserted, which somehow is attached to the oxen. The plow end has a single or sometimes V shaped branch lashed to the center pole. Lashed to that is the plow blade which is a piece of metal, not much wider or longer than a large butcher knife. Perpendicular to the upright piece which holds the blade is inserted a small wooden rod that acts as a steering device.
As we entered into the Rift, the land changed as did the economy: less farming more grazing. The trees and the birds indicated a drier biome. However, there were bananas, for miles and miles and miles. Mammo (more on him later) said all of the bananas that are sold in Addis come from this area. Mammo, is a former student of the Brothers and because of him, we are there. He now lectures on Water Engineering at the University here. He is very talented (he played the organ today at mass).
We stopped to eat twice along the way. Breakfast at Butajira,the first stop, consisted of omelets. The eggs here are all free range so are darker yellow and have a richer flavor. The omelets were delicious. They had peppers, tomatoes and onions. Some of the kids were busy picking everything out of them without much success. I laughed. I have absolutely no sympathy for spoiled, picky eaters, especially in a country whose name is synonymous with starvation. Hopefully, someday, with maturity they will come to see the irony of their action. We had lunch at Soto. It was the last town on the good road. We stopped at a very nice tourist hotel and while studier transportation was arranged, we ate. John (Dols), Melissa, Maurice and I ordered traditional fare. The others: spaghetti, which has been their staple so far. Some have taken to eating it without sauce: again, no sympathy…and there is not Taco Bell or McDonald's. But they aren't starving or if they are, it is by choice. There was plenty of variety on the menus, ranging from chicken, veal or steak with garlic sauce. The traditional choice included Kifir (raw cubes of beef, marinated in Barbare), a minced beef dish, fried lamb and a dish with dried lamb and shredded injera. It is all served on one big plated on a layer of injera, from which all at the table share. The fried lamb was our favorite, then the lamb in injera, the raw beef and bringing in the rear was the cooked beef. All was excellent.
Taddele felt that the van in which we had been traveling would hold up to the rigors of the last 180 Km. The road, which at one time was black-top has disintegrated into little better than a gravel road. The good news is that the entire length was being worked on under the supervision of either China or Korea. Rock culverts were being laid by construction men and women. There were numerous detours, which really slowed our progress. But there were flag men at every diversion. Mammo met us in Soto with a four wheel drive from the mission, our truck which has been with us since the beginning is also four wheel drive. The van we hired, well, it was hired…I probably would have driven it on the good highway, but it was perfect for the road we were traveling, both the speed and the condition. It was a country van, opposed to a city van.
We arrived at the mission about 7:30. It is run by the Spiritan Fathers, who have been in this area for about forty years. Currently, Father Skinnader is the only priest in residence. He is originally from Ireland, but has been here for nine years, before that Rwanda and before that West Africa. They have numerous buildings, which easily accommodated all of us. The electricity was on when we arrived, it went off about 10:00 pm and has been off every since. We were greeting in our rooms with a variety of small lizards (which eat mosquitoes, so are our friends). Dols had a scorpion. Don't panic, they eat mosquitoes also! The scorpions here are small, like the ones in Missouri, and have a sting no worse than a wasp. It caused a few freak outs, but will make every one more appreciative of what they have when they get home. If it doesn't…send them back.
Saturday:
We spent the main part of the day in the National Park: Nech Sar, which means white grass. The worst roads of Friday were superhighways compared to the roads in the park, which traversed the mountains surrounding the lakes in vertical climbs that could only be negotiated by four-wheel drive vehicles. I learned Minnasotan: "We almost died," translates into we engaged the four-wheel drive! The protected life in suburbia is being challenged hourly! But the rigors of the rode melted away when they spotted their first zebra. We also saw cormorants, marabou storks, Thompson's gazelle, some antelope that looked like a Topi, the much anticipated Dik Dik and millions of butterflies. Our guide said there were 69 varieties of butterfly in the park. The sun here is hot, being only a couple hundred miles north of the equator. So that was hard on everyone, but we remind them to drink lots of water. The shade and breezes are wonderful. I would guess the temperature to be in the mid to high eighties. In the sun it feels much warmer…like 100, but there isn't much humidity.
After the park, we were going to go look at the lake's famous crocodiles, but everyone was too tired, so we had lunch instead at the tourist hotel in town. It had tables set in beautiful gardens, wandering Dik Dik (which look like miniature deer) and a great menu. Fish was recommended, since we are near the lake (and it was good), so many people had fried fish and chips (French fries), but some had steak and others stuck with incredible tenacity to plain spaghetti. I formed a table which enjoyed the Tourist Traditional Menu as well as fried and grilled fish.
After lunch, people went for a stroll, showered toured the town and relaxed. All of us kids went touring around the town and visited with the locals. We talked to some of the locals, played ping pong, and attracted some children who followed us around. While walking home, we formed a huge line of us holding hands and attracted quite a few laughs from the locals. We met some kids who were playing football with their own ball. It was not an actual soccer ball, but they were having fun none the less. All of the children were very inviting and happy to include me into their game. Nigatu one of the children who understood English was happy to help organize some teams and we played for a quite a while. Later he was able to teach me so Amharic phrases such as "how are you?", "what is your name?" and "how old are you?".While I playing in the town, most of the other students went to play soccer with some of the kids behind our church. They brought their own soccer ball and attracted quite a few children. One of the children grabbed the soccer ball and ran away with it, but after retrieving it they had a good time playing in a circle. After playing for a while, they brought out some candy and things became rather violent. They were swarmed by the kids and they began to claw for more candy. Children were taking candy hiding it and then asking for more. Other kids were pushing other out of the way and stealing it from them. In order to get away they waded through the crowd and all had to help push the gate shut. After dinner at the house, Father showed us a video produced as a fundraising piece in Germany. It showcased the many initiatives, such as water projects done by the Spiritans in the area.
Sunday:
Today we had breakfast at 7:30, followed by Mass at 9:00. We celebrated the Mass of the Ascension. Although Mass was in Amharic, it was the Roman Rite, so it was recognizable. All of the music was in Amharic, the Mass was chanted, as is the tradition in the orthodox church. So traditions have mixed a bit. Father read the Gospel in both Amharic and English (Irish!), and preached in English, which was translated into Amharic by Mammo. He finished in a little under an hour.
Then the group was off to the lake see the crocodiles and hippos.
The tour of the crocodiles and hippos was absolutely amazing. It was only a fifteen minute drive to the lake and then we split into two different boats. Our first encounter was an adrenaline rush of awe and fear. We were perhaps 50 ft away from an eighteen foot long, two foot wide crocodile, on a boat perhaps a foot off the water. We also saw hippos from the same distance as well as differing varieties of birds. After the first encounter we traveled around a small peninsula and found another group of crocs, hippos, birds and too our surprise fisherman standing on small rafts pushing themselves along with a large pole. At one point we were able to fit all of them into a single picture. This was rather depressing for me. These fisherman were mere teens who were risking their lives to obtain some food. Our tour guide told us that the fisherman were killed quite often because of the proximity in which they worked with the crocs. At one point our driver turned off our motor and we drifted towards a large group of crocs, one that was easily fifteen feet long was less than twenty feet away from the boat. One of the Minnesota students, Jenny captured some National Geographic worthy photos, and Brother Taddele openly admitted his fear of the crocs.
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Thursday, May 28, 2009
On the 20th day of the ninth month in the year 2001 of the
Dirt. That is how yesterday began. The Brothers picked us up from the guest house where we went to the postulancy compound to help with the construction of a new building. The building with house a computer center on the first floor and dormitories on the second for visiting groups such as ours. Our task for the morning was to move dirt excavated from two rows of rectangular hole, each of which were eight feet wide by about ten foot long and probably eight foot deep … all dug by hand. The dirt had to be moved in preparation for foundation work. So, to work we went. The dirt was haul in what best described at a litter…two poles of eucalyptus topped with a sheet of corrugated iron. A few shovelfuls of dirt on top of the iron sheet and one person on each end and off they went to the every growing pile of dirt at the edge of the construction site. It provided good exercise, numerable blisters and good reflection material. We worked for about two hours and were thoroughly tired. The normal workers, who reveled in our feeble attempts work 12 hour days for about $2.00. Reference to working at a McDonald's for minimum wage was a much easier way to go.
We ate lunch at the postulancy (hamburgers and spaghetti), which made everyone happy.
In the early afternoon, the group visited the headquarters of Catholic Relief Services in Addis. Mr. Lane Bunker, the director, shared some statistics with us. The CRS is the only international aid organization that is based in the U.S. although they do all international work. The CRS has been in Ethiopia for over fifty years. He shared these statistics with us: 36% over the age 15 are literate; life expectancy is 52 years; the gross domestic product is $800 per capita (compared to $45,000 in the USA); the human development index is 169 out of 179 (this compares how countries are developing). There are 132 staff members overseeing 33 different projects. For this fiscal year 94% came from the U.S. government. 80% of their money goes to drought relief. The rest goes to water and sanitation. Only 24% of the population has access to clean water. The also work with HIV/AIDS; food security; agriculture and livelihood management; emergency response and recovery; microfinance; Health, Education & Behavior change; and Peace and Justice. The major challenges are political climate, lack of infrastructure, regional concerns (borders with Sudan and Somalia), environmental degradation, and population growth (3% per year). The opportunities are the reputation of CRS, most of the people are Ethiopia who are working, excellent church partnership, influence beyond catholic community, reputation helps with funding and AIDS relief. He also spoke in favor of Fair Trade practices. He also mentioned that the childhood mortality rate is 15%.
At five, we were received by His Grace, Abune Berhaneysus D. Souraphiel, CM, Metropolitan Archbishop of Addis Ababa. The Archbishop was educated by the Brothers (as was the Minister of Tourism). He was a delightful character. He explained to us the history of Christianity in Ethiopia, the history of the country and some of the highlights of the various areas. The Brothers had also started the Cathedral School, which they operated for about 25 years. The school has 5000 students. When asked about the image of Mary, which is pretty prevalent throughout, the Archbishop remarked that the relationship began when Mary, Joseph and Jesus escaped to Egypt and being too hot there traveled to the much cooler Lake Tana region of Ethiopia, where Jesus presented Mary with the country (he said with a smile). He also spoke of the unity among the Christians and the peaceful co-existence with the Muslims. The Orthodox Christians make up about 50% of the population, while Muslims account for 40 to 45%. Roman Catholics make up less than one percent of the population. He said no one notices them so they can accomplish more (again with a smile). He referenced the building of a Mosque very close the cathedral, and again with a smile, said he was waiting for its completion then was going to elevate the cross on the top of the cathedral so it would be higher than the crescent on top of the Mosque.
We returned to the pastoral center, a little late, so after dinner everyone pretty much retired for the evening. It was a long day.
We slept in today, because of the National Holiday. Some of us got up to go to mass, who knew it was the Ascension? The Church, St. Michael's, adjoins the property here. The liturgy was conducted in Gis. Father Yob Tesfaye, who said mass for us the other night in the Roman Rite, presided over today's High Mass in the Ethiopian Rite. From beginning to end (although after an hour and a half, no end was in sight and we had to go to breakfast) the Mass was chanted. The was copious amounts of incense. The incense never left the sanctuary and was used at least 9 or 10 times. The congregation was blessed over and over and over. We bowed and bowed and bowed. The bells rang and rang and rang including a no less than five minute ringing of bells both inside and outside the Church at the elevation of the Eucharist. There were two priests and five acolytes. At times, the processional cross was carried around the altar, sometimes alone, sometimes with candles, sometimes with candles and incense and sometimes with all five acolytes and both priests. I found one of the most interesting movements to be consecration when Father lifted the incensor over the chalice and paten and with his other had pulled the smoke over the bread and wine, much like native Americans use a smudge. At communion time a large patio sized umbrella made of blue velvet and embroidered in gold was held over the priests.
After breakfast we went to the internet cafes close to the pastoral center. They were supposed to be broadband, but very few people connected. So that was disappointing.
After lunch, which again had spaghetti with a spicy vegetable sauce, but also a variety of vegetable dishes and slices of beef. Just a note on the beef…it is chewy. We are used to having our meat aged 20 days or so to achieve a taste and tenderness to which we are familiar. This cow was walking yesterday. It is a whole different taste and texture.
In the afternoon, we visited the Awasa Center, which is run by the Missionaries of Charity. There are six Sisters there. Sister Martha John (which translates to love in action, appropriately), gave us a tour. Awasa is a branch house of the facility we visited the other day specifically for children with HIV/AIDS. The center currently houses 384 children mostly in the 5-7 year old range, although there are some as old as 22 and as young as one month. Three-fourths of the children are on anti-viral medicine which has recently become available in Ethiopia. Prior to these medicines the average life expectancy of the children was thirteen years. Now, with medicine they can live normal lives. Sister commented that no children died in the facility last year. She said, "we experience many miracles here." She said when the sisters first opened the facility, with five children, there was no hope for them. True to the charism of the sisters, the helped these children die comfortably, now with the advances in medicine, the sisters feel that they are no longer needed and are looking for some other organization to take over the orphanage. The government help the sisters find relatives or maybe even the parents who might have abandoned some of the children and return the children to the parents. The center has one of two machines in Ethiopia for the rapid diagnosis of HIV. We also met two volunteer doctors who live at the center with their children. We also saw a workshop where they teach the kids to weave. The sell their weavings to help pay for their education, now that they will live. There is a school on site that will educate 1000 students. For so long, when HIV was untreatable, there was no need to educate the children. Now they ask the older one's what grade they think they should be in and then they test them. The 21 year old is there because he is finished 8th grade. The second we arrived we were surrounded by kids, who wanted to be held or hold a hand. Unfortunately, we just have two hands, because there were more kids than arms to hold them. The facility was clean and cheerful. But again, the beds were side by side. We also visited the clinic where there were newborns and nursing mothers. But with the Sisters and their work they now have hope. Sister Martha John asks for prayers, she is being transferred to the men's section of the center we saw the other day. She says it is hard there because two or three men die there every day. So I assured her of our prayers, so please pray for her and the work of the Sisters.
We are leaving Addis tomorrow. So this will be the last blog for at least four days. I hope they are now getting through.
As I am trying to get this sent, I am listening to country western music in an internet cafe in Addis Ababa. Small world.
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On the 18th day of the ninth month in the year 2001 of the Ethiopia calendar. Tuesday, May 26, 2009.
After our 7:30 breakfast, we left the guest house for the home of the Missionary Sisters of Charity. We were met by Sister Joan of Arc. Sister was originally from France, but has been in Calcutta until last year, when she was moved to Addis Ababa. Sister gave us a quick tour of the facility which at any one time is home to between 800 and 900 people. The mission of the Sisters is to gather the sick and dying from the streets and either bring them to health or give them a gentler death. We toured the two buildings reserved for men. There were beds side-by-side, end to end…every room filled. Some beds were occupied by those too ill to go outside. There are 400 men being taken care of by the Sisters. Even though the rooms were filled with beds and the beds were all occupied, the compound was incredibly clean and well-organized.
We then toured the women's section, where about 250 women stay. Again, large dormitories filled with beds. Overall the place was very clean, but still shocking to see the human need. Next to the women were adolescents with disabilities. Many of the residents greeted us as we passed, some shook our hands.
We then crossed into another compound. There were pregnant women who were rescued from the streets. They are allowed to stay with their newborn and other children for three months. The mother sleeps with her children in one bed…and again, the beds were packed end to end with only enough room to get through between the beds.
Meghan, one of the students from Minnesota, had been asked by a waitress before our departure from the States to give her past lover some money. The Ethiopian waitress had given Meghan $50, quite a substantial amount here, so that he could get back on his feet after having heart surgery. There was a substantial amount of good fortune is meeting this waiter, only a few days before the trip, and being able to find the lover while we were there. Although I did not witness the exchange, I heard that it was a moving experience.
The last section is where we spent the day. It was the home of orphaned, abandoned, and street children. Sister said they cared for 200 children. We arrived at feeding time, so a number of us help feed the children, who because of their disabilities: Burned, abused, amputated, tumors, autism, Downs Syndrome and other illnesses , needed to be hand fed. But most of the time was spent playing and holding and interacting with the kids. It is hard to describe the children. It seemed no matter the physical or mental condition, they wanted to be held. Some would just want to sit next to you, simply to hold a hand and smile. They were craving any kind of attention and glowed with joy when we gave it to them. There was laundry hanging everywhere. One of the sisters said they employ over 200 people to help with feeding, washing and supervising the 800 residents. There have to be people in attendance 24 hours a day and there are only 11 sisters.
I am not a medical person, but the medical conditions we observed could probably fill a textbook. But the kids were like kids everywhere. They delighted in our company and attention. They loved to play. Some of the little kids would push other kids who lived in wheel chairs. There were also a room of newborns. This was probably the most difficult for some people when they were asked to take a baby home to American to save their lives. It has been challenging enough to face the poverty, the beggars, but when you are holding a baby in your arms, it all becomes a bit more personal. The experience of the day has led to a lot of reflection.
During all of this we broke for lunch and drove to the postulancy. Brother Kassau had ordered sandwiches for us. We were treated to tuna sandwiches, hamburgers, cheeseburgers and club sandwiches all served with fries.
After lunch we went back to the orphanage for a little while. Most of the kids were taking a nap at the time, but there were still a few of them running around. There were also several woman holding and breastfeeding infants in the courtyard. Ali and Mrs. Livermore were given children to hold while we were there. The woman then explained that these infant's mothers had died and asked them to take the infants to America. From what I have heard, the experience was a sobering and disturbing one. It is not practical to take a baby home, but turning down a 3-4 month old infant is heartbreaking. Soon after the children needed to go inside for a meal and we decided to take out leave. We walked back through the orphanage and found a group of people playing soccer. This was a very enjoyable experience for me, being able to play some soccer with Ethiopians. We formed a circle with us and around 10 other residence of the orphanage. The ages ranged from young children too adults, and everyone was able to have a laugh at our not so skillful players. This was very enjoyable to me, because everyone no matter the age or skill level was having a good time. In the Soccer ring we met two French men who had were visiting Ethiopia for the next 6 months. One of them was a Ethiopian who had been adopted as a young child and he was now giving back to the orphans of Ethiopia.
When we left the orphanage, Mr. Shumaker, Ryan, Ali and I (John) walked to the Ethiopian National Museum. This was the first time any of us had walked on the streets instead of driving. The side walk was like walking on jagged stone and there were pits of sewage every 50 feet or so. However, everyone met us with a bright smile and a cheerful "selame"(hello). The streets of Chicago are cleaner but the residence are nowhere near as inviting as the Ethiopians. The walk really allowed me to immerse myself in the culture, because driving is a distanced exposure. While driving it seem as if you are watching a TV, not actually driving through Ethiopia.
The National Museum is divided into four floors. The basement holds anthropological finds. Lucy (the real one is on loan to the U.S.) has her permanent home there. That area was probably the most organized of the museum. The first floor held items dating from the 6th-4th BCE. It also held furniture and historic items concerning the Ethiopian royalty that was "stolen" by the Italians (or in one case the British), but now have been returned. The next floor was devoted to fine art, manly painting. There were several older pieces, but most of it was modern. There were several pieces by an internationally acclaimed Ethiopia artist whose name I won't even attempt. The top floor was dedicated to culture and lifestyle: weaving, pottery, woodworking, farming, costume, jewelry and religious articles.
In the evening, the Brothers took us out to a traditional Ethiopia restaurant. The power, which had gone off shortly after midnight was still off. The restaurant had a European section and an Ethiopian section. The unadventurous half went towards the European section and had spaghetti. Enough said. The other half chose the better section. By lantern light we explored the restaurant, each area decorated like a different area of the country. The rock churches of the north, to the caves of the south. The tables were low coiled baskets topped with clay table tops. The waiters and waitresses were dressed in traditional costume. The candle light made it even more authentic. Our orders were placed. The meal depends on the number of diners. For example if you have three people eating off the plate, you have maybe 5 preparations. After the order was taken, a waiter came to our table with a pitcher of water, scented with lemon, and a shallow bowl with a larger receptacle attached to the bottom for us to wash out hands. Then the waitress brought a large flat dish which fit perfectly in the table top that was about 20 inches in diameter. The plate was covered with a single piece of injera (Ethiopia flat bread, which is leavened through fermentation. It is pancake like in many ways) with a few rolls of the same around the perimeter. The waitress then brought a tiered serving device which held a number of smaller dishes. She very ceremoniously distributed the contents of each bowl around the large plate of injera. The diners then tear bite size pieces of the bread off the rolls of bread that have been provided and pick up pieces of the food from the larger plate. The whole table eats off the same plate, so it is a very communal way of eating. We had a cubed lamb dish, a minced beef cooked with berbere (a uniquely Ethiopian spice mixture), a dish with spinach and lamb, a stew of chicken with strips of injera and tripe. I will say it is the best tripe I have ever had, still chewy, but at least it had flavor. There was also a generous portion of Ethiopian cottage cheese, which is a crumbled farmer's cheese.
After dinner we had coffee, which is similar to espresso. The unusual part, was with the coffee came a burner of frankincense. So not only did you have the sensory effect of the taste of the coffee, but had the olfactory stimulation of the incense . At the end of the meal a waiter returned with the water and bowl to again wash our hands.
The other group joined us and to great applause, the electricity returned. We were then entertained by traditional musicians and a troupe of dancers who performed a variety of regional dances. During one song, someone from one of our neighboring tables took over the microphone. I was thinking Ethiopian Karaoke. But it turns out that the musicians were playing a Sudanese song and that the group of people next to us were from Sudan. Several of the group got up to dance. During the last dance, there was a lot of audience participation in the dancing, especially for the more uninhibited of our group: read, Mr. Dols. And with that encouragement, many of others followed. It was a good night and a much needed release.
One final general note. As we drive through the city of Addis Ababa, we cannot help but notice the attention to building and development. Infrastructure is on the mind of most Americans right now because of President Obama's stimulus package. I've noticed several signs along U.S. city roads and highways celebrating the money given to fund re-paving, etc. We take these projects for granted. But these projects in Ethiopia definitely have their own character. There are numerous high-rise hotel and office buildings going up around the city. It's striking that the workers make scaffolds from eucalyptus wood poles lashed together. They rise 5-6 stories in the air supporting the workers as they use 21st century materials. Demand for those construction materials is high. The Brothers are building a youth center at their compound, but when they went to buy cement to lay the foundation, the line was too long to make it practical. Because the pace of the building is so brisk, development often outstrips supplies of water and electricity. Power outages are common (the flashlights we brought turn out to be very useful), and loss of water pressure makes going to the washroom a bit tricky. Twice since we have been here, there have been power outages.
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