On the 18^th 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 6^th-4^th 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 21^st 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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