Updates from Ethiopia

I am presently in Debre Sina (you can see it on Google Earth) and have been here since September 24th. We’ll be here for about another 8 weeks and then back to Addis for a bit of time. Here are some updates on the more interesting things that have happened:
Health: I am starting with this as it is probably the most interesting/eventful. Where we were staying in Addis had a slight flea problem (at least in the bed I was staying in) so I am rather flea bitten. By this I mean that I have itchy red bumps pretty much all over my body. They’re not bad anymore as the fleas are no longer a problem, but the ugly lumps are still there. I have also fallen twice, once getting out of the Land Cruiser and skinned my shin and palms. I fell on the muddy rocks again yesterday and skinned the other knee and my ankle. So along with the bumps and hairiness (more on this later), my legs look extremely attractive. Basically we are all rather unshaven as none of us have showered since arriving in D/Sina. It’s not so much that we can’t as we don’t bother with the time to do bucket showers in the morning. Baby wipes are much more convenient. So that my hair isn’t completely repulsive, some if the neighborhood girls braided it today, which is definitely an interesting sight (I have pictures). I was also the first in the group to get the mysterious stomach virus that is going around (I got it while we were still in Addis). It’s probably from something I ate, the water, etc… Who knows. It’s sort of bound to happen. Anyways, long story short I more or less ended up puking all over myself and a taxi on our way back home on our last night in the city. This also made for an interesting 4 ½ hour long trip to D/Sina early the next morning along an extremely bumpy narrow mountainous road. Since I was so dehydrated, I also almost passed out in the street when we were getting shown around on our first day. Memories. I am doing much better now, although the mysterious stomach ailment is making its rounds. We have all become very comfortable with toilet talk.

Food: Most days we eat something pretty simple for breakfast and then cook lunch with supplies we brought, along with fruits/veggies we buy from the market. Nothing too unusual, but definitely a more limited selection. We have lots of Ethiopian bananas and oranges. For dinner we usually go to the Tinsae Hotel, which is about a block away, for traditional food. That basically consists of injera and wat, which is sort of like stew. It’s meat every day except Wednesdays and Fridays, which are fasting days. Then we have injera with things like cabbage and lentils. Coffee is VERY popular here, so we have it frequently throughout the day. We have small cups of very strong flavorful coffee, which is normally served with lots of sugar. We have taken part in two traditional coffee ceremonies so far. The first one was on arrival, but I was too sick to take part. We had another one today for the holiday (explanation later). It basically consists of having three cups of coffee after another, each one progressively weaker. It’s still the equivalent of having three strong shots of espresso. Any of you who have seen me drink more than a small coffee will likely be laughing now.
Being a minor celebrity: This is EXTREMELY strange. I have never been stared at so much in my life, and although it is all meant in the nicest way possible, it still feels bizarre. We are in a town of about 15 thousand, so everyone knows each other. We are actually the only white people here and we have people call out Farenji! (foreigner) all the time. I have also been called Mister on several occasions, as the fact that I wear pants and have shorter hair is confusing. It is also apparently a common compliment to tell people they are fat (which is culturally appropriate). The first day I got here I had a boy who lives near our compound tell me the first time he saw me he thought I was a boxer because I was very very big. He’s a joker and thought it was funny to tell the other boys to tell me this as well. It’s all in good fun we all get random comments on a daily basis (most need to be explained in person).
Religion: Today is one of the most important Holidays in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It is called Meskel. Last night was the sort of kick off ceremony called Demara. The entire town as well as neighbouring communities gather together and pray and sing. They burn this enormous bonfire with a cross on top. The very abbreviated description of the holiday is that it is the celebration of bringing back a portion of the cross on which Jesus was crucified to Ethiopia. There is a really interesting story but you would get a more accurate version by looking it up online rather than having me tell it. Everyone (actually everyone) is a member of a religious group (the majority orthodox, followed by other Christian denominations, then Muslim). It is very common to ask someone what their religion is; it’s sort of the same way we ask someone what their job is. As I am not actually affiliated with a religion, stating this elicits strange looks and lots of questioning, so I have taken to stretching the truth (slightly) so people don’t think I am some sort of satan worshiper. It’s really interesting to be in a community where religion is such a part of everyday life. While we were taking part in this massive ceremony yesterday, we were also hearing the Muslim call to prayer.
Miscellaneous: It is extraordinarily beautiful here. We are in a lush green valley in the mountains off the road between Addis and Dessie. I have not yet gotten to see the baboons, but this is apparently unusual and we should soon. There are sheep, goats, cows, oxen, etc… everywhere. I was sitting on the stairs of the compound yesterday doing some reading and was almost run over by a herd of sheep running up the stairs next to me so that they could eat some of our flowers. A 6 yr old girl then ran after them, shooed them all back down the stairs, meaning I almost got trampled a second time.
The kids in the area are great and very much a part of everyday life. When they’re not in school they wait outside the gate of the compound for us to be able to play. My Amharic is improving through some very basic language exchange. The kids are wonderful though and whenever things are difficult or a bit overwhelming, they absolutely make things easier. It’s a big competition for kisses and hugs and it’s total chaos when any of us bring out a camera.
It’s very strange being a constant role model. The kids really absorb everything we are doing and take us very seriously. Swearing is strictly off limits (leading to expressions such as holy doodle) and we really have to watch what we’re doing. I will try to explain more about this in person, as it’s very hard to describe like this.