Isaac and Sol spent the day playing with Zach and Lydia so that Dianne and Fanosie could prepare for their departure this evening. Both of the guys are so good with young children.
Abram and I worked in the library since there are tables and tables of books that need to be shelved. Not sure whose going to take care of that task once we leave. We have begun cleaning out our cupboards and giving away grocery supplies that we will not use up before our own departure. I am really beginning to look forward to the next phase of our travels as we head off to Europe to seek out long-lost relatives and do some touring. We will be meeting my parents out there for two weeks of travel and we are all looking forward to seeing them again.
Forgot to mention that a few days ago Richard and the boys joined Dianne and Fanosie in a drive down the road to look for hyenas. After about two minutes of only spotting some sort of racoon type creature trotting across the road, they all of a sudden saw several hyenas running down the hill and crossing the road, followed by more. In total there were twelve hyenas that came down the hill. They ran around in a field while we shone flashlights on them, and then turned around and ran back up the hillside again.
We can often hear the hyenas late at night with their unique kind of yelping. They have been spotted on occasion in the college compound, but because it is completely fenced, it is difficult for them to get in. In the neighbourhood beside the college there is no fence so they can roam around at will, looking for chickens or small dogs.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
June 28, 2009
We went to church for a final time this morning. It seems that at least 75% of the church will be leaving Ethiopia this week. After church, we went out to Family restaurant for one last time. As has been the case most Sundays, the restaurant didn’t have any electricity so the menu was somewhat restricted. But it is still the only place in town you can get a burrito!
We had a relaxing afternoon. The kids and I played some ping-pong and then went for a long walk while Richard was busy uploading pictures on the computer. In the evening, we went to watch some football with Fanosie.
We had a relaxing afternoon. The kids and I played some ping-pong and then went for a long walk while Richard was busy uploading pictures on the computer. In the evening, we went to watch some football with Fanosie.
June 27, 2009
Dianne, John and Lorraine and our family spent the day together in Addis. We started off at the big NGO Craft Bazaar in the morning where we purchased the final souvenirs of our Africa experience. There were some absolutely beautiful handcrafts there. I haven’t seen that many farenji (foreigners) in one place since we arrived in Africa. That was a strange feeling.
We had also decided that haircuts were in order for the guys. After striking out at the Sheraton, we found a hair salon at the Hilton where they were used to cutting farenji hair. Richard, Abram and Sol got haircuts and it came to a total of $12 for all of them. Much cheaper than anything we will find in Germany. After some grocery shopping etc., we dropped Lorraine and John off at Ngash’s house (the College president who lives in Addis) where they had supper and then took Lorraine to the airport for her flight back to Canada. John will stay to continue teaching for another three weeks.
We had also decided that haircuts were in order for the guys. After striking out at the Sheraton, we found a hair salon at the Hilton where they were used to cutting farenji hair. Richard, Abram and Sol got haircuts and it came to a total of $12 for all of them. Much cheaper than anything we will find in Germany. After some grocery shopping etc., we dropped Lorraine and John off at Ngash’s house (the College president who lives in Addis) where they had supper and then took Lorraine to the airport for her flight back to Canada. John will stay to continue teaching for another three weeks.
June 26, 2009
We spent the day with Fanosie and Dianne travelling to Sire to visit Fanosie’s family. On the way, we stopped in Nazareth and checked out some of the historic buildings from the early years of Meserete Kristos Church (the Ethiopian Mennonite Church). We saw the first church, the Bible Academy and the hospital which were founded by Mennonites in the early 1950’s. During the Derg years (Communist years), the government took possession of the hospital and the Mennonites never did get it back. Today it is the main public hospital of Nazareth. The Bible Academy was also taken by the Derg government, never to be returned. Now it is a law school. Richard was able to take pictures of the church and hospital, but was not allowed to take any photographs of the law school. In fact, while we were permitted to drive on to the campus, a security guard boarded the van and stayed with us until we exited the gate to make sure that he didn’t take any pictures.
Fanosie’s family lives in Sire, a rather remote hillside village another hour outside Nazareth. His parents moved there in January from an even more remote farm that was about an hour and a half walking distance from Sire. His parents were tired of doing that walk several times a week and so they moved into a simple mud house in town. Their living conditions are pretty basic with no electricity etc. The cattle are kept in their small compound, right outside the front door. Dianne tells me that sometimes the cows are let into the house but never the dogs! His parents speak no English but were very welcoming. We had brought injera and chicken wot along with us and so we shared a meal together. It was a really nice afternoon and good to spend time with a more typical Ethiopian family in their home.
Fanosie’s family lives in Sire, a rather remote hillside village another hour outside Nazareth. His parents moved there in January from an even more remote farm that was about an hour and a half walking distance from Sire. His parents were tired of doing that walk several times a week and so they moved into a simple mud house in town. Their living conditions are pretty basic with no electricity etc. The cattle are kept in their small compound, right outside the front door. Dianne tells me that sometimes the cows are let into the house but never the dogs! His parents speak no English but were very welcoming. We had brought injera and chicken wot along with us and so we shared a meal together. It was a really nice afternoon and good to spend time with a more typical Ethiopian family in their home.
Friday, June 26, 2009
June 21, 2009
Last night was not a good night. Sol had gone to bed with an upset stomach. (Probably the fish he had for supper which seemed a trifle undercooked.) Now here at the Lodge, the generator is turned off between midnight and 6 am and it is absolutely dark during those hours. It’s the kind of darkness where you hold your hand right up to your face and you can’t see it. Well Sol started waking up at 1 am with the runs. Of course, whenever I heard him stirring I needed to get up and turn on the flashlight and make sure he made it to the bathroom OK. He did this several times until about 2 am where he was sitting on the toilet with the flashlight and suddenly I heard the sound of massive amounts of a wet substance splashing all over the bathroom floor as he vomited repeatedly. Since it was impossible to clean up the mess in the pitch dark we just had to leave it until morning. The rest of the night I sat vigil with our one little flashlight and whenever I heard someone stirring and heading for the bathroom I needed to intercept them before they waded right into the filthy, stinking mess on the bathroom floor. I think everyone in the family woke up and tried to use the bathroom at least once that night so it was a busy night for me. I was very relieved when at 6 am the sun finally came up and the generator turned on!
Despite the awful night, we had a wonderful morning heading up to visit a Dorze village close to Chenchen. The drive up was absolutely stunning. As we got higher up the mountain, it got more and more green, lush and beautiful. Some parts felt like we were back in BC with the dense forest of evergreens. (Very unusual for Ethiopia.) Then we came to mountainous hills of terraced fields, green with crops with little huts tucked away in the hillside. Incredibly beautiful! Our visit to the Dorze village was a real highlight. We had a Dorze guide who showed us the unique “bee hive” dwellings of the Dorze people, and demonstrated for us the food they make out of a plant they call the false banana. Then we got to be part of a traditional Dorze dance which was lots of fun for the kids. Isaac and Sol especially enjoyed getting out there and dancing with them dressed in all sorts of animal skins. The Dorze people are expert weavers and they have beautiful scarves for sale from a weaving cooperative that they have formed. The visit to the Dorze village was a real highlight.
From there we went to the Crocodile Ranch which was the definite low point of our time in Arbamich. Basically we saw a bunch of crocodiles in captivity. There was no guide to provide information or a commentary so we stared at some cages of crocodiles and left. A rather useless time and a waste of our money.
Despite the awful night, we had a wonderful morning heading up to visit a Dorze village close to Chenchen. The drive up was absolutely stunning. As we got higher up the mountain, it got more and more green, lush and beautiful. Some parts felt like we were back in BC with the dense forest of evergreens. (Very unusual for Ethiopia.) Then we came to mountainous hills of terraced fields, green with crops with little huts tucked away in the hillside. Incredibly beautiful! Our visit to the Dorze village was a real highlight. We had a Dorze guide who showed us the unique “bee hive” dwellings of the Dorze people, and demonstrated for us the food they make out of a plant they call the false banana. Then we got to be part of a traditional Dorze dance which was lots of fun for the kids. Isaac and Sol especially enjoyed getting out there and dancing with them dressed in all sorts of animal skins. The Dorze people are expert weavers and they have beautiful scarves for sale from a weaving cooperative that they have formed. The visit to the Dorze village was a real highlight.
From there we went to the Crocodile Ranch which was the definite low point of our time in Arbamich. Basically we saw a bunch of crocodiles in captivity. There was no guide to provide information or a commentary so we stared at some cages of crocodiles and left. A rather useless time and a waste of our money.
June 24, 2009
Anna and Jim along with their son Zach, came in to DZ from Addis so we did a very abridged school day for Sol and Isaac so that they could have another opportunity to spend time with Zach. The purpose for their visit was to bring a young couple named Peter and Christy to spend a few days here at the guest house while they are doing some travelling in Ethiopia. They have just completed 6 months of volunteer service in Djubuti. It was kind of funny that Anna put me in charge of their orientation since I still feel like a novice myself!
In the later afternoon Richard and I and the boys took John and Lorraine with us to get a tour of Tim and Ingrid’s enterprise just down the road. It’s really amazing what they have accomplished in five short years. They are running a steel building supplies plant, a brick making plant and a furniture enterprise (mostly kitchen cupboards) that employs approximately 70 Ethiopian workers. The goal is for the enterprise to become entirely Ethiopian run and managed within the next few years. We were very impressed.
In the later afternoon Richard and I and the boys took John and Lorraine with us to get a tour of Tim and Ingrid’s enterprise just down the road. It’s really amazing what they have accomplished in five short years. They are running a steel building supplies plant, a brick making plant and a furniture enterprise (mostly kitchen cupboards) that employs approximately 70 Ethiopian workers. The goal is for the enterprise to become entirely Ethiopian run and managed within the next few years. We were very impressed.
June 23, 2009
It certainly feels good to be home again in DZ. Our familiar beds and the routine of life always feels welcome after a time away. Abram has spent the day studying since he had a French final to take today and then a Socials final to begin studying for that he needs to take in the next day or so. He has worked really hard at his studies in the past two months and his teachers have been flexible with their expectations so I think that this disruption in school will turn out just fine for him, despite some of his concerns.
We are working hard in the library trying to finish some major projects in the week we have left here. Isaac really isn’t ready to leave Ethiopia. I’m amazed at how much he has enjoyed this experience. He is already trying to think of reasons to come back. While the rest of us will find it sad to leave, the fact that most of the people we have been working and living with in the past two months are also leaving makes it feel like a natural time of closure.
We are working hard in the library trying to finish some major projects in the week we have left here. Isaac really isn’t ready to leave Ethiopia. I’m amazed at how much he has enjoyed this experience. He is already trying to think of reasons to come back. While the rest of us will find it sad to leave, the fact that most of the people we have been working and living with in the past two months are also leaving makes it feel like a natural time of closure.
June 22, 2009
We spent the entire day travelling home. We took a different route that was more scenic and mountainous and that was just newly constructed. For the most part, it felt like we were the only vehicles on the road. Very little other traffic other than lots of pedestrians whenever we were in proximity to a village. Again, we saw some beautiful scenery and observed a number of different people groups along the way, each with their own distinctive style of housing and dress. We made it home by about 5 pm.
June 20, 2009
We were up at 5:30 am this morning to get ready for our trip into Nechisar Park. The generator wasn’t turned on yet and the sun had not yet risen so it was strange getting ready by flashlight. We ended up getting a late start because it was difficult to track down fuel for the Land Cruiser because the power was still off and so none of the gas stations were dispensing gas.
I have never driven a road as rough and treacherous as the road we spent the next five hours travelling. It took us more than two hours to travel 25 kilometers. But the experience itself was amazing. We saw several troops of olive baboons and a number of the following: Guenther’s dik-dik, Grant’s gazelle, Swayne’s hartebeest, and Burchell’s zebra, which was the highlight for us. They are such magnificent animals when you see them in their natural habitat. Several times we were able to walk up quite close to them.
After a late lunch back at the Lodge, we headed out onto Lake Chamo for our boat excursion to view crocodiles close up. Isaac was a little hesitant about the whole thing but after some negotiating, he was willing to come along. We picked up our crew with our Land Rover and soon we were about ten people stuffed into the vehicle headed down to the lake. We accessed the lake from a little fishing place where young boys/men stripped down to their underwear and went out on to the lake in little rafts that were only big enough for them to stand on. It all seemed rather precarious, especially considering the huge population of crocodiles and hippos in the lake.
I wasn’t too thrilled to realize that we would be doing the expedition without life jackets but that is doing life E-style (Ethiopian style). We have had to let go of many of our convictions on safety standards etc. and learn to go with the flow out here. However, the water was amazingly calm and the young boys who captained our boat seemed competent enough. We first bumped into a crowd of hippos and floated incredibly close to them. They are such immense creatures. The highlight was of course, the crocodiles. We first saw them swimming in the water close to our boat and then came to the part of the shore they call “Crocodile Market” where the shoreline was just crawling with the creatures. Both Isaac and I were just a little nervous as we got within a few meters of them. Richard got some great pictures. We even had our boat flicked by a crocodiles tail which was a bit too adventurous for me! A really amazing experience!
I have never driven a road as rough and treacherous as the road we spent the next five hours travelling. It took us more than two hours to travel 25 kilometers. But the experience itself was amazing. We saw several troops of olive baboons and a number of the following: Guenther’s dik-dik, Grant’s gazelle, Swayne’s hartebeest, and Burchell’s zebra, which was the highlight for us. They are such magnificent animals when you see them in their natural habitat. Several times we were able to walk up quite close to them.
After a late lunch back at the Lodge, we headed out onto Lake Chamo for our boat excursion to view crocodiles close up. Isaac was a little hesitant about the whole thing but after some negotiating, he was willing to come along. We picked up our crew with our Land Rover and soon we were about ten people stuffed into the vehicle headed down to the lake. We accessed the lake from a little fishing place where young boys/men stripped down to their underwear and went out on to the lake in little rafts that were only big enough for them to stand on. It all seemed rather precarious, especially considering the huge population of crocodiles and hippos in the lake.
I wasn’t too thrilled to realize that we would be doing the expedition without life jackets but that is doing life E-style (Ethiopian style). We have had to let go of many of our convictions on safety standards etc. and learn to go with the flow out here. However, the water was amazingly calm and the young boys who captained our boat seemed competent enough. We first bumped into a crowd of hippos and floated incredibly close to them. They are such immense creatures. The highlight was of course, the crocodiles. We first saw them swimming in the water close to our boat and then came to the part of the shore they call “Crocodile Market” where the shoreline was just crawling with the creatures. Both Isaac and I were just a little nervous as we got within a few meters of them. Richard got some great pictures. We even had our boat flicked by a crocodiles tail which was a bit too adventurous for me! A really amazing experience!
June 19, 2009
We spent a long, bumpy day in the Land Cruiser travelling to Arba Minch. Our driver picked us up in Debre Zeit at 8 am and off we went. We travelled down familiar road as far as Lake Langano and then started driving through new territory. Some of the terrain as you go south is absolutely breathtaking. Lots of mountains and lakes and everything becomes so lush and green. Unfortunately, the road is absolutely awful. They are working at redoing it so we had lots of detours and most of it was dirt road or even worse, very old asphalt riddled with pot holes. The last 100 kilometers took three hours to travel.
It was a relief to arrive at Paradise Lodge about 5 pm. It’s quite a lovely lodge made up of individual huts with woven roofs in the style of the southern tribes. They had a major fire at the lodge last year and they are currently in the middle of rebuilding the restaurant etc and things aren’t quite what they should be. However, I’m sure we’ll be very comfortable and the staff are very welcoming and accommodating. It’s located on top of a high hill with a stunning view of Lakes Abaya and Chamo and is entirely surrounded by stunning mountain forests.
It was a relief to arrive at Paradise Lodge about 5 pm. It’s quite a lovely lodge made up of individual huts with woven roofs in the style of the southern tribes. They had a major fire at the lodge last year and they are currently in the middle of rebuilding the restaurant etc and things aren’t quite what they should be. However, I’m sure we’ll be very comfortable and the staff are very welcoming and accommodating. It’s located on top of a high hill with a stunning view of Lakes Abaya and Chamo and is entirely surrounded by stunning mountain forests.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
June 17, 2009 -- posted by Karen
We headed in to Addis this afternoon to get a bunch of things done. Once more, I am very grateful to not be living there. The traffic, the pollution, the chaos, the people everywhere..... It makes Debre Zeit feel like a resort with its tranquility, fresh air and mountains. Sometimes I miss not having access to the amenities and groceries that I would have in Addis, but that is a small price to pay for all the other benefits of being located out here.
Unfortunately, Isaac was feeling sick again and stayed in the taxi with Danny (our driver) most of the time, lying down and groaning in the back seat. All our kids have had trouble with their stomachs while we are out here and I’m not sure why. One theory is that we’ve been taking malaria pills since the day before we went to Lake Langano since both Langano and Arbaminch (where we will go this weekend) are in the malaria zone. I’m surprised that I’ve had not stomach issues whatsoever since I’m usually the vulnerable one!
While in Addis we made final arrangements for our trip this weekend down to Arbaminch. We then looked for football shirts for the boys and did some grocery shopping, probably our last time to do that. We ended off our time in Addis by having supper at Top View restaurant. It has a nice view of the city and good food (owned by the same people who own Blue Tops in Addis and Sabana Resort at Lake Langano).
Unfortunately, Isaac was feeling sick again and stayed in the taxi with Danny (our driver) most of the time, lying down and groaning in the back seat. All our kids have had trouble with their stomachs while we are out here and I’m not sure why. One theory is that we’ve been taking malaria pills since the day before we went to Lake Langano since both Langano and Arbaminch (where we will go this weekend) are in the malaria zone. I’m surprised that I’ve had not stomach issues whatsoever since I’m usually the vulnerable one!
While in Addis we made final arrangements for our trip this weekend down to Arbaminch. We then looked for football shirts for the boys and did some grocery shopping, probably our last time to do that. We ended off our time in Addis by having supper at Top View restaurant. It has a nice view of the city and good food (owned by the same people who own Blue Tops in Addis and Sabana Resort at Lake Langano).
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
June 16, 2009 -- posted by Karen
After getting our school work done first thing in the morning, we spent the balance of the day at the library. We put in our time moving books for several hours and then Lorraine and I were asked to open the College bookstore. So with almost no orientation, we became the managers and operators of the bookstore! (This was Vera’s job but she is gone until November.) As well as assisting the students and handling the financial transactions, we are also going through boxes of books rejected by the library and pricing them for sale. Not sure we did everything right but definitely did things.
Tomorrow will be a shorter day of volunteering since we are going into Addis in the afternoon to do some business and grocery shopping. This Friday we leave for our weekend trip to Arbiminch. It’s been gratifying to have the opportunity to see so much of Ethiopia. We are discovering that many people who have lived in Ethiopia their entire lives have had little opportunity to visit their own country and see the things that we’ve seen in these few short months.
Tomorrow will be a shorter day of volunteering since we are going into Addis in the afternoon to do some business and grocery shopping. This Friday we leave for our weekend trip to Arbiminch. It’s been gratifying to have the opportunity to see so much of Ethiopia. We are discovering that many people who have lived in Ethiopia their entire lives have had little opportunity to visit their own country and see the things that we’ve seen in these few short months.
June 15, 2009 -- posted by Karen
If any of you know Richard and his history with libraries, you will know that he has moved entire libraries, twice! The first time was when the entire 40,000 volume library at Concord College was packed up and moved to the new CMU campus, and the second time was when CBC got new library shelves last summer. So, true to form, Richard has dreamed up another excuse to move a library. Today we started a really big project in the library that involves shifting a huge part of the collection to different shelves in the library. With all the books we’ve added as well as some that have been moved out of the reference section, we need to add fifty new shelves within the collection. So that means lots of careful moving of books so that we don’t mess up the order. My goal is to get the kids to do most of the lifting and I will do the organizational part. A new couple named John and Lorraine Peters from Ontario have arrived and Lorraine is going to help out in the library for a few weeks while John teaches his course. She will probably be in charge of washing the shelves and cleaning all the books we move since they are incredibly dusty.
Classes started again today and it was good to see some familiar faces around as well as plenty of new ones. John Peters is teaching a Cultural Anthropology class and so suddenly we are experts on Western Culture and are being interviewed regularly by the students on all sorts of aspects of culture back in Canada. It’s a good way to build relationships.
Classes started again today and it was good to see some familiar faces around as well as plenty of new ones. John Peters is teaching a Cultural Anthropology class and so suddenly we are experts on Western Culture and are being interviewed regularly by the students on all sorts of aspects of culture back in Canada. It’s a good way to build relationships.
Monday, June 15, 2009
June 14, 2009 -- posted by Karen
It was good to go to church this morning and reconnect with people we hadn’t seen for several weeks. Attending church here makes me miss Level Ground even more. The worship time here is frequently painful as we do a very poor job of singing some very slow, dirge like songs that come out of the Dutch tradition to the accompaniment of a recorder and flute.
We spent the day doing family stuff for the most part. Played some ping-pong, went for a walk and then taught the kids to play Dutch Blitz. They didn’t realize that Richard is a bit of a Dutch Blitz expert and felt slightly overwhelmed by his sudden intensity! Tomorrow we will be back to routine with lots of school work as well as volunteering in the library.
We spent the day doing family stuff for the most part. Played some ping-pong, went for a walk and then taught the kids to play Dutch Blitz. They didn’t realize that Richard is a bit of a Dutch Blitz expert and felt slightly overwhelmed by his sudden intensity! Tomorrow we will be back to routine with lots of school work as well as volunteering in the library.
June 13, 2009 -- posted by Karen
Life here on campus is very quiet these days. The students have been gone for this past week and the kitchen workers have been on a well earned holiday. It’s just been the guards, the gardener and the few guesthouse residents that remain. New students will begin arriving tomorrow for the rainy season session (mid June to the end of Aug.) These are students who are working at the graduate level. Most of them are already pastors who take the rainy season months off to continue their education.
I am personally pleased that the rainy season has not yet arrived. In fact, yesterday was one of the warmest days we’ve had here yet. The temperature usually hovers around 80 degrees and is quite comfortable since there is typically a fairly strong wind blowing but yesterday was significantly warmer. It was a little tough for the kids since it was too hot to be outside until the later afternoon. Since the sun goes down about 6:30 pm that doesn’t leave a lot of time to enjoy the cooler temperatures outside.
We spent the day doing laundry etc from our few days away at Lake Langano. Abram had a big project that he needed to finish for school and send off. On the way home from Langano, we drove through an area of the country where they actually grow strawberries. This evening we had crepes with fresh strawberries which was a real treat.
I am personally pleased that the rainy season has not yet arrived. In fact, yesterday was one of the warmest days we’ve had here yet. The temperature usually hovers around 80 degrees and is quite comfortable since there is typically a fairly strong wind blowing but yesterday was significantly warmer. It was a little tough for the kids since it was too hot to be outside until the later afternoon. Since the sun goes down about 6:30 pm that doesn’t leave a lot of time to enjoy the cooler temperatures outside.
We spent the day doing laundry etc from our few days away at Lake Langano. Abram had a big project that he needed to finish for school and send off. On the way home from Langano, we drove through an area of the country where they actually grow strawberries. This evening we had crepes with fresh strawberries which was a real treat.
June 12, 2009 -- posted by Karen
We had another early morning swim (no hippo this time!) and then packed up and headed for home. On the way we stopped at a much more posh resort hotel on Lake Langano and spent some time on their beach. They had kayaks available for their guests and Isaac especially enjoyed them. They also had a slide out in the water and lots of other amenities. We had expected that their clientele would be predominantly farenji (foreigners) but were surprised that most of the guests appeared to be Ethiopian. It would have been a great place to stay but at twice the cost. We all had a great time on the beach since it was one of the warmer days we’ve had here. Several of us didn’t use enough sun screen! Richard only put sunscreen on his shoulders and chest, so his lower half is pretty red today.
The drive back was rather long with several accidents along the way. Driving is such an intense experience out here. You can never relax because there is always some animal wandering out on to the road in front of you or else oncoming traffic that has decided to use your lane for awhile. Both Abram and Isaac have been feeling ill today and we had to pull over for them to throw up on the side of the road. We think it may be the malaria pills we’ve been taking for the past few days. It feels good to be home and we are all looking forward to sleeping in real beds again.
The drive back was rather long with several accidents along the way. Driving is such an intense experience out here. You can never relax because there is always some animal wandering out on to the road in front of you or else oncoming traffic that has decided to use your lane for awhile. Both Abram and Isaac have been feeling ill today and we had to pull over for them to throw up on the side of the road. We think it may be the malaria pills we’ve been taking for the past few days. It feels good to be home and we are all looking forward to sleeping in real beds again.
June 11, 2009 -- posted by Karen
Although we had a pretty awful night last night and didn’t get a great sleep, we still managed to have a wonderful day. We were up early because of the bad beds and at the lakeside before 7 am. Suddenly, we heard a strange noise and saw a hippo’s head emerge from the water just a little ways from where we were sitting on the beach. It was amazing to see. Every five minutes or so it would come up for air and we would get another look at it. It didn’t seem in a hurry to go anywhere and later hotel workers told us that the hippos come up and eat the grass in front of the cottages during the night.
After breakfast, we decided to take a drive to a lakeside city called Awassa. Fanosie was especially eager to see it since he had never been there before. It took about 90 minutes to get there but it turned out to be a very pleasant city. We spent some time at the lakeshore and ended up taking an hour long boat trip to see even more hippos! Pretty amazing creatures. We got back to Langano in time for another swim before the sun set.
One more night in these awful beds!
After breakfast, we decided to take a drive to a lakeside city called Awassa. Fanosie was especially eager to see it since he had never been there before. It took about 90 minutes to get there but it turned out to be a very pleasant city. We spent some time at the lakeshore and ended up taking an hour long boat trip to see even more hippos! Pretty amazing creatures. We got back to Langano in time for another swim before the sun set.
One more night in these awful beds!
June 10, 2009 -- posted by Karen
We said good bye to Ernie and Lois and Carl and Vera this morning since they are both heading back to North America for the summer today. By 8 am, Fanosie and Dianne and our family were off to Lake Langano. Danny the driver is driving us in his taxi and staying with us for the three days since we don’t have access to another vehicle.
We arrived by noon to the Bekele Mola Hotel right on the shore of Lake Langano. It’s not a fancy resort but is one preferred by the locals since it is much less expensive than the fancier lodges that are frequented by the tourists. The location is beautiful but the lodging rather humble. We spent the afternoon in the lake which is a very dark brown colour but apparently one of the few lakes in Ethiopia that it is safe to swim in. For dinner, we went to the fancier tourist hotel about 20 minutes away. It’s an absolutely beautiful place, owned by the same owners of the Blue Tops Restaurant in Addis, where we have eaten twice. The restaurant even serves ice cream! We may go back there tomorrow and have lunch and swim on their beach since they have a slide and diving board etc. I’m not sure how the night will go since these beds have some pretty obvious springs sticking out of them.
We arrived by noon to the Bekele Mola Hotel right on the shore of Lake Langano. It’s not a fancy resort but is one preferred by the locals since it is much less expensive than the fancier lodges that are frequented by the tourists. The location is beautiful but the lodging rather humble. We spent the afternoon in the lake which is a very dark brown colour but apparently one of the few lakes in Ethiopia that it is safe to swim in. For dinner, we went to the fancier tourist hotel about 20 minutes away. It’s an absolutely beautiful place, owned by the same owners of the Blue Tops Restaurant in Addis, where we have eaten twice. The restaurant even serves ice cream! We may go back there tomorrow and have lunch and swim on their beach since they have a slide and diving board etc. I’m not sure how the night will go since these beds have some pretty obvious springs sticking out of them.
June 9, 2009 -- posted by Karen
We did one last, major hike with Ernie and Lois this morning before they head home tomorrow. We climbed the hill behind our house that overlooks Hora Lake and then climbed down to the lake with the goal of seeing how far we could hike around the lake. It was pretty much wilderness mountain hiking since there really wasn’t a consistent trail and we had to get over some pretty major obstacles. The highlight for Richard was seeing some pretty amazing birds that he hadn’t sighted elsewhere. We even saw an entire tree just filled with white pelicans. We hiked for a little over two hours and made it about half way around the lake until we bumped into civilization again and took a bajaj home since we were all pretty exhausted from the climb. I’m quite impressed with Ernie and Lois. They are both in their late 60’s and are in absolutely amazing shape. We can’t keep up with them!
The rest of the day was school work and laundry, trying to get ready for our few days away to Lake Langano with Dianne and Fanosie tomorrow.
The rest of the day was school work and laundry, trying to get ready for our few days away to Lake Langano with Dianne and Fanosie tomorrow.
June 8, 2009 -- posted by Karen
The kids worked hard at their school work this morning. Abram especially is realizing that the term will be finished for him soon and he has a number of assignments to complete and send back to Canada. He also needs to start studying for finals. It’s been challenging for him to study French without a teacher and with a very inadequate study resource. The other two kids have material to work on but no deadlines or specific assignments that need to be sent back to school so they don’t feel the stress quite as much.
We worked hard at the library this afternoon. Richard is purging the library of old, outdated material that the students don’t really use or shouldn’t be using so we are helping him pull stuff off the shelves and reorganize things. We boxed up multiple sets of old encylopedias etc. We’re also doing a lot of processing and shelving of new material that will be added to the collection.
In the late afternoon, Ernie and Lois took us on a two hour walk over the dried up lake bed in front of the College. The rainy season is about to start here and soon there will be a vast, deep lake in front of the College again. Richard and Ernie are both fanatical bird watchers so that was the point of the venture.
We worked hard at the library this afternoon. Richard is purging the library of old, outdated material that the students don’t really use or shouldn’t be using so we are helping him pull stuff off the shelves and reorganize things. We boxed up multiple sets of old encylopedias etc. We’re also doing a lot of processing and shelving of new material that will be added to the collection.
In the late afternoon, Ernie and Lois took us on a two hour walk over the dried up lake bed in front of the College. The rainy season is about to start here and soon there will be a vast, deep lake in front of the College again. Richard and Ernie are both fanatical bird watchers so that was the point of the venture.
June 7, 2009 -- posted by Karen
Richard and I spent the day in Addis with the other people from the guesthouse while the kids stayed at home on their own. We went to the International Evangelical English Church in Addis for the morning service. It is an interesting mix of people from North America, Europe and other African counties. It is also attended by Ethiopians who have spent some time overseas and prefer to worship in English. Things felt a little more familiar with a worship team in front doing the leading. They sang a few songs that we sing back home but they sure didn’t lead as well as the worship teams at Level Ground!
After the service we headed off to a reception for the College president’s son who had gotten married in the States several months ago but was now bringing his new wife back to Ethiopia to introduce her to his country. There was lots of typical Ethiopian food, including raw meat which is a very popular dish out here. It’s mostly raw beef all ground up. I can’t imagine the health risks involved in eating it! I passed that one by but did try some injira which wasn’t too bad. We sat at a table with the Academic Dean of the College and had a great time getting to know him and hearing his perspective on the College. He lives in Addis so we seldom get the opportunity to interact with him.
We got home and the power was out so we had a rather low key evening until it came on again at about 8:30 PM.
After the service we headed off to a reception for the College president’s son who had gotten married in the States several months ago but was now bringing his new wife back to Ethiopia to introduce her to his country. There was lots of typical Ethiopian food, including raw meat which is a very popular dish out here. It’s mostly raw beef all ground up. I can’t imagine the health risks involved in eating it! I passed that one by but did try some injira which wasn’t too bad. We sat at a table with the Academic Dean of the College and had a great time getting to know him and hearing his perspective on the College. He lives in Addis so we seldom get the opportunity to interact with him.
We got home and the power was out so we had a rather low key evening until it came on again at about 8:30 PM.
June 6, 2009 -- posted by Karen
Today was graduation at the College. This is a huge deal to students and their families who have sacrificed for years so that a family member could get an education. For many families, this meant only seeing their husbands/fathers for a few weeks every year since they live a distance away and cannot afford to travel home very often. For these students it meant living in a crowded room with twenty other men which must be a hard and humbling thing to do at their age. There were fourteen graduates, two of whom were women.
The campus was all cleaned up with banners unfurled etc. The ceremony itself was a very long three hour affair with about two thirds of it in Ahmaric and the other third in English. It is an Ethiopian tradition for the graduating class valedictorian to give “recommendations” (ie. criticisms) in the valedictory address. An interesting practice. I also played keyboard for two English songs that we sang. I missed certain portions of the ceremony since I was having major coughing fits that left me gagging with tears streaming down my face and I chose to leave the auditorium for those episodes.
In the evening we celebrated Lois’ birthday and Mike’s farewell with a guesthouse party at Dianne and Fanosie’s. Tomorrow Mike leaves for his trip back to the States. That means we will have the apartment all to ourselves. All three boys wanted Mike’s room but when we picked a number between 1 and 100, Isaac was the lucky winner. The other two boys are rather envious that he will have his own room with a double bed and ensuite bathroom while they will still be sharing a bedroom with single beds!
The campus was all cleaned up with banners unfurled etc. The ceremony itself was a very long three hour affair with about two thirds of it in Ahmaric and the other third in English. It is an Ethiopian tradition for the graduating class valedictorian to give “recommendations” (ie. criticisms) in the valedictory address. An interesting practice. I also played keyboard for two English songs that we sang. I missed certain portions of the ceremony since I was having major coughing fits that left me gagging with tears streaming down my face and I chose to leave the auditorium for those episodes.
In the evening we celebrated Lois’ birthday and Mike’s farewell with a guesthouse party at Dianne and Fanosie’s. Tomorrow Mike leaves for his trip back to the States. That means we will have the apartment all to ourselves. All three boys wanted Mike’s room but when we picked a number between 1 and 100, Isaac was the lucky winner. The other two boys are rather envious that he will have his own room with a double bed and ensuite bathroom while they will still be sharing a bedroom with single beds!
June 5, 2009 -- posted by Karen
Despite the fact that I’m still feeling quite ill, we took a day trip to Sodere. Sodore is famous for it’s hot springs pool and it’s monkeys. Fanosie and Dianne along with their family joined us and we had a nice day together. The kids had a great time feeding monkeys and having the monkeys steal food right out of our hands. We also took a walk along the river and saw a little crocodile, a mother wild pig and her six piglets and of course, a bunch more thieving monkeys. We even witnessed a group of three monkeys steal a woman’s purse right off her shoulder, open it up and eat her lunch!
The hotsprings pool was nice and warm enough for even me to go in! Since most Ethiopians don’t know how to swim, the shallow end was crowded with people flailing their arms and legs around and pretending to “swim” while the larger, deep part of the pool was almost entirely empty. We were the only farenji (foreigners) with lots of Ethiopian kids there on a school outing.
On the way home, we stopped in Nazareth to help Fanosie’s brother and his family move into their new home. They had been living in two small, decrepit rooms in somone’s run down house until now while his brother is studying to get his degree in pastoral ministry. Now they have their own place with two bedrooms and the potential to someday have indoor plumbing. It’s very basic, made with cement blocks and not yet complete since they ran out of money but it is a step forward for them. Eventually they hope to have electricity. Their joy at something so humble and in our view entirely inadequate was very touching.
We got home in time for the College graduates campfire here on campus. We had missed the lamb slaughter and barbeque but enjoyed the singing and story telling around the fire with them.
I didn’t sleep much at all last night because of my constant coughing. Tonight it feels like razor blades when I swallow. I hope that I don’t have the strep throat that Sol had earlier....
The hotsprings pool was nice and warm enough for even me to go in! Since most Ethiopians don’t know how to swim, the shallow end was crowded with people flailing their arms and legs around and pretending to “swim” while the larger, deep part of the pool was almost entirely empty. We were the only farenji (foreigners) with lots of Ethiopian kids there on a school outing.
On the way home, we stopped in Nazareth to help Fanosie’s brother and his family move into their new home. They had been living in two small, decrepit rooms in somone’s run down house until now while his brother is studying to get his degree in pastoral ministry. Now they have their own place with two bedrooms and the potential to someday have indoor plumbing. It’s very basic, made with cement blocks and not yet complete since they ran out of money but it is a step forward for them. Eventually they hope to have electricity. Their joy at something so humble and in our view entirely inadequate was very touching.
We got home in time for the College graduates campfire here on campus. We had missed the lamb slaughter and barbeque but enjoyed the singing and story telling around the fire with them.
I didn’t sleep much at all last night because of my constant coughing. Tonight it feels like razor blades when I swallow. I hope that I don’t have the strep throat that Sol had earlier....
Friday, June 5, 2009
June 4, 2009 -- posted by Karen
I am discovering that there are many things about the pace of life out here in Ethiopia that agree with me. It’s a very interesting feeling to live without the pressure of deadlines and the stresses of a professional role for a period of time. Life is much simpler and less complicated here. I’ve hardly had a headache since we arrived and typically I go through bottles of Ibuprofen at a fairly rapid rate. I suspect the challenge will be incorporating aspects of the experience “out here” into life “back there”. Not sure how to do that or if, in fact, it is possible.
The kids and I went grocery shopping this morning with Dianne. It’s always a fairly prolonged experience as we visit four or five different shops, seeing what each has for sale that day. Some days no one has eggs. Yesterday no one had bananas. Every shopping experience is different and so you go with a spirit of flexibility to discover what you will actually end up being able to buy.
We are really beginning to focus our energies on completing the requirements the kids have for their school work as well as moving some big projects forward in the College library. However, things will be somewhat disrupted for the next few days as we make a day trip to Soderey tomorrow, have College graduation on Saturday and go into Addis for a wedding reception on Sunday. Mike leaves on Sunday for the States and both Carl and Vera and Lois and Ernie leave a few days later to head back to North American for summer. Change is in the air.
The kids and I went grocery shopping this morning with Dianne. It’s always a fairly prolonged experience as we visit four or five different shops, seeing what each has for sale that day. Some days no one has eggs. Yesterday no one had bananas. Every shopping experience is different and so you go with a spirit of flexibility to discover what you will actually end up being able to buy.
We are really beginning to focus our energies on completing the requirements the kids have for their school work as well as moving some big projects forward in the College library. However, things will be somewhat disrupted for the next few days as we make a day trip to Soderey tomorrow, have College graduation on Saturday and go into Addis for a wedding reception on Sunday. Mike leaves on Sunday for the States and both Carl and Vera and Lois and Ernie leave a few days later to head back to North American for summer. Change is in the air.
June 3, 2009 -- posted by Karen
I’m still not feeling all that well. My voice is back but the cough has worsened. Hopefully, it will lift soon because we have a busy weekend before us.
Today the kids and I made the decision to conclude our volunteering at the Ethiopian school and to focus our final month here volunteering at the College library. We have thoroughly loved our time at the Ethiopian school but they struggle to know how to actually use volunteers. Some days we felt like we were in the way and almost a burden to them whereas other days we were thrown into rather overwhelming situation where the kids had to teach 70 kids who barely speak English on their own for two hours. It was getting a little stressful for the kids and we are also recognizing that just doing our own home schooling takes a lot of energy. We had already been volunteering at the College library on days we were not at the other school so we will increase that involvement. There is a lot that needs to be done there before we leave. However, the experience at the Ethiopian school has been an incredible life lesson for the kids and we will take those memories and learnings with us.
We had an evening with no electricity so we sat around by candlelight and talked until the power finally came on again about 9 pm. It’s amazing how life changes without electricity!
Today the kids and I made the decision to conclude our volunteering at the Ethiopian school and to focus our final month here volunteering at the College library. We have thoroughly loved our time at the Ethiopian school but they struggle to know how to actually use volunteers. Some days we felt like we were in the way and almost a burden to them whereas other days we were thrown into rather overwhelming situation where the kids had to teach 70 kids who barely speak English on their own for two hours. It was getting a little stressful for the kids and we are also recognizing that just doing our own home schooling takes a lot of energy. We had already been volunteering at the College library on days we were not at the other school so we will increase that involvement. There is a lot that needs to be done there before we leave. However, the experience at the Ethiopian school has been an incredible life lesson for the kids and we will take those memories and learnings with us.
We had an evening with no electricity so we sat around by candlelight and talked until the power finally came on again about 9 pm. It’s amazing how life changes without electricity!
June 2, 2009 -- posted by Karen
I still haven’t been feeling very well today. My voice is almost completely gone and I’ve started coughing too. We did some volunteering in the library but otherwise I took it pretty easy. The highlight of the day for Sol and Isaac was getting some leftover building supplies from the dormitory building project so that they can begin building a club house. They even found some old cement to use for the foundation poles. Jim and Anna were out from Addis so their son Zach played with them all day.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
May 2009
typical clothing in Debre Zeit
Debre Zeit
Students at Meserete Kristos College
boys attacking a termite hill
boys attacking a termite hill
Celebrating Michael Miller's 75th birthday
Celebrating Michael Miller's 75th birthday
all the residents of the guest house
Zegeye, the college IT guy
Vera, library staff
Tigist, library staff
Recreation room at the college
President Negash
Mulageta at the circulation desk
library at Meserete Kristos College
comupter lab in the library
library
rural scene, viewed out of the window at the Library
Market in Debre Zeit
typical lizard
Lake Bishoftu
Hunter's Sunbird
Hibiscus
Ethiopian flower
Blue-breasted Bee-eater
Bananas
Bajaj
June 1, 2009 -- posted by Karen
Today was laundry day in a major way. On our holiday, we had dirtied almost every piece of clothing we own climbing around ancient buildings so we were in a rather desperate state. Until this past January there were no washing machines at all here at the guesthouse so I am grateful that we now have access to them. However, because of the low water pressure they take close to 2 hours to get through one cycle. And then you hang the wash up on the line and wait another two hours for it to dry. Considering that I had six loads to do (the capacity of these washers is pretty small), that basically took up my day.
We had planned to go and volunteer at the Ethiopian school and I was to teach my English class for the teachers, but I have developed laryngitis and am not able to talk above a whisper so I had to cancel. Instead we worked in the College library where it is completely acceptable to speak in a whisper! Abram and I often spend a few hours there shelving or sticking labels and bar codes on the new books they are processing. This is not something Abram particularly enjoys. Isaac, on the other hand loves volunteering in the library. He is in charge of sorting through the boxes of new books and piling them up in appropriate piles to prepare them for processing. I think he likes the structure and routine of the work. He doesn’t enjoy going to volunteer at the Ethiopian school because you never know what you will be doing or whether you will suddenly be in charge of teaching a class.
We had planned to go and volunteer at the Ethiopian school and I was to teach my English class for the teachers, but I have developed laryngitis and am not able to talk above a whisper so I had to cancel. Instead we worked in the College library where it is completely acceptable to speak in a whisper! Abram and I often spend a few hours there shelving or sticking labels and bar codes on the new books they are processing. This is not something Abram particularly enjoys. Isaac, on the other hand loves volunteering in the library. He is in charge of sorting through the boxes of new books and piling them up in appropriate piles to prepare them for processing. I think he likes the structure and routine of the work. He doesn’t enjoy going to volunteer at the Ethiopian school because you never know what you will be doing or whether you will suddenly be in charge of teaching a class.
May 31, 2009
We had a great breakfast at our hotel in Addis and then were picked up by a van full of people from DZ and taken to a Meserete Kristos Church. It was a pretty amazing experience even though it was all in Amharic. Their worship singing is very upbeat and actually sounds like it has a lot of Indian influence. No harmonies. It’s all pretty much pentatonic with very intricate melodies. Very loud though with lots of dancing and many interjections from the congregation. Songs are incredibly long here. Usually about 10 minutes each with lots of repetition. By the time the sermon came, the kids were getting restless but the congregational participation kept things interesting even here.
We gathered together for a noon potluck with all the Mennonite workers in the Addis area. Some were with MCC, others with a US Mennonite mission board and a few were Mennonites in Addis working with NGO’s. We were probably over 30 people. Everyone was very friendly and we enjoyed getting to know them. The kids had fun hanging out with a number of children their age. They do this on a monthly basis but will not be meeting again until September. Most of them are going to North American for home leave during the rainy season of June, July and August. Apparently July and August are not great months to be in Addis because it is pretty cool and rainy.
It felt good to get home and unpack. We were only gone five days but it felt longer since we were able to do so much in short period of time. Now we will gear up for graduation which is this coming weekend.
We gathered together for a noon potluck with all the Mennonite workers in the Addis area. Some were with MCC, others with a US Mennonite mission board and a few were Mennonites in Addis working with NGO’s. We were probably over 30 people. Everyone was very friendly and we enjoyed getting to know them. The kids had fun hanging out with a number of children their age. They do this on a monthly basis but will not be meeting again until September. Most of them are going to North American for home leave during the rainy season of June, July and August. Apparently July and August are not great months to be in Addis because it is pretty cool and rainy.
It felt good to get home and unpack. We were only gone five days but it felt longer since we were able to do so much in short period of time. Now we will gear up for graduation which is this coming weekend.
May 30, 2009
We arrived back in Addis about noon. The original plan was to stay at the Catholic Guest House for another night but after our terrible experience there at the outset of our trip, we couldn’t even consider it. Instead we booked in at the Global Hotel which older mid-range hotel. The rooms are really large, the hot water works and we even have free broadband internet use! I had my first hot bath since arriving in Ethiopia and it was marvellous!
We booked a taxi and driver for the afternoon and did errands. We met with the representative from Paradise Lodge in Arba Mench in southern Ethiopia where we are planning to drive to in the third week of June. This is one of the few places in Ethiopia where we may actually see some wildlife like zebra, crocodiles, hippos and maybe a few baboons. Unfortunately, the lions, elephants and giraffes disappeared from Ethiopia during the Communist years so we won’t be seeing any of the really “big stuff”.
We needed to get to an ATM to do some banking. ATM’s are almost unheard of in Ethiopia and even rare in Addis but they are the only way we can access our funds back in Canada. In our ATM search, we ended up at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Addis. What an amazing place! We had to walk into the compound since they do not allow lowly Ethiopian taxis to enter. It’s like leaving one world for another. Suddenly the squalor and chaos of Ethiopia is replaced by luxury and opulence like I’ve seldom seen. They say that this particular hotel rates up there with the best in the world. It was overwhelming, especially considering the crumbling shacks and hungry people on the other side of the compound wall. The kids were very impressed with the wall but weren’t so sure the whole concept rang true considering the immense need that is so evident in this country.
We did some grocery shopping and then went to our favourite restaurant in Addis where you can actually get ice cream! It was a nice end to our short holiday.
We booked a taxi and driver for the afternoon and did errands. We met with the representative from Paradise Lodge in Arba Mench in southern Ethiopia where we are planning to drive to in the third week of June. This is one of the few places in Ethiopia where we may actually see some wildlife like zebra, crocodiles, hippos and maybe a few baboons. Unfortunately, the lions, elephants and giraffes disappeared from Ethiopia during the Communist years so we won’t be seeing any of the really “big stuff”.
We needed to get to an ATM to do some banking. ATM’s are almost unheard of in Ethiopia and even rare in Addis but they are the only way we can access our funds back in Canada. In our ATM search, we ended up at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Addis. What an amazing place! We had to walk into the compound since they do not allow lowly Ethiopian taxis to enter. It’s like leaving one world for another. Suddenly the squalor and chaos of Ethiopia is replaced by luxury and opulence like I’ve seldom seen. They say that this particular hotel rates up there with the best in the world. It was overwhelming, especially considering the crumbling shacks and hungry people on the other side of the compound wall. The kids were very impressed with the wall but weren’t so sure the whole concept rang true considering the immense need that is so evident in this country.
We did some grocery shopping and then went to our favourite restaurant in Addis where you can actually get ice cream! It was a nice end to our short holiday.
May 29, 2009
We left Lalibela this morning to fly to Gondar. At the airport, we spoke to an official from Ethiopian Airlines and discovered we could stop at Bahir Dar for no extra charge. Apparently the travel agent we used had been entirely incompetent because she had assured us that this was not the case. Now Bahir Dar was the other city that we had really wanted to visit. It is located on the shore of Lake Tana which is the largest lake in Ethiopia. You can rent a boat with a guide and visit various ancient monastaries on its shores and islands. So Richard and I immediately started researching lodging and attractions in Bahir Dar. Everything seemed to be falling into place until we read that Bahir Dar is in the malaria zone since it has a much more tropical climate. We have malaria pills but unfortunately had left them back in Debra Zeit. So that was the end of that exciting possibility!
After weathering a very turbulent flight with a stop in Axum, we finally arrived in Gondar and checked into a hotel. Gondar is a much larger city so it felt rather like we were returning to civilization. We stayed at a government hotel perched high on a hill. Once again it was a no electricity day. We’ve had that for three of our four days away from DZ.
The highlight of Gondar is the palaces built in the 16th and 17th centuries. There are six palaces in the Royal Compound and then a separate bath and church. It was all quite amazing. It felt like a little bit of Europe right in the middle of Africa. We spent the afternoon exploring with a guide we booked through our hotel.
We had dinner at the hotel and were relieved that this particular hotel has a generator that they turn on at 7 pm!
After weathering a very turbulent flight with a stop in Axum, we finally arrived in Gondar and checked into a hotel. Gondar is a much larger city so it felt rather like we were returning to civilization. We stayed at a government hotel perched high on a hill. Once again it was a no electricity day. We’ve had that for three of our four days away from DZ.
The highlight of Gondar is the palaces built in the 16th and 17th centuries. There are six palaces in the Royal Compound and then a separate bath and church. It was all quite amazing. It felt like a little bit of Europe right in the middle of Africa. We spent the afternoon exploring with a guide we booked through our hotel.
We had dinner at the hotel and were relieved that this particular hotel has a generator that they turn on at 7 pm!
Monday, June 1, 2009
May 28, 2009
We slept in a bit and had a leisurely breakfast at our hotel and then set off to see the other churches by 9 am. I think this set of churches was even more impressive than the ones we saw yesterday. Instead of being carved into the ground, these ones are carved into the side of hills, often into caves. We also had some good conversations with Brian our guide about politics and religion. His good friend was studying at the university in Addis four years ago and he dared to speak out against the corruption of the government. He was murdered by the government shortly thereafter.
It’s rather unusual for a family with children to visit Lalibela and so we attracted a lot of attention from the youths in town. We’d be walking down the road and a guy would walk up to us and say “I hear your family is from Canada....” Then they would tell us their sad stories and ask to shine our shoes or come to their booth to look at their souvenirs. The kids bought a few small things, partially out of a desire to help them. Life really is difficult for these kids and they are doing the best they can to make something of their lives. Their English was excellent and some of them were obviously very intelligent and hard working. Many of them had great dreams of someday going to university. Our kids suddenly realized how much “the accident of birth” determines opportunity and even destiny.
We went to a very beautiful restaurant at the Mountianview Hotel perched high up on one of the mountains and enjoyed the panoramic view of the sunset
It’s rather unusual for a family with children to visit Lalibela and so we attracted a lot of attention from the youths in town. We’d be walking down the road and a guy would walk up to us and say “I hear your family is from Canada....” Then they would tell us their sad stories and ask to shine our shoes or come to their booth to look at their souvenirs. The kids bought a few small things, partially out of a desire to help them. Life really is difficult for these kids and they are doing the best they can to make something of their lives. Their English was excellent and some of them were obviously very intelligent and hard working. Many of them had great dreams of someday going to university. Our kids suddenly realized how much “the accident of birth” determines opportunity and even destiny.
We went to a very beautiful restaurant at the Mountianview Hotel perched high up on one of the mountains and enjoyed the panoramic view of the sunset
May 27, 2009
After crawling out of bed, we discovered that not only was there no hot water, there was no water at all. Not a drop. We couldn’t even brush our teeth. So off to the airport we went feeling exhausted, grumpy and grimy.
We were at the airport by 4:15 a.m. as the airline required. Of course, there was not a single airline employee in the entire airport so we couldn’t even check in. Instead we sat around for more than an hour more until a few employees finally showed up.
The flight itself was a bit of a milk run. We stopped in Bahir Dar, Gondar, and Axum before finally arriving in Lalibela at about noon. The airport in Lalibela is about a half hour away from the town so we were met by a guide from the Tukul Village Hotel where we had reservations.
Lalibels is a remote town located high up in the mountains. It is very isolated and it almost feels like a person is going back in time. The people still live in small, thatched huts and plow with oxen. All of the women wear traditional clothes rather than anything Western and there is an almost complete absence of cars other than the hotel vans transporting tourists.
Our hotel is one of the best in town. It is made up of tukuls that look like sturdy, circular huts with thatched roofs. The inside was very impressive. Spacious with beautiful bathrooms, very clean and amazing private balconies. Richard and I got one tukul and the three kids were in the neighbouring one. We were sitting out on our balcony overlooking the valley and several of the ancient churches for which Lalibela is so famous, when one of the kids asked what the date was. Suddenly Richard and I looked at each other and realized at the same moment that this was actually our anniversary. Twenty years! Pretty funny!
The hotel arranged a guide for us and we spent the afternoon touring the first six of the ancient rock-hewn churches. They are close to 1000 years old and are chiselled out of the ground so that the roof is parallel to the surface of the ground and the rest of the structure is below the ground. Amazing! Some of the churches are monolithic, meaning that all four walls are separate from the surrounding rock, while others are attached to the surrounding rock at one end. There was lots of climbing and taking our shoes on and off since no one is allowed to wear shoes in the churches. An added bonus was that as we entered the first church, we were able to witness a service. It was like we had gone back a millennium in time.
Just our luck that our hotel was having a power off day so once more we were in the dark once the sun set. We walked to a neighbouring hotel down a side road that had a restaurant. Karen had suggested that we bring a flashlight for the walk back, but of course we didn’t. As a result, our walk back was in the pitch black. Fortunately, the manager was waiting for us upon our return to guide us to our rooms, and they supplied us with candles, along with the candles and flashlight we had from the previous night!
We were at the airport by 4:15 a.m. as the airline required. Of course, there was not a single airline employee in the entire airport so we couldn’t even check in. Instead we sat around for more than an hour more until a few employees finally showed up.
The flight itself was a bit of a milk run. We stopped in Bahir Dar, Gondar, and Axum before finally arriving in Lalibela at about noon. The airport in Lalibela is about a half hour away from the town so we were met by a guide from the Tukul Village Hotel where we had reservations.
Lalibels is a remote town located high up in the mountains. It is very isolated and it almost feels like a person is going back in time. The people still live in small, thatched huts and plow with oxen. All of the women wear traditional clothes rather than anything Western and there is an almost complete absence of cars other than the hotel vans transporting tourists.
Our hotel is one of the best in town. It is made up of tukuls that look like sturdy, circular huts with thatched roofs. The inside was very impressive. Spacious with beautiful bathrooms, very clean and amazing private balconies. Richard and I got one tukul and the three kids were in the neighbouring one. We were sitting out on our balcony overlooking the valley and several of the ancient churches for which Lalibela is so famous, when one of the kids asked what the date was. Suddenly Richard and I looked at each other and realized at the same moment that this was actually our anniversary. Twenty years! Pretty funny!
The hotel arranged a guide for us and we spent the afternoon touring the first six of the ancient rock-hewn churches. They are close to 1000 years old and are chiselled out of the ground so that the roof is parallel to the surface of the ground and the rest of the structure is below the ground. Amazing! Some of the churches are monolithic, meaning that all four walls are separate from the surrounding rock, while others are attached to the surrounding rock at one end. There was lots of climbing and taking our shoes on and off since no one is allowed to wear shoes in the churches. An added bonus was that as we entered the first church, we were able to witness a service. It was like we had gone back a millennium in time.
Just our luck that our hotel was having a power off day so once more we were in the dark once the sun set. We walked to a neighbouring hotel down a side road that had a restaurant. Karen had suggested that we bring a flashlight for the walk back, but of course we didn’t. As a result, our walk back was in the pitch black. Fortunately, the manager was waiting for us upon our return to guide us to our rooms, and they supplied us with candles, along with the candles and flashlight we had from the previous night!
May 26, 2009 -- posted by Karen
We left for Addis this afternoon on the College Service bus. We were planning to stay at a Catholic Guest House for the night in order to be at the airport by 4 am the next morning. The College President, Negash, who lives in Addis, had picked up the key to the guest house for us since we would arrive after the guesthouse office closed. The bus dropped us off at his house and then he took us in his old, beater car to the guest house. The car stalled several times on the way there and there were several delays so that only arrived at the guest house about 7 pm, just as the sun was setting.
Upon arriving at the guest house, we quickly realized that this was a “no power” evening for the section of the city where the guest house was located. We had neither candles nor a flashlight so we had to go out and buy some. By the time we got back, it was entirely dark and so we were stumbling through a labyrinth of hallways and courtyards searching out our rooms. It was kind of creepy since there really didn’t seem to be anyone else in the entire complex.
After finding our rooms, we embarked on a trek down the dark streets of Addis looking for a place to grab a bite to eat. We finally found a hotel that had a generator and ended up having our dinner there. We returned to our dark rooms and tried to get ready for bed by the light of a single flickering candle. While doing this, we discovered that there was no hot water except for brown sludge coming out of the taps, and that the toilet was basically not working. Just past 10 p.m., the lights came back on, just in time for us to go to sleep.
By midnight, Richard and I were wide awake again since our room was infested by mosquitoes. Richard attempted to hunt them down. Every time he thought he was victorious and would crawl back into bed, several more would appear, buzzing by our ears, to take the place of their fallen companions. We were up for the next several hours and were relieved when we could finally get out of bed at 3:30 am. We probably slept a total of two hours that entire night.
Upon arriving at the guest house, we quickly realized that this was a “no power” evening for the section of the city where the guest house was located. We had neither candles nor a flashlight so we had to go out and buy some. By the time we got back, it was entirely dark and so we were stumbling through a labyrinth of hallways and courtyards searching out our rooms. It was kind of creepy since there really didn’t seem to be anyone else in the entire complex.
After finding our rooms, we embarked on a trek down the dark streets of Addis looking for a place to grab a bite to eat. We finally found a hotel that had a generator and ended up having our dinner there. We returned to our dark rooms and tried to get ready for bed by the light of a single flickering candle. While doing this, we discovered that there was no hot water except for brown sludge coming out of the taps, and that the toilet was basically not working. Just past 10 p.m., the lights came back on, just in time for us to go to sleep.
By midnight, Richard and I were wide awake again since our room was infested by mosquitoes. Richard attempted to hunt them down. Every time he thought he was victorious and would crawl back into bed, several more would appear, buzzing by our ears, to take the place of their fallen companions. We were up for the next several hours and were relieved when we could finally get out of bed at 3:30 am. We probably slept a total of two hours that entire night.
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