I just wanted to share that there is more to the complex reality of life in Rwanda than the difficult events of the past.
We are often woken up in the morning by the singing of the nuns at the convent- beautiful voices, but not always the most welcome at 6:30 in the morning! Oh well.
This past weekend has been very relaxing, and we had some good group bonding time. On Friday afternoon we had a T-shirt competition. Most of our group went to Kimironko Market to dig through the piles of American thrift store rejects- finding some pretty hilarious T-shirts. Mindie won and was awarded a jar of nutella which she graciously shared with the rest of us girls.
We played some group games in the evening, and then the girls had a sleepover in the Jackson’s living room- thanks Dwight and Brenda for putting up with our crazy ideas!
Saturday afternoon we went to a World Cup Qualifier football (soccer) game of Rwanda vs. Algeria. We went super early to get good seats, and then had to face a sudden hailstorm, huddled under an umbrella. It was quite hilarious, really! The game itself wasn’t the most incredible one that I’ve seen, but it was still a great experience. The sun came out after the rain and hail subsided, and caused us to squint hard in order to keep up with the action.
This morning I attended St. Stevens Anglican church, and once again enjoyed the service. It is wonderful to join a community of believers half way around the world.
I ought to do some more reading for classes, so I best be going now.
It is hard to believe that I have just slightly over a month left here in East Africa. There is a lot that has to happen yet, and I know that it will go so fast…
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Reflections…
We sat on the bus in silence today, pondering what we had just seen. As I had climbed the steep stairway of the mass grave, I was overwhelmed and deeply moved by the raw facts of death. In the dusty, dank chamber femurs and other human bones were stacked on top of each other like so many cords of firewood. Row after row of skulls, some with gaping holes due to the forceful blows of the murderers, lined the walls. This atrocity occurred only 15 years ago, on April 14, 1994. It is estimated that 10,000 people were killed here, when they had fled for protection inside the Roman Catholic Church. I feel strange discussing this in such a public place, but the caretaker of the genocide memorial in Nyamata encouraged us to tell people what happened here.
Why did this happen? It is difficult to boil something this horrific down into a simple statement. I found a concise explanation in the book, “Promises Not Kept: Poverty and the Betrayal of Third World Development” by John Isbister.
“The tragedy in tiny Rwanda was staggering. Rwanda is a former Belgian colony populated by two ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. The Belgians did nothing to reconcile the two groups. They initially favored the Tutsis, then switched their allegiance to the more numerous Hutus before independence. A civil war between 1959 and 1963 led to the massacre of one hundred thousand Tutsis, the forced exile of two hundred thousand Tutsis to Uganda, and the establishment of a Hutu-dominated state. Tutsi resistance, under a military organization called the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), continued from that time until 1994. By early 1994, negotiations seemed to have produced a tentative agreement under which the two groups would share power and the Tutsis living outside the country would be allowed to return.”
“In the spring of 1994, however, following the death of president Habyarimana in an airplane crash, extremist Hutus led their people in an orgy of violence against both Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The exact number of dead will never be known, but the estimates range from five hundred thousand to 1 million, mostly Tutsis, who were slaughtered over a ten-week period by their previous friends and neighbors. It was not a military operation but a frenzy of civilian violence, fueled by the Hutu-controlled radio, which urged more killing” (130).
We have been studying the Rwandan Genocide in our Issues of Peacebuilding Course. There is so much more than these two short paragraphs can hope to convey. At times I am overcome by incredible feelings of sorrow and grief at the fallen state of humankind. But there is reason for hope. Peace and reconciliation clubs are formed in schools, and people are encouraged to talk about their experiences in order to facilitate healing. I’m sure that I will continue to learn more about how the government and the people are seeking to restore their country.
The Rwandans are such beautiful people, and there are only a few outward signs of the recent tragedy that they experienced. There are bullet holes in the parliament building, and signs on the street saying something about Genocide. They are written in Kinyarwanda, but I believe that most of them are genocide-prevention study centers. These issues are not something you can talk openly about with people in the streets, but it is amazing how much you can sense that their lives have been formed by these events.
I feel powerless to help. But I am forced to recognize the depravity of my own heart, and I want to love those around me more fully. God, help us all as we learn to treat those around us with dignity and respect.
Why did this happen? It is difficult to boil something this horrific down into a simple statement. I found a concise explanation in the book, “Promises Not Kept: Poverty and the Betrayal of Third World Development” by John Isbister.
“The tragedy in tiny Rwanda was staggering. Rwanda is a former Belgian colony populated by two ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. The Belgians did nothing to reconcile the two groups. They initially favored the Tutsis, then switched their allegiance to the more numerous Hutus before independence. A civil war between 1959 and 1963 led to the massacre of one hundred thousand Tutsis, the forced exile of two hundred thousand Tutsis to Uganda, and the establishment of a Hutu-dominated state. Tutsi resistance, under a military organization called the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), continued from that time until 1994. By early 1994, negotiations seemed to have produced a tentative agreement under which the two groups would share power and the Tutsis living outside the country would be allowed to return.”
“In the spring of 1994, however, following the death of president Habyarimana in an airplane crash, extremist Hutus led their people in an orgy of violence against both Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The exact number of dead will never be known, but the estimates range from five hundred thousand to 1 million, mostly Tutsis, who were slaughtered over a ten-week period by their previous friends and neighbors. It was not a military operation but a frenzy of civilian violence, fueled by the Hutu-controlled radio, which urged more killing” (130).
We have been studying the Rwandan Genocide in our Issues of Peacebuilding Course. There is so much more than these two short paragraphs can hope to convey. At times I am overcome by incredible feelings of sorrow and grief at the fallen state of humankind. But there is reason for hope. Peace and reconciliation clubs are formed in schools, and people are encouraged to talk about their experiences in order to facilitate healing. I’m sure that I will continue to learn more about how the government and the people are seeking to restore their country.
The Rwandans are such beautiful people, and there are only a few outward signs of the recent tragedy that they experienced. There are bullet holes in the parliament building, and signs on the street saying something about Genocide. They are written in Kinyarwanda, but I believe that most of them are genocide-prevention study centers. These issues are not something you can talk openly about with people in the streets, but it is amazing how much you can sense that their lives have been formed by these events.
I feel powerless to help. But I am forced to recognize the depravity of my own heart, and I want to love those around me more fully. God, help us all as we learn to treat those around us with dignity and respect.
Friday, March 20, 2009
New Culture #3
Now I am writing from the Switzerland of Africa: Rwanda. It is such a beautiful country, with green rolling hills and it really does remind me of Switzerland. It’s too bad that they don’t produce chocolate here! Oh well!
I arrived here last Saturday, after an 11 hour bus ride. We are staying at Centre Cristus, a Catholic retreat center. We took a few days to become accustomed to Kigali and rest before a couple day trip. We went to Nyungwe Rainforest and enjoyed a 6 hour hike up and down mountains. It was so gorgeous, and a great way to stretch my legs out after a tempo run the other day with some of the guys (without a warm-up!). I was very impressed by the whole eco-tourism establishment, and enjoyed seeing Rwenzori turacoes. My experienced was definitely enhanced by the excitement of Erik and Molly Lindquist. Erik is a biology professor at Messiah who is helping to set up a GoEd program in the Andes. They were here for the week to see how the program is run here in East Africa. It was great to have a little connection to home, and I received a very sweet care package from my darling roommate Sarah (Thanks for that, Sarah- but there’s more to the story, which you will find out about in a few days…)
Then we stayed overnight in Butare, a fantastic little college town. We had two good games of Settlers of Catan, but sadly I did not win either time! Oh well. It was fun nevertheless.
I am enjoying the semester so much. It is hard to believe that it is going by so fast. Pray that I can constantly be present here, and engage in the culture. I am looking forward to continuing to attend the Anglican Church that I went to last week. I long for some consistency in my church experience! Classes start for real this Monday.
I tried to upload some photos, but it was taking too long- sorry about that!
I arrived here last Saturday, after an 11 hour bus ride. We are staying at Centre Cristus, a Catholic retreat center. We took a few days to become accustomed to Kigali and rest before a couple day trip. We went to Nyungwe Rainforest and enjoyed a 6 hour hike up and down mountains. It was so gorgeous, and a great way to stretch my legs out after a tempo run the other day with some of the guys (without a warm-up!). I was very impressed by the whole eco-tourism establishment, and enjoyed seeing Rwenzori turacoes. My experienced was definitely enhanced by the excitement of Erik and Molly Lindquist. Erik is a biology professor at Messiah who is helping to set up a GoEd program in the Andes. They were here for the week to see how the program is run here in East Africa. It was great to have a little connection to home, and I received a very sweet care package from my darling roommate Sarah (Thanks for that, Sarah- but there’s more to the story, which you will find out about in a few days…)
Then we stayed overnight in Butare, a fantastic little college town. We had two good games of Settlers of Catan, but sadly I did not win either time! Oh well. It was fun nevertheless.
I am enjoying the semester so much. It is hard to believe that it is going by so fast. Pray that I can constantly be present here, and engage in the culture. I am looking forward to continuing to attend the Anglican Church that I went to last week. I long for some consistency in my church experience! Classes start for real this Monday.
I tried to upload some photos, but it was taking too long- sorry about that!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Ethiopia in Review
So it has been two weeks since I last posted, and I am currently in an Ethiopian Airlines 757 traveling from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Entebbe, Uganda. This must be the most comfortable flight of my life: I have three seats all to myself. I curled up for awhile in an attempt to sleep, but then we were served lunch and I decided that I’d like to type up this blog so that I can hopefully post it when I get back to the guesthouse. I had a rather short night last night, probably because of the massive amounts of caffeine that I ingested yesterday as well as anticipation over returning to Kampala today. So, Ethiopians love coffee. And although I had only had one or two cups in my life before 3 weeks ago, I drank between 1-3 cups every day. I mean, you have to engage the culture, right? So here’s the story from yesterday: We went out for breakfast and I had a macchiato (one part coffee, five parts milk), then at lunch I had milk with coffee (steaming hot with a spoonful of sugar, this is probably a 9:1 milk to coffee ratio). During the afternoon the 4 of us girls walked around Addis for awhile and stopped at…. a coffee shop where I had another macchiato. When we got back to the Norwegian Missionary guesthouse where we were staying, we sat outside awhile chatting, and became slightly chilled. So Suzy made some VERY strong black tea, and I drank that to warm myself up. An hour or so later Tesfa (our driver) and Aweke came to pick us up for a cultural evening. This consisted of one last delicious meal of njera with various vegetables and shiro, excellent Ethiopian dancing, and of course: a coffee ceremony, where I ingested my last cup of the day.
But life here isn’t all about the coffee. After my last post, Tessa, Eli, and I spent one more week in Sasiga. We continued to develop relationships with the staff, and came to greatly appreciate their love for the communities and their commitment to Christ. Tessa and I spent a good “girls night” with Banchayo, Chuche, Tigist, and Zabiba when they braided our hair. We looked truly “abesha” (Ethiopian) with our new style. Okay, well, Tessa looked a little more authentic than I did, but the maintenance free style was a plus either way. On Saturday we met up with Suzy and Kristen and went past Bareeda to a gorgeous waterfall. We got to ride with Adani, their driver, which was the ride of a lifetime. He was pushing 100 km/hr (60 mph) on dirt roads that are slightly more dilapidated than the farm lane at my house that goes from the chickenhouse to Rt. 283. And he keeps the windows shut so as not to let dust in the car- I was thankful that I was able to keep my lunch down because of the lack of ventilation!
Sunday we attended a church service, which was conducted in Afan Oroomo. Beautiful singing, bright purple and green choir robes, adorable children who were crowded next to us on the backless wooden benches. The weekend was pretty quiet around our compound because several of the staff were in Nekempt for business. Monday morning we walked to Madajala with Dawit, and informally talked to a few farmers on the way. During the afternoon our sheep “Dinner” met his fate at the hands of Eli and a knife. In the evening we celebrated Eli’s birthday with a bonfire, devotions, singing, a meal, and of course: coffee. But this wasn’t just any coffee, it was “forenge” coffee because it was “prepared” by Tessa and I. In reality, we only stirred the beans a bit as they were roasting, ground the beans, and poured as we were instructed by Zabiba. She is the one who provided all of the expertise.
Much to our dismay, “Dinner Number 2” showed up at the compound on Tuesday. Thankfully we didn’t have to eat him as well, but he did occupy the extra shower stall at night so Tessa and I were serenaded with the sweet smell of manure and the bleating of a tired animal as we tried to clean ourselves. We did a few more community visits and education talks on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a staff debriefing and goodbye on Wednesday night. It was sad to leave these people with whom we have spent two wonderful weeks.
Thursday morning Aweke came with Kristen and Suzy, and we left Sasiga bright and early for an all day journey to Ambo, punctuated by stops for tomatoes, berries, roasted corn, charcoal, macchiatos, etc. We stayed overnight in a fantastic hotel, and were able to scrub more of the dirt off of our bodies. I discovered that I actually DO have a tan from my chacos sandals: it wasn’t just dirt caked around the straps. Friday we drove, on much smoother roads thankfully, to Zeway. We stopped briefly at the FH office there, then checked into our hotel. That hotel wasn’t quite as nice as the previous one, and we only had water sporadically. But we managed to stay half clean. We had an orientation on Saturday and visited a market. We attended church on Sunday, and relaxed for a good part of the day. Monday we made some home visits, which were quite incredible. All of the children that we visited are in FH’s CDP- Child Development Program. I was saddened by some of the living situations, but encouraged by others. We visited a child-headed household (a boy of around 13 who lives by himself), a Muslim family, an ill grandmother who cares for her young granddaughter, and two single mother households. One of the fathers died from tuberculosis, and another died in a drunken brawl. One home was perhaps 7 by 7 feet- barely large enough to hold the bed and pile of dishes necessary for the family of three children and a mother. The doorway was only 4 feet tall as well, so we had to duck to make it inside. We were quite a sight, all 8 or so of us crammed into the tiny hut.
Tuesday morning we drove to Addis, where we spent time meeting staff at the head office. Since then we have gone shopping, continued enjoying coffee, and just hanging out and debriefing at the guesthouse.
Practicum has been an incredible experience, and it is hard to believe that Part 2 of the GoEd experience has come to a close. I have learned so much and I am still processing it. I’m not looking forward to writing my practicum paper, but I know that it will be helpful to me to think through things.
Oh my, this plane is nearly ready to land, so I must bring this update to a close. I ask that you continue to pray for an open mind and sensitive heart, that I can be compassionate and loving to all around me. I especially ask for prayer for direction in my life. God has been teaching me a lot of new things, and I want to learn so much more.
But life here isn’t all about the coffee. After my last post, Tessa, Eli, and I spent one more week in Sasiga. We continued to develop relationships with the staff, and came to greatly appreciate their love for the communities and their commitment to Christ. Tessa and I spent a good “girls night” with Banchayo, Chuche, Tigist, and Zabiba when they braided our hair. We looked truly “abesha” (Ethiopian) with our new style. Okay, well, Tessa looked a little more authentic than I did, but the maintenance free style was a plus either way. On Saturday we met up with Suzy and Kristen and went past Bareeda to a gorgeous waterfall. We got to ride with Adani, their driver, which was the ride of a lifetime. He was pushing 100 km/hr (60 mph) on dirt roads that are slightly more dilapidated than the farm lane at my house that goes from the chickenhouse to Rt. 283. And he keeps the windows shut so as not to let dust in the car- I was thankful that I was able to keep my lunch down because of the lack of ventilation!
Sunday we attended a church service, which was conducted in Afan Oroomo. Beautiful singing, bright purple and green choir robes, adorable children who were crowded next to us on the backless wooden benches. The weekend was pretty quiet around our compound because several of the staff were in Nekempt for business. Monday morning we walked to Madajala with Dawit, and informally talked to a few farmers on the way. During the afternoon our sheep “Dinner” met his fate at the hands of Eli and a knife. In the evening we celebrated Eli’s birthday with a bonfire, devotions, singing, a meal, and of course: coffee. But this wasn’t just any coffee, it was “forenge” coffee because it was “prepared” by Tessa and I. In reality, we only stirred the beans a bit as they were roasting, ground the beans, and poured as we were instructed by Zabiba. She is the one who provided all of the expertise.
Much to our dismay, “Dinner Number 2” showed up at the compound on Tuesday. Thankfully we didn’t have to eat him as well, but he did occupy the extra shower stall at night so Tessa and I were serenaded with the sweet smell of manure and the bleating of a tired animal as we tried to clean ourselves. We did a few more community visits and education talks on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a staff debriefing and goodbye on Wednesday night. It was sad to leave these people with whom we have spent two wonderful weeks.
Thursday morning Aweke came with Kristen and Suzy, and we left Sasiga bright and early for an all day journey to Ambo, punctuated by stops for tomatoes, berries, roasted corn, charcoal, macchiatos, etc. We stayed overnight in a fantastic hotel, and were able to scrub more of the dirt off of our bodies. I discovered that I actually DO have a tan from my chacos sandals: it wasn’t just dirt caked around the straps. Friday we drove, on much smoother roads thankfully, to Zeway. We stopped briefly at the FH office there, then checked into our hotel. That hotel wasn’t quite as nice as the previous one, and we only had water sporadically. But we managed to stay half clean. We had an orientation on Saturday and visited a market. We attended church on Sunday, and relaxed for a good part of the day. Monday we made some home visits, which were quite incredible. All of the children that we visited are in FH’s CDP- Child Development Program. I was saddened by some of the living situations, but encouraged by others. We visited a child-headed household (a boy of around 13 who lives by himself), a Muslim family, an ill grandmother who cares for her young granddaughter, and two single mother households. One of the fathers died from tuberculosis, and another died in a drunken brawl. One home was perhaps 7 by 7 feet- barely large enough to hold the bed and pile of dishes necessary for the family of three children and a mother. The doorway was only 4 feet tall as well, so we had to duck to make it inside. We were quite a sight, all 8 or so of us crammed into the tiny hut.
Tuesday morning we drove to Addis, where we spent time meeting staff at the head office. Since then we have gone shopping, continued enjoying coffee, and just hanging out and debriefing at the guesthouse.
Practicum has been an incredible experience, and it is hard to believe that Part 2 of the GoEd experience has come to a close. I have learned so much and I am still processing it. I’m not looking forward to writing my practicum paper, but I know that it will be helpful to me to think through things.
Oh my, this plane is nearly ready to land, so I must bring this update to a close. I ask that you continue to pray for an open mind and sensitive heart, that I can be compassionate and loving to all around me. I especially ask for prayer for direction in my life. God has been teaching me a lot of new things, and I want to learn so much more.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
19/6/2001
Yes, it is the nineteenth day of the sixth month in the year 2001 according to the Ethiopian calendar. I am officially living in the past.
I have spent slightly over a week in Ethiopia, and I am in love. I have transitioned from being a “muzungu” (foreigner in Uganda) to a “forenge” (foreigner in Ethiopia). I was one in a group of twenty, now I am one in a group of three. I was living in a bustling metropolis, now I am living in a compound that is surrounded by villages of mud huts. I was using matatu (public taxis) to get around, now I ride in a peptobismol pink Land Cruiser (the color is by request of the Japanese donor: he wanted it to stand out). I was eating rolex (chipati and egg on the street) and Americanized food cooked by Grace, now I eat spaghetti for breakfast and ngera with sauce for the other two meals, cooked by Banchayo. I used to wake up at 7:30 to eat breakfast and get to class on time. Now I wake up at 6:45, wash my face, and enjoy devotions with the rest of the Sasiga FHI staff for an hour. Breakfast follows at 8:30. I used to sleep on the top bunk, now I sleep on a mattress on the floor. I used to get dirty, now I get covered in red dirt. I used to utilize a larger variety in my wardrobe, now I wish I only had 4 shirts and 2 skirts here with me. I used to write in large font in my journal, now I am writing as small as I can because I have nearly filled it and there is no chance of buying a new one for at least a week.
Oh friends, I wish that you could be here beside me for a moment to experience what I am experiencing. Like Grace Kibuye told us, “Ethiopia is practicum all on its own”. From the moment we got off the plane on Monday, February 16, we knew that. The security guards tried to confiscate Eli’s video camera because it was “professional”. After some convincing, they let him keep it. Aweke Solomon met us at the airport and took us to a fantastic little lodge for the night. Hot showers were a plus!!!
On Tuesday we embarked on what turned out to be an 11 hour trek west from Addis Ababa. We learned one thing about Aweke: He loves coffee. And after spending more time with him here at Sasiga, we learned that he likes mangoes as well. Even though they’re still slightly green because the season is not yet upon us. On Wednesday we took Suzy and Kristen to Belo, where there is an FH compound about 25 kilometers away. We forged through a few large creeks on the way there. We haven’t seen them since, but are hoping to give them a phone call tonight.
Eli, Tessa and I have traveled together for a majority of the past week, visiting farms, water points, and giving health presentations. It has been frustrating to have such a great language barrier, but thankfully we have several good translators. I have given 2 short biology presentations to grade 8 students, an education and adolescence talk to a group of approximately 100 middle school girls, explained the US education system to teachers, instructed a group of community women in nutrition, and made various other “speeches” at goodbye parties and other community functions.
In the past week I have: attended an informal wedding, gone to market, milked a cow, attempted to spin cotton on a drop spindle (which I literally DROPPED on the ground- I felt so sorry that I soiled the dear grandmother’s pristinely white thread), conducted innumerable interviews, learned a few Amharic and Oromo words, read a Karen Kingsbury novel, as well as “Mountains beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder (an incredibly inspiring true story about a doctor who commits everything he has to serving the poor), finished “Mere Christianity”, walked 30 minutes to a farm only to sprain my ankle and ride back to the compound on a dirtbike driven by Desta, eaten countless mangoes and slices of papaya, started to crave ngera, attended a large Christian conference where I was prophesied over, talked for hours with Tessa and Eli, as well as Dawide (the ag officer), Matthews ( the amazing Project Manager), and Mazgebo (the social worker), climbed a small rocky mountain, sucked honey from the comb, conducted several home visits of children who are sponsored through FH, and countless other activities.
Everyday experiences include: enjoying coffee every day after lunch (we wait while the ceremony is performed- consisting of roasting the beans, then grinding them and brewing the thick black drink), gulping burning hot tea at public gatherings so that the cup can be washed and used by someone else, fording streams to get anywhere, walking with the company of twenty to fifty children, blowing my nose and ending up with a tissue full of black dirt, watching clumps of people walk with umbrellas, parking the car under a mango tree, observing children as young as 5 years old herding goats, hearing the rhythmic thumping of donkeys trotting by with a wooden carrier on their back full of water jugs, washing my clothes on a concrete slab, watching out for “friends”- the large black spiders that freak Tessa out, sleeping under my “princess tent” style mosquito net, showering with toads and grasshoppers, and so many other little things that I have forgotten to mention.
Sorry to have so many lists of activities with little explanation, but I have limited time on the computer and I don’t want to bore you with too many details.
I love you all and I am having the experience of a lifetime. Pray that I can continue to connect with the local community despite our language barrier. The pink car got in a little accident today, so we will be confined more closely to this village of Angar Central- perhaps this is for the best. May God continue to work in all of us to mold us more closely to His heart as we learn to love the people whom he has placed beside us.
I have spent slightly over a week in Ethiopia, and I am in love. I have transitioned from being a “muzungu” (foreigner in Uganda) to a “forenge” (foreigner in Ethiopia). I was one in a group of twenty, now I am one in a group of three. I was living in a bustling metropolis, now I am living in a compound that is surrounded by villages of mud huts. I was using matatu (public taxis) to get around, now I ride in a peptobismol pink Land Cruiser (the color is by request of the Japanese donor: he wanted it to stand out). I was eating rolex (chipati and egg on the street) and Americanized food cooked by Grace, now I eat spaghetti for breakfast and ngera with sauce for the other two meals, cooked by Banchayo. I used to wake up at 7:30 to eat breakfast and get to class on time. Now I wake up at 6:45, wash my face, and enjoy devotions with the rest of the Sasiga FHI staff for an hour. Breakfast follows at 8:30. I used to sleep on the top bunk, now I sleep on a mattress on the floor. I used to get dirty, now I get covered in red dirt. I used to utilize a larger variety in my wardrobe, now I wish I only had 4 shirts and 2 skirts here with me. I used to write in large font in my journal, now I am writing as small as I can because I have nearly filled it and there is no chance of buying a new one for at least a week.
Oh friends, I wish that you could be here beside me for a moment to experience what I am experiencing. Like Grace Kibuye told us, “Ethiopia is practicum all on its own”. From the moment we got off the plane on Monday, February 16, we knew that. The security guards tried to confiscate Eli’s video camera because it was “professional”. After some convincing, they let him keep it. Aweke Solomon met us at the airport and took us to a fantastic little lodge for the night. Hot showers were a plus!!!
On Tuesday we embarked on what turned out to be an 11 hour trek west from Addis Ababa. We learned one thing about Aweke: He loves coffee. And after spending more time with him here at Sasiga, we learned that he likes mangoes as well. Even though they’re still slightly green because the season is not yet upon us. On Wednesday we took Suzy and Kristen to Belo, where there is an FH compound about 25 kilometers away. We forged through a few large creeks on the way there. We haven’t seen them since, but are hoping to give them a phone call tonight.
Eli, Tessa and I have traveled together for a majority of the past week, visiting farms, water points, and giving health presentations. It has been frustrating to have such a great language barrier, but thankfully we have several good translators. I have given 2 short biology presentations to grade 8 students, an education and adolescence talk to a group of approximately 100 middle school girls, explained the US education system to teachers, instructed a group of community women in nutrition, and made various other “speeches” at goodbye parties and other community functions.
In the past week I have: attended an informal wedding, gone to market, milked a cow, attempted to spin cotton on a drop spindle (which I literally DROPPED on the ground- I felt so sorry that I soiled the dear grandmother’s pristinely white thread), conducted innumerable interviews, learned a few Amharic and Oromo words, read a Karen Kingsbury novel, as well as “Mountains beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder (an incredibly inspiring true story about a doctor who commits everything he has to serving the poor), finished “Mere Christianity”, walked 30 minutes to a farm only to sprain my ankle and ride back to the compound on a dirtbike driven by Desta, eaten countless mangoes and slices of papaya, started to crave ngera, attended a large Christian conference where I was prophesied over, talked for hours with Tessa and Eli, as well as Dawide (the ag officer), Matthews ( the amazing Project Manager), and Mazgebo (the social worker), climbed a small rocky mountain, sucked honey from the comb, conducted several home visits of children who are sponsored through FH, and countless other activities.
Everyday experiences include: enjoying coffee every day after lunch (we wait while the ceremony is performed- consisting of roasting the beans, then grinding them and brewing the thick black drink), gulping burning hot tea at public gatherings so that the cup can be washed and used by someone else, fording streams to get anywhere, walking with the company of twenty to fifty children, blowing my nose and ending up with a tissue full of black dirt, watching clumps of people walk with umbrellas, parking the car under a mango tree, observing children as young as 5 years old herding goats, hearing the rhythmic thumping of donkeys trotting by with a wooden carrier on their back full of water jugs, washing my clothes on a concrete slab, watching out for “friends”- the large black spiders that freak Tessa out, sleeping under my “princess tent” style mosquito net, showering with toads and grasshoppers, and so many other little things that I have forgotten to mention.
Sorry to have so many lists of activities with little explanation, but I have limited time on the computer and I don’t want to bore you with too many details.
I love you all and I am having the experience of a lifetime. Pray that I can continue to connect with the local community despite our language barrier. The pink car got in a little accident today, so we will be confined more closely to this village of Angar Central- perhaps this is for the best. May God continue to work in all of us to mold us more closely to His heart as we learn to love the people whom he has placed beside us.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Reflection on Stage 1 of the journey
It is so hard to believe that I have spent slightly over four weeks here in this beautiful city and am ready to move on to stage 2 of the GoEd experience: Practicum. I will be going to Ethiopia with Kristen, Tessa, Suzy, and Eli. As of now, I still don’t know what city or village I will be in. But I look forward to experiencing a totally new culture and group of people.
The past few days have been harder for me emotionally, as I have been away from home for over a month and am missing my dear family and friends.
How strange it is to be away from all that is comfortable, yet surrounded by people who genuinely care about me. I want to be there, I want to be here. I want to run around the kitchen and cook with my mommy, yet I delight in teaching new recipes to Grace, who cooks for us here in Uganda. I love the sights and sounds and smells and tastes of Kampala, yet at times I am overwhelmed by the crowded streets and the passersby calling out "Muzungu"- the Lugandan word for foreigner. I crave silence, I crave company. I have so many emotions, yet I am numb.
I enjoy the novels we are reading for African literature, but despise answering the questions, and reading the never-ending list of articles. I was surprised when the overpowering odor of gasoline filled our classroom on Monday morning and we had to evacuate the building, continuing our class on a concrete slab and then in our bus. Dr. Mpagi has no idea how many notes were passed during that class period . Our afternoon literature class was held here at the guest house, and I watched out the window in awe as a beautiful thunderstorm filled the western sky.
My feet are constantly encrusted with dirt from wearing sandals all the time, and scrubbing them in the shower doesn't seem to do much good. My hair loves the warm and humid weather and the curls bounce happily as I go through the day. My shoulders are peeling for the first time that I remember. I am energized by the runs I enjoy with Suzy and Jenny, but sore from our ab workouts. We haven't played football (soccer) or Ultimate Frisbee for a few days, and I miss playing. I will greatly miss the large group when we are split up for practicum.
I am excited to move to Ethiopia next week, but also scared because it will be a change. This guesthouse has become a home. The living room is covered in papers and books and computers, the bedrooms piled with the stuff of living. The jars of peanut butter and Nutella disappear at an extraordinary rate as we feed our cravings for comfort food. We each have our own little idiosyncrasies and we have been learning attitudes of humility, service, and love.
Our Monday evening worship services continue to be times of encouragement and honesty as we sing choruses, pray and reflect on our lives together. We have some amazing talent in our group and our singing is breathtakingly beautiful at times.
This past weekend a few girls and I went to a campground for a weekend retreat. We stayed in a darling little banda (cabin) and hiked around on various trails, observing the monkeys and other unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells of the Mabira Forest.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the slums with Kristen, Ryan, and Jenny. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but I definitely wasn’t expecting what I saw. When we arrived, our friend Jess was treating a boy who had been burnt this past weekend. He was very drunk and fell into a pot of scalding oil. We watched the young boys getting high on random substances that they sniff. What touched me the most is WHY these children are living in the slums. Many of them have run away from their families because of abuse or simply being fed up with being required to do housework. This lack of familial love seems to me to be the definition of true poverty.
May I never take for granted the wealth of relationships. Thanks to all of you who love me and pray for me!
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