Party time

Here we are all together


With Ledet, Tasfaye and Abraham at the back

Just to finish off my last week in Ethiopia if I can.

On the last Sunday everyone went off to church except 3 of the girls who were at home apparently not well but still doing some household chores - dealing with some vegetables that had been delivered by someone. After church time I had said that I would visit the boys and Ermi's house so off we went. Ermi's house was first and Koni and Ermi went off to a quick meeting while I stayed with the boys - we looked at photos again and just talked and kept telling each other how much we would all miss each other. No English lesson but I wrote some things they wanted - words to a couple of Gospel songs in English, a couple of sayings about courage, love, compassion. We also had a great lunch during which the boys celebrated with a big sort of thank you party for Ermi, Koni and Simon, with cake and candles and balloons. Some of the boys from previous "batches" came as well so it was like a reunion and a party. They sort of see Ermi and Koni as mother and father figures, Simon is the other guy who lives in the house and helps with teaching and running the house.

Koni headed off home, saying she had another meeting and left me there for Ermi to take over later and then on the the other boys' house. It was getting later and Ermi had me doing a couple of things on the computer, printing some files and things. The boys took off for another "lesson" and then Ermi and I headed for the other boys, via home to collect Koni.

It was getting pretty late by now, but it gets dark early in Addis and we often walked home in the dark. I could hear the girls getting stuff done and giggling away, deciding to play games with us by not letting us in. Finally however the door opened and I was greeted by EVERYONE all arranged in the courtyard with streamers, balloons, songs, Abraham was there with his daughter and US guests, Henok and Eden from the library, and the cooks from both houses and everyone shouting "surprise".

And was I surprised! I have to say that I had absolutely no idea whatsoever - I guess you can arrange a party like this when the guest of honour doesn't speak the language. Koni was telling me that when they were looking at photos and I thought they were all talking about the photos - no, talking about the party! And so on. And all the food that was delivered - not a week's supply but all magnificently prepared for one BIG night of celebration.

So there were speeches from lots of people, even I had to give one, and there were presents - the first one very early in the night from all the kids was a traditional Habesha dress and shawl into which I had to immediately change and enjoy the party - so that I was a proper Ethiopian mother. There were songs, and dancing (Koni says I have definitely been a very bad influence - there never used to be dancing - but everyone joined in even the shy kids, one of whom turned out to be a great dancer!) There was a campfire, and games and one where people picked by chance have to perform something, so there were jokes and little plays and all sorts of things and of course I was chosen by Sentayehu "by chance" and had to sing several songs including our national anthem (thank goodness I know the words!) . That was much better than the alternative, which they had decided was impersonating a kangaroo!!

And there was a present from the boys house and one special one from Tasfaye (a great pen with a globe on top to remind me of where they are all the time) The food was fabulous and I had to take first plate but I didn't get to eat anything of what was on my plate I was fed by everyone and in turn fed to others what I had. Abraham and his guests left fairly early but we partyed on until fairly late. I don't think I have ever in my life been so hugged, kissed and celebrated. I doubt there was a time the whole night where someone wasn't hugging me, holding my hand, sitting on my knee, having me sit on their knee. I kept moving all night trying to sit with and talk to everyone - we all danced together of course, Ermi kept everyone in stitches and it was just an amazing night that I will never ever forget. Henok took tons of photos and Navi also used the other camera so I have a good record of all the festivities and some great group photos.

So, the end was really drawing nigh! Only 3 days to go but still lots to do and goodbyes to say. I guess it will still take one more posting!

Gotta go, time is up on the terminal - still can't post photos sorry guys.

Some of you know that I have delayed my return by almost a week due to being ill - I will now be back on the 22nd. On another course of antibiotics and still not really eating (not that that will do me any harm) and really hoping that I will be completely fit by the time that travel time comes. Also dropped my mobile and had it run over, so communication is sparse again!

Will add more when I can

lots of love

Lyndall

Ethiopia again

The last full week in Addis seemed to really fly by but included quite a few important events. There was massive cleanup 2 days at the library and then a visit to the library by UNICEF; another visit to the streets even earlier in the morning; more sending of proposals to all sorts of places; a beautiful dinner with Terkle (one of the original founders of Youth Impact) at his home; a session with Ermi's boys and especially Yonas while he told me, for almost 2 hours, his story of how he came to be on the street and what street life was like for him; and on Saturday Yodi, Koni, Ermi and I went out of the city south again to visit Sodere, another hot springs pool that was very pleasant and relaxing. I took my laptop and did some work there and also had a swim and then promptly fell alseep for 2 hours!



I have written up Yonas's story and I'm waiting for it to be translated back to him and for him to give me permission to use it. Then it will be publication time. I cried almost the whole time he spoke, for once I did it quietly, tears just continuously pouring down my cheeks. I'm sure you'll understand when you read it. I became very attached to the older boys who had been so long on the street.



We did more visits to the Sheraton of course and got ready for my last few days in Addis, knowing that it was going to be hard to leave. I kept making lists of things that had to be done and then deciding what couldn't be fitted in. We decided that Friday would mark the last day of English and everyone began to get a little sad knowing that the end was coming.

I've got to go, I have visitors in the lobby and still have to have a shower.

More tomorrow

Love to all

Lyndall

Cataracts old and new

Mahmoud and me - he was a softly spoken, very charming young man who worked as a waiter. He looked after me exceptionally well, always had a smile and was a lot of fun as well. Also an excellent dancer! I am wearing one of the several galibaya I bought - very pretty, wonderfully comfortable.


Mohamed and me - Mohamed manages the restaurant and bar and is the Maitre D'. Very caring and solicitous, can do everything from fix an earring to produce a clear consomme at a moment's notice. Wow for Mohamed!

Well here I am in Aswan at a public terminal in the New Cataract, next to my hotel, the Old Cataract (as if you couldn't guess), a magnificent old hotel that has seen many VIP guests including King Faroud and Winston Churchill and is where Agatha's Christie' s Death on the Nile was filmed. I have completed my cruise down the Nile and have had extremely limited internet access and here of course I can't upload any photos again. Maybe my hotel in Cairo will have access in my room and I can do more.

I have a great deal more to say about Ethiopia but I will tell you a bit about Egypt for now.

First of all Egyptian men are SO smooth and romantic and I'm sure have all read Omar Khyam. Why is it that all the men who adore me are so far away from home? I have paid for photographs with kisses and photographs of myself (and he was about 25!), been given free food, free drinks, asked to dance, asked to dinner, given out my email and phone number innumerable times and have quite lost my heart. It often goes like this:

Question 1: Where is your husband?

Q2: What, you have no husband?

Q3: Where is your friend?

Q4: What, you have no friend?

Q 5: You have no love?

Q6: Why not?


Statement 1: My queen, I will be your love

Statement 2: My darling, you will be my Australian love


Q 7: How long are you staying in Egypt?

Q8: When are you coming back to Egypt?

Q9: May I have your phone number, email, etc. etc.


Now that is all wonderful from some, not so wonderful from others. However, I really have found Egyptian people warm and generous and friendly and I have felt extremely comfortable and very safe here. Last night at 11.00 pm I got in a taxi and went to an Arab coffee shop (of which I only had the name and address written down in Arabic) and met some of the crew from the boat for coffee (completely male crew by the way and everyone one of them fabulous) and took a cab back to the hotel by myself again (with strict instructions from Mohamed to the driver) without feeling in any way that there was a possible problem. The crew kept assuring me that I was absolutely safe in Egypt, and I believe them.

The cruise was excellent and I can't speak highly enough of the guide and crew who were all fabulous. I actually got quite sick (gastro with a high fever) - there was a doctor among the Australians (she kept asking me was I sure that I'd had my typhoid shots and telling me that they weren't 100% effective) who helped keep an eye on me and I needed the antibiotics I'd brought from home. The crew were so kind and caring, they cleaned up after me, got me any sort of liquid or food that I needed (once I began to recover a little) and really were genuinely concerned and helpful. I am still on a diet of dry toast and honey, and mint tea but today I do feel much better (and did have a coffee when I went back to the boat to say goodbye - no ill effects so far). But it meant that I missed two days of touring and my flight to Abu Simbel and the big Egyptian galibiya party and the farewell party and the felucca ride and yesterday when I got to my hotel I slept 6 hours. Today I have only been out and got the photos of all the great crew printed and delivered to them to say thanks and then back to the hotel. So I have not seen anything of Aswan and I leave in the morning. Tarek (the Aswan guide) is coming to take me to dinner tonight I think but I suspect that I will have another sleep this afternoon although I refuse to miss high tea on the terrace overlooking the Nile...

So for me it's a huge thanks to Mohamed, Mohamed Bedwy, Mahmoud, Ali, Ahmed, Genewy, Hassan Amen, Hassan the waiter, Hassan (security), Hassan the guide, Mohamed at Reception, Atif and John, the housekeeping staff and all the restaurant and bar staff. And the chefs who just made anything they were asked - such as clear soup etc. when the dinner was a candlelit French extravaganza, vegetarian food anytime, fruit anytime etc. And also the Manager, Gamel, very kind and professional.

And also thanks to my fellow Aussie travellers Judy and Ben and Marek, Cheryl and Peter and Eva and Ivor for being so kind.

As to Egypt - what I've seen has been amazing and I need to come back and finish what I've started. To see all the places I've studied and read about and seen so many pictures of was quite awesome. My favourite isn't the pyramids, but (of what I've seen) it's the Temple at Karnak which still awes me every time I think about it. The pyramids were a magnificent feat of engineering, as I discussed with Hassan, but Karnak has engineering and art and a spiritual dimension, and I found it quite moving to stand among the huge columns in the hipostyle hall and see the beautiful carvings and hieroglyphs and imagine life there all those thousands of years ago. Even though there were plenty of people there it was so peaceful if you got off to the side, I just sat and looked for ages. I have some decent photos. And Luxor temple was also lovely, and the Valley of the Kings - the paintings in the tombs are still so vibrant, and Queen Hapshetsut's temple is on such a grand scale and looks so modern from the front and Edfu is also so HUGE and well preserved (built in Greco-Roman time however, so later).

And the Nile itself? Clean and calm and beautiful and so fertile either side with the desert in the background as a complete contrast. Three hundred boats on the Nile travelling between Luxor and Aswan - we queued for quite a while to get through the lock while we were beseiged by small boasts with hawkers selling galibaya, towels, cloth of all sort - they were incredibly accurate at throwing stuff up to the top deck - I only saw one thing go into the pool! We actually went through at 5.30 in the morning and seeing the sunrise was spectactular.

All in all I recommend Egypt to anyone. Even though I'm near the end of the trip I'll try and keep posting until I've told it all. I'll also try and go back and fill in Cairo and Alexandria as well as Ethiopia....

Gotta go, my time is up and there's a queue. Back home on Friday to Melbourne, can't believe it's nearly all over, it hasn't been nearly long enough.

love to everyone

Lyndall

Ethiopia - going to church on Sunday

The baby next to us in church

One of my best experiences in Addis was going to church. I only went on one Sunday, I mostly used Sundays to work while the girls weren't around. But I knew that I needed to go at least once just for the experience if nothing else.

It was 3 hours of music, prayer, rousing sermon, dancing, clapping, more ululating and a full house of excited and joyful people.

Because Koni leads a youth group and is well known to the pastor first of all I got introduced to him in his study beside the church. Church started with praying while he shouted us a macchiato (and Sentayehu and Aman, who had come with us had a Coke and a coffee too) and we talked about Australia, the States (where he lived for quite a while) and made other general conversation. He was called in and out a bit, but he was a really nice man (with a great smile, another gorgeous Ethiopian man) - his name is pronounced E-yoop, but I'm not sure how you spell it. So when the music started it was time for us to go in. There were empty seats at the front where we sat, only to be told that they were reserved for the people being baptised that day - over 80 of them. Still they just moved us forward even further and put seats in behind us.

The choir was singing when we arrived, and dancing and jumping and swaying were all included. This went on for over 30 minutes, only 2 songs, and the lead singer, a young guy called Asmama had an excellent voice. Then there were the usual things, prayers, offerings, the kids came in and went out, communion, a sermon, very rousing even if I couldn't understand a word the pastor had given me the gist before the service, more singing and then the baptisms. Singing and dancing all the time the people were being baptised. We left before they were all finished. All in all I don't mind dancing in church, especially when it's all as joyful as this service.

Aman told me he really liked it but Senti looked subdued, he found it very different to his own church and he also told me he "didn't like long". The noise level pretty much the whole time was amazing, people coming and going at will, amens and shouting and clapping at any given moment.... Once again, I knew I was a long way from home!

Can't get blogger to upload any images again tonight - hopefully I'll have Internet access again down the Nile, Alexandria today was wonderful. I have a 4.00 am start so I'm going to pack and go to bed.

Love to all

Lyndall

Ethiopia - the rest of week 3

The lobby of the Sheraton - well a little bit of it. There's some sort of irony in the fact that as you drive down the hill to the Sheraton you pass many homeless boys asleep in the sun on the hill

The rest of the week seems to have sped by very quickly – was a bit unwell in the stomach on Tuesday and so just worked at home and slept for 4 hours in the afternoon and felt quite OK again the next day – I suspect that something didn’t quite agree with me. I drink bottled water but everything is washed in luke warm or cold water and I do eat raw foods too. (This was one of only 2 problems in all of my time in Addis, the other time I suspect it was because I didn't take my malaria tablet with food - I was extremely healthy my whole time there)

On Thursday morning we had an appointment at the Italian Embassy with the Program Director of the Italian Development Corporation trying to get some money to support the library. We were there 2 hours with a lovely lady called Maria Rosario who couldn’t give us any money but who did give us some other contact details of an Italian NGO who may be able to assist. However Maria herself was absolutely lovely (badly wants to visit Australia) and she gave us both huge hugs after 2 hours (not quite what I expected), gave me a beautiful book filled with photos of Ethiopian children and is coming to visit the library on Friday afternoon. (As it turned out she got the time mixed up and didn't come, but has another appointment now that I've left Addis). She thinks that maybe there might be other possibilities for partnership with them. (We did go and visit Gabriella there and no, no money or partnership - they are working only in the Mercato - if Koni wants to replicate the model in the Mercato I think they would be extremely interested). So it was OK. UNICEF is on Monday. (UNICEF couldn't give any money either, however they did visit the library and were very impressed and have some thoughts about other ways to help)

Have made a steady stream of visits to the Sheraton to get money out of the ATM (and always to use the loo there – VERY noice as K & K might say). I can only access money on my Visa card (thank goodness I got one before I came) and it will only allow me to take 4000 birr a day – that’s about $550). Although it's cheap enough I see so many needs here and I keep spending. I decided that my gift for each house when I leave would be a working computer so that is 9000 birr. And I got a DVD for Ermi’s boys as they had a video player but no videos anywhere of course. I bought new T-shirts for the boys and shawls for the girls and shirts for Ermi’s boys and usually when I go visit the house I take fresh bread, or maybe cake, or snack food. The software and DVDs that I sent from Oz have come and the boys in Ermi’s house have been very impressed with the one about Australia. I have just given out the soccer ones – huge elation again – soccer is just SO big here. Any bare patch of ground is used to play a game. I saw one that they were sharing with the cattle and donkeys; it didn’t seem to hold up play much.

A number of the boys are runners and will have a fairly big race in a few weeks – as far as I can ascertain it’s 10 kilometres. My beautiful Senti is one of the runners – at 14 – he tells me he’s not as fast as the others as they are older (mostly 17). Masfen didn’t even know how far it was, only how long it took. They are all so thin and muscled – they look like long distance runners – and have the skinniest legs! And the whitest teeth! The girls don’t seem to do much sport but I think that a few of the girls are also running, but no-one seems to know much or to be able to tell me much. And they must only train at school.

At the big open area in the middle of Addis there’s a grassed terraced area where people sit to watch celebrations and in the mornings both soccer players (of all ages) and runners train. They seem to run along one terrace and then double back along the next etc. They tell me some of the runners are some of Ethiopia’s national runners. Anyway, when we went past later there were goats and donkeys grazing – it must surely be one of the only countries in the world where national athletes train on donkey grazing land. I want more photos of that too.

Koni tells me that even though Addis is at 8000 ft above sea level the top athletes still go to the mountains to train before big events. Haile Gabri Selassie is a HUGE hero here, there's buildings and roads named after him and everyone knows who he is.

Over the week I have seen:
- A woman lying on the roadside either asleep or unconscious with a small child sitting beside her being ignored by everyone
- Old men saying their prayers beside the road
- Horses so skinny you’d think they could hardly walk pulling carts with 3 or 4 people in them
- More rubbish in the streets even than Addis
- Some exquisite children in Awasa (one little boy gave me several hugs)
- Lots of beggars in the country towns, maybe even more than in Addis
- Kids who would run along beside the bus for ages waving and shouting hello
- Some lovely landscape with mountains and rivers, lots of flat-topped acacias
- A man asleep on top of a large load of potatoes as it sped towards Addis
- A load of prisoners in the back of an open ute with 3 heavily armed guards sitting with them driving through the middle of Addis
- A beautiful baby girl only 2 days old (born in hospital but sent home later that day)
- And lots, lots more, every time we go out I see something that I can barely believe.

I will really hate saying goodbye to the kids – Senti and Ledet especially. I wish I could take them home with me.

Anyway, lots of love for now

Lyndall

Ethiopia - The big bus trip

Everyone is on board and we're on our way


Week 3 in Ethiopia begins

Well I’ve once again seen and done a great deal in my week in Addis. I guess first of all my weekend was actually spent out of Addis and it was quite a wonderful experience. I saw all sorts of amazing things both good and bad, but most of all I saw 28 excited children and another 9 excited adults all having a fabulous time doing things for the first time – over and over.

We set out early in the morning before daylight – that was interesting in itself, getting everyone organized. There was a businessman who supports the centres sometimes who lent us a bus he has, and the driver, so that wasn’t a cost and we could all go in the one vehicle. Getting the bus up to the house through the very narrow, rocky streets took a while. We loaded 12 girls, 3 women and Ermi and Henok (who had driven here by car), a very large cassette and CD player, a huge amount of food, some of it in traditional hide containers (sort of conical) and other stuff that I had bought including a lot of fruit (40 oranges, 40 apples, 10 pineapples, watermelons, 40 bananas, 12 loaves of bread etc., bread and honey for breakfast on the road and juice and snacks). And, of course, about 8 mattresses up the back. The bus had bench seats, two people on one side of the aisle and 3 on the other.

So in the dark we make our way back through the narrow, rough and rocky streets and round through more of the same to the boys’ house. There we loaded 16 boys, 2 more male adults, more mattresses, more food and then a bed on top of the bus! So this was going away for a weekend Ethiopian style. We were minus the live chooks and goats that I saw on some other vehicles, although I felt their lack marked us out.

We drove south out of Addis for about 4 -5 hours (I don’t wear a watch here so I don’t really know) through traditional villages and farm fields – very small areas of cultivation of wheat, corn, tef (what they make injera out of – we don’t have it), round mud houses of one room with thatched roofs, thorn enclosures for cattle and goats. And the pedestrians – they were everywhere all along the highway, as well as small carts drawn by either donkeys or ponies (some of them very thin) that act as taxis and trucks. I thought we’d completely lost the gearbox at one stage but we did make it eventually to Lake Langano.

As soon as we pulled up everyone was out of the bus and down to the water – a very muddy brown, obviously full of silt, and quite warm on top and cold underneath. None of the kids could swim very much at all so I gave untold swimming lessons (frog kicking didn’t cut it) and some of them got the idea, others were not so keen to keep trying, and no one could get the idea of floating or of blowing the air out in the water. Some did quite well under water. I really had to watch them as they would get out of their depth quite quickly if not constantly warned. I did have to go out after one girl – Hosanna – who was actually screaming without anyone taking any noticed at all. Often Ethiopians don’t seem to take a lot of notice – of other people talking, of pedestrians etc. etc.

I was amazed at how cold they all got and at how quickly they got cold. It seemed like just a few minutes in not really very cold water (seeing as how I could get straight in). So out they would all pile into the sand (grey, coarse, volcanic looking) and bury themselves and then once warm, back into the water. I think I satyed in trhough about 3 in and out trips. Volleyball was also the order of the day and a kick of the soccer ball.

We stayed there and had a lunch that we’d brought as a picnic – the traditional injera and chicken sauce (packed in the big containers) for everyone except me for whom some rice was bought. Some of us then went to the bar and had coffee – and then come mid afternoon we all piled back in the bus and headed for Awasa – another hour and more south. This was where we were staying the night – the kids all sleeping in a church and me in a hotel. We went to the church (a small 3 or 4 roomed mud building) and unloaded all the mattresses etc. and then down to the lake and I shouted all the kids a boat ride. None of them had ever been in a boat before so for 10 birr each (about a dollar thirty) we all took a boat ride in the sunset.

Back in the bus and off to a local restaurant for dinner for everyone. It started to rain so no campfire, for which I was almost grateful – everyone was tired and the night seemed quite late enough. They took me to my hotel which was miles away from where they were staying and down a very rugged dirt track, past the armed guard (with the SLR) and through an avenue of trees (everyone worried about the bed on top) and into my room. What can I say – very bare, two beds (with mossie nets thank goodness) and a small bedside table and then the bathroom – one of those “toe-curling” ones, so I was into bed as fast as I could. Actually, although the bed sagged in the middle it was very comfortable and I slept incredibly soundly.

Up early and the hot water lasted long enough for me to shower, I was a bit concerned about there being any – bare wiring to the small hot water service perched on the wall, no shower curtains of any sort so a flooded bathroom. Off through the fairly nice gardens past the dark green swimming pool to the restaurant for breakfast. The hotel is right on the lake so the view was good. Monkeys everywhere but not too cheeky. Lots of birds. The manager arrived and introduced himself so I found out that the hotel has just been bought by Sheik Mohammed Al-Mahoud, the extremely rich man who has built the Sheraton in Addis – he’s famous here, I guess he’s the richest bloke in town, has lots of developments going on, the government recently gave him the award of the Developer of the Millenium. So the manager told me about all the plans to build right out over the lake and to completely refurbish everything – I guess if I go back in a couple of years it will be a completely different place.

The bus came and collected me (after having delivered the bed) and we headed for Wendo Genet – over quite a lot of dirt road, up over a mountain and down again. This is a hot springs and the swimming pools are hot and there’s a shower area with the water pouring out of plain pipes. So you take a shower and then into the pools – it got too hot for me fairly quickly but the kids were in there for hours. The toilets were my worst experience yet in Ethiopia – squats with the most unbelievable smell – unisex dressing rooms were also an interesting experience.

We were there quite a while until we had lunch at a nearby hotel (monkey in the dining room and all), took lots of photos and then we headed home, arriving home quite late with everyone pretty weary, although with the extraordinarily loud singing, screaming, ululating and clapping a lot of the way home, there wasn’t much sleeping happening.

Blogger doesn't want to upload any more photos tonight - I keep getting an error message. I'll try to add more tomorrow night.

Lots of love for now

Lyndall

Taking to the streets - and more

Addis begins to wake up

But some still sleep anywhere they can find a place - what is there to wake up to?

More on week 2 -

A female street cleaner on the left tries to sweep up some of the rubbish - so much plastic!

Yesterday morning we went out early to see the streets before the homeless all got up. It was so sad, afterwards I cried lots (and Ermi and I had a cry together). The numbers were incredible – on footpaths, in the road, on the dividers, in shop doorways – literally thousands of them wrapped in blankets and plastic. I didn’t really get any good photos, Ermi didn’t want to stop and let me out, but I need to get some just to show people what this level of poverty is really like. I got some from the car but they are not really clear of course. And the rubbish, in huge piles, goats eating it, people sifting through it. Mothers with children, old men, people with all sorts of disabilities, young men and boys (Koni says that children as young as 3 live on the streets and are abused in all sorts of ways, made to steal, beaten etc. etc.)

We approach the bus station - this is for buses that take people out of Addis. A policeman is in the pale fawn trousers and dark jacket

We went past a bus station, huge queues of people waiting to get on buses and in the cabs, and TOTAL traffic chaos which took us a while to get through. And everywhere piles of chud (at least I think that’s how it’s spelled, that’s how it’s pronounced) which is chewed green and I think must be a bit like chewing a coca leaf – a mild stimulant. Some of the homeless just sit for hours chewing. Ermi just said to me as we were driving away – “This is my country”. He looked so sad. (And I’m crying again just writing this down). And yet, the kids that they take off the street are such high achievers, many of the kids do amazingly well academically.

Around 3 million people in Ethiopia are currently infected with HIV/AIDS. The rate of infection is increasing rapidly, and in Addis Ababa, one in six adults are already infected. Street children are particularly vulnerable to infection due to their low state of health and their susceptibility to becoming involved with sex work to survive. Children living and working on the street are at great risk of abuse and exploitation, and their susceptibility is worsened by a general lack of awareness regarding HIV/AIDS prevention in the community at large. I asked Koni if any of the girls or boys is infected but she said no-one has been tested. I’m not sure why – maybe they don’t want anyone to be treated any differently. I saw a guy on the street yesterday wearing a shirt that just said HIV NEGATIVE. And obviously proud of it.

I’ve also met Abraham, the older man of the Impact organisation who lived in Canada for lots of years and has come back to live in Ethiopia to try and make a difference. He’s a gray-haired, gorgeous (and married) man. And I went to the mentor’s house (where they train young men and women so that they can mentor others – subjects like integrity, work ethic, self-esteem etc. ) and met more lovely people (and got prayed over again – it seems I am a blessing and need to be cared for). One has a little child and one has a baby due yesterday so I will get to take some photos of beautiful babies soon. One of the mentor trainees had some seizures on Monday and Tuesday. Everyone (including me) has chipped in for a CT scan for him – difficult to get and expensive in Ethiopia. I think he had it yesterday – hopefully it’s something like epilepsy that can be managed and not something more serious. (It turned out that nothing at all showed up on the CT scan so what happened remains a mystery but he seems to be OK)

Tasfaye's baby girl named for Ruth (in the Bible)

Sentayehu

Ledet, Kidist and one of the Mahluts now call me their mother, as do Sentayehu, Nati, Engadu and Masfen at the boys’ house. Mahlut tells me I am really mother to all the girls and boys. All of the boys are SO loving (girls too). Sometimes you can stand in a hug for several minutes as they just don’t want to let you go. So it takes a long time to arrive and leave any of the houses – you have to factor in hug time coming and going. Sentayhu was the first boy to adopt me, he’s beautiful (maybe 14?) and Ledet has been my baby since I arrived (11 I think). The family is growing guys! I will find it difficult to leave them behind.

Tomorrow all the younger boys and girls and a handful of adults and me all get on a bus for a weekend out of Addis. The excitement level continues to rise and this house has started cooking for the picnic. Some sort of onion sauce I think. We’re taking breakfast and lunch, we’ll eat out for dinner. Koni and I ate out for dinner the other night – it cost A$8 for the two of us in the restaurant (food and drink). Coffee at Kaldi’s is around 75 cents a cup. Some things are very cheap - some things (like a new card reader when mine died), are expensive.

Will add more on the third week shortly

lots of love

Lyndall

Ethiopia - Going out with "the boys"

Ermi's "boys" - from l to r: Salelewe, Ferke, me, Ermi (behind), Yonas, Koni, Zelalam and Terfe (now no longer with the boys, he says that there is something in him that will always make him a street boy and he left the house not long after this) - Dagam is missing from the photo - I don't know how, he's in just about every other one...

Taking up the story...

This morning is Friday here and it’s a school holiday as it’s one of the Muslim holy days. At the moment I am still in bed listening to the girls at prayers and once again I know I’m not anywhere near home. Prayer is sometimes silent, sometimes spoken aloud, and sometimes sung (in Amharic with an Arabic, Indian sound to it). As in many other parts of Africa it seems that everyone has a voice worth recording – all the girls together sound quite beautiful. The only music they listen to is gospel music unless on one of the two TV stations there is traditional song and dance – and that seems to be about 95% of the time.

The girls seem to be having different “devotions” this morning with lots more prayers. Every Wednesday and Friday is fasting until lunch and praying day for the adults of the organisation. On Wednesday they did that here while I worked on the computer. First of all a discussion about problems and issues with all the children and Bible readings – then praying for around an hour I thought it seemed, again with some spoken and singing too, but just this low rising and falling chant.

Ethiopian dancing has to be seen to be appreciated – it’s the most incredible shoulder movements – up and down and in and out – when I watch some of it it seems to me to be a miracle that shoulder dislocations aren’t the order of the day. I got to experience being in the middle of it last Sunday night. I took Koni and Ermi and Ermi’s “boys” out to dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant – usually only for locals so once again we were the centre of attention.

The "boys" l to r: Yonas and Terfe in front, at the back Ferke, Salelewe, Ermi, Dagum, Zelalam and Sisye (one of an earlier group who lives at the house)

Ermi’s “boys” are not really boys. There are 6 of them, aged from 18-30 (estimated, lots of people don’t know their birthdays or ages here) and they are all young men who have, until a month ago, been homeless – in the terminology here – “street boys”. One of them has lived on the streets for as long as 13 years. So they don’t have education. I bought them all new shirts and Koni and I were escorted out by all the men and once again I’m treated as someone really loved and special. I took my point and shoot and we took a huge amount of photos. They were so excited they could hardly contain themselves and Ermi, Koni and I had our photos taken with all of them and they had all sorts of combinations taken too, as well as group photos.

Zelalam watching as the waitress pours traditional coffee

Ethiopian food doesn’t have a huge variety of dishes, at least that I’ve seen. Injera, made from a grain called tef (which has been fermented in some way), is served with every meal. It is made like a very large thin pancake and is quite flexible. It is rolled into a roll for serving, but then unrolled and used as the “plate” (sitting on a real plate, either dinner plate sized if you are eating singly, or when eating together as a huge plate in the middle, maybe more than half a metre across). All the sauces are spooned onto it, or bowls of meat placed next to it (on little coal burners). To eat you break off a piece of injera with your right hand, roll up some sauce and into the mouth. People feed each other, at least you feed people you really like or care about. You should take it without getting their fingers. (and no-one ever refuses to take it). So Dagam, who was sitting next to me, rolled up some sauce and I took it – meat of course to the great consternation off others. Everyone was yelling at the poor guy so I had to work hard to make them understand it was all right. Injera is a grey colour and sort of sour. I can eat some of it but not a lot.

Anyway, the only food for me at the whole restaurant was “cheese with butter” and one injera sauce. It’s also made from tef, so it’s like eating injera with injera. However, the cheese with butter was much better than I anticipated, it was like a cottage cheese and had some herbs in it as well. One of the adults, Simon, ate raw meat – that’s what the rich eat – slice off a piece and roll it in injera and go for it. I couldn’t even look. Coffee after the meal, in small cups without handles, so strong you could stand a spoon in it and no sugar for me – it had vanished by the time I got my coffee. Still, it’s all part of the experience!

Afterwards, Ermi grabbed me by the hand and said “Lyndah (what I’m called here) – come, dance” and we promptly gate-crashed a wedding. So we were in the middle of all the dancing, singing, ululating guests and I had to dance! I was introduced to someone (I think the father of the bride or groom) and had to dance with him. Along with gospel music only, there’s no dancing encouraged (although the girls do dance to the gospel music and practice the traditional stuff) so Ermi dancing too was considered a great joke by Koni and all the boys. He’s told the boys it’s OK if you’re dancing with a ferangi, otherwise – not allowed! Some of the guests were incredible with the shoulder stuff – I figure you must have to do it practically from birth to be able to manage it!

Some of the guests really knew how to shake their shoulders!

Ermi and I join the dancing with the man in the suit (I think he might have been the father of the bride or something, anyway I had to dance with him)

This week it’s been more English (back to basics of writing and pronunciation), storytelling at the library, writing funding proposal letters and finding agencies to send them to (have an appointment with UNICEF next week) and finalizing the budget for the library.

Next - going out with Ermi to the streets

Lots of love Lyndall

Addis - Week one, Part two

Ababa (meaning "elder") - the guard at the house. Ababa has no family at all and can't read and write. His room fits his bed and little else - literally - he has to sit on the bed to close the door. I wonder what he thinks all day as he sits and stares or holds his head in his hands. He has a "nothinhg" life. I bring him some books from the library and on the first day we spend about an hour going through a National Geographic, looking at the pictures and neither of us speaking the language of the other. But he makes me understand that he knows what the pictures are of, and when he doesn't I manage to make him understand what they are of or I get one of the girls or Koni to translate. He begins to join us for the evening meal and in no time Ababa and I are good friends - I get hugs and smiles and traditional handshakes. I see him writing on his hand and we provide him with some paper. He continues to write something, but as he insists he doesn't know how to read and write I'm not at all sure what it is he writes, but he seems to enjoy doing it. We change his books from the library often and it fills his days, looking at the pictures. Life seems a little better.


Part of the courtyard and the gate and yes, they are gum trees - they are everywhere in Addis. This is where the girls wash their hair and clothes and the only entrance to the property. Ababa's "room" is up the steps on the right.


Ledet and Salem (one of them) dancing in the lounge room

From l to r: Kidist, me, Ledet infront, Koni, Konjit in front

We walk to the boys’ home each day for English classes. It’s about 2 km I guess. And today we’ll walk to Ermi’s boy’s house (older street boys) which is a bit further. At first I used to get very breathless (Addis is about 8000 ft above sea level) but that is improving. The library is the other side of town so that will be by car. I am enjoying teaching English, it’s at a very basic level of course and often what I say has to be interpreted. Koni is usually the one as her English is best. Ermi says some small things. The girls and boys try hard. In high school all their classes are in English but it doesn’t seem to help hugely – I suspect they are better at written English than spoken. Ermi’s boys don’t have the education (often they left home and went onto the street at a young age) so we are beginning at the beginning with them. Yesterday we did the alphabet. All the children except 1 are orphans; some have a brother or sister, or maybe a grandmother. There are 4,000,000 orphans in Ethiopia, mostly orphaned by AIDS.

My room when it was still tidy and you could see the desk

The house is large and in pretty good condition. My room (which I think is usually Yodit's room) has a bathroom with hot water attached. The rats in the ceiling wake me up sometimes at night (and last night I think there was a person on the roof and Koni agrees), and the mice in my room aren’t touching anything much. I am being bitten on the face by something, today we are going to get some spray and give my room a spray to see if we can get rid of whatever it is.

The girls only have cold water. All washing is done by hand in the courtyard as is hair washing. The girls get up at 5.30 am and at 6.00 have devotions (this is a strongly Christian household and organization). They all have many tasks to do before leaving for school at around 7.45 am. When they get home from school there’s a strict regime of washing uniforms, helping prepare dinner (we have Ami, a cook, who doesn’t live in but prepares all the meals with help from the girls), homework, and now an English lesson for an hour as well). They also had 30 minutes reading before bed, but now I read aloud to them in English for that time and bed at 9.00 (or 3.00 here). Ethiopia is the only country in the world that still follows the Julian calendar and a different time system. I am now fine with the time and can talk in Ethiopian time. It is the year 2000 here and so the millennium is being widely celebrated – the actual date was September 11 – that’s the new year.

We’ve finished the business plan for the proposed business to support the library. Later today I will go over the proposal that next week I get to take to Unesco and others to support the library. I have met the wife of the parliamentary speaker and will meet with her again to talk about ideas for assistance to the aged. There is virtually nothing at all at the moment.

Saturday is cleaning day so all around me the girls are cleaning everything. The cupboard has been emptied; all the furniture taken outside and all is being washed and polished. This happens ever Saturday. Kind of puts us to shame.

As yet I have only taken photos with my point and shoot but will one day soon get the good cameras out and get down to some real photos. Ermi has promised to take me out one morning early while all the street children are still in bed and there’s little traffic. As he was once a street boy himself he feels very passionate about helping them however he can. I can take photos then he tells me, that most of them will be fine with that. I figure I can pay for the privilege if I have to. He tells me that as soon as he saw me at the airport he took me to his heart and I am a loved guest. He is very sweet – and an amazingly snappy dresser.

Ermi

Next weekend we are getting a bus and we are taking all the kids away for the weekend out of Addis. The level of excitement is intense – it should be a great weekend.

Anyway, must go – Ermi will be here soon and then it’s English 101 for an hour and an afternoon with the kids at the library. Henok and Eden who look after the library are also beautiful people (many of them are stunningly beautiful to look at) – Henok lives at the library as well – he’s so quiet and gorgeous – he works for no salary, only sometimes what Koni shares with him from what she receives.

This trip is making me so grateful for what we all have as well as making me really question what I do at home (which pretty much anyone could do) and yet any idea I have here is something that can make a real difference in people’s lives. I have found that is what they are most grateful for – just ideas.

More on Ethiopia shortly (remember I actually wrote this several weeks ago now, but the photos were taken at all different times).

Love to everyone

Lyndall

Ethiopia the almost indescribable, but completely captivating

Here I am out of Ethiopia, through Dubai and have just finished my first day in Egypt which has been amazing, but more on that later. As you may or may not know I couldn't access the blog from Ethiopia, maybe because communications are difficult or there may be some other reason, most of the time I only had dial-up connection.

Let me catch you up on Ethiopia. Here's some highlights from the first week.

The view from gate- the blue tin is the corner store

How can I describe Ethiopia – in some ways it’s indescribable. It’s certainly a developing country – some large buildings are popping up in the city, one of which is a relatively new Sheraton hotel. It’s one of only 10 places in town where I can access an ATM and then only on my credit card – not my bank account. To get in we had to go through a guarded gate, and my ferangi face allowed us to go through fairly quickly. It also allowed us to get into the post office with limited body frisking – that is, they patted down Konjit but not me, but I had to give my camera to a policeman to be collected when I came out. When I had to go back to the airport to collect my previously missing bag I had to show my passport to the federal police to be allowed in and Ermi had to show his identity card and even then we had trouble getting him in. There are police and guards everywhere. When we were at Kaldi’s coffee shop and I wanted to go to the loo, in a different part of the building, I was allowed through but not Koni. They tell me that to them, after the restrictions of the previous government, this is freedom.

So my ferangi face is a source of curiosity (I don’t see too many others althaough there are so many aid agencies here there are plenty of foreigners in town) and is a sort of passport for us to be allowed to do some things. However, when we went shopping at the Mercato (the biggest market in town in the poorest area) then of course it was a liability. Ermi bargained and paid for another jacket for me and a long-sleeved light jumper. It was quite cold when I first arrived and my one warm jacket was quickly filthy. I had to buy my clothes at a men’s shop – no Ethiopian woman is my size – they are a slender race, I reckon the average size here is 8-10. It had to seem as if he was legitimately buying so Koni and I wandered off. The cost for the two was around 220 birr. There are 9 birr to the US$.

We head into the Mercato

The Mercato was incredible as are many of the streets in Addis. Donkeys, herd of goats (or maybe a man carrying a goat over his shoulder), beggars, unbelievable mud when it rains, the deepest pot holes I’ve ever seen, homeless kids everywhere, people selling ANYTHING that they can to earn some money to eat. Traffic is basically keep to the right and obey the signals or police at bigger intersections, otherwise it’s pretty much do whatever you want and keep blowing your horn. Pedestrians all over the roads, there’s lots of walking done here which is maybe what helps keep them slim, and Lada taxis in the most decrepit condition but still lovingly polished and sometimes decorated. We’ve been in one twice (we’ve hired a car otherwise - $US15 per day, I figure that’s a bargain) – once my seat wasn’t attached to the floor and the seatbelt didn’t work and the other time my door didn’t work nor my seatbelt (we came within a mm of an accident on that drive - that one even made Konjit gasp). There are Toyota High Ace vans and utes with a built in back that pack people in for small amounts of money. I’ve noticed that the Hiaces often leave the door open with a man standing leaning out and touting for additional passengers. Not a job for the faint-hearted.

At least this one's playing it a little safe

And there’s smoke and noise – the music is something like Indian music and they play it loud! But at night it’s as quiet as you could imagine being in the country in Australia.

The 12 girls here, and Yodit and Konjit (Yodi and Koni) treat me like royalty. The girls actually argue to be allowed to fetch things for me and do my washing, and I have to be careful how I dole things out to prevent jealousy. They are incredibly loving and I am constantly hugged and kissed and told how much they love me. The 16 boys in the Love Centre are every bit as loving, although a couple of them are a bit shy. Some of them have totally captured my heart and I’d love to take them home.

What traffic? On the way to Ermi's house. Later in my stay a lot of this road went under construction - absolute chaos!

Found some traffic...

Everything you want to do takes a long time – for example the bookshop, and almost every other shop still handwrites an invoice for you – the roads are so rough and the traffic so heavy that it takes ages to get anywhere. I feel a bit of a burden whenever I want anything as it puts everyone “out” to do things (not that they feel this way), like the mobile phone. You can only buy a 100 birr card (maximum) and that doesn’t even cover the cost of a call to the kids. And then I have to get someone else to load the phone for me as it’s all in Amharic of course. I wish it just worked like it was supposed to!

Anyway - more on my first week a little later

Love to all

Lyndall