Traditional Food

I'm writing this from the Hilton. I've been battling some serious stomach issues. I'm officially scared to eat. I'm sure you are not interested in the details but suffice it to say that Immodium AD is my new best friend. :(

Last night I went out to dinner with our two new volunteers, Tim and Zahabu. Tim and his wife adopted 4 Ethiopian children after having 2 bio kids. Zahabu was adopted at age 11 along with her younger sister. We went to Habesha Restaurant on Bole Road, a place with traditional Ethiopian food and entertainment. We decided to take a mini bus which are a lot cheaper than regular taxis. They're small blue and white buses that seat about 10-12. They are hot and crowded and the b.o. is in full effect :) but they are cheap.

There are no specific bus stops, they just congregate in certain areas so you ask to find one that is going in your direction. We took one to Mexico Square and then got out to find another one going to Bole Road. Finding the second one proved more difficult as it was dusk and had begun to drizzle. We eventually found one which was actually very nice inside. We were happy to get out of the rain and were settling down in our seats when we decided to try to negotiate a price. Now for some perspective, the mini bus ride to Mexico Square (about the midway point) was about 6 birr for the three of us. Zahabu, fluent in Amharic, asked the price and he said it would be 100 birr! Tim immediately grabbed the door handle and we jumped out. He got down to 40 birr before all three of us were out, but it was still a crazy price. A few minutes later we found one. The price? 5 birr 20 for the three of us!

Habesha Restaurant was worth the hassle. It was tucked in behind a wall and down a tree lined path. We sat in the open air patio section which was beautifully decorated with assorted low wooden chair, some with colorful geometric patterned pillows and others with beautifully carved backs. There were large colorful baskets between the tables and artwork and fabric on the walls. Our table was just big enough for our large platter of food. We ordered doro wat (chicken -well one lonely chicken wing actually) in a spicy red sauce, gomon (spinach-but ours had lamb in it that I had to pick out as it was the only vegetable offered on a non-fasting day) and shiro wat (minced chickpeas in a sauce similar to the doro wat).
Before our food came the waitress brought over a small pewter picture filled with warm water and a bar of soap. We lathered our hands and she poured the water over them to clean them before our meal. Then she served one third of each dish onto a huge piece of injera and then gave each of us an additional roll of injera. Funny thing was she gave Z the dark kind and Tim and I (the Farenji) the lighter version. When we discovered this we requested the darker kind. It had a nuttier flavor and was more sour. I admit my American palate prefers the lighter version (and it took me a year to acquire a taste for that!) The food was very good and while we ate we could hear the live music playing in the interior part of the restaurant. When the lights went out it was so relaxing and romantic with the candlelight and the rain falling softly in the background. I will definitely go back next year even though this morning I had the most intense stomach cramping (etc) and pain. :( lol

A Typical Day

We wake up sometime after 7. There are four volunteers staying in the house: me, Alicia-a 22 yr.old college student from Oregon, and a couple from Arizona who have been dating for 8 years, Mike and Cheryl, both 28. Yeah, I'm the senior volunteer but I am sufficiently immature to blend in. LOL Just kidding, but we do all get along. We get dressed, grab bottles of water and sometimes make a sandwich before heading out. There is a lot of food in the house which is bought for us-- peanut butter, jelly, bread, cheese, vegetables, fruit (the best bananas you have ever had in your life!), pasta, soda, etc. There is a woman here who cooks us dinner and does our laundry so if I really wanted to budget (which I do, but I suck at it) we could manage to eat each meal with what they provide. Back to the bananas for a minute. They are firm when they are fully ripe. What I hate about the bananas at home is firm ones aren't ripe and ripe ones are too squishy. These are firm and ripe and not too banana-y.


Mmm. Perfect. LOL

Anyhoo~ we pack up our bags and take the walk to work. There are two hills which used to be killers. When I first got here the altitude was a serious adjustment and I was completely out of breath on the hills. We pass some very nice houses mostly hidden behind tall iron gates, lots of people on their way to work and school, several mothers with children on the side of the rode with their hands out - hoping the 'ferengi' (foreigners) will give them some loose change, two fruit stands with mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, etc. and always a man with his herd of goats. He carries a switch and uses it when he wants them to walk. I tried to take a picture of the scene today (we call it 'Goat Corner') but he yelled at me. :(

During the day we teach America class and Activities Class and run Video Class (if there's power~ today we did Billy Blank's DVD) and supervise chores at the end of the day, but the rest of the day is ours to either do as we please or to spend time in other classes (they go to school here) or to spend time with the babies and toddlers. I enjoy spending time with the older girls and the toddlers/babies. The boys spend a lot of time playing soccer. A LOT. They are good. But the girls will sit with me and ask me questions or (try to) teach me Amharic. I have learned a few words and phrases including thank you, coffee, tea, OK, enough, sorry, bye, bill, how much?... It's hard for me and so are the names! I have asked this sweet woman who works with the babies at least a dozen times to repeat her name to me and each time she says, "Laura, it's X" (of course I don't remember!). The other great part of the day is hanging out with the babies and toddlers. They are TOO CUTE!! Oh my goodness, they couldn't be any cuter! They love to be held and talked to and carried and played with.. and for me that never gets old. They don't wear diapers consistently and today I got peed on but she was a cutie, so I didn't mind! :)

After work we either walk home or get a ride from the volunteer coordinator and then head out to dinner. Tonight was the first night we ate at home in fact! We hung out in the living room and chatted about adoption and how several of us are interested in it and how we got led to it, and Ethiopia specifically. Very interesting and so cool to be around other like-minded people who are right here with me in Addis!

Well, it's almost 11pm and my day will start again very early. Tomorrow we have another very busy day. We hope to visit AHOPE, the orphanage for the kids who are HIV-positive.

Ciao!

Tea Time

In my details about the day, I forgot to mention tea time. Every day at 10:30 is snack time for the kids but for the adults it's tea time. We gather in the cafeteria and share loaves of French bread and hot, ginger tea. It is one of the few times when we all sit down--teachers, administrators and volunteers-American and Ethiopian- altogether at one table. We communicate as best we can...their English is obviously far better than our Amharic... and we laugh and joke. It's a nice and relaxing break to the middle of our busy mornings.

It's A lot

It's a lot to deal with...the crushing poverty, seeing people hungry in the streets, illness, lack of infrastructure, inaccessibility to clean water for all, more flies during a meal than I've dealt with in an entire summer, imagining the grief the children must be dealing with in a losing one or both parents or death or separation from siblings, unemployment, difficult weather conditions, dirt, dust, diesel fumes...







I've only been here one week and it's beginning to wear me down. I feel like running off to the Hilton to get a mani/pedi and relax by the pool but then I feel guilty for having that option. Guilt is a wasted emotion, I've been told, but it's hard not to feel guilt or at least confusion or at just be disturbed on some level at how inequitable the world is; how my life experience is so vastly different from others; how some people seem to suffer so much more than others. Why is this? And if the question can't be answered, which it can't, then how does one deal with this? How does one help? On one had the problems in the world are just too numerous and one can become paralyzed by it and choose to turn a blind eye to it. But if can't do that, where do you begin to help when you barely have enough to sustain yourself and your own family? I don't know, I have no answers but these are certainly questions that have been weighing heavily on my mind lately.




It's interesting that before I came here I felt so overwhelmed about so many things and now after only one week I know I can go back and deal with those issues a lot better. My problems pale in comparison. When you see people living here on so little, you realize how much you really can go without. I can change some things in my lifestyle when I return to the States and that extra savings can then be allotted for other things. I'd like to organize a group when I return, of like-minded folks, who want to do something for the people of Ethiopia. I am not sure what this is exactly or in what area I want to concentrate my efforts but I would like to remain connected in a way other than through adoption in a way that can benefit more than just my one child. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

Soccer/Bazaar/Dinner

Pretty good day today despite a rough night with my stomach issues. This morning Alicia (one of the volunteers) and I went to watch the kids play some neighborhood kids in soccer.

They won--no surprise there.. they play every day (and in flip flops or barefoot!)

After the game we went to a church bazaar. It's held one Saturday a month.

All of the booths are run by NGOs. We bought matching friendship bracelets which we promised each other we would keep on until we leave Africa.

So high school but so much fun!

We also bought some cool animals made out of twine.

I can't wait to put them in my daughter's room.

After a nap and some downtime at home we went to Garden Paradise for dinner. It's near our house and the food is good. It's owned by an American named Lance.

Here we are with Lance and one the waitresses.

A Day in Addis

This trip came together so quickly at the last minute and I am thrilled that I was able to pull it off!! As you know, I don't have a job (yet) so it really worked out. I am volunteering Monday-Friday in an orphanage in Addis. It houses about 150 kids from infants to teenagers. Here I am outside the gate of the orphanage compound and the AAI sign.


The volunteers run the activities classes, teach American class and substitute when teachers are absent. Here I am teaching English with Cheryl, another volunteer.

The older kids seem to have a fairly good grasp of the English language and they are so proud to tell you if they 'have a family' and tell you what state they are moving to show you the family album. I have met so many wonderful older children (over age 7) and it is really hard to not want to figure out a way to get them all their own families. I have met several who are just amazing--so sweet and loving!

I am staying in a volunteer house with some other volunteers. Here is a picture of the bed in my room and me hanging out at the house.


We walk to work (about 15-20 min) every morning, getting there around 9 and stay til between 4 and 6.

If we are not teaching we are supervising chores or sitting in on another class or playing with the toddlers or holding the babies. Gosh, they are all so cute! One of the cutest things to see if all the toddlers lined up in their high chairs eating their injera with sauce or seeing all the babies lying on the floor in the morning. The children must be used to a variety of volunteers because it only takes them a few hours to warm up to you. On my first morning after about 45 minutes, two of the toddlers ran over and jumped into my lap. Too adorable! I feel so lucky to have this time to spend working with these children and talking to them. I am so appreciative that I get to know their culture. And Addis will feel so much more familiar when I return next year to pick up my child.

Addis... at first you can't help but notice the dust and the chaos on the roads

and the children in tattered clothes begging on the streets... it's a lot at first. But I am growing to like it more and more. The funniest thing to me is people think I am Ethiopian! I have lost count of the number of times someone has called me 'Habesha' (Ethiopian) or spoken to me in Amharic. Many, many people have told me I look Ethiopian! I never got that in the States-never- but it's kind of cool to blend in somewhat.
I have done some social stuff... been to Kaldi's for coffee

(yummy and cheap!) and to Harlem Jazz to listen to live reggae music.

I have eaten out a lot-- mostly due to the fact that we often have issues with lack of power or water. Still haven't tried any authentic Ethiopian food so that is next on the list!

Hope to post again soon if the power cooperates :)
I can't read comments so sorry if I don't respond. Those of you who know me know I am going thru major blogging withdrawals!!! I am frustrated not being able to read the blogs!!! lol

Well, I am off to eat dinner with the other volunteers. :)
More later!

Halfway There

Well, more than halfway actually since I just got off a 13 hour flight! The next leg, which I do tonight, is only 4 hours. But where am I you may ask? Well, let me give you some clues. It's far --I'm sure you gathered that! It's HOT- probably 100 degrees. And the third clue is this morning I went on a tour of the Jumeirah Mosque given by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.

(Thanks for the suggestion Reisha, if you are reading!) Give up? DUBAI !!!! I know, I know! Crazy, isn't it? I have wanted to visit Dubai for several years so when I planned this other trip I figured I could do a layover here and lo and behold I was able to finagle it. I am here for ten hours (and two days on the way back) and let me tell you, it is so hot and so big and so clean and so modern and a very interesting cultural experience and I have only been here four hours!
As soon as I leave this internet cafe I am heading to The Mall of Emirates to do some window shopping. I hear gold is very cheap there. Thankfully I am more of a silver person because I don't need to be spending any money. But, I might go skiing! They have an indoor ski slope in the mall.

How often does one encounter that??? And then I need to head back to the airport for my flight to...
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Addis Ababa!!! Yup! I am heading to Ethiopia on a 6:00 flight tonight! I am so excited!! I don't know how much I will be able to blog from there. I hear they are experiencing power shortages and three days a week there isn't any power and then I compound the problem by not bringing a laptop (I don't own one unfortunately). Plus I may not be able to post to Blogger at all and even if I am able to I won't be able to post any photos unfortunately.. but there it is! Ethiopia! Since I am not able to do the adoption right now (no official job yet) I will volunteer for a month in my downtime. When I get back I should have a firm offer and then be able to adopt. So, since I am not currently in the adoption process I will have the joy of volunteering in an orphanage and get the opportunity to learn about the culture of my future child. I mean, how fortuitous is that? It's a blessing for sure. So, there it is and I can't wait:-) Meanwhile, I hear a call to prayer as I type so I'm heading out to experience more of the UAE.

Success!

Well, it works from my home computer.  (thanks to a friend on the yahoo group for the tip).  Now let's hope it works from abroad!  OK, it's 1 a.m. and I am not packed!  The Super Shuttle is arriving at 4 a.m.  Why am I such a procrastinator?!?  AAARRGGGHH!!!  Ok, good-bye! 

Testing

Will I be able to post from abroad? This is a test to see. I am emailing this to my blog per the instructions on the Blogger help page... let's hope it works!

Adventure Ahead

So, what does a single woman who won't start work for three months do with all that extra time? Well, there's a whole list of practical things I could do (meet with a financial planner, clean my house from top to bottom, actually write the book ideas that have been in my head for the past decade down on paper, work on adoption paperwork, etc.) but what if she's is still quite disappointed about not be able to go to Manila, has been dying to do some humanitarian work in Africa and loves to travel to new and exciting locations? Well she says to hell with the practical; this is the last uninterrupted block of time I will have for the next eighteen years awhile since my daughter is coming sometime in 2009. Actually, it isn't as impulsive as it seems. I have been researching volunteer vacations for the past 2-3 years but they all cost so much money! I just couldn't pay to travel abroad, pay for my room and board and be expected to pay thousands of dollars to volunteer, but that seemed to be the only way. I considered just traveling during this time, but I don't really have any interest in just being a tourist; I want to immerse myself in the culture, live amongst the people and I couldn't quite figure out how to do that. Until now. I have found the perfect opportunity and I leave tomorrow!

JOB!?

I went to the job fair this morning and I (sort of) got an offer. Basically they said that since I had worked in the county before they couldn't offer me a contract on the spot until they checked my old file -- to be sure I was an employee in good standing, etc, etc. But they did offer me a contract contingent upon everything checking out okay. YAY!!! I am so happy! Everything in my file is great so it's a go. All I need to get to them are a couple of more recent references, an official transcript from my graduate school and a copy of my teaching credential and I'll be all set to interview with principals. Now I just need to land the perfect school and grade level and I'll be all set!!

Still looking

Still looking for a job. I find what seem like great opportunities: schools with a mission statement I support, small class size, a strong academic curriculum, a variety of non-academic offerings, opportunities for professional development, a diverse student body, etc.. until I review the salary. Unfortunately I work in a country where teachers with experience and advance degrees aren't respected and sought after by public school districts, and independent schools often don't have the budget to pay us what we're worth. We all know that the salaries of teachers and administrators in the United States don't reflect the tremendous responsibility we have. And, yes, I knew this when I got into the field but that doesn't stop me from being frustrated about it now that I have the experience that would command a significantly higher salary in most other fields. And how crazy is this?! I applied to work in a district where I taught for two years but learned that they penalize you if you leave won't recognize more than nine years of teaching experience when they determine pay. So even though I have 15 years of experience, they will only pay me as if I have taught nine. Can you believe that? So basically, if I hadn't ever left, I could be making $18,000 more than they will give me if I get rehired. What kind of sense does that make?! So I continue the search. I had another interview yesterday and the salary would actually be quite good (for teaching) but it's an hour commute. I'm spoiled; I have never commuted more than 30 minutes to a job and have always said I never would do more that that. Quality of life is important and gas prices are astronomical. But I may have to suck it up if I get an offer. On Friday I will attend a job fair for the school district where I started my teaching career fifteen years ago. Their pay scale is about in the middle and the commute could be as short as 20 minutes so it may make the most sense in the end. All that extra commuting time will only mean even less time for my baby so I pretty much know what I will do. Now all I need is an offer!

Chaz's birthday

I went to Philly on Saturday to celebrate my cousin's 30th birthday party. His wife, Lia, organized this lovely service to celebrate his life and achievements where friends and family could gather to show their support and love. It was really beautiful. She had set it all up as a surprise and on Saturday morning at 10am we all gathered in their church where Lia planned a service which included family coming up and sharing some words of love for Chaz, sang songs, read scriptures, offered testimony... it was quite emotional. What stunned me was not that everyone has such love for Chaz but that folks came from around the country to celebrate and that he has done so much in his short years. He is really a special individual so deserving of all the praise. This is the only picture I took of Chaz the whole weekend (in the Howard sweatshirt), standing with my cousin Joe.

My other cousin Chucky flew in from LA on Thursday night and drove up with me on Saturday morning (after getting almost no sleep due to my wine and cheese the night before!) Here he is with one of Chaz's daughters, Rissa. Too cute!
One thing that I came away from the gathering with was how little I have accomplished in my life! I can't imagine being celebrated like that at age 30. Chaz is a chaplain and has worked with the homeless for ten years; he's married and a father of two... at thirty my accomplishments were, well let's say not particularly impressive. At least I still have the second half of my life to do some worthwhile things.. it's time to get cracking!

Wine and Cheese

Since I am staying in the area for at least the next two years (one to complete the adoption and another to fulfill the post placement visits) I have decided to settle in and make it a home. I have done some work on the house in the past year to make it livable. I added air conditioning to survive brutally humid DC summers, I had shutters installed for privacy and to help defray heating costs and I did a lot of painting to brighten the place up, but now I need to focus on making it warm and cozy. I want to make it a place where when I open the door I think to myself, 'Ahh.. I am finally home.' This requires some comfortable furniture where I can nestle in to read a good book, some artwork on the bare walls and displays of personal items (photographs, knick knacks from traveling, etc.) to make this house my home.

I also need to make myself more a member of the community. To begin with, I need to find a church home. There are several churches that I attend and each has a particular aspect that I like and which speaks to me spiritually, but if I become a member somewhere I can get more involved. I also want to get involved in my neighborhood civic association and become an active member of my sorority, AKA.

And now that there is only one year left to enjoy my life as a single woman, I want to take advantage of that and spend lots of time with friends and family. So this weekend I hosted a wine and cheese. It was so much fun! My cousin was in town from LA so that gave me another reason to entertain. I bought a variety of red and white wines and arranged them on the kitchen counter with some grapes and the wine glasses. Along with the wine I served veggies and dip, an assortment of crackers, mixed nuts, cookies, and an assortment of cheeses--mild baby Swiss, a garlicky soft cheese spread, Cabernet-soaked cheddar and two cheese dishes I made from scratch: baked brie with apricot and fig jam wrapped in a puff pastry shell and cheddar cheese balls with cayenne. They both went over well! I got a lot of compliments on them and on how cute and cozy my house is so that made me happy. I plan to have something every month before my child arrives next summer. Here are some pictures from the evening.