Where Chester Lives

Okay, so this is likely to be my last Africa/Ethiopia post in a while.  I'm going to do just what the title says.  In no particular order:

• It's not Africa-hot in Ethiopia.  At least, not yet.  Very temperate climate at that altitude.
• I sang a school fight song with Bekele's daughter the night we were leaving.  She accompanied us to the airport with her dad (she missed him).  She's a very cute five year old with good English skills already.  Very cute.  I wish I had a picture.  "Everywhere we go....people want to know...who we ever....so we ever..."
• I got stared at alot.  Not because I was white (i think), although that's rare enough, but also because I am fairly tall, especially compared to local population.  Most of the men are around 5-8 and the women around 5-4.  There are tall Ethiopians, but not many.  I think I saw one guy taller than me the whole time I was there.  That's pretty rare.
• Two girls in a cab yanked open their curtain and yelled at me, laughing and smiling.  They yelled, "YOOOUUUUU!!!"  Not sure what that was about, but it was pretty funny.
• Driving to Awassa from Addis I was alert and observant the whole way.  The drive back, less so.  Familiarity breeds contempt.
• I really, really, really want the Nikon 18-200 lens for my camera.  I spent so much time changing lenses when I could have been just shooting.  Anybody got 700 bucks they'll give me?
• The coffee is so good.  Stronger than any i've had in the US, well balanced, dark, and rich.  I can't wait to roast the beans I brought back with me.
• I wish I had taken my extra laptop bags and computer accessories that I no longer use.  They are hungry for technology and its trappings.
• Dear RIAA/MPAA.  Your problem isn't with college kids in the US, it's with the third world.  US copyright doesn't even warrant attention outside of our borders.  Stop being such massive jerks.
• I am more apprehensive in my food choices today than I was ten years ago.  I found myself longing for the familiar, and this was slightly disappointing to me.
• There are lots of Ethiopians outside of their borders.  I found this out by wearing the national soccer jersey home, and random people would comment.  It is my new "official" travel shirt.
• I am still on an emotional high from my trip.  It was astounding.
• I checked my shoes for bugs every morning.  I don't even do that when i'm camping in Tahoe, although i probably should.
• teenagers are the same the world over.  Small children would be excited to meet us, teens would show a complete disinterest.  Especially the boys.  the girls were more open and welcoming.
• Mirinda is awesome.
• Delta:  your seats are more comfortable than KLM (in coach), but your service was not good.  We got what we needed/wanted, but we could have done without the surly attitude.  Sorry for purchasing a ticket that enables your flight attendants' jobs.  KLM:  your service was impeccable, but your seating in coach was awful. especially the presence of a metal box that consumed all of my foot space under the seat in front of me.  Blech.
• Khartoum's airstrip feels like a rutted out dirt road.  SKETCHY.
• i can't wait to go to an Ethiopian restaurant in the US and compare.
• Morning was my favorite time there.  I felt truly unhurried.

Wow.  I got all the blog entries posted from my time in Ethiopia.  This one is actually "live" on the Internet.  Suuuuh-WEET.

I did get all my shopping done in Ethiopia yesterday...the girls should be happy.  I also scored the football jersey, which I am wearing now.  Shimeles and Bekele thought it was WAY cool that i wanted to get it, and I put it on before I left, to much positive feedback from the locals.  I got comments everywhere I went, including a men's room in Schiphol Airport.  It's a bright shirt.  Harry took a picture, so I will post it as my facebook profile pic, i think.

Speaking of pictures, I took a bunch, but won't be posting them until I get home.  I'm going to create a for-pay flickr account so we can post all of the pics from the four team members in one place.

So, if you look at the title, you'll see that I'm not home yet.  So very close.

Right now, I'm not that tired.  It was a long flight from Amsterdam to here, especially considering that my in-flight entertainment thing wasn't working correctly, so i got only a small subset of the available movies.  I slept pretty good on the Ethiopia-Amsterdam leg (with a one-hour stop in Khartoum), and haven't really felt like sleeping since then.

Bill and Matt are still in Ethiopia, and begin their journey home tomorrow.  Safe journeys, guys, and Godspeed!

Dear Minneapolis Airport:  Caribou Coffee is for good, pay wifi is for bad.  Fix this, please.

To sum up, in case you haven't noticed, this has been an incredible experience.  I feel uniquely privileged to have worked with the men that accompanied me, as well as overwhelmingly blessed to have forged the friendships of my brothers in Ethiopia.  Shimeles and Bekele, you guys are awesome.  The time I have spent with Harry has been outstanding as well, and we are closer now as a benefit.  If you ever get the opportunity to travel to Africa and work for the people there, DO IT.  There are so many areas that you can find to do work, and you are more than welcome to accompany me on my next journey.  I'm hoping that this is the first of many.

This is Coy, signing off.  May all who read this lead blessed lives.

Peace.

Okay, so I couldn’t wait to do my Africa list.  You all know I’m a fan of lists…so here we go.

·If at all possible, travel with a local.  This will save you money.  They will pay more than if it were just a group of Ethiopians, but less than a group of foreigners.
·Travel as light as possible.  Travel clothing that you can wash yourself and hang dry overnight is a worthy investment, and you will have more space for souvenirs in your luggage.  I’ve made it with two pair of pants and three shirts.
·Bring Ziploc bags.  I did not, and I wish I had.  They are infinitely useful.
·Charge your electronics at every opportunity.  Power availability is sketchy, at best.  Use it when you have it.
·Lower your expectations of cleanliness.  You will survive, I promise.  I think I said this earlier, but it bears repeating.
·Be as gracious to the local population as they are to you.
·Try not to take obvious pictures of local people.  If they catch you, they may want to charge you money for it.  Even the children.
·Bring an extra battery for your camera.
·Don’t eat fruits without peels (like strawberries), salads, or local dairy products.  Most hotels have many options, so it isn’t too difficult to find food you will like.
·Bring snack bars.  Clif bars would have been perfect on this trip for mid-afternoon snacking, and I found myself wanting them on occasion.
·In Ethiopia, if someone invites you to a buna ceremony, say yes.  This is a great local custom with coffee and popcorn.  Even if you don’t drink coffee, make an exception this one time.  It’s worth it.

That’s all I can think of right now.  We don’t have any water pressure this morning, so showering isn’t going to happen.  Stop making that face, Teresa.  I’ll get a shower before I get home.

This is our last full day in Ethiopia.  I’m thinking of a Grateful Dead song right now…can you name it?

So, yesterday we drove back from Awassa to Addis Ababa.  I didn’t really explain the sights and sounds of the drive very well the first time, so I will do that now.  The road between the two cities is dotted with villages along the way, and between the villages are vast areas of countryside.  Anywhere along the road you will find mud and grass huts, dwelling places, fenced with grass or cactus.  During the drive, you are competing for road space with other vehicles, pedestrians, cattle, goats, and carts pulled by donkeys or small horses.  Usually donkeys.  The carts are just a makeshift platform with a car axle on the bottom.  The wheels are either small car wheels or solid metal wheels that have been made by the owner, I suspect.  Carts can be carrying grain, hay, wood, people, or any combination thereof.  The competition is more intense in the villages and towns.  As you drive along this road, you use your horn and lights to communicate with people, livestock, and other cars.  It isn’t rude, it’s totally expected behavior.  If someone in front of you is going to slow, you pass them.  It’s like a 270 km game of chicken with integrated obstacle course.  At any place along the road there will be places to buy vegetables or fruit.  Or charcoal.  Or small hand axes.  Or chickens.  It’s an event, let me tell ya, and you had better be an aware and slightly aggressive driver to survive.

On our way back, we stopped at Lake Lagano.  Yay!!  More Pictures!  You’ll see in the pictures that the water is a muddy brown.  So are all the rivers and streams that I see.  I don’t know if that’s pollution or a natural phenomenon.  Shimeles asked me, “So, when I watch television, the water I see there is blue.  How do they make it blue?”  I told him it usually comes that way in my experience, and tried to describe Lake Tahoe.  He then asked me why the water at Lake Lagano was brown…I couldn’t answer that.  It wasn’t busy at the lake (it was a work day, after all), but there were a few people there, and some fishermen as well.  It was pretty warm, around 80 degrees or so, but more humid than we experience in California.  It felt kinda like late spring/early summer in Kentucky.
 
We got back to Addis Ababa at about 5:30 p.m., and dropped Shimeles off at his house before we went to the compound.  We got to meet his two children, who were great.  His little daughter is amazingly beautiful.

It’s ten after seven now, so time to get cleaned up, breakfasted, and on my way.  We hope to buy some coffee and a few more souvenirs today.  I would like to get an Ethiopian football jersey, but we’ll see.  There are a couple of more things I want to get for the girls first.  The jersey comes last, if at all.

It’s been an amazing trip so far.  I miss my family, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.  I’ll be making my “Africa list” later, so stay tuned.

Yesterday was a really spectacular day.  We worshiped with the church in Awassa yesterday morning, and even though I understood not a word, it was one of the most deeply moving spiritual experiences of my life.  The people sang with intensity and feeling, they prayed fervently.  In all honesty, my teaching was the low point.  After I spake, Shimeles spoke for 25 minutes or so.  He spoke tenderly about his love for the church there, and he made himself cry.  He then spoke about Moses and how God wanted to use him but he didn’t want to go, but he went anyway.  He was passionate and his delivery was from his heart.  These people really love God, and talk about Jesus daily.  This is going to sound trite, but I’m going to say it anyway.  We would look at them and be so quick to place them in a place that reflects their monetary poverty, and it wouldn’t be fair to the richness of their spirit.  I have learned lessons in Ethiopia that I already knew on an intellectual level, but now they are part of me.  Now would be a good time to list them:

·Poverty is completely subjective.  When someone is destitute in Africa, they are DESTITUTE.  The actions a human will take in order to survive are way “lower” than you think you will go.  America doesn’t know what poor is, and I can say this with some authority, having grown up as a “poor person” in America.
·Ethiopia is far more than just advertisements for famine-ridden land.  Sally et.al., you have not done this country justice.
·We have so much more in common than you would ever think.
·As for myself, I need to show love more easily and freely.  Being reserved cheapens my relationships.
·Things are more expensive if you are white.
·It never, ever, ever, hurts to smile at someone.  Never.
·Cleanliness standards are completely subjective.  If you ever travel to Africa, let go of your American standards.  You will be fine.  Trust me.
·“The Ugly American” should be required reading for all who travel.  I have never worked harder to be a gracious guest, and it has paid off in spades.
·Tuck in your shirt.  This will help you to avoid ant bites on your back while taking pictures of flamingoes and monkeys next to a lake.

That isn’t all, by any stretch.  It’s just what I can remember this morning.

After worship and lunch yesterday, we finished up our work in the computer lab.  Remember me talking about the sketchy power?  Well, we overloaded a circuit yesterday and almost caused a fire.  We fixed it, but Harry got some good pictures of the melted adapter and plug end.  Ethiopians have a very loose association with safe electrical standards.  I would guess that is true for all of Africa.

So, after we finished at the lab, Shimeles and Bekele took us to Lake Awassa.   It cost Harry and I 40 birr (about 3.50) to gain entrance.  Shimeles and Bekele were outraged that it was so expensive, and couldn’t believe we were getting price-gouged.  Ah, perspective.  Once we parked, we kept getting followed around by boys and teenagers who had bags of leftover bread, fruit, and fish and would attract the flamingoes and monkeys towards you for pictures.  We avoided them, since we knew it would only cost us, and we were able to take amazing pictures anyway.  Harry has a better camera than me, so I’m jealous. J  The sun was setting when we got there, but we still had very good light to get some shots of local wildlife and the lake itself.  There was a wedding going on as well, so that was pretty neat to see.  There are lots of boats that you could rent and they would take you out on the lake itself.  If we had more time, maybe.  There is a string of lakes north-ish of Awassa, so there are lots of birds.  We’ve taken some pretty good photos, which I will share, obviously.

Today, we are going to drive back to Addis Ababa.  There is a lake-side resort on the way that we are hoping to convince them to stop at once we get close to it, for more pictures.  We’ll see.

Signing off.  Time to pack my stuff for the day.