I Agree!

"that's what i like about traveling-- you can sit down, maybe talk to someone interesting, see something beautiful, read a good book and that's enough to qualify a good day. You do that at home and everyone thinks you're a bum"

- Jesse Before Sunset

I agree. Oh, the joys of traveling :)

the end

it’s hard to describe my experience in Ethiopia in just a few words. The only thing I know for sure, is that leaving Ethiopia can be perfectly described as bittersweet. If you ask me how the trip was, I cant really tell you it was great or that it was horrible. If you ask me what Ethiopia is like, I don’t really know the right word to use to describe it. I can sit here and complain about all the things that were so un-American, all the things that bothered me but at the same time, I can tell you how much I loved it. Its hard to describe the feelings I felt, the things I saw and how I truly feel about the birth place of my parents because it is something that a person needs to experience firsthand. I can tell you that I walked shoulder to shoulder with someone who carried a goat on their shoulders, but that may just sound weird. However, actually seeing it, it just fits into a characteristic that makes Ethiopia Ethiopia. Although it is a place that is a work in progress, it is still a beautiful place and I feel incredibly blessed and happy that I was able to go and see it. Its funny, because I’ve been back a week now and I’ve actually found myself thinking, “If only we were in Ethiopia…it would be like this”

needless to say,

week four: the turnaround

My last week in Addis was great. I’m not sure what made it so different. I think it was a combination of seeing an end in sight and realizing the little time I had left.
On Monday we went to Entono which was really cool. We walked around the church, checked out the museum which had all of Emperor Menelik’s belongings, saw the first church in Addis and checked out his palace. I’m normally not one to enjoy museums but since this is all a part of my family’s history, I genuinely enjoyed it. After Entonto we went to Addis Ababa University. My mom’s friend’s nephew was a student there and agreed to show me around. We started out at the Palace which used to belong to Emperor Haile Selassie and is now a museum. The museum was pretty cool because not only was it a tour of his palace but also had a lot of his old stuff and historical information.

Much like my day out with my cousin, this was one of the best days I had. I think I just enjoyed being out, walking on the streets and being one with the locals. After touring the museum, we went to the lion zoo. It’s smaller than most zoos that I’ve been too but still pretty cool. After the zoo, we walked around the town all the way back to Ghion. After the walk, I felt rejuvenated. It was refreshing to meet someone my age, to talk about our cultural differences, our upbringings and childhood. It was funny because the form of communication that worked for us was a bit different. I spoke English fluently but could understand Amharic and he was vice versa. So even though we spoke different languages, we had a mutual understanding of each other and it made it easy to communicate. I think I liked this aspect the most because after learning all the different types of communication, it was cool to be able to actually practice it. It was also great to just see the city on foot, it made me feel more apart of the town, rather than just driving through it.

The next day I had lunch with another uncle of mine on my dad’s side. They took us to this restaurant called top view. It was really cool. The restaurant was on a hill and had two seating sections, one inside a building and the other in a large gazebo. We had a lovely lunch with way too much food. It was a nice lunch because this was another uncle that I rarely got to see since he’s lived in Ethiopia my whole life.

The week flew by and before I knew it, it was already Thursday. Thursday was kind of a big day for my mom and I’m glad I got to be a part of it. We went to lunch at her aunt’s house and then we went to visit her sister Azeb. I had never met this aunt and my mom hadn’t seen her in over 36 years. I also got to meet her son; it was a crazy experience and one that left me feeling so proud of my mom. I know this all may sound confusing, but just know my mother is one of the strongest ladies I have ever met, and this day just proved it. My mom’s sister is beautiful and I am so grateful that I got to meet her. That night we had dinner at Avanti’s again—so GOOD.

Friday was a day of last minute things. I finished my shopping, got more movies, coffee and finally picked up my dresses! After that I went with Kirbuel to check out the mercato. The mercato was basically a congested flea market. There were so many booths, all essentially selling the same stuff. A lot of the stuff was like trinkets but there was also a lot of household stuff like mattresses and furniture. To me, it was overwhelming because of how many things there were, not necessarily because of the amount of people there. After the mercato, Kiru and I went to this rooftop café and it was cool. After that we basically just walked back to the hotel.
The next day, I went to this event called Bazaar. It was an expo of a bunch of stuff all made from Ethiopian products, no imports. It was more expensive than the mercato but it seemed to be on a different level than the mercato. The items were being sold by the creators and a lot of the people were foreigners. I kind of felt like I was at an American event because there was so many people are around me speaking English and it was set up differently than any other event I had visited.

My last day in Addis was spent packing. It was frustrating to try and fit everything we bought and brought into our suitcases. I did take a break to visit Meskel Flower with my uncle to see my brother’s friend. We had our last dinner at Ricos before heading to the airport. Flying at night was the best idea because we weren’t rushed and had the whole day to do any last minute thing. It was nice :)

week three: the downfall

This was probably my hardest week in Addis.

My first day back at the hotel, I had a few hours to kill so I sat at Lime Tree; writing, reading, and having lunch. My server was the same boy who made that comment to me about accepting the animal slaughtering as my Ethiopian culture. We spoke in English; I kind of wanted to tell him to speak to me in Amharic. I know this could be far off but I’m really trying to be Liz Gilbert in Rome. I wanted to soak everything in and just be one with my culture. I want to be conversational in Amharic. The guy brought me my food and asked me my name. Before this he had kept calling me Sister. I asked for some ketchup, I decided to stop reading and to just observe my surroundings while I could. So as he came back to my table, I was ready to say thank you for the ketchup, but instead, he handed me a piece of paper that said Hi Gelany. you were another country but your background is ethiopia so you are my sister and i am your brother. so if you have address, i will write my email"

I was a little taken back but then I felt kind of touched by his kindness. This kind of compassion is the vibe you get from most people here. It’s touching and unlike the kindness you receive in the states, at least you don’t from complete strangers.
I also felt this at my aunt’s house. Her servant was too kind. That morning when my aunt went to the gym, her servant checked on me like every hour to see if I was hungry or if she could do something for me. It was very welcoming and comforting. After she thought me how to make me enjera, she told me “E wodesh alu” which means “I like you”. The meaning of that phrase doesn’t translate perfectly but I just honestly felt touched. The morning I was getting ready to leave, she asked where I was going. My aunt told her I was going back to be with my mom and she put her hand over heart, looked at me and said “wee. “ Which is much like a sad “oh” To be honest I was sad to leave too. She came to help me with my luggage because I was struggling with it down the stairs. But instead of helping me, she picked it up with all her shorter than 5 ft might, put it over her head and carried it down the stairs. Hero.
After our first night at Nigist we moved to the Ghion Hotel. Ghion is an older hotel on a beautiful compound. My mom used to come to this hotel when she was little and play. That Sunday, my mom and I both woke up early to the prayers coming from estefanos church which is right near Ghion. It’s also the church my mom used to go to when she was little. We got dressed fast so that we could make the mass. Even though I couldn’t understand anything, it was the closest thing to a religious experience that I’ve had in awhile, it was nice.

That night I got sick for the first time while being here and it was terrible. I thought it was the worst sickness that I had ever faced from just a tummy ache that was until I got sick the second time later that week. This is part of the reason this week was so hard. The stomach pains that I felt were like by far the worst i've ever expereinced. I swore off Ethiopian food and carbed up and drank a lot of water and tea. One of the days, I just laid in bed all day and slept. Rough.
I was also starting to feel very restless. I felt like I had been doing nothing for far too long. I’m used to a go go go lifestyle and the first two weeks were fine but now I was bored. I wanted to do more than visit family, eat, drink coffee and hang out with people 40 +.

For the first time since I had gotten here, I went to the Sheraton at night and knew I had found my niche. There were young people EVERYWHERE. There was live American music, real American food and people speaking English. For a night I just felt like I was back home, which was a bit of a relief from my restlessness.

The day we spent the day getting two abesha kemises. I finally found the ones I wanted and I ended up getting two. A traditional casual dress and one for a special dinner. Ill post pictures when I get them. That night we went to this place called Yod Abysnnia and it was cool. It was a huge place, with live Ethiopian music and dancing. Several groups sat around a messob and ate dinner while being entertained by four men playing Ethiopian instruments, a variety of 3 sings and 6 people (3 boys and 3 girls) are doing different dances belonging to the different tribes in Ethiopia. It was really cool and something that I wish my friends could have seen and experienced.
Saturday!

Saturday was one of the best days I’ve had in Addis. A cousin on my mom’s side said she’d come and take me out, she was 21 and had a car, or so I thought. We started walking out of Ghion and that was when she told me we were going to take a taxi. I had secretly wanted to try taking a taxi but a bigger part of me didn’t. The taxi’s here aren’t your normal taxis. I can’t tell you how many I have seen broken down on the road full of people. They are like old 70s vw vans that are full of people. No joke, there were 17 people in my van. Being surrounded by all those people was uncomfortable to say the least but to them it’s completely normal. The van taxi’s are more like mini buses, they go in certain directions and you can just hop on at any point. They are pretty cheap too, like 50 cents. I was talking to my cousin and she was telling me that it’s too expensive to have or buy a car here so many people just take the taxis. To me, that seems like it would add a life stressor, especially with them constantly breaking down. However, it beats taking the bus because the buses are always full. Much like subways, all the seats are full and people are standing crowded.

So we took a taxi down to New York New York for lunch, it was a café/restaurant that had American food. It was really good. After that we walked down to Kaldi’s which is a coffee shop here like Starbucks. It is actually a duplicate. The places look just like Starbucks on the side, the logo is pretty much the same, their drink sizes are short and tall and their uniforms are all black with green aprons. There are about 25 of them all over Addis.

After Kaldi’s we walked down bole (main road) a bit. It was nice to finally get to walk somewhere. I was able to really see things compared to just driving by them. We walked into a few of the shopping malls, I saw the trinity cathedral (from the outside) and then we went to Edna Mall to watch a movie. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the day. I love movies, and usually the abesha movies I watch are all old and aimed to an older audience. But the one we saw was a comedy and it was actually really funny. Not corny or stupid. It was all in Amharic and I was still able to follow and enjoy it. There were a lot of younger people there, because next to the theaters is a huge arcade. It was just nice to be around a younger crowd.
Sunday was a bit of a dramatic day for me. I had a bad experience at the hair salon. By bad I mean it just was different than what I was used to. It took a lot longer and I feel like time was just being wasted. Needless to say, after I left the salon I went back to the hotel to nap. I stayed in that afternoon and then met up with my uncle for dinner. We had an amazing meal at this place called Avantis. It was nice hanging out with my uncle because it had been a long time since I had spent quality time with him. It reminded me of all the time we spent together when I was little and his family would come visit California. It was times like that, that I truly enjoyed my time in Addis. I think the dinner was a turning point of the bad week.

Staying at Aunty Nesant's.

Mon 4/25
The next day, some people came over for lunch. I had time to sit and talk with another person about Addis. His field was constructions so it was interesting to hear things from his perspective. He described things as basically very cut throat. The government owns the land and when you buy land you are buying only a piece of that from the government. The government basically tells them that if they can afford to live there, they can stay, but if they can’t then they must sell and go elsewhere. A few years ago, the got didn’t have a master plan for development, the city was in limbo and it was much easier for the lower class to survive. But now that there is a master plan and it being so cut throat, it isn’t easy. Therefore as the city develops, it’s harder for the lower class to survive. All the changes are especially hurting them. Not only with their homes but even at the markets. There is a bit of a black market. The merchants have started to withhold necessities like sugar and oil and sell it at a higher price, which is ok for the middle class but leaves the lower class to suffer. Then smaller markets will go and sell it at a lower price but that leaves the market overcrowded and people have to wait in long lines just because it is offered at an affordable price. He described the middle class as people with jobs cars and can afford to eat. The lower class can eat if they are lucky.
However, compared to many other countries and cities in Africa, he described Addis as one of the safest and a city that is quickly developing; makes me fear for other places.
I know that I can’t really compare what I think is happy to theirs and I know that but I can’t help but think if they knew any better, they wouldn’t be happy. I really just can’t wrap my head around it.
I came on this trip hoping to become more Ethiopian but up until this point, I have never felt so AMERICAN. My position in the biggest debate on whether I can call myself Ethiopian has changed. Even though I was raised in the Ethiopian culture, nothing could prepare for me for what Ethiopia is actually like. Sure I know the customs and how to act but being here, I feel like an outside. An outsider who has three more weeks to find a way in and feel more Ethiopian.
Tues 4/26
I’ve begun a routine here at Aunty Nesant’s which is similar to theirs. I go to bed early around 8 or 9 and wake up around 630 or 7. I suppose this is the life without internet. However, fox movies have been saving me. Haha. Anyway, it’s kind of nice. I get a good amount of sleep and every morning I wake up and read in bed for awhile. Usually for an hour or two, then I wake up, shower, make my bed then go downstairs for breakfast.
Today we were starting off our day at the National Museum of Ethiopia. It was really cool to see and learn all about the Ethiopian history. Even though I’ve learned about it in school and read on my own, it was really cool to see artifacts, fossils and art. I normally don’t enjoy museums but I really enjoyed this one.
After the museum we went to shuro meda to buy me an abesha kemise. I can’t figure out what my problem is here when it comes to shopping. The exchange rate is ridiculous, this will probably be the richest ill ever be in life, but to think that I have to pay over a thousand dollars for a thin clothed dress turns me off. Much like when we went to the city center, a small clutch purse was over 600 birr. The price was just offsetting. Stinginess aside…it was really hard picking out a dress. I wanted more than one. I wanted a traditional one and a fancier one. I saw one right when I got there and immediately fell in love with it. I thought the design on it was meskels but after I asked, I learned that it was just a simple design. This kind of turned me off, so then I went to a different place and found one that I liked, but didn’t love and it was out of my price range. In the end I did leave with a dress…for my sister.
After Shuro meda we went to my aunt’s house because she was flying back to the states later that night. She was in town for two weeks because they were remodeling her house and she had to deal with the government and them wanting her to either rebuild or sell. Her house was nice. Definitely a work in progress but it just had character. From the stones outside, the different colors, I liked it a lot. We had lunch and coffee and then left. It was a nice afternoon. It was just nice to spend time with her because I hardly see her since she lives on the east coast. That’s one of the things I love about this trip, reconnecting with distant family. My family is so spread out; it’s hard to stay in contact with EVERYONE.
Something was different today, being in Addis. I think when I got here I was thrown into this different world, then after spending some time at aunty Netsant’s I was able to digest everything. Coming back into the city was enjoyable. I was starting to notice a lot of people my age, especially around the college. I was starting to notice a lot more normal people. Whether this is what they mean by “accepting” or “adjusting” I was starting to see the real beauty and look past all of the sad things. Not to say I’m ignoring it, that’s hard to do, but I’m not focusing on it and seeing what else Addis has to offer. Besides being over populated, congesting and a work in progress, it’s beautiful.
The next couple of days were relaxing. One morning when Aunty Netsant went to the gym, I saw the process of making enjera. Likdey, allowed me to make one myself. Basically there is this large circular metal stove top. After making the mix, you scoop up a small pitcher full and you pour it on the stove in a circular motion. The enjera cooks in like 10 minutes total. I didn’t really have a steady hand so mine came out kind of funky looking but it was definitely cool thing to learn.
The two things I had been thinking about lately were about the socio economic status. I’m being spoiled by visiting here and falling into the upper class. But I’m wondering what life is like for the lower class. Aside from what is obvious and what you see, what is a day in their lives? Because all I’ve been doing is waking up, having breakfast, driving around, eating lunch, having coffee, socializing etc. I’m being waited on and I’m in a reliable car with disposable money. But what is it like for them? How are they treated? I guess what I mean is by looking at me, you can tell I am American and then I am not poor. But looking at some of them, are they treated differently? Horribly? Or is it like how we treat the poor in America?
I’m also wondering about the servants. How do they get this job? There was a girl at Tia Ababa’s house. Beautiful girl had to be my age, maybe a bit younger. When she got there she looked like she had just gotten home from school. At first I was confused as to whether she was there to be a servant or if she was someone’s daughter and was just being respectful to her guest but she made the coffee for us. I don’t know if I have described the coffee process but it’s not adding hot water to a pot and pressing a button. It is a full on process. Starting with burning the itan, and making the coffee and then serving us each 3 different servings. I saw some other girls in aunty Netsant’s coldesack, who were the maids and they looked like they were in their teens. I guess what I’m wondering is how they get that position. Is that something they work towards? Does it just happen? Is it arranged by their families? I guess it just seems odd to me because I’m conditioned to go to school and find a job, is this just a side job for them? Much like everything else I guess I’m just confused. Surprised?
My second to last day at Aunty Netsant’s we went to see my Aunt Almaz. There I spent some time with her daughter Mami, and her two kids who I have never meant: Lebain and Endalk (legit name, meaning as you are). This was cool because I hardly get to see them. My aunt said the last time she saw me I was 7 or 8. We had a delicious lunch and I played with the kids and then we left.
The week at aunty Netsant’s flew by. My brother told me my time in Addis would fly by, but I didn’t believe it until today. The last week just flew before my eyes. Now I’m back at the hotel, reading and writing and realizing, I now only have a little over two weeks left. Crazy.

Easter Weekend

I woke up to hearing church music outside our windows. The town had been preparing all week but today was Good Friday. After getting ready, met up with Meron and she took us around the city some more. I saw Nazareth (my mom’s elementary school) and Menelik (Dad’s elementary school) , the areas where their homes used to be, Addis University, the Ethiopian palace, and the Sheraton. I heard a saying that when you go to the Sheraton it’s like heaven and as soon as you leave it’s like hell…that saying is completely true. The Sheraton is unlike any other building in Addis that I’ve seen so far. It’s very flashy and fancy. Being in the Sheraton reminded me of being at home; it had all the comforts of a typical American hotel. Seeing the Sheraton was cool because it’s a landmark that I’ve heard a lot about. After the Sheraton we went back to the Hilton for coffee. The Hilton is also really nice but different than the Sheraton. Its more low-key, has character and isn’t as flashy.
While driving around I noticed a lot more animals in the road. I guess this signified that Easter was coming… haha.
We drove by a church and we saw people crowded around outside doing sig-nat. This was very cool to see because I had never seen it before. People were crowded around outside because of how full the churches were. The vibe of the entire city was so upbeat in preparation for the holiday. It made me excited to celebrate my first Easter IN Ethiopia.
Easter Sunday at Aunty Netsant
Easter Sunday was nice and quiet. I would describe the sounds of Addis as car horns and dogs barking. The sounds of Aunty Nesant’s neighborhood are your own thoughts and crickets. Its peaceful, the air is clean and it’s overall a nice suburb area. Her house is by the far the nicest thing I’ve seen yet, next to the Sheraton. It’s very modern, fabulously decorated and has all of the comforts of home. It’s funny my first night here, there was a short moment when I had flash backs of when I was a kid. I used to spend the night at her house a lot and I would always get homesick. I remembered calling my parents crying and always wanting to go home, it was funny.
My brother called me in the morning and it was so nice. He was at Emodesh’s celebrating Easter which is usually the tradition that I take part in. It was nice to talk to everyone that was there. After exchanging hello and Easter wishes, it was time to get ready for lunch. I didn’t really do much but I still felt a part of the cultural experience. I rolled the enjera and cut the dabo. I helped set up the place settings and like I said, I know it’s not much, but it’s more than I usually do. Some family came over and most of the afternoon we spent with the men talking loudly at around the table and the women also talking, much quieter off to the side. Typical. Haha.

Live the life you Imagined- Thoreau

This whole trip seemed surreal to me. I didn’t tell anyone we were going until we bought our tickets and even then it didn’t really hit me. I didn’t know what to expect because I have heard about Ethiopia my whole life from my family and the media. So the fact that I was finally actually going was a bit unreal. I was also checking off an important item off my bucket list: visiting the city/country where my parents were born. Seeing firsthand the culture that I have been raised in. I wasn’t really nervous until the day before the trip. People kept asking me if I was excited and that just wasn’t the feeling I was feeling, it was more denial and nerves. I was nervous because I was going to Africa for a whole month, what if I didn’t like it? What if I couldn’t emotionally handle the culture shock? I felt especially nervous not really because I was going to a new place but because this trip was going to be personal. Whether I liked Ethiopia or not, it is my heritage, who I am and I just feel like everything about this trip is personal. I was nervous up until I talked to my brother and got a text from my cousin. My brother told me to “take every expectation I have and throw it out the window,” to go there with an open mind and take it all in. This just helped me put into perspective that my nerves were getting me no where and that I have to take this experience head on. I also received a text from a cousin before I left “wishing me a safe trip home.” This just made me even more excited, as I boarded the plane and realized that it was finally all really happening… I was going HOME.

DUBAI.
First of all, our flight was the best international flight I’ve been on yet. We flew with Emirates and it was great. The inside was pretty with pink, orange and purple colors. The stewardesses were dressed like they were in sex and the city 2! I felt like it was pretty clear that I was going to a whole new world because everything was written primarily in Arabic and then English. When we first got on they gave us a refreshing wipe and a pouch which had a sleep eye mask, a tooth brush and socks. The most I’ve ever received was free peanuts. Also, all the alcohol was complimentary…cool. The food was delicious and they offered an extensive variety of movies to watch. The categories were like new releases, classics, Disney, bollywood, and romance comedies. It was like getting movies from red box but for free!
I watched a couple of movies and then slept the rest of the way to Dubai. When we got there we went directly to the mall. We only had a few hours before it closed. The mall was massive! The shopping wasn’t anything spectacular because most of the stores are the same as the ones in the US, what made it so amazing was all of the attractions. There was a huge waterfall, an aquarium, under water zoo, the Burj Khalifa- aka tallest building in the world and a fountain with a water show that puts the Bellagio to shame. There was also a section called Fashion Avenue which had all of their high end stores.
I went to a Starbucks there and it wasn’t much different than ours back home. Their promotions were all the same, the only thing that was different was that they only offer five syrups, Vanilla, Almond, Hazelnut, Irish Cream and Almond. So my mom and I had lattes and hung out at the mall before it closed.






ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA.
Arriving in Addis was exciting. Although I tried to forget all my expectations, I had visioned what this place would look like my whole life and I was finally seeing it. My cousin meron surprised me at the airport. She took me to the hotel which my uncle owns, Meskel Flower. We had lunch and coffee. I also had my first taste of how things work in Addis. She told me we had to stop somewhere really quick to pick up a cd cleaner. The first place we went to was closed for lunch, then the other places kept sending us to different stores; we went to at least 5 of them before the last guy told us to go to the mercato. I just thought it was funny because if this was in America, it would have been a one stop shopping trip.
While we were at lunch, we caught up, it had been a couple of years since I had seen her. While we were sitting outside, something across the street caught my eye. I saw a herd of cows crossing the road. When I questioned it, she told me they were preparing for the holiday…. Ew.
After lunch we went to check out the Hilton which was really nice. The pool area reminded me of Vegas, huge pool, lots of lawn chairs, an outside bar and a gazebo area. We sat in the gazebo area until my jetlag started to kick in and it was time for me to call it a night.

Day two was a bit more interesting, I was less tired and more aware of my surroundings. If you ask me how I felt about Ethiopia, the only word I could use was weird. My mom’s friend said I was experiencing “transitional confusion” and I thought it was the best way to describe it. I didn’t think that the culture shock would hit me that hard since I had visited poor parts of Mexico but after today, culture shock as been redefined for me.
My mom and I started out the day having breakfast at our hotel, Nigist Towers. Our hotel is pretty new, a bit more modern than some of the other ones. It is directly in front of the Africa Hall and five minutes away from the Hilton. I looked out the window when I woke up and I saw two interesting things. In one corner, I saw a house which looked like it was made out of aluminum. A girl was squatting outside and for at least an hour was making injera. On the other corner four women who looked a bit older, were doing manual labor. In pairs they were moving piles of clay as this man just supervised. I was a little disturbed by the fact that women were doing this kind of work, especially at their age.
After breakfast my mom and I went for a walk and that was when I started to really see the difference. We walked out and saw older women on their hands and knees scrubbing the walk way. I felt so bad thinking about how bad their backs must hurt. They were still there when we got back from our walk.
I saw a dog sitting on the sidewalk with a wounded eye; it looked as if it was missing. I couldn’t look at it long enough to actually see. In between the streets, there was a small island divider. I saw a man sitting there drinking coffee out of a regular coffee cup. In front of him I noticed a woman carrying a bag of cups and a thermos. This was one of the cool things that I had seen. The coffee culture here is huge. Inside hotel lobbies or inside shopping centers, there are people with a little coffee shops set up. They have all of the things they need to make coffee and a few pillows/chairs for people to sit at. They also have itan burning, so it gives you an authentic feel. You don’t necessarily have to go to one of the many cafes to have coffee.
Another cool thing I noticed was that the people are not afraid to show affection here. Walking down the street you will see men and men holding hands or having an arm around one another. There is no homosexual conduct to it, just people showing their compassion, affection and love for one another. Women do it too, its lovely.
My mom’s friend took us to a city outside of Addis called Sultata. This drive was gorgeous because it was up hill which gave us a bird’s eye view of Addis. It was a smaller town than Addis, very quiet and country-ish. I saw lot things that I had never seen. I saw donkeys being used as transporters and one of the saddest things vie seen yet. There were women carry a bunch of branches- not like twigs- but real long tree branches. They had to weigh at least 20-30 pounds. The branches were tied up and they were carrying them on their back down the large hill we drove up. What made this so sad was that most of the women that I saw were old. I just couldn’t believe it. Without a doubt after seeing this, they are the strongest women I have ever met. Not only physically strong to be able to carry that, but their strength as a person. What they were doing and going through to make a small amount of money shows their strength to survive. It’s hard to describe in the right words what I felt after seeing this besides shock and sadness. I found them and their strength completely admirable.
At this point, I’m still not sure how I feel about Ethiopia. It’s not that I don’t like it, because there is something about being here that I enjoy. I’m not having a terrible time, but I feel like it’s hard to say that I love it when there are so many things that aren’t right. I feel like it would be wrong to say that I love a place that is in need of so much help. Like I said, I feel that my definition of culture shock as been redefined. I haven’t cried yet, because I think I am literally numb in a state of shock. Everyone told me that I was going to need awhile to adjust before it was fun or before I enjoyed but I really think they mean, I just need to first accept how things are before I can enjoy it. The thing is, even though this is reality, I do not want to accept it.
I think the thing that confuses me the most is the lack of separation of rich and poor. I’m staying at this super nice hotel and right across the street are clay/ aluminum homes and shops. The rich men in suits are walking side by side with the people in holey jeans and run down shirts. Stray animals are everywhere and herds of cows, goats and sheep are walking the streets with us. It is so weird. Back home the rich people are in their nice areas, the poor are in the ghetto and the animals are at the farm. Here it just seems like complete chaos. Half of the city is under construction, the area is dry and polluted and there are so many people everywhere.
A friend was telling me that everything was once very civilized but through the governments attempt of modernization everything has been lost. Whether they are neglecting becoming modernized or what something is off. I feel like the city is as confused as I am.