Picture Perfect in Tanzania

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas last week and are looking forward to some exciting plans for New Years! I am back in Addis now after my week in Tanzania. I am a bit swamped this week, so I will not be able to post about Tanzania until next week (maybe sooner - who knows?). However, in the meantime, I thought I would post pictures from my trip! Tanzania is a lovely country and the weather was super balmy/hot - quite a departure from the freezing/snowy Christmases in Saskatchewan to which I have grown accustomed. I hope you enjoy the pics! Stay tuned for the blog posts! Happy New Year everyone!

http://picasaweb.google.com/prasannainethiopia

PS - the new photo in the title of the blog is me staring into the horizon from the beaches in Kendwa, a small town in Northern Zanzibar!

These are a Few of My Favourite Things

This year will mark my very first year spending Christmas away from my family and friends in Canada. This time of year always makes me sentimental for the traditions of the holiday season. This year, with the distance between here and there, home and away, I cannot help but feel especially nostalgic for Christmas.

I will miss attending Midnight Mass with my parents on Christmas Eve, singing carols at my church, eating ridiculous amounts of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, and going shopping with her on Boxing Day. I will miss my Aunty Padma’s ding-a-ling cake – a chocolate cake that is absolutely out of this world! I will miss my dad dressing up as “Brown Santa” for the children at our church and singing the East Indian rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I will miss hanging out with my high school crew in our traditional holiday get-together in Regina where we laugh ourselves silly about absolutely nothing! I will especially miss singing happy birthday to my dad who happens to be a Christmas baby, being born back in the day on December 25. [Happy early birthday Dad!]

However, with the Christmas season, its related celebration and all of the things I will definitely miss, I cannot help but be grateful for the blessings of this past year too, the gifts of this very moment, and the unlimited promise of the New Year and beyond. First of all, I am grateful to be in Addis - to work, to explore and to learn each and every day from so many people and situations (I am even grateful for the days when I am ready to pull my hair out and hop on the first plane back to Canada). I am grateful to have a roof over my head and food on the table - things which I have often taken for granted and things which have become all the more meaningful and precious to me given what I have witnessed in Ethiopia. I am grateful to the children at Menagesha who inspire me by their example and encourage me to reach for the stars. I am grateful to my friends in Tanzania with whom I will be spending the holidays (starting December 19 – Yay!) and to my roommates in Addis who have made the Christmas season so enjoyable so far. Finally, I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends around the world – you never let the distance be a barrier to letting me know how much you care and I cannot thank you enough.

I just wanted to send out this note to all of you, near and far, wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Make sure to eat lots of Christmas baking for me and if anyone tells you that you are eating too much, tell them that you are eating Prasanna’s share on his behalf.

I am proud to know each and every one of you and incredibly, incredibly grateful for your love, compassion, friendship, and generousity. You have touched my life in many ways and I wish you all the joy, love and laughter that this season brings – today, tomorrow and always. Happy holidays!

EBA Conference on Self-Regulation, Governance and Sustainability

On December 11, 12, and 13, the Ethiopian Bar Association hosted a conference on Self-Regulation, Governance and Sustainability of the Legal Profession in Ethiopia at the EBA Attorneys Club and CLE Center. The conference was sponsored / funded by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation/Stiftung and was facilitated by experts from Kenya, Tanzania and the East Africa Law Society. Self-regulation means that the legal profession is not governed or regulated by the government but rather by an independent organization designed to serve the public interest.

The presenters, Don Deya and Simekha JME were absolutely fantastic and made presentations on self-regulation, governance models for the EBA, and action planning to ensure that EBA programs and policies were strong and robust. I also had a chance to present a paper on a model regulatory framework for the Ethiopian legal profession which included a plan of action / series of recommendations for the EBA to pursue in its efforts to seek self-regulatory powers. I must thank the previous intern, Asad Kiyani, for it was his absolutely brilliant paper (that he wrote two years ago) which formed part of the presentation. I also want to thank Jennifer Khor for all of her research assistance and invaluable guidance on this topic! It means so much to me.

December 10, 2008: Human Rights Day and UDHR 60

On December 10, 2008, I had a chance to attend some of the celebrations for the annual United Nations Human Rights Day (commemorating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). This year was particularly important, because it was the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the cornerstone of human rights principles and protections within the UN system and globally.

I attended a public celebration for UDHR 60 and Human Rights Day at the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The program included video interviews with several women in different African countries that addressed human rights violations against women. The Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission delivered a speech about human rights in Ethiopia and then launched the official website of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. We also saw an excerpt of an Amharic movie that was filmed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR about the struggles of a young girl with a disability against discrimination and stigmatization. The event concluded with the reading of the official statements of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary General of the United Nations on the occasion of Human Rights Day.

Photographic Memories

Hello everyone! After much drama with the internet here, I have finally been able to upload all of my photos from the past few months. I have uploaded pictures from our trip to Lalibela, the Maskal celebration at Maskal Square and at the home of my boss, the EBA conference last week where I had a chance to make a presentation, our evening at Fasika restaurant etc. These photos can be found at the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/prasannainethiopia

Funability 2008

On Sunday, December 7, 2009, I attended Funability 2008, which is the annual integrated fun run for children with disabilities and children without disabilities between the ages of 7 and 15. This event is held every year in conjunction with the "Week of Persons with Disabilities" which falls during the first week of December, with December 3 being the official UN International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

Many of my students told me about the event when I went to my class on Saturday morning in Menagesha. Cheshire was organizing a bus to transport the children from Menagesha to Addis on Sunday where the run was to take place. I decided that it would be fun to participate in the Funability Run this year and met my students, the other Cheshire teacher and two of the Cheshire social workers at 8 AM Sunday morning for the event. The run took place close to the European Union delegation in Addis. The children were organized based on age group, with the youngest group wearing read T-Shirts, the middle group wearing yellow T-shirts and the oldest wearing green T-shirts. The groups were staggered with the youngest group starting and completing the race before the next group started and so on. When all of the children were standing at their various starting points for the race, the colours of the T-shirts made up the Ethiopian flag!

The children were so thrilled to participate and it was a beautiful, sunny and warm Sunday! I, along with the other adults, walked beside them on the sidewalks, cheering them on! At the end of the race, there was a musical performance by a local band, the distribution of certificates, and a performance by one of the children at Cheshire who is a musical prodigy. I will never forget the event, the absolute excitement in the crowd, and the sign that one of the children was proudly carrying during the event bearing the words: Disability is Not Inability. Truer words have never been spoken.

Loving Lalibela

“Still be in the church of Lalibela, singing hymns a cappella”
- Lauryn Hill from the song The Final Hour off her Grammy-award winning album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

On November 29 and 30, Mary, Eric and I set out for a fun-filled weekend in Lalibela, a historic, religious and cultural site in Northern Ethiopia which has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and a must-see for any traveler coming to Ethiopia. The Lonely Planet describes Lalibela in the following terms at page 155:

An ancient world, including 11 magnificent medieval rock-hewn churches, dimly lit passageways, hidden crypts and grottoes, was carved down into the red volcanic rock underlying this remote Ethiopian town almost a millennia ago. Today that world still remains, frozen in stone.

[…]

Lalibela, a World Heritage site, undoubtedly ranks among the greatest religio-historical sites in the Christian world.

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning and our wonderful landlord Terefe drove us to the airport to catch our flight from Addis to Lalibela. The flight stopped on the way in Bahir Dar and Gondor before landing in Lalibela – it took about 2-2.5 hours to fly there. We emerged from our small propeller plane, a little frazzled by the up and down journey but completely thrilled to be exploring Lalibela. You see, I have heard so much about Lalibela from friends back home who have visited Ethiopia and from the locals here, that I was looking forward to exploring this must-see destination.

We found the shuttle bus to take us to our hotel, the Seven Olives Hotel, and were greeted on the way by an impressive landscape unlike anything we had seen in Ethiopia to date. The landscape was an amalgamation of rolling hills, blue skies, carved rocky platforms and various forms of vegetation. Lalibela did not boast the lushness of Bahir Dar but the juxtaposition of the rock against the plains combined with the intricately crafted trees was truly stunning!

The Seven Olives had a nice restaurant and the rooms had the smell of a strong disinfectant. There were poinsettias around the restaurant’s patio, so it was officially my first taste of Christmas in Ethiopia (you see Christmas is not celebrated here until January 7, pursuant to the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar, so the Christmas carols, the shopping centre displays and the festive mainstays so common at home have been virtually non-existent so far in Ethiopia).

After lunch, we set of on a trek in Lalibela walking down the meandering cobblestone paths with their steep curves, rolling elevations and winding borders. We saw the Lalibela market with its huge crowds of people. We decided not to venture into the market because the whole scene, while beautiful was also completely overwhelming with its level of excitement, crowds and activity.

Along the way, I was greeted by a number of people with the obligatory “Hey You, where are you from?” I have taken to ignoring these questions now because it tends to become problematic and not all people are warm and fuzzy characters. The children were particularly fascinated by the group of three firenjes (foreigners) winding through their town. Little children began following me and yelling Namaste (the reverential greeting for hello used in India)! One person came up to me and said “Namaste sir”. Eventually it became too much to ignore and I began folding my arms in salutation (as is traditional with the Namaste greeting) bowing dramatically and repeating Namaste with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I had at that very moment become the Unofficial Ambassador of India in Lalibela. Go figure.

We arrived at the main gates to visit the 11 rock-hewn churches and found our absolutely fantastic guide for the day, Getanew, who took us around to all of the churches for the fantastic price of 150 birr for the group (approximately 15 USD). The admission price per person to the churches was 200 birr per person (20 USD). He informed us that the churches were constructed by St. Lalibela who was also a king of the entire region and a skilled engineer and architect (talk about multi-tasking). His rationale for building the churches was that he wanted to construct a Jerusalem in Ethiopia, so that believers could go on this religious pilgrimage within Ethiopia itself. Every year, especially around January 7, masses of people make the pilgrimage to Lalibela, many on foot (who travel for a month leading up to the 7th). The goal is each religious aspirant is to make the trek at least once in his or her lifetime.

There are three types of churches in the northern and southern cluster which comprise the 11 churches. The first type is a monolithic church (all sides are detached from the surrounding rock). The second type is the semi-monolithic (some of the sides are detached) and the third type is a cave church, where the roof of the edifice is the original rock from the caves. Each of the churches was carved out of one large piece of rock.

When navigating through the maze of rock and visiting the various churches, we witnessed a group of monks chanting religious prayers, first starting as a faint hum accompanying the wafting smell of religious incense. Slowly but steadily, the chanting grew stronger in intensity and volume and reverberated through the caverns, tunnels and churches that formed the Lalibela landscape.

The following descriptions which our guide gave to us (and which I tried to write down in my trust reporter-notebook) provide a few details on some of the churches. I apologize if the details are minimal or unclear. I am trying to decipher my messy notes nearly 10 days after first writing them down:

1) Beta Medanyalam
• This is the church of the Holy Saviour
• The Columns were rebuilt after their collapse in 1954
• This is the largest church in the cluster
• Men and women must enter the church through separate entrances
• In an effort at restoration, the church was painted a bright red in 1954, but then people thought that this took away from the ancient, historic look of the area and scraped the paint off in 1968, causing extensive damage to the edifice in the process
• Around the church (and in fact many of the churces) are holes in the rock walls which served as tombs for respected and revered religious figures of the past
• There is also a square well near the church which was traditionally used as baptism pool
• The corner of the church is defined by a cross which is to serve as a reminder of the struggle in Christianity

2) Bet-Le-Hem – this is the small space used by the priests to prepare holy communion. It is only accessible to the priests.

3) Beta-Denagil (the Church of the Maiden Nuns)
• Smallest church
• There are four columns to symbolize the four evangelists
• According to the Lonely Planet, this church was said to have been constructed “in memory of the maiden nuns martyred on the orders of the 4th-century Roman emperor Julian in Edessa (modern-day Turkey).”

4) Beta Maryam (the Church of the Virgin).
• In this church, there is a painting of Mary’s journey from Jerusalem to Egypt
• There is also a painting of a rooster, symbolizing the episode that St. Peter would betray Lord Jesus 3 times before the rooster crows

5) Bet-Debrezina
• There are several types of crosses on the roof in this church
• In this church there is also the place known as Golgota, only open to men, where there is found a symbolic representation of Jesus’ tomb
• When asked why only men were allowed to visit this room, our tour guide informed us that this is rooted in history and in the fact that during the resurrection, Mary Magdalene feared the tomb and was drawn back and that only the other apostles went into the tomb itself

Between the churches, St. Lalibela constructed a man-made river called the River Jordan.

6) Beta Ghiorghis
• This is the tallest and youngest church in the clusters and is shaped like a cross
• The church is 12m by 12m inside
• In this church, there is also an enclave in the wall which holds the skeletons of various Saints (about 400 or so) which are still visible to all visitors (these skeletons have still not decayed)
• The priest in this church is holding the Lalibela-style cross (In each church we visited, the priest would prominently hold the cross of the particular church for all visitors to see)
• Outside of this church, there is also a small patch of holy grass used for prayer

From cluster 1 to cluster 2 of the churches, there is a steep and narrow staircase carved in the rock that is called the Path of Heaven.

7) Beta Gabriel and Raphael
• There is a huge cavern outside of the church that is to symbolize the distinction between heaven and hell and also to denote that there is another separate level known as paradise which will only become known at the end of civilization
• 800 year old book written in the Giz language is found in these 2 churches describing the history and miracles of angels

After this church, we walked through a dark, narrow underground tunnel (completely dark, pitch black) to lead us to another set of churches. It was completely dark and ominous and there was no sound whatsoever except the sound of our conversation echoing off the walls.

8) Beta-Merkorios
• large painting of St. George who rode a white horse

9) Beta- Emmanuel
• Monolithic church, 2nd largest in the clusters
• It was also painted red in 1954 and hen scrapped off causing extensive cracing, decay and weakening of the edifice

10) Beta-Abalivanos
• This is the cave-church all sides are detached and the roof is a cave
• This is the Church of the Father
• There is no gallery in this church unlike many of the other churches

Other random facts:
• Along the way, our tour guide was a wealth of random, unrelated information. He showed us the Kaskasse plant which is a laxative that helps the user vomit out any illness or bad food consumed earlier. As the old NBC commerical would sing after a celebrity would talk about the virtues of literacy and staying in school: "THE MORE YOU KNOW"
• Toockool house – We saw a number of these houses during our trek and during our stay in Lalibela. These houses look like silos with a pointy roof – almost like a shortened castle turret built directly into the ground.
• We also visited Mount Tabor which is the highest hill/peak overlooking the churches.
• There is some unfortunately large and prominent UNESCO scaffolding supporting many of the churches which takes away a bit of the majesty of the site.
• I have taken many photos of the churches which I will attempt to post if the Google / Picasa Photo-album ever cooperates. Side Note: Thanks to Tyra Banks and her talk show (a sentence I never thought I would use), I learnt that the digital camera has a mode called Sepia which lets you take pictures that look more ancient/old-school – so I have done a bit of photo-experimenting. (also some black and white shots too).

On our flight back, I fell asleep, as I am prone to do, and was shocked when I discovered that we reached Addis in ½ hour. Apparently, the flight back is a direct flight without all of the stops we encountered on our way there.

All in all, the Lalibela trip was a memorable experience without the crazy drama and misadventures that we faced on our trip to Bahir Dar back in September. Good times.

Adventures in Amharic

I have not posted my recent vocabulary list of Amharic words in quite some time. I have been taking Amharic lessons twice per week from my Amharic teacher, Ato Brahan at the Ethiopian Bar Association. He is such a great teacher and I am learning so much! I am so sorry the list of words is so long. In the future, I will try and split it up over the course of several posts. Thank you so much Ato Brahan. The list of new words is as follows:

Amharic –> English

Endenet Hai-laa-nuu – Unity is Power
Nasainet Mudanow – What is Freedom?
Dir – thread
Ambassa hailaynya oreyno – Strength in Numbers (literally: Much thread will tie a lion)
Shai – tea
Yeshai Servi – tea cup
Sooka – sugar
Manka – teaspoon
Yey – hee – saab maachin – calculator
Yey – worokat membsha – hole punch
Misa – lunch
Erat – dinner
Courz – breakfast
Maxus – snack
Colo – Ethiopian trail mix (a mix of grains, dried chic peas, sunflower seeds etc)
Simbara colo – peas
Messhayt – magazine
Guz – page
Moucha – table of contents
Maasater – abbreviation
Unkus – part
Derasai – receipt
Kulf - key
Zir zir – to exchange / exchange rate
Postab – envelope
Mataf – to fold
Carbon – carbon
Table/chart – centery
Seraa – prepare it/do it
Eu-ko-yin – stop it / enough
Eylip Godenya – best friend
Sow – wun – be a human being (be a thinking person)
Bezoo asin – think about it
Leetch aatooroo – don’t be childish
Yelij asaab – childish thinking
Kebruhein tabik – keep your dignity/calm down
Sow naatehun tabik – keep you personality/image
Huggu akibhir – follow/honour the law
Enatinna akbaten akbhar – you must honour your father and mother
Lensoosaa dekhoon – be kind to animals
Wooh-dam sow kebri – yellam – a greedy man has no honour
Memmar – Raasin – Leymegzatnow – as a learner, you control your mind
Heed-woah – get out
Na – come on
Ahm – taa – give me
Hoe – denna jerbaa – they do not agree (opposites) (Literal meaning – they are back and stomach)
Lam – cow
Berree – ox
Berwetch – oxen
Aiya – ass/donkey (also used to describe a careless, lazy person)
Ferez – horse
Bekrow – mule
Wund fiel – male goat
Sayt fiel – female goat
Tijja – calf
Tankara – strong
Sheeva – lamb
Dekama – weak
Azmara – harvest time
Marriat – earth
Alem – world
Semai – sky
Middiawooyee – earthly
Semaiyawooyee – heavenly
Xavier – God
Tawot – god/idol
Mamlek – worship
Menfass – spirit
Menfass-sawee-hiwot – spiritual
Cigurellem – no problem
Dinn-hut – poverty
Legginnut – being young
Akmah-ahdem – human state/maturity (man)
Akmah-hiwan – young woman – human state/maturity
Shimaagiri – old
Woah-taat – young
Too goor – working like a dog or bee (hard worker – no rest)
Sohm – fasting
Sohm-a-Jesus – fasting for Jesus
Genna – Christmas
Timkat – Epiphany/Baptism
Fasika – Easter
Ba-alle hamsa - Pentecost
Rigut – go to heaven
Dawit – my Lord
Takli – church wedding
Seyt ayt – grandmother
Wund ayt – grandfather
Akist – aunt
Ashkur – servant
Agoat – uncle
Ehud – sister
Wundum – brother
Farree – afraid/fear
Wassan – border
Habt - property
Nebrat habt – mobile property
Yemain kessakuss – fixed property (land/real property)
Sow serrash – artificial, man made things
Nedatch – fuel
Terrabezza – table
Doulla – walking stick
Seyill – picture/photo
Yesow seyill – portrait/picture of a person
Ensessa seyill – animal picture
Geooze – gender – inanimate object
Sillitanni – civilization
Ye-sillitanni zenmen – age of civilization
Wollokar – backwardness
Aynasalwoor – blind
Aynasalwoor-net – blindness
Dinkurinnaa – ignorance
Donkor – adjective – ignorant man
Seruff – dull
Gobez – good, brave
Nebir – tiger
Ambassa – lion
Sayt ambassa – lioness
Debboll ambassa/gill gill ambassa – lion cub
Frudde biyette – court of law
Kafatenya frudde biyette – high court
Tekillai fudde biyette – supreme court
Woreda – district
Mezzagajja – municipality
Kebele – neighbourhood
Balle – husband
Miste – wife
Yekkusail sim – nickname
Metatt – alcohol
Wotaff – milk
Taiyikk – ai – ask me
Wodih-hallo – I Love You
Atti – Tayikk – Don’t ask
Yemar-tuch – honey
Gongo – beautiful/handsome
Gonjinna - beauty

The Great Ethiopian Run

On Sunday, November 23, 2008, I participated in the Great Ethiopian Run, an annual event, started by Olympic gold-medalist Haile Gebreselassie nearly 8 years ago which is meant to foster a sense of community, civic participation, active lifestyles and social consciousness about key emerging issues. The Great Ethiopian Run is a 10 km run through Addis Ababa which starts and ends at Meskal Square in the center of the city. Haile Gebreselassie was there to greet all of the runners as we started on the trek through Addis. Nearly 30,000 participants participate every year and this year, there were close to 32,000 people in the race. The first 10 winners receive cash prizes and everyone else receives a participation medal. Furthermore, this year, the run was devoted to raising public awareness about the suffering and plight of orphans and street children, so it was also for a worthy cause.

At this stage, many of you who know me well, must be wondering, what the heck is Prasanna doing at the Great Ethiopian Run? One of my good friends, Janani, gave me the nickname of Piles Crane. According to her, once, while playing ultimate Frisbee, I ran around like Niles Crane from the TV sitcom Fraser (played by comic genius David Hyde Pierce.) For those of you who have never seen Niles Crane run, he basically runs about with his legs flying every which way and his arms flailing in the air, out of breath after about 5 minutes of any physical activity. Even though I refused to admit it at the time, Janani was quite correct. I have no athletic skill whatsoever. I never have. I never will. I am the quintessential definition of a non-athlete.

However, I discovered to my great surprise, that the Great Ethiopian Run also allows participants to walk and to my great pleasure, all of the Canadians that I went with to the GER decided to walk this year. So, I walked 10 km on Sunday and I picked up a participation medal. It was my first sports-related medal ever! I once received a fourth-place ribbon at the Grade 8 track meet for long jump, but there were only 4 participants in the event, so the 4th place finish was not so much an accomplishment as it was a biting comment on my absolute inability to succeed athletically.

Throughout the Run….er walk on Sunday, we were stuck behind a group of singing participants who made it a point to protest the arrest and imprisonment of Ethiopian superstar and musical icon Teddy Afro. Every single time we tried to pass them, they would catch up with us and the chants and songs would start anew.

The walk was also a great way to see many parts of Addis that I have yet to discover. We started at Meskal Square, went west, would north and then circled back to Meskal – it was treat to experience the city on foot without the stress of the mini-buses and the drama of negotiating with unreasonable taxi drivers.

After the walk, a group of 20 Canadians and Americans and Europeans (the expats stick together) went to Rodeo Bar which is a country western eating establishment / bar in Addis. It felt like I stepped through a portal and landed back in rural Saskatchewan. All of the parking attendants at the restaurant were in cowboy hats and big boots. The waiters all wore those country shirts with the epaulettes and snap buttons. Such a treat – it was like being at the Longbranch in Saskatoon. Too funny! I never thought I would find a cowboy bar in Africa, but apparently they exist! Only in Addis!

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission

As part of my work with the UNDP, last week, I met with officials from the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in Addis. The EHRC is a relatively new organization and is slowing developing its complaints system, allowing individuals, organizations and entities to file complaints for human rights violations. In Canada, human rights commissions are established by legislation which clearly stipulates the situations in which a commission can accept complaints. For instance, complaints can be lodged only if there is discrimination on a prohibited ground (i.e. race, sex, creed, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability etc.) in a specific context (i.e. in the context of employment, the provision of public services, housing etc.).

In Ethiopia, the EHRC is given a vast mandate allowing complaints for any violations of the Ethiopian Constitution. The Ethiopian Constitution is a robust instrument that provides a vast protection of rights in a vast number of areas. That there is an organization that allows individuals to make direct complaints against others based on constitutional violations is truly interesting. Furthermore, under the EHRC framework, individuals can file complaints against other individuals. The complaint framework does not have the same restrictions of prohibited ground and specific context as the Canadian models.

In my work with the EHRC, I am helping them with programming and planning for next year, including the development of projects which they can implement to further their mandate. The EHRC staff is an amazing group of people with lots of energy and enthusiasm and who believe in the promise of the EHRC to engender a culture of rights and their respect in Ethiopia.

Merkato Mayhem

On Saturday afternoon, Mary, Eric and I went with Muligeta (one of our friends here) to visit the Merkato (which is Italian for “market”). The Merkato is the largest open air market in Africa and is about 7 square km with rows, and lanes and streets of stores and stalls selling everything from grains to spices to fabrics to jewellery to art to ceramics all in one area. The Merkato is the source of all goods in Addis and vendors and stores and galleries in other areas often sell goods they have purchased from the Merkato. It was like going straight to the source!

It also put my bargaining skills to the test, honed after many visits to India. You see, there are no price tags on items and the true price whether it is for goods or for cab fare is only arrived at after sometimes lengthy negotiations with the vendor or cabbie. It was great that Muligeta took us, because the Merkato is literally a maze of streets and alleys and foreigners are often taken advantage of by vendors who insist on selling goods at ridiculously high prices. It is also very crowded on Saturdays. Muligeta helped us determine the appropriate prices for goods and led us through the meandering streets. The Merkato is also notorious for its pick-pockets, so we were careful not to carry much money or any valuables.

It was such a fun afternoon – I really wish I could have taken some pictures of the market, but my camera battery died, plus pulling out a camera in the crowded market is literally like wearing a neon sign that says foreigner. Thanks so much Muligeta for taking us to the Merkato!

A Masquerade and A Splash of Colour

So, the parcel saga has a good ending. As I mentioned earlier, the parcel contained items for the children at the rehabilitation center at Menagesha including markers, pencil crayons, crayons, pastels, paper, poster board, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners and animal masks of various animals for all of the children. You see, after they have finished their rehabilitation at Menagesha, the children often leave and return or start school in their home community. I was worried, because the children do not have any art supplies or school supplies while they are learning at the rehabilitation center and when they return to full-time school in their home communities.

As such, my amazing cousin Asha in India purchased enough school supplies, art supplies, toys, and paper/animal masks for the children at Menagesha so that the arts and school programs at Menagesha could continue and the children could have some supplies to take with them when they left. My mom also sent items from Canada to my cousin Asha in India who packaged all of these valuable materials and sent them my way. Thank you so much Ashakka and Mom! You have truly brought a “splash of colour” into the lives of the children!

I delivered the items to the school on Saturday and the teachers and children were over the moon! The children immediately put on their masks (hence the ad hoc masquerade), tore the packages of markers open and began to draw and colour and paint as if compelled by some artistic spark or creative force. It was truly a sight to behold and tears welled up in my eyes as I witnessed the absolute jubilation in their eyes.

Later that morning, the Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia visited Menagesha, toured the facility and enjoyed a musical performance by the children who insisted on wearing their animal masks. The ambassador gifted the children with new backpacks and T-shirts! It was absolutely perfect, as the children had all they needed for their classes and their return to school after leaving Menagesha.

Going Nowhere via Express Post

My family in India mailed me a parcel over two weeks ago and this past Friday after multiple trips to the post office/courier office, I made one final trip to the local courier office to enquire about the status of my parcel. My family had sent arts supplies and toys for the children I teach at Menagesha on Saturdays and also some tasty treats such as Badam Halwa (an almond dessert with saffron) – which is my grandmother’s specialty.

You see, in Ethiopia, there are no street addresses and by owning a house, you do not automatically get to receive mail from the Ethiopian postal authority. You must have a separate PO Box. The house that we are renting in Addis does not have a post office box and our landlord indicated that he has applied for one, but it has been quite some time and he still has not heard. As such, I had my family in India mail the parcel to my office. In the past, the post office would call once the parcel arrived and deliver it to my office.

Let’s just say that this time, something a little different happened.

After multiple trips to post office, I discovered that the parcel had actually been sitting there for over a week but nobody had sent a notice to indicate the parcel’s arrival. When I politely asked why nobody contacted me with a notice to let me know the parcel had arrived, I was faced with an angry manager who yelled at me, telling me that they did send a notice and that I simply chose to ignore it. I assured him that I checked with the staff at the office and that we had received no such notice. He told me that he would prove to me it was sent. As he scurried off in a dramatic flourish, another man tapped me on my shoulder and asked me to follow him for a moment. He told me, “I have to get my job done and then go. You deal with your issues later.” I had no idea what he was talking about. I followed him to a corner of the room where the parcel was on the floor. He asked me if it was my parcel, to which I said it was. He said that he had been called to inspect it and proceeded to rip the box open throwing the contents about the room with items landing on the floor.

It was like one of those moments on Ally McBeal back in the day when Ally would see the dancing baby. I was having a complete out-of-body experience as my parcel flew about me – all the while thinking – “this cannot really be happening can it?” Midway through his merciless search, he finally indicated that he was a customs officer and asked if there were any electronic items in the parcel that should be subject to duty. I bleated out “no only pencil crayons and almond halwa”. Disregarding my response, he turned to the parcel with renewed vigour in the dogged pursuit of electronic items. When he found none, he stuffed the items into the shredded box and added one piece of tape to bind it shut, sauntering off with a bounce in his step. If he had a mustache, I would picture him twirling it like Jafar from Aladdin.

After this debacle, I returned to the other desk where the manager and the postal employees were going all CSI in their efforts to prove that they had sent a notice to my office indicating the parcel was here. You see, there are no computer systems at the post office. Parcels are recorded in a large notebook and the notices are filled out by hand. Thousands of parcels arrive daily and the records are all kept in notebook after notebook after notebook.

Finally, after 15 minutes of searching, they came to the conclusion that the notice was never sent and that the parcel had been sitting here idle for over a week. They made no attempt at that stage to apologize and I kindly asked to speak to their manager to explain the situation. Noticing that I did not intend to leave until I spoke with someone, they asked me to move to another room so that we could all collectively figure out a solution. So my shredded parcel and I made our way to the adjoining office. Onlookers in the packed foyer / hall of the post office stared in amusement as if to say in their most condescending voice “Look at the sad farenji and his shredded parcel.”

When I arrived at the office, still in a state of shock at the angry manner at which the manager yelled at me earlier and the customs officer ripped up my box, I was told by the manager that the boss would arrive. One hour later, there was still no sign of the “Boss”. With all the mystery in which this “boss” was shrouded, I half expected Bruce Springsteen to show up and break into song or for an Ethiopian Ashton Kutcher to emerge and yell PUNKED! After repeated calls, the “Boss” showed up and was apprised of the situation by the other employees who huddled around her in a corner.

Suddenly she stepped forward and said that I should have some tea or water or coffee, as if that was why I waited for over an hour. She kept insisting and finally pressed a 1 liter water bottle into my hands. I simply told her that I wanted to let her know what happened and how I was treated.

She indicated that the relevant employees would be severely “punished” which shocked me! All I was hoping for was an actual apology or a partial refund on some of the shipping/courier charges as the parcel did not arrive in the time period promised by the postal authority. You see, this response of “punishing” unrelated employees is fairly typical here. When we had an awful stay at the Summerland in Bahir Dar in September and spoke with the manager, his only response was that he was going to punish someone. Punishment of an unrelated employee seems to be the way that suggestions or comments from the public are handled and I find that extremely troubling.

I told her that by no means did I want an employee punished, but that I simply wanted to report what happened earlier. She laughed at my naivete as if to say, “Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids.” After I made her promise that nobody would be “punished”, she informed me that she would come to my office on Monday to discuss in detail what they would do to rectify the situation and to remedy the poor treatment I had received in the post office. She kept inexplicably laughing and all of the employees kept saying things about me in Amharic. Let’s just say, I don’t think they were saying nice things.

I hobbled out of the office with my new bottle of water in one hand, dragging my shredded parcel thinking – stuff like this only ever happens to me.

Monday came and went.

No sign of a visit from the manager.

I called her and said that I no longer wished to discuss this matter – let’s just leave it alone. I asked her not to worry about it. She laughed her signature laugh as if to say, “I won” and assured me that nobody would be punished.

I hung up, leaned back in my chair, and sipped my newly acquired bottle of water, laughing at the lunacy of the situation. Ahhhh….good times.

Law and Economic Development Conference

On Thursday, November 13, 2008, I attended the Law and Economic Development Conference hosted by DLA Piper (a huge international law firm) and Addis Ababa University Faculty of Law. The conference touched on a number of important topics including forms of dispute resolution in the promotion of economic development, microfinance: finance for entrepreneurs and supporting local development initiatives through these new institutions of economic support, and legal infrastructure for development. The conference brought together leading academics in Ethiopia, international lawyers and microfinance experts! You see, I am typically scared by any economic-type conference because the topics usually fly way over my head. However, this conference was very interesting and really tied together the role of economic development with empowering marginalized groups, promoting robust justice frameworks, and engendering a culture of respect for human rights.

DLA Piper and Addis Ababa Law School have entered into a very interesting and nuanced partnership relationship under DLA Piper’s Pro-Bono and International Development Department called New Perimeter which sees the law firm providing the law school with international instructors, valuable resource materials for the library, and programmatic and institutional support. The website for this partnership program can be found at http://www.newperimeter.com.

As an added bonus, this conference was at the beautiful Sheraton Addis and there was a full meal service at lunch, ample coffee breaks and treats and extremely opulent surroundings.

Confession time: I have been traveling to the Sheraton most Fridays at lunch. I eat my packed lunch at the office and then take a novel/book to the Sheraton to either read in the gardens or to read on one of the comfy couches/chairs in one of the many fancy lobbies. So, at this conference, it was finally nice to actually have a legitimate reason to visit the Sheraton.

Confession time (part deux): I ate 3 danishes at the morning coffee break and enjoyed multiple glasses of juice. I also made sure to have multiple samosas at the closing reception. I felt like I was back in law school, where as students, we would always attend the various receptions and enjoy the food and drink so that we did not have to worry about cooking dinner when we got home (Shout out especially to the grilled vegetables and the basil pesto with bread). Let’s just say that I employed a similar strategy at this conference in that I ate enough to last me for at least a day after the conference concluded.

Fasika Fabulousness

On Saturday night, after I returned from Menagesha, I went out for dinner with Mary, Eric, Terefe, Yeshi, Sehen and her mother to Fasika, a traditional Ethiopian restaurant that has become a very popular eatery and hotspot with both locals and farenjis (foreigners). You see, in addition to boasting traditional Ethiopian cuisine, Fasika has live music and live dance performances for you to enjoy while you eat your dinner. The music was a combination of fast beats and slow ballads with traditional stringed instruments and drums and vibrant vocalists. The dances were from all regions of Ethiopia and the costumes were colourful!

The ambience was absolutely amazing – there was traditional artwork and furniture. We sat on couches instead of the typical restaurant with chairs and tables. They served fresh popcorn (Yay!) with the coffee and all of the servers were decked out in various regional manifestations of traditional Ethiopian attire!

In terms of food, I had the “fasting plate” (which is one of the only vegetarian options at the restaurant) but contrary to its name, there was enough food to serve at least 4 people. The plate is covered with a large piece of injera (Ethiopian fermented, flatbread made of teff) and covered with various vegetable preparations including shiro (a chic peas puree/gravy with spices), lentils, potatoes and carrots, cabbage, chic peas, and fasting fir fir. I enjoyed the meal! Thanks so much to Sehen and her mother who picked up the entire tab and treated us to such a lovely feast!

WalkAbility 2008

On Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early at 4:30 AM to catch the employee bus departing for Menagesha. The bus left an hour earlier than usual because it was the annual Cheshire Services Ethiopia Walk - WalkAbility 2008. This walk is a 21 km hike through the countryside surrounding Menagesha, allowing walkers to a) support disability rights and the services offered by Cheshire and b) enjoy the rugged terrain and beautiful landscape of rural Ethiopia.

Upon arrival, I marveled at how lovely the grounds looked that morning! There were multi-coloured tents set up on the grass with different tables and stations at each. There was a huge food tent, as the Hilton Addis Ababa was sponsoring the luncheon for all of the participants. There was a volleyball court and many other activities for the participants. Luckily, the weather was relatively cooperative: the rain stayed away that morning but it was super cold. Well, you win some, you lose some, I guess.

I served as the co-MC (Master of Ceremonies) for the event with Ayu, one of the social workers at Menagesha. I was to make the announcements and introductions in English and Ayu was to make corresponding announcements in Amharic. As soon as I arrived in Menagesha at 7 AM, I met with Ayu and we began hashing out exactly what we wanted to say as part of our MCing duties. We had prepared some important background information on Cheshire, its rehabilitation center and Menagesha and its various programs and services in Ethiopia. We also shouted words of encouragement into the PA system when runners returned back after the long journey!

We also set up an ad-hoc “talk show” at the MC table. Now, I do not want to exaggerate the extent of our talk show. Let’s just say we were more community radio (Wake Up Wakefield) than Oprah Winfrey. I have to admit that the whole time it felt like we were in the cast of the latest Christopher Guest film (i.e. Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, For Your Consideration) or on a really odd episode of Punk’d. We interviewed returning runners and asked them about their experience. The first runner to return had won the race the past three years running (no pun intended). One of the top 5 winners was an inspirational 11-year old boy from Addis who was participating in the run/walk for the very first time. He was so pleased to talk to the crowd about his experience on the run/walk and was really looking forward to telling his classmates on Monday that he completed the run!

Also, all of the participants and children were given T-shirts that said WalkAbility 2008. The only downside to the T-shirts was that they had the unfortunate characteristic of bleeding colours as soon as the T-shirt got remotely wet. Eeps. Memo to all participants: make sure to wash your colours and whites separately!

I also took my camera to Cheshire for the first time this weekend to take some pictures of the center and the various WalkAbility events! I have to say that the children were over the moon when they saw the camera. They all wanted their very own picture and would push other kids out of the frame just before the camera clicked so as to be the “star”! They also wanted me to take tons of group pictures and asked that I give them a copy when I had a chance. As soon as I clicked the camera, they would rush me like a group of football players on the verge of at tackle to see the picture on the viewfinder/screen!

After the run was completed, there were a number of events for the various participants including a tug of war competition between the various corporate sponsors. There was also a pot breaking competition which is similar to a piñata, where a blind-folded participant swings a bat with the hope of breaking a terra-cotta earthen pot. The only downside is that unlike a piñata, there is no candy or money inside. The handicrafts made by the children were proudly displayed and were sold so as to raise funds for the arts and crafts programs. The children also performed a series of group songs for the crowd and got everyone up and moving! They also staged traditional dances which are typically done using sticks which the participants hit against each other. Instead of sticks, the children used their crutches. The children in wheelchairs moved to the beat of the music and joined in the burgeoning chorus of vocalists! It was absolutely wonderful!

All in all, the event was a tremendous success, drawing out nearly 200 participants to take part in the walk/run and resulting in increased funding for the organization’s programs. I was so grateful to have been a part of this event and celebrate with Cheshire!

Change We Can Believe In

I woke up this morning (Wednesday, November 05, 2008) at 5 AM to watch the U.S. election results come in live. I was flipping the channels back and forth between BBC, ABC News, France 24 etc. to see the different takes on the election campaign so far and the results. I have to admit that I have not been this emotionally and politically invested in an election campaign for a very long time. I tried to understand my interest in this election. Was it because I am an election junkie? Was it because I called New York City home for close to a year? Was it because the issues affecting the American populace were issues that had import to everyone as global citizens? Was it the charisma, character, compassion and confidence that Obama exuded? Was it the historic nature of this election – with Obama having the potential to become the first African American President of the United States? It was a combination of these factors. However, as I watched the results come in, it was so much more.

I was taken aback by how emotional I was as the results came in and as Obama delivered his moving, stirring, and deeply resonant acceptance speech. I was verklempt as the camera scanned crowds across America tuning in to the results, tears streaming down their faces, elated not simply because their candidate won but because before their very eyes something truly momentous was happening. This moment, in American history, and indeed in world history is so much bigger than the end of a campaign and the commencement of a new government. This moment symbolizes the possibility that each and every one of us have the chance to realize our dreams.

This past weekend, I just finished reading his book, the Audacity of Hope and have been impressed with how his message throughout the campaign has remained consistent with his core values, his sense of integrity, his spirit of cooperation, and his commitment to human rights and justice. It is rare, in a world of politicians, so quick to pursue the negative and abandon their beliefs for the allure of votes, that Barack Obama has inspired a nation with his positive spirit, his sense of optimism and hope, and his unwavering belief that at the end of the day, the most important message is one of love, compassion and understanding.

In addition to capturing the hearts and minds of the American people, I am impressed by how Obama has managed to truly capture the collective consciousness of the international community. The television coverage today showed celebrations in Kenya and around the world. There have been Obama posters, T-shirts and bumper stickers all over Addis Ababa for the past several months. For the first time in my memory, these elections have captured the world’s attention not simply because of the U.S. importance in international affairs, but because there has been a person who has singularly transcended political rhetoric to inspire people all over the world by his message and by his example.

As my father wrote to me this morning in an email regarding the wonderful results: History is Made. On so many levels, that is something truly amazing!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Hello! So I have finally uploaded some pictures of our trip to Debrezait, Nazrit and Sodere and also from the Diwali Party we had at our house last weekend. I am still trying to upload photos from the Maskal celebrations in September, but the internet is being less than cooperative. I hope you are all doing wonderfully! Take care and talk soon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/prasannainethiopia

Diwali Delight: Tiramisu, Stationery and Snacks

Today, on the actual day of Diwali (October 27), I celebrated with my boss, co-workers and colleagues at the office with some delicious Tiramisu.

In the afternoon, I received my first care package (Yay!) which was sent from my family in India. It was filled with sweets (i.e. date halwa – one of my favourites), snacks, plantain chips and mixture/trail mix for Diwali. It was also filled with stationery, markers, pencils, animal masks, and crayons and pencil sharpeners for the children at Menagesha! You see, I had tried to buy the children some paper and rudimentary supplies for my classes on Saturday, but when I went to the stationery store, 200 sheets of regular printer paper cost $20 and the markers and pens were even more expensive. I now totally understand why, during my elementary school years, we used to send pencils and stationery to children in Ethiopia as a part of Project Love. Paper products and school supplies in Ethiopia are ridiculously priced! In fact, the children at Menagesha are so careful with their paper. They keep using the same piece of paper to draw pictures over and over again with the one pen that someone gave to them years ago.

As such, I am so grateful for the materials! Thank you so much to my family - to Ammulamma (my grandmother) for making the wonderful date halwa and to my wonderful cousin, Asha, for buying all of the supplies for the children! I love you all very much!

Diwali Party

Some of you might recall the episode of the American television sitcom, The Office, where staff member and customer-service representative Kelly Kapoor invites everyone in the office to a Diwali Party which her parents are hosting. When asked about Diwali, Kelly has absolutely no idea what Diwali means and simply tells everyone it is a lot of “fun”! I don’t profess to be an expert on Diwali and my knowledge is likely just as limited as Kelly Kapoor (and she is right when she says it is “fun”), but the following is a brief description.

This year, October 27, 2008 is Diwali – the East Indian festival of lights. Diwali (or Deepavali as it is called in South India) is the most significant holiday and festival in India. While Diwali has religious significance for Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, Diwali has become a truly Indian, national festival celebrated by people from all faiths and denominations. The central notion is the lighting of the lamp to drive away darkness both literally and symbolically. Diwali is considered by some as the dawn of a New Year and as a time to celebrate with family and friends with food, fireworks, prayer and celebration. Employees often receive a large annual bonus from their companies/bosses on this day. Everyone in the family wears new clothes, eats lots of food and sweets, and listens to music and dances. Traditionally, the home is illuminated by hundreds of diyas, small terra cotta or brass oil lamps which are lit with matches. There are also fireworks to celebrate this auspicious occasion.

This year, I decided to throw a Diwali Party in Addis! It was a way for me both to connect to the rich cultural traditions of my family and heritage and to celebrate with the wonderful new friends I have made since moving to Addis 3 months ago. In total, there were about 32 people crammed into our house. We had a full East Indian meal, catered from Sangam, my favourite Indian restaurant in Addis! We had vegetable samosas, cracked pepper and caraway pappadum, green lime and coriander chutney, peas pilaf, navarathan khorma (mixed vegetables in a creamy tomato and spice gravy), palak paneer (rich East Indian cheese cooked in a simmering spinach and tomato gravy), freshly baked naan bread, and raitha (lightly spiced yogurt with grated carrot, cucumber, tomato and cilantro). For dessert, we had gulab jamun (essentially East Indian “Timbits” soaked in syrup infused with rose-essence, cardamom and sugar). Eric and Mary also brought some delectable Millefolille from Purple Café (which had the words Happy Diwali written on top) and there was some yummy chocolate cake from Swiss Café. For drinks, we had water and Ambo (sparkling water or Perrier bottled from the natural spring in Ambo, Ethiopia) and Mango juice (Maaza). We developed this delicious drink which I now call the “Mambo” which is a combo of 1/3 of a glass of Mango juice (Maaza) and 2/3 Ambo to create a fizzy mango drink concoction.

I must say that this party would not have been possible without Mary, Eric and Terefe’s family. I practically had to steal most of Terefe’s seating/furniture in order to have enough places for people to sit. Melat, Terefe’s eldest daughter, helped me decorate with lights and helped me arrange and light all of the candles on the pathway leading up to the main house. She also found a string of Christmas lights which we looped over the buffet. Abel, Terefe’s son, was the DJ for the evening. He found a whole host of Bollywood songs and made a mixed playlist on my ITunes with Bollywood music, South Indian classical music, bhajans (East Indian devotional hymns) and popular Western music. He played the tunes all night and made sure the music fit the mood of the moment, light instrumental and movie songs during dinner, pop music during cocktails and samosas, and upbeat Bollywood dance anthems during the fireworks. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, my amazing landlord Terefe got us fireworks for the party! About a month ago, I mentioned how important fireworks are for a Diwali celebration but how in Canada, it is virtually impossible to have your own fireworks display in your yard due to government regulations. Terefe went out the very next day and bought a huge collection of fireworks including the fountain type, the rockets, and the multi-coloured exploding type for us to use on Diwali in Addis.

At one point during the party, I thought that fireworks would be impossible. You see, as Murphy’s Law dictates, after nearly 6 weeks of hot weather and no rain, yesterday, a freak rainstorm from the Indian Ocean cast its shadow over the city of Addis, blanketing the city in a steady downpour for most of the afternoon. At one point, in the afternoon, while setting up for the party, Melat and I had to collect all of the candles from the main walkway in order to prevent them from getting wet in the rain.

When the rain stopped about an hour before the party, we thought we were in the clear, but sure enough right after dinner, when we were supposed to start the fireworks, the rain commenced anew with renewed and uncompromising vigor. I had all but given up on the fireworks and in fact, some people had started to leave after dessert when my landlord insisted that we would do the fireworks. The rain slowed and it was lightly “spitting” when he asked everyone to come out onto the front porch and started the fireworks display, launching the huge firecrackers from the front lawn! It was amazing and awesome and everyone had such a blast! Thank you so much Terefe. I will post pictures of the party, which my amazing friend Susan (who has mad photography skillz) took on my camera! Thanks Susan!

As I sit here writing this note on the actual day of Diwali, the festival of lights, I am grateful to all of the people who light up my life - my parents, family, friends, aunties and uncles, teachers and colleagues. You all mean the world to me. Happy Diwali to everyone both near and far! May the light of this special day enrich your lives, bring you joy and fill your hearts with love and laughter today, tomorrow and always. And as Kelly Kapoor so aptly put it, may today be “lots of fun and stuff.”

Dance Dance Revolution and Name that Tune: Ethiopian Edition

On Saturday, when I was teaching my class at Menagesha, I met W, a hilarious, lively and incredibly mischievous little boy! You see W is likely the smallest child at Menagesha in terms of height, but like all contrasts in life, he strikes fear and terror in the heart of every other child there! The other children are truly afraid of him. He smiles his wicked smile and then without warning and often without provocation, he will plunge forward and attack any other child that looks at him sideways.

He is a spitfire! However, in addition to being the designated bully, W is also a wicked dancer. He was showing me and the other children his dancing skills. He was showing me dances from the Amhara region, the Oromo region and Tigrinya dancing. He also does this thing where he jumps out of his wheelchair, flips the wheelchair on its side climbs on to the wheel of the wheelchair and then spins himself on the wheel in true vintage, break-dancing fashion – all to the beat of the music. He is ridiculously talented (and I have to admit, kinda scary in a Tony Soprano kind of way). Thanks for the dance demonstration W!

This weekend, I also learned a number of Amharic religious and traditional hymns (called Mazmoor – religious hymns) from the children in the recovery ward at Menagesha. These children had just undergone extensive surgery and were still recovering on bed-rest, but this did not prevent them from teaching me a whole host of songs. The lyrics of these songs are as follows:

Song 1:
Amla Kay Balai Baliya – Beara
Azai-no Bownett
Fitzum Azaiye
Mita Bikan Yey – Mazananaiye

Song 2:
Fitzum Azinow Oulet-Tao
Xavier – Tenya Iyar Ago

Song 3:
Kafataari Batachu
Kafataurawn – Balai
Manal – endanchi
Dum-o-la-doo-lay

Song 4 (This song is about love and faith, I think):

Chorus : Fikir Lesallalam Endante Yellam
Kahaleena Geytah Yema Taretta
Igic Fatanew Saragulluchi
Yesat Fallasuwa Yezwal Bajjochew

Verse 1: Ayesha – na – fim
Aworkim Kaatum
Zaarem Yeeno-raal
Maka-du-molto

(Chorus)

Verse 2: Yaagurameraama
Takuralsaamaayoo
Alakooshaashu Kabrooneeya – You
Yemastagaaba
Mabrek-Now Dimsu
Yesi-yon – Najotch
Thanawawatoo

(Chorus)

Verse 3: Aynook – indayetch
Afardoom – Anta
Merkoo – Abazitayay
Tizackalamoto
Endet – e – derke
Biye – alelahim
Fikur – ninna – lezella – alem

(Chorus)

Verse 4: Metazayabeut Megawat-Towgale
Fittret Manennay
Untahe-Iyaley
Yedystamunchay
Yehiltabeytay Zayutinaktol
Abruthol – Feetay

(Chorus)

Cell Phone, Schmell Phone

Hi all! Just a quick note to let you know that due to dramatic circumstances far beyond my control, I have had to get a new cell phone number effective immediately. My new cell phone number is (for those calling from Canada) 011 251 913319302. The land line telephone number remains the same at 011 251 11 6633322. Hope to talk to you all soon!

Good Afternoon Mr. President

On Sunday, October 19, 2008, I went to the National Palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend an invitation-only event hosted by His Excellency Girma Wolde Ghiorghis, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Yes, you read that correctly, yesterday, I went to an event hosted by the President of Ethiopia!

Let’s go back to the very beginning. On Friday night, I received a text message from my friend and colleague Sehen who works for the UN. She informed me that she had an invitation for me to attend the annual debriefing ceremony and gala reception for the Ethiopian National PolioPlus Committee of Rotary International at the National Palace. You see, every year, Rotary International conducts a 7-day intensive Polio vaccination program which sees healthcare professionals traveling door to door in rural communities in Ethiopia to provide polio vaccinations. The program is supported by Rotary International and has received around 100 million dollars in funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. At the end of the annual 7-day program, the President of Ethiopia hosts a debriefing ceremony and gala reception in his presence at the National Palace.

I arrived at the Palace as per the invitation’s instructions at 1:45 PM on Sunday and went through security screening before entering the Palace. The security kept all cell phones and cameras before allowing anyone into the Palace. We were seated around 2 PM and the ceremony commenced at 3 PM with the Grand Procession where the President and several Ministers entered the palace and walked down the center aisle.

There were a number of speeches by the heads of the different Rotary clubs and a representative from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation made a presentation. The entire ceremony was conducted in the grand palace courtroom/chamber. You see, the National Palace, now the home of the President of Ethiopia, was once the home of Emperor Haile Selassie back in the day and he held court in this large ballroom/courtroom/chamber. Emperor Selassie had his morning meeting with the ministers in this room and in the afternoon, he sat as a judge of the Supreme Court of Ethiopia hearing cases in this very room. He was the Court of ultimate appeal and his decisions were both final and binding on the parties concerned. His royal throne still holds a place of prominence on a raised dais at the end of the grand chamber. In front of this throne, about 3 or four large plushy / formal chairs were set up for the President of Ethiopia and the Ministers who were in attendance. The podium was set up at the other end of the ballroom/court/chamber so it was very dramatic when people were giving presentations, because, as the audience, we were seated in rows all the way down the sides of the room, just as the junior ministers, bureaucrats and aristocrats would have been seated back in the day. The voices of the presenters echoed and boomed in the vast expanse of the room.

Let me just say that the Palace did not disappoint. It is a long, expansive ivory-coloured edifice with numerous columns. It is situated far from the main gate behind lush gardens. It reminded me a bit of the description Jane Austen gives of Mr. Darcy’s estate Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice. She talks about how Pemberley only comes into view after a winding path and is obscured from full view by trees. The only difference was there were no rolling hills leading up to the National Palace like there were leading up to Pemberley.

The best description I can provide of the palace is that it is nostalgic, expansive and completely exotic. The main courtroom/chamber has huge vaulted ceilings, crown moldings, marble and wood floors, chandeliers, huge windows, billowing tapestries and fabrics, rich carpets, ornate furniture and varied artwork. Similarly, the ballroom/grand dining room where the cocktail reception was held after the ceremony was a sight for sore eyes. It once again boasted beautiful chandeliers, gleaming floors and a vast collection of artwork.

Now, the one thing about the palace that was extremely interesting to me was the reliance on animals for art. During the ceremony, seated in front of the President’s chair was this huge, real (or at once real anyways), stuffed lion. It was killed during hunting and stuffed. Similarly, in the grand ballroom/dining room, there is this huge stuffed leopard that watches over everyone and there are tons (and I mean tons) of ivory artifacts and elephant tusks everywhere. There are many hunting weapons on display. Let me just say that I am pretty sure that Emperor Selassie and now the President are not vegetarians. The only piece of art that was not somehow war, hunting or animal related was this vintage TV and speaker set. I am not sure if the TV is still used, but it is one of those old models that are ensconced in the wood-panelled box/encasement. Very vintage. The animal art makes sense in hindsight, given what I have learned about Emperor Haile Selassie from reading The Emperor. He was apparently an avid animal enthusiast and had pet leopards, lions and other animals around the palace. The entire palace is frozen in time – it is like Emperor Selassie never really left or he did and they have just not gotten around to redecorating. It is so interesting to visit the palace because it feels like you are stepping through a time portal that takes you back to another era – very Back to the Future (Part 1).

Oh – I totally forgot to mention anything about the President of Ethiopia. Well, his Excellency gave a speech which he delivered from his throne/official seat thanking Rotary International and its many partners for hosting the Polio vaccination clinics. He is an elderly man, but extremely stately and regal. I was under the impression that we would all have a chance to shake his hand and exchange greetings, but he was surrounded by guards and did not take pictures with anyone.

I was also super excited to attend this event, because a few of my students from Cheshire Services Ethiopia at Menagesha were to perform a song for the President of Ethiopia as a part of the program. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, they were not able to perform their piece but they did have a chance to present the President with flowers. It was great to see them afterwards enjoying the reception and eating the yummy cake (the food at the reception was delicious by the way – juice, mini-pizzas, cheese, bread, cake, puffs etc.). They were excited to see me and a bit shocked to see me in a suit. Usually when I head to class on Saturday mornings, I have literally rolled out of bed and put on a polar fleece and some khakis. I think they were shocked that I owned anything else to wear.

All in all, the experience was extremely memorable. Thank you so much Sehen for the ticket!

Lights Out, Royal Flush

On Saturday night, the power/electricity went out at our house. Power outages are not unfamiliar territory for me. Visiting India, you become accustomed to regular power outages which can often last for quite some time. On Saturday, I was in the midst of cleaning/doing some laundry when the power went out. I noticed that two of the youngest children at my landlord’s place were home alone. I invited them to sit with me on the front patio of the house where there were candles/lanterns and play cards. The youngest son, Baumlik, taught me how to play the card game called Injera and Wot (Ethiopian Bread and Stew) which is essentially the Ethiopian version of Go Fish. You fan out all of the cards face down in a large circle to form the injera (bread) and in the middle, you put four cards face up to form the Wot (stew). You then each take turns picking up one card from the injera ring and if the card you pick up matches one of the cards in the middle – you pick it up and get to keep the pair. This is what I understood anyways. I am pretty convinced that Baumlik was letting me win, especially since the rules would often unexpectedly change in my favour. Abel, the second youngest son, then taught me how to play a few other card games that are popular in Ethiopia. Our card games reminded me of playing cards with my cousins in India when the power went out. Good times.

Sewing with 'S'

This weekend I set out for my Saturday morning working with the children at Menagesha. This week, I met 15-year old S (I will leave out his full name), a boy with a mobility-related disability. He informed me that he has had multiple surgeries on his right leg which have resulted in complete loss of sensation and use of that leg. He is at Menagesha following his most recent series of surgeries in a post-surgery rehabilitation program. He talked to me at length about his family and his journey to Menagesha. He told me about the poverty that his family faces on a daily basis. His father, a farmer, and his mother, a cook, work long hours each and every day in order to barely provide for the basic needs of their family. He has 1 brother and 2 sisters. He informed me that his family is from a small rural community known as Sharbet. I asked if he has had a chance to see his family since his surgery, to which his response was no. He also informed me that he had no idea when he would next see his family. While such crushing news would be devastating to even the most seasoned adult, this young man, facing so many obstacles and a deep separation from his family and home, was positive and alive. He has taken his future in his own hands and is crafting out a course in life that will both fulfill him creatively but also support him in the form of a livelihood.

You see, while at Menagesha, S has been honing his artisan skills. At 15, he is an accomplished tailor and is quite adept at using the sewing machine. He has created beautiful linens etc. from the fabric that is donated to Menagesha. The arts teacher at Menagesha who oversees the handicraft/artistry program (which creates a number of traditional crafts, bags, and baskets which are then sold to support the children) is quite proud of him and calls him her most talented student.

S is also a teacher, an inspiration and a leader for all the children at Menagesha. He inspires the other children by his gentle presence, kind nature and good manners. He takes time to teach the other children arts and sewing and help them with their various projects.

On Saturday, S insisted that I try using the sewing machine. He indicated that he would teach me how to sew. I have not used a sewing machine for nearly 13 years and the last time was in Grade 9 sewing class. I told him that I barely passed Grade 9 sewing and this was after my teacher (I am not naming any names, but those of you in Grade 9 with me remember that class well) had practically made my entire final project for me (she kept using my hoodie as the example to show the class how to do particular stitches – she was pretty certain that I had no idea what I was doing). Furthermore, the sewing machine at Menagesha is a vintage [and I mean VINTAGE] Singer machine with the winding wheel on the side to make the machine run. This was no automated gizmo. Under S’s tutelage, I began to sew my very first pillowcase. All the while he was encouraging me and telling me that I was doing a great job!

S is one of those rare people in life that truly understands the meaning of compassion, inner strength and determination. That he has had to grow up so quickly is at the same time impressive and unfortunate. Part of me thinks that in facing such adversity at such a young age and in taking on this role as mentor to the other children, he has lost a part of his childhood that he can never truly recover. In the process, however, he has gained the respect and admiration of all of those around him, who have come to count on him as a source of strength and comfort. He is a bright light in the lives of these children. He is an inspiration. The world needs more people like S.

Canada Votes 2008 – Ethiopia Edition

So, last week, I traveled to the Canadian Embassy in Addis Ababa to cast my vote in the Canadian federal election that is happening today (October 14). It was important to me to cast my vote and make my voice heard. In this election, voting has had a more tangible, immediate quality. I don’t know if it is the pre-eminence of the American elections in the world consciousness (and the sense of vote, vote, vote) or whether it was this sense of wanting to make my voice heard in some small way, but I felt compelled to vote in a way that I never have before.

In any event, I was in a foreign land under the auspices of a Canadian federal government program. I realized how much Canada has given to me and how important it is to maintain that connection. Furthermore, living in Ethiopia, a country where democracy is a relatively recent phenomenon and where the political and social landscapes are ever-evolving in a roiling, eruptive fashion, the right to vote has taken on a whole new level of importance for me.

So, for all of my Canadian family and friends, make sure to get out there and vote today! Hey, if I could manage to get out and vote in Addis, you have no excuse not to travel to the polling station nearest you and exercise the very same right. Voting, it’s in you to give….or is that blood (the Red Cross commercial)? – I cannot remember the slogan. Oh well, you get the point. Vote.

Movies - Oldies but Goodies

This weekend, I was feeling a little under the weather, so after I returned from my class at Menagesha on Saturday, I spent the rest of the weekend recuperating at home. To this end, I rented a number of movies to tide me over. I watched Unfaithful starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Diane Lane was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in this movie. I also watched North Country starring Charlize Theron in a turn that also netted her an Oscar nomination. This movie was about the first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States and dealt with a miner who as the representative plaintiff commenced an action against a huge mining company after enduring brutal harassment in the workplace and failing to get any assistance from management to stop the harassment. The movie was really interesting and it was directed by Nikki Caro who also directed Whale Rider starring Keisha Castle-Hughes. If any of you have not seen Whale Rider or North Country – I really recommend both. Nikki Caro is a visionary.

Finally, I saw the movie Akeelah and the Bee starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne in their first movie together since What’s Love Got to Do with It? This was such a great movie. For those of you who do not know, I am a huge fan of the Scripps National Spelling Bee (yes – I know I am a geek and I am proud of it) and the documentary they made chronicling the lives of 7 different child prodigy spellers who were vying for the top prize at the national competition. The documentary is called Spellbound (I highly recommend it). This movie, unlike the documentary Spellbound, was a fictional depiction of one little girl’s journey through the competition. It was really good – one of those movies you can watch with your parents and they will love it too!

Absolutely Amharic

So, on the weekend, I made my trip to Menagesha to teach English / Music on Saturday morning. The kids were wonderful as usual. This week, I asked the children to describe what they wanted to be when they grew up. Most of the children wanted to be doctors, some wanted to be teachers, others wanted to be scientists, one wanted to be a “cow farmer”, one wanted to be an artist, one wanted to be prime minister, one wanted to be a farmer and one wanted to be an artist. When I asked if anyone wanted to be a lawyer like me, the room fell completely silent. I swear - you could hear crickets. The kids all stared at me and then burst out laughing – essentially telling me in unspoken code – as if anyone would actually want to be a lawyer. It is like one of those really bad lawyer jokes - except that it happened. Good times.

In other news, I learnt a whole new slew of Amharic words from the children this week. The list is as follows:

English – Amharic

Beard – Sim
Small – Thinnush
Short – Hacchur
Tall – Rajum
Thin – Kacchum
Fat – Ophram
Pen – Scripto
Paper – Luke
Ladybug – Tiziza
Rabbit – Tinjun
Star – Coco
Football – Quos
Fish – Asa
Straw – Wancha
Elephant – Zoowon
House – Bet
Cat – Dimut
Horse – Ferez
Boy – Wunt
Girl – Sayt
Oohckool – Equal
Teacher – Astamaarii
Doctor – Doctor
Scientist – Zafaranya

Friday Night Dinner (Not at the Gilmores)

On Friday evening, my good friend Susan invited a group of us over to her house for dinner. She prepared this absolutely delicious vegetarian pad thai and there were tons of lovely salads. It was also lovely to meet some of her friends in Addis whom I had not met before. Thanks so much Susan! Dinner was amazing and I had so much fun! I must get the pad thai recipe from you – I loved it!

Incredibly Indian

So, this past week, I have visited two Indian restaurants – one called Shaheen in the Sheraton hotel and the other called Ajanta. I went to Ajanta with a group of people 2 weekends ago and we have a mouth-watering array of dishes to enjoy including Palak Paneer (Spinach and paneer cheese) and Bhangan Bhartha (Pureed Eggplant Sauce/Gravy). There were close to 14 of us at dinner and it was nice to hang out with the other interns, Canadians and ex-pats who are currently calling Addis home.

I also visited Ajanta this past weekend because I heard they had rasam (which is a South Indian lentil tomato soup that is great for curing an upset tummy). Unfortunately, this restaurant’s version of rasam is far from the medley of lentils, spices, and herbs that combine to make this staple food. Instead, the restaurant decided to make rasam by mixing tandoori chicken paste with water and adding some chili powder. I have never tasted rasam like that in my life and I will take a pass at trying it again.

On Friday, feeling indulgent, slightly homesick and in need of some pampering, I decided to visit the Sheraton to enjoy their Indian restaurant, Shaheen, regarded as the jewel of Indian restaurants in Addis. Well, the jewel description is certainly apt. Shaheen is an opulent mixture of Indian artistry with old-world glamour. The silverware was all pure silver (not just the stainless steel garb we insist on calling silverware). There were silver goblets at each place setting with crystal to match, brass charger plates, ridiculous amounts of expensive china and all of the food was served in pure silver dishes. However, while the food was yummy, the prices were in keeping with the rich décor and general tenor of the Sheraton – i.e. ridonkulous. However, when converted into dollars, the meal was quite a reasonable price. For those of you who don’t know, I am notoriously cheap by nature, so coming home to Canada is indeed going to be a shock to the good ol’ pocketbook after being used to the cheaper prices in Ethiopia.

Learning Amharic - Part Hulet (2)

So, this past weekend, I was taught a list of Amharic phrases and words by the children at Menagesha. Ato Brahan at the EBA also taught me a number of new phrases. For those of you learning Amharic with me, the list is as follows:

English – Amharic

Hand – Itch
Leg – Igir
Hair – Tsagur
Ear – Jeyro
Eye – Ine
Nose – Afinja
Cheek – Gunjur
Forehead – Gimbar
Neck – Guroro
Teeth – Terz
Tongue – Melas
Finger – Tat

Book – Mesaf
Exercise Book – Doftor
Pillow – Taras
Bed Sheet – Alga Livs
Bed – Alga
Wheelchair – Gari
Window – Mescoat
Light – Mabrat
Ceiling – Tara
Cup – Cubaya
Water – Wuha
Cupboard – Comodina
Curtain – Megaraja
Jug – Joog
TV – television
Doll – Ashagulet
Sleep – Engulf
Hello – Salaam
Dehna – I am fine
Sleep – Taneja/Na Tenya
Friend – Godenya
Plane - Aeropla
Watch (Timex) – Sabat
Shoes – Chama
Socks – Kals
Yes – Awhoa
No – Yellem
Shirt – Chemise
Pants – Pants
Tie – Makoleff
Scarf – Matamtem
Hat – Barnetta
Glasses – Menaser
Sunglasses – Yesahai Menaser

Colours

Red – Kaye
Black – Kcoor
White – Nej
Yellow – Bectcha
Green – Aranguadey
Blue – Samayaway

Animals

Lion - Ambassa
Rat – Iyte
Fish – Asa
Chicken/Hen – Doro
Snake – Iravit
Elephant – Zoowon
Donkey – Haya
Monkey – Gingero
Goat – Fiel
Tiger – Nabir
Giraffe – Kajaney
Horse – Ferez

Days of the Week

Sunday - Ehood
Monday - Sanyo
Tuesday – Mak Sanyo
Wednesday - Rob
Thursday - Hamus
Friday - Harb
Saturday - Kidame

Proverbs

Little by Little an Egg Walks – Un Koolal Kus Bakus Bagrua Tedaletch
(This means slow and steady wins the race. Or progress is made slowly and incrementally or something to that effect)

Man is Man – Sow Sownow
(This means that everyone is equal – nobody is better than anyone else)

God Listens to Life’s Words – Kalayot Yaashima
(This means either that God listens to our prayers or God bless you)

God Bless You – Xavier ibarket

Numbers

1 – And
2 - Hulet
3 - Sost
4 - Arat
5 - Amnest
6 - Sidist
7 - Sabat
8 - Simind
9 - Zetaing
10 – Asra/Asir
11 – Asra-And
12 – Asra-Hulet
13 – Asra-Sost
14 – Asra-Arat
15 – Asra-Amnest
16 – Asra-Sidist
17 – Asra-Sabat
18 – Asra-Simind
19 – Asra-Zetaing
20 – Haya
21 – Haya-And (and so on)
30 – Selassa
40 – Arba
50 – Hamsa
60 – Silisa
70 – Saba
80 – Samana
90 – Zetana
100 – Mato
200 – Hulet Mato
1000 – Shi
1000000 – And-Millenie

Saturday Morning at Menagesha

On Saturday, I woke up bright and early at 5:30 AM to leave for my first shift as a volunteer/English/Music teacher at Menagesha – the Cheshire Services Rehabilitation Facility for children with disabilities. I caught a mini-bus to Meskal Square where I boarded the Cheshire Services employee bus which transports all of the Cheshire employees to Menagesha from Addis and then back to Addis at the end of the shift. Menagesha is about 25 km away from Addis and the bus leaves Meskal Square about 6:45 AM. The bus was really nice, unlike any of the mini-buses or local transport I had taken so far. In fact, it was reminiscent of a Greyhound bus back home with plush seats and head rests. As expected, I fell asleep and awoke 1 hour later to find myself at Menagesha.

The first order of the day was to meet with the teacher at Menagesha who taught the children math and languages during the week. I was told that I would teach my class from 9 to 10:15 AM. For the first hour (i.e. from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM), I worked in the handicraft room with the children. The children taught me how to make woven bags, wallets, purses etc. One of the children also told me that he would show me how to use the sewing machine next week. I told him that I barely passed sewing in Grade 9 and this was after my sewing teacher had practically made my whole final project for me. The craft room was such a treat and reminded me of the many crafts that my mom taught me when I was a child.

At 9 AM, I started to teach my first English class which included about 40 students ranging in age from 4 years old to about 15 years old. The levels of English comprehension also varied from child to child with some children being quite fluent in English and others wanting to learn the basics. I started off with some easy conversational questions including asking the children to tell the group their names, their hometowns etc. The children are all from outside of Addis and while they are staying at Menagesha, they often do not have much (or any contact) with their family. The children were all very happy to talk about their hometowns and tell me about themselves. I told them a bit about life in Canada which generated a number of questions, especially from the older children – about the weather in Canada, whether the people were nice, what it was like compared to Ethiopia etc. They asked how I traveled from Canada to Ethiopia – by boat or plane?

It was fascinating to hear all of their questions and to engage them in conversation. It was often hard to communicate though given the linguistic barriers and the teacher (Hailu) who teaches the class throughout the week served as a translator. This linguistic barrier is further complicated by the fact that all of the children do not speak Amharic, as they are from different regions of Ethiopia with different linguistic traditions.

Afterwards, I taught them a song that I learned when I was taking music/human values classes in Canada. I wrote the lyrics on the blackboard and the children who could read English automatically lifted their voices in order to serve as beacons for the children who could not read. Eventually, after about 5 or 6 go-arounds on the song, the children were good to go and really enjoyed it. They also learned all of the actions that went with the song. I was so impressed.

They then asked me what type of music I liked and I told them that I really enjoyed Teddy Afro and his song Ababaiyo. The children were thrilled and then one child counted the beat and the entire class burst into a rousing rendition of Ababaiyo complete with the rhythmic clapping beat that is so central to the song. I was so touched and they could tell I was totally enjoying it. It was like a musical where suddenly the entire cast bursts into song! No joke.

After class, the kids were so sweet and wanted to visit with me. It was not the gawking or over-inquisitiveness that I often encounter in Addis when some people are fascinated by the “farenji”, but instead it was a genuine concern and outpouring of love. I ended up playing soccer with some of the kids. Yes – you all read that correctly. I played a sport. I was actually running around on a field kicking a soccer ball. Luckily the traumatic memories of my one year in soccer in Grade 4 did not come flooding back. I then had a chance to play table tennis with one of the kids.

Apparently, word spread that there was this farenji teaching music and English lessons to the children. You see, many of the children at Menagesha are confined to their beds, as they have just underwent surgical procedures that require them to remain on strict bed-rest for a long time. These children heard that I had given a class and asked that I come and visit them also. It was so wonderful to meet these kids. As I mentioned earlier, I was super nervous about what it would be like to teach given the huge linguistic barriers (with me knowing virtually no Amharic).

The children in the recovery wing were super awesome. They could sense that I was not sure how to communicate with them. They pointed to different things around the room and taught me how to say them in Amharic. They taught me how to count to one million in Amharic (not each and every number but the main numbers i.e. 1 to 100, 1000, 10000, 100000, and 1000000). They taught me about colours and animals and furniture and the corresponding words in Amharic. They would repeat words with difficult pronunciations to make sure I understood them correctly. At 11:45 AM, it was time for their lunch and it was time for me to leave to catch my bus back to Addis which departed at noon. The children insisted that I stay and have lunch with them and when I told them I would come back next week, each one of them called me to come close and gave me a huge hug. It took everything in me not to burst into tears (which admittedly did happen on my walk back to the bus).

These children, full of love, laughter and light, have touched my heart in a way that I cannot even begin to express, just by accepting me so unconditionally. On Saturday morning, I traveled to Menagesha hoping to help in some small way. The truth is that I did nothing. These children helped me. They taught me Amharic. They got me to play soccer (I know – shocking!). They got me to laugh. They sang me Ababaiyo. They got me to see that life, with its many obstacles and complexities, is so precious. They are absolutely incredible and I am so grateful to them. Amesaginalo.

On the Road Again: to Sodere, Nazrit, Debrazait and Mojo

Yesterday marked the Muslim religious celebration of Ramadan. In light of this holy day, all offices and businesses in Addis were closed. Our landlord, Terefe and his wife Yeshi (and their young son Baumlik) decided to take us on a road trip on this holiday to visit some beautiful cities/towns close to Addis.

We went to Sodere where there are hot spring and a large outdoor warm swimming pool. While I did not swim, it was lovely to sit by the pool and enjoy my vanilla and lime ice cream. We also went to visit the hot springs in Sodere and the haunting lake Hora in Nazrit. Lake Hora used to be located by a huge hotel which was recently purchased by an Ethiopian business magnate. However, instead of operating the hotel, the hotel remains closed and the hotel employees have set up a number of small tea stands and make-shift cafes around the lake to raise money and stay employed. Apparently, the owner of the hotel (that is not operational) continues to pay the salaries of these workers operating these tea stands and cafes. The lake is very serene.

We also had lunch at a hotel in Nazrit, stopped at 2 other hotels on the way and had dinner at the Atlas resort near Debrezait. It was a fantastic day and a great way to see the country. Thank you so much Terefe and Yeshi for taking us on this fantastic trip.

Throughout the day, Terefe was on a mission to find me popcorn (because it is my favourite food). Every restaurant that we visited did not have it and he would repeatedly ask where he could get me popcorn. It reminded me a lot of my parents who are much the same. When I was in grade 4, my dad (who is a strict vegetarian) would go from one McDonalds to the next in order to get me all of the Simpsons Happy Meal toys so that I would have the entire set/collection. Terefe and Yeshi have been like parents to us and we are so grateful!

Baumlik was also a source of much joy, laughter and fun yesterday. As a part of his visit to any place, he would go and inspect the washrooms to determine if they are clean. He would only use the washrooms that were really clean. This was so great in that he would give us the review of what to expect in the washrooms at any given place and would tell us which ones to avoid. Knowing my tendency to be a tad bit obsessive about clean facilities, this was very much appreciated.

Saturday Night: To Korea and Amsterdam via Addis

On Saturday night, I went out for dinner with my wonderful friend Susan and her friend Saskia. We went for delicious food at Rainbow Korean restaurant. Typically, I have had trouble finding many vegetarian options at Korean restaurants, but the Rainbow Korean had a plethora of options to choose from. The food was absolutely delicious. Afterwards, we went to this club called Amsterdam for some dancing, which as Saskia informed me is nothing like Amsterdam. Apparently, the owner of the club is an Ethiopian who lives in Amsterdam. He has opened up an Ethiopian restaurant in Amsterdam and opened up this Amsterdam restaurant in Addis.

Marking Maskal – Public Celebrations and Family Gatherings

On Friday, we celebrated Maskal (or the more correctly, the eve of Maskal) in Addis Ababa. My wonderful and warm boss, Ato Derbew Temesgen, invited Eric, Mary and myself to attend the Maskal celebrations in Maskal Square and then to join him and his family in traditional Maskal celebrations at his home.

He picked us up in his blue Volkswagen Beetle and drove us to Maskal Square. We had to park a distance away from the square and walk, as many of the roads were closed and people were traveling on foot to partake in the celebrations. We arrived at the Maskal Square in what was the middle of strong rains meaning that everything was covered in mud. You had to go through a security checkpoint and then you went and sat in the stands around Maskal Square. By way of background, Maskal Square is the central hub in Addis Ababa where many of the minibuses, buses and taxis stop and it is surrounded by tall buildings. It is a major roadway/intersection and is the host site for many major celebrations. Apparently, Emperor Haile Selassie used to sit at the top of Maskal Square in his days as emperor for special functions.

Now, back to the story. The stands were essentially steps made of cement and mud and it was extremely wet and muddy after the rains. Initially, we were allowed to stand, but as the music and dance performance started, all spectators had to sit down. This was the day I decided to wear light coloured pants, meaning that sitting really was not an option. I ended up squatting (thank goodness for yoga and the experience with the Asian toilets) in order to avoid sitting in the mud. We thought that they would light the Torch (major conical torch which symbolizes the pinnacle of Maskal celebrations) but apparently (as we soon found out), this would not be done for another 3 hours. As such, we left the celebrations early in order to make it to Ato Derbew’s house to celebrate Maskal with his family.

Once there, we were treated to an evening of feasting, fun, feasting, dancing, music, and ceremony. Let me just say that the food was fantastic – we had injera, shiro, rice pilaf, oodles of vegetables, a large loaf of delicious bread which Ato Derbew and his wife carved to start off the eating, tons of popcorn, juice, snacks and so much more. We were absolutely stuffed. The food was amazing!

We also lit a Damara (a large pile of sticks/structure, torch) and he lit several firecrackers. We danced/walked around the fire, clapping and laughing the whole time. I completely adore the absolute abandon with which people here celebrate – there is no sense of self-consciousness – just a genuine expression of joy, warmth, elation and celebration. Thank you so much Ato Derbew and family for such a fantastic time! We are so honoured to have been included in your celebration and so thrilled to have experienced a Maskal celebration first-hand. It means the world to us!

Maskal: An Ethiopian Religious and Cultural Celebration - Origins and Traditions

The following article is a concise description of the Ethiopian religious celebration of Maskal which was observed on Friday and Saturday of last week (September 26 and 27 - Maskal Eve and Maskal Day)

(Link: http://www.ethioembassy.org.uk/articles/articles/focus%20electronic-00/Ermias%20Gulilat%20-%201.htm)

The Celebration of ‘Maskal’ – Finding of the True Cross

BY ERMIAS GULILAT

Maskal is an ancient seasonal rite, which has become an integral part of the Ethiopian Christian Calendar. This national holiday has been celebrated throughout Ethiopia for centuries and is one of the most important annual festivals. The 26th September is the eve of Maskal, a feast commemorating the Finding of the True Cross.
By the middle of the afternoon the celebrations start. Many are seen wearing their brilliant white Ethiopian costumes. The occasion takes place at the Maskal square in Addis Ababa, near the church of Saint Estifanos. A colour procession of priests, deacons and choir boys and girls of Sunday schools wearing embroidered robes walk around a huge pyre, bearing ceremonial crosses and wooden torches decorated with olive leaves. As the sun begins to set, the torch-bearers move forward in unison to set alight the slender pyramid-shaped structure, topped with a cross made from the yellow flowers known as Maskal daisies which are placed on the tallest central pole.
The crowd of spectators are kept at bay while visitors are allowed to enter the inner circle in accordance with the Ethiopians age-old tradition of hostility. The casually dressed tourists form an incongruous contrast as they brandish their cameras, while around them the procession of proud clergy clad in dazzling ceremonial robes chant as they perform this ancient rite.

The origins of the celebration are expressed in the Ethiopian manuscript of parchment. It is said to date back to the discovery of the Byzantine Queen of Helena of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. According to the manuscript, in the 20th year of the reign of her son Constantine, she set off for Jerusalem in search of the ‘life giving cross,’ which she eventually found after many trials and tribulations. She is said to have forced the Jews to reveal the whereabouts of this ‘Honourable Cross’, which allegedly lay under the hill of Golgotha, formed from sweepings, ashes and offal piled on the grave of Jesus Christ.

Helena is said to have found the Cross by lighting incense and following the smoke as it descended to earth. She caused bonfires to be lit on the hills of Palestine which could be seen across the sea by the people of Constantinople.

So how did the rediscovered cross come to Ethiopia? According to Tefut, a massive volume dating from the 15th Century which records the detailed story of the acquisition of a fragment of the True Cross by Ethiopia. The Christian Kings of Ethiopia were often called upon in the early Middle Ages to protect Egyptian Copts against the Egyptian Muslims. In return for this delivery from Muslim persecution, fabulous gifts of precious gold were offered to Ethiopian Emperor Dawit. He rejected these offerings and asked instead for four pieces of the True Cross, which were under the custody of the patriarch of Alexandria. The request was granted and the pieces brought to Ethiopia. They were guarded on the journey by torchbearers and then deposited in a church at Gishen, in northern Wollo dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Rejoicing followed throughout the whole country and the Emperor ordered that the capes of the priests be embroidered with flowers. Since that day, Ethiopian Christians are believed to have commemorated the occasion with flaming torches and huge bonfires.

Emperor Dawit’s fourth son, Zara Yacob, succeeded him as Emperor and, when he was a very old man, dreamt that God ordered him to ‘place the cross upon a cross.’ Zara Yacob spent two years in abstinence, searching in seclusion, and at last discovered a mountain shaped like a cross. There he built the beautiful church of Egziabher Ab, and a fragment of the True Cross was kept within a gold box in the church. The priests of Gishen still safeguard this treasure along with the Tefut which is handwritten in Ge’ez on beautiful parchment.

Today Maskal is a religious and joyful annual social occasion that Christians throughout the country look forward to each year. Both women and men wear their national clothes, while youths boast and compete in fights with sticks. There is also jesting as well as flirting and courting sanctioned by the festival. These days, people return from the capital parade to their houses and bring the torches called Chibbo, to neighbourhood bonfire gatherings. The torchbearers chant as they circle the pyre, the Damera, (literally stack or pile of wooden torches), which are covered with cloth until a priest blesses it. The torchbearers then hurl their flames into the midst of the Dameras, while the gathering watches the blaze light up the night sky.

On the following day people go to the bonfire and make the sign of the cross on their foreheads with the ash.