Home Sweet Home

I have now been home for a week. I've caught you all up on my time in Ethiopia, so I will quickly catch you up on my journey home. It took over 26 hours for me to get home, but 16 of those hours were in 1st class, so I certainly can't complain too much.
I finally arrive in Wichita. I'm exhausted. I figure I will see O, my Mom, and my Step-Dad. We will quickly get my luggage and then I will go take my first hot shower that actually has water pressure. Instead, I had a welcome home party at the airport! Complete with signs, balloons, & flowers. Because that's not embarrassing :). Thank you so much to everyone who came! I really appreciated it!


I've pretty much been catching up on sleep this past week. Oh and I was also reunited with Boo Radley & Triscuit :).
Last weekend my Mom and Step-Dad threw me a big welcome home barbecue. It was so nice to show everyone pictures and tell many of my stories! The best part, however, was that I had surprise guests! Remember how I recently wrote about Ethiopia Reads and the Shola Children's Library? I noticed a shipping container that mentioned Kansas. Well my Step-Dad went ahead and found the couple who support Ethiopia Reads! Even better, they live within a couple miles of my parents' ranch! It was amazing to talk with people who had been to Ethiopia and who have been such a huge part of a great organization! It was so nice meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Clark!!!
I think that pretty much ends this blog. Thank you so much for reading about my experiences! It meant so much to receive all of your emails and support through out the summer!

Fistula Hospital

It was extremely important to me that I visit the Fistula Hospital before I left Addis. I had heard of this hospital before, but I never knew what they did, or even what fistula was, until I saw the documentary, A Walk to Beautiful.

Fistula is basically a hole that causes women to constantly leak urine and/or feces. There are a few different ways that fistula is caused, but it often occurs when a woman is in labor. Fistula is pretty much unheard of in the U.S. because of our access to healthcare. Not everyone is as lucky as us, however. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 2 million women around the world have untreated fistula.

That's the most frustrating part. In most cases, a simple and inexpensive (to us) operation can repair this damage. The Fistula Hospital's website states that for U.S. $450 they can perform one surgery, provide post op care, and give the woman a new dress as well as bus fare home. Most women in Sub-Saharan Africa can't afford this, however. Many women live in rural areas and have no access to health care. So these women, who are often kicked out of their homes, are forced to live with this embarrassing problem, even though it is so easy to fix.

That's where the Fistula Hospital comes in. They provide free care to these women. Not only that, they also provide counseling and training. They even teach the women who can not be cured a trade. Their handicrafts are then sold in a shop on the hospital grounds. Inspeaking of the grounds, I could not get over how beautiful they were! It was like walking around the Botanical Garden. Incredibly peaceful and serene.

I have provided the link to the documentary below. Please, please, please watch it. It is incredibly moving.
Here is the link to the foundation's website as well: http://www.fistulafoundation.org/index.html

Watch the movie here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w-fOmovijc

Is That a Starbucks or a Stackbucks?

For those of you who don't know, coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia by a goat herder named Kaldi, around the year 850, when he noticed that his goats were very jittery after eating the beans off of the plant.

Coffee is a really big deal in Ethiopia. I don't normally drink coffee, but I definitely had my share of macchiatos this summer. It's hard to avoid them, as there are coffee places on every block.

One of my favorite coffee places is Kaldis. Kaldis is very unusual because there are 9 of them around Addis. Here, you can order drinks like a caramel frapuchino (not my spelling) and other drinks that sound strangely familiar. It is also unusual because they look like this...














We also stumbled across this little gem while in Harar...

Harar

The weekend of July 10th-12th, I was finally able to travel to the city of Harar. This time, Tiffany & I decided to drive, in case Ethiopian Airlines cancelled the flight again. I am SO glad we drove! It took about 12 hours to get there, but the scenery was beautiful!
Our first stop was to Awash National Park. This is a really pretty area with a lake and lots of exotic birds. We also had time for some game viewing! We saw a lot of Oryx (an animal kind of like an antelope). We also saw a pretty waterfall.
When we were maybe halfway through our drive, and in the middle of nowhere, we saw a lone Gelada babboon! Gelada babboons are endemic to Ethiopia. Our guide said it was very strange that we saw one because they are normally not found in that area and they are always in groups.
The scenery on the way to Harar was absolutely breathtaking. I was so tired, but I could only sleep for 30 min because I kept staring out my window.
Harar is a really great city! The people were very friendly, as well as proud to be from Harar. We saw lots of colorful markets, women carrying very heavy loads on their heads (I later practiced this and failed miserably), and the hyena man.
The Hyena man feeds the hyenas just outside of the gates every night. Sometimes he even feeds them by mouth. I had the option of feeding them...and I took it, although I used a stick rather than my mouth...I didn't think my travel insurance would be willing to cover any medical expenses that may cause.
While in Ethiopia, I had a list of foods that I wanted to try. When we stopped for lunch on Saturday, I noticed that kitfo, an Ethiopian dish, was on the menu. I had been told to order it yebesellum (cooked), because most Ethiopians eat their meat raw. My guide ordered for me and specifically told the server that this meal was for a foreigner so it really needed to be cooked. This is what it looked like. We asked if it was cooked and the server claimed it was. When I showed this picture to AHOPE's social worker later that week, he laughed so hard and showed the other staff member this picture. It was definitely raw. I can't believe I didn't get sick.

Here are some more pics!

Hot Springs!

Before leaving for Ethiopia, I set aside a certain amount of money that I personally wanted to give to AHOPE. I wanted to see exactly what it went towards, and what would be better (and more fun!) than a field trip?! I talked with A., AHOPE's Social Worker, and with my budget, we decided we could take a trip to the hot springs in Sodere, a few hours outside of Addis.

We had a GREAT time! About 45 kids from Big Ahope were able to go to Sodere. On the bus ride there, we finger knitted and played Bingo (I can now count to 75 in Amharic, thank you very much). Once we got there, most of the kids jumped right in! I was a little surprised that there is actually a pool there. It looked as if we were in the U.S., with one exception. There were monkeys EVERYWHERE!!! They were so much fun to watch! One monkey was missing his front right leg...just like Triscuit (my cat)! The kids had a great time swimming and splashing around in the water. They constantly wanted to show me different tricks they could do. The kids who decided not to swim had a great time watching the monkeys or taking pictures with my cameras. We also had really great Ethiopian food and ice cream (Thanks for the ice cream, Carly!) :). On the bus ride home, we did some more finger knitting, and once it was dark enough, we played with those glowing, neon-colored bracelets that you can get at festivals. The kids (and adults) had lots of fun!

A Lesson Learned

I haven't talked too much about my schedule here at Ahope, so allow
me to fill you in a little bit. I spend a great deal of time at both
Big and Little Ahope. I teach some English and we do lots of arts and
crafts. Every Thursday, however, I take 3 minibuses and spend an hour
traveling to Ahope's Community Development Center (CDC). Every
adoption agency in Ethiopia is required to have some sort of program
that helps children stay in their own country. Ahope's program is the
CDC. There are over 70 kids there who come every day for meals,
activities, and overall care. Because it is a little out of the way,
not many volunteers go to the CDC.
Originally, I thought that I would be more involved in helping the
community while working at the CDC. Actually, I am doing the exact
same thing that I do at Big and Little Ahope...play with the kids. To
be honest, I generally do not enjoy my Thursday commute. The staff is
amazing, but it is 2 hours round trip (which is nothing compared to
what many Chicagoans do), and there are quite honestly, a lot of kids,
and since they don't get many volunteers, any that do come are VERY
popular. I typically have many children fighting for every second of
my attention.
Last Thursday, I was not looking forward to going to the CDC. It
was raining and I was very tired and really would have preferred to
relax. I made a commitment though, so I arrived at my scheduled time.
The previous week, we taught the kids the song, "You are my
Sunshine". Thursday's activity was to make suns, clouds, and happy
faces out of construction paper. Then when we would sing the song,
they could wave their pictures. They had such a great time! They
were so much more appreciative of us than the kids at Big and Little
Ahope since they rarely have a volunteer's attention. I immediately
fed off of their energy and was running around hugging, kissing, and
high fiving all of the kids. At the end, the nurse pulled me aside
and thanked me for my enthusiasm and told me I was doing a great job
with the kids and that he was so glad I was regularly coming to the
CDC. WOW. I left the CDC that day feeling so incredibly happy and
humbled.
It was such a good lesson for me that sometimes the things we really
don't want to do are the most rewarding. I can not wait to go back
this Thursday.

Gladney Part 3

Are you all tired of my Gladney posts? I hope not! Last Wed. I
once again had the opportunity to tag along with Gladney's in country
rep, Travis. This time we toured Gladney's foster care centers. I
realize I am very biased, but these were the best centers for children
that I have seen in this country so far!!! The caregiver to child
ratio was unbelievable, and it was so clear that these children are
very loved.
We were able to meet a few of the families currently picking up
there children. They were all so nice! I have been reading one
family's blog for a long time and did not realize they had passed
court since I left home. I was SO happy to see them and meet their
sweet sweet children :).
First, we toured 3 of the 4 Gladney houses. We were able to hold
some ADORABLE babies :). They have pictures of their families above
their beds, which was so sweet to see. We also had a very nice coffee
ceremony. Honestly, I felt a little intrusive during this time
because it was so difficult for the caregivers to say goodbye to these
children. I just tried to stay out of the families' way as much as
possible. It was so emotional for everyone involved. It really is
nice to see how much these children are cared for. Nice and sad at
the same time, if that makes any sense.
Next, we went to a restaurant that I have been wanting to try for a
while now, Top View. Top View is on a mountain and has a gorgeous
view of the city. Unfortunately, big tall buildings are going up and
obstructing the view. Travis says the restaurant will soon be called
Top, haha.
Later that evening, I was able to have dinner with Travis and his
family. They were so sweet to allow me to see their work here in
Addis. It was so great getting to know them and Gladney better during
my time here in Ethiopia.
Do you think I should start doing Gladney's advertising yet? haha.

4th of July

Hey everyone!!! I hope you all had a fantastic 4th of July! Mine
was pretty good, here in Ethiopia.
I started off the morning with a visit to the Shola Children's
Library. This is the Ethiopia Reads library. It is the only free
library for children in all of Ethiopia! Maybe you have heard of
them? Their founder is one of CNN's Heroes, and has been highlighted
on CNN before. This was my 2nd trip to Shola, and as always, it was
fun to talk with the kids! On their property, Ethiopia Reads has a
huge container the size of one of those Pods storage containers. This
is interesting because it is all painted and says "With love from
Kansas". It also mentions that books are donated from the Kansas
Reading Association. Does anyone know anything about this?
After the library, Tiffany and I met up with Ahope's Social Worker to
have a few macchiatos. We had a great time and he was nice enough to
show us a few important shops around the city (including a great place
to buy coffee!). We ended up spending a few hours with him and
stopping at 2 different cafes for drinks. He also invited us to his
house later that evening for a coffee ceremony.
Next, we headed over to Big Ahope where we played Uno with the kids
for about an hour. Then we walked the couple of blocks to the Social
Worker's house. We brought cookies from a pastry shop and had a great
time drinking coffee, eating cookies and popcorn, and chatting with
him and a few of his friends. We were able to talk about various
social issues in the U.S. and in Ethiopia. It was a really great
experience!
For dinner that night, I decided to have some American food as a way
of celebrating the 4th of July. The only person to wish us a happy
4th all day was the Social Worker. He was so cute, he said, "It is
the 4th of July! Do I say Congratulations?". There is a really great
restaurant by our house that has different types of food like Mexican,
American, and Asian. I had a great cheeseburger. I tried to have
apple pie for dessert but it was yellum (they didn't have any).
Instead I had one of the best hot fudge sundaes that I've ever had. I
love food in Ethiopia!

Marley

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your emails and for sending Marley
positive thoughts! Unfortunately, Marley did not make it. It is
still strange walking home and not having him greet us at the gate.
Bob is pretty sad too, but I am trying to give him extra attention!

This is Africa

One thing that I have used a lot of, here in Ethiopia, is my
patience. I am a pretty positive person, but at times, even I have
been impressed with how flexible I can be. A few people that I know
use the phrase, "This is Africa" to explain such situations.
Originally, I was supposed to fly to Dire Dawa Friday morning and then
drive one hour to Harar. Late Thursday night, I received a phone call
from Ethiopian Air saying that there was bad weather in Dire Dawa and
the flight was cancelled. At least they called! I immediately tried
to contact the tour company, but I could not get through to them.
The next morning I arrived at the Hilton by 7:15 to inform the tour
company that I would not be going on the tour. The nice lady in the
office said she did not know what to do and that we should come back
later to talk with the boss. To make a very long story short, it took
6 hours to straighten everything out between 2 tour companies and
Ethiopian Airlines. After all of that, I needed a nap!
The new plan is to drive to Harar this Friday with a new tour
company. We are also stopping at a National Park for some game
viewing along the way! It should be fun!
Even when things don't work out at first, they always have a way of
turning out for the best. This is Africa!

This is Africa

One thing that I have used quite a bit in Ethiopia is my patience.
I am pretty impressed with how flexible I have been and how I have
managed to stay pretty positive. I know a few people that use the
phrase, "This is Africa" to describe the funny situations that they
encounter. This past weekend, the plan was to fly to Dire Dawa,
Ethiopia and then drive one hour to visit Harar. Late Thursday night,
I received a phone call from Ethiopian Airlines saying that there was
bad weather in Dire Dawa and that our flight was cancelled for the
next morning. I tried to call our tour company right away, but I
could not get through. I was at the Hilton by 7:30 the next morning
to let the tour company know that we would not be going to Harar and
needed to reschedule. This was hilarious because Ethiopian Airlines
changed put us on a flight on Sunday that left one hour before our
return flight left Dire Dawa. It ended up taking 6 hours to
straighten everything out with 2 tour companies and Ethiopian
Airlines. After all of that I needed a nap!
The new plan is to drive to Harar with a new tour company this
coming Friday. On the way there, we will get to see a National Park
that has game viewing! We will be back on Sunday.
Also, I wanted to thank everyone for their emails and positive
thoughts for Marley. Unfortunately, Marley did not make it. It is
very strange to walk home and not have him greet us. Bob is pretty
sad too.

Zenab

I don't think that I have talked much about the weather in Addis.
I'm sure that when you think of Addis Ababa, you think of a very hot
and dry African city. That is certainly not the case here! Addis is
high up in the mountains, so the weather is actually cooler. We
probably have a good amount of days in the 80's, but it sure can get
chilly at night! Most days are probably in the 70's. Right now, we
just entered the rainy season. It rains (Zenab) every day. When it
rains, the temperature drops quite a bit. I actually spend most of
the day walking around in a sweatshirt!
Tomorrow, I am heading out of the city for the weekend. I will be
in Harar, which is an old Muslim city that has a wall all the way
around it. If you have seen the Ethiopian episode of Bizarre Foods,
they spent a good amount of time in Harar. Harar is also famous for
the hyena man. Basically, this guy feeds the hyenas outside of the
gate every night. He often feeds them by mouth (ewwwww!!!). It
should be interesting to see.
I have been spending some time this week arranging something pretty
exciting. Hopefully I will be ready to share it with you all next
week!!!

Have a great weekend!!!!

The Stuff You've Been Waiting For!!!

I've spent a lot of time posting about various things, but it seems
like I haven't really had a post on the kids!!! They are all so sweet
and amazing, I wish you could all meet them!

- Ahope is not considered a religious organization, but religion is a
very important part of Ethiopian culture. The kids always pray before
kurs, mekses, mesa, mekses, and erat (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack,
and dinner). When the younger ones pray, instead of holding their
hands together, they cover their eyes. It is the most precious thing
ever.
- One little boy, A., is extremely intelligent. He is maybe 7 or 8
and is picking up English so fast! He is always very concerned that
Tiffany and I do not know enough Amharic. Every time we see him, he
is teaching us new words! He is so well behaved and such a sweet kid!
When we lead group activities, he helps us keep the other kids on
task.
- There is a 2 1/2 year old girl here, S., who I am completely in love
with. She is one of the prettiest little girls that I have ever seen
and she has an amazing personality as well. She always runs up to me
and loves for me to hold her. She really is very very special.
- Another little girl, B., is someone who truly fills my day with
happiness. She loves it when I chase her and tickle her! Her laugh
is so contagious and her eyes are simply stunning.
- There is another boy, T., at Little Ahope that loves to play soccer.
Whenever he sees me, he runs up to me and tells me the score of our
last game (although these numbers are always changing. He insists he
won 22-6). He always cracks me up.
- D., my Mia Hamm, is one of the sweetest 9 year olds I have ever met.
As soon as she sees me, her eyes light up and she races over to give
me a big kiss! She is always happy when we play soccer or when we are
just sitting together. She also loves to copy whatever craft I am
doing. She is also such a big help with the younger kids.
- We also have 4 year old twins, T. and S., at Little Ahope. They are
extremely cute and such sweet girls! They are always wanting to be
near us.
- Every time I leave Little Ahope, most of the kids come running to
give me a hug/kiss/high five. They always ask if I will be coming
back tomorrow. Sometimes when I say "Ciao", they look worried and
say, "America?". They are always relieved when I assure them I am
returning the next day. I haven't even let myself start thinking
about really saying goodbye to them.

The kids at Big Ahope are just as adorable as the younger children.
- One boy, S., insists that his name is Jen and that I am S. I walk
around all day saying, "Hi Jen, how are you Jen?" and he always
responds, "Hi S., I am good S". It's really funny. He is such a
clown.
- All of the girls at Big Ahope love to braid my hair! I certainly
don't mind the scalp massage!!! They do an amazing job, and I've been
tempted a few times to run over there in the morning so they can style
my hair for the day!
- Another boy, E., always wants to play that game where you try to
slap the other persons hands before they move them away. He is
incredibly fast! He is so fast, that I always joke with him that I
won't play with him anymore!
- The girls at Ahope play this amazing games with small rocks. You
have to throw one in the air and pick up a certain number of rocks
before you catch it. Then you have to throw them all up in the air
and catch them on the back of your hand. They are AMAZING! I've
tried and I can't even throw one in the air and pick up 2 rocks. I am
really wanting to get this on video, so you can all see!
- Yesterday, one girl, R., wanted to play some games on my cell phone.
I brought a friend's phone with me to Ethiopia and I do not know how
to find the games on it. I tried, but couldn't find any for her. She
gave me this look like I was crazy, took the phone, and found the
games within 2 minutes. I now feel very old.

That's all for now, but I'm sure I will have plenty more stories soon!!!