Nyama Choma

That, I think, is what the 'street meat' in Uganda is called. The skewered meat is anyway. It is apparently goat although I had a guy offer me beef and then offer our driver the same skewer as goat so I really can't say.

On the drive from Kampala to Lira, about 5-6 hours, we passed many a town where roadside vendors tried to sell us nyama choma (meat on a stick), roasted maize (corn on the cob), roasted cassava or cool drinks. We stopped at a couple places to buy bananas and pineapples but for a while it looked as though my travelling companions were not interested in this street meat.

Then we stopped. There was a slight flurry of activity as street vendors approached the car offering nyama choma, cassava, soda and water. I hesitated and then relented and said yes to 1 skewer and 1 cassava tuber. Boy am I ever glad I did. It was delicious. If it was goat, it was great goat. Cassava is so good, although so so so dry. You have to eat it with a liquid or you'll choke. Paul, the driver, said, "We only ever stop here for food." Knowing the answer more or less, but wanting to be sure, I asked, "Why?" "Because it's the best," he replied. Obviously.

While in Uganda, I also took advantage of the high level of availability of fish sourced from Lake Victoria. There's a problem with tilapia and Nile perch taking over everything in the lake but at this time, that was not my concern. I had the 'whole fish' twice at the hotel in Lira switching up the side from rice one night, to chapati the other. The first night in Lira, Uganda, I went for the club sandwich. I confirmed that it involved chicken - my error was not confirming what would stand in for the bacon or lettuce - the neon pink vienna 'sausage' as it turns out - a rather unappealing meat product of questionable origins I had previously encountered at breakfast and in South Africa - and a fried egg. The fish was outstanding by comparison. It was definitely delicious. I think I did a reasonable job de-boning it and not eating the eyeballs too.

You Are What You Eat

I'm not sure I've ever really understood that adage and frankly, it better not be true. Right now, I'd be carrots and cider. Okay, I guess that's not so bad.

I'm here in Malawi and now that I've sorted out my currency challenges (I was unknowingly sold expired Kwacha by our finance guy in the Toronto office who had them left over from a previous trip) I am able to purchase some food. As a treat, I bought myself a yogourt and a bag of carrots from trusty Shoprite - a South African grocery chain that brings me joy just to enter. It's where I shopped in SA and of course, in Lesotho. Anyway, they also sell booze so I am enjoying my all time favourite cider that no cider I have ever tasted elsewhere can even touch, Savanna Dry. Longtime blog readers probably know too much about my love of Savanna Dry.

What may be more interesting to you, is to know what else I've been eating. Definitely not carrots and definitely not yogourt. As you know, my trip started off with a bang when I got sick in Ethiopia - a very common occurrence among anyone not from there. It could have been any number of things - my first meal in country was tibs and injera - beef cubes cooked, served with the traditional flat bread of Ethiopia. Tasty but my stomach is not built to work through that much meat. For breakfast at the hotel in Addis Ababa I had fried eggs and white toast. I suspect I ALWAYS complain about the amount of refined, white flour based products I consume when in Africa - this trip is no different.

Once I was in the field, the breakfasts got less breakfast like for me anyway. I think I had spaghetti the day I got sick - that day was kind of a blur...getting sick was a blessing in disguise because it meant I could readily opt out of tibs (which can be goat or sheep too and both of those are not good in Ethiopia - not for me anyway). I had a lot of bread with peanut butter (an absolute luxury item my colleagues gave up for me) and some eggs. I learned quickly to ask for the eggs with no butter and please, go easy on the oil. I tell you, people here use too much oil. Full stop.

Once I was feeling slightly better, I could take on shiro. Yes shiro! My favourite Ethiopian dish to have in the field. Not all shiro is created equally (the stuff in Toronto for example, really sucks if I compare). The shiro in Guba - our most remote area of operation - is the best! You can get two types, shiro or shiro tegabino (spelling improvised). Tegabino is a thicker shiro, way less goopy, almost a paste but it is so good. I like it best with raw garlic and raw green chili peppers (served on injera of course). I am consistently mocked for ordering shiro at every meal - 'just go for tibs this time Alison'...'no thanks, shiro please'. This trip involved more eggs, which I quickly got sick of. Oh shiro is made of ground chickpeas so it's nutritious and delicious. I did have a chance in 1 town we stopped in to have yogourt but I didn't risk it - pretty sure it was made locally...like around the corner. My colleagues ate it gladly, adding berbere, a common spicy spice, to it, even though it was breakfast time.

Because this entry could go on and on, I think I'll break up my food entries by country. I would like to note that it is odd to describe and complain about food when you're travelling around checking in on food security programming for people who are often lucky to have enough food at all. So I often feel like a bit of a jerk and I also don't always get a real idea of the every day for people because my everyday usually involves 3 meals (and when I know it might only involve 2, I usually overeat on the first to push on).

Best Shirt I've Seen...

and the award goes to...

"Ringette! The fastest game on ice."
True story. Saw that one as worn by a young teenage boy walking around Lira town. It said something like 'I support London ringette' on the back. I also saw 2 Toronto Maple Leafs shirts. Obviously I was more excited by the ringette one.

There are a lot of clothes sold her by the roadside that I suspect can be traced back to certain clothing donation centres. We give away, throw away, donate, get rid of, a lot of clothes that are in perfectly fine condition. Enterprising folks have made a business out of reselling such clothes here in Uganda, and other countries I'm sure too. I read an article about it once, I think my sister sent it to me.

I'm not going to comment on it other than to say I smiled a big smile when I read the ringette shirt. And no, I did not stop the person wearing it to ask for a photo. Sorry.

Oh Yeah, That Whole LRA Thing Is Real

CPAR Uganda has three offices in northern Uganda – one in Lira, where I am, one in Loro and one in Pader. Although you cannot tell to look at it, the region has suffered from conflict based slightly further north. Despite these three locations not being directly involved in conflict with the now infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, the impacts of such a conflict are real.

Lira is situated some 100 kms south of Gulu. Some of you may have heard of Gulu either for their Gulu Walks - where children would walk from their homes to the centre of town to sleep at night and then back again in the morning to carry on with their lives in an attempt to avoid capture or worse. Or perhaps you’ve heard of Gulu from the mass hysteria created by a now long forgotten American NGO a few years back. Or perhaps you have not heard of Gulu, have not heard of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and are unfamiliar with the instability that previously plagued this region. To be honest, I don’t know a ton about it anymore either. I followed the conflict many years ago when it was at its height but as it has long died down (recent headlines claim Kony wants to surrender) my knowledge of the situation is limited.

The point however, is that I was brought face to face with the reality of this conflict on a walk around town Sunday afternoon. I went out to buy water and sample some street food. I bought a chapatti, rolled and fried on a hot cast iron round pan at the side of the road. Greasy but delicious. I carried on to buy water and a Stoney’s Ginger Beer at a ‘supermarket’ where the sales person threw in a pack of gum for free after I’d said I didn’t need to buy any gum. I guess he thought I needed it anyway (the kindness of strangers might make it into its own blog post).  While walking back to the hotel, I ran into the Farmers First project officer, Boniface.

Boniface acted as my guide, translator and answerer of my hundreds of questions on Saturday when I conducted my field monitoring visits. He is a friendly young man with a degree in agriculture. He said he is happy working for CPAR Uganda as he gets to be in the field with farmers working on agriculture rather than sitting at a desk (hmmm maybe we have something in common). I was happy to see a familiar face strolling down the street in a town I have only known for 2 days. I accompanied him on a short errand and then he walked me back to my hotel. On the way, forgetting myself a little, I asked him some questions to get to know him better. I was asking him if he ever took the bicycles that are found everywhere, available as a taxi of sorts, carrying passengers on a padded rack on the back (ladies are to ride side saddle). He said he had his own bike that he can ride. Joking, I asked if he used it to shuttle people around on the weekends to make extra money. He said that mostly the 3 kids he looks after use it to get to and from school. 3 kids! “Are they your kids,” I asked as Boniface looks quite young, too young to have 3 kids. Well no, they are orphans. They were my brothers but he, well he and his wife were killed in the war.

Oh right, the war. Boniface took care of these children when he was still in school himself. Things have gotten easier for him and the 3 children ranging in age from about 9-14 (estimation based on their grades). Boniface is hoping things will get easier still as another family member is graduating from teachers college soon and will hopefully be able to help out at home. Boniface pays the school fees for these 3 (education is supposed to be free but books, uniforms and any number of additional costs associated with school – food contribution, sports days, chalk, supplies – all add up) and looks after them in general. The pain, although subtle, was visible on Boniface’s face as he spoke.

There were no shortage of photos of Boniface to choose from as he stood faithfully by my side throughout the day to ensure I understood what was going on.

These conversations and accidental idiotic moves on my part serve as gentle reminders of the greater reality and contexts in which people are living and CPAR is working. These stories do not make it into my reports to donors, nor do they generally make it to my office mates, and even not to my friends or family (unless you read this blog J). Yet they do leave their mark and I am grateful for the times my questions or comments are met with honest answers that remind me of where I am and offer a glimpse into the real lives of those around me. [this also serves as a reminder of how the media, social media, our short-term memories and irresponsible groups – see unnamed NGO above – can cheapen an event/war/disaster that has genuine and lasting negative impact on the lives of many.]

You can read more about the current state of affairs and a little background on the LRA here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25027616

Quick First Impressions

Well I have arrived safely in Kampala, Uganda, after an hour or so plus delay leaving Addis. Other than the delay and showing up at the wrong terminal to check in (the driver assumed I'd be flying 'international' and I assumed flying out of Ethiopia counted as international as well - Africa, after all, is not 1 country). It wasn't a big deal as I was early and again in the end, the flight was late. As in Canada and many other parts of the world, everything at the airport is ridiculously overpriced. I had some Ethiopian Birr left so I enjoyed a last macchiato before my flight.

Anyway, I arrived in Entebbe, a city about 32km from Kampala and was greeted by a young driver, dressed in a smart hugo boss suit. The stature of Ugandans, compared to the generally smaller Ethiopians, is what I noticed first. Then I noticed all the police by the side of the road, wearing white uniforms so easy to see. Then I noticed them pulling us over - for speeding it turns out (they claimed to have clocked the speed with a radar gun I never saw, but it's possible - note, I have since seen a radar gun). It turns out, it took a bribe to get out of the situation - no ticket was ever issued despite us being right next to the police station. I wasn't sure what the protocol was in this situation. I did not pay the bribe, I stayed in the car. I had only about $2 worth of Ugandan Shillings on me anyway. The young driver had to get a money transfer via SMS to pay them off. I have since learned this is both common and uncommon. The bribe is significantly cheaper than ticket but the Country Manger here swears she would never pay a bribe and insist on an official ticket. Hard to know what approach to take.

There are lots of businesses here that are the same brand as in South Africa - MTN mobile network, Spur restaurant, Stoney's Ginger Beer, Standard Bank. There is also a lot more upbeat music and dancing than in Ethiopia. Uganda reminds me a great deal of Ghana actually - the trees bearing tropical fruit, the dirty/dusty roads, the heat, the landscape. I saw a family of baboons again but still not fast enough with the camera. The land in Uganda is quite fertile and there is a mixture of prosperity and poverty that is quite evident - especially in Kampala, the capital city.

Oy, I called this quick first impressions. Okay there you go. The BEST part about Uganda (a country whose anti-gay movement/laws are up there with Russia's - both are on my 'boycott' list of sorts) is the presence of Nissan 1400s - the make of mine and Tara's beloved Notorious BIG Le Roux.

Notorious look-a-like

Lira Town

Mandatory Dancing

A very very very warm welcome

Farming group in a field of early stage sunflower - grown as a cash crop for oil

Sorry I couldn't reorganize the photos. Also, the reporter that came along on the field visit took my camera to take photos for me...so I'm in A LOT of them. This will not be good for CPAR fundraising but I guess is good for my memory.

If Ethiopia Knows, Everyone Knows

Thanks to BBC if not to other news outlets, yes, people in Ethiopia know about Toronto's mayoral challenges. It was one of the first questions I was asked about by my colleagues. I said that people were wondering if word had made it this far and mostly hoping that the news had not travelled this far afield. However, as my colleauge Aklilu said 'If Ethiopia knows, everyone knows.' I guess I'll see if it's on the minds of people in Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania as well. Pretty embarrassing and a disgrace even. At least it proves their are idiotic people in power everywhere.

Where to Begin?

I really have no idea where to begin. I have travelled over 1200km in the past 10 days (not including my flight travel that is) and have seen so much. I haven't been keeping a journal although I have one with me, but have scribbled down words like 'construction' 'roads' 'electricity' 'toilets' and 'generosity' to prompt my memories.

I had a few requests for information on topics that by total fluke I can discuss.

1 - monkeys! I saw a family of monkeys today, waiting by the road - for the bus, my colleague joked
based on a quick and not even close to extensive google search, I likely saw the Gelada monkey. I thought I saw a monkey running through the field on our drive to a project site but as I was recovering from illness and no one else saw it, I doubted myself. However, after seeing two large adults, 2 little monkeys playing in the road and a new born baby monkey, it is possible. Anyway, that was a real treat and really cool. So far Ethiopia had just produced many donkeys, goats and sheep, the occasional horse and LOTS of cool birds. Yeah cool, colourful birds are the other noteworthy animals I have seen.

Yes, if you buy a goat from CPAR, someone actually does get a goat

2 - randomly trendy sports
So we stopped for coffee in a town called Finote Selam - I had stayed here on my last trip. Anyway, while enjoying a macchiato (despite the sugar in it) my colleagues and I watched the sports news. This included an Ethiopian track and field day, which had the usual running and jumping. However, it also seemed to include dog racing - well the type where the dogs run an obstacle course, and ....wait for it...wait for it...a tug of war. Yes both men's teams and women's teams competed in the tug of war and the winners were quite excited. Otherwise football/soccer is the sport of choice to watch and play, with a hint of volleyball here and there.

 On the road in Guba after meeting with members of the Forest Fire Protection Committee

3 - what are people up to in Ethiopia?
People do all kinds of things here. I mentioned construction and there is a lot of road building going on. I got to drive on a super nice road today, painted lines, an area designated for pedestrians (picture women carrying wood, girls carrying water, boys herding donkeys - not to be stereotypical) - yup it was a nice smooth road. What else? People work, especially people farm. Almost everyone is a farmer in some way or another and that's why CPAR works with farmers - people grow their own food, so most of our programming in Ethiopia is focussed on trying to make sure people grow enough food for the year and then some if possible. I saw lots of good examples of this and a lot of positive changes since the last time I was here.

Market day in Guba was awesome - hopefully I'll write a whole post about it - those of us squatting are CPAR staff

I'll leave it there, I have to pack my bag. Off to Uganda tomorrow morning. Might have more connectivity there. In addition to having little to no internet (most previous entries were written in Addis and scheduled for publication later), I have had very little time to write or reflect.

Much Better

This is reference to both how I am feeling and our project progress in Guba - CPAR's most challenging project sites.

I am feeling very well now - able to eat and enjoy delicious Ethiopian food (not meat/tibs) but shiro - the delicious ground chickpea vegetarian meal I love).

I am now in a town called Beles, on our way to Dibate. We just left Guba and I'd love to talk more about this. If I had the time (it's 10:15 here so must go to bed) I'd make a poll for what you'd most like to hear about via this blog. Instead, feel free to let me know, or when I'm online next, I'll try to hook you up with some info and stories.

Feel free to look up Gumuz and see what you can find. Report back.

Oh and try to find Guba on a map - it's 100 km from the new Renaissance Dam...

Day 3: Vomiting

I spent my 3^rd day in Ethiopia and 2^nd in the field visiting with farmers from Farmer Field School (FFS) groups who are part of our Farmers First program. Many of you may have heard me reference this program as I spend 2 months a year writing a report for it. It’s a big program and it’s a good. As such, there is a great deal to see and many people to meet with to hear their stories of successes, challenges, progress and change. I made it through a rather hectic morning of visits before succumbing to the nagging in my stomach and throwing up outside of the Migro Grain Cooperative’s storage facility.

The Migro Grain Coop is one of the great successes of Farmers First. They are a group of 100+ farmers, from 4 FFS groups who have obtained legal registration with the Ethiopian government and are able to buy and sell grain – mainly teff and wheat – to whomever they choose. They have negotiated a contract with a large grain supplier based in Addis and have worked hard to improve the road into their storage facility to improve access. Although I only lasted about 10 minutes (maybe 4) into my meeting with two of the members, I learned some exciting stuff in that time. The group itself has been recognized as an outstanding cooperative, the chairman – a dynamic farmer, whom I wish I could have spent more time with – won an award for motivating, encouraging and mobilizing farmers. I met with this group a year ago and even in that time it was exciting to see the improvements.

Unfortunately, throwing up in a field in Jarso, Ethiopia is not conducive to continuing monitoring visits. We packed it up and I was taken to a clinic…after stopping the truck on the side of the road in town to throw up again. At the clinic I was given some oral drops ‘to stop the throwing up’, some antacid pills, some cipro and an injection of who knows what. You can guess where the injection went.

A sneak peak of some photos - this woman Sisay, pictured here with my colleague Moges - is growing teff for seed multiplication - that is, to sell the seed, which obtains a higher profit than selling the grain. I could stand to learn how to say 'smile' in Amharic but of course, I'd actually have to learn it in a number of dialects so...

I returned to the field office to rest, receiving a great deal of attention from the entire staff. I was continuously encouraged to eat, which was not the top of my list. When I threw up the juice and water I’d taken, we started on a dramatic 30km drive to the nearest hospital. We picked up some friends along the way who would help me jump the queue (despite me knowing full well I did not need to be at the front of the line). I was seen by a nurse and a lovely female doctor who I got the sense was not totally impressed to be treating a farenji who was overreacting to a bug. I got another shot, left buttock this time, and some other pills I’m not too clear on. (Fiona, expect an email). The concern and care of my colleagues was above and beyond, and they continue to worry and lose sleep over my well-being. Hard to take that kind of special attention but of course, very, very kind.

All this to say, I’m feeling significantly better but for those 6-10 hours I thought I couldn’t hack it out here and was quite ashamed to be ill only 3 days in. I thought I might have to come home. Here’s hoping for a better time in the very rural, electricity-free, hot hot town of Guba.

What's On the Telly?

There are a lot of little things one notices when travelling that rarely get related once back home. I'm going to try to be better at that this time by sharing small observations here.

I had cable or satellite or something or other on the tv in my room in Addis. There were a few channels in English - Al Jazeera news, BBC news and Fox movies - but the majority were from Libya, Kuwait and a few other places in the Middle East, alongside a few additional African country channels.

While everyone was out on Sunday night watching Arsenal take on Manchester United (which made it hard to find a place to eat with a free seat in the house) I came home to have my choice of men's European handball, women's European handball, a United Arab Emirates vs the Philippines soccer match, motorcycle racing or camel racing. In case you are wondering, from what I saw, there is no jockey in camel racing.

In the non-sporting world, on offer outside of the news for an Anglophone such as myself was Face Off (a movie I always thought I wanted to see but the 15 minutes I watched made me glad I never had) and 127 Hours, which from the 5 minutes I watched, is perhaps better left to ones imagination. 

Early Photos

Awkward shower

 Small kitchen

 View of Addis if I lean out the window (actual view is of a wall)

Home Sweet Home Africa

A colleague in Malawi recently wished me a safe journey en route to 'Home sweet home Africa' and well, here I am. As I stepped off the massive super jumbo jet onto the stairs leading down to the runway, I took a moment to take a deep breath. The smell of the air in Addis Ababa, along with that of other African cities I have visited, has a certain something to it. I'm more talking about rural air - not quite the same air as is found in the hubbub and congestion that is Addis proper. I can't quite place the scent - whether it's wood burning, cooking over coal, dust, dirt or all of it mixed together - it is something special to me. Every now and then back in Canada, I'll catch the familiar scent and be reminded of the places I've been.

I have to say, on the first leg of my journey, everything went smoothly. Plane left only about 20 minutes late, time it made up easily. The food, compared to the last time I flew Ethiopian Air, was excellent. I had the fish, which was salmon with roasted zucchini, carrots and potato wedges. It was really good. Visa lineup, customs, baggage claim and exiting the airport through security all went fine. Finding my ride took a bit of time because the people never seem to come into the arrivals lounge - perhaps only fancy hotel valets get to do that. Luckily I knew to at least check outside and there among the large crowd was my name...sort of. The sign actually said 'Alicen Makdonald', which I get - there seem to be a lot of 'k's in Amharic. I took the sign for my scrapbook. I am now settled into my hotel room, which is perfectly fine. It is not as nice as the place I stayed last time and the major drawback is the shower, which has no walls around the stall. It's only one night though and I'll soon be in the land of, well, limited water and possibly bucket showers.

I'm 8 hours ahead of EST and after the 14 or so hour journey, my stomach is a little confused. I'm going to head down to the hotel restaurant I think for dinner shortly to try to keep on track. I had a nice lunch with two colleagues - we had beef tibs - the problem with sharing is it's really hard to convince people to get shiro - the vegetarian option. They laid down the law from the jump stating 'Alison, as today is not a fasting day, we can go for the meat.' At least the restaurant, Elsa's, is fairly reputable and I have managed the tasty tibs there before.

I've managed two macchiatos and an Ambo - very tasty sparkling water that I believe helps settle the stomach - that along with coke, which I have convinced myself kills any bugs that might be trying to develop.

I'll try to load a photo or two before bed, as I may not be writing for another week or so. Tomorrow I head to the CPAR Ethiopia office in Addis to say hello, hit the bank and then hit the road...so they say. Despite the successful beginning, I must remember that things do not always go according to plan.

Twas the Night Before Travel

when all through the house
not a creature was stirring
not even a mouse

wait a minute
that's not true
i can hear my upstairs neighbours clanging around above me
they're prepping for a weekend trip to boston

as for me
i always get nervous, anxious and excited all at once before a trip
no matter the size of the journey, the feeling is always similar
i suppose it is the unknown
the factors beyond our control
that really play into this

so far though, some unexpected positives:
- i'll be getting a ride to the airport from my sister
this is better than taking a lonely cab ride or a long TTC journey
- two colleagues in ethiopia who i met when i was there last year, will be meeting me for lunch
i not too long ago told one of them i owed him a beer for helping me out with something
perhaps he wants to cash in his iou as soon as possible (wise move)

i've been instructed to be ready at 12:30 to meet with them
seeing as my flight is scheduled to arrive at 8:30 am sunday, i'll likely barely have time for a nap
but it is better to be welcomed by friendly faces than stuck alone in a hotel room in a new place

i'll be sure to let you know some of the nonsensical things i say at this lunch

here's hoping they'll want to take me to Tomoca for my coffee supply
if ethiopian macchiatos can't take care of a little jet lag, i don't know what can

Tomoca - where the action is!

Getting Oriented

Over the past couple of months, I have been talking here and there about a possible work trip to East(ish) Africa. As the trip has changed from a possibility to a reality, I realised a couple of things. 1 - not everyone quite knew where the countries I'm going to are situated and 2 - that I might as well take the initiative to get more specific and show you.

As I am now less than a week away from embarking on a 6 week work trip, 1 week vacation, please have a look at the map below to see where I am headed. You will note Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi kind of trickle down eastern-ish Africa in a line. I will be visiting them in a slightly different order starting in Ethiopia, then heading to Uganda, next on to Malawi and then to Tanzania. I am ending in Zanzibar which is a small island off the coast of Tanzania. You can't really see i on this map but it's there.

I hope to blog when I have the chance (internet access will be spotty) so orient yourself and follow along if you like. If I had to guess, topics that may appear on this site over the course of the next 2 months may include:
macchiatos in Ethiopia - yes, it is unlikely I'll skip a chance to discuss these again
long flights, weird connections and the hardships of getting in and out of Malawi
the rolling blackouts of Malawi
Uganda - no gorillas here
Land Cruisers and tape decks
Travelling for work is tiring

But really who knows. I suspect I have a few adventures ahead of me and many unknowns so for now, enjoy the map below and this depiction through song and video of an epic battle between the Ethiopians and their would-be-colonizers, the Italians, in the 1930s - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Pn_1qjpFk