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

Well this isn't good news

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20526380

A Few More Photos

 I didn't know Ethiopia looked like this

 This woman received goats through CPAR programming...she is also the leader of a women's income generating group in Guba!

Kevin and I went for Yemeni food in Addis. It was so so so good - fresh humus and baba ghanoush and the delicious layered juice or spris I talked about before.