Special Tea

Well today is Friday. It's been a few days since I left home and it feels a little like forever and at the same time like I still have so far to go. Probably because I literally do have so far to go. We start our driving adventure tomorrow. It's a two day drive to get from Addis Ababa to Dibate. I think the paved road ends about 3 hours (or less) outside of Addis. This is unbelievably my fourth trip to Dibate and Guba. Seems kind of nuts really.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the same people I've met before. That's always exciting for me. To remember people's faces and stories and meet them again, find out how they are doing and what is changing for them. I'm trying to focus on those positives when I accidentally slip out of the present and think of the future. If I think about anything else, it's kind of all overwhelming.

Thus far, I have completely avoided Ethiopian food. That will end tomorrow, this I am acutely aware of. Hmm actually, maybe I can stretch it to Sunday. I've had pizza, spaghetti, the fruit smoothie juices of my dreams (that probably counts as Ethiopian) and pancakes. Tonight I'm supposed to go for Indian food with my old boss who happens to be in town for work as well. I am not looking forward to getting reacquainted with my old friend Shiro - but it's going to happen so just go with it, right? I have peanut butter as a back up. 

As I think I mentioned before, I have a cold and it kind of really sucks. I'm going through tons of kleenx and toilet paper because of it. I guess there are worse reasons to go through tons of toilet paper...but I digress. This morning, my colleague proposed I drink some special tea. We took a break and instead of my usual macchiato (oh my god I've only had one macchiato today - ahhhhhhhhhhh) um, I had the special tea. It has honey, lemon, ginger, tea and alcohol of some kind. It was so good. There was about 2 tablespoons too much honey it but it comes layered, like my beloved spris juice, so you just don't stir it all the way and it stays not so so sweet. I'm hoping I can get another one as it did help and I didn't notice the booze.

Well that's it for now. I won't have internet for a week, which is kind of freaking me out because I've appreciated all of your support. And I have work to do that would benefit from ye old interweb. Nevertheless, onwards and upwards. Gotta prep for a meeting with some Dutch guy from a University we're partnering with. And by prep I mean, blow my nose 55 more times.

Did I mention I'm drinking about 4L of water a day? I'm not exaggerating. Oh and my colleague told me to relax so maybe it's time for a quiet meditation.

Magic

I've just been informed by a couple people back home that the Conservative party of Canada is magic and the best and oh so amazing. This is great news for me. I honestly don't know which government is worse between my current host country and my home. Okay I do, no wait I don't - Canada is at least supposed to be a real democracy so doesn't it make it worse that this is all happening? Oh it's so hard to tell which way is up.

My favourite quote yet - "Yesterday, Finance Minister Joe Oliver even implied they were the fight-against-climate-change party." Heyo! Unicorns for everyone.

I guess the fact that this government funded institution is "allowed" to publish an article such as the following, means Canada wins. I just feel like if Harper wins again, Canada is going to continue losing (and yes, we are losing). 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-s-truthiest-election-campaign-begins-don-pittis-1.3043785
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/joe-oliver-s-promises-kept-budget-ignore-the-sleight-of-hand-1.3043145
I haven't taken any photos yet really but since I suggested there might be some here, I'm including a photo of my pizza from last night. It's super greasy, like many politicians (not you Paul Dewar, you're my hero).

In Case You Are Wondering

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/anti-isil-rally-turns-violent-ethiopia-150422151713828.html

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/ethiopia-mourns-christian-nationals-killed-isil-150421192442742.html

I'm fine but there has been no power since about 7 pm last night. Country wide. My hotel has a generator and therefore still internet as well. The CPAR office has a generator for power but not internet (or something).

Some have suggested the power is off because it's the only way to stop people from watching non state-sponsored tv. Elections are coming up but I'm pretty sure there is only one candidate. 

Yeah, I totally crashed about 10 minutes after writing that entry.

Now I'm awake again.

Made It

Well here I am in sunny Addis Ababa. I arrived on a day of protest to mourn the deaths of the Ethiopians killed in Libya in connection with IS/ISIL/ISIS. The streets near my hotel, perhaps as a result of this, are very quiet. I received a travel advisory from the travel agency that booked my flight, once I got here. Since I don't intend to attend any of the protests, I think things are fine.

Because I really don't know what more to say about that, I'll carry on with my post as originally planned. My flight was smooth - thanks to my frequent flying, my silver status with air canada (which gets you nothing!) got me something. My bag was tagged priority and so came out on a different belt (not a big deal when you spend half an hour in the visa line anyway) and I got priority boarding. That was pretty nice I suppose. Although, had I spent more time waiting to board, I might have seen my old Humber classmate who was on the same flight! As it ended up, he only noticed me as we were on the bus to Bole International Airport. He was off to Malawi so we only had a few minutes to catch up. It was a nice surprise though.

I guess I've only been here for four hours and so far I almost accidentally bought 2 kilos of tomatoes (I wanted the 2L water - no excuses on my part), have had a macchiato - which had a heart on the foam, and seen a bunch of familiar faces. The little restaurant next to the hotel has all the same staff - whether they recognize me I don't know but it's kind of nice to recognize them. The owner gave me a quality plastic bag after noticing my 2 2L bottles of water and 3 mangoes were tearing through the one I'd been given during the almost 2kg tomato incident. The USD is strong and so far it seems only the entry visa has gone up in price. Otherwise I've spent $2 on 4L of water, 3 mangoes, a macchiato and an Ambo sparkling water. I haven't yet been called ferenji - it's been all nice welcomes and just happy.

I don't feel the worst but I don't feel the best. Perhaps and afternoon nap...and a work out after I work on my report? So far I'm thinking walking the 4 flights of stairs in Addis altitude counts for my fitness challenge...objections? Didn't think so.

My colleagues picked me up from the airport rather than leaving it in the hands of the hotel guys who last time didn't have a sign and so eventually I gave up and they spent 3 hours waiting...how was that ever going to work? It was nice to be greeted and welcomed by Endris and Aklilu for sure.

Anyway, time to take a crack at that report and/or fall asleep.

I look pretty fresh for coming off a 14 hour flight but I'm too tired to take a photo of myself to prove it.

Gotta Get My Greens

As many of you know, I got a little ill on my last trip through Ethiopia (okay, yes, thanks for the reminder Fi, I get sick every time) but last time was worse. I mean, the first time was a cold and I got loopy because I was put on a bunch of meds. No biggie. Then the 2nd time it was super minor food poisoning that landed me in the hospital only because my colleagues were super concerned. Last time, I was really ill but again, just the old 24 hour food poisoning - 8 hours of active illness really. Point is, it left me with my a shaky relationship with my trusty and beloved shiro.

The chick pea based dish is my go to in Ethiopia when I'm outside of the capital, Addis Ababa. It's delicious. It still is but my mind and stomach are not so sure. I took a test run with some friends this past week to try to get myself back in the game. It went, well it went. I had some uneasy queasiness but once I chased my dinner with a black bean korean fish-shaped treat, I pretty much felt okay. I'm admittedly a little concerned but it's going to be totally fine. I just stocked up on cliff bars and stuff like that. I'm going to pack some peanut butter and hope for the best. I figure if I can drink Ambo (best sparkling water in the world), drink avocado smoothies, eat egg pizza with honey and drink macchiatos, when I have the chance, I'll be set. Plus there is that bean breakfast meal I discovered last time. It's not going to take me 10 years to get over this one like it did with mangoes. The reality is, I don't have a choice.

When I'm travelling with work, my vegetable intake is often pretty darn low so I splurged on broccoli this week and ate a beet and arugula salad the other night. Gotta get my greens while I can! I know, it's only 3 weeks but sometimes it feels like longer because it's such a change from the routine. Going to have to figure out how to not lose my jump shot, basketball, running and biking legs. So much sitting to come.

There you go. If you're new to my blog, it's probably going to go like that - starts off with an idea and well just carries on as I please. I try to include pictures because who doesn't like a visual.

I wonder if this building will be done!!!

Oh and there is now electricity in Guba...I have a doomsday scenario for that town but I'm hoping I'll be proven wrong! Perhaps the beer will be even colder!

Pictures

Well since I can't sleep and am sorting through work photos anyway, how about I post some fun ones here. I was waking up at 4:45...then 4:48...then 5:00 and then...2:30 am?! Work is going to be fun tomorrow if I don't run myself so ragged that I have to sleep through the night.

Anyway, I can't say these are necessarily some of my favourite photos because I don't know what I'm going to post yet. But I do know I'm leading with spris juice (an my colleague Aklilu in the background). Apologies if I've posted this before (I know I posted something similar the first time I was in Ethiopia) but this stuff is just so dang good. Avocado, guava, mango and fresh squeezed lime.

Nkhotakota, Malawi...dry season is almost over

Nanana take me home!

Flying into Addis Ababa

That's your birth kit ladies and gentlemen - sorry for the graphic nature but not really - it's legitimately life saving

Yeah yeah I saw zebras - helps when you drive past the Serengeti

Group of farmers we met with...they asked so I obliged

More farmers we met with in Tanzania 

A road to a village in Bunda, Tanzania

The surrounding view from some farmers' fields (TZ)

Pretty sure my boss got the FFS group to laugh

I had no idea this was what a jacaranda tree looked like - it's beautiful

Yes! Kids laughing. Success

Going to go try to catch the sunrise.

Water

Those of you who have lived with me probably know I have a thing about water. It makes me quite literally crazy ("mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way") to watch it wasted down the drain. Taps running while water heats up, cools down, teeth are brushed, people are distracted, dishes are washed and rinsed. But I waste water as much as the next guy or well I certainly waste water and I am always reminded that I could do better, a lot better, when I am in Ethiopia, Malawi or Tanzania.

Water is a challenge in each of these countries. Not for everyone and not all the time but for many people, much of the time, I would say it's certainly not as easy as turning on a tap.

When I was in Bunda, Tanzania, the hotel I was in had a bucket in the shower, so I easily collected water when I showered. I noticed that by the end of my shower, which didn't include heating up water time because I didn't want a hot shower, I had almost a full bucket of water, clean water - no soap or shampoo or conditioner in it. The next day I figured I'd use that water for a bucket shower. I was actually shocked by how far it went (I didn't need the full bucket for my shower) and how much of that water would have just gone down the drain.

In Malawi, in every village we visited, the community asked for a borehole. If not for their village (as some had boreholes through a CPAR-run project) they asked for the other villages nearby who were also using their borehole. In some cases I thought to myself, "But your water source is only half a kilometre away, that's pretty good comparatively speaking." Wait a minute, if I stand up right now, I can be at a clean, potable water source in 5 steps. I can take 6 steps and be at a second source, and in 4 steps I can turn on a washing machine to do my washing. Comparatively speaking for Nkhotakota, Malawi I meant...

The place we stayed, well the whole town actually had a water problem so we had to either wake up around 4 am to get the morning water - so I heard - or stay up later to see if the water came back before bed. My colleagues semi-joked that it was best to wake up at 4 for water, bathe and then go back to sleep. I stock piled in the evening and then reused my water. Too much information? It was just a rinse and it was so hot there, 35-40 degrees, I probably almost would not have cared if someone else had used the water first.

I've been to Dibate, Ethiopia three times now. Guba is the one that is supposed to have the water issues (it does) but Dibate is supposed to have electricity and water. Every time I've been there, the town has had neither, for months.

So when I come home I become hyper-aware of water usage but never, ever do as well at conserving water here as I do in Tz or Malawi or Ethiopia. I go back to putting water on my toothbrush before brushing my teeth. I don't typically collect water when I shower - and when I do, the basin usually overflows and I actually don't know what to do with the extra water. I notice myself rinsing the sink when I could just wipe it down with a cloth. I don't use my grey water to water plants (okay I don't have any plants but still).

Anyway, I could do better.

Pretty sure she's laughing because she's thinking 'why on earth does this person want a photo of me washing my hands? And what a waste of the water I had to collect.'

Peace Out

I just wrote a blog for work. Thank goodness my boss is 'toning it down' as I just wrote it zip zap like that as I avoid putting the last of my things in my bag. Someone is bawling nearby which is a tad unsettling but I digress.

As usual, I am feeling a little emotional before my departure. Considering how often I have gone to and fro in my life, you would think I wouldn't mind leaving places so much. I guess part of it is never being sure you'll come back to a place and if you do, who will be there, who will you see again. The staff here at Kiboko Town Hotel in Lilongwe are actually mostly the same. I just encountered one woman who I remember from last year. I can't remember her name but her voice sounds so much like a friend of mine is South Africa. I recognized her by face but remember her by that voice.

Anyway, it's been a good journey. We'll see how I feel when I'm back hibernating in my basement. I'm feeling tired already and my cookoo flight hasn't started yet. I'm looking forward to tap water, coffee, friends and family, wine, my bicycle, toilet paper, spinach, sweatpants, physical activity and going unnoticed. I will miss colleagues (some more than others), mangoes, cheap beer, going to sleep at 930, seeing Nissan 1400s around, sunshine, quiet streets, passenger bicycles, jacaranda trees, flame trees, mango trees and I'm sure other things but I gotta go.

See you when I see you, whoever the heck is reading this.

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

I make assumptions all the time. I am particularly sensitive about certain things. Nearing the end of my journey, I am typically even more sensitive and judgmental. Call it fatigue, call it culture shock, call it whatever you want - it led me to make the following assumptions.

1 - the country manager in Malawi doesn't like vegetables

2 - my colleagues in Nkhotakota are not hospitable

Here's what happened. In our meals together, the country manager didn't eat the carrots on his plate and didn't eat the cooked greens, let's call it Swiss chard, on his plate. I thought 'hey this guy doesn't eat vegetables! he's just like the men I read about in my reports not eating vegetables, only wanting meat because that's what 'real' men eat! I can't believe this, he's been with CPAR for years, he should be up on his nutrition and open to consuming vegetables.'

This is what I found out. I said 'hey, you don't like vegetables?' and he said 'what?' so I said, 'I noticed you never eat the vegetables' and he said 'oh I love vegetables, I eat them all the time, just not when I'm travelling in the field, I don't trust the preparation, I usually only eat fried things here.' Oops, just like me and meat in Ethiopia. Frankly I think he's being hypersensitive. I ate the vegetables and was fine. BUT to each their own and that's a totally legit reason. My bad, what a jerk (me I mean).

Lunch time in Nkhotakota. The country manager and I get dropped off at some cultural restaurant. I ask the guys 'hey aren't you eating here too?' - umm no, we're going somewhere else. Oh, I can't eat there too? 'No, we don't want you to see where we eat.' Maybe, in one of my finer moments of this trip, it's possible I may have muttered a sarcastic 'Your hospitality is incredible' - In other countries, we usually all eat together, so I'm thinking 'what a bunch of jerks!'

Next day, I was in the field with some of the guys and when we came back to town we found the country manager and program manager at the restaurant I had eaten at the day before. The guys said (more or less) 'we're going to go somewhere else for lunch, you can come eat with us' and I said 'oh really? that'd be great' and they said 'we just didn't want to go their with our boss.' In the end, I didn't get to eat with them because I got told to stay there and eat but at least I learned the reason behind the perceived lack of hospitality the day before. I really wanted to just go eat beans and nsima with those guys. Oh well, maybe next time.

I think Malawi always gets a grumpier, less open version of me because of fatigue and the heat. It's a lot of assessing and interpreting situations, and I'm sure I get it wrong a bazillion times. I have no good concluding sentence here so I'll end with a photo

That's Lake Malawi - it's dry season - the rains should come soon but who can say with climate change. This is the view from a fishing village that is in CPAR's project catchment area. I may blog about the project later.