Middle East Crazies

I made it home from Ethiopia but not without being changed forever. Ethiopia is a land of extreme contrast, both beautiful and ugly, both rich and poor, both exhilarating and depressing.

My first impression was.....so many people. People everywhere. When I arrived at the airport, I had no problems obtaining my visa upon arrival ($20 USD)and exchanging dollars for bir at the "bank". I had no problem getting my bags through security. In fact the conveyor belt was broken and no one was around, so I just walked right through. I was picked up at the airport by Dawit, taxi driver, sent to retrieve me. He dropped me off at the Guest House. He had an easy smile and spoke English quite well. I asked if he would come back for me in 1.5hours and help me deliver the things I needed to deliver for M. and her friends.

The Guest house was not what I was expecting. It is inside an enclosed fence with a guard at the entrance to let you in the gate. It is a home with kitchen, living areas and several bedrooms and bathrooms. The rooms were neat and clean, the beds soft, the pillows not that great. There are creepy crawlies in the kitchen, I learned later when it got dark and I flipped on the kitchen light. I would compare it to probably the worst hotel you have ever stayed in in the USA, although it was clean!

Dawit showed up as expected and he called the number I had and arranged to meet people here or there, on the side of the road to hand off the things I had brought from Doha. First, we found Meseret and delivered her Visa for Qatar. She is coming to Qatar to work as a housemaid and needed her visa. M and I have been trying to email it to no avail, so it was good I could hand deliver it to her. She insisted I take the sim card from her phone to use while I was in Ethiopia. Having a phone came in very handy.

Next we found Helena's boyfriend and delivered some money and photos and letter form Helena.

Next, we went to visit M. home. It was a small compound with a gate. The "rooms" form a square around a courtyard in the middle. I wish I had taken pictures of the outside to show you. Dawit came in with me and translated for me when needed. I was happy to see Emebet, which is one of M's sisters who lived in Doha, but recently moved back home to be with her mother, because her mother was missing her. We were led into one of the small rooms in the compound. Inside was Muna and Emebet's mother. She was very happy to see me, although I think they were expecting me the next day. Inside this tiny room was living room furniture and tv with an entertainment center. Although the room was very, very small the furnishings seemed nice. I got to meet several members of the family, including M's adorable nephew. His mother is working in Doha and I know she misses this little guy. He is cared for my the grandmother and other relatives. M. has another nephew living here, whose mother and father both died. I didn't get to meet him, but I brought him a soccer ball and some clothes. I gave the grandmother some money and asked her to use it to care for these two little boys. She insisted on feeding us. The Orthodox are fasting now, so we had fasting food. We had injera, cabbage and some kind of wat (stew). When fasting they eat no animal products. Although, I had eaten some Ethiopian food before, this did not seem appetizing to me. I ate some anyway to be polite. Of course, they were all fasting, so they just watched me eat. After a while, the small room was getting crowded with relatives and it seemed like time to go. They invited me to come back another day, but I knew that when the rest of the group arrived, I probably would not have time for another visit.

It was so good to meet M's family and see where she grew up. They said this was where she was born and raised. Although, it wasn't fancy, it seemed like they had "enough" and by comparison, they seemed to be doing well.

On the drive to these places, I observed out my car window, many, many, many people. They were walking to and fro, sitting outside on the roadside, herding goats through the town, talking and visiting outside roadside vendors, children were playing, beggers were begging, stray dogs, rows of shanty houses made with with whatever materials that could be found, school children in uniform, people in traditional dress, in trendy jeans and tees, in rags, men in business suits. I felt like the only "ferenge" (white foreigner) around.

I got back to the guest house and fell asleep....the rest of the group arrived late that night and I met Angel for the first time. She is my blogging buddy and the reason I even knew about the trip.