Sex and the Environment in Ethiopia

The past few days since I last wrote have been busy, but incredibly inspiring as I’ve deepened my knowledge of population, health and environment issues and witnessed how young people here see these connections. I’m thinking that I will most likely extend my stay here an extra two weeks, so that I can finish my projects and hopefully take a mini-vacation to the north with my work friends Meron, Meseret and Nardos (Mery, Mesy and Nardy). ;) I’m also getting more excited about my plan to work in a developing country for two years after graduate school… fingers crossed that I’ll have enough experience to be hired!

So Tuesday March 23rd I got to participate in a PHE Field Visit to Wenchi Woreda in Oromia (don’t you just love those words?!), along with a bus-full of development practitioners. It was about an hour’s drive through bumpy, rural country-side till we got to the site, and I gazed out the window at the now-familiar site of enset (false banana), mud huts and tilled agricultural hills. It was fascinating to talk with Belay and Abebe about how prior to serving in NGOs, they worked for the government’s ministry of health. Apparently that’s a really common career path here, to go from government to NGO work, and I’m realizing that the government isn’t remotely as corrupt as most people abroad make it out to be.

Before we began our tour of the woreda (district), I learned that the hilly highland area (3,000 meters above sea level) has high population density which has led to environmental degradation, threatening the rural community’s health and livelihoods. The Oromia Development Association (ODA) is a membership-based Ethiopian Resident charity organization, which focuses on education, health, agriculture, and rural potable water supply in the Oromia region. They specialize in training youth on income generation, and voluntary community health workers in long-term contraceptive service provision. Since January 2005, ODA’s efforts have successfully raised the contraceptive prevalence rate from 11% to 40%, and intention to use family planning from 29% to 81%.

In May 2009, ODA began to integrate conservation and livelihood activities with their existing reproductive health efforts, through community education, agro-forestry to decrease the spread of agricultural activity, and aforestation, or planting indigenous seedlings and vetver grass that have commercial and economical value to the community. They also trained 40 model farmers on apple seedling management, and established an 84-member mostly male youth group of “environmental educators,” who also engage in family planning and reproductive health education. We had the opportunity to interview over 20 members of this environmental youth group, mostly boys, who have received training and seedlings from ODA for income generation and to extend the efforts of the government’s health extension workers and development agents. Jason was skeptical at first that these boys actually care about family planning, but after speaking with them, we both thought they seemed really committed to the issues, similarly to the youth I met in Bale Zone.

One club leader said, “We as youth volunteers want to plant 10 million different indigenous trees this winter, to make the area green. We know the link to family planning, because of population pressure on the environment, so we understand that we have to teach the community about reproductive health and HIV/AIDS at the same time.” The boys said that as volunteers, they work in close collaboration with Health Extension Workers to deliver information on maternal and child health and HIV/AIDS, which is critical to reach the 280 clients in a hilly landscape. A female volunteer health worker said that networking and coordination with the youth group in reproductive health awareness has significantly improved her ability to reach the community, and convince them of the importance of family planning for their health, environment and livelihood.

Afterwards we walked to interview a model farmer named Andale, who’s planting apple trees with the support of ODA. He said that he discusses all farming decisions with his wife, and it’s really democratic—but I thought it was interesting that although they already have five children (2 boys and 3 girls), the husband wants one more boy, and the wife doesn’t want any more! She’s currently taking injectibles as a family planning method, so hopefully the decision-making power will stay with her! All in all, although the project is in its initial stage, community members seemed really convinced and motivated to utilize the PHE approach in environmental income generating activities, so I’m hopeful that ODA’s project (and its funding) will continue.

We ended up walking for 3 hours down to the crater lake and back, chatting with adorable snotty-nosed children along the way. I really wanted to take them home with me! Especially when I saw that they were drinking untreated water that flowed down the mountainside, and Jason told me that their bodies probably have parasites that they’re unaware of. Of course they can’t boil their water because it’s so fuel-intensive… ahhh it really makes me second-guess my assumptions about all these rural communities that I’ve visited, and that much more anxious to go earn my MPH and come back and help!

We ended our day at Wenchi with a lovely coffee ceremony, complete with 3 cups of buna (coffee), popcorn, and homemade honey, all accompanied by aromatic incense. Jason told me fascinating stories about his development work in Peru and Ecuador, and I think he convinced me to spend 2 months there this May/June, instead of traveling all the way down to Chile and Argentina. I met some wonderful Chilean friends while traveling in New Zealand and Cambodia, but I agree with Jason that it will be much more culturally interesting to spend time around the indigenous people in Peru and Ecuador. Ahh there’s so much I want to do… but I have to be patient and know that South America will always be there for me to go explore. :)

The rest of the PHE training went really smoothly, and I enjoyed having the opportunity to present an hour-long session on “How to Give an Interview to a Member of the Media.” It was great to offer stories and advice to the PHE experts on the topic, drawing upon on all my experience with newspaper, radio and TV interviews while working with the Sierra Club. I even told them my favorite story of when Fox News bombarded my presentation at my alma mater, UC Davis, and reported on how “Sierra Club says that heating things up in the bedroom can lead to global warming.” (haha) Most of my stories revolved around what not to do, but hopefully it was valuable for them. :)

Saturday March 27th we arrived back safely in Addis, even though our last hour was pretty scary since we were driving in the rain through the dark with a foggy windshield. Jason and I conversed in Spanish, so we wouldn’t have to think about the drive! Negash served us a lovely injera meal at his home, and I perused his book case and snagged 3 fantastic new reads before heading home at midnight—Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen, The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs, and Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman. Yay for intellectual stimulation! I ended up finishing What is the What on Sunday, reading at the Antika pizza place by my house that Jason had recommended, and breaking into full sobs every thirty minutes or so as the main character struggled through tribulations both in an Ethiopian refugee camp and where he ended up resettling in Atlanta, Georgia. I’m so happy that similarly to the book I read before this, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, the main character of What is the What, Valentino Achak Deng, travels around the US to give talks about his book and life experiences. Hopefully I’ll get to meet him at some point, too!

Monday was work as usual, and today—Tuesday March 30th—has been crazy busy but awesome. In the morning I teamed up with my friend Teshome from Engender Health, and we went to Addis Ababa University so that I could give a “Sex and the Environment” presentation. Over 70 student club leaders showed up, representing 19 different clubs! The clubs were really multi-dimensional, ranging from Environment, Gender and Peace clubs to Sports, Disability and Cultural clubs. Thankfully Teshe and Negash had looked over my presentation, in addition to my dear friend and fellow Sierra Club activist who went to Guatemala with me, Jenny Shapiro, to give advice on making it more culturally appropriate. Similarly to the presentation I gave to GoJoven youth leaders in Belize last August, I spoke really slowly and clearly, smiled and joked a lot, and asked questions and walked around the room to get them to participate. I think it went really well, since I spoke and had them do activities for an hour, and then they asked questions and discussed the issues for an additional hour! I was really impressed with their high-level questions, for example on why population growth in developing countries matters in climate change discussions when developed countries are the high-emissions culprits. But many of the questions they asked me, they answered among themselves in Amharic, which is what I was hoping for. They wanted to know what’s going on in the US, and I was pleased to tell them that while we’re frustrated with decision-makers’ lack of action, many activists are continuing to work hard in raising awareness and fostering behavioral change. I was also really inspired when 2 young people, Alex from the Environment club and Helen from the Gender club, came up to me afterwards and told me that these issues are their passions in life, and they want to be involved in whatever way they can. That’s what I love to hear! Hopefully I’ll get to meet up with them next week to talk about potential action plans.

After the presentation, I went back to the office, posted a blog on Advocates for Youth’s website about it, and jumped in a car with Lem Ethiopia staff to begin our journey to Gedeo Zone in the south, where I’ll be for the next 4 days to write a report on what’s being done. It’s funny that amidst my 8-month trip around the world, I’m a little tired of so much work-related travel here in Ethiopia! But it’s a fantastic opportunity to see the countryside, and deepen my knowledge for these issues. Arriving in the second largest city of Awasa today, I was startled to see a proper sidewalk… and I realized that I will experience some serious culture shock when I arrive back in LA! Subconsciously I know that I’m a different person, after three months of world travel… but I really can’t wait to return home after all this and see how I’ll view the world in a different way. Yay for mind-opening travel! :)

Monkeys, Fish and PHE Experts in Negash Lodge, Woliso

After my amazing Bale Mountains visit last week, I walked into the office Thursday morning March 18th and found out I’d hit the road again early Saturday morning. This time I’d spend a whole week in Woliso, an hour south of Addis, with 20+ development practitioners for a “Population Health and Environment Policy Communications Workshop” sponsored by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and USAID. I laughed to see that our agenda said we’d be at Negash Lodge, assuming that my enthusiastic boss Negash Teklu knick-named the place after himself on our agenda to insinuate that we’d be in his world for the week. :) Turns out that was the actual name of the hotel, which was quite luxurious—but it may as well have been named after him, because I certainly felt like I was in PHE land the whole time!


Honestly, it was an unbeatable experience to meet and become friends with so many passionate and brilliant leaders who are implementing the very programs that I’ve advocated for during the past four years. When we all boarded the bus Saturday morning, I immediately wrote their names down and tried to memorize them—Khasaoud with Family Guidance Association (IPPF affiliate), Befekadu with MELCA, Tsehainesh with REST, Ytnayet with Engender Health, Belay with Pathfinder, Morgueta with Oromia Development Association (ODA), Aby with People’s Self Development Organization, Yemane with Save Your Holy land, Esayas with DSW, Abebe with Christian Relief Development Organization, Mogues with Lem Ethiopia, and Shewaye with EWNRA—and that’s just half of them! They kindly laughed at my mispronunciation of their names, and patiently answered my questions about their organizations throughout the week. I couldn’t believe that it was all executive directors who were attending this week-long meeting to improve their communication skills to policy-makers, donors, the media and the public. Didn’t they have imperative work to be doing, running organizations and saving lives?! I took it as evidence that these leaders and their organizations are really committed to the population health and environment development approach, and to their meaningful membership in PHE-Ethiopia Consortium.

The training was facilitated by my colleague from Washington DC, Jason Bremner with PRB, who’s the one person I’ll hang out with during these first five months of world travel who I know from my former life. Over the course of the week in Woliso, we became buddies as I picked his brain about his amazing job, his world travels, challenges facing Ethiopia, and U.S. funding streams for these projects. We also happened to be reading the same profoundly moving book about the Sudanese civil war, What is the What by Dave Eggers, so it was awesome to have an American friend to chat with about our perceptions of African issues and culture. I realized that having spent a month in Ethiopia, I had gotten used to seeing goats in the backs of people’s cars, or not being shocked by cultural oddities like the quick sucking of air as a sign of understanding/approval. When my boss called me fat as a compliment on our first night in Woliso, it was awesome to laugh about it with Jason, rather than staring back blankly and trying to comprehend how the situation would go down in the states. :)

Negash Lodge felt too good for the likes of my budget backpacker tastes, with my own apartment-style hut with a TV, king size bed and bathroom. Moreover, it was set within a winding jungle atmosphere, complete with gopher-like critters, dear, and vervet and colobus monkeys playing around us at all times! But it was apparently only $20/night per room, and important for our week of hard work to be complemented with a relaxing nature ambiance. The actual workshop was held in a huge bamboo room, and though it was really well-equipped with powerpoint and speakers, I have to admit I freaked out every half hour or so when monkeys would chase each other across the roof, causing it to shake overhead. The monkeys hanging out so close to us reminded me of this hilarious Dane Cook comedy sketch, where he says “people think monkeys as pets are nothing but fun, bananas and dancing with toothbrushes, but they’re not! They’re smelly and unsanitary and conniving, and monkeys as pets are just wrong!” I kind of have to agree with him, that while monkeys are cute in theory, dozens of them creepily hanging out on my doorstep is a bit terrifying, haha.

While it was amazing to meet the PHE practitioners and learn about their organizations, it was even more thrilling for me to see my boss Negash in action. The first day that he gave an introduction to the issues we’d be discussing throughout the week, I was beyond impressed with his public speaking expertise. He clearly articulates and justifies his numerical points, and always uses full sentences as though he’d written out what he was going to say beforehand. He’s a natural born charismatic leader, very energetic and always laughing, clapping, and introducing people to one another, with an uncanny ability to delegate tasks in a way that makes you excited to work for him. While watching him present on PHE integrated development solutions as a potential climate change adaptation strategy in Ethiopia, I found myself feeling warm fuzzies of inspiration and devotion to his cause. I realized that his country is so lucky to have him committed to passionately advancing these solutions, and moreover I’m lucky to closely work with and learn from him for 2 months! Yay for a new hero to add to my long list of similarly amazing colleagues and mentors who I’ve met in this field.



Another warm and tingly moment for me was tonight, Monday March 22nd, when Negash, Jason, Shewaye, Mogues, Abebe, Meseret, Befekadu and I were out to dinner for the best fried fish I’ve eaten in my life. Our little group has gone to the same hotel restaurant here in Woliso every night, each person generously taking turns in covering the hisab (bill). We were all laughing as Jason and I competed to eat the most fish off the bone that we could, moving on from the fleshy middle parts to the sketchy, boney head and tail. I’m quite proud of myself that I actually took one big bite of the fish’s face! I had to do it, considering Abebe had annihilated it in a matter of minutes, telling us “the face is the best part—it tastes like a crunchy fish cracker.” (!!) As I looked around the table at each person, laughing and encouraging us to enjoy Ethiopian food, I felt pure love and affection for each of them. It was another one of those “I’m so happy to be here right now doing exactly what I’m doing” moments—I really can’t get enough of them during this trip!

Tomorrow I’m excited that we’ll get to visit a PHE Project site in Wenchi, and do some hiking around a crater lake. I can’t wait—both to learn about the Oromia Development Association’s PHE interventions, and for some much needed exercise! :)

Adventures in Bale with Bajaj and friends!

I've been in Ethiopia now for 2 weeks, and wasn't really feeling like I was in "Africa" till I visited Bale Mountains National Park over the past 5 days, about 8 hours drive south of Addis. I had stayed up really late the night before we left, so I slept in the land cruiser from 8am-11am, then woke up and it was like HELLO AFRICA. Now this is what I’ve read, spoken, and seen pictures and videos about! Dusty long roads with women carrying huge 40+ pound bags of food, buckets of water, and babies on their backs; tons of people milling about in plastic shoes staring and waving at the land cruiser (or at me—a ferenje, foreigner?); driving on bumpy dusty roads and swerving to avoid donkeys; women bathing in red dirt colored streams; and mud huts in every direction! Talk about a lack of “stuff”! I’d never seen anywhere so rural in my life. It was amazing! And the flat trees sparsely growing in rolling landscapes of small plots of land and desert… it was just crazy.

I didn’t feel “in love” with the landscape, like I did in New Zealand… maybe because the people and their big brown eyes have already won me over :)… but I did feel very strongly compelled to come back and live and work here, even if it’s for a short time as a volunteer or researcher. It was just amazing how I've always been passionate about these issues and understood them, but to actually SEE them was beyond overwhelming. Sure, I saw rural areas in Guatemala or the Philippines, but somehow the houses in those countries always have a touch of modernity, like a cement foundation or even a satellite dish on their thatched roof. I feel like in rural parts of Ethiopia, it’s really just people living off of the basic natural resources in their backyard, with hardly any Western influences. The lack of access to clean water and sanitation, land degradation, deforestation and grinding poverty are in your face, and it’s impossible to ignore how large family sizes and high population growth are even more detrimental to quality of life.

When we arrived in Dinsho woreda (district) of Bale zone, my work friend Mery and I met the MELCA project directors Tesfaye and Aby. Along with our driver Desalne, the five of us had an AMAZINGLY fun time, in addition to accomplishing a ton of work! Over the course of three days, we interviewed probably 50+ people who were involved with this population, health and environment (PHE) development project. It was amazing to really understand their daily challenges, and how the project was improving their lives. I felt like I made really good friends with the project implementers, and now I completely understand how culture, community and creativity go into PHE work on the ground.

Most of all, it was incredible how the people did SO much with so little. Our last day there, we arrived at Fincha Banoo Elementary School in Robe woreda, where hundreds of kids greeted us by singing a welcome song about PHE, wearing PHE sashes across their uniforms, dancing and clapping their hands. It was amazing! These beautiful girls named Fatiye and Rose, the “PHE Club Leaders,” showed us the nursery they had created and how to mix soils for the best growing outcomes. Then they led us to their "Cultural Hut" filled with beautiful hand-crafted objects, and I have to say it was a million times prettier than the National Museum in Addis Ababa. They showcased their cultural artifacts, and I teared up when Rose sang a song about “sinque,” a stick that women use to protect themselves from domestic physical and sexual violence.

Tesfaye explained the environmental and cultural importance of all of the items in the hut, and along with the student leaders, teachers and school director, everyone sang songs and laughed about the different stories that accompanied each object. The best part was when they gave us a PHE presentation, using a “PHE Story-board” that they had created. Their 178 "PHE club members" had each paid 2 bihr or about 15 cents per month in membership fees, and they commissioned a local artist to create it. (His name’s Ibrahim, and he’s also a PHE-trained entrepreneur and environmentalist—I met him later on in the day). The story-board consists of 10 different beautiful paintings comparing large families with small families, a beautiful forest with a degraded landscape, a healthy mother compared with a suffering woman in labor, etc., to show how people who choose smaller, healthier families are also happier and more prosperous with a healthier environment. They've used these story-boards at about 5 different public celebrations such as "Mountain Nyala", Earth Day and Climate Change awareness days, to reach over 10,000 people! I was so inspired while video-taping their presentation. And although there are so many problems... many girls marry at 14, have as many kids as their bodies are capable of having, and many people suffer from HIV/AIDS... there was an overwhelming sense of pride and joy in all the beautiful work they've created, and you could really tell that it’s made a vast improvement in their lives.

They treated us to a fantastic coffee ceremony, and at the end of my pestering them with so many questions that I felt bad that I was keeping them out of class, the school director humbly thanked us for coming and asked me to pose with him for a picture. He presented me with a gift wrapped in white paper… I pulled the paper off and was SHOCKED to see a beautiful hand-woven basket with shells and leather adornments, just like the artifacts we’d seen in the cultural hut. I didn't expect it at all, and the whole world literally spun around me! I felt like I wasn't worthy! I said “Gelletoma, Amasegenallo” (thank you in Oromifa and Amharic languages) over and over, but I still can’t believe it’s mine. Definitely my new most prized possession!

After the school visit, we went to the local artist Ibrahim’s house, which he’d constructed by himself of local recycled materials. He’s created dozens of beautiful sculptured works of art out of recycled plastic, but I couldn’t believe that he’s never sold any of his art! He was truly a beautiful person, who explained the cultural and artistic significance of all of his works of art. He said that he made everything with recycled materials in order to teach his community about the importance of protecting the environment, and told us his dream is to open an art gallery on the second floor of his home. He asked us our advice on how to improve his work, and I suggested “sell it online! Americans would love this!” Only moments later did I realize that he doesn’t have an email address, let alone speak English or know how to post his artwork on the internet. As it is, he makes a living from hand-painting curtains and napkins for local community members, who can barely afford the few dollars they cost. I went ahead and bought a beautiful painting and an Ethiopian wolf sculpture for $65 total, which are now my second most prized possessions! :) If anyone reading this is interested in purchasing his artwork, please let me know and I would love to help make it happen!

After a final long interview about the project with Tesfaye and Aby, the five of us went out to dinner and descended into our last night of inside jokes and giggling hilarity. Earlier in the trip, I had decided that my new favorite word in Amharic is “bajaj,” which is the same as a tuk-tuk or a motorized cart taxi with three wheels, and that somehow became our battle cry. We’d shout it every time there was a lull in the conversation, when we’d move on to a new project, or when we’d “cheers” our glass of local beer. :) After visiting Ibrahim’s house, Tesfaye wouldn’t let go of my little Ethiopian wolf sculpture, and was even giving it little kisses of endearment… it was beyond adorable… so we christened the Ethiopian wolf sculpture as Bajaj! :) Earlier in the day, we had also stepped on a strange round plant that emitted a gray smoke, and my friends told me its knick-name is “yaru geetfas,” which means “old lady fart.” This of course became my second favorite word in Amharic! :) So at the end of dinner, we were walking through the pitch black street since there had just been a power outage, holding hands, and avoiding a stray black dog that was following us… and on the count of three, we yelled YARU GEETFAS as loud as we could into the night! I almost peed my pants I laughed so hard!

In the end, it was an amazing five days of learning, laughing, and falling even more in love with Ethiopian culture and the critical nature of the issues I’m working on. I’m again so unbelievably grateful for this experience, and can’t wait to start my MPH program at UCLA next year to focus on these issues even more. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back here next summer during my research internship abroad, and I’ll have another chance to yell out BAJAJ with my Bale friends!

NOTE: If anyone is interested in learning more about the amazing MELCA project, or donating to support their efforts, please let me know by responding to this blog post. Funding hasn't been secured for next year's PHE project, which would be devastating for the community since the results have so far been successful, doubling the number of family planning users, planting more than 60,000 tree seedlings, and reaching more than 10,000 people in the community. In particular, I'm trying to raise money for Tesfaye and Aby to have a laptop, since they work in 4 communities that are a good hour apart, share one motorbike, and have inconsistently-working desktop computers in their office. Any amount that you can offer will really help them to make a difference in the community! Thank you!

Happy International Women's Day!

Happy International Women’s Day! Today is officially the coolest way that I’ve ever spent my favorite non-traditional holiday. :) Over the past few days I’ve gotten into the women’s rights mood, listening to the “Afro-Entertainment News” radio station, where young women have been talking about Ethiopia’s and Africa’s successes and challenges with regard to women’s human rights. Liberia’s female president, Rwanda’s 58% women-run parliament, and Kenya’s Nobel Peace Prize-winner Wangari Maathai were all celebrated. Last Saturday March 6th, I also participated in a 5k “choice run” for women and girls with my friend Thamar and her mom, which was an excellent tribute. I found it fascinating that “choice” here hasn’t been co-opted by conservatives to mean abortion; it really does mean individual, empowered decision-making. In this case the race was sponsored by a contraception company, so I guess it does come back to family planning, but in a very positive light. (I should mention that abortion is mostly illegal here, and only a small percentage of women use modern contraception methods, so perhaps that’s why the “choice” conversation comes back to whether or not to use condoms/birth control… a very different paradigm shift from how I’m used to thinking in my U.S. advocacy!) The race was super cool though; there were thousands of people who showed up for the race, all of them wearing bright orange t-shirts and laughing, singing and dancing to music. My favorite tune was this catchy inspirational song created by South Africa in honor of the World Cup:

When I get older, I will be stronger, they’ll call me Freedom, just like a waving flag!

Again, yay Ethiopia!

It was too bad that I’ve been sick for the past week or so, and couldn’t actually run in the race, but at least it gave me a chance to chill out at home and finish my 2nd book since I got here 8 days ago, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. It was another great way to celebrate women’s rights, since it’s about his efforts to promote peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan by building schools, especially for girls. The book had me crying the whole time, since I was so inspired by his life and his passion to improve life for impoverished people in an incredibly challenging area. Thank goodness his organization, the Central Asian Institute, has him traveling around the U.S. all the time giving speeches, so hopefully I can meet him some day! His efforts really make me feel like I’m doing nothing for the world, haha… but I guess I have to be happy with where I’m at, working to advance reproductive health and sustainable development in Ethiopia on International Women’s Day.

I really love volunteering with PHE-Ethiopia, and getting to know how sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues are framed so differently in developing vs. developed countries. Last Friday I got to participate in this big Packard-grantees meeting on how to coordinate youth efforts in sexual and reproductive health programs, and was so amazed with how similar the meeting felt to all the ones I’ve had in DC. It took place in a nice Red Cross conference center, and included the works—guided facilitation, power-points, flip-chart paper, buffet lunch, bottled water, etc. It was really interesting though that at the meeting, they focused a lot on addressing the specific needs of disabled youth in SRHR programs, but they didn’t even mention LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) youth. This was NOTHING like my experiences with the SRHR movement in the states! I asked my friends about it afterwards, and was quite sad and terrified to hear their answers… basically the LGBT issue here is considered extremely taboo, even within the reproductive health community. My friends said the question doesn’t come down to whether or not people are born gay, but whether people who exhibit gay behavior are human beings or not. (??!!!) One person told me that she doesn’t think the issue will ever be accepted in Ethiopia, or at least in her lifetime. I couldn’t believe this! Especially because if you walk down the street, you’ll see maybe a dozen pairs of two men or two women holding hands… I previously had thought people were more open with their sexuality in Addis Ababa because it’s a city, perhaps than rural areas. But apparently it’s okay for same-sex friends to be affectionate, but nothing more than that! I later learned that this was a key issue at a recent Sexuality Conference in Addis Ababa in February… hopefully at least some youth are moving in a progressive direction!

Well, clearly I still have a more lot to learn about Ethiopian culture, than my 15 minute walk from my house to work has taught me yet. I can’t wait for next week, when I’ll get to visit the Bale Mountains to learn about the MELCA project! Let’s hope I’m feeling well enough to do a good job with all the intensive interviewing I’ll have to do… wish me luck!

The road from Bole Airport to my house... first impressions of Addis

I’ve been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia now for 5 days… and surprise surprise! I LOVE it! Even though I’ve only seen the road from Bole airport to my house where I’m staying, probably a mere 5 minute drive, haha I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to live and volunteer here for the next 6 weeks. :)

This time it isn’t like the happiness in Fiji, the landscape in New Zealand, the animals in Australia, or the food in Thailand. It’s the people. Ethiopians just have to be the most beautiful people in the world! With their deep brown eyes framed in thick lashes, perfect skin with heart-shaped faces, high foreheads, pointed chins and long necks, the “Nefertiti bust” in Britain’s Egyptian museum which is often likened to Ethiopian beauty simply doesn’t do them justice. I also love the Amharic language, which I’ve been trying to pick up—not only the words themselves, but their high-pitched enunciation, elegant rolled r’s, and how every sentence ends in a polite question. Everything is “ishi? = okay?” :) And I’ve really been astounded at how warm, friendly and hospitable everyone has been to me, from the friends I’m working with, to my housekeeper Yeshe, guards Mulagta and Tariku, and folks on the street. Yay Ethiopia!

People keep asking me about my first impressions, and I have to say that on the flip side of loving the people and their friendly hospitality, I’m also taken aback by the lack of stuff. At the airport, I expected to get a guidebook, a phone card, withdraw some money… but there was none of that, just a big room with luggage. I’ve never been in a place with no handy ATMs around! Nor was there a McDonalds, or names for the streets. I don't have an address where I'm staying, it's just "next to the Mozambique embassy." It definitely makes me appreciate the different levels of development in a different way... I thought I'd been to developing places before, but this is just really different.

The other thing that really bums me out is all the beggars on the streets. Even though there’s everyone begging from kids to women and elders, it’s not as bad as Cambodia, because people don’t follow you or disrespect themselves in the process of asking. Thank goodness I actually read a really cool chapter about the begging issue in my Lonely Planet, that basically says you should never give money to begging children because it perpetuates their false expectations, and keeps them out of school. The best mantra is to "give a small amount often" -- like budget $3 per week in Ethiopia, or 50 birrh, for example-- and then only to adults who really need it to eat. And other than that, it's great to give to organizations and buy from local handicrafts that benefit the community. I was STOKED to finally receive this good advice, since it’s something I’ve struggled with for a long time.

So, I’ll give a little re-cap on what I’ve done so far. On the plane from Thailand to Ethiopia on Saturday February 27th, I was feeling really nervous about what was next. I hadn’t even so much as glanced at an East Africa guide book! I knew next to nothing about the history, language, culture, or city-layout… AHHH talk about unprepared! All I knew was that someone from PHE-Ethiopia was picking me up, and that I’d have a few days to settle in to Annie’s house where I’d be staying, before my boss Negash arrived back from a London Climate Change Conference on March 3rd. I hoped my Sierra Club experience would prepare me to be a helpful volunteer with adding content to the website, creating brochures and a newsletter, and going on field visits. But I knew that nothing could prepare me for the vast challenges facing Ethiopia, of poverty, environmental damage, and lack of basic necessities. Well, if Thailand and Cambodia had changed me at all, I knew that Ethiopia would knock my socks off.

Half way through the flight I for some reason got seriously sick, and experienced the true Ethiopian hospitality that I’ve grown accustomed to after a few days here. My gin and tonic with dinner was way too strong, and then the guy in front of me leaned his chair in my lap, while the woman on my left leaned up against me. I was smooshed, couldn’t reach my water-bottle, and my pillow fell to the ground so I couldn’t even properly lean against the window! In minutes my body was covered in hot sweat, and I felt classic throw-up symptoms of chills and nausea. I got up to run to the bathroom, and the flight stewardesses saved me! They grabbed me, sat me down, gave me water, fanned me, and ran ice over my face and neck. Then they actually made me a bed on the floor of the airplane for me to lie down, with blankets and pillows! I didn’t even know they could do that! I literally felt better in 3 minutes. After returning to my seat and asking the guy in front of me and the woman beside me to let me breathe a bit, I was able to doze off for most of the 9 hour flight.

I arrived at the airport at 7am on Sunday, and Tdelle (tah-dell-eh) with the Packard Foundation office picked me up. He was so sweet to have me talk with Thamar right away (who also works with Packard and has become my closest friend here), and treat me to a delicious latte and spice cake from Kaldis coffee, or the Ethiopian Starbucks. ;) He took me to Annie’s house, and it was AMAZING! Really huge with a front garden, 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and downstairs art studio. The second I arrived I unpacked and hung my pictures and artwork I've bought so far all over the walls … it was so nice to finally settle for a while.

Thankfully I found Annie’s library of probably 50 books, including a Lonely Planet Ethiopia guidebook, a History of Ethiopia by Harold G Marcus, and a guide to learning Amharic. Like a huge nerd, I finished the Lonely Planet that first day, the second day I made 100 flashcards of Amharic words to study on my 15-minute walk to and from work every day, and over the next 3 days I finished the 267 page Ethiopian history book! I guess it helps that Annie’s house doesn’t have a TV, radio, or anything to do really. At this rate I could read 14 books while I’m here, haha, but at least I’m excited to really dig in and get to know the country’s history and culture.

That first day was really great, though… the housekeeper, Yeshe, arrived at 1pm and began her daily habit of totally spoiling me. She proceeded to do my laundry, clean the house, and prepare me a HUGE delicious meal of tomatoey pasta, grilled zucchini, French fries, green salad, fruit salad and bread. Since then, it’s been more good things every day—spicy Indian food with rice, omelets, homemade bread and cakes, even homemade ice cream! She’s really sweet and speaks good English… soon I’m going to need to tell her not to make so much food, because otherwise I’m afraid I’ll gain weight here! (gulp…)

Later on at about 2pm, Thamar came over to make sure I was good in the house, exchange money for me (13.3 Ethiopian bihr = $1, yikes), and take me out to a movie! She’s really funny, sweet and laid back, and actually reminds me a ton of my former boss Sandeep. I was surprised at how Western she was, I think since she studied in Canada for a few years—we talked about Sex and the City for a good 30 minutes, haha.

The next day was my first day at the office, and it went really well… I have my own desk and really fast-running computer, and Meron and Meseret who work in my office and are around my age seem really sweet. I felt super productive right-away by providing edits to a grant, and was feeling pretty good about myself… till I walked back to my house for lunch and got lost for like an hour! It really wasn’t my fault… the streets aren’t marked and look crazy similar. The directions are something like “left at the fruit stand, past the field, right at the second street with the white sign, house next to the 4th one with the gate.” Confusing, right? What messed me up was that the previously empty field was now full of 50 free-roaming goats, so I didn’t recognize where I was. My method of finding my way back was pretty silly, but it worked… I just walked aimlessly up and down the streets, shouting the name of the day guard, “Mulagta! Mulagta!” Back at the office, the girls thought it was HILARIOUS that I’d gotten lost, and even funnier how I’d found my way back… they’ve probably re-told the story 20 times already to anyone who will listen and laugh along, haha. :) Oh well, I actually love being the brunt of a joke, if it makes people laugh.

My third day in Addis, Tuesday March 2nd, was a National Holiday to celebrate the Battle of Adwa where Ethiopia defeated Italy, and singled itself out as the only un-colonized African nation. It was cool that I was reading about it in my Ethiopia history book, and after Yeshe took me for a little shopping trip to the market, I decided to take a taxi to the center of town to see if anything was going on and check out the National Museum. A nice guy named Fikalu drove me in his taxi, and I found it funny that he actually followed me around throughout the museum to explain stuff to me. The museum was sadly dinky and desolate, but nicely arranged with the famous Lucy bones on the bottom floor, marking Ethiopia’s status as the cradle of humanity. On the first floor there were portraits and busts of the royalty (my buddies I’d been reading about, haha), then paintings on the second floor, and handicrafts on the third floor. I was really moved by paintings depicting female genital mutilation and famine, and bummed that no postcards were for sale.

Yesterday (Wednesday March 3rd) I again went to the office, came home, listened to the radio that Yeshe hooked me up with along to a thunderstorm outside, and read. Today I met Negash at the office, and I have to admit I’m a little scared! He’s REALLY sweet and asked me all about my trip and how I’m doing at the house and in Addis so far, but afterwards launched into all the projects he hopes I’ll do while I’m here. He has a very forceful personality, and I’m not sure that with the trips he has planned for me, I’ll be able to take any time to see touristic sites… but I guess we’ll see. The program visits to Bale Mountains and Ghedeo Zone seem incredibly cool, and I’m excited to write a lot… I already wrote 10 pages of website edits in two days! I’m just really grateful for this opportunity to help out.

Doing research for the website and reading a few books on Ethiopia, I’m still really perplexed about why it’s so poor here. It’s one of the 10 poorest countries in the world; something like 60% of people live on less than a dollar a day, and there’s 1-2 doctors per 100,000 people. It’s really starting to hit me. Today after work I browsed through a bookstore, and couldn’t believe they didn’t have any books on Ethiopia! It was all Western books—they even had a bunch of “guides to overeating,” one which had a donut on the cover! Are you kidding me?! There are no donuts here, let alone problems with overeating! So lame.

Well now that I’m caught up on my blog, I’m going to go read my new book, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, about one man’s mission to build schools for girls in Pakistan. Makes my volunteer work here seem like nothing, haha, but at least I’m happy to get this experience before going for my MPH next year. Yay Ethiopia!