Thursday, March 31, 2016

We started the day with our earliest departure time yet – 8:00am. However, the adults were pleasantly surprised to find us all in the van and ready to go by 8:02. While I could attribute our timeliness to good planning, we were all pretty eager to start our Abi chronicles of the day with our hour and a half drive out to the Born Free Animal Preserve. It was a big day for Abi and his quest for love, but I will touch on that later.

We took a beautiful drive outside of Addis to get to the Preserve. The drive was full of amazing landscapes, donkeys, goats, local people, and more. It didn’t feel even close to an hour and a half long because we were all very content with the playlists we sang along to and the sights… Also thanks to Amy, Ms. Floyd, and Ms. Davis because all the girls were able to ride in the big van with Abi together for our longest drive yet. When we arrived at the Preserve, we signed in at the gate (Ruthie Brady +10) and went on to the dusty parking lot. We met our tour guide, Million, and set out for our hour and twenty-minute tour around the beautiful preserve. We stopped many times to admire some plant life and such (Ms. Floyd was really in her element here) and observe the animals that roamed freely around Born Free’s land. Some of the roaming animals were Vervet monkeys, various bird species, and hyenas (which we did not see because they are nocturnal, but we did spot some of their tracks).

Besides the vast land that really seemed like it was made for frolicking, the real excitement of the preserve was when we saw the rescued animals at the preserve. The rescued animals, which included baboons, lions, and cheetahs, were animated and all had extensive stories/backgrounds. The baboons were rescued from a restaurant where they lived in awfully tiny cages. They seemed uninterested in us, until we started to make faces at them. When one baboon saw our faces, he leaped and clung to the fence rather aggressively, mimicking our faces by opening his mouth. He had very large canines and suddenly we were all very thankful for the wire enclosure that separated us. The lions were rescued from a military camp, where people would throw rocks at them to get their attention. Million explained to us that not only do the wars create human refugees, they also create animal refugees, because the lions’ habitat was invaded by soldiers. The lions did not hold back and also came charging at the sight of us, full movie roar and all. This made for some great go-pro videos and pictures, as well as the discovery that Abi is a brave man (again, do not fret more on Abi is yet to come). Then we moved on to the cheetahs, who were rescued from the black market pet trade. They basked in the sun and we all admired how adorable they were. We also passed some tortoises, cerval cats, and mice. We took our same hour and a half drive back into the city, which was equally as beautiful our trip out.

           

We went to lunch at Five Loaves. As every other restaurant in Addis, the building was unassuming from the outside, but when we walked in and up to our table on the second floor, the view of the mountains and interior of the place was amazing. Everyone was happy with their meals, including Mary Powell’s prosciutto sandwich, Mary Katharine’s chicken parmesan, Andy’s quiche, Sam’s chicken sandwich, and more. We all closed the meal with macchiatos (Ms. Davis had a latte with lunch and the art inside was a lion, which was pretty incredible).  

After lunch, we left for our second ultra-ethical event of the day, Salem’s. Salem’s is a small shopping compound (for lack of a better word) that features many artisans that produce their crafts on site. Some of the crafts included woven blankets and scarves, woven baskets, jewelry, ornaments, bags, and more. While shopping, you were actually able to go and see the people who are making the products and watch them practice their craft, which was a surreal experience. Andy, Jane, Zoe, and Allie even spoke with a weaver who also happened to be a bow tie maker and Ethiopian young life leader (he is expecting an invite to Raleigh soon). We all walked out with bags full of fairly made, quality items. Not only did we take away tangible gifts, we also spoke with Salem, the owner, who gave us an intangible gift. She shared her passion for empowering women through business and negotiation, instead of giving hand-outs. She inspired us all to value education, empower each other, and support fairly-run enterprises. She’s also pretty remarkable in how progressive she is since Ethiopia is much further behind in feminism than the United States, which Buffy pointed out during our yay and yuck ducks nightly break down. She also has a daughter who is graduating from Chapel Hill in May, so more Ethiopian friends in North Carolina!!

Now for the nightly update on everyone’s favorite, Abi, our driver. Today Abi really got on-board with our search for his perfect match, which prompted the creation of the necessary #abilovesit. He gave us post-it notes and Any wrote his name and phone number on them to hand out to potential matches (#sparks) we came across on our drives. We found 3!!!! The first was a miss due to some miscommunication on Abi’s preferences. The second was great fun, because Abi gave us the ok once she had already passed, so Andy and Senait jumped out of the van and ran down the street to giver her the number. She took it and we are hopeful. The third was the best match yet. She was walking in a beautiful area of Addis, looked around Abi’s age, and met all his requirements. We called her over to the van, assured her that Abi was the greatest guy we knew, and gave her the number. When we said to call him she responded “ok” so things are looking pretty good. We also developed more of Abi’s character today. We determined throughout today’s events, that not only is he modest and kind-hearted, he is also brave, practical, a renaissance man, and a whole lot of fun.

After Salem’s we got ice cream from an ice cream place in Addis, Igloo, which was really good. The sugar cones had “Ethopia” written on them, which while not spelled correctly, was still cute. We also stopped at a coffee bar to buy Ethiopian coffee and Elsa Kolo for kolo. After our ice cream, coffee, and kolo, we came back to the house. Before dinner, Andy and Mary Katharine put on an extensive, orchesis-inspired dance performance, which was beyond amazing. They embodied the moon and the sun (dressed in their new scarves to go along with the theme) and had everyone laughing at their dedication to perfecting the theatrical experience. Bini literally ran back from whatever errand he was finishing to make it in time for the dance- I don’t think he was disappointed. Right after the dance, we had dinner, which was spaghetti with a meat and vegetarian option. Everyone enjoyed it, even though Mary Katharine’s lips were burning (Ethiopians like spicy food). After dinner, we moved our nighty reflection (yay and yuck ducks) outside and shared around a great fire that Bini and Robert (one of the guards) made. The sweetest display of international friendship ever occurred when Bini surprised Ms. Turlington with one of the blankets she regretted not buying at Salem’s. Tears were shed and the hearts were up and crossed.

All in all, today was something of an ethical dream. Instead of going to a zoo, we went to a Preserve. Instead of going to a mall, we went to an artisan market. It was really amazing to see how we can enjoy the same kinds of activities we have always loved in a more socially and environmentally responsible fashion. I kind of got volun-told to do tonight’s blog by Ms. Turlington, but I totally didn’t mind, because the entire day was completely up my alley. Every day I get up and think there is no way today could be as good or better than the last, but somehow they always are.

Some highlights……

-       Abi not being scared of the lions (his bravery) because there is a fence (his practicality)

-       Both successful number transfers with Abi’s potential future partners

-       Realizing that Abi and Abush (the car driver) are Timon and Pumba

-       Buffy’s 3 braids and new necklace combo that make her look like an indigenous queen

-       Caroline’s lost voice that has turned her into a great singer

-       Tishomi (Younglife guy) giving Andy, Jane, Allie, and Zoe Ethiopian names

love,

jenni  

-       Jenni Struthers, ‘16

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Well on this thirtieth day of March, an Ethiopian miracle was witnessed!!! We all learned that, in fact, dreams do come true. But the miracle doesn’t happen until later so I’m just going to leave you with this cliff hanger for now. ;) So this morning, we all were up by 10 o’clock and looking forward to a great day ahead. Our lovely cook, Asni, made us some delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast along with the usual eggs, fruit, and yogurt. After our breakfast, we had some fun expanding our creativity and coloring in coloring book (thanks Ms. Wahlstrom!) while we waited for the dance instructor to come. We literally moved all of our furniture out of the living room to create a dance studio. Our dance instructor, Minte, was the real deal. He had been an acrobat in the circus before becoming a professional dancer and dance instructor for the past ten years. The dancing was super fun, but also very hard. There was a lot of foot movement and shoulder popping. We all did our best and had a lot of fun but I definitely appreciate the Ethiopian dancers that we saw on Sunday night. We were all breaking a sweat as it’s pretty exhausting!

After dance lessons, we hopped in the van and drove to get some lunch. We had our second traditional Ethiopian meal at a fun place called Kategna. We ordered three injera (the spongy bread) with various toppings and a new food called chechebsa. The chechebsa was the best thing I have eaten this trip. It has tortilla that is soaked in sugar, butter, and other things. There is an egg on top and you can drizzle honey on it. After eating our wonderful meal, we were all full and very content, especially at my end of the table. J As Ms. Davis said, she could die happy right there.  After lunch, we went back to Youth Impact, the organization that helps street boys develop mentally, physically, and spiritually. When we got to the house, we played a fun game of Davy Jones (monkey in the middle) with the soccer ball. We were having so much fun that we decided to go to the soccer field nearby and play for real! Of course the SMS gals were feeling good about this until we saw the Youth Impact boys bring out their soccer cleats—they were serious soccer studs. When we got to the field, we divided into four teams. Luckily the teams were evenly matched with both SMS girls and Youth Impact boys. I was very fortunate to have Jen on my team and we were able to get some good touches! Meanwhile, our other teammates were soccer ninjas and flying across the field. Despite the dusty field and the heat of midday, the Youth Impact boys were all extremely fast and talented soccer players. After more than 45 minutes of intense play and friendly competition ;) we said goodbye to our friends and moved on to our next adventure.

Now, I’m sure many of you have been anxiously waiting for the Ethiopian miracle. To give some background, on Monday afternoon, our dear friend Andy fell in love to a beautiful, glowing Ethiopian boy we drove by in the streets. Since their eye contact on Monday, the whole house has been abuzz. As many of you know, a love as powerful as this can not be ignored. So, Andy’s plan was to write a love note to this boy in the hopes that when we drove by the same place (the slaughter house…), we would spot him again, she could hop out of the car and give it to him! Although the chances of spotting him again were very slim, Andy was determined. Well, today our van happened to drive by the same slaughter house. Everyone’s eyes were peeled for a certain straw hat or a glowing face. Unfortunately, there was no sign of him at the slaughter house, however, we all kept an eye out. A few blocks after the slaughter house, Allie was taking some pictures of people in the street and noticed a beautiful boy selling papayas on the street who was looking at Andy. When Andy turned to look at the boy, she thought he might be the “golden boy.” Ms. Turlington was also looking at him and said, “Andy, that guy’s winking at you!” After a few moments of looking at him, Andy exclaimed, “That’s him!” Luckily our superhero van driver, Abi, was quick to slow down the van enough for Andy and Dougie to jump out and run to the boy. Andy went up to the boy and Dougie was able to translate for her. The boy said that he was wearing a straw hat on Monday and that he remembered Andy! His name was Tekley and he is only 20 years old! Andy gave him the letter and came back to the van. The rest of us were all feeling a combination of pure shock and true happiness. To put this miracle into perspective, only a handful of people saw this boy on the street for a few seconds on Monday afternoon. Although we were all sending good vibes between Monday afternoon and today, the chance that Andy would see this one boy again out of six million Ethiopians was extremely small. Not only did she see him again near the same spot, but she was able to jump out of a moving car and give him her letter!! It was truly amazing and all of us are filled with pure joy for Andy. This is what dreams are made of!!

Now, onto the rest of our day. After the Tekley experience, we went back to the orphanage, Sele Enat. It was so much fun to connect with the same kids that we played with on Sunday. We brought chalk, bubbles, and more balloons. Today we got very creative with our games.  The children mixed the chalk with water and began putting it on their faces, and thus the chalk wars started. Dougie used the balloons to make sounds and some of us joined in to create a balloon rap song! We also got to hold the beautiful babies. When we had to leave, everyone had a hard time because we knew that this would be the last time we got to see the kids. :( Although it was sad, I know that we all feel blessed to have met them and I hope that we were able to bring some joy into their lives. After leaving the orphanage, we came home and got ready for dinner. Tonight, we had breakfast for dinner and all enjoyed waffles, pancakes, hashbrowns, and fruit. Now we are coloring, journaling, and watching MK, Buffy, and Andy preform Legally Blonde songs for us!! What a great day here in Ethiopia! Everyday I think I have had the best day, but then the next day is always better than the one before! We are all loving each experience together, and learning new things about Ethiopia and ourselves. I am so happy to be surrounded by such fun people who are making the most of every opportunity.  

Highlights of the day include:

·      Jen the butterfly dancing

·      The Ethiopian scandal!! Dougie revealed the drama about a false prophet who we saw at the restaurant! Crazy stuff ;)  

·      Mrs. Floyd is converted to a vibe believer (good vibes everyone- never underestimate the power of a good vibe)

·      Abush, our car driver, is a very talented goalie

·      We got to see Solomon again at Youth Impact

·      Jen and Sam’s full head of braids

·      Abi, our van driver, is a secret gardener and can garden with the presidents of the SMS garden club, Carrot and Cabbage  

·      A special shout out to Mr. Davis, we all want to say hello :)

That’s all for today! Cant wait for tomorrow!

Love,

Caroline

-       Caroline Fountain, ‘16

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Our day started off quite similarly to the previous days, so I wont elaborate too much, but we all had a delicious breakfast including eggs, fresh fruit, banana bread, yogurt, and muffins which happened between 8:00-9:00am. After getting changed and packing bags for the day, we gathered in the living room to watch a documentary called, “A Walk to Beautiful” which explained the hard lives of young women with fistula, a problem that develops from complications during childbirth for women who do not have proper medical care. I found the documentary to be incredibly interesting and I was immediately inspired and wanted to meet the patients. Luckily, that is exactly what we were about to do!

We put our shoes on and moved the party outside to the van which took us to a place called Desta Mender, which is a college and a rehabilitation facility. The facility is a place the patients can go after having surgery. The patients stay in the hospital for about 2 weeks to make sure all went well, but then all go their separate ways. Many of them are often rejected by their families and friends and therefore don’t feel comfortable traveling back home.  This center puts some of them through a four-year school curriculum and training to be a midwife to help provide medical care for women in the future. The campus was very beautiful and, although still not conditions to standards we have all previously held, I thought it was respectable and definitely a “step-up” from the lives of kids we have seen in the city. We took a tour of the campus with a guide who talked probably the quietest I have ever heard a person speak (while still producing sounds) and really got to enjoy the scenery. After the tour, we walked over to a little building where some women who have had the fistula surgery cooked us lunch. Our options were vegetables and rice, chicken/beef pot pie, or chicken/beef goulash. I had the chicken pot pie which was very, very good and I’m pretty sure everyone was more than satisfied with their meals as well. After lunch, I went to speak to some of the cooks with Senait as my translator from English to Amharic and then Amharic back to English :) because I wanted to know more about them and how difficult their lives must have been. Obviously, this is a pretty hard topic to talk about with people directly affected, so it was slightly awkward. Right before leaving, we went outside to take a picture and then headed to the cars.

On our way to Connected in Hope, we had possibly the most rambunctious car ride ever. We pulled the windows down in the van and blasted music from Caroline’s phone via an aux cord. Not only was it fun to hang out the windows and sing really loudly, but it was also fun to see peoples’ reactions. We saw everything from confused to so excited and happy to see new (and very strange) people!Connected in Hope is an organization that helps transition women from being a fuel wood carrier to being a weaver. (To show your support for this amazing organization, do some shopping and buy some cool things at www.connectedinhope.org!) These women carry things heavier than you and I can carry starting from the age of 6 (some even from ages 2-3). We all bought many many scarfs from the women because a) the scarves are beautiful and b) we loved supporting these women.

One last quick stop was to the market at Shiromeda where we looked at/bought blankets and pants (*cough cough* Ms. Turlington *cough*) [Edit from Turls: my pants are amazing!] We headed home, had a wonderful dinner of stir-fry and ended the night with yay duck/yuck duck and some lively conversation!

Fun Highlights!

-       Visiting Connected in Hope and splurging on scarves

-       Finding Abi (our driver) a girl o the side of the road – still working on that, but well keep you posted!

-       Hearing about Senait’s proposal and her video!

-       Sam got “petted” by a child because they liked her light skin

-       Dougie’s entrance

-       The landscape!
-    On the Ethiopian calendar, it's July 20, 2008... so it's Ruthie's 10th birthday! HBD RUTHIE!

Dehna ederu!! (Good night in Amharic!)

-       Zoe Johnson, ‘16