Reflection

After a coffee ceremony at our guest house, a trip to the Ethiopian In-N-Out, one last stop at Kaldi’s, a canceled flight, and many, many hours in the Addis airport, we arrived safely back in the States on Sunday, March 26^th, and the girls headed off for their COMPASS week adventures. Now that we’ve returned to school, they each took time to reflect on their experience in Ethiopia... some longer than others! Apologies for the delay in posting... senioritis may be getting the best of some of us!

Even though I was nervous at first, going to Africa was one of the best things I've ever done. The people there were some of the most genuine and kind-hearted people I've ever met.  I became close with people I might not have otherwise and I am extremely grateful for that. Having these people to share the experience made it a million times better.

The people of Africa showed me just how much I have to be grateful for and to count my many blessings. It was so eye opening to see how little they had, yet they were some of the happiest people I've ever seen. So many people asked me when I came back if Africa changed my life and I would honestly say it did. I wish everyone could visit it and see it like I did because I thought it was truly amazing.

-          Anna Allen, ‘17

    

Ethiopia was such an amazing experience!! I loved having the opportunity to travel abroad, to meet new people, and to see a different culture. Although there were so many incredible moments from this trip, my favorite ones were the two days we spent with Destiny Academy. The kids who go there were so sweet and welcoming towards us when we visited their school and also when we went with them to the fistula center and the animal reserve. I really loved the opportunity to sit in on a seventh grade biology class when we visited Destiny. I found it really interesting to see how a school in another country teaches students. Overall, I had an amazing time and loved getting to know all of the people we met and would go back in a heartbeat.

-          Julia Bell, ‘17

As soon as we got back everyone continued to ask, “How was Ethiopia?” and all I can respond with is that I loved it. Travelling and spending an entire week in Ethiopia was life changing. Seeing kids that had an appreciation for school and learning was amazing. Many of the people we met had such a positive outtake on life and were always in the happiest of moods. I think that many of us came back to America with changed perspectives… we even continue to say our “Glums and Glows” of the day. We also became closer to each other; we never fail to slip in a “Selamno” when we pass each other in the hallways or especially on the way to East Park! Now, I can’t pick just one thing that I enjoyed about the trip, but I could give you a narrowed down list:

1.           Kaldi’s Macchiatos!!! (nothing else needs to be said)

2.           Seeing all the smiles on the children’s faces

3.           Hanging out with brother, Dougie

4.           Haggling in the market with Bini, Dani, and Abi

This trip has given me the chance to explore different cultures and even gave me a different view on life. I think that sometimes we are kept from the things we can’t see so we try to ignore them. But this trip gave me an opportunity to step out from behind that wall. To be honest, when I first heard about the trip I wasn’t going to go because trying new things isn’t my ideal situation, but I have broken out of that bubble and would gladly go back in a heartbeat!!

-          Lauryn Durham, ‘17

Seven days was most certainly not enough time in Ethiopia.  In these 168 hours, I was filled with more genuine joy than I have had in my 17 years of life.  Not only was I filled with joy, but I absorbed a boat load of knowledge about Ethiopian history, traditions, culture, and the people.  The connections with the people we met on our journey were ones that will never die.  I want to talk about so much in this reflection, but let me outline this for myself.  I want to talk about the authentic nature of the people I met, the precious children, and the lasting affects that this trip will have on my life. 

The people that I met in Ethiopia were some of my favorite people that I have come into contact with.  Dougie, Bini, Dani, Abi, and even Josh: These were not only our guides, but they were just like our best friends.  It is rare that I can be myself fully with people I have just met, but I felt so comfortable around them all, and I was able to really let my personality show.  Dougie, my blood brother, was just overall such a good human being, and it was so hard to adjust to life without seeing him in the morning and at night during glums and glows.  Abi was someone else who was just one of those people who didn’t have to talk much or be the center of attention, but his presence was just so nice to have around us.

The children, ages ranging from infant to my own age, were my favorite part.  The infants were the most innocent little beings I have met, and I was so lucky to be able to spend time with them.  It was difficult to know that the orphans did not have parents in their lives, but they still stayed so happy.  Their happiness and laughs were contagious.  The coolest thing about the kids our age was that we could play a good game of soccer and the language barrier didn’t get in the way of us having fun.  The way that they valued their education was also a lesson I learned while I was there.  Education is such a privilege, even though it should be a right for everyone.

Learning about the unfortunate issues that people struggle with every day was extremely humbling.  I never even knew that fistula was a medical problem that existed.  Fistula does not only affect a woman physically but it affects her mentally and emotionally.  It can ruin someone’s life, and the fact that she can be shunned from her family and friends is so upsetting.  The documentary about the landfill also hit me hard. 

This trip has left a great impression on me and my perspective on life.  I have carried my Amharic language skills all the way to the United States, and I use them every day now.  I have also gained a new set of friends that have shared this experience with me.  Ms. Turlington is also a new friend that I am so lucky to have gone on the trip with, and her love for Ethiopia has transferred over to me for life.  I feel like I have so much more to say, but I need to stop talking now so signing off!  Ciao!

I am so going back sometime in my life just by the way.  Ameseginalo everyone.  Khat 4ever. 

-          Leann Kelly, ‘17

When I decided to go to Ethiopia, I was really nervous about travelling without my family with people I had never met.  It wasn’t long after we got on the flight from Boston to Dubai, sitting in between Anna and Mary Ashburn, that I realized that I would be completely okay.  Not only was I blessed with an amazing opportunity to see Africa, a place I had never thought I would go, but I was blessed with meeting the most amazing girls I’ve ever had the chance to spend time with.  I feel a strong connection with the country of Ethiopia and the people there, and an even stronger connection with the selfless, kindhearted people I spent my 10 days there with. I had never felt more myself than when I was staying in a crowded, 6 person bedroom talking with people I had never spent time with before. 

After this trip, I have been cherishing every moment that I spend with the seniors from this trip, and cherishing the friends I have, food, running water, and other everyday things.  Being in Africa really gave me a perspective on American life that I take for granted every day, and made me especially grateful to live here.  I hope my relationship with everyone from this trip, and my relationship with Africa, continues for a very long time.

-          Grace Kempson, ‘18

Ethiopia was an extraordinary experience, and I truly feel that I have learned so much from just a short trip. I learned a lot about not taking for granted everything that I have in my life. I have never thought about having drinkable water access all the time, and I have never worried about if I will have a meal when I am hungry. These are legitimate concerns for some of the people that we saw, and my heart hurt knowing this is their reality. I also learned that sometimes it's the little things in life that can mean the most. When I was the age of the children in the orphanage, a balloon would have maybe excited me for a minute. The balloons put the biggest smiles on those children's faces and that has really stuck with me. It is not about the object, rather about the thought the giver put into it.

I am sometimes not the most carefree person, and breaking loose to have fun can be extremely hard for me. My experiences in Africa made me not care as much what others think of me, considering I got up on stage and danced an African dance. Although I was terrible, I showed myself that just having fun in the moment is awesome! Kids have always held a special place in my heart, considering they look at everything in life with a fresh perspective. This trip reminded me looking at life through the eyes of a child can be super helpful sometimes! I have always dragged my feet to school every morning, but in comparison, the kids in Ethiopia skip to school smiling. I've always known education was a privilege, but that really sunk in on this trip. The people in Ethiopia left a mark on me in so many ways, and I could only hope to have left a fraction of one on them.

-          Langdon Kennedy, ‘17

I loved Ethiopia and I would go back in a heartbeat! Coming back and trying to explain the trip is a genuine struggle. The new friendships I made on this trip and all the memories made will be something I will cherish forever. Here are some of the highlights of my trip:

1. Dougie (#macchiato), Abi, Danny, and Bini

2. The many van rides with Mashburn as our DJ

3. Meeting baby Sammy, the cutest baby at the orphanage in my opinion

4. Yod Abyssinia and the AMAZING dancers

5. Prestige

If you ever have the chance to go to Ethiopia, take it! The amount of joy and happiness that was present there, especially among the kids, was such an amazing environment to be around. From this trip, I have really learned to be grateful for what I have and the opportunities that are given to me. I want to work on living my life as happy as the kids were in Ethiopia. Ethiopia, thank you for this experience. This was truly one of the best trips ever.

-          Mackenzie Logan, ‘17

Before leaving for Ethiopia, I was extremely nervous and questioned if this was how I wanted to spend my spring break. I’m not going to lie, I was very hesitant about the group I was going with, but I think that this group was chosen to work together better than peanut butter and jelly. It is practically impossible to fit my experience in Addis (Adidas), Ethiopia into a journal, let alone a single reflection.

Upon entering the beautiful country of Ethiopia, which by the way is not like what you see in the Lion King, I was immediately filled with joy as we were welcomed with opened arms by who at the time were strangers. Having the opportunity to meet the happiest people with little to nothing really puts into perspective all that I am blessed with and makes me think before taking everything for granted, such as flushing toilet paper. The fact that we all had to unplug from the constant use of social media, although it was a struggle, allowed for us to grow as friends and become closer on a level that is not experienced back home.

I learned so much about the history and culture of Ethiopia, but I am most thankful that I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I can survive a flight across the Atlantic Ocean (thanks Turlz). I learned that the best and most true version of myself comes out when playing with the kids and goofing around like no one is watching. Although we experienced a language barrier with most of the kids, something about kicking around a soccer ball, can bring people closer than ever.

I would like to thank Bini, Dougie, Danny, and, of course, Abi for making this the best experience of my 19 years of life. The bonds made through singing our lungs out in the van (sorry Abi), reading to kids, glums and glows, and, of course, eating through the course of our 10 days in the Washington D.C. of Africa is something I could talk about for hours at a time and will cherish deeply forever. Ready to pack my suitcase and head back with my chat girlies J !!!

-          Mary Ashburn Mann, ‘17

Although our trip to Ethiopia was short, it was also jam packed full with experiences and adventures that were truly eye-opening for all of us. When I am asked “Hey, how was your trip?” I am constantly struggling for an answer other than “good”, but good always seems to be my default answer. It is hard to describe our trip without going into depth about the details that would take hours without even telling the entire trip.

When I think of Ethiopia I remember how blessed and lucky I am to live such a privileged life. In particular, I realized this when we visited Destiny Academy. When we visited the school, the children were so excited to be there and to learn new things, whereas I have a bad habit of thinking of all the negative aspects of school and take my experience for granted. Berhan Yehun is another place where everyone was filled with excitement and gratitude. The afterschool program gives children who live in extreme poverty a place to go and have fun after school. Games like Four Corners, Soccer, and Simon Says made everyone excited and giddy no matter how old they were.

Those are just a few places in Ethiopia where there was abundant joy, but at every place, we visited joy radiated from the smiles that people were flashing around us. They are so appreciative for everything they have and that is something that I should strive to do in my life.

-          Suzanna Wason, ‘17

Friday, March 24, 2017

Hey, from the gals in Ethiopia! Today we started early with a 7:45 wake-up call! But it was not as dreary as it sounds because we woke up with some jamming tunes featuring Rihanna and Chance the Rapper! Getting up early was completely worth it when we discovered that we were about to take on the streets of Addis so we could shop till we drop! But before shopping you must get that well-balanced breakfast of an assortment of breads and y’all know our favorite drink COFFEE!! After breakfast, we piled into Abi’s “swaggin wagon”! And proceeded to embark on our shopping experience!

With Abi weaving through the streets of Addis, we pulled up to Salem’s Designs where we began our “shop till we drop” experience! In Salem’s there were blankets, scarves, handbags, clothing, jewelry, and dolls which were all handmade. We were fortunate to first hand see some baskets, scarves, and blankets being made! Mary Ashburn even attempted and succeeded at helping make a scarf. (Let me know if you want to see some videos.) It took a few tries but she got the hang of it! We even met the ONE and ONLY Salem! (who by the way is a Tar Heel Fan, because her daughter graduated from UNC last year) Shout out to Turls for buying enough items for the Brady Bunch!

We went to Posta Bete, which means Post House, but we call it Post-a-Bagel. This was a series of small shops with various souvenirs. We were able to practice our serious haggling skills with the assistance of Dougie, Dani, and Bini as Abi kept watch over our already purchased items. We bought Ethiopian soccer jerseys, straw hats, magnets, mugs, scarves, wooden crosses, animal figurines, t-shirts, all types of jewelry, and traditional shirts and dresses. We shopped for so long that we were late for lunch, but before we left our MVH (Most Valuable Haggler), Anna, with Bini by her side, haggled a bundle of clothing worth 800 birr to 440 birr!

All this haggling sure did make us hungry, so we went to Natani where we had burgers, pasta, chicken pesto panini, and pizza (as Grace and Anna call them cheesy bites). As we ate our lunch Dougie poured a gallon of hot sauce on his pasta (the equivalent of drinking a bottle sriracha). Lunch gave us the opportunity to learn more about our friend, Dougie. Here are some little factoids: Dougie’s birthday is December 5, he has 4 siblings, one brother (27 yrs old) and 3 sisters (Me, Mackenzie, and Mary Ashburn). After lunch we ventured on over to Whiz Kids, which is like the Sesame Street of Ethiopia. Whiz Kids uses animation to teach children life skills such as safety, reading, learning the Amharic alphabet, and nutrition. We were invited to talk with one of the ladies that worked there and to watch an episode about vegetables. It was slightly difficult to understand since we only understand a few words of Amharic. The nice lady at Whiz Kids let us watch some of the new show that they were producing. This show was about Female Empowerment, with three young girl superheroes who embodied empathy, psychic abilities, and strength.

After our time at Whiz Kids, we took a short drive once again in Abi’s “swaggin wagon” back to the house. We all went upstairs single file to our rooms and began packing. Suz, Leann and I had a small “What I Bought” shopping haul. Many of us took naps before going to the Yod Abyssinia! We came downstairs in our casual “SMS” attire except for Grace and Anna who wore maxi skirts. Grace won the award for the most fashion forward because she decided to rock tennis shoes with her maxi skirt.

After a long 4 hour wait, it was finally time to venture on over to Yod Abyssinia! Fun fact: Abyssinia was the original name of Ethiopia, and Yod means ‘s. So Yod Abyssinia refers to “Ethiopia’s”.  We all sat down for dinner and as we were eating many forms of entertainment came on stage and performed for us. One man came out and started singing and I immediately ran on stage and danced with him. More acts proceeded to come on stage and everyone, even Turls and Dean Rundles, danced on the stage. We found an older lady that is the future Mary Ashburn! We also saw a group of guys who all went on stage and danced like chickens (It was worse than it sounds). After the guys left the stage, the One Direction of Ethiopia came on stage! We saw another traditional dance called the “Shepard’s Proposal”. It was then time to leave Yod Abyssinia and head back to the house for one last Glums and Glows.  On the ride home Dougie and I got in a fight, a brother/sister argument, but its ok… we figured it out. These moments were very tender and bittersweet<3 like the dark chocolate Langdon shared with us! We all packed with tears in our eyes and headed off to bed with thoughts of the coffee ceremony that we’ll have in the morning in our heads!

Deuces, 

Lo Dur

-Lauryn Durham, ‘17

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Hey everyone from the peeps in Ethiopia! Today was another wonderful day filled with lots of games, laughter, and excellent food. The day started off at 9:15am, which allowed for some nice sleep in time. We had a fantastic variety at breakfast with cereals, homemade bread, tea, and the outstanding coffee. After breakfast, we all headed out to Sele Enat, an orphanage.

When we arrived at Sele Enat, Leann instantly made a connection with an adorable dog. Next, we broke up into two different groups. One group went to see the babies, while the other group went to see the toddlers. Personally, I went to hang out with the toddlers first, and they were honestly the sweetest kids. We brought balloons for the kids to play with, and they were such a big hit amongst them all. As soon as I sat down on the ground, a girl in the cutest yellow skirt and bright pink shirt came to sit in my lap. The kids were running around the room, hitting the balloons back and forth or kicking them. The smiles that were created from a single balloon made me realize how fortunate I am for everything I have in my life.

It soon came time to switch groups and that meant it was time for me to go hang out with the babies. Holy goodness! I was not prepared for all of cuteness in that room. We played with the babies with rattles and a variety of toys, trying our best to keep them awake before their naptime. We all made some extremely great connections with different babies. I had a few highlights of holding babies for a long time but getting to feed one baby food was a special moment. I was also proud that my baby was the first one to finish all his food out of all the SMS people getting to feed them because the struggle was real for some of us. It started drizzling outside, and lunchtime was fast approaching. This meant the hard goodbyes were about to become a reality and putting down the baby I fed was difficult for me.

We pulled up at a converted warehouse for lunch, and the inside of the restaurant was beautiful. It was called Sishu and I would highly recommend it. Honestly, this place turned out to be a major hit and was possibly one of the best meals I have had here. Everyone ordered a variety of drinks such as soft drinks, pineapple fanta, and ambo (a fizzy carbonated water). Most people ordered some type of burger but three people in the group ordered BLTs with avocado or a tofu sandwich. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, and what made it was the special sauce, like thousand island. The fries were so delicious as well, and they reminded me of McDonald’s french fries which I think are some of the best ones.

After an amazing lunch, with a very full stomach, we headed out to run some errands. The first stop was a local supermarket to buy some traditional Ethiopian snack food, kolo, which I think is delicious. I could not believe that the food was so cheap with the conversion rates. Next, we went to a local coffee shop, called Tomoca, to buy bags of coffee beans and some people got coffee to drink right then. We had some more time to kill before our afternoon activity, so we took a second trip to Igloo, the ice cream shop. I did not get any this time because I had plenty of food at lunch. Some people did though, and we all enjoyed chatting and hanging out at the tables outside.

Ms. Turlington and all of us kids, went back to Berhan Yehun. Ms. Rundles, Mrs, Chernin, and Dani went to a history museum, while we all went to visit the kids again. When we arrived, the kids were not there from school yet, so we ended up playing with the bubbles and balloons we brought for them. Once they got there, we started integrating ourselves into various games with them. On Tuesday, we had brought them some balls which they quickly pulled out to play with today. There were multiple games of keep away and some were much more intense than others. We all sat down in a U shape to hear about the plans that they had made for us.

The first thing that they had planned to do with us was sing a song for us, and I must say it is always a pleasure to listen to them sing, while smiling from ear to ear. I participated in a game they had planned in place of Mary Ashburn because she has a fear of hearing balloons pop. The game was basically tying a balloon to your midcalf and running around trying to pop another person’s balloon, before yours is popped. Needless to say, one of the Ethiopian boys won against Suzanna, Julia, and me. Next, a group of people played musical chairs which our competitive Suzanna won. We took some group photos and then said our goodbyes to the sweet people at Berhan Yehun.

Our ride home was filled with lots of traffic, which made our ride a little bit longer than normal. When we got back to the house, dinner was prepared as usual at about 6:30pm. It was an exciting combination of rice, chicken, steak with peppers, steak kabobs, and eggplant chip things. I was happy with the amount of meat at dinner, and it was fantastic. We waited for Bini to arrive to do Glums and Glows from the day, and it is a great tradition that we have been doing every night.

We have a special house guest who has been with us since yesterday evening. She is here for adoption, and she had a lot of us teary eyed tonight. She got to meet her son for the first time today, and she showed the group a video of them together during Glums and Glows. That made my day. I am so happy for her and her new family member, and I can say on the behalf of us all, we wish her well over the next three months of finishing the process here.

Today was an excellent day of the trip filled with so many great memories. I cannot believe this trip is coming close to the end, but I am so excited to see what is left in store for us. Shopping sounds like it will be so much fun tomorrow, and I cannot wait to have another great day!

Peace out from Addis,

Langdon  

-Langdon Kennedy, ‘17

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Editor’s Note: Apologies for the late post. We lost power last night and it wasn’t restored by the time we left the house this morning. All is well!

Greetings from Addis Ababa! This morning we had an earlier wake up call that put us out the door at 8:45am. Before leaving, we had a terrific breakfast of coffee and coffee cake that put all of us in an excellent mood. After breakfast, we all hopped into the van and bus that we had for the day and headed to Destiny Academy to spend the day with the ninth grade girls.

After arriving at Destiny, we went into their library to watch a documentary on Fistula. The projector took a little while to start working so everyone went around the table and said their name, grade, a fun fact, and the meaning of their name or where they got their name from. Everyone had very interesting explanations of the meaning behind their names and where they got them from. After explaining our names, the video was finally ready to play. It was a PBS documentary on Fistula, which is a birth injury that affects women in rural Ethiopia after being in prolonged labor. This documentary was very emotional and had most of the room crying. The video showed stories of young women who suffered from Fistula who then went to be treated at a hospital in Addis Ababa. Most of the women who have gone to the hospital have been cured of Fistula and their lives have been permanently altered for the better. The women who had Fistula would often be divorced by their husbands and then would isolate themselves from their communities due to the side effects of the injury. After finishing this documentary, Mackenzie informed me that some of the fifth grade girls who I had met on Monday wanted to see me and greeted me as I was walking out the door of the library. The girls were so sweet and asked me so many questions. I only got to talk to them for a few minutes before having to say my sad goodbyes as I got on the bus to go on a field trip with the ninth graders.

On the bus, I sat next to two girls named Redit and Heven. They were both so sweet. We became really good friends and got to know each other really well. They introduced me to some of their friends and I became really close with them as well. To entertain ourselves, we played each other worship music from our different countries. Our first stop was the Addis Ababa Golf Club where we ate lunch. When we got there, we learned that lunch would not be ready for thirty minutes so my new squad and I found a playground to play on and took squad pics on the swings. We then went back to the room that lunch was in, sat down at our table, and talked about our life plans. We had a buffet for lunch that featured traditional Ethiopian food.

After lunch, we got back on the bus and headed to an animal reserve outside of Addis called Born Free. On the ride, we saw many fields and pretty views. At the animal reserve, we hiked for a long time and saw lions, cheetahs, turtles, and baboons. Everyone loved seeing the animals and learning about how the reserve rehabilitates and cares for the animals there.

After our long hike through the reserve, we got back on the bus to go to the Fistula rehabilitation center, Desta Mender. While we were there, we were given a tour of the center and saw where the Fistula patients heal. We also saw Hamlin College, the school for midwives. We saw a few of the patients knitting a blanket and saw beautiful baskets that were woven by some of the patients. We also saw a farm that the patients run to make money to help support them when they return home after being cured. After the tour was over, we went to a café and shop area where we could buy some of the goods that the patients created. We then got back on the bus and headed back to Addis to drop the ninth graders back off at Destiny Academy.

On the bus ride back, I continued to have some great conversations with my squad and we exchanged contact information so we can keep in touch. The girls who I became friends with were incredibly kind and smart and had very high aspirations for themselves. It was very interesting to see how similar we are despite coming from very different situations and cultures. When we arrived at Destiny, I said my sad goodbyes once again and then we headed back to our house. We got back to the house later than normal today and sat down for dinner shortly after we arrived. Dinner tonight has been everyone’s favorite dinner yet and featured chicken, rice, beef kabobs, and ground beef. At dinner, we all shared our glums and glows of the day. Bini and Dagi told us that they would take us to get coffee afterwards so we all quickly finished our dinner to head out for our night on the town. We ended up going to a café called Tuba where we all got macchiatos which we poured tons of sugar into to make for a nice nightcap. Everyone really enjoyed the coffee and we are sipping up every bit we can get our hands on while in the birthplace of coffee. After finishing our time at Tuba, we returned to the house for some showers and a long night’s sleep after a very adventurous day!

Sending all my love from Addis,

Julia

                                                                                                                                                -Julia Bell ‘17

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Salomno! Today was another exciting and jam packed day beginning with the usual wake up and breakfast routine. Just before our first activity, we learned that one of the guests staying in the house with us is from Greensboro and went to UNCW, so Lauryn and Mary Ashburn went to talk with her about their hometowns. We began in the living room to have an Ethiopia 101 class with Nahu. We are now much more knowledgeable about the history and government of Ethiopia because Nahu was an excellent teacher!

After our Ethiopia 101 class, we loaded up the van and headed off to lunch. We ate lunch at a restaurant called Savor, which served traditional American food. Savor also provided Ms. Turlington with a little blast from the past because last year’s group found out that the owner of Savor was from Durham and was at NC State at the same time as Ms. Turlington. We all ate our fill of pastas, pizzas, and burgers before loading up to head to Berhan Yehun.

Well… at least we thought our next stop was Berhan Yehun, but it was actually a surprise trip to Igloo, which is an ice cream shop. Special shoutout and thank you to Ms. McGlohon for giving us money, before we left, for this sweet treat today! We all enjoyed our various ice creams and the garden/patio area that they offered. Lauryn and Leann even got to swing on the swing set they had while having their ice cream. Once again, thank you Ms. McGlohon for our Igloo ice cream – we all loved it!

After our stop at Igloo, we made our way to Berhan Yehun, which is an afterschool program for children that live in the poorest areas of Addis. On the way there, we enjoyed a game of Sweet or Sour. Sweet or Sour is where we intentionally smiled or waved at the people we passed and would see if they would reciprocate. This game was so sweet and heart- warming because the Ethiopians were so kind and we received an overwhelming amount of smiles and waves back. When we first arrived, the children were not out of school yet so we enjoyed talking with each other and the owners of the afterschool program. Yet again, we had the opportunity to show off our professional athlete skills from our hackey sack team and played volleyball and tips with the children. We took a break after the exhilarating games and gathered together to sing and talk. They began and sang us some Ethiopian praise songs. Julia gave us a pitch to start with, and we followed and sang Waves of Mercy and Jesus Loves Me. Once we finished singing, we played Four Corners which Mary Ashburn facilitated until we had a winner, and then the winner facilitated the next game. After Four Corners, we played Simons Says and we all took turns being Simon. Despite the constant switching of Simon, the children were not rattled because we ended up having to end with three winners.

We declared our three winners of Simon Says just in time for their snack time so we went to talk with the owner and watch a documentary on the history of Berhan Yehun. The afterschool program provides children with meals and a place to go to have fun and be happy. The documentary was very moving and informative and emphasized the impact they have on the children’s lives. Last week, the area where most of the children live was struck by a landslide of the landfill, but thankfully none of the Berhan Yehun children or immediate family members were killed in this tragedy. Berhan Yehun was a great experience for all of us and was mentioned in everyone’s highs and lows. It was so impactful to see the children get so giddy and excited over Four Corners and Simon Says, despite their living conditions. We are so grateful that we get to spend time with them again on Thursday.

When we arrived to load into the van after we finished at Berhan Yehun, Dagim was already there and had prepared for praise hymn sing and DJ Mash continued the sing-a-long on the way back to the house. Unfortunately, Anna missed out on this sing-a-long because she fell asleep on my shoulder after all the exhausting fun we had with the children. When we arrived back at the house, we had just a little bit of down time for showering, journaling, and napping before another wonderful homecooked meal. After dinner, we shared our highs and lows before winding down for the day. We are so excited for another day to spend another day with Destiny Academy tomorrow!

XOXO- Suzanna

-Suzanna Wason, ‘17

Monday, March 20, 2017

Salutations from the shining *stars* of the trip, Anna and Grace! Today, we woke up bright and early to get ready for today. After that, we enjoyed an extravagant breakfast of homemade (although, according to Anna… or whatever, it’s “home-aid”) muffins, coffee, and tea. Following our meal, our driver arrived in his van and we hurried to get to the adorable children at Destiny Academy. Upon arriving at the school, we greeted Hareg, the founder, and gave her various school supplies for the students. They were extremely gracious and made us feel very welcome. We had a tour of the school, coffee ceremony, and then split up into different groups to play with the children. They prepared the traditional coffee ceremony, which included homemade coffee, and snacks of popcorn and special crackers. The coffee with sugar was amazing and some of the best we have ever had. Next, we split into different groups with the children. One group stayed to play basketball and the other group attended biology class. Mary Ashburn shined out on and off the court and Suzanna was the best cheerleader a team could ask for. The other group enjoyed learning with the seventh graders in the Biology class.

Following all this activity, we were hungry and went to a pizza restaurant called Afeu. The different pizzas that we ordered were all delicious, especially the pineapple and ham pizza. After lunch, we went to the younger campus of Destiny Academy. This school was the younger children and we played, did art, and read stories to them. Lauren and Ms. Turlington went to join the kindergarteners and took a nap with them. After watching the kids leave for day, Hareg took us to the new campus that they are building and showed us what their plans are for the new school.

After we left, we went to the bank and exchanged our American money for Ethiopian money. The dollar is very strong here and we got a lot of money, 2270.30 birr! Next, we went to a Kaldi’s, sort of an Ethiopian version of Starbucks. We all got the traditional Ethiopian macchiato and it was just as delicious as the coffee served in the ceremony earlier. After this fun but long day we came back to the house to chill and enjoy a great dinner of crepes with a special vegetable dish. After dinner, we shared our different highs and lows of the day and hung out with each other until bed. In the morning, we are all excited to learn more about the Ethiopian culture history.

Love, Anna & Grace!!  

-Anna Allen, ’17 & Grace Kempson, ‘16

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Happy Sunday!! Before hopping on the plane, I figured that I was coming to Ethiopia to help others and change their lives, but as clique as this sounds Ethiopia and all the people I have met so far have changed my life. We started off our morning with breakfast and the always needed cup of coffee. We then packed up the van and headed to Church. Walking into the International Evangelical Church, we were surrounded by people from all different backgrounds. We were first greeted with a sincere handshake and word of welcome, followed by several moving praise hymns. At the peace, the church-goers surrounding us asked about our background and what we were doing in Ethiopia. It is amazing to see people with from all walks of life come together for worship.

Following Church, we did what Saint Mary’s girls do best…. Eat. We experienced our first taste of traditional Ethiopian food, also known as Habisha food, at Kategna. The food was prepared on one large dish. Some of the food included, peppers, potatoes, lentil, cabbage, greens, beef, and whole fish. Instead of silverware, we used injera (a spongy bread) to eat. Overall it was a great meal.

Again, we loaded up the van for another great experience at the Hope House. The Hope House opened 12 years ago for kids who are living on the street. They house teen boys, and provide a hangout for the younger kids during the day. The older boys get back in school and find a job through this program. During the day, the younger neighborhood kids are provided with a meal. As soon as we got out of the van, we were welcomed by the younger kids. They immediately gave us hugs and held our hands. We learned about the Hope House, prayed, and sang a song with them. We didn’t really sing, because we didn’t know the words, but we tried our best to clap along. Before we parted ways with the kids, they taught us a handshake and took pictures on our phone. We didn’t have to say Ciao to everyone at the Hope House, because we headed down the street to play futbol with the older boys. In the middle of the game, we gained a few more teammates as a herd of cows walked across the field. Although we were covered in dust and might have inhaled a little too much of it, we had a great time. Anna and I really became close with our team… we were more of a squad, though. We had to end our futbol match when the rain started and we said Ciao to our new friends. On the way back to the house, we had a session of Carpool Karaoke, Addis addition.

We ended the night with another great meal. After dinner, Lauryn and I taught Dagim how to Juju on that Beat. We might have heard the voice of an angel as Anna sang us most of the words to “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Dixie Chicks. A few rounds of “Heads Up” got us all heated and educated on Blockbuster Movies, songs, and famous stars. As we wind down the night hanging out in the living room, I can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us.

Over and out!

-Mary Ashburn Mann, ‘17