The beauty of the earth

Last Sunday I escaped the city for a few hours.  I took a mini bus (well, actually 3 minibusses) to Entoto Mountain.  It was a very steep ride.  Picture a VW van, with 22 people in it going through the mountains.  Yeah, it wasn't a speedy climb, but it was much better than walking!
At the top of the mountain, there is an orthodox church and a spring that people claim has healing water.  The view was unreal! It was really nice to see.  I could pick out areas of the city that I knew.  It had kind of a village feel even though it's pretty close to the city.  Mud huts and fields of wheat and other crops I wasn't familiar with.  Donkeys carying wood down the mountain to sell in the city and a lot of open space.  It was a really nice get away.  The weather was beautiful and I ended up getting a bit sun burned, but it was totally worth it.  Did a lot of walking and reluctantly came back to the city late in the day.  It was so nice to have the quiet and to get a good walk in.  Seems like during work days, there's not much time for exercise or even leaving the compound that much. 
Yesterday, I took off to a small town about an hour away called Debre Zeit.   It was gorgeous! There were three lakes that we saw.  The air was clean, the water was beautiful.  I was tempted to go swimming, but didn't have my suit.  Leah and I definitely plan to return and spend some more time there.  The landscape here is gorgeous, and the people are so friendly, it's really easy to move around and go places without having to worry too much about safety or even getting lost. When I planned to come to Ethiopia, I didn't anticipate the beautiful lanscape.  The guide book doesn't really drum it up much either, and I can't figure out why.  There is SO much beauty here! One of the great things about it too is that a lot of it us so untouched.  There are these beautiful rolling hills and mountains, filled with trees and shrubs.  In Canada, someone would have built a big house on these hills or something, but here, it's uninhabited and the natural beauty is able to be enjoyed.  Even with such a big population, there is still so much open space.
Sunday is my day off, so I've decided I"m going to try to get out of the city as much as I can on Sundays.  There's so much to see, and I really feel like it rejuvinates me for the week. I get to be away from the patients and  the compound and experience some of the beautiful culture and landscape of Ethiopia.
My work continues to challenge me.  Specifically, one of the nurses that I"ve been working with.  He just doesn't seem to be catching on very quickly.  My patience has been tried many days and I"m convinced that I'm earning time off purgatory! The other day, when I told him to go check on a patient, he came back and told me he was sleeping, so he didn't want to disturb him.  I knew full well that the guy wasn't sleeping, he was unconscious!  There's a big difference!!!  I've spoken with Sister Martha Joan, and she understands.  They have to write their board exams next month, and the sisters won't hire anyone who doesn't succeed in the exam.  In the meantime, they are welcoming 3 MORE new nurses for their practical experience.  They start tomorrow, and guess who's their teacher?! Now, I'll have 5 to run after and supervise.  Should be interesting.  I"m definitely going to have to keep praying for extra graces to teach them well and to be patient as they learn.  One of the boys that I've been working with is really excelling and I think he'll be great.  I hope the boys that are coming are as keen!
My favorite patient died this week.  It was a hard day for me.  His name was Abraham, and he was a wonderful man.  He was one of the few patients that I could sit and talk with.  He was very well educated and spoke English well.  He had a family and a good job, but when he got in the later stages of HIV and got sick, he was abandonned by everyone.  He had been living with the sisters since March.  I knew that his health had been declining and he had been suffering a lot more.  Last week he broke out in a herpes infection which took over half his face and he could only see out of one eye.  We were treating it, but it really wasn't responding, and I knew his immunity was virtually non existent.  The thing is, he never complained.  I would have to ask very specific questions to get the real information about his pain and stuff.  He was a real testament of strength.  Thursday, I went to say 'hi' in the morning and he was unresponsive.  So, me and one of the sisters took some extra time with him and washed him up and put him in a clean bead.  We prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with him and I was able to sit with him for a while.  I went to check on him again before lunch, and I knew he was very close to death.  One of the other workers and I were able to be with him when he died and it was very peaceful.  It was so nice to see him in peace and to share that special moment with him.  Another victim of AIDS, a disease that is so prevalent here!
There are only 2 female volunteers left now.  Sister has moved us to another room for a little while as they deal with the plumbing and mold issue in our room.  It's nice to be in a different place. We're right beside the chapel. I"m hopeful that we won't hear the patients as much at night, but we'll see.  It was funny to see the reaction of the patients when we were moving our bags. They thought we were leaving and they were very sad.  It was nice that they felt that way, but it took some work to try to explain what we were doing.  My Amharic skills are improving slowly.... a lot slower than I would like, but they are patient with me and I'm trying to learn a new word a day.  It's very complex and if you intone in the wrong way, it could have a very different meaning.  This week I'm tackling numbers.  We'll see how that goes.
Even though I'm not able to be at home to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and eat turkey.  I am definitely thankful for where God has placed me.  It's wonderful to be here, and I don't doubt for an instant that this is exactly where I need to be right now.  I"m thankful for my family and friends, and I"m thankful that God has given me this wonderful opportunity to love Him in the poor.  I'll eat my rice and lentils and think of all of you with LOTS of love and prayers!
As usual, never a dull moment.  It's always nice to hear from home though, so throw me an email every once in a while!!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!