Visitors from afar

Epiphany was an amazing celebration! I felt very privileged to witness such a culturally rich ceremony. It was nice to have my Canadian friends with me as well. On the eve of epiphany, we went to a large field where there were thousands of people gathered to welcome the parades of people coming from the various parishes. Each parish had several groups of singers, musicians and people dressed in liturgical garments leading the procession of the tablets (with the 10 commandments written on them) which were carried by the priests of their church. There were some very elaborate robes and hats. It was beautiful. It took quite a while for all the parishes to process in. The orthodox pope was in attendance and a ceremony involving chanting in an ancient liturgical language called Ge’ez and dancing followed the procession. We were able to get special passes from the sisters to allow us to get closer to the ceremony. Even then, it was a little bit difficult to see, but it was really neat none the less.


The next morning, we went to a cafe for some coffee and discovered that the view on TV was better than we could get at the field. So, we stayed at the cafe until most of the ceremony was over and then went and stood along the street to see the processions leave. We had a great view of two of the parish processions leaving the field. It was beautiful to see so many people participating in the ceremony. The streets were packed with people and traffic was shut down for several hours.

The next day, it was back to work and back to my patients. I was sorry to hear that one of my good friends had passed away while I was gone. He was a beautiful little man in room 4 who only had one tooth, and the GREATEST smile ever! He would kiss my hand and ask me for more bread every morning. He was special to many people and it was a difficult goodbye for us. He had been there since I arrived here in Addis, so it’s strange for me to walk into that room and not have him there. Knowing that he is in a better place, with plenty of bread makes me happy though! Ha ha

This week we have lost quite a few of our long term patients. In a previous blog, I wrote about Aragow. He was a man in room 4 who was suffering a lot with cancer. He would often cry out in pain, and it was growing increasingly difficult to manage his pain. Many times we prayed with Aragow, mostly that the Lord would relieve his suffering. Sister Martha John had told me that we only had one day left of pain medication for him. That night before leaving, she told Aragow that she was going away for 3 months and that he might not be there when she got back. She asked him to pray for her when he got to heaven. The next morning Aragow passed away peacefully surrounded by people praying for him. It was beautiful to witness the peaceful end of such a long battle.

My friend Erinn is still here with me, and it has been nice to show her my work, and have her participate a little in some of the things I do. She has started working on the ladies side and it’s nice to hear her stories at the end of the day, and hear her different perspective on some of the things that have grown a little routine to me.

This week I started my Amharic language classes. It’s very exciting. While I have picked up several words and even some phrases, it’s nice to have a formal class to learn the proper pronunciation of things, and some more vocabulary and grammar. I can’t say that learning a new language is easy, but I’m grateful that I have been hearing it spoken for the past 5 months, so many of the sounds are familiar to me. Its fun to see the shocked faces on people when I test out my new words as well. I work at the compound in the mornings and then attend my class in the afternoon. It’s a great way to apply what I’ve learned right away. I’m anxious to be able to communicate more effectively with my patients!

Never a dull moment here in Ethiopia. Even after 5 months, I’m constantly discovering new things and being challenged in new ways. Having Canadian company has opened my eyes to realize yet again how much my life has changed over these past months. I’ve been told that I’m much more mellow and easy going. I feel like even though my days are VERY full, they are that much more fulfilling. I continue to live in a spirit of peace and joy that gives me great confidence that I am where I need to be. I’m busy finishing the paper work for my business visa that would allow me to stay here for up to 3 years. I have confidence that if it be God’s will, it will all come together.

Having my Canadian friends here reminds me of some of the funny things that go on daily that I’ve grown accustomed to. For example; have you ever wondered where all the thrift store clothes go when no one buys them? Well, I can solve the mystery for you!! The other day, we were looking for a mini bus, and one of the attendants (a guy) was wearing a ‘World’s greatest Mom’ sweater. That’s the best one we’ve seen so far, but I’ll keep you posted if I find one that surpasses it. I’ve also been able to introduce them to one of my favourite snacks... juice. Don’t be fooled, it IS in fact a snack here. They take the whole fruit and puree. It’s very tasty, and it’s highly nutritious. My favourite is avocado and guava. The juice is so thick that if you get a mix of different fruits, they sit on each other in layers, and the glass looks very pretty.

My mom arrives this week, so it will be fun to show her around. I’m looking forward to having her experience some of what I’ve come to love. My boyfriend Hailu is anxious to meet her as well. Should be interesting!!

Happy Epiphany

The last two weeks have been very full. Time has flown by and I can’t believe it’s the middle of January already! My friends Erinn and Sarah from Canada have been visiting. It’s been great to have them here and to show them around. January 7th we celebrated Ethiopian Christmas. We went to Christmas Eve mass at the compound and celebrated with the patients. It was a very beautiful celebration. Everyone was in good spirits and the music at mass was very lively. The compound was beautifully decorated; each room had made its own stable out of hay. It was nice to introduce the girls to some of my favourite patients and have them see a little bit of what I’ve been doing these last months.


Christmas day, we were invited to Hailu’s family for dinner. We were very honoured to be their guests as they had killed a goat for the feast. Needless to say the food was incredible, and it was very nice to be a part of their family celebration. We were also invited to a smaller gathering of boys that Hailu works with. These boys used to live on the street, but have been sponsored by a German organization which offers them a place to live and schooling. Hailu works with them to offer social support and counselling in varying degrees. They prepared a lovely meal that we shared with them and then played some ping pong and foosball. By the end of the day, it was very reminiscent of Canadian Christmas as we were so full of food; we fell into our beds with hardly a word.

The next day, we set out on some travel. We decided to head south this time as I had never been. I was excited to show the girls some more of Ethiopia and have them experience some of the pleasures of 3rd world travel for themselves! As usual, getting there was half the fun, and I will be forever grateful for the effectiveness of the Canadian transport system! We were disappointed to encounter that our guide book was quite out of date. It led us astray many times. One day we got off the bus, and following the advice of aforementioned guide book, walked 3km to the nearest resort along ‘beautiful Lake Langano’. At the end of the road, we discovered an abandoned former hotel. It reminded me of a bad horror film, and I was grateful that we had set out early on this venture and it was the middle of the day. So, we walked the 3km back to the main road to seek out some transportation. While I have never hitch hiked in Canada, this was my second experience in Africa. Really, we were left with no other option. Thankfully, we were welcomed into the back of the truck of a very friendly coffee salesman. He brought us safely to the next town and gifted us with 1kg of coffee. Needless to say, we never did see ‘beautiful Lake Langano’. Maybe I’ll try again another time!

It’s good to be back in Addis again though. Things here are very familiar to me now, and I miss the work and the patients I have grown to love when I am away. This week everyone is busy preparing for Epiphany. It is a big feast here, and I am excited to see all the festivities. Since the majority of people here are Orthodox Christians, most public celebrations centre around faith. For this feast, the priests from each church bring the tablets (that are usually kept in the holy of holies in the church) with the 10 commandments written on them, in procession down the streets. They are all gathered at a special place prepared in a large park where everyone congregates and there is a vigil filled with singing and dancing for a whole day. The following day, the tablets are processed (again with singing and dancing) back to their sacred places within the churches. I am anxious to see all of this, and hope to give you a more complete report following the festivities.

The longer I am here, the more the everyday things become routine, and I am able to process a little bit more of some of the political and social things that occur. I’ve started to try to pay more attention to the news and read a newspaper now and again (when I can get a good one in English). A few months ago, a project sponsored by some of the Christian aid organizations as well as UNICEF, embarked on a mission to count the street children in the central part of the city. They did an extensive canvas of central Addis, and contrary to the government claims of 4000 street children, they counted well over 11 000. Following the publication of this report, the government was obviously very embarrassed. To rectify the situation, they hired busses and trucks, and over the past few weeks have been loading up the street children and taking them to ‘rehabilitation camps’ outside of the city. Since there are several agencies here in Addis that have been working FOR YEARS to improve the conditions for children living on the streets, I can’t imagine that this is an effective solution to the problem of childhood poverty and homelessness!!!

Please continue to keep the poor in your prayers!