It has been raining here for 3 days. We have had breaks for a couple of hours in the day, but the rain has been quite steady. Welcome to the beginning of the rainy season! I’ve been told that this is early rain, and hopefully it won’t last. It’s difficult to keep your clothes clean as mud is everywhere. It’s also been very cold as the dampness in the air never goes away. The other night, I was lying in bed listening to the rain POUND against the metal roof, and I couldn’t help but think of all the homeless people with no shelter. Walking around, I see the people who live on the street with plastic bags on their heads and bits of cardboard around them to try to stay warm. They sit out in the rain all day and all night begging. I can’t imagine a life like that! Even those who have some shelter are challenged by all this rain. Few people have roofs that are completely rain proof, especially against such fierce rain that I’ve seen. Life here is challenging enough without the weather element to contend with. How do you dry your hand washed clothes when its constantly raining? How do you find enough dry wood to cook with, when EVERYTHING is wet, and the price of fuel is out of reach? How do you and your family stay warm when everything is damp and cold? I guess if I didn’t know any different, it would be easier to adapt. I can’t help but constantly be amazed at how easy life in North America is! The rain will continue off and on now until September. I’ve been told that August is the worst as basically it rains every day, all day. Yikes!
A few months ago, the government imposed rules on how much merchants could charge for various items they deemed ‘necessities’. While this SOUNDS like a great idea, and has been very nice to see the price of things like sugar, cooking oil, eggs and milk reduced, it has now caused more problems. Since the merchants don’t bring as much of a profit on these items, they have decided to limit the supply of them. It has taken a few months to feel the effects, but now it is VERY difficult to find sugar and oil. I have spoken to a few women who have had to search far and wide and pay outrageous prices for these items on the black market. Yet another challenge of living here!
My visa was only extended for a short amount of time, and it looks like I’ll have to leave the country for a short time. I have been in contact with a Canadian organization that has a request for nursing instructors at one of the hospitals near here. I was able to go visit the hospital in Wolisso (about 115 km outside of Addis Ababa), and it is very nice. There are 2 Canadians there right now, and it was nice to meet them and have them show me around. It will be nice to have an organization working to settle all the paper work and visa issues that I’ve been trying to figure out myself. The immigration process here is very disorganized and the rules change frequently. Its an incredibly frustrating process to go through, and every foreigner that I have spoken with here has had the same experience. While I’m not excited about the prospect of having to leave, I AM pleased to have a plan to return. I don’t know how long it will take to get my visa and work permit sorted out, but hopefully not too long that I forget all my Amharic! I’m bringing my books with me, and I hope to continue my studies. I really like it, and I’m my vocabulary is expanding all the time. The only problem is that I can only speak in the past tense! Ha ha
It’s sad to see a nation so crippled by its own government. They make it VERY difficult for foreigners and aid agencies to come and help the people to improve their lives. Even many of the religious congregations have a lot of problems. It’s a deliberate attempt to keep their population in poverty and therefore maintain control. Over the last few weeks, it’s been interesting to see the increased security and the outright censorship of the media. Neither the Ethiopian newspapers nor the Ethiopian TV are able to publish news about what is going on in Libya or Egypt. The only news that is available is what we can get on Al Jazeera or the internet. Even then, the telecommunications is owned and operated by the government and lately, the internet connection has been very patchy and slow.
It’s interesting to hear the Ethiopian people talk about what is going on around them in Libya, Egypt, Djibouti, Kenya and Sudan. 5 years ago, the Ethiopian people tried to overthrow their government by riots and protests. I know I didn’t hear about it in Canada. Many people died and those who were accused of organizing the protests were sentenced to death. Could it be that a land locked country that is poor in natural resources (namely oil), didn’t deserve the attention or support of more prosperous nations that are dependent upon those resources? I know this is my opinion, and I don’t mean to turn this blog into a political commentary, but its challenging to witness this injustice and not say anything. I know that if I was not here, living among it, I wouldn’t know any different. How does a nation like this escape a dictatorship government that has ruled for over 25 years? I visited the Canadian embassy for the first time the other day. I know that some of my friends’ parents will be very disappointed with that news, but I have always known where it is, I just had never gone in before. It was beautiful! I received a very warm welcome from my fellow Canadians. There were a TON of people there who were working on visas to enter Canada. It made me once again realize how fortunate I am to have been born in Canada. I am welcome to travel nearly anywhere in the world with very few complications. I have heard before how easy it is to travel with a Canadian or American citizenship, but never really thought to consider the implications of having an African passport and how much more complicated that is. I don’t know what is going to happen here politically, if anything. All I know is that the people here deserve a voice. My one consolation is knowing that people here believe in a God that is bigger than all of this. They have an unwavering trust that their eternal reward will be great! Amen!!
A few months ago, the government imposed rules on how much merchants could charge for various items they deemed ‘necessities’. While this SOUNDS like a great idea, and has been very nice to see the price of things like sugar, cooking oil, eggs and milk reduced, it has now caused more problems. Since the merchants don’t bring as much of a profit on these items, they have decided to limit the supply of them. It has taken a few months to feel the effects, but now it is VERY difficult to find sugar and oil. I have spoken to a few women who have had to search far and wide and pay outrageous prices for these items on the black market. Yet another challenge of living here!
My visa was only extended for a short amount of time, and it looks like I’ll have to leave the country for a short time. I have been in contact with a Canadian organization that has a request for nursing instructors at one of the hospitals near here. I was able to go visit the hospital in Wolisso (about 115 km outside of Addis Ababa), and it is very nice. There are 2 Canadians there right now, and it was nice to meet them and have them show me around. It will be nice to have an organization working to settle all the paper work and visa issues that I’ve been trying to figure out myself. The immigration process here is very disorganized and the rules change frequently. Its an incredibly frustrating process to go through, and every foreigner that I have spoken with here has had the same experience. While I’m not excited about the prospect of having to leave, I AM pleased to have a plan to return. I don’t know how long it will take to get my visa and work permit sorted out, but hopefully not too long that I forget all my Amharic! I’m bringing my books with me, and I hope to continue my studies. I really like it, and I’m my vocabulary is expanding all the time. The only problem is that I can only speak in the past tense! Ha ha
It’s sad to see a nation so crippled by its own government. They make it VERY difficult for foreigners and aid agencies to come and help the people to improve their lives. Even many of the religious congregations have a lot of problems. It’s a deliberate attempt to keep their population in poverty and therefore maintain control. Over the last few weeks, it’s been interesting to see the increased security and the outright censorship of the media. Neither the Ethiopian newspapers nor the Ethiopian TV are able to publish news about what is going on in Libya or Egypt. The only news that is available is what we can get on Al Jazeera or the internet. Even then, the telecommunications is owned and operated by the government and lately, the internet connection has been very patchy and slow.
It’s interesting to hear the Ethiopian people talk about what is going on around them in Libya, Egypt, Djibouti, Kenya and Sudan. 5 years ago, the Ethiopian people tried to overthrow their government by riots and protests. I know I didn’t hear about it in Canada. Many people died and those who were accused of organizing the protests were sentenced to death. Could it be that a land locked country that is poor in natural resources (namely oil), didn’t deserve the attention or support of more prosperous nations that are dependent upon those resources? I know this is my opinion, and I don’t mean to turn this blog into a political commentary, but its challenging to witness this injustice and not say anything. I know that if I was not here, living among it, I wouldn’t know any different. How does a nation like this escape a dictatorship government that has ruled for over 25 years? I visited the Canadian embassy for the first time the other day. I know that some of my friends’ parents will be very disappointed with that news, but I have always known where it is, I just had never gone in before. It was beautiful! I received a very warm welcome from my fellow Canadians. There were a TON of people there who were working on visas to enter Canada. It made me once again realize how fortunate I am to have been born in Canada. I am welcome to travel nearly anywhere in the world with very few complications. I have heard before how easy it is to travel with a Canadian or American citizenship, but never really thought to consider the implications of having an African passport and how much more complicated that is. I don’t know what is going to happen here politically, if anything. All I know is that the people here deserve a voice. My one consolation is knowing that people here believe in a God that is bigger than all of this. They have an unwavering trust that their eternal reward will be great! Amen!!
