SURPRISE!!

Well, its nearly been two weeks, and I think I’ve had enough fun surprising people, so I’ll let the cat out of the bag.  I’m back in Canada.  I only had a 10 day extension of my visa, so I was required to leave the country.  It might take a while to get all the visa paper work sorted out for me to return, so my best option was to come home. 

I am SO blessed to have GREAT parents who have welcomed their stray child back in! I’m grateful to have many friends to visit, and I’m hopeful that I can even pick up a few shifts at work while I’m here.  My one regret is that it’s not warmer here!  Man, was THAT a shock to the system!  Snow still at the end of March is just wrong!

My time in Ethiopia was AMAZING!! I don’t regret one second of it, and I pray that if it be God’s will, He would bring me back there soon.  I am leaving that in His hands, always reassured that His plans are far greater than my own. 

Here are a few pics from my time there, I will add more later. Now that I’m back in high speed internet country, downloads are a breeze!!  

Castles in Gondar

look at those roots!

A monk praying at an orthodox church

Near Lalibella

Rock hewn churches of Laliblella. Incredible!!

Completely carved out of rock BY HAND!!

Me, my mule and the mule handler near a field of Teff

More rock churches

Traditional meal. Very yummy!

A sample of a Ge'ez bible (ancient language used in liturgy only)

Beautiful sunsets!

Near the Blue Nile Falls

Rain rain..... Go away

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!!

Joys and Sorrows

One thing that has struck me about living here is how many joys and sorrows exist.  Maybe its the same at home, but its more raw here.  I find people very free with their emotions.  When they are sad, they cry.  When they are joyful, they rejoice.  There is less concern about appearance and how you will be perceived.  Its very refreshing. 

My mom brought a few soccer balls with her when she came to visit. One Sunday morning, Hailu and I invited the street boys he works with to go play in the park. It was a lot of fun, and since we had a nice new soccer ball to play with, it wasn’t hard to find others to join us. I’ve never seen soccer played in flip flops before, but it sure didn’t slow the boys down! After that, the boys asked if they could take the ball and keep it until we played again. Since then, I found out that they’ve been getting up at 5:30 every morning to play in the street before school. It made me so happy to hear that such a simple gift has brought them so much joy! There are 5 of them that share a small room together and there is one boy who is very energetic. One of the boys told me that they wanted to sleep in one morning and the energetic boy was eager to play and wanted some company. So, he came in and poured water on the sleeping boys so that they would get up and play with him. We now have a regular appointment every Sunday morning at the park to play soccer.


I thought I should give you an update on one of the stories I wrote about in a previous post. The government had gone around and picked up a whole bunch of street children and taken them to camps outside of the city. We heard about it initially, but then didn’t hear anything more for quite a while. Slowly though, I have noticed more and more street children again. One of the workers from an organization working to help street children told me that they had spoken to one of the kids that escaped from the camps. He told them that the food was terrible, and that they were being used to work, and that they were physically abused by many of the guards . So, the idea of educating and rehabilitating these children was indeed false. Since then, I have heard more reports that the children were taken VERY far from Addis and put to work on cotton farms and doing other hard labour jobs. The younger children were taken to orphanages. My heart breaks for these poor children. Already they lead very difficult lives and now they are being deliberately exploited. The government doesn’t seem to mind that some of the children have now found their way back to the streets of the city. I’ve come to understand that the main reason for them rounding up these children in the first place was to clean up the streets for the UN meetings that were taking place here. Now that the meetings are over, there is no need to put up a good front. Please continue to pray for all those children enslaved in the work camps.

I think I’ve said before that nothing happens quickly here. Well, I have to rephrase that. Nothing GOOD happens quickly here. This weekend, one of the sisters’ workers was killed in a car accident on Saturday morning. There were 4 people in a little VW bug and they were hit by a drunk driver when they entered a roundabout. It was very sad. I was amazed how word spread so quickly and arrangements were made. One of the victims was buried that evening. The funeral and internment for the worker that I knew and his aunt and uncle was held on Sunday. I was amazed at all that happened so quickly and the amount of people that came out to the funeral. There was over 1000 people I’m sure!

Another example of things happening quickly is how quickly things change. I’ve run into a conflict with the organization I had hoped to work for with the pregnant moms and babies. I’m not sure if God is closing that door completely or if I just need to take more time to work things out. I’m trying to be patient and allow God to show me what direction I need to move in. The problem is that my visa expires March 13th. I will continue to trust that God has guided me this far and He’s not going to stop now. I am comforted by the words of Mother Teresa ‘Jesus loves you tenderly, you are precious to Him. Turn to Jesus with great trust and allow yourself to be loved by Him. The past belongs to His mercy, the future to His providence, and the present to His love.’

Learning Amharic

Tenayestaling!


This is one of the many greetings I’ve learned in my Amharic language class. I’m enjoying learning a new language, but I honestly didn’t think it was going to be as labour intensive as its proving to be! I learned French as a child, and it seemed a lot easier than this!! Amharic has a whole different alphabet. There are 33 characters, and each has 7 variations of it each with a different sound. Once you know the characters, its not hard to read, which is nice. The tricky part is memorizing over 230 characters and the sounds that go with them!! Its difficult to train your mind to give a symbol that looks like an ‘m’ the t sound!

I’m highly motivated to learn the language. Its helpful that I’m surrounded by it all the time. I find my understanding grows more every day, and its nice. Even if I can’t always respond, I’m far more aware of conversations and things going on around me than I was before. If I’m going to be working with people here, its important that I know the language. Especially the poor, have not had the opportunity to go to school. So, they don’t know English. Most people who have gone to school know some English, but unless they use it in their work, their English is very basic, and their understanding is poor. Ethiopians have been very gracious to me concerning language. They are always pleased when I make an attempt to converse with them. The lady who sells me bread is one of my biggest fans. She always tries to get me to say more when I go into her shop. She always has a big smile, and encourages me a lot. Sometimes though, I try out my new sentences and people give me a very strange look. I’ll keep trying!

I’ve taken a bit of a break from my volunteering at the sisters. I’ll only be there once or twice a week until my Amharic class is over. I was finding I wasn’t paying enough attention to my class work and I was falling behind. The class moves quite fast, and you don’t want to be left behind. I’m not much of a student, so I find being away from my patients very challenging. I like working at the sisters’ and seeing the patients every day. Whenever I get frustrated with my Amharic, I’m motivated by the idea of getting to talk with my patients and understand better what they are telling me. Its been a while since I’ve been in school, so I’m learning to learn all over again! Some things don’t change, I still hate homework.

My mom was here visiting for the past few weeks. It was nice to have her here. We had originally planned to go out of Addis to do some traveling, but we ended up staying pretty close by. There was so much for her to see and experience here, it would have been very rushed for us to take a trip as well. Maybe next time she comes! Despite not traveling, she DID get to experience quite a bit. She had the pleasure of meeting my four legged friends that live in my kitchen. She learned to push her way onto a crowded mini bus, unfortunately getting pick pocketed in the process, but she got on! She got locked in the bathroom (partly because I forgot to tell her that the door only opens from the outside!). She even got to find out how it feels to sleep with bed bugs! I honestly didn’t know I had bed bugs in my bed because they don’t bother me, they must like her better! She enjoyed playing with the babies at the sisters’ and they enjoyed having her hug and cuddle them. We went on a field trip with some of the street boys Hailu works with, so she got to meet them and see a smaller community with some beautiful lakes called Debre Zeit. All in all, I think she had a good visit and I hope she comes back again.

Now that all my visitors are gone, I will have to get back to my normal life. Honestly, I will be glad not to have to go shopping as much, and to stay in my own little area of town, where most things are within walking distance. I’m still working on getting my visa sorted out, so if you could keep that in your prayers, it would be very appreciated!

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!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to the rest of the world!  We celebrated the new year here in September, and it was 2003.  So, no grand celebrations will occur here Jan.1.  But, I will be thinking of all the craziness that is occurring throughout the rest of the world during this time.

Things here in Addis remain interesting. Just when I think that I've grown accustomed to life here, something strange happens and I'm reminded that I will always be a foreigner. The weather has changed dramatically in the past week.  It's been quite cool, and today it rained all day.  Last night there was a HUGE rain storm. It was difficult to sleep as the rain was hitting the metal roof of my building, it was so loud! 

My clinical skills continue to be challenged at work. The doctor has stopped coming regularly, and when he does come, it's for a very short amount of time.  It's very challenging to work without the support of a doctor.  He is demanding more money from the sisters, and it's a problem.  Personally, I wasn't a big fan of his work anyway, but not having ANY physician is very difficult.  The sisters are in a difficult position. It's hard to recruit doctors to a poorly paid, part time position.  They are reluctant to give the current doctor more money because of his performance, but at the same time, know that it will be difficult to replace him.  We'll see what happens. In the meantime, I've been spending more time on the internet researching diseases and looking up things in this old formulary that was donated to the sisters, so that I know the dosages and appropriate medications for diseases I've only read about in textbooks.  Who would have thought there could be so many parasites?!

I've grown attached to several of my patients, but two in particular that I make sure to visit every day.  Aragow, who I spoke of in a previous post (he has cancer) is still with us.  He continues to struggle with pain control, and we are doing the best we can.  Management of his pain has improved, and along with prayer, he has become more peaceful.  Every morning I go to the kitchen and try to snag some of his favorite food. Today, he even gave me a thumbs up sign.  I wonder how long he will be with us, suffering as he is.  It's difficult to watch, but I have to believe there is a greater purpose beyond my comprehension.  My other very special patient is in the same room as Aragow.  He is a little old man who greets me with a smile every morning and kisses my hand. He calls out 'my daughter' (in Amharic) when he sees me, and it's very cute. He has the most high pitched voice ever, and he is always asking for bread. It's the only thing he eats.  Bread and tea.  I don't know how long one can live on bread and tea, but he is happy and it's a joy to love and serve him every day.
 
What will 2011 bring?! I can only imagine.  I have been thinking about how much my life has changed in the past year, and I feel so blessed! So much of what has happened has been unplanned, but has brought me to a place of joy and peace. I can't help but thank God for His wisdom and guidance. Last year at this time, I was planning my second visit to Kolkata, India.  It was during my time there that I decided to pursue full time mission work.  I felt like my life in Saskatoon was very empty and directionless.  I had everything that I needed, and WAY more, but I was still restless.  I was always searching for something more.  Thinking that there had to be more to life.

This year, as I sit in an internet cafe in the middle of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, I couldn't feel more fulfilled.  I am working with the poor, doing some really cool nursing things.  Mostly though, I am getting the opportunity to touch lives and serve in a very special way.  I don't own many things, but I definitely have everything that I need, and much more than most.  God has blessed me with so much. I feel like things in my life are finally coming together.  I felt for so long that my life was on hold.  Maybe God was waiting for me to finally give up control and let Him guide me.  Looking back now, I know that during that time, He was preparing me for the work I am now able to do, and preparing my heart to receive all that He has planned for me. 

So what is my plan for 2011?  On a professional note, I plan to stay here.  I have been offered a position working with a small NGO here.  They work with unwed mothers.  They offer shelter, skill training, education and child care for women who are pregnant.  It is very shameful for women who are not married to become pregnant here.  There are no day cares, and often family support is lacking due to social stigmas.  Unfortunately these young women are left to believe that abortion or adoption are their only options.  So many of them want to keep their babies, but they don't have the resources to do so.  By offering them a way to support their families and live independently, this organization helps them to become self-sufficient.  I'm really excited about the work that they do.  Currently, they don't have a nurse on staff, which means I get to design my own program.  It's a big job, but the potential to do great things is there, and that's what is exciting to me. I'm working on changing my visa right now. If all goes well, that would allow me to stay in the country for 2 years which would be nice.  

On a personal note, I'm excited to share that I have met someone very special.  His name is Hailu (pronounced Hi Loo), and he works with the Missionaries of Charity as a social worker.  We've been getting to know each other for a little while now, and I'm excited to see what the new year brings for us. It wasn't exactly in my plan to meet someone so quickly on my journey, but as I'm learning, some of the best things in life happen when you don't plan.
   
That's all for now.  My last post of 2010 is sent with WARM ('cause I know that even if it's cool here, it's COLD back home!!) wishes for a very Happy New Year and MANY blessings in 2011!