Constantly amazed

OK, a little bit of catch up here. We traveled to the Simien Mountains for Max’s birthday (October 8) and it was wonderful. Amazing to be in Africa’s “grand canyon”. The views were breathtaking. We hung out with gelada baboon and walye ibex. Max and I spotted the illusive red fox on our way back to our tukel one night. The stars were incredible, I have never seen the milky way so bright. Our pictures don’t do the sunset justice, it was spectacular. We met a man from San Diego who works for the foreign service and is stationed in Afghanistan. We are constantly meeting interesting people who choose to travel to Ethiopia for leisure or on a mission but it is one of the greatest parts about traveling.  I am shocked there aren’t more extreme hikers or mountain climbers traveling to this area for the challenge and stunning views. We think a mountain outfitter should set up shop out there! No railings, danger signs or street lights… it really is raw, untouched nature. Without knowing an emergency heli-lift is even possible lends to the adventure there and makes it very different from America’s grand canyon. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend.

School is going well. I already see a difference in the comfort level of the students. We urge them to talk with us during their recess and lots of kids will come up to us to chat. More people are participating in class and I find that we’re eliciting a response from even the shy ones. Granted, some classes are a little harder to handle usually before recess or at the end of the day. I am constantly amazed at Max’s patience. He is a wonder and I admire his dedication.

We have begun site visits to JDC projects and it is absolutely my perk of this gig. On Tuesday we drove 40 km outside of Gonder to a natural spring in Azaycaw. Our journeys outside Gonder are full of great scenery. Ethiopia is stunning. As the rains ended about two weeks ago we are finally seeing the change in the color palette of our surroundings. Light brown and yellow replace the greens that have become muted. Still breathtaking, high peeks and rolling hills, terraced land and all sorts of animals paint our trips outside the city. Azaycow spring is a bit of a hike and we trekked through tall grass and yellowed corn at the end of it’s season and down to the water source. The spring was recently capped and services about 50 households in the area. A villager joined us to answer our questions and Aseffa dutifully translated for us. He said that before the construction of the spring villagers would gather water and hand pick out the worms that were visible to the eye. Inevitably worms and parasites were missed causing abdominal pain and diarrhea to those who drank the contaminated water. It was just a way of life and something they considered their cost of having water. Now that the well has been capped not one case of stomach problems has been reported! The villagers are so proud of their new fresh water source. Each household has donated 2,000ETB of their own money because they would like to hire a full time guard to protect the communities prized possession from misuse.

We hiked back up towards the road and were invited to join the villager and his family for corn. They roast their corn and pick off the large kernels one by one. Max and I made a mess trying to get the hang of it and it was delicious. We sat inside their home chatting alongside their baby goats, chickens, kittens and birds.

This Friday was a trip to visit Tantikura Elementary School. Another 40 km outside Gonder in the opposite direction, the drive was a bumpy one. Our 4WD couldn’t get down the road to the school so we gladly hopped out and walked. Large cactus led the way. I asked if they used cactus to their benefit maybe medicinally or for food and the answer was “yes, for fence”. It was a beautiful walk inland from the main road to find the school tucked away. JDC constructed a new school building to house the pre kindergarten children. Ato (Mr.) Maru, the school’s principal, answered all of our questions. There are 1,021 students (526 male, 495 female) registered but half as many come at any given time. 22 teachers, 5 of those with teacher training in their background. Children are kept at home especially during harvest time. 

They are delighted and appreciative of the new school building which serves as a spillover classroom for the larger classes when the pre kindergarten children aren’t occupying the entire building. Their next project is to work on securing a water source closer to the compound. A stream runs about a half hour walk away but otherwise there is no running water at school. The children were beautiful. They welcomed us with warm smiles and waves. I watched a student ring the school bell under a large tree in the middle of the compound to signal class was over. Every child came to the grassy area to watch the ferengi folk in the principal’s office. It was a bit of a mob scene as we left and a few walked with us the entire way back to the road and our waiting car. Overall, a great experience.

Kindergarten students of Tantikura Elementary

Great action shot, the kids came out to see the visitors. The tree behind them served as the bell to signal the end of class.

I love seeing the impact JDC has first hand on these communities. AJJDC is well known and highly respected here and I am proud to be here on their behalf. The site visits spice up our week and add a deeper meaning to our presence. Talk about a long week though, we are exhausted, a good exhausted! We got a group together to join us at the Dashen beer garden last night and that was a good time and a nice cap to the long week. Again, it is so nice to gain other’s perspectives and hear about their experiences in Ethiopia. Most mimic ours and it is nice to chat with highly intellectual and worldly people. I’m not going to share my opinions on my blog but if anyone reading this has come across similar experiences while traveling or living in a third world country I’d love to compare notes! Most of our heated debates center around the education and health systems. For instance, we were shocked to learn that 85% of the country is illiterate. Ethiopia is also the 2^nd most populous African country with 80 million and yet it is the least urbanized (definitely lends to its beauty but we’re talking about the good of the people here).   

All in all, we are enjoying making Gonder our home. Day by day we learn, see and encounter more and there is no other way to get a deeper cultural experience. Alongside the culture, the sights, the people, and the personal growth are immeasurable. I couldn’t do this without my best friend by my side, he is my rock, sharing the beauty, the understanding, the frustrations, and keeping my feet on the ground and a smile on my face. J