Ways to guarantee that I won't be giving anything to a beggar... run across 6 lanes of traffic holding your cane when you see me walk across the street and then start using the cane when you realize that I spotted you and then come up and tell me that you are incredibly crippled and can't possibly get a job... Come on, I am sorry that you have a very hard life, but don't insult my intelligence.
It was so ridiculous that it made me chuckle and thought that it pretty well encapsulated what it is to be a white American in Ethiopia. We are instantly targetted as prime sources of income for beggars, pan-handlers, sellers of DVDs/CDs/copies of Newsweek from 2004/maps of the world complete with the USSR/herb guaranteed to "bring you closer to the Almighty" (gotta love Rastas!). It is a very difficult thing that I have discussed on this blog in the past, how to deal with beggars in Ethiopia. It isn't easy. In fact, it is miserable and wears on me constantly. Telling a mother with a baby or a little kid that you won't be giving money kills a bit of your soul, but I can't in good conscience justify giving money everytime. It seems that foreigners giving establishes them as a reliable source of charity, when it has to be Ethiopia that begins to take care of its poor in order for long-time change to begin. That being said, I have no idea how Ethiopia would begin to make the changes that would bring this about. This is an incredibly poor, hard place that I honestly hope that change can come to... but I sure don't have any suggestions on how to make it happen.
On a little note, digitizing continues to cruise along. We have shot about 670 manuscripts (destroying our original goal of 400 total!). We also have shot about 75,000 pictures since arriving. It has been really exhausting, but what we are getting done is amazing. Well, I am going to close out by giving you a list of things I am looking forward to most about returning to North America. Until next time.
1. Having my cell phone back and being able to call family and friends
2. No cockroaches in my house
3. A hot shower / Not having an electrical outlet in my shower that I am constantly terrified that is going to electricute me and cause me to have the sorriest obituary ever.
4. A bacon cheeseburger and fries
5. Sports
6. Not having to hide out from beggars
7. Being able to sleep in my own bed (which also doesn't have cockroaches)
8. Familiar food and familiar surroundings/ anything familiar at all
9. Not getting laughed at by people as they look at the funny looking white guy
10. Fresh vegetables and fruit
It's funny how it's the little day-to-day things that you miss the most :)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Long Run
Though I have never run a marathon, I imagine that it must be a disheartening moment when you feel yourself starting to wind down and then come around the bend in the road and realize that you are just approaching the 13 mile checkpoint. That's about how a month long research trip in Ethiopia feels... you work your brains out, pray that it is almost time to rest, and then realize that you are exactly halfway through your work. It's not that it has been bad, it's just that doing the same monotonous thing for 6 days a week all day can get kind of old. However, we still have had some fun. On Saturday we went over to Demeke's house after work. Life is always good when you are invited over to Demeke's house. His wife is an incredible cook and your plate and your cup are always overflowing. Demeke isn't happy unless you are quickly and endlessly chowing down, so we did our best to accomodate him. It was great!! After dinner, Kaleab pulled out a guitar and a keyboard and we jammed for a while. This was one of my favorite memories of my first trip to Ethiopia and this jam was a ton of fun too. We played a bit of everything (From country tunes to Dispatch to John Denver to, of course, a health selection of Bob Marley songs). This was a great break and very refreshing to sit in a family's house and hang out.
On Sunday we went to Addis Alem, which is about 60 km west of Addis Ababa. It was really interesting to watch the countryside passing by, although the complete lack of padding on the Land Rover's seats added to the abundance of potholes meant for a very sore backside by the time our journey was over. In Addis Alem we got to walk around in a beautiful church as well as see some very interesting artifacts from Emperor Menelik and Emperor Haile Sallasie. The paintings in the church were especially impressive with many Bible stories and stories of Ethiopian saints represented on the walls. It was a fun day of seeing an area outside of the big city and kind of get a glimpse of rural life.
As for work, we have shot 570 manuscripts... well beyond our stated goal of 400. It was been very productive and we hope to keep up the pace. Thanks for the prayers, they are much appreciated. Whelp, time to go grab some dinner. Until next time.
On Sunday we went to Addis Alem, which is about 60 km west of Addis Ababa. It was really interesting to watch the countryside passing by, although the complete lack of padding on the Land Rover's seats added to the abundance of potholes meant for a very sore backside by the time our journey was over. In Addis Alem we got to walk around in a beautiful church as well as see some very interesting artifacts from Emperor Menelik and Emperor Haile Sallasie. The paintings in the church were especially impressive with many Bible stories and stories of Ethiopian saints represented on the walls. It was a fun day of seeing an area outside of the big city and kind of get a glimpse of rural life.
As for work, we have shot 570 manuscripts... well beyond our stated goal of 400. It was been very productive and we hope to keep up the pace. Thanks for the prayers, they are much appreciated. Whelp, time to go grab some dinner. Until next time.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Rescued by Wyclef Jean
Sorry that it has been so long since my last post... internet in Ethiopia can be hard to come by. Wednesday was Ethiopian Christmas here and it was a fun day for us. We purchased a hot plate and a pot and made a "Christmas Feast." Our feast consisted of potatoes, canned corn, and sweet chili sauce. Not a really grand feast, but shared with good company.
It has been really interesting watching the city prepare for the holiday. For two days prior to Christmas we watched people bring in truckloads of chickens, herding goats and sheep down the sidewalks, and watching men guide bulls through the busy city streets relying only on a rope halter. Definately a little different addition to rush hour traffic. Demeke explained that each family would butcher at least one of these animals to enjoy for their feast.
After our feast we took a taxi around for a tour of areas of the city we hadn't seen (and some areas that we had... the driver's English was limited and my Amharic vocab is limited to about 8 words...) It was really cool to see people decked out in their Christmas dressed with the men sharply dressed in suit coats and the women wearing beautiful dresses in traditional Ethiopic styles. It was a lot of fun to just people watch and take in a foreign place and unfamiliar culture.
On Sunday we did go up to Entoto. It is one of the old capitals of Ethiopia and was home to Emperor Menelik. There is a few amazing churches at Entoto as well as the old palace. However, the city is built on top of the mountains (which is saying something in Ethiopia), so the palace was moved down into the valley, Addis Ababa, at the request of the Queen because of how cold it could get on top of the mountains. There is a wonderful view and was a great time. The most fun was coming into the palace when we got mobbed by a group of school kids on field trip. Apparently tall white guys were a rarity for them ;) so they came over to play. They wanted us to take their pictures and then show them the shots on the view finder on our digital cameras. It was a lot of fun, although their method of getting my attention was pulling on my goatee when I wasn't looking at them, which was a bit startling at first... We all had a lot of fun and the kids got a kick out of it :)
As for the work part of the project, we are doing great!!! We hit 350 manuscripts today with 11 work days left... we promised to have at least 400 shot by the end of our time here. We are doing pretty good!! Also, I reclaimed the shots per day record for those keeping score at home. I set the first record with 2000, which stood for 24 hours when Erik took it down with 2024. However, on Monday I stole it back with 2410 shots in an 8 hour day!! The record has lasted so far, but it is only a matter of time until Erik makes his move to steal it back... These little records have been a lot of fun, plus if you have four guys in the same room doing the same thing it takes about 8 seconds until it is a competition.
I hope that you are all well, we are doing just fine although prayers for good health are still much appreciated because we are all feeling a bit rundown and Erik is pretty sick... Thanks :) Until next time.
It has been really interesting watching the city prepare for the holiday. For two days prior to Christmas we watched people bring in truckloads of chickens, herding goats and sheep down the sidewalks, and watching men guide bulls through the busy city streets relying only on a rope halter. Definately a little different addition to rush hour traffic. Demeke explained that each family would butcher at least one of these animals to enjoy for their feast.
After our feast we took a taxi around for a tour of areas of the city we hadn't seen (and some areas that we had... the driver's English was limited and my Amharic vocab is limited to about 8 words...) It was really cool to see people decked out in their Christmas dressed with the men sharply dressed in suit coats and the women wearing beautiful dresses in traditional Ethiopic styles. It was a lot of fun to just people watch and take in a foreign place and unfamiliar culture.
On Sunday we did go up to Entoto. It is one of the old capitals of Ethiopia and was home to Emperor Menelik. There is a few amazing churches at Entoto as well as the old palace. However, the city is built on top of the mountains (which is saying something in Ethiopia), so the palace was moved down into the valley, Addis Ababa, at the request of the Queen because of how cold it could get on top of the mountains. There is a wonderful view and was a great time. The most fun was coming into the palace when we got mobbed by a group of school kids on field trip. Apparently tall white guys were a rarity for them ;) so they came over to play. They wanted us to take their pictures and then show them the shots on the view finder on our digital cameras. It was a lot of fun, although their method of getting my attention was pulling on my goatee when I wasn't looking at them, which was a bit startling at first... We all had a lot of fun and the kids got a kick out of it :)
As for the work part of the project, we are doing great!!! We hit 350 manuscripts today with 11 work days left... we promised to have at least 400 shot by the end of our time here. We are doing pretty good!! Also, I reclaimed the shots per day record for those keeping score at home. I set the first record with 2000, which stood for 24 hours when Erik took it down with 2024. However, on Monday I stole it back with 2410 shots in an 8 hour day!! The record has lasted so far, but it is only a matter of time until Erik makes his move to steal it back... These little records have been a lot of fun, plus if you have four guys in the same room doing the same thing it takes about 8 seconds until it is a competition.
I hope that you are all well, we are doing just fine although prayers for good health are still much appreciated because we are all feeling a bit rundown and Erik is pretty sick... Thanks :) Until next time.
Friday, January 2, 2009
New Records and Successful Inventions
The trip continues to be a big success. Despite the fact that we keep
losing power (and the water turned off yesterday in the apartment,
which was a bummer), we are getting a ton of manuscripts shot.
Yesterday I set the new record for shots in a day with 2000, which I
thought would be untouchable... until Erik hit 2030 today. Game on!
The healthy competition has been a lot of fun and we are all able to
keep laughing despite long hours and hard work. We have shot over 200
manuscripts and over 23,000 images in five days, which is really
exciting for us.
Also, my experiment... the foot pedal, has been a huge success. I am
able to click the camera by tapping my toe, which means that I have
both hands free to work with the manuscript and turn pages. It has
been great and the rest of the guys wish I had made them one :) Many
thanks to my dad for helping me perfect the design!
As for fun, we are looking forward to Orthodox Christmas on the 6th,
which is supposed to be a big party across town. On Sunday, we are
also going to the old capital of Ntoto, which has a few very old,
beautiful churches. It should be a great adventure. We are also
looking at getting out into the countryside a little to get a
different view of Ethiopia, since I have never been outside of
downtown in my 2 trips here. I hope a few of these options work out,
especially a trip to one of the big monasteries, either Debre Libanos
or Debre Berhane.
Well, I better get going... I need to get some laundry soap or I am
going to run out of clean socks. Until next time.
losing power (and the water turned off yesterday in the apartment,
which was a bummer), we are getting a ton of manuscripts shot.
Yesterday I set the new record for shots in a day with 2000, which I
thought would be untouchable... until Erik hit 2030 today. Game on!
The healthy competition has been a lot of fun and we are all able to
keep laughing despite long hours and hard work. We have shot over 200
manuscripts and over 23,000 images in five days, which is really
exciting for us.
Also, my experiment... the foot pedal, has been a huge success. I am
able to click the camera by tapping my toe, which means that I have
both hands free to work with the manuscript and turn pages. It has
been great and the rest of the guys wish I had made them one :) Many
thanks to my dad for helping me perfect the design!
As for fun, we are looking forward to Orthodox Christmas on the 6th,
which is supposed to be a big party across town. On Sunday, we are
also going to the old capital of Ntoto, which has a few very old,
beautiful churches. It should be a great adventure. We are also
looking at getting out into the countryside a little to get a
different view of Ethiopia, since I have never been outside of
downtown in my 2 trips here. I hope a few of these options work out,
especially a trip to one of the big monasteries, either Debre Libanos
or Debre Berhane.
Well, I better get going... I need to get some laundry soap or I am
going to run out of clean socks. Until next time.
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