Ladies and gentleman,
It’s great to be back on my 2nd favorite continent! Since I last wrote, some interesting, but not untypical things have occurred. This morning I was sitting at a bunna “coffee” house, which looks like a roadside shack with cool mini stools, resembling those on which my American girl dolls currently sit. As I was savoring each sip of my coffee from the ceremonial jebinah pot, the other people in the bunna house were staring at me the ferenge “foreigner.” What is wrong with me, I thought, and then I realized that I was head bobbing to the loud speakers blasting Little Wayne, who like many other American artists has overtaken the Ethiopian radio. For many readers, this scene may sound awkward, but to me, this is what makes cultural exploration extremely special. Believe it or not, those Ethiopian unaccustomed to seeing Westerners are flattered when one sits amongst them enjoying their food and drink. To break it down further like Missy Elliot, Frantz Fanon, African militant philosopher envisioned that Westerners were outsiders when they came to Africa because they were wearing heavy armor. What is this armor your might ask? Well, in Ethiopian society, this armor includes my gender, my skin color, language, physique, and style of dress. So, how does an outsider explore the culture and build relationships with other Ethiopians? Clearly from this picture at Lake Kono outside of Addis Ababa, you can tell I am not Ethiopian.
It all goes back to that old adage that Enzo, Ariana, and I followed the past summer in Durban, South Africa: “When in _________ (Rome), do as the __________ (Romans) do…” You can fill in the blanks on your own trip my little explorers, but overall this sageful saying means, participate in community events, eat the local cuisine, learn basics of the language, and be open to new ideas. By following these cultural norms, Angelina Jolie has even earned her place as an honored guest amongst the Ethiopian people (she was all over the wall of a restaurant I ate at over the weekend). Seriously, they love her- skinny, pretty, a “humanitarian,” (evidently, so is Herman Cain), and she has an Ethiopian daughter Zahara (even though that desert is far from Ethiopia- great one Angie). I’ve personally always been team Jennifer, but that’s another story. Having said that, maybe Angelina Jolie will adopt me since I live in the developing world?
Of course, I am not totally becoming Ethiopian. I live in a quaint little house with two Americans in the diplomatic compound, which is a gated area with doormen. I enjoy the privacy of the home, but I don’t particularly like barbed wire, and a gate as high as the walls of Servo (Gettysburg’s dining hall) separating me from the excitement that lies outside my house. Therefore, I have been exploring Addis Ababa, and its surroundings, in an attempt to become more familiar with my new home. For example, her is a monument to the Ethiopian Army for kickin Italian booty during W.W. II.
First, a little background on Addis Ababa: with a population over 3 million, Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia, and is located in the Entoto Mountains making itself one of the highest capitals in the world. Addis Ababa has the architectural charm of a classic Italian village on a movie set, but also the cubic, gray, stucco buildings of Eastern Europe. Of course, Eastern Europe enthusiast Leon Trotsky (who bears a shocking resemblance to Cornel Sanders, the KFC man, right?) would not approve of the social inequities that leave more than half of the Ethiopian population living in extreme poverty, or, on less than $1 a day. Well, Trotsky and the world actually have something in common, we hate poverty, however our methods for eradicating this horror (word play), are a bit different.
The method for which I advocate in poverty alleviation is perhaps a method of the anarchists- solve problems outside the government. I am not saying that government should be completely out of the loop on such issues, but I think efficiency is maximized when nonprofits or NGOS work specifically with at-risk populations. The project on which I am assisting for Save the Children USA is called TransACTION. Although the HIV rate in Ethiopia is between 2-4%, Ethiopia has the fastest growing rate of HIV cases in all of Africa. To remedy the quick pace of the epidemic, TransACTION targets the most at-risk, mobile populations including: truck drivers, sex workers, people living with HIV, waitresses, male day laborers, and female day laborers. In a nutshell, TransACTION uses peer education through local NGOS to educate the at-risk populations, promote condom use, and give out vouchers for testing and treatment. Overall, the program has seen some amazing results and has spread to 110 towns and eight different regions in Ethiopia. I am currently working a desk job for TransACTION proofing proposals, grants, and helping set up for the International Conference on AIDS, which is being held in Addis Ababa. Eventually I will be heading to the field to experience local NGO’s implementations of the project. However, for now, I am grateful for the experience, and I am thankful to be learning from such a talented group of individuals.
Enough of this seriousness, here are some pics from my first couple of weeks in Addis Ababa:
The square of Pizzia in Addis Ababa- the location of many stores that sell gold, silver, and leather- some of Ethiopia’s most famous exports.
Somewhere along the famous lakes along the Addis Ababa-Djibouti road. In the mountains behind lies Addis Ababa. We hiked around these lakes one Saturday which were filled with locals who thrive on the fishing industry.
Firewood was a huge problem in Addis Ababa before the introduction of the Eucalyptus tree. Still, people continue to struggle year round to gather enough firewood for cooking and warming the home.
Well, that's enough for now! I will write again next week- hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!
<3 Laura
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