Slow Going

Good Morning Everyone

It has been a slow week. This being said we have done some fun things since my last post.

I am reading a ton and I've gotten into some great books. When time is crawling I've been able to pick up a good book that really helps me get through the day.  Gondar can be a relatively small place. While it is one of the largest cities in Ethiopia (I heard it's third largest now but I haven't checked that) it can feel quite small when you're here with little to do. Thus far the books I've read have been easy to get lost in, which is something that is typically tough for me to do. I began reading some classics that I read in high school. It's fun reading them with a different perspective and without the need to write a book report on every chapter. It isn't homework now; I read them for fun.

Liz and I started watching the TV show The Wire. It's unreal. We just finished Season 1 last night and I can't wait to get started on Season 2. We try not to watch three episodes a day but it's getting hard. I hope it lasts us another couple of weeks but we'll see.

As I mentioned we've done some fun things over the last week. We visited the Falasha Village and Cemetery.  It was stunning. Liz and I were mobbed by people selling things, all of which were beautiful. I ended up buying a magen david made out of clay. I think it's great but it's slowly falling apart. I'll try something made of metal next time around. The interesting thing about the village was that everyone I talked to was Christian. It seemed to be more of a tourist attraction now. There is no originality to it. We were taken to see the synagogue. We were told we had to pay 10 birr to look inside of this small building. We paid the fee, looked inside and there was literally nothing there.

We had to cross a small river to get to the cemetery. Both Liz and I got our shoes soaking wet but it was completely worth it. The cemetery was my favorite part of the experience. The headstones were simple and beautiful. Some had sky blue accents that I really liked. The grass was overgrown. It was very natural and I really loved it.

Some pictures of the village and the cemetery:

The following day (Sept 20) we met up with some people from JDC and toured a few of the ongoing JDC projects. We first went to the Nasia Village well. As soon as you get outside of Gondar the views are spectacular. The well itself was interesting and an absolute necessity as a clean water source for Nasia Village and the surrounding area. The well is controlled by the Water Committee. One person opens the well three times a day.

Next we visited David's Spring at Azaikaw Village #1. Again the views were breathtaking. JDC is currently capping the spring and creating a clean water source for the people there. This project was started before the rainy season and is still under construction but is currently operable. The rain tends to slow everything down.....

View traveling to David's Spring (note the Meskel flowers in the middle)

The faucet at the spring

We then visited Chilo Primary School. This was very special for me. In 2008 my family went on a JDC mission to Ethiopia and Rwanda. When we returned my sisters and I donated some money to help build a school house here. That was the second school building at Chilo. Last year my family donated some money again to JDC for improvements to Chilo. The result is the new annex that was recently finished. I honestly couldn't believe the difference in the buildings. 14 years ago, the students here were learning in a building made of wood, no plaster on the walls, completely exposed to the elements, no lights. The students sat on the dirt floor that was tiered so that the students in the back could see over the students in front. It's amazing how this compared to the learning environment I had at Norfolk Academy. The second school building, is exponentially better. The students had benches and desks. The brand new building is better still.  It has benches, desks, a new chalkboard and a tiled floor. There are four new classrooms in the new school building each holding around 65 students. Here are some pictures of the progression:

First School Building

Second School Building

Finished new building (on right)

JDC also sponsors nine nursing students through their four years of undergraduate education at Gondar College of Medicine and Health Sciences. We got a chance to sit down and speak to them. They were very shy. Liz and I look forward to working with them during our time here. We aren't sure in what capacity yet but we will meet with them some more and figure out how best to help them.

On Saturday (Sept 22) we visited the Kuskuam Church and Queen Mintwab's Castle. Both historic sites and very beautiful. We were not allowed to go into the church but we were allowed to walk around the grounds of the old castle. A couple of pictures:

Kuskuam Church

Mintwab's Castle

Mintwab's Castle

This morning we received a call from the principal of Fasiledes. We've just returned from meeting with the head of the English Department. It was productive. The staff at Fasiledes is unbelievably kind and they look forward to having native English speakers to help them teach their students. Liz and I are equally as grateful for their help. We both are anxious to get started and we look forward to helping them in any way possible.

Hope everyone is doing well. All the Best..

VICTORY!!!!!

Good Morning Everyone!!!!

I want to begin this post by saying that Man U was victorious yesterday and in tremendous fashion. This was my first Saturday watching the Premiere League in Gondar. In the States, the games typically come on very early Saturday or Sunday morning, which is fine for me because I'm an early riser. However it's typically inappropriate to go to a bar and have a beer for the game at say 8am.....although my friends and I have done it plenty of times (don't you judge me!!!). I watched the game in a movie theater full of about 300 Ethiopian soccer fans. It was an amazing experience. The games come on here around 5pm so we could go get a beer and watch.

I do have to mention that the fans here are about half for Arsenal half for Man U. We had to run around a bit in the rain to find a bar playing the United game. But once we found one, it was on. United stomped Wigan 4-0. It was glorious.

But enough about the game......

After celebrating the Ethiopian New Year in Addis, Liz and I visited the Blue Nile Gorge. I honestly can't explain its beauty in words. I will just drop a couple of pictures here for you to drool over....

Ok now that we've got that out of our system let's move on. When we got back to Gondar we had another meeting at school. I believe we are slated to start in about week. We have another meeting on Monday and will hopefully be able to meet the head English teacher if this person is assigned.

Some history about the school: Fasiledes is one of the largest secondary schools in Gondar. The primary school is just around the corner. Most of the buildings were constructed during the Italian occupation almost 80 years ago. Some of the school buildings are in bad shape. More recently, two of the classrooms are no longer operable which is why class sizes have risen to about 65 students per class. Adding to this, the number of students registering at Fasiledes has also grown. There is a huge need here for both teachers and material. Liz and I can't wait to get started and hopefully make a very positive impact.

On a different note, the Muslim world erupted after this video of the Prophet Mohammed was released. I have't seen the movie nor do I plan on watching it. Over the last few days whenever we watch TV I've been locked in to the growing global unrest. Every day it seems to get worse. Now I don't really want to touch this topic with a ten foot pole but what I will say is that I was taken aback when I saw yesterday that the German and UK Embassies were attacked in Khartoum, Sudan. Khartoum is bout 750km northwest of us from Gondar, which is relatively close. Ethiopia has a large Muslim population. I keep wondering if this unrest will soon touch us in Addis Ababa.

I will wrap this post up by talking about an incredible restaurant that we went to yesterday. Four Sisters is an absolute gem located behind the Taye Hotel in the Piazza. The best well-done kitfo I have had thus far. We sat outside while the afternoon rain did its thing. It was beautiful. In Ethiopia there is a honey mead that people drink called tej. We tried it in Addis and I thought it was terrible. Everyone kept insisting that I try it again in Gondar. The Amhara region, and specifically Gondar, is known for its high quality honey. As I mentioned tej is made with honey, therefore the better quality honey you have the better the tej will taste. Of course this depends on the maker but Momma's tej treated me right yesterday. It was absolutely delicious.

I want to wish everyone Shana Tova and a great Rosh Hashana spent with friends and family. I hope everyone is well and healthy.

Interesting Couple of Days

An interesting couple of days indeed. When we left Gondar on Monday morning we were still without running water. You actually get used to it pretty quickly.

We got a chance to walk around the Merkato in Gondar a few days ago. It was buzzing with life. So many different noises and smells. It was fun. There are different sections of the Merkato where different goods are sold. One section is household items. One is clothing and shoes. Yet another is food and spices. So much to look at. You can buy almost anything and I have to admit that surprised me. Food products are sold in kilos, that surprised me too.

Liz and I have been walking a lot. Walking to the Piazza is perfect and it's a great area. The only thing that really hampers us is the rain, which will hopefully stop here pretty soon. I actually enjoy it in the afternoon with a good book and all the windows and doors open.

Liz and I took our first ride in a Bajaj the other day....uncomfortable.....fun.....

I had kitfo at a restaurant in Gondar. It was unbelievable. They actually cook it at different temperatures ranging from raw to well-done. After consulting a couple of our doctor friends they informed me to stick to well-done. They made me aware that I can get worms from eating the raw meat.....and I don't want worms.

When we got to Addis on Monday we had lunch at an amazing restaurant called Addis Ababa Restaurant. We had a gigantic plate of injera with about eight different things on it. I had no idea what anything was but I tried it all and all of it was good. I tried a traditional Ethiopian honey wine called Tej. It was pretty rough but most everyone I talked to enjoys it. Apparently Gondar has very high quality honey and thus great Tej. I'll have to give it another shot when we get home.

Today is the Ethiopian New Year (Sept. 11). It's hard to do any kind of celebrating on this day in American history. It's just a weird coincidence.

Gross right....?

This morning I witnessed something for the first and hopefully last time.....the slaughtering of a sheep. Our friends bought the sheep last night at the market. When I arrived this morning it was hanging out in the driveway. As soon as the butcher showed up carrying the skin/fur of another sheep our sheep lost it. It was almost like it knew its fate. The actual killing was quick. Blood everywhere. It was the dissecting that took a little while. The butcher strung up the sheep and skinned the entire thing.  It was a lesson in anatomy. Every part of the sheep is eaten. Nothing goes to waste. This includes the intestines, the heart and even the tongue. I was blown away.

Really gross I know......

We are going to venture back over to our friends house to help them eat the sheep now. I feel a connection to this dinner. We shared a moment together earlier this morning. A moment that I will remember, for good or bad, forever.

Good Evening to Everyone

The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the positions, strategies or opinions of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Oh, and forgive any spelling or grammatical errors.

Rain, Rain Go Away

This is the hardest I've seen it rain in a long time. It's been at it for almost three hours. The alleyways around our house have small rivers flowing freely through them. The leak in the roof is now spilling water into one of our buckets, after we discovered it spilling water all over the first floor of the house.

Yesterday we had a quick coffee at the Gondar Hospital with two American women and their colleagues. The two Americans are doing a program through Baylor University in conjunction with JDC and will be in Gondar for one year with the possibility of extending for a second. They are working in the Pediatrics Department of the hospital. Hopefully they will be a good resources to help Liz and I find good food and fun bars. They were very nice and we look forward to getting to know them. We also met the head of the Pediatrics and Child Health Department and he was great. I believe we will be working with him in some capacity in the future.

We had a relatively slow day and ended up meandering from the Piazza all the way to the JDC Clinic, which was a sizable hike. It felt great to walk around and get more comfortable with our surroundings.

Last night we went to the Dashen Brewery. The Brewery has a great beer garden and the beer is good. The beer itself is named after the highest mountain in Ethiopia, Ras Dashen. We met some of our friends there and had dinner. I had a hamburger, note to follow.....

Learned something new and important: Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days for Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia....so avoid the butcher and eating meat at all costs during those days. Sadly, this notion slipped my mind last night and I had a hamburger. Still going strong though so who knows.

View from Mintewab Lodge

We slept late today and got up to great coffee and some oatmeal. Liz and I walked over to the entrance of Gondar University. I'm told the only way to see the campus is to be a student or know one. Maybe we can find someone with some connections to get us on that campus. We'll have to meet one or both soon because from afar the campus looks beautiful. Perfectly situated atop one of the many hills in Gondar.

From there we walked up a dirt road to the Mintewab Lodge. Unbelievable views and the best fried lamb tibs I've had thus far...and I've had a lot. Liz and I got some good pictures of the city. They had a pet monkey there. Liz was the brave one and got in a picture with it. It started to drizzle as we left but nothing threatening. The walk was great and it thundered the entire way. Literally the second that we stepped foot in the gate it started to pour. It's still going.....

Our water has been unpredictable the last two days. As such I thought it'd be a good idea to shower in the rain. It was cold but it felt wonderful. Lilly and Sophie (our dogs) sat on the back porch looking at me like I was crazy. Maybe I am.....

Hope all is well in the world with everyone. Til next time!


The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the positions, strategies or opinions of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Oh, and forgive any spelling or grammatical errors.

Finally, We Arrive

We get up at 5am. We go to the airport at 6a. We are supposed to board at 630am. We don't board until a little after 7am. They start the engines. They stop the engines. Mechanical problems. We get off of the plane. It's pouring. We hang out in the airport for an hour. They change the gate. We get back on the plane. We finally take off. This supposed hour long plane ride to Gondar took us almost five. Our new friend Yosi summed it up perfectly, "Welcome to Ethiopia".

But no worry, we are here and everything is perfect. We were finally able to unpack and we are HOME for the next year. It feels good to say that. The house is absolutely beautiful. Our room has an amazing view of the mountains. Even with torrential downpours every day Gondar is beautiful. We now have two dogs. Sophie and Lilly. No clue what breed or how old but they are fun. Last year's fellows left flea meds for us to give them....but I've never operated a syringe before...

We have more new friends. Assefa, Asmaru and Zalalem are great. All have been very helpful. We are learning our way around the city quickly. It's amazing being thrown into an environment where most people don't speak your language. We are forced to learn Amharic to communicate and that's the best way to learn. Full emersion.

We went to bed relatively early last night after a long day. In the middle of the night I was awoken by Sophie howling and barking or a mix of the two. It seemed as though every dog in the neighborhood was barking. Responding to one another in concert. It went on for about 30-45 minutes. Right before I was about to go downstairs and ask Sophie to be quiet she stopped. Thinking that it had to be around 5am I rolled over to look at my watch. 115am. Tonight is going to be a long night.....

I woke up this morning, Sept. 4 (29 Nashi, 2004 on Ethiopian calendar) surprisingly fresh. I can pinpoint why.....FREEZING COLD SHOWER!!!. It helped me shake the cobwebs. Another amazing day. We went to see the JDC Clinic in Gondar and it brought back old memories.

Liz and me at the Pool of Fasilides 

We met the principle of the school where we are working. His name is Ayele and he is a nice man. I look forward to working with him. Today was registration so there were tons of students around. He made us aware that they lost two classrooms so the class size increased.....to 62 students. Wow. School doesn't start for almost another two weeks so we will meet again at the end of next week with the teachers to discuss me and Liz's role. I'm very excited for the unknown.

We toured Fasilides Castle complex this afternoon. There are six castles on the complex. It's magical. We also visited the Debre Birhan Selassie Church. No flash cameras so my pictures aren't great but it was beautiful inside. There's a great story behind everything here; from people's names to ancient temples. The history is great.

I am sitting at a hotel. With a small but great view of the pink sky. I must go now and feed myself.....yes you guessed it....TIBS FOR DINNER!!!

Good Evening All


The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the positions, strategies or opinions of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Oh, and forgive any spelling or grammatical errors.

WONDERFUL NEWS!!

I got my bag!! Now I can change my clothes for the first time in three days. I was actually really anxious about getting it back. Losing a bag has never happened to me before. I lost sleep over it. But now I have my pants that zip into shorts so everything is fine.

Today was low-key. This morning was absolutely beautiful. We visited Dr. Rick's home and met a handful of it's wonderful residents. Dr. Rick has a variety of people living at his house, some of whom are past patients, others that just need a place to stay. Here is a picture of Dr. Rick at work yesterday. That girl's beautiful face says everything about her comfort level with Dr. Rick.

We watched some of the ceremony for PM Meles Zenawi at Dr. Rick's house. It was interesting that much of what I saw was in English. Unfortunately, when we left to go visit another house where Baylegn and some other people associated with Dr. Rick live, it began raining. So is life during the rainy season in Ethiopia.

We ate a leisurely lunch. No rush at all. Purely on Africa time and loving it. I saw a butcher for the first time outside of a restaurant on our walk to lunch. Raw meat dangling on hooks in this tiny shop if you can call it that. It looked delicious. A very popular dish here is kitfo and I can't wait to try it. Liz and I got a crash course in some important Ethiopian phrases.....I remember one of them, but I look forward to learning lots more.

So, the best part of the day so far? Finding out that TONS of people here are Manchester United fans. That's the most common answer that I've gotten from "who's your favorite soccer team?". It brings tears to my eyes and establishes an immediate bond with that person. Fellow lovers of the Red Devils. Who's their favorite player? Wayne Rooney. I'm never leaving Ethiopia

Ciao!!!

The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the positions, strategies or opinions of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Oh, and forgive any spelling or grammatical errors.

First Day In Addis

My first day in Addis. I haven't been here in four years. It is absolutely breathtaking. So many different and wonderful smells and vibrant colors. It sometimes takes a change of scenery to realize how beautiful home is, but I can say with complete confidence that I don't miss DC. I am right where I need to be right now.

When we took off from JFK I still had nerves about leaving. When we landed here they were immediately gone. Well, not completely, I'd like to know where my suitcase is with all of my clothes.... Aside from that I'm comfortable and confident.

We cruised all over Addis today. I ate tibs for both breakfast and lunch and intend on eating it again for dinner. Ethiopian food is incredible. I'm having an absolute blast with Liz. She makes everything more fun.

We got a chance to visit the Cure Clinic where Dr. Rick Hodes works on Saturdays. If you don't know who he is you should read about him. He is a miracle worker. I met him a few times before but have never watched him work. Liz and I sat in on him seeing multiple patients and we got to see how Dr. Hodes interacted with them. He is so personable that any inhibitions the patient had when he/she stepped in the room were gone when he began speaking. Dr. Hodes asks his first time patients to fill out a handout with general information about themselves. One of the questions on the sheet was "What do you want to be when you grow up?". This man genuinely cares. That made me smile. It inspires me to interact or even watch people like Dr. Hodes. He's an inspiration to everyone he meets.

Tomorrow Ethiopia will bury their recently deceased Prime Minister. The city is chaotic as the police re-route traffic and set up for the many dignitaries that are set to attend the ceremony.

This place is foreign to me. I learned a lot today. Let's hope every day is just like this one.

"any traveler who misses the journey misses about all he's going to get" - Heat Moon


The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the positions, strategies or opinions of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Oh, and forgive any spelling or grammatical errors.