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.
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.
What a wonderful update Max! So good to know you feel comfortable and confident and that you had the opportunity to observe Dr. Hodes. Eager to learn if your luggage arrives! So you can bring it with you to Gondar! :)
ReplyDeleteXoxo
Max, great first day, looking forward to the next 364. What's tibs and why is it so good?
ReplyDeleteJon
Hello boy
ReplyDelete