Selam from Ethiopia!!
Well I made it here in one piece (physically, not mentally!!) after a 24 hour slog involving 2 tiny planes and one big plane and a 9 hour wait at Addis airport. I was collected by Henok who’s the Skills training manager at the Mums for Mums centre. He’d booked me in to a room just down the road from the centre, so we dropped my bags and then he took me in to town to change my Dollars in to Birr. We went to a café over the road for some (really addictive!!) Ethiopian coffee and then he had to leave me. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty freaked out, tired and hungry, many tears were had, especially as I couldn’t put up my mossy net and all I wanted to do was sleep!!
After many hours sleep and a meal of what I can only describe as being Honey pasta (I had to randomly point at something on the menu written entirely in Tigrinya) I was picked up by Henok and taken to the centre to meet everyone. Everyone’s really lovely and they made me feel so welcome.
On Saturday I finally met the boss, Ashenafi, as M4M were holding a meeting with local stakeholders from all over the Tigray region regarding the promotion of Potato and Sweet Potato use. They’re working with the International Potato Centre to try to increase food security in the area during the rainy season and Sweet Potatoes seem to grow really well in the dry soil in the run up to the rains, plus they’re really nutritious and store really well (see, I’m already learning!!). The media were even there! Just before I came out tonight I saw myself on Ethiopian TV!! (The satellites are down as we had a MASSIVE storm this afternoon….I’m kinda glad or else I’d have been watching BBC World News and missed my TV debut!!).
The first week here was hard, really hard to be honest. I’ve been on my own for most of it as everyone at the centre’s really busy working during the day and then studying at night/looking after family, so I’ve had to navigate ordering random food on my own and getting used to everyone staring at me (which made me a little self-conscious when I was trying to master the art of eating Injera without looking like a special case!!).
The shock officially subsided on Monday (although I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing such desperate hardship….plus there’s a horse that been worked to death that just staggers about in the middle of the main road – it massively tipped me over the edge on my second day as a Bajaj –local Tuk Tuk taxi- crashed in to it and just drove off!!).
I’ve finally grown some balls, manned up and got on with making a life for myself in Mekelle. It helped that I’m learning Tigrinya as everyone’s really shocked when I speak it. I feel like I’m settling in and last night I went for a meal with one of the girls from the centre called Tsige (finally a meal not on my own!!!). She’s really ace and next week I’m moving in to a flat near to her place, I can’t wait as the Christian Orthodox church doesn’t want me to get any sleep!! The church next to my hotel has a bloke preaching between about 10.30pm and midnight, and then he starts up again at 5am and goes on until I leave the hotel at 7am!! I think they’re punishing me for my non-religious views….I’ve already been told multiple times that I’m going to burn in hell by one of the ladies at the centre (I think she’s joking….I think). She’s very enthusiastic about the Bible and keeps asking me to talk to her about the stuff I know from the Bible…I’ve not done very well. Best I could do was to give her the entire ‘Joseph and the Technicolor dream coat plotline…songs and all!!
I’ll post some pictures in about 2 weeks, I’m waiting for my USB stick to arrive. I forgot mine and can’t get my pictures off my laptop!!
A list of mad things for you all:
- The Christian Orthodox church and their calls to prayer - for about 2 hours between half 10 and midnight and then again from 5am until 8am. There's a church right next to my hotel so my first week's been fun sleep wise!
- There doesn't seem to be a correct 'side of the road'
- EVERYONE here lives with their parents and their parents cook for them
- Everyone seems to love Manchester united but there's also some confusion when I tell them I'm from Manchester as they seem to think Manchester City and Manchester United are two separate places...
- Avril Lavigne is massive here which is random and the guy who runs my hotel seems to love the Elton John song 'sorry seems to be the hardest word' loads, he plays it every morning at half 6!!
- Cobbled streets are being laid everywhere, the whole city is busy and everyone I've spoken to has such massive aspirations for their lives, it's really inspiring!
- Buildings are being built everyday too, scaffolding being used consists of just shit loads of thin branches which don't look strong enough. They even make ramps to connect each floor and then push horses and donkeys them.
- Bajaj (tuk tuk taxi) drivers have no fear....or breaks!
- Surprisingly they seem to eat pasta for breakfast here with honey and yogurt...not sure about that!
- Over the past 3 days (and for the next 3 months) it's been chucking it down at about 2pm, the wind picks up, everyone disappears and there's a MASSIVE thunderstorm with sideways hail (I saw for the first time yesterday!). Then about an hour or so later it just disappears and the sun comes back out.
- The time here is different. The day starts at 6am, so 6am 'European time' is midnight in Ethiopian time, therefore I start work at 2am (which is actually 8am...) gets a bit confusing!
- The date here is different too, it's 14th Sanni 2004....so technically I'm 19 again!! Whoooo hooooo!
Right, I'll get better at posting and not make it such a long one next time.
Big love to everyone xxxxxxxxx
