Greetings From the Horn

 Upon landing in the thin air of Addis Ababa and taking that first breath of fresh air after a long flight, one finds it even more challenging to the lungs by perhaps the most lax emissions environment I have ever experienced. The dry mountain air seems almost schizophrenic as you walk through cool, fresh breezes into dusty patches of African sun. Smells of coffee, spices, fresh injera and seasoned meats fill the main streets of my small “off the beaten path” neighborhood. One is instantly reminded not to breath too deeply as it only takes a few steps off of those main streets until a less welcoming scent begins to permeate the air. A scent that seemingly begs you to acknowledge the stark economic disparity that is the reality of Addis Ababa. The lights of Bole, the cathedrals, the architectural relics of Menelik and Haile Selassie; each part of the beautiful face of a city seething just below the surface. Of a people so purely Ethiopian, so charismatically Habesha, that they are at the cusp between prideful acceptance and (perhaps revolutionarily) demanding more.

As for Habesha people, what could I possibly do but sing their praises? Gracious and welcoming in every situation, guests are always taken care of first and respected in the highest. I end up wondering when or if the guest label is going to wear off!  At times it feels like a barrier, an invisible veil separating myself from next level of companionship and cultural richness that “guests” don’t get to experience. I feel it lifting at times; when I’m no longer offered the sugar first, when I get laughed at for something that isn’t simply pronunciation based, perhaps I feel it most when I am no longer warned that what I ordered may be “too hot for a ferenji.”

 

The work is great. Coming into the office everyday to be served the warm caffeinated beverage of your choice? How come nobody told me about that perk? (Not to make you jealous, but it happens at 3:00 as well)

From first arriving at the GETF offices in Arlington until this very morning, I am continuously motivated by the energy of those around me. There is spirit amongst all in the field of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) that connects them to a common goal. I feel thankful to be part of that team.

The Land of Coffee!

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee! This  is one of first things I found out about the country while doing my research on it after taking this internship.  I almost dropped from my chair in Starbucks with delight! Having proclaimed myself a caffeine addict back in undergrad, I could not contain my excitement to spend my summer with people who lived and breathed my favorite “drug”! I attribute a lot of my accomplishments to coffee, especially in my last few months as a senior in undergrad, racing against time to complete my theses. At some point,  I had two friends; the basement level of the Regenstein library at the University of Chicago, and COFFEE, as I slaved away on my two honors theses (and regretted ever being a double major!). 

Coffee production anchors the Ethiopian economy and is the country's largest export, bringing in as much as $3.08 billion in revenue in 2013.  It is also a way of life for Ethiopians. Drinking coffee is everyone’s favorite pastime anytime of the day. There is a spread of coffee shops across the city from the chain  Kaldis, (that looks a lot like Starbucks) and the smaller ones that are in shack-like establishments in the local neighborhood. When people like you, they invite you to their home for coffee. It was therefore only fitting that coffee was the first food in my stomach on Ethiopian soil.On our way home from the airport, we stopped by a coffee joint and the double macchiato I had was one of the best tasting coffee I had ever had in my life!! Ethiopians serve coffee, (like their former “colonizers”, the Italians), in dainty little cups, that I am  frankly finding hard to appreciate. At my first drink,  I found myself wanting 3, and then embarrassed to order a 4^th as I tried to drink as much as my daily Starbucks order of a vente double macchiato, on my way to class. I was however instantly seduced by Ethiopian coffee and I was eager to find out how Ethiopians made their coffee and its cultural significance to them.

The coffee set( wonder if i can get through customs with this!)

Woman pouring coffee!

I then got to experience coffee in an Ethiopian home with my host Belen and her family. Belen's family served coffee right after lunch in a very intriguing ceremonial way. There was an elaborate set-up to it, a coffee set complete with a coffee pot and the tiny cups, a burning coal pail and the water. First incense was burned to make the air more relaxing. Next the coffee beans came out and were roasted over the hot coals. Thus I found out the first secret to why Ethiopian coffee tasted so good, it was always fresh!After being roasted, the beans were passed around the room for everyone to take in their wonderful aroma, another instance of cultural significance where everyone shares in the deliciousness of the coffee beans. The beans were then  ground into a power. Previously a mortar and pestle served this purpose, but in recent years coffee grinders have become more common. 

I then learnt a few more things about communal coffee drinking. The first was to not be as slow as I was drinking mine the first time. My goal of savoring the fresh taste by sipping slowly was not in line with the way everybody gulped down their tiny cups,  like they were “shots” and had them back on the tray in no time, ready for the next round. The next round was not served until everyone’s cup was back on the tray, so my being slow was inconveniencing everybody around me,  but they were too polite to tell me! In addition the tiny cups of coffee kept coming until you say no more, if not you could possibly drink coffee for 2 hours!

Then an amazing thing happened!! After 4 cups of this strong and delicious coffee, instead of feeling wide awake, I found my eyes getting heavier and I felt a strong need to lie down on the couch. Between by jetlag, the elegant Amharic conversation around me, that I only participated in every 5 minutes when Belen translated something to me, and the gentle rain outside, Ethiopian coffee had done the unthinkable; put Nancy to sleep! I concluded that I would have never survived school in this country!

Drinking coffee with Belen’s family was a really grounding experience for me. Coffee is more than just a drink for Ethiopians. It is a substance around which Ethiopians built their economy, family ties and a cultural identity. To quote another blogger, "coffee is money, coffee is job, coffee is history, and most of all for Ethiopians coffee is love and pride."Coffee ceremonies bring people together, and is a symbol of union among family and friends I found the "rhythmic" way in which Belen's family served their coffee as the afternoon went on in many rounds,  to somehow bring everyone in sync with each other as they got caught up on each other's day. As a visitor  I felt very much a part of this  rhythm and was grateful to share in the warmth and richness of their culture! 

So friends, feel free to be jealous of me because I am in coffee heaven!! They do really need to upgrade the cups though, this coffee is just too good for the dainty little cups!

This cup is so tiny!

 

I AM HOME!!!

I AM HOME!!

Well not really! I am originally from Zimbabwe and in Ethiopia for the summer, so technically no, but in a lot of ways yes! I have not seen my family in Zimbabwe in 4 years. However from the moment I arrived at my terminal at  Dulle’s airport, I started to feel right at home! From the insane amount of luggage that people had, (where 2 of the bags are usually your fellow countrymen using you as a courier service), to parents  threatening a beating to their kids who were running around the airport, and the chit chat all around me in languages I did not even understand, I felt a sense of familiarity with my surroundings! At that point it did not matter that I was not going to Zimbabwe, but to Africa, my home!

Solyana and I just off the plane!

On the plane I made an Ethiopian friend, Solyana, who was on her way to visit her family in Addis.A recent graduate of UC-Davis, Solyana is on her way to public health school ,so we had a lot to talk about right from the start! To add to our great chance encounter, no-one claimed the seat between us so we got to occupy a prime piece of real estate in the plane; a 3 person back seat that we took turns to stretch our legs on and steal a few minutes of sleep over the course of our journey! In addition, courtesy of Solyana, I breezed through immigration and customs, because she knew where exactly I should be at any point in time, from experience and being able to communicate faster in Amharic. Solyana delivered me safely to my host Belen, a good friend from public health school back in Michigan who has been my host for the past 5 days.

Although my internship does not start officially for another week, I decided to fly in early so as to get a head start on getting to know Addis Ababa, get over jetlag and get a chance to experience Ethiopia though the eyes of its natives, Belen’s family. Belen “warned” me of the differences, like how many of her big family I would meet, and that I might be sharing everything including a bed, and I did not mind at all! Since I moved to America, I might be a visitor to Africa once in a while but I am no stranger to it, and its ways, something I  have to keep reminding the people I meet of;  at times unsuccessfully. At my last African summer in Capetown, no matter how many times I explained where I am from to my work colleagues at Tygerberg hospital, I was still known as the American and I entertained the nurses with my “antics” of taking public transportation and going to places in town they deemed dangerous for foreigners! In response I would tell them, you can take the African out of Africa but you cannot take Africa out of them!

Belen and I!

I have had the most wonderful 5 days ever with Belen's family! From the airport, Belen and her uncle  had already planned out my day, complete with  my first taste of Ethiopian coffee(which is amazing), procuring a phone and a sim card for me, and a hair appointment that her uncle had found someone to come to the house before my arrival. Nothing beats the warmth and skilled hands of an African on my head at a cost of about 400 Birr (about 32 dollars) as opposed to the $200 that bankrupted me every few months in America when I had to get my hair done!For the last few days I have fallen in love with Belen's family and the Ethiopian culture that they have exposed me to. I have already started to learn about healthcare access in Ethiopia from many conversation with different people who are so eager to impart their experiences to me. I have seen parts of the city from driving around it, and learnt a great deal of history about it from Belen's uncle. Most of all I have enjoyed some amazing Ethiopian home cooking from  Belen grandmother which I already miss sitting in my guest house : (! 

Cannot get enough of this new hair!

Belen's uncle Assefa, our driver and historian!

  How much Belen’s family opened up to my presence is a yet another mark of African culture; amazing hospitality : )! In our culture, we are communal people who  take care of their own, in this case a fellow African. Every African knows the experience of a relative visiting without notice and staying for months on end! Belen’s grandmother raised 7 children, and countless cousins who came in and out of her home in a 2 bedroomed house. No matter how little people have, it is always enough to go round for everyone in the house! We extend this hospitality to non-Africans as well! On my last day with them, Belen's grandmother sincerely told me she loved me, in her first full sentence of communication in English to me since I have been with them!, and it warmed my heart to the core! I cannot wait for what else this summer is going to bring for me : )!

Waking up  to a cock crowing  and breathing in the soil after the heavy rain of the night, one thought runs through my head...

I AM HOME!!

Belen's grandmother's amazing cooking!

Belen, her grandma and I, saying goodbye!