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Published: June 18th 2009
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Plumbing at my little hospital
This is a sink and tub where no water flows into them. My friend Charlie Ivy sent me these photo's. Today is June 11 here, 2001… yes that is right 2001. The Ethiopia calendar has 13 months and all the months have 30 days except a short month that has 5 or 6… Yes confusing.
Tonight I went to dinner with my very good friend here that helped me start on this quest to save the world. So I blame him for all these pie eyed ideas, I have. Anyway he “tried” to explain the Ethiopian calendar and time to me. It still is completely over my head. All I know is that I am 8 years younger here, which I like! 😊 But what is nice, Ethiopians know they cannot confuse the rest of the world; so when you meet them at 5pm on the 18th, they show up even through it might be 1:15pm on the 11th. Thank God, because I would have missed every single meeting I had scheduled today.
Tonight we drove through the pitch-black city, dodging people and animals in the darkness to go to a very lovely Italian restaurant high on a hill that overlooks the city below. Oh BTW... you can't see the city since there are no lights down below. The nicer
places had generators to stay open during the power outrages. It was very busy place with affluent locals dining. It had complete glass around it and many doors, which meant you, always had a back to a door. It still is amazing to me to look below and see mostly darkness in a city of 3-4 million people with a lone light here and there. My friend explained how with no rain the hydroelectric power was limited and really once the rainy season comes, it will still take 6-8 weeks before they have regular power on a daily basis. Slowly they will work there way back to normal. (Cutting power to every 3rd day and then every 6th day, and then back to regular usage, for the next 8 months until the supplies deplete again.) My friend actually owns a hospital and several clinics here, so he talked about the increased expense it takes him to run generators to power his facilities. These are cost he cannot recoup, so it really is a bad situation for business owners who A. have no power or B. must pay for increase fuel cost to run the generators. The government is trying to
work on a better plan for energy but for now, this is just the way it is. He simply said what are we to do, so we make do!
My day today was very productive. I am calling myself “Mini- Obama”. I have so many people here, who want to meet with me and help, it has been wonderfully overwhelming. From what I understand these are important people here that I should know to get things done. Everyone I talk to, I mention to him, “oh I am meeting with so and so and they go “Oh they are very powerful and you are lucky to talk to them”. What is funny is that say that about each other, so I think I am on the right track with moving things along the right way here. You have to have the government on your side, it is very important and the fact that I got government approval for my film is apparently quite remarkable. Go figure. I am just trying to work with as many people as possible, so all my bases are covered. Tomorrow’s another day of meetings and then off to the rural areas to visit my little hospital, meet with more officials and then into the countryside to look at even more remote areas with health aid stations.
Oh it is so nice to know that people are reading this blog and taking an interest. You feel so far away at times and wonder do people really care. So thank you for reading and keep your comments coming. Oh, Angela, yes the world economy is on everyone’s mind. It comes up a lot here. I don’t think any place is untouched but the recession.
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KellyJo
Kelly Jo Little
Hi
Hi again, you are very much on my thoughts. Everytime you post another entry I drop what I am doing (unless I am holding a kid) and read. You are really painting a vivid picture and it seems so foreign-well I guess it is. Duhhhh....I talked to John today about the A word and we should be making a decision very soon. I am eating up your posts so keep em coming. Love to you and prayers for you and all that you are doing. I know your family is proud of you, I know I am. Love, KJ