Joseph’s tale

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I realized I haven’t really introduced Joseph here, he just kind of appears. Anyways, he is an employee of the hotel we are staying at and his English is pretty good. I really don’t remember how we got to be friends with him, but he really buddy-ed up to us and the coffee group when they were here. He took us to our first man-dancing club. We are not exactly sure how his parents passed, but they are both gone. I think his father died in the military, not sure about his mom, but he is currently staying with his aunt and uncle. Three weeks ago he lost his job. He said one of the guys didn’t like him and made fun of him for not having a mother or father. His job at the hotel paid 200 birr a month, which is about $16. Long story short with the job, he got it back somehow. We were really relieved, and he is an asset for the hotel as his English is the best out of their staff.

Joseph started college, but dropped out after 1 semester to help his dying mother. He also lost his girlfriend for someone who makes more money, and he is not too thrilled about that. We are going to Jimma University today to try and enroll him or at least start that process. He didn’t seem to understand the whole loan process and that the government will pay for University while he is in school and then after he gets out he will have to pay it back.

His real passion though is music; he, like all Ethiopians, loves Eminem and rap music. Joseph writes a lot of poems/raps and wanted me to read them. They ranged in quality but some were very good, including one about his mother. He wrote us and the coffee people a poem before the coffee group left, I’ll try to get it and write it here. Recently he entered what he called a “word battle” and won. He got all new clothes and a watch which he accidently got wet and has now stopped working. When we were in Addis he called me and said “Big D, my friend told me about a word battle tomorrow and the prize is a laptop, but I have work. What should I do.” I told him he better go to work! When we got back I asked him if he went to the word battle. “No, you told me to go to work.” There is another competition this Sunday that he is going to enter and we plan on attending. It’s at the cinema by Variety Café around midday if anyone is interested. He loves music and he loves my iPod. His birthday is Monday, 21, and I think we are going to look into getting him some sort of cd player and then I can send him cds when I get back home.

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