Once again, the Americans we were staying with worked at a health center. They showed us around and told us some of the projects they were working on. Their clinic had an in-patient ward, a tuberculosis program, vaccination out-reach, a malnutrition program, etc. It was all very impressive. We did rounds with the doctor and his nurses; there were only 3 or so patients. One of the patients had measles and he was in isolation. They had to deal with some stuff regarding WHO regulations, and per diem; I won’t get into it here, you can try and find their blog if you are so inclined. We saw some interesting stuff, measles and maggots in a kid’s head, you won’t see that in America. Unless you’re one of those naïve, uninformed parents that doesn’t vaccinate your ... read more

The best part about Chiri and Bonga is the countryside; it is so lush and green. We hiked one day to a waterfall in Chiri and the other day we hiked to a waterfall in Bonga. There were huge ferns growing along the banks of the waterfalls and it seemed as if we were in Jurassic Park. I kept looking over my shoulder for Velocer Raptors. The Chiri falls were cool, but only maybe 30 feet tall. The Bonga falls however were huge, probably 150 feet or so. There were some monkeys around the area, but we didn’t see that many. We did see some very gnarly army ants, I forget their common moniker, but they are huge communities that eat everything in their path. Soldiers with huge pinchers line their path, while other ants enclose ... read more

1. Many of the side street vendors sell clothing, and President Obama is a popular motif. There are 2 main shirts, one says “Obama, Yes we can, Obama written in Amharic,” the other is nearly identical only it says “I have a dream,” instead of “yes we can.” I don’t know if they mixed up their famous African-Americans and their famous quotes or if it is an intended poignant statement of the struggles and triumphs of African Americans. Either way, step 1, buy the shirt. 2. Wear the shirt. 3. Wave to everyone that yells, “yeah obama” or “yes we can” at you. It’s nicer than them yelling “you”. Some of the kids in town now just call me “Obama” even when I am not wearing the shirt. They love President Obama. I think I am ... read more

On our way to the university we passed by a large crowd and a guarded street. I have asked three people, Joseph, Samuel and Temesgen about this and though the stories differ a little in the smaller details the big picture is the same. This lady hotel owner evidently killed an employee. She owned the green hotel, which is in the residential section, no way a tourist would find it. The guy lost some money or something, so she killed him and buried him. Neighbors complained about a smell, so she killed a dog and said the dog was the source. Cops came and found the body the day before we drove by. When they took her away the crowd was chanting “kill her, crucify her.” We were told she was not well liked to begin ... read more

I ran into Zelalem walking home from work one day. He was with an American who is helping his father start a coffee business here in Ethiopia, (his father is gone, only he is here). We got to talking, he is actually from San Fran, and now he is pretty much our 3rd Amigo. In honor of this I will call him Little Neddy Neddenlander…Three Amigos, Martin Short’s character. Anyways, his family somehow knows Zelalem and he has been helping them with translation and paying fair prices instead of Ferenji-fied prices. Neddy suggested we go to Zelalem’s church for the experience and I was totally down. That Sunday we went to the church. Like all homes in Ethiopia it was behind a metal gate, but this one had big red crosses on it. The church was ... read more