"Gotta Check the Tires!"


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Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region
February 22nd 2010
Published: February 22nd 2010
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I think I may be getting a hang of this Amhara dance after all! I was pulled up AGAIN at a Habesha restaurant on Saturday, only this time it didn’t end with me cowering in a red-faced ball in my Axum-shaped chair, but with a shoulder-touch and a sincere ‘ammesegnallehu’ from the dancer!! That’s right -- I’m setting my shoulders loose in Addis!!

Haha I sincerely hope that all of my friends and family forget that comment a few months from now and spare me from having to “prove it” with a demonstration. I already have a list of excuses prepared: “Sorry, long flight, shoulder cramp” or “I really would love to, but this music doesn’t have the right beat”… the list goes on.

It probably wasn’t too smart to stay out passed midnight on Saturday night, but you live and learn… or you live and don’t learn… it’s not like that’s the first time I should have gone to bed earlier! Like one of my bro’s favourite quotes says:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

After just four hours of shut-eye, I was back up and throwing a few bottles of water, sunscreen, SPF lip balm, a few bandages, and my camera into a backpack, slipping into my trail runners, and heading out the door. We hired a driver for 700Birr (late notice fee, you should be able to get one for the day for about 500 if you drive a hard bargain) plus fuel to take us to Mt Wenchi, 30km from Ambo, west of Addis Ababa. Im going to call the driver, “aller,” the french verb for “to go,” because based on the number of times we said that to him over the course of the 4 hour drive - a drive which SHOULD have taken only 2 hours - any witness would confidently assume that was actually his name.

We left at 7:30am and were were winding our way through the hills to Wenchi village by 12:30pm. Wenchi is named after an indigenous clay material used to make large open pots which are used solely for cooking dishes on Ethiopian New Years. The shape of this
Not Quite Habesha DancingNot Quite Habesha DancingNot Quite Habesha Dancing

... but not quite forenj either!!
traditional bowl is very much like the shape of the crater lake and surrounding hills. 3000m above sea level, and climbing, with no sign in sight of a settlement large enough to accommodate them all, dozens of people were carrying large white sacks on their back, acommpanied by herds of goats, cattle, and/or donkies along the road. As we carefully navigated through the masses, it became clear why there were so many people walking the road that day - Canadian food aid distribution stations were set up at intervals all along the ridge.

The villagers in Wenchi are very resistant to all unnatural things including vehicles which are not allowed beyond a certain point. The local administration recently rejected a significant foreign investment in their irrigation system because the proposed design invovled electrically powered pumps. They are content to rely instead on the existing self-sustainable network of wooden troughs which effectively carry water from the lake to small wooden mills hidden throughout the hills. Inside these huts, the suprisingly substantial water pressure rotates a large wheel which in turn powers the grain mill. I guess the thought is: “If it ain’t broke…”, but what happens when it does inevitably
Rural HomeRural HomeRural Home

Thatch-roofed dung/eucalyptus hut with a pile of tef out back -- a pretty
break and a community already partially dependant on aid is left without its greatest resource?

Poverty is a multidimensional beast. Unlike in Addis, in Wenchi, it isn’t about a lack of financial resources or access to facilitators of upward social mobility, but a lack of resources altogether. While trekking along the waterfront, Parag and I caught sight of a young boy sitting on a fence who seemed to be absorbed in the contents a small notebook. We said hello, he smiled a BIG smile and said “Akum!” (How are you?) We replied: “Nega” (Fine) and asked the same of him to which he grinned even wider and said: “Fiya!” (Thankful to my God). His English was very good for a 7-8year old so he was able to answer some of our questions while showing us his neatly written notes. He loves school, especially the sciences (he was studying chemistry at the time), and so he walks a long distance to the one school in the district on days when he is not needed at home. We had long lost sight of our guide by this point so we told him we had to leave. As his little brother (3-4)
AmbusaiAmbusaiAmbusai

This little guy in his "students time" onesy drove a hard bargain: I got to take a picture and in exchange he got to hold my hand, laugh at my Amharic, and check himself out in the pic =) To put your hand on a young one's head is a caring gesture. I took a page out of G's book and held his shoulder and gave him the honour of the title "Ambusai" -- Lion, king of the jungle, brave leader
ran across the grss towards us yelling “hello! Hello! hello!”, we heard our young friend make a request. We both assumed it must have been “chinko?” (which in Oromiffa, the local dialect, means coins) but as his brother took a break from shouting to climb the fence he asked again: “pen?” Relieved, thinking this may be the one kid that truly breaks by heart (so far) when I say I have no Birr to give him, I pulled my neon green health study pen out of my bag - when I say ‘my’, I actually mean my dad’s neon green health study pen… sorry dad =P haha - and handed it over on the condition that he keep studying hard and one day becomes the doctor he wants to be. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen a pen bring that much happiness to one person. Im sure that at some point in university a pen died on me during lecture and I thought: “Ohhhh darn... no more note-taking for me… shucks,” not realizing how lucky myself and the other 119 young people in the class were to have something to study at all. Inspired, I spent the rest
TankTankTank

To me this picture represents the best and worst simultaneously: a sign of war and a symbol of Ethiopian triumph; an image of poverty and a scene of beauty.
of the hike to the lake shore, really only a few minutes, practicing my French with Letitia.

As we were resting on the grassy beach, waiting for the dingy to take us across the lake and munching on a few chocolate Bourbon biscuits we had picked up in town, a group of local guys came over and had a chat with us - more accurately, they had a chat ABOUT us in Oromiffa with our guide. Needing to cross themselves, they eventually started whistling to signal to the opposite shore that we were all waiting for the boat to return. Im sure the sound carried, but the boat remained in place. So, from my cozy grass bed, I issued “The Callowhill Whistle,” more commonly indentified as a loon call. Well, that got the boat moving; it also started a sharing session of whistling techniques. A few of the guys managed to recreate the call, but sadly, I was not able to send any ear-splitting blasts echoing off into the hills.

It was a demanding hike back up to the rim of the crater, but it seems that I was in the company of a few like-natured people: the
Wenchi Crater LakeWenchi Crater LakeWenchi Crater Lake

Mirror of the sky
more exhausted we got, the funnier everything became. Here are some examples of what I mean (if they are “you had to be there” kind of situations, I apologize):

1. Kid to Parag: “Forenj! Forenj!”
Parag to Justine in all seriousness: “Woah! How does he know my name?”

(It is bad when you instinctively whip your head around to the word “forenj” as if that’s what you have been called since birth… but like anything, you get used to it. When I left the office this afternoon, I counted: I got called “Forenj” 7 times in under 45 seconds)

2. Walking towards the car-park, Parag and I were munching down some strawberry wafer biscuits practicing some Amharic lingo, specifically the phrase: “Ante ifellgallehu?” (“You want?”). That is not a brilliant thing to say when you are walking along a fairly busy road carrying sweet treats. Unexpectedly, one clever kid, who overheard our session chirped up: “Yes, I want!”

(This trick came in handy today, however, when a fellow on the street said: “i-fell-gall-e-HU!” in the creepiest way he could muster while passing by me this afternoon; he was shocked when I responded with “Ayyyyy ifellgallehu,” aka
Grain MillGrain MillGrain Mill

Appropriate sustainable technology at its best
“I do NOT want.”)

haha

3. Walking on one path through part of the village, I passed by a group of girls who didn’t stop staring at me even when I caught their eye. I am used to getting curious glances by now but these particular looks made me curious in turn. When we were out of ear-shit our guide started to laugh. Wondering if he had noticed the girls, I asked him what was wrong. He asked: “Do you want to know what they just said about you?” Well, of course I do. “She has spots all over her body!” Growing up with freckles, sometimes you feel like a bit of a freak, especially when a younger kid points at you while asking his mother what’s wrong with you. I was still laughing when another woman passed by and told Letitia in Oromiffa that she had very beautiful eyes. If you are every curious about what your most outstanding features are, take a walk around Wenchi village! Haha


4. En route to Ambo, our driver pulled over and said “I need to check the tires.” Justine was informed by her coworkers while in the field the week prior that when a driver pulls over to “check the tires,” it is actually an excuse to get out of the car to pee. So, for the rest of the day, out of respect for the natural way of things, whenever any one of us had to pee, we just pulled into the garage (a bush) and checked the tires!


AMHARIC VOCAB
Betam - Very
Koye - Slow
Kumh - Stop
Kess Beh Kess - Bit by bit
Indemn idder - Good Night
Tanistalli - Good to meet you

Love,
Troy

PS. I finally gave into the stomach pains and went to a clinic (Christian Medical Center) last week where I had blood tests done and they confirmed what I pretty much already knew - bacterial infection. Got some pills and am on my way to being all better. My experience with the Addis medical care system was suprisingly ok - a little confusing, lots of jumping between reception desks, cashiers, waiting areas, labs and offices, but otherwise quite pleasant. Our “IT guy” came and sat with me on the first day and on the second, I sat next to a little girl who was in awe of my skin and across from an elderly man whose son was sitting still to allow his father to rest on his lap.



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FamilyFamily
Family

Mum was hauling a load from the aid station on her back
Billy GoatsBilly Goats
Billy Goats

Just as those brothers above were making their way along the ridge together...
African ParadiseAfrican Paradise
African Paradise

The contrast between the lush valleys and the charred fields is so drastic
Over Land and SeaOver Land and Sea
Over Land and Sea

I wish the internet connection was strong enough for me to upload a video because this boat-load of men, our grassy beach pals, were singing a beautiful hymn as they crossed the lake.
Heavy LoadHeavy Load
Heavy Load

There are times when you wish for a lighter load and times when you wish for broader shoulders" -- Michael J Fox, Always Looking Up


23rd February 2010

Love the moments
I want to see the dance! I loved the Michael J Fox quote with the pic Glad you had a good experience at the clinic Keep smiling and making others smile! Keeping ya in prayer
23rd February 2010

Great article! I love the pictures tooooo.

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