Week 2- From Addis to Awassa with Hippos and Pterodactyls
on Paul Stanley (Ethiopia), 18/Feb/2010 14:34, 34 days ago
It is now Saturday and I’m sat at the desk in my hotel room in Awassa, watching The Magic Roundabout movie on the TV and hoping the hotel wireless decides to start working again. It looks like its warming up for a storm outside- the skies are dark and a rumble of thunder can be heard in the distance. So how did I get tohere? A little recap of the last few days is required methinks...Tuesday was the last complete day at the British Red Cross centre in Addis. What had become our home from home for the last nine days of In country training (ICT) was coming to an end. The plan for Tuesday was an all day conference with our partner organisations- for most of us it was the first time we would meet the people we would be working for and with for the next two years. I felt incredibly nervous- probably not helped by having to start taking Malaria medication on the same day. It felt very similar to a job interview- but one you where you already had got the job! Would I get on with my colleagues? Would they like me? Breakfast was eclectic as ever- Fit Fit (Spicy Injera), toast and cheese with Lemon Tea and Orange Juice. After food, we all filed into the main hall to find tables laid out with the names of our respective partner organisations. I headed to the table marked Awassa CTE (College of Teacher Education) to await their arrival. After about 20 minutes, the partners began to arrive. I spotted Abraham almost immediately (having seen his picture on Facebook)- I stood to greet him and Paulos, the vice dean of the college, my new line manager. We had little time to get to know each other as the presentations began almost immediately- we were treated to the Country Director outlining the Country Strategic Plan, a number of others and a workshop on partner/volunteer expectations. The VSO does like workshops!Following a morning of presentations I had a little more time over lunch to get to know Abraham and Paulos. Both appear to be very friendly and enthusiastic. I was praised for my etiquette when Paulos’ wife joined us for lunch- I stood to greet her, and offered her some of my drink. Ethiopians are sticklers for manners and politeness, and I had paid careful attention in the Society and Culture lectures! They were also impressed that I liked and had tried Injera before coming to Ethiopia. Afterlunch we had a tripartite meeting between myself, the partners, and Sewit, my VSO programme manager. This laid down a number of guidelines- how much holiday I would be entitled to (22 days + 13 National holiday days), what my induction would consist of, amongst others. Sewit will come and visit ina couple of weeks to ensure that all this is being kept to. I have to write a project plan once I am in place to outline what Abraham and I will be working on. Following the meeting, Paulos and Abraham departed, and I was left with some time before the evening’s festivities.This being the last evening of ICT the VSO had pulled out all the stops- an Ethiopian cultural evening was planned with an Ethiopian Band, dancing, food, and free booze! It was a great evening, though I wish that I hadn’t been quite as tired as I was. I can’t see how they could have really done the ICT week any better, but it’s an exhausting time- both emotionally and physically. You are coming to terms with the move to another country as well as the actual move itself, language lessons, lectures on Ethiopian Society Culture and History- its a massive amount to take in...Following the food, and dancing we were moved outside for a bonfire- a very Ethiopian thing to do I understand. There is a festival called Meskel which involves the lighting of large bonfires all over the country, and this seemed to be a mini Meskel for the new volunteers! Following farewells, I retired to bed. I wouldn’t get to see some of the volunteers for a while as they would be heading off in the early hours. Hopefully we will all catch with each other down the line... One of the great things about the ICT week is it gives you a great group of friends around the country- a great thing for weekends away!I awoke early on Wednesday morning, and packed my bags before heading down to breakfast. The three Awassa volunteers (Karen, Laura and me) were due to depart at 11.00 AM, so a nice slow morning was in store. Breakfast was consumed and after that I had time to have a chat with Mike Robie, a Canadian IT volunteer. I’m looking forward to catching up with him in the future. People began to depart for their placements from just after breakfast, and for the first time we began to experience the frustration of Africa time... One by one all the others were whisked off to begin their respective journeys until all that was left was the “Awassa Three” (Laura’s Nickname for the gang), and Jamie, one of the ICT trainers. The time now was coming up to 1.00 PM, and we got a call saying that Tamarat, our driver had been delayed dropping some other volunteers off in Addis, and we were to get some lunch. This delay seemed to last forever: we were all getting a little exasperated, when finally Tamarat arrived at 14.00 PM. We quickly loaded all our gear in to the truck, and finally we were on our way...The drive from Addis to Awassa takes about 5 hours for the 275 kilometres. It takes a long time to escape the traffic of Addis and it’s only when you turn off the Djibouti road after 70 kilometres that you really start to make time. Its also when you make this turn that you really realise that you are in Africa. The grubby industrial estates of the outskirts of Addis give way to more typical African scenery- the flat topped acacia trees, and the vast plain of the rift valley stretched out before us. Either side of the plane the sides of valley rose sharply to mountains, and cliffs. And for my game playing friends, yes, it was like something out of Far Cry 2. Alongside the road communities live in traditional African mud dwellings with conical thatched roofs. The poverty that was evident in Addis shifts with the more rural locations, but is still very prominent. Most of Ethiopia is based on rural subsistence farming. There is little evidence of very much organised farming bar the massive flower farms that have begunto spring up. Our driver, Tamarat delivered a great commentary all the way to Awassa- we found out that donkeys and goats have a great homing instinct - I couldn’t understand how all the donkeys that we saw got back to their owners! At one point we saw camels wandering through a field- a real signof where we were. The donkeys are one of the reasons the journey takes so long- they just wander out into the road all the time, and you are continually delayed. We arrived in Sheshemane, 30 kilometres north of Awassa just as it began to get dark. African roads in the dark are not a good place to be- no street lighting here, and lots of random livestock to avoid. Paulos from the college rang to check we were OK, and I arranged to catch up with him and Abraham in the morning. By the time we arrived in Awassa, it was in complete darkness and about 8.00 PM. We dropped off our VSO supply boxes atthe girl’s house, and then headed to the Hotel Pinna- my home for the next 6 days. My room was a little disappointing- the lock hardly worked, and everything was not in the best state of repair- however, Tamarat assured me it was only a temporary measure- I would be able to move to my proper roomthe next day. We all headed to the hotel restaurant for a quick bite to eat, before retiring for the night.A little aside- all Ethiopian restaurants server very good Pasta, and Pizza is not at all uncommon. We have been told this is a legacy of the Italian occupation during the Second World War. It’s worth remembering that the pasta dishes have been “Ethiopianised” and tend to be a little spicier than there European equivalents.After a not particularly great night’s sleep I awoke for my first look at Awassa... I stepped out onto my balcony, only to see a vulture fly by! From there the town looked a lot greener than Addis for a start. Abraham called and said they would be round to pick me up shortly, so I headed downstairs to the pastry shop for a cup of Lemon Tea. Abraham and Paulos arrived after a while and we set off for a whistle stop tour of the town and then onto the college. The town was everything I imagined it would be much more laid back than Addis, less dirty, and with a real charm. Awassa has wide boulevards round the centre of town, and agreat central road that goes from the Lake to the principle Orthodox church, Saint Gabrielle at the top of the hill. We stopped by one of the growing number of lakeside hotels to see the swimming facilities- I didn’t have the heart to say that I’m not a big swimmer. We then headed to the college, and Abraham showed me his ambitious plan for the network, and we walked round the amazingly tended gardens that the college lies in. I was introduced to so many people, it all became a bit of a blur. Abraham and I then headed to his house for lunch where I met his wife and his one year old daughter- I think I confused her somewhat- I may have been the first white person she had ever seen! My VSO house is just opposite Abrahams, so we popped in there to have a look. The house appears quite basic, but I liked it. After a little break in the afternoon, Abraham collected me at around five for atrip to the Wabe Shebelle 2 hotel to see the lake at a little more length, and see my first African monkey! The hotel is a really nice place to sit and watch the lake, the sunset and the amazing birdlife. Very chilled out. Abraham dropped me back at the hotel, and I went straight to the restaurantto grab some food before settling down for the night in my much improved new hotel room- this one had a semi working television!Friday was my first really slow day since arriving in Ethiopia, which I think I needed. In the morning I headed out for my first solo wander around Awassa- it will take a while to get used to how much I stand out here. People stare continually; kids shout many things, the favourite of which seems to be“You You You” or “Ferengi”. Ferengi, for the Star Trek fans amongst you, has nothing to do with the large lobed aliens, but is a derivative of “Frenchie”. Similarly, in Cambodia and Thailand Caucasians are referred to as “Farang”, which I understood was just a corruption of “Foriegn”. The attention isn’t too bad- its never been threatening in nature but can get wearing at times- you begin to miss anonymity of walking the streets in the UK. For lunch I headed to one of the many cafes that Awassa has to offer- in search of a little “Ferengi” treat, I sat down to a “Special” burger and a bottle of St Georges beer. The burger was indeed special: cold and what appeared to be raw in the middle! I quickly stopped eating, glugged down my beer, and returned to the hotel. I need to find out the best places to eat- the burger may have been completely OK, as I didn’tfeel any ill effects that day. This will undoubtedly come with time. In the evening I met up with Laura and Karen, and an existing volunteer, Kaye, who was dealing with their induction and handover. I had rang Lubowa, my VSO housemate to be, earlier that day to get him to meet up with us too. We metat the Post Pizza cafe (next to the post office!) and settled down for a catch-up over a beer and pizza. Lubowa arrived, and I got confirmation that my room would be ready to move into on Monday, as Julius, the current occupant was on his way back to Uganda that morning. The Pizza was superb- muchbetter than I was expecting, and only 40 birr (£2). It will have to be an occasional treat though- must remember my daily budget is only 70 birr a day!On Saturday, Abraham had arranged for a trip to Wondo Genet, a hot spring, about 40K from Awassa. I was picked up at 10.30 by Abraham, his friend from the college, Mulageta, and the college driver. The drive to Wondo Genet took us back up the road towards Addis, and into Sheshemane, then up into the hills- I assume, the edge of the Rift valley. It was great to see more of the African countryside- its hard to describe how big it feels here. The skies as soon as you get out of town are massive, 360 degree panoramas. The other thing that is hard to comprehend, is the level of poverty in Ethiopia- it’s even more apparent when you hit rural areas. Sometimes it is overwhelming. When we finally arrived at the springs, a friendly guide, offered to take us on a short hike to see the hills, springs and wildlife. An important tip- never set off with a guide, before you discuss a price. This would come back to bite us later. We set off up the hill to see one of the hot springs- water comes up from the ground at 85 degrees- hot enough to cook in! The Rift Valley is a hot bed of such volcanic activity- there are many such springs throughout Ethiopia. The walk through the hills was great- we wereshown a number of different springs, including one that Haile Selassie used to bathe in. Colobus monkeys and Baboons were sighted at a distance, as were many amazing birds. The guide was very informative, and told me that there was a four hour walk that could be done to the top of the nearby mountain to see the waterfalls- worth bearing in mind for the future.Unfortunately when we returned to where the car was parked, things turned a little sour with the guide, as he demanded 150 birr (£7) from us. This doesn’t seem a lot in UK terms, but in Ethiopia, its a months wages for many, or for me, more than 2 days allowance. Abraham tried to reason with the guide, but he was having none of it, and walked away. I decided to give the guide 100 birr, mainly to ease my conscience, but itleft me with a valuable lesson learned. Always negotiate a price before going anywhere with a guide.We then proceeded into the main hot spring area- this is a very popular spot for Ethiopians. It comprises of a shower area fed by the hot spring, and a swimming area. Unfortunately, I had not been briefed that we would be going in, so had no trunks/towel, and was suffering from a terrible attack of British shyness so decided to sit out the we part. I will have to revisit when better prepared. Abraham and Mulageta had a cracking time!The highlight of Sunday was a trip on the Lake with Kaye, Laura and Karen. It was a scorching day, and after a spot of lunch at a rooftop cafe, we headed towards the lake to meet up with Kaye. The rooftop cafe is above the Dashen bank, and affords amazing views over Awassa. It also lets you see the amazing birdlife of the town from eye level so to speak- as soon as I can get an Ethiopian bird guide, I will be able to report on what the hell some of the birds are. I’m sure they aren’t really Pterodactyls, but thats what they look like. We met Kaye en route to the Wabe Shebelle 2 hotel where the boats depart from. Before getting to the boat we are treated to a preview of the new Lewi Resort that is being built on the lakeside- it looks amazing, and I’m sure when some of you come and visit, you may be staying there. Very plush, and being Ethiopia, the prices are amazing... Check out http://www.lewihotel.com/ for some more details.We head to the lake next, and after a quick cup of tea, jump on a boat. The boat heads out across the placid waters of Lake Awassa in a cooling breeze. Low flying birds skim just above the water, and in the distance we could see the fishing boats. We arrive at the far end of the lake and the reed beds and for the first time spot Hippopotamus heads just above the water- its an amazing sight, and slightly scary, as the boat appears to be drifting towards them! They duck under the water occasionally, and resurface, little pink ears wiggling. Its hard to comprehend the size– the heads appear massive! A fantastic thing to see...Monday is moving day, and unfortunately I awoke with my first case of African tummy. Moving day was not going to be easy... Abraham arrived at 10 and we move all my stuff to my new house. Its such a nice thing to unpack after over 2 weeks living out of a bag. My room is nice, and will become nicer as I personalise it. More on the house in the next update...