So much happened in my first week in Ethiopia

To start with, here is a general impression of the cityscape of Addis. The first picture is in our neighbourhood, a little higher up in the hills surrounding the city.

The second picture is of Megananja Square, in the North Eastern part of Addis, where they are digging up the ringroad in order to make a metro. in the morning everbody is walking here to work and trying to find a bus.

Then this is the road that Robert takes in the morning towards the ministry; you can see the smog and the cars getting into the daily traffic jam. The 4th picture (below) is of the traditional city houses lining the street, usually with shops on the ground floor. 

Life has been so inspiring and ‘giving’ to me, this first week,  it is just unbelievable! There were so many coincidences, so many things I couldn’t even have planned or foreseen and yet they came my way and made my life fuller, giving sense.

It all started with Anne, the wife of Robert’collaegue and partner Martin, taking me out on Tuesday November 19^th to a gathering of international women,  talking about the DO’s and DONT’s in this country, very worthwhile. While there, someone announced that there was still one place available in the Amharic classes, so I said I would join. This appears to be a very interesting class. We are only three people and it is an hour’s drive, like going from Renkum to Utrecht though traffic jams  3 times a week, lessons from 5- 6.30 pm and them I am home at 20:00. Robert arranged a car with driver for me to take me there, otherwise I would not have known how to get there.  




Anne also took me to Selam village; a Swiss project, a village actually, set up for orphans to live there and get an education in growing vegetables, serving and cooking food in a well run restaurant. After a good lunch we bought some nice plants. 

Ann also introduced me to a German lady who invited me and Robert as ‘unknown guests’ to their birthday party last Saturday. This turned out to be a real nice party, where I met some interesting people, involved in wildlife, in (strengthening) beekeeping  in Ethiopia, an Iranian lady married to a German guy, a very nice Ugandan woman married to an American; I mostly talked with her 13 year old daughter, a real ‘third culture kid’. 

Also together with Anne and Martin we went to the artisan fair, a big twice yearly event where all Ethiopian artisans bring their special products. Robert and I bought some plates, covers for the (ugly) sofa, two nice paintings, cushions, Christmas decorations and a laundry basket. 

One painting (photo) I like particularly since it depicts an Ethiopian priestess or goddess and it feels good to have her in the house. Before buying it form the guy who painted it, I had a long discussion woth him:  why he painted a woman and not a man. When I said women are better in connecting people he agreed and said that he couldn’t live without his mum, who, as a woman, made the difference to his family as she was the glue, keeping everyone together.

On  Sunday November 24^th  we went to the Ayurvedic massage for our weekly treatment, but couldn’t get there because of the annual Ethiopian RUN. So we returned home (which takes half an hour with the traffic here), pottered around, had a coffee ( with nice Italian home baked cookies)  and then went to see Belatech (Hanna’s mum) to have traditional coffee and lunch: Injera with a lovely sauce, cabbage (Gomen) and green salad. Meanwhile she and her daughter Zedewnesh washed our  laundry, since we haven’t got a washing machine yet. 

On the way back Robert got some money from a cashpoint (very modern indeed) and we went home. There, Veronika, our Tsjech student/ family member had just returned from 2 weeks in the village (research for her Wageningen University masters degree). There was lots  to share over many cups of tea, while Robert picked up the new Sebanja (watchman/ gardenboy). A nice young guy, 26 years old, who is on his first job, living in the boy’s quarters behind our house  and –luckily-  speaking English quite well.  

It’s amazing that I have been here for only a week now and so much has happened.