My first week in Addis
I am here in Addis Ababa, almost a week now. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I have been hard at work. Meeting after
meeting-adjusting to the time change, jet lag, the high elevation, and wanting to get settled in has made my first week rather exhausting. It hasn’t been overwhelming because we have been moving fast. I haven’t had a real chance to process a great deal. In about a week I am sure I will get to do that-and have alot to say.
Getting here kind of sucked. I had a 8 hr lay over @ heathrow and was routed thru Beirut. So another crazy lay over on the run way there.This was all b/c my original flite was canceled cause the plane was being repaired after they crashed into a bird. Oh and I had a hard time getting in cause I had to explain 9.500 condoms to customs. The Executive Director got me out of it w/ some sweet talking.
I came here to essentially gather data and distribute condoms on a very local level. That quickly turned into, if successful, the UN and a
couple other govt agencies, want to replicate it nationwide. Talk
about pressure. So-I am now going to be working with distributing
female condoms w/ commercial sex workers and getting their feedback on using them.
We visited a couple of local sex work grps to recruit participants. It
was awesome, the women are incredible. The groups work to empower the women by teaching them trades in order to supplement income. The trades include leather work, weaving, running a restaurant, home health care, etc. I am very excited to work with them.
The people here are wonderful, friendly, kind and giving. They have
such a great sense of humor. Good quality folk. I will have a hard time with learning the language. I already am horrible about that-this will be challenging. These kids here a stylish! For the most part people here dress nicely ( I feel a little under dressed). They have so many cool shoes.
Eating here sucks-the food is meaty. There are so many goats (alive & dead) in the city- dinner. My alternative to traditional food is
hamburgers or pasta, lots of wheat filled pasta. On Wed & Fri, they
have fasting days, those days I can eat all the veggie food I want. I
will definitely be skinner by end of july. The Injera is great though.
And lots lots of coffee. Music: I am excited to collect great music
too. Lots of reggae.
Although an obvious westerner, I don’t feel too awkward…like say I
would in a heavily male dominated culture. It is nice not to have men
grabbing me and asking me to marry them every kilometer. Instead there is a pluther of very poor people asking for money. They don’t grab at you but do ask 100 times, even when making eye contact and saying no. It is irritating to be surrounded. I think the deeper irritant is that they have to beg-the resources and support here are scarce, more so than I thought. And the same reason why I have avoided coming to Africa in the first place. Its hard to see it and know that you can do little about a need that is great and obvious-it just hurts.
As far as Internet (broadband, as they call it) is majority dial up. I
hope to have an office where its high-speed. Until that gets sorted, I
won’t be emailing to often, cause its annoying. I hope to get my blog
set up as well. Oh and I am living out of a midrange hotel. A grade or
2 less than Hojo. I have one channel, CNN. My shower curtain is partly falling apart and Its moldy (well the entire bathroom) And I have my roach friends to talk with when I am showering, well using the shower spray to shower with. I am grateful there is hot water, at designated hours. Overall it isn’t bad and the staff is great. No place to live yet-that will happen this week (please universe). I know where to by a solar shower if I have no hot water, gets me geared up for camping in August, eh?
