Trip to Addis

Well, I made it. I survived Addis Ababa. “Well done, Steph”, you might think. Picking at your nails, absentmindedly. “Woohoo. What do you want? A treat, for your trip alone into the capital of Ethiopia?” Well…yes actually. A treat sounds nice. And can we cuddle? Keiko is only so big, you know.  Keiko by the way is a small stuffed teddy Orca. He’s pretty much the best; the back story on Keiko- my parents adopted an Orca for Christmas for me (probably the best present ever), and the package came with a small stuffed Orca.

Anyway, following the previous entry- I found myself alone for Easter break, and decided to hit up the capital! I bunked down in a hotel on the outskirts of the city, and was thrilled to have a room to myself with a bathroom (with a sit-down toilet, sink and shower!), a T.V (which only played the news- which was fantastic because I’ve been completely out of the loop), internet strong enough for me to Skype my family and friends, and I EVEN used room service! It was unreal. I slept as long as I liked and listened to Ferengi music- dancing and singing my head off- and watched movies late into the night, without worrying about waking people up.

Now. It may seem very strange that I was that excited and you may even think, “You spoiled thing”. And you’d be right to think so. I’ve only been away for a month, and yet it feels like 3 already. Apart from not knowing what’s going on in the world, I haven’t really missed any of the things the hotel offered. They are all luxuries we can do without. I don’t need internet at Yaya (although being able to skype my family was fantastic), we have a bathroom- not one that I’d want my Mother using, but it gets the job done and its fine! I don’t need movies, and I’m lucky enough to have my ipod – but I know I don’t need it either (I’ve memorized all the Spice Girls songs, so what else do you really need). And pfft, sleeping- while I do sleep-in on occasion, waking up when it’s light and going to bed when it’s dark-what other sleeping pattern do you want? And plus, it’s healthier for you to live that way.

Yaya Horses; I don't mind these friends hanging around!

IN fact, I actually broke out in spots while I was in Addis. They’re only small and they’re going away now- but when I came back, I had these small spots all over my arms, legs and stomach- I think it was to do with the water in town. I’m sure I put on a bit of weight, because instead of eating injera, pasta, porridge, and bread & fruit, I was eating Ferengi pizza, drinking beer & coke, and I even found some chocolate. So while living like a Ferengi was refreshing and the break from the language barrier kept me from going insane, I was pleased when I came back to Yaya. It’s healthier here. It’s easier. Here all I have to worry about is classes, working out and working on ways to further the Yaya Girls Program.

I didn’t just hang out in the Hotel though. I did explore. I wandered outside looking for a place to eat, and while I pretended to know where I was going and look like a local, I received some “friendly” attention from the real locals… and all I could think of was a quote by Adele that goes something like “I am not a dog, I do not respond to whistling”. Amen sista. I was polite though, wanting to find the balance between being nice and telling my new friends to back off. It’s a funny line to tread. After a while I realized I’d have a hard time finding anywhere to eat, and even communicate- so I headed back to the hotel, buying chocolate at a Kiosk stand along the way.  It was definitely worth the trouble for that Snickers Bar.

The next time I headed out I had a plan of action, I would nab a taxi and ask to be taken straight to the museums to avoid all the Heyhowareyas. All was going to plan as my taxi driver brought me to the National Museum- where I was stoked to see Lucy (or Dinknesh, in Amharic), the 3.2 million old skeleton! We pulled up and I asked the taxi driver if he could come back for me in an hour and a half- “Chickeryellum”, (no problem- in Amharic) he said, “I’ll wait for you here. Or, can I come in with you?” Well, sure- can’t say no to that! So off we went, and he’d obviously been there before as he whisked me around the place. Now, I love Ancient History and was once into Archaeology in a big way, working as an intern for Golder one summer- so I was in heaven, and was ingesting every article I could read. Unfortunately, despite having one of the most important pieces in the timeline of human evolution, the National Museum had a pretty shady set up for its artifacts.  Some things weren’t labeled, others were knocked completely off their stands and others were completely MIS-labeled. Besides being in complete amazement, I was disappointed with the showcasing of the human fossils, skeletons and artifacts.

Meanwhile, my taxi driver was taking over the role of a personal museum guide. I don’t know what he said to the people at the front door, but it worked and he got in free and then guided me around, explaining everything to me in broken English. It really would have been gloriously nice of him, if only I couldn’t read the English descriptions (as there were both Amharic and English articles written on each exhibit) on the exhibition cases, and see that he was talking complete rubbish. After 3 hours in the museum, I was exhausted and my patience was drawing thin. He asked me if I was happy and I said I was, but lied and said I had just arrived from Canada so I was very tired- a story I told the hotel staff too, and they were amazed at how much Amharic I knew! (“I learn from book!” – my broken English is awesome). At the end of the tour, after asking me to get a drink with him and whether I was married, he thanked me- astonished I said “No, thank you! That was an awesome tour.” But he insisted and said, “No. Thank you, because when I come to Canada you get me Visa.” Ahh...I brushed it off as a joke, but his seriousness made me admit that I couldn’t. I wouldn’t know how. After some awkwardness we left, and as we got back into the taxi he tried to convince me again to get a drink with him, and that I needed Ethiopian boyfriend- but I sternly said “No, I am tired and I have Canadian boyfriend (a necessary lie), please take me back to the hotel.” Once back I promptly collapsed on my bed.

Another day I ventured downtown to Bole to meet Joseph Kibur, the owner of Yaya Village for a coffee and a chat. It was such a difference having a friend to meet, and while I never actually felt in danger in Addis- it was frustrating to be pestered by men on the street. If you ignore them, you risk upsetting them- and as you hear them raise their voices, it’s all you can do to turn, smile and wave- as though you have no idea what they’re saying. I understand completely that it’s my skin colour that draws this attention- and I think most women have experienced the cat calling, stares, and unwanted comments- what I’m trying to say, is that whether you’re at home or in a foreign place, it is degrading and one of the most uncomfortable things humans can do to each other. Sure, some women see it as empowering- but personally it makes me feel uneasy. So, knowing only what was implied and catching a few English words in a foreign language was enough to have me carry pepper spray with me. **

I hope you don’t mind that I went off on that tangent, overall I promise I DID enjoy myself in Addis. It’s a city filled with history, culture and the hum of life! I place to see for sure!! But for any solo female travelers out there- unfortunately we’ve got to keep our wits about us.

The infamous beer and pizza!
Nom nom nom

On a lighter note, my chats with my family were amazing. One night I ordered a beer but the waiter forgot to take the top off, so while on Skype- my brother and I struggled to find a way to lift it off. Matt researched different methods and cheered me on as I struggled to use a key and then a fork to pry off the top. The end result was a delight, despite being a terrible beer pourer, and it felt like I really shared the drink with him.

Anyway, that’s all from me! The girls are finally all back, so we can have the belated Easter “Egg” hunt with them maybe on Friday- I’m hoping to throw a little party for them!! With fizzy drinks, dream catcher kits that I brought from home and maybe introduce them to some of my tunes! So stay tuned for that!!! It’ll be an entry to look forward too!!

:) x

** I fear I'm painting a bad portrait of men in Ethiopia, and please- that is not my intention! I have met loads of nice people here, I'm just referring to some of the men I've met in passing. I've also had some great taxi drivers- like the one who I shared a intense conversation about Ryan Giggs becoming the new manager of Man United. Some things surpass all sorts of boundaries in life.

Ethiopian Easter

Not long after I arrived at Yaya, Xavier mentioned that the girls would be going away for about 10 days for Easter Break in mid-April.  Fair enough, that’d give me some time to explore and I was excited at the opportunity of having a holiday too!  But then it dawned on me… Xavier would be going away, and the friends I’d made at Yaya would also be gone by then. I began to panic. What would I do for 10 days alone!? As much as I’m dying to travel Africa I’m afraid to do so alone, but I started studying the copy of Lonely Planet- Ethiopia anyway.

There is soo much to do in Ethiopia. So many historical sights to see (the believed site of the Ark of the Covenant..!!! Hello Indiana Jones), Simian mountains to trek, safaris to take, and even (Meredith!) hyenas to feed! Not to mention cities called the Shire and Gondar (Gonder) - so, as you can expect, as a Religious Studies Major and a Lord of the Rings fan; my mind was/is blown. ONLY there’s a tiny voice inside my head that keeps saying “Hey, it’s probably a terrible idea to travel alone in Africa.” I know, life without risks is no life at all- but I can’t help but agree.

SO. I’ve decided to spend the week in Addis Ababa instead and check out the Museums (the National Archaeology Museum has a replica of Lucy, the 3.2 million old skeleton), Historical Monuments (The Lion of Judah- pretty sweet story behind it), have a look at the Cathedrals & Mosques and find all the notorious Juice bars & Cafes in town! I’m also secretly desperate to eat some Ferengi food- I know you lot were snacking on chocolate all weekend! Lucky monkeys.
 

Anyway, I’m here- taking baby steps in exploring Africa and I’m darn lucky. I’m here to be teaching and coaching, not having a holiday- so anything extra is a bonus. Although I’ll be sure to catch a ride with the next travelers passing through Yaya and going up to Axum (one the oldest cities in the world and site of the Ark).  And if I’m not able to get around this time; then I’ll be back. I’ll be back for sure.

Now, I mentioned before that I’m a Religious Major- so I was stoked to see what Easter would be like here in a predominantly Orthodox Christian culture, and I wasn’t let down. Addis was practically Biblical. I was shocked and in heaven (terrible but intended pun).

Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia fast for 55 days preceding Easter, and the fasting varies depending on the intensity of the person. However, almost everyone refrains from eating meat/dairy for those 55 days. Others do this and also refrain from touching others with their hands (so they shake by turning their arm inwards and touching your wrist and lower arm with theirs). And then on Good Friday & Fasika Eve- you really do Fast.

I happened to spend Good Friday in Addis with Banchi.  She was going into town to get some bus tickets to go home, and I needed to do some errands for the YG as well- so we decided to go in together.  Banchi warned me that it’d be really busy, so she suggested we get up at 5 and head in early.  With the language barrier, the ticket purchasing was not communicated- so I just thought we were shopping.  But no matter, I discovered along the way (a common theme in this journey) what we were doing as we arrived at a ticket market-of-sorts.  Ticket vendors lined the inside of a boxed U shaped building.  At first the crowds were scattered but as the morning continued lines began to form as people found their destination vendor, while others sat in large groups under the only shaded areas.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to get any tickets until 12:30 and I didn’t mind, as my brain was so tired I willed away the time by daydreaming.  Daydreaming is also an effective way to avoid stares, and ignore comments, winks & the followings of other ticket purchasers.  But despite many an uncomfortable moment, I was taken in by the amazing abundance of people who were traveling to spend Easter with family or in Holy Sites; dressed in white shawls, carrying their Sunday best, bundles of food, and cradling precious religious ornaments.  Men, women and children patiently sat in the golden dirt, waiting in the unforgivable sun for their tickets.  While others stood/ sat on rocks in a line, praying that a vendor would come soon.  When tickets were purchased, people joyously poured out of the Boxed U (by a small tunnel on one side) to the parking lot to board the awaiting coaches.  It was a sight to behold. 

When Banchi got her tickets we literally skipped out of the building and to the delight of other passerbys, I fist-punched the air, wooping for joy.  We were free from the golden dust and burning sun.  And I was no longer trapped like a zoo animal to be goggled at, in a way that makes you feel your stomach in & exhale at an increasing rate (aka. a bad feeling). 

So off we went on our errand hunt.  I’ll be honest.  It was a disaster, and for good reason.  The streets were filled with people and with animals being led to the slaughter.  Herds of sheep and goats were pushed across streets and even highways.  Bulls and oxen were reluctantly dragged down the pavements, and they helplessly dug their hooves into the litter filled sidewalks as if they knew what was coming.  Shops were closed but vendors were still out for business with people rushing to get their last minute goods for a weekend of celebration. And despite the desolate animals - the streets were practically humming with the excitement and rush of the oncoming of Fasika.

Saturday came, and by this time all the girls had gone home.  It was my first Friday night alone at Yaya, but I didn’t mind- when I woke up I took full advantage of making my own breakfast; a fried egg on toast.  I even found some ketchup and smothered it on!  I followed it up with marmalade on toast, a banana and a pot of chai tea.  It was brilliant.  While I’m getting used to Ethiopian cuisine, it’s amazing how much I’ve missed Ferengi food.

Sunday came, and Lamrot came back from Addis for her shift at Yaya.  She arrived before I woke up, so when I went for breakfast I was greeted by a smiling Lamrot and French toast.  Amazing.  After breakfast we went out into the horses compound and cut long grass to cover the floors of our rooms (only done on special occasions), and later we headed into Addis for a Fasika lunch!  We went to a hotel she trained at as a server, but first we joined a gathering in the basement.  Once again, not really knowing what was going on- I followed Lamrot as she greeted what seemed to be a family sitting in a half circle, watching an old woman carve meat off what I think was a lamb.  I was offered a drink and to the delight of the family I was poured a large class of some sort of juice!  Thirsty; I took a large glup to discovered that it was tef, a Ethiopian alcoholic drink.  I can’t really begin to describe it, but I drank as much as I thought would pass as polite and with every sip took a bite out of the bread that was being passed around.

After a while Lamrot and I headed up stairs for Lamrot's first meat meal in 2 months- a dish of injera with a meat and spinach stew- and we washed it down with a pint of beer! What a way to celebrate! After, we headed to a café for chocolate cake and a macchiato with a friend of Lamrot's from the restaurant- and then headed back to Yaya. 

However, to get home we had to tackle the streets teeming with people and this time, animal skins, carcasses, and random animal body parts. Now, I'm not a vegetarian, but as I tripped over skins and caught myself from falling as I stepped on something still unbeknown to me- I can very much imagine becoming one. What I did appreciate was the fact that every part of the animal slaughtered was used, it's local meat, and at least the chances of hormones being injected into the animals eaten are very slim. Animals aren't treated properly here-but I say that from a Western perspective.  At home our horses are plump and aren't shy of people, dogs are pets or ornaments, donkeys and goats are found in petting zoos and sheep live in grassy pens where they get nice and fat. Here animals are tools and then food, nothing more and nothing less. And fair enough, I would feel sorrier for the animals if it weren't for the poverty that decorates that streets.  We can spoil our domestic animals because we don't need rabid dogs, tamed only enough to act as guard dogs nor do our livelihoods rely on horses or donkeys.

Anyway, off we popped home, and while Lamrot went to work I whizzed through a autobiography of Kelly Holmes (800m & 1500m Gold Medalist in the 2005 Athens Olympics- I can still see her as she came from the back of the pack in the 15, and with 100m to go ripped it to the finish line. incredible woman). What a Ethiopian Easter to behold, and although I didn't go to church I felt like I celebrated it more than I ever had before.

Anyway, I'll have loads more internet for the next couple days, so I'll be taking advantage of it!
Also, the fundraiser for the girls is up and running! It's only functioning until May 1st, so please donate sooner than later or spread on the news of the Yaya Girls to others! I'm sorry I haven't focused on them in this entry- but I've been without them!! :(

I've attached the link to the website; http://startsomegood.com/YGpower where you can find out more about Yaya Girls and meet the lovely spice girls themselves!!
My blog for the Yaya Girls is; http://yayagirls.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/ygpower-fundraiser/
Please check them both out!

Write soon! x
Steph

Dream World

I’ve been working out in the gym this week.  The girls raced on the weekend so they’re having an “Active Rest Week”, which is fantastic!!!  This is a big deal because Active Rest isn’t a thing in Ethiopian culture; either you run or you are weak.  The girls run a ridiculous amount, but then everyone does here so it’s not a big deal.  For me running every day and even doubling is/ was unheard of.  My coaches will tell you how difficult it was to get me to run even 6 times a week- looking back, they must have been so frustrated with me.  But the more I ran during the week the more running became a chore, so for me, it was better to kill a few hard workouts and pump out a couple easy runs a week, and then take a couple of rest days.  Anyway, the point is- I’ve been working out in the gym and I’m loving it.  This way I can work hard to catch up to the girls’ fitness, without them witnessing me sweating!

My room is the one at the end of the second ledge on the right!
Habesha Home!

SO after today’s gym workout and delicious breakfast of Peanut Butter porridge, I thought I’d treat myself to a little nap.  To be honest my brain was dying, so having a nap was the only option.  So off I popped to my room and flopped down on my bed, promising myself I’d only have half an hour as I rolled into my sleeping bag... Half an hour turned into an embarrassing three hours- BUT I will say, my dreams were amazing and I’m still not convinced it wasn't real life.  In the first dream my best friend flopped down onto the bed next to me, and we just talked.  She asked me how the English classes were going and if she could help me prep for this afternoon’s class.  I told her it was all done, so I had time to nap- and we were just going over the homework I gave them on Past/Present/Future Tenses and the 5 W’s.  Just a causal chat.  And then I woke up to the girls giggling in the next room.

See I can do my own washing Mum & Dad!

In my second dream I was transported to my parent’s kitchen, and I stood next to my Mum as she made lunch and my Dad sat at the kitchen table, and chatted my head off to them as I always do.  I told them how the girls had told me yesterday that my calves were fat, and I had flexed one and said “No.  All muscle”, and they all laughed (they've told me I'm fat a few time now- in a loving way, of course. But the shorts I'm wearing tell me quite the opposite).  I told them how yesterday I washed all my clothes by hand but it took me ages!!  And when I finally hung them up to dry it was the early evening, so after dinner (when it was dark) I went to check on them- and while replacing a t-shirt I glanced into the bushes ahead of me to see two set of glowing eyes.  It’s not even that scary anymore, hyenas are literally always watching us. The novelty is wearing off, and I don’t think I’ll be scared until I actually see the body attached to the eyes (which means we’ll be quite close to each other).  I told them how it’s a whole new world here- there is Habesha (Ethiopian) Running, Habesha Food, Habesha Music/Dance, Habesha Time and just the Habesha Way.  I told them about my Ferengi (Amharic word for Westerns) friends, and how my last one left this morning.  My parents laughed when I recounted my night out in Addis with Xavier & his girlfriend, their friends Kal and Raj, the hotel owner Joseph and Ian, a 1500m runner from Cambridge.  My Mum shook her head when I told them we went dancing, and she said “What did I say about being out at night!”, but I explained that it was fine because Joseph, Ian, Kal and I stuck together- and we’d literally danced any alcohol we’d had out of us.

My Mum kept asking me questions, encouraging me to keep up the chat- and it was lovely.  Having been sick for the past two weekends I’ve been fairly homesick- so to feel like I was at home with my family and hangout with my bestie was exactly what I needed.  But again I was awoken by the sound of giggles and the girls swapping answers to their homework.  So I made an effort to move, but gave in to my still heavy eyelids…

In my final dream (that I can remember), I was in the back seat of a SUV, driving through a snowy town with two friends.  I can only recall them laughing and thinking how pretty everything looked. And I woke up again- and couldn’t believe the time.  As I walked towards the kitchen, one of the hotel staff asked if I’d slept, and I sheepishly said I had accidently.  He smiled and replied in Amharic; I smiled back and asked what he meant- he said I looked terrible, so I playfully pretended to give him a smack around the head.  Well deserved, I believe.

Yaya Village Gardens

After lunch, a massive plate of pasta, the girls and I headed out into the garden for English class.  We usually sit at a table in the garden, but today they wanted to sit underneath a shade hut thing on the grass.  We all sat down, and after a hour long revision class (where I marked their homework) we crawled out of the shade and into the sun.  As I was lying on my front, thinking of what a pretty picture I could take of the gardens, Tigist squealed, “sTEFF, foot!” I rolled over to see my foot covered in ants.  For those of you who know me well, you’ll know I HATE ants, but I’d never met Ethiopian ants before... Suddenly these little monkeys started biting me, and it seemed like they all agreed to have a go at the same time.  But had they just taken over my right foot?  No.  I began jumping up and down, doing a little jig as ants began biting my back, arms, and my neck!! Between laughs the girls chased me trying to swat them off and pulling them out of my hair.  Meanwhile the hotel staff began to gather and soon my jigs and screams had everyone laughing.  Finally, Asnakitch removed the last of them and Tigist suggested we go home and change, but I still feel them on me!! GAH

So I’m off to the gym for round two of calf and quad blasting, and I hope to dream some more tonight! How great is that? I get to live in Ethiopia and dream of home- amazing!

Look for updates TOMORROW; I’m just about to launch my fundraiser for the Yaya Girls! And I have plenty more stories for you. See you in my dreams (aww! cute.)

Steph x

Yaya Life & Hunting Hyenas

Part 2: Yaya Life

As we wound up the mountainous road we passed by women of all ages, bent over, carrying stacks of sticks about 4 times their width across their backs (all the while leading donkeys piled high with straw ) walking up and down the hill.  It’s shocking, heart wrenching and upsettingly impressive.  Every day these women walk from goodness knows where into the city, to sell their goods or give them to suppliers or what not.  Down below, the streets of Addis are filled with vendors, stalls, and beggars; the roads are bustling with cars traveling at incredible speeds, and people jay-walking in ways that makes jay-walking at my Uni look safe (tell that to the mayor!).  There seems to be no rhyme to the traffic, the only rhythm is chaos- and it seems to work. 

While Addis has a beauty of its own, being more of a country girl, I love it in Waserbi!  To put it plainly, Yaya Village is an ideal hotel for athletes- but everyone is welcome!  And weekends are packed with families escaping the hustle and bustle of the city.  Yaya Village was begun and is run by Joseph Kibur; an amazing man, a super friendly boss and an incredible runner. Joseph is continuously trying to find ways to give back to the community, and encouraging youth to join athletics as a way of keeping them safe, educated, employed and out of trouble. As a result of its top facilities (gym, track, and fantastic surrounding trails) and reputation Yaya attracts elite athletes from around the world. We’re talking Olympic, World Champion, just-broke-3-world-records-last-week-no-big-deal type. 

 Of course, there is one aspect of the Village that I love and respect the most, and it’s the Yaya Girls Program. For me, and many others, the Girls are the heart of the place.  The hotel provides the girls Program in-kind donations which allow them to live in the Village, use the running facilities and gym, receive vocational training and provide access to Yaya’s amazing guests! In return the girls Program provides publicity for the hotel and an awesome group of girls for guests to hangout with, run with, learn with, eat with, and for those really in love with them, provide the opportunity to support through financial donations! At the moment there are four girls enrolled in the program; Lamrot, Asnakech, Tisgist, and Alumseye. They are fantastic, cheerful girls, who are eager to study English and push themselves to become great runners.  Lamrot has already graduated the Yaya Girls Vocational-Skill Program and works at the hotel but she still trains and is improving her English with each class.  Asnakech is 20, Tisgist is 19 and, Alumseye is 17 are continuing their vocation-skills component and are exceling in their English classes and give 101% in every training workout.

Now let me tell you about our key player! Banchi; the Mother figure of the Yaya Girls, female empowerment leader, volunteer liaison, finance admin, and over all angel! She lives just 5 minutes away in the Waserbi neighbourhood- and she’s here every day, helping out and keeping things running smoothly. Without her, we are literally lost.  Banchi is also prime for breaking the language barrier between me & the girls, and the surrounding staff & locals! She’s also taken me under her wing by showing me around Addis, how to use the minibus (which is literally always squashed full of people and daunting to board), introducing me to her wonderful friends, and even letting me sleepover when I wasn’t well. She is the greatest role model and truly the type of woman that the Yaya Girls Program promotes; a real Spice Girl.

These ladies run twice a day; they’re up at 7 every morning for an hour run, and then go again at 4:30 for a half hour.  Some days they’ll hit up the gym and rip out an ab workout that puts me to shame but, I promise that by the end of my time here I’ll be able to least do a solid run with them.  We have English class at 2 o’clock and then an informal conversational class after dinner, where we just chat or play cards.  I try to swap English words for Amharic words during class, and I always try my hand at greetings and farewells with the girls and hotel staff.  One day I even wrote some key Amharic words down on my hand, which the girls spotted and found hilarious.   And when I’m completely bewildered I refer to a Madagascar quote by the penguins, “smile and wave boys” as it usually gets me out of the deep end.  That being said I just finished my first Amharic lesson with the girls, so I can’t wait to shock the hotel staff tomorrow with some new lingo.

{sorry I was going to finish up at this point-but I must share this- it JUST happened;}

Part 3: Hyena Hunting

Together the girls and I live in the staff compound just a minute or two away from the hotel, and there are guards that walk the perimeter of the Village, keeping us as safe as can be!  HOWEVER, I did just see 3 hyenas.. I was sitting here writing to you and Alumseye came knocking at my door with a whisper; “sTEF! ...Hyena!” So obviously I dropped everything, donned my Birkenstocks and hurried out my door as quickly & as quietly as possible.

Tigist, Asnakech and our friend Branu were already out and tiptoeing towards the path that leads towards the bathrooms at the back of our compound, and there in the bushes (about 30ft away) were two lamp-like eyes staring back at us..! Branu, used his flashlight to wave it off and it slinked over a mound of dirt and out of sight, but suddenly two more sets of eyes appeared and scampered in the opposite direction behind our kitchen- so we raced to the other side to try and spot them again- but they were gone. And my body… was stiff the entire time. But it was pretty exhilarating!! My first hyena sighting was on Monday night as I was leaving the bathroom, which faces pure darkness (which is less than a minute from my room, but around the corner so it faces the horses’ compound and a bit of the woods). I was just in the doorway and my torch flicked up to catch two eyes watching me, about 15 ft away. I froze and after a few seconds of my mind scrambling to function, it darted away in the field. I kind of shuffled/ran back to the kitchen where the girls were and while clutching at my heart, squealed; “JIB!”

Anyway, that’s all for you lot for now..! Now that my heart has started to beat again I’m off to bed. I still have to review a lesson plan for tomorrow and be up early for a run with Xavier. And gosh, it’s 10:20; well past my bedtime. :P… But for real.

Night

Steph x

A Lion King Sunrise.

FRIENDS!

Where to begin!? The past 2 weeks have flown by, and I still wake up and can’t believe I’m here.  While I haven’t explored too much as of yet, I can say that Ethiopia is undeniably beautiful.  Yaya Village, where the Yaya Girls are situated, is about 20 minutes by car from the capital, Addis Ababa.  Apart from the late night/ early morning hollering of hyenas (Ooo Woop), and the odd unknown bumps & bangs in the night, it’s peaceful.  We’re a few 100 meters above Addis in a small rural town called Waserbi, close to Suluta (if you’re keen on looking us up, lol).  It’s a runner’s paradise here, with a mountainous forest on one side called Entonto, and flat/ with gradual sloping fields on the other side.  Be warned it’s no place to be running with headphones, and as I’ve learnt it’s best to keep focused on the obstacles ahead.  The woods are filled with small decaying tree stumps, which hide beneath fallen leaves, and there is animal dung everywhere as the cows, horses, donkeys and sheep roam free (amazing but sometimes alarming).  Out in the fields, apart from animal feces, there are potholes and occasionally random crevasses in the ground, as though the dry fields were bursting for breath and erupted with a great 12 ft deep gasp.  So there’s no time for daydreaming and it keeps one’s mind off physical pain & exhaustion.  Oh, and did I mention hyenas??! Yes, hyenas (Jib in Amharic)… as the girls experienced first-hand on Friday, it’s ideal to keep a lookout for hyenas while on a run.  Luckily the girls spotted it before they were in danger (or the hyena thought he was in danger) and they were able to dart away.  Had I been with them, I most definitely would have been dinner. 
Let me rewind a few days; first, excuse my lack of blog entries; that being said- I do have a few viable excuses that I think you’ll accept:

1.       It’s incredible here, and it goes without saying that it’s taking a bit to get used to!  The elevation was a bit interesting to take on, but as I wasn’t exactly fit when I arrived it was a great excuse for my wheezing on runs.  It’s also made me sleep like a baby.  I’m honestly in bed at 9:30 every night and up at 7 in the morning.  Now in my parents’ standards, and even my past roommates- this really is unheard of.  Plus all the socializing I must do!!  It’s pretty awesome to hangout with the girls, even the guests at the hotel are super cool- so it’s no fun to be cooped up in one’s room when there’s chat* to be had.

* Chat is also a narcotic here, and is similar to Weed in North America as it’s a leaf based (but chewed in this case), easy to come by, and fairly acceptable.  But no, that’s not the type of ‘chat’ I’ve been enjoying.

2.      The Internet has been hard to come by, but from now on I’ll have more access thus more opportunities to write, keep in touch and begin badgering companies to sponsor the Yaya Girls!!  (Ideas for targets are welcomed!!)

3.       Finally, for the past few days I’ve been a bit ill… and we’ll leave it at that, although it seems everyone here seems to know exactly what’s been “going on” with my innards.  I’m blaming the tummy turn on a bad sandwich, and it was bound to happen at some point.  The sandwich was actually delicious at the time, and those who witnessed me eat it will remember the look of pure joy on my face, so I regret nothing.  I won’t go into details, but I was out for the count for 2 days- that being said I’m golden as a Gael* meow.

* My University mascot was the Golden Gael, I’ve never been one to be very “patriotic” toward my school, but it’s nice to throw it in every now and again.  Also you’ll see I like to replace ‘now’ with ‘meow’ when I can- b/c, why not?

So there you have it, my excuses are all laid out- but I shan’t apologize, I’m having fun and Im not too egoistical to think you’ve been checking up on me every day.  Although I wouldn’t mind being saved as a ‘Favourite’ tab or something… I kid, I kid… :P. Anyway, I’ve decided to break up my last 2 weeks into segments and I’ll post them throughout the week so I don’t bore you all at once.

Part ONE; the Flight.

’ll rewind briefly to my flight on March 25, which was a fairly emotional one.  It began with my Mum and I arriving at the Kingston airport around 6:30am ish for my flight an hour later.  You probably don’t want to know all the details, and my Mum would kill me if I told them too- but let me say, our goodbye was similar to Niagara Falls.  Even when I was in the plane I couldn’t stop crying; making the rest of the passengers (23 others- it was a flippin’ tin can of a plane!) feel as awkward as heck, but we didn’t have inflight entertainment soo, they’re welcome.
Everything went smoothly once I landed in Toronto, and I sent off my last text messages and nervously made my last phone calls before I boarded the plane off to Ethiopia!!  I will tell you one thing, it was pretty darn easy to get a hold of my Dad- despite him being in the UK at the time, in fact I think he phoned me, and we had a lovely/sad goodbye (bless HKHK), but when I tried my Mum at work she wasn’t in her office, so I phoned the front desk and asked for Mrs. Hulse- the secretary said,

“Oh, Mrs. Hulse is in a class right now, I won’t be able to put you through…”  

So I replied, a bit sharply I’ll admit- and sounding out every syllable- with something like this;

“I know she’s in class.  But I’m her daughter and I’m about to board a plane for Ethiopia.  I’d like to talk to her.”  

“Oh… right! One moment!”

That’s right, Ms. Secretary- Put me through to my Mama!  Ahhh, I apologize Ms., for the sass- I was a stressed out duckling!  You didn’t deserve it!

Anyway, off I went to Africa- and what was supposed to be 13 hour ride was only 11 with the tailwind, and I’d say I was fairly nervous the whole way.  There were a few times when I was actually pleased the trip was so long, but it was pretty darn cool flying over France and through the Mediterranean Sea, and then into Africa.  The digital map on the seat ahead of me kept showing islands and cities that I’d studied in my Classics courses at Uni, so I was well pleased to recognize them and see their lights burning bright from my window.  Unfortunately I had no one to share my excitement with, but I did have a beautiful diary that my bestie bestowed to me before I left, so I’ll have you know COPP that it’s already come to good use!!

I was truly excited when I saw the sunrise as we drew closer to Addis Ababa, and it’s going to sound cheesy, but it was honestly a “Lion King Sunrise”.  Now like most 90’s kids, The Lion King and I go way back- my childhood friend Jesse and I would play Simba and Nala all the time, we were actually so cool, I even had (HAVE) a night light with Simba on Pride Rock with a sunrise behind him- so as you can imagine it was pretty momentous sight for me. And I knoow, there aren’t any lions in East Africa- but work with me here.

As we landed, the excitement from the Sunrise spurred me on- and no longer feeling nervous, I relaxed. I had made it. I had arrived and after 2 hours of pushing through queues and waiting for my luggage, I was out standing outside, soaking up the bright morning sun of Addis Ababa.

My only trouble now was trying to find the Director of the Yaya Girls, Xavier.  In theory it shouldn’t have been that hard, as he said “I’ll be the only white man in the Taxi parking lot”.  Fair enough.  Yet somehow it took me half an hour to find him, and that included me beginning to stress and using a strangers phone to call him.  Looking back it makes sense why it was hard, Xavier is pretty much a local.  He’s been living in Ethiopia for 2 years and speaks fluent Amharic (and Spanish), which is not a Latin based language- so no, knowing French, Spanish, Italian is useless, and therefore it’s a fairly tough language to nail.  SO he and his girlfriend are pretty much the coolest, and I’m slightly dreading them leaving for their 2 month holiday this weekend- but they totally deserve it as they’re both such hard workers and lovely souls, and I’m excited to hear their adventures when they return!

Xavier gave me a tour of Addis by car and then we headed north, into the Entonto Hills (which are filled with hyenas and monkeys), to Yaya Village! ...

 

 

Alright, that's all for now folks!! Stay tuned for Part 2 on Wednesday; I'll introduce you to Yaya Village, Mr. Kibur, and the GIRLS!! <3 <3

For meow, all the best!

Steph x