Disappearing in Habesha Life

Yergurta, 

L-R: Alumseye, Asnakitch, Yorodanas, Lamrot, & Tigist

Habesha life has run away with me! Semi-literally. I also haven’t had internet, so my urge to write hasn’t been as strong. It’s pretty darn refreshing not having access to social media, but of course the downfall is being one of the last to hear exciting news- LIKE MY BEST FRIEND GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL! SO amazing. I’m very proud, and she deserves such success as she is one of the hardest working, intelligent, strongest & kindest souls I’ve ever met.  In a nutshell, I’m blessed to have her in my life.<3

I’m also blessed to be here. But as I only have about 8 weeks left, I’m trying my best to soak in all things Habesha. Since my last entry I’ve hit up the Orthodox Christian Church twice (quite the experience), been honoured with a Habesha name, stunned a pickpocket, enjoyed some serendipitous moments and met some interesting characters. I did give the girls a “Easter Egg” Hunt, and it was a huge success, I followed the hunt up with a test too- kind of a good cop, bad cop move- which wasn’t as big of a hit… but hey, how many people actually like their English teachers? A minimal amount, amirite? (But Mrs. Waters- was, hands down, the coolest.)

A little unsure at first...

My coaching career has been a bit of a bust as the girls preferred an Ethiopian coach, which is completely understandable as communication and running philosophy must be shared between the coach and the runner. Having both a Western and personal view on running and no previous coaching experience we agreed it’d be best if Joseph(the Hotel Owner and founder of the Yaya
Girls) would find the Program a professional coach! He begins this week which is awesome- the girls don’t know yet, so it’ll be a nice surprise!! The girls have also nearly completed the Yaya Program, as they’ve been here for around 5 months (4 months is the usual length of the program, and then we bring in a new group of girls)- so they’ll actually be graduating in 2 weeks!! It’ll be sad to see them go, but I can definitely vouch for the success of the empowerment segment of the program, as all four girls are confident, strong young women. I wish I could have met them when they first entered the Program to see their full growth- but they’re development in English class has been wonderful. I’m not sure if I mentioned before, but our cook, Yorodanas has been joining the English classes while I’ve been here and I’ve been so blessed to see how her English has come along in the past month and half. As her English improves, the once shy and quiet young lady is becoming chatty and outgoing;it’s pretty incredible.

The Easter Egg Hunt was pretty hilarious though. Like everyone’s first hunt the girls were confused and then ecstatically scrambled around the gardens in search of chocolates. They were soon squealing at the sight of a flash of golden wrapping and playfully wrestling for ownership. I had intended there to be 10 chocolates each, but after I’d hidden them and gone to fetch the girls, the hotel staff had a mini hunt of their own and there was no getting them back…haha.  Unfortunately the test afterwards wasn’t as successful as planned as they’d been a bit naughty the previous weeks- and among other things; they hadn’t been paying attention in class (lovely girls, but sometimes they’re your average teenagers…). So the rest of the week we revised the test and relearnt the lessons on positions (On, Off, Inside, Outside, Behind, In Front, Below, Above, and so on). I gave them another mini test on Friday and they all did much better! So I’ve promised that if they ALL get 100% on the next test then I’ll give them another “Easter Egg” Hunt. It’s the carrot-on-a-stick methodology, hahah.

...but then mayhem.

I should also mention that I’m really soaking in the Habesha life. Despite the language barriers and cultural differences I’ve been pulling out some chameleon skills; I know enough Habesha to shop, share greetings, and politely avoid any hassle because I’m a Ferengi. The girls have even given me a Habesha name; Zoditu! It’s perfect for meeting locals or people I probably won’t meet again, as I’ve found Stephanie is a tricky name to remember and say here. Zoditu was chosen because my name means “crown” in Latin, and Zodi is the Habesha translation. But Zoditu was an Ethiopian Queen who brought about/ led a great battle in Ethiopia centuries ago- I don’t know her whole story yet but I get the sense she was a bit like Boudicca; leading the Celts to battle against the Romans in Classical Britain. So all in all she sounds like a pretty charming gal. I get some comments that I’m not fierce enough to be a Zoditu but, I dunno- I don’t want to brag, but I stunned a pickpocket last week. I was downtown and felt movement in my track bag. I spun around and caught a teenage boy with his hand in my bag- I didn’t say anything but I think my eyes said it all because his face told me I’d given him a glare my Mother would’ve been proud of. I think I’ll stick with Zoditu for now.

 

I’ve been meeting loads of interesting characters too! Yaya Village has led me to meet Anna, a German lady- and I was basically her running guide for a week. Unbeknown to her I was taking her on trails I’d never explored before- but to my surprise, we never got lost! So that was a plus. Next Rob came, a British man working as a private consultant (surveying prisons) for the UN, and while he was only here for a few days it was wicked to hear his stories and refreshing to enjoy some good old English banter. Twice two American ladies, Jessie and Ingrid, came to visit for an early morning Saturday run- and as Ingrid is a qualified Yoga instructor- we even had a free yoga class one Saturday! So that was pretty sweet.

A group of 8 doctors from Montreal even came for an afternoon. Again, I acted as their running guide but during the run we came across a group of local children playing football in a field and we joined them for a game! It was probably my favourite “run” since I’ve been here; we had so much fun! I haven’t played in almost a year, and I surprised the boys with my Sporty Spiceness as I scored and a performed a victorious airplane show for them. But the biggest surprise that day was hearing that one of the doctors lives a few streets away from my Aunt & Uncle and Grandparents in Montreal!! I couldn’t believe it. I love small world things.

 

I had another small world encounter last week when I was downtown. A friend of Banchi’s took us to an arcade, and as we were downtown there were Ferengies everywhere! I was counting them and was reaching the 40 when my tall, blonde and blue eyed Number 38 came towards me! I was wearing a Queen’s track jacket, and he spotted the yellow “Q”, began beaming and asked; 

Him- “Do you go to Queen’s??!”

Me- “No way..! I DO! Don’t tell me you do too!?”

Him- “YEA! Queen’s, New York right?”

Me-“Ah, no Queen’s, Kingston…”

Okay, okay, so it was wasn’t quite a small world encounter, but I was still pretty excited- more excited than when I was proposed to on the spin bike... Haha, initially I was flattered, but it quickly became irritating. This unrequited love began a few weeks ago; I was minding my own business, spinning away when two guys walked in- spotted me, and hunkered down on a bike on either side of me. After a few minutes the one on my left, Solm, turned to me and said “Hala, hala”. I grinned back and said “Amasaganalu”; thanking him- assuming he was encouraging me as I working up a sweat. His friend, Alec, burst into laughter, recognizing the miscommunication- apparently this man wasn’t saying “Harder, harder”, but “I love you, I love you.” Ahh. Classic mistake, right? The rest of my workout turned into an unrelenting proposal from Solm, with Alec acting as the translator, and an unwavering refusal from me. As the weeks have gone by, I’ve continued to (sometimes quite sternly) avoid marriage; and I think the rejection’s been understood as we’re now at polite hellos. Some things just aren’t written in the stars. But FLIP, I think I’m keeping my Habesha name.

Yorodanas trying to pull a quick on on Lamrot.

Before I finish up I want to throw a massive shout out to my brother, Matt! He’s currently in Germany working as an intern for an environmental law firm for the summer, and he’s going to save the world (no, but really- my serious face is on). I haven’t mentioned him much in my entries, but I wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for him. It was following in his footsteps that I even began running all those years ago, and I’ve had plenty of time to recall hilarious pump up chats he gave me before and during races. Like the time he bellowed a Gladiator quote (“At my signal, unleash Hell.”) on the start line of an OUA race and was told to leave by the gunman twice- never gets old.I’m stoked to see him this summer.

ALSO, my (sister) cousin Nicole; thank you for getting my Mum flowers for Mother’s Day because I couldn’t- you are a real star <3, and your new tattoos are unreal ;). AND finally, my other (sister) cousin Rebecca; I’m sorry I missed your 22^nd birthday, but I hope you had a whimsical time in France! <3

So, I think that’s a pretty good recap for now!! 

Latas Xx

Ps. I’ve been sitting in the gardens writing this, and I have laptop (burn) tan now… Seriously, I legit have a white rectangle across my thighs. The things a girl does for social media, I tell ya… ;)