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

 

 

 

An Unexpected Journey.

PEOPLE OF THE WORLD;
Hello!

It's happening!! In less that 12 hours I'll be heading out the door, hopping onto a plane to Toronto, then another straight to Ethiopia! I can hardly believe it. It's been the most spontaneous opportunity/adventure that has ever knocked on my door, and it's all thanks to my best friend, her lovely fiancé and my parents! AND my dear friends and brother for encouraging me to seize an opportunity to work in Ethiopia, for a NGO called Yaya Girls.

I agreed to go three weeks ago (after returning from a refreshing but rather scattered trip to B.C.), and have been racing to prepare for four months to teach and coach in rural Ethiopia ever since!

This is how I feel;

 

 

And I know, as soon as I get on the road I'll realize I've forgotten my handkerchiefs ^. But what the heck. I'm honoured to have been accepted and can't wait to meet my new teammates!

 

When I heard that the Yaya Girls are a NGO that focus on Female Empowerment through Sport, and that they wanted me to be the head coach (they're runners, of course), I was thrilled!! And then, nervous. Dead nervous. Hahah. But I'm stoked, I can't wait to step up to the plate. I'm bringing a compilation of workouts that I've collected and used over the years. I mean to use my workouts from High School; my favourites and the ones I flourished under, and I can only hope to emulate my High School & Uni coaches. I didn't understand then, but they were my greatest teachers- and the further I ran, the more I grew as a person.

 

It is this growth that the Yaya Girls are aiming for.

This is an excerpt straight from the Yaya manual, and it couldn't be more spot on;

"Running, like so many other sports, has been shown to have an immense capacity to empower youth in developing countries.  The physical act of running focuses on ones’ abilities, rather than disabilities, thus allowing runners to form a sense of pride and ownership over their bodies as they become stronger and pass through barriers that once seemed impenetrable.  A running team creates a safe space, in which runners can build confidence, practice teamwork, assert their independence, and find friendship and mentors.  A running lifestyle teaches athletes the value of discipline, structure, and responsibility to themselves and others.  Last, healthy competition, provides a place for runners to challenge themselves, feel empowered, and face difficult obstacles (and the outcomes of obstacles) with grace and good sportsmanship.  And last, running is fun! Anyone who enjoys a good run before the start of a day or at the end of a hard day’s work can understand the joy and freedom of using one’s body and being outside with friends."

 

The Yaya Girls use a five pillar approach with the goal of creating a new-class of Ethiopian female role models that will promote gender equality in Ethiopia!! Talk about Girl Power!!!!! HOW fantastic!! (Also, I secretly can't wait to introduce them to Spice Girls...).

The five pillars include providing an average of four to eight young women a trimester with;

 

"...Olympic caliber athletic training, individualized job training coupled with a three-month placement initiative, English language tutoring, an interactive health and nutrition education, and a comprehensive leadership and women’s empowerment curriculum with a strong focus on community outreach. The girls live on the grounds of the Yaya Village Hotel and are provided room and board by the Program. We work hard to ensure that the campus provides safe spaces for the young women to ask questions, often considered taboo in their society, and to grow as adults."

 

 

For those of you who know me, I used to be big into running. I competed during High School and University, and it was great- I was lucky to be on top teams every year, running under wicked coaches and racing allowed to me travel and meet loads of other interesting people. And while I may have taken it for granted at times; it truly was a blessing. However when I went away to study abroad in Ireland, while I did join the NUI Galway running team, I entered into an entirely different and equally cool non-athletic social group. Once back at Queens I had one last cross country season (2012), and I haven't competed since.

 

But boy, have I missed it. I miss the rush of hurtling around the corners of a track, chasing down fellow competitors like a lioness, or feeling the power in my legs as I push up a hill. I miss the feeling of passing out moments after crossing a finish line, with my eyes rolling into my head, leaving me momentarily blind. I always felt pretty hardcore when it happened; that's when you know you've given it your all. And then, I miss the complete carefreeness of a warm down jog- just running with the girls, cheering on other teammates and friends. I can't wait to meet the Yaya Girls and get my shoes back on. 

 

AS soon as I figure out how to set up a donation site I will, as the project is still grassroots and relies on public/ volunteer funding to feed, house, pay for resources, as well as keep the girls secure! The project is a blessing, keeping these girls in a safe place where they can grow to reach and realize their potential, and I'm so excited to support them!!

 

And so, with that back story on both the NGO and my running experience (in a nutshell)- I hope you'll wish me well as I head off to Ethiopia! I've got last minute packing to do, phone calls to make, love to send, and I'm due for some tea and cuddles with my Mum :)

 

**If you're interested in reading more about the Yaya Girls, you'll find the Yaya Girls website, articles on the Yaya Girls, a Youtube Video and their Facebook page below!

 

I'll post again once I'm settled!

For now, all the best,

 

Steph xx

 

**http://yayagirls.wordpress.com/

http://startsomegood.com/Venture/yaya_girls_running_program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU1bXT3qCaU

https://www.facebook.com/YayaGirlsRunning