Travelogue: Day 8, Gonder

Gonder is history. OK, it’s a double meaning. I’m writing the day after our visit into Gonder. But Gonder is indeed full of history. We visited the large walled area in the center of the city that is the castle compound of the ancient kingdoms of Gonder. Impressive, amazing, interesting, historical, all of the above . . .

We packed up and said good-bye as a family to our last hotel experience on the road in the Goha Hotel. No one shed any tears about that. We left the mountaintop where we were staying and drove down into the city. We eventually met up with our friends from the Meserete Kristos Church AIDS Prevention Office (MKC-APO) who were going to escort us on a visit later. But first we all planned to visit the castles of Gonder. These castles looked like the castles of Europe from the time period around the 11th century but these were built in the 17th century in Ethiopia. The rise of the Gonder kingdom (1655-1835) was arguably the greatest kingdom of ancient Ethiopia. During this time the borders of the rulers of Ethiopia were expanded to the modern day borders and beyond. There were forays into Sudan and Yemen. The seat of power was Gonder. The kings’ compound (Fasil Ghebbi) was as large as 70 hectares at one time with each successive king building another castle or large structure inside the compound.

To quote from a section of Bradt’s Ethiopia Tour Guide book (by Phillip Briggs, 4th ed., 2005), inside the structure are "six castles, a complex of connecting tunnels and raised walkways, and several smaller buildings. The most impressive castle within the enclosure is the original built by Fasilidas, which was built circa 1640, partially restored in the mid 20th century, and more fully restored, using the original construction methods, with UNESCO funding between 1999 and 2002. Fasilida’s Castle is made of stone and shows a unique combination of Portuguese, Axumite and even Indian influences. The ground floor consists of reception and dining areas. The walls are decorated with a symbol similar to the Star of David, which became the emblem of the Ethiopian royal family after the Solomonic dynasty reclaimed the throne in the 13th century. The first-floor roof of the castle was used for prayer and religious ceremonies, and it is also where Fasilidas addressed the townsfolk. Fasilida’s prayer room, also on the first floor, has four windows, every one of which faces a church. Stairs lead from the roof to the small second-floor room that Fasilidas used as his sleeping quarters. Above this is an open balcony, which was probably the watchtower. This third-floor platform, 32m above the ground, offers views in all directions; on a clear day you can even see Lake Tana on the horizon, emphasizing the strategic advantage of choosing Gonder as a capital." (pgs. 226-227)

The other castles belong to Fasilidas’ sons and successors; Yohannis I, Iyasu, Dawit III, Bakafa, Iyasu II. It is one thing to read about these structures in a book but it is quite another to actually walk the castle grounds and imagine them in their lifetime. Various Europeans had visited and reported on Ethiopian kingdoms over the centuries and during this age there were Portuguese, French and English individuals who give us a fascinating insight into the customs and habits of dynasties long past.

So we were given a tour of the grounds by a guide, Belay, who was pretty good at his job. He tried to interject humor with the information and provided us with a few laughs. Our group of 10 was joined by 4 Ethiopian university students for the tour. The girls enjoyed running through the ruins much more than following the group and listening to the tour guide (which I have envied on our tours from time to time during our travels).

After we finished with the tour we went to the local MKC church to visit with local church leaders and especially the MKC HIV-AIDS worker volunteers in Gonder. These are people who have been affected by HIV-AIDS; either through infection or because of family members who have been infected. In all cases the persons were contacted by a person from MKC, befriended and invited to church. MKC leaders such as Solomon Teferi of the Addis APO office like to say that they are unique because they treat the whole person; physical, emotional and spiritual. And it would seem that hope is a powerful factor in the stories we heard; not just of people surviving but thriving in the midst of HIV-AIDS. Like Zelalem; living with HIV/AIDS and taking the ART (anti-retroviral treatment) and now is living a relatively healthy life. But even more, she was invited to come to a MKC worship service and Bible study and it was there that she found life and hope for herself. Now she is a full time worker for the HIV/AIDS program and meets so many people in her neighborhood, bringing hope to individuals through Jesus and counseling them if they have problems like AIDS.

So we prayed with the group and left. One more stop. There was a feeding center for elderly people in another part of town. We arrived just as lunch was being served. Although not part of the HIV/AIDS ministry, it was a ministry of the local church, they invited us to see it. Elderly women (didn’t see any men, perhaps there were some and we didn’t see them but men were welcome to come, we were assured) were coming into this very modest building, taking off their shoes, having their hands washed (Ethiopian style; water pitcher and basin is brought around by a servant, in this case an MKC volunteer, and water is poured over the hands. Soap and then more water, then a towel to dry). A large piece of injera and a generous helping of hot shero (a liquidy paste of chickpeas). The preparation was done by MKC volunteers in the basic kitchen next door. An inspiring sight.

We ate lunch in a small café downtown Gonder and left for Bahir Dar afterwards. Mekonnen drove, the girls mostly played in the back seat and I spent time in the back of the Land Cruiser napping for a bit. The drive took less than 4 hours on paved road, a real treat for us (and the vehicle)! So we dropped Mekonnen off at the hotel and we found our friends’ house. Charles and Dee Ivy, from Albuquerque, NM are friends of Anita who have become our friends. They arrived in mid-May and we hosted them in Addis for a meal and hit it off. They invited us to stay with them when they were settled. So when we planned this trip we contacted them and now we were showing up at their doorstep.

The Ivys are here with the Clinton Foundation for 2 years working in Bahir Dar in the local hospital. Charlie is a long time hospital administrator and is offering his expertise and experience in this area. Dee is looking for a place to plug in and volunteer. They have been overseas before, Ethiopia is only the latest stop. So we brought our bags in and sat down, tired as usual in spite of sitting in a vehicle most of the day. But it was so good to relax in good company. Included in company was an Ethiopian couple, friends of theirs, Fekadu and Martha, who had helped them in many ways as they were settling. In our conversation it came out that they were MKC and it felt like we were playing the ‘Mennonite Game’ with them. We asked them if they knew this person and that person and to our delight they did! They asked us if we knew so and so and to their delight we did! So we talked about mutual friends, about their stories, about the MKC church, about who we are and what MCC is. We talked about religion and politics and managed to stay friends after we were all through. They will be moving to Addis in a week, so we can meet up with them in the future.

We had our first home cooked meal in over a week and what treat it was! Dee is a natural in community organizing. She asked our girls to help her make the meal and they were very excited. So she took them out to their garden and they cut some collard greens and brought them into the kitchen. Soon the kitchen was bustling with activity. Amani was cutting up garlic and onions, Abby cut up carrots and Sophia helped with the pasta by watching the water come to a roiling boil. That night we ate wonderful vegetarian fare; bow-tie pasta with cooked collard greens, onions and garlic, sliced and cooked carrots, sundried tomatoes and capers. It was delicious change of pace. Our welcome was complete and we relaxed.

Travelogue: Day 9, Bahir Dar

Happy Canada Day! Celebrating Canada Day in Ethiopia is a quiet affair, even more so on the road. It pretty low-key, more like reminding each other that July 1 is Canada Day. But we are in Ethiopia, in Bahir Dar and no one knows or cares here. But that’s OK. We know our friends are enjoying themselves in Canada with the typical outdoor grill and holiday fare with red and white bunting.

Bahir Dar is like an oasis in a journey. Something very different from our hotel experience in all the different places we were in northern Ethiopia. A place to relax and it feels good. The Ivys served up a normal breakfast of cereal, fruit and coffee. And it prepared us for the day.

Our day was to be an ‘MCC’ day. We met in the morning with Mengistu, the MCC IVEP’er who would be traveling to the U.S. to live and work in eastern PA for a year. We met his mother and a brother at a nearby hotel in town. The idea was to meet the family and answer any questions they had about the program and Mengistu’s role in IVEP. But there was not much to say. I think that Mengistu had let his parents know all the info we knew. So we conversed for an hour before saying our good-byes. Mekonnen had joined us early on and now we had an impromptu MCC meeting, discussing the agenda for the day as well as issues that were waiting for us in Addis. We moved to the Tana Hotel for lunch and once again expected, and received, the normal hotel fare and service that we had become used to over the 9 days on the road.

After lunch we went to the MKC local church office where once again we met with about a dozen people who were connected to the APO HIV/AIDS program in Bahir Dar. Although men have been present in past meetings in other places, the majority who meet with us are women and children and it was so once again (as in Gonder). Once again the stories were of hardship and of becoming saved through the ministry of individuals who doubled as evangelists and counselors. The church program is a life saver and even though their problems haven’t all gone away, they now have hope and joy and have received care. Our meeting lasted a couple of hours in a hot, semi-dark basement room and it was hard to stay focused and awake in the afternoon but I managed. Our girls managed to hang in there as well. Sophia wandered in and out of the meeting. Abby and Amani did too for a while but finally sat down with Wanda and I towards the end. A young boy sang a song for our group, for he is a singer in the MKC church. In response I thought we could sing a farewell song. So our family sang, ‘As I Went Down to the River’. It was fun to sing and it was something different than just talking all the time.

We dropped off Mekonnen at the hotel and found the Ivys on the way to their house. We came back and settled into the plastic lawn chairs on the porch and just chatted. Conversation about politics and religion and life in Ethiopia. I think what is so relaxing is that we can talk in NA English and we have much in common in our world views and lifestyle. Charlie and Dee come out of the Methodist church tradition but are Christian pacifists in the Gandhian tradition, which we resonate with.

We went out for supper that night in ‘bejudges,’ three-wheeled blue and white mini-taxis, which the girls loved. We went looking for pizza. The Ivys’ favorite pizza restaurant on the far side of town didn’t have electricity so no pizza. So in the twilight we went walking to their second choice, Millennium Pizza. It was a 10-minute walk through crowded streets where our skin color made us stick out. And we stuck out too in the Pizza shop, it sorta reminded me of those westerns where a stranger walks into a bar and everything stops as all heads turn and stare at the stranger. All eyes followed us as we chose two tables and moved them together. To be stared at continuously can be a bit unnerving. Every time I looked up or scanned the room I would meet other eyes that seemed to be in a locked mode. How to respond? Staring back? Looking down again?

Anyways the pizza was good and we found bejudges and headed back to the house in the dark. The sky was lit up with thunder clouds and constant flashes of lightning far away. No sound, just lightning in the clouds. We expected a thunderstorm over night but it never came. And we all slept well under our mosquito netting.

Travelogue: Day 10, Bahir Dar

Our original schedule was ambitious; in the morning go by boat out on Lake Tana to the islands where the ancient Orthodox monasteries are and visit them, then in the afternoon to the great waterfalls of “Tississat” or “Tis Abay”. But the more I thought about how much work that felt like the less energy I had for it. The boat ride to the monasteries seemed the greatest hassle so Wanda and I decided to drop it. And it felt like a relief, a burden lifted. So now we devoted our energies to going to Tississat for the morning.

Our friends, Charlie and Dee Ivy were wonderful hosts. Dee volunteered to go with us to the falls so after a relaxed breakfast and early morning we packed a lunch and drove to the falls area. It was a pretty drive through fields being prepared for planting. Men, behind their single-pointed wooden plows and oxen, tilling the fields to make ready for corn, or wheat or teff planting. Dee had her new camera and snapped photos left and right. We were a relaxed group as we headed towards one of the largest waterfalls in Africa (perhaps second after Victoria Falls).

We found the ticket office in a small village and bought our tickets. Then we had to drive out to the parking site and begin our walk to the falls. Tourist-wise, it was wonderfully undeveloped. There wasn’t a parking lot, but rather an open field. And there wasn’t a person checking our tickets (guess we could have driven straight over to the falls without paying). And the walking path was as natural as they come, a 300 year old bridge was the only ‘unnatural’ structure which got us over the Blue Nile river. We trod the path thousands had come before us up and down over the rough terrain to make our way to a vista facing the falls.
. . . or one could look at it the other way, it was maddeningly chaotic. The person at the ticket office was a rather disinterested employee, taking his time in writing out our receipt/ticket as we waited. We bounced our way through a village, no paved road here, and somehow made our way to the parking site in spite of a minimum of signs marking the way (good thing Dee was with us and knew the routine and that we were following another vehicle of obvious tourists like ourselves). When we got out we were met by hawkers ‘volunteering’ to watch our vehicle or be our tour guide or trying to sell us trinkets or drink. They gathered around us like flies to honey. The desperation to make a living is a powerful driving force that overcomes natural shyness or suspicion of strangers. And the draw of seeing ‘ferenjis’ (white westerners), with the assumption of western wealth to each white face (a relative truth, but truth nonetheless), was a powerful attraction.

Our group of 6, our family and Dee, politely fended off all comers and started the trek. It was a rocky and difficult path, no paved walkways or railings to hang on to. Definitely not a developed tourist destination like Niagara Falls. We made our way through a village where a dozen children met us with surprisingly good English and a very aggressive sales pitch for their wares. “Hello mister, how are you? What is your name? My name is _____. Remember me when you return (from the falls, there is no real way to avoid coming back the same way). Promise me you will buy from me. Mister, what about me?” This is a running monologue with 3 or 4 girls all around me. One girls slipped her hand in mine and we walked through her village and up the hill. All were desperate to extract a promise to purchase their handmade products. At the top of the hill we found two boys in a tree playing a type of wooden flute, all for the hope of money. The narrow path snaked its way further until finally the falls came into view.


For all that hassle a spectacular falls would be worth the trip. Alas, however, the falls was a disappointment. A thin trickle of water spilled over a tiny section of rocks. I have seen bigger falls in secluded places in Oregon. But there was evidence that at one time a majestic falls once existed.

Nearby is a hydroelectric plant and we were told that up to 95% of the water was being diverted to the plant for badly needed power generation. Being as we had seen the effect of power cuts all over the country in our travels, not to mention our own travails with power cuts in Addis 2-3x a week, we were sympathetic to the situation. But it was truly a pathetic sight, to see once glorious waterfalls reduced to a sliver of water.

We sat there for a while trying to decide if we should try the long trek around the falls (several kms of more rough hewn paths) or turn around and go back. The sun was shining and it was quite warm by now and noon was approaching. Already the girls were talking about being hungry. So that settled it, time to go back. But facing the mob of tiny hawkers was not a fun prospect until Dee had an idea. Give each girl 10 Birr and make it a game. See how much you can buy and then when we get to the Land Cruiser we’ll share our stories. The girls were excited about this idea of ‘shopping’, not having a clue what was in store for them. So as we approached the village the multitude of village children came swarming up to us, zeroing in on the adults. But I told them that my girls had the money and would buy something. This really seemed to confuse them. A few went over to Amani, Abby and Sophia but the others came back to me in disbelief, “Mister, what about me? What about the promise?” I had made no promises other than that I would be back. And now I said, no, I won’t be buying anything, but my daughters would. Of course Dee, Wanda and I kept a sharp eye out on our daughters to make sure nothing happened. The village girls seemed unsure of what to do. They tried selling our girls things but kept their eyes on us as if to say, we know where the real money is but we’ll play your little game to humor you. But, mister/ madam, what about us? Remember us . . .

As we walked through the village and to the old stone bridge the hawkers became more desperate in pitch and tone and I was more than ready to run back to the vehicle. But our little group kept on going. The girls each bought something, hand-made trinkets that were not well made, to be honest. A couple of kids desperately wanted us to exchange U.S. dollars they had received from other tourists and give them Birr. After some hesitation that this may be a scam, I examined the $10 Thom Jefferson note and gave the kid 100 Birr, a slight advantage in exchange for him. Then it was time to leave. We said no to that last hawkers at the parking lot and paid the parking lot ‘attendant’ for watching our vehicle and drove out. The picnic basket remained in the back, there was no place to eat where we wouldn’t be accosted or stared at. We looked for a place on the way home to stop and picnic. The one place we stopped, where a huge shade tree stood and it seemed no one was around, we waited only 15 seconds. As I looked around I saw what I had expected, in the distance people had seen our Land Cruiser stop and had dropped their work implements and started to come running. There would be no place to picnic in public today. We went back to Dee & Charlie’s house and had a quiet, happy picnic on their front porch.

That evening I made a pizza based on the More-With-Less cookbook recipe. We had a very nice time hanging out talking more about life in Ethiopia, the politics in the U.S. and religion as well. Charlie & Dee are good hosts and engaging conversationalists, very knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. Of course it helped that we agreed a whole lot more than disagreed on the subjects we touched upon. Wanda and I had to be aware of getting the girls to bed and packing in preparation for leaving in the morning. This we managed and still talked into the evening . .

Travelogue: Day 11, Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa

The plan was to get up early, 5:15 a.m., and be out the door before 6 a.m. To my family’s credit it happened for the second time on the trip. Both times we got up early, dressed and packed and travelled for a while before eating breakfast. Logically, it seems to me, that shouldn’t be as efficient as having cereal on the table and people catching a bit to eat before we go and then not having to stop. But it doesn’t work that way. Breakfast causes delays on the front end. But for girls like Abby, we had bananas ready so that the morning would start with something in the tummy.

We said good-bye to the Ivys and picked Mekonnen up at his hotel and were on our way. Another advantage of an early start is that there are fewer people and animals on the street as well as traffic. So we were in Debre Markos by 9:30 a.m. making good time. This day was to be one of the longer days, kilometer-wise. But that was mitigated by some of the best roads in Ethiopia; two-lane paved asphalt roads almost all the way to Addis (a few short exceptions). I drove 2/3 of the way and Mekonnen drove the final 1/3 into Addis. I was happy to let him. I always become tired in the early afternoon. We arrived in our compound safe and sound around 3:30 p.m. After over 2,500 kms (and spending about $1, 500) we had returned without a major incident or accident to report. No flat tires. No going over a cliff’s edge. No stolen wallets, purses or other valuables. No one hurt or sick. Thanks be to God!

So what did we learn from this long trip?

Travel – that our girls can make such a trip and we can all survive it! Amani, Abby and Sophia did quite well in spite of the long travel days. That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t any complaining or whining over the length of the drives or the meals or the lodgings (frankly, Wanda and I had much of the same complaints but weren’t quite as vocal or ‘in-your-face’) but they managed to make it around the entire northern circuit without any huge melt downs. For that we can be grateful. And yet, we shall heed Abby’s words made near the end of our travels, “Next time, don’t take me on a long trip like this again. Airplanes are ok, but not cars.” We understand . . .

Ethiopia – is magnificent in natural beauty. Of course there is the obvious poverty and underdevelopment wherever one goes in the country but Ethiopia is surely one of the few African countries that can boast a variety of landscapes rivaling the North American context; mountains and highlands that rival the alpine or appalachian scenery in Europe or eastern U.S., dry arid country that looks very much like the American desert southwest. Waterfalls and rivers. Mountains and plains and lowlands below sea level, lower than any place else on earth (the Danikil Depression; we didn’t go there).

Roads – two words; rough and scary. But the good news is that asphalt paved roads are being constructed all over Ethiopia by the Chinese. Just about everywhere we travelled we saw sections of roads be constructed. And in most hotels we were in the other guests were Chinese. If those roads are finished in a year’s time we can try traveling some stretches again and enjoy our traveling much more.

Money – the good news is that the U.S. dollar goes pretty far in Ethiopia. The bad news is that in every tourist place there are two prices; an ‘Habesha’ price (very low or free) and a ‘Ferenji’ price (very high and sometimes in U.S. dollars instead of Birr). Now I don’t mind paying a little more than the nationals, after all we can acknowledge that most westerners can afford to pay more. But there is a fine line between a fair price scale and gouging. In some places it felt like gouging.

I finally said no in Axum at the church where supposedly the Israelite Ark of the Covenant is held. Obviously we weren’t going to see it (no one can), and we weren’t allowed inside without paying 60 Birr each (what would we see for that anyhow?). So I decided to just take a photo from a distance of about 50 yards away, not a close shot but it would do. But no, I was told, you must pay 30 Birr to take the photo. What? Forget it. I didn’t need the photo that badly. Needless to say I was thoroughly disgusted.

Those are a few thoughts. Others may come in future blogs. But for now, it is finished . . .

The Gathering Grain Storm

It began to happen last Fall; prices of grain beginning to rise. First it was teff; a small grain related to millet and the staff of life for Ethiopians. Then it was their beloved berbere spice. One cannot properly eat injera (bread) and wat (stew) without them. But something was happening to make these two ingredients so expensive that even the middle class was beginning to feel the squeeze.

Both berbere and teff are bought in large amounts, enough to last from ½ a year to a full year. Berbere had been 600 Birr/ 17 kg. (that was about $55 for about 37 lbs., families usually buy in bulk, in part to save money and in part because they use it so often) about 6-9 months ago. Then it spiked to over 1,300 Birr for a short time sending the nation in shock. Rumor had it that the reddish-brown spice was being sold to the Chinese to make color for paint! But the price settled back to the current price of 800 Birr/ 17 kg. (about $76 at the current price and exchange rate of 9.5 Birr/ 1 USD).

At the same time teff was selling at 550 Birr/ 1 quintal (about $51/ 220 lbs) but over the past 6 months the price has risen to the current 800 Birr, an almost 70% increase. Wheat has gone from 400 to 650 and corn from 270 to 450. The price of meat has also increased. A full grown sheep has gone from 800 to 1200, cows from 4000 to 6000, all increases in the 60% range.



Ethiopian food, injera is the large ‘pancake’ and the rolled up pieces of bread. The rest of the food is collared greens, meats, spices.

When the average person makes anywhere from 10-80 Birr per day (and many are unemployed) any increase in food prices suddenly means that families have to do without. Perhaps without shelter (one sees a lot of homelessness here in Addis), perhaps without food. We have heard stories from several schools in Addis where the children are coming to school without any meals at home. So at lunch instead of going out to play, they put their heads on their desks and sleep. This is so they can conserve energy. Obviously kids that don’t eat also don’t perform well in the classroom. So schools are scrambling solutions. A couple of schools that we know have found donors who provide either money to purchase food or the food itself and feed a basic lunch to the students. MCC has been helping out our school next door with assistance, but the need is widespread.

Ethiopians are under pressure. It is hard to believe that a country with so much potential continues to struggle. This land just above the equator (same latitude as Costa Rica) has such a beautiful climate, even the rainy season has its own beauty. The mountainous central part of Ethiopia catches the rain as it comes out of the west and feeds the multitude of streams and rivers that eventually make their way to the Blue Nile tributary basin. There would be enough water if it were conserved. The soil would sufficiently grow crops if it were utilized properly. There would be no erosion if trees were harvested properly and soil was nurtured. And this could be a real tourist attraction if the social and political conditions were right. A lot of ‘ifs’, true. Ethiopia has a long way to go.

So the next time you recite the Lord’s Prayer, when you come to the part, “Give us this day our daily bread”, remember the children of Ethiopia and pray that they may receive more than one meal a day . . .

The Long Easter Weekend

For western Christians this was just another weekend. But for those of us who are living in Eastern Orthodox countries, this was the long Easter weekend. Offices closed on Thursday and won’t be opened up until Tuesday morning. When we celebrated Easter a month ago most Ethiopians were oblivious to the quiet celebrations of the western Christians among them. But the signs of Eastern Christians preparing to celebrate were quite obvious here. An influx of sheep, goats and cattle into the city of Addis meant that there was to be slaughter and much eating of fresh meat on the holiday. Last night as we went to bed with our bedroom window open, we could hear the chanting of the priests at the nearby Ethiopian Orthodox church. I fell asleep and woke up sometime around midnight to hear the chanting becoming more intense. Fortunately I drifted back to sleep until morning. But Wanda said she couldn’t go back to sleep and she guessed that the chanting went on until 4 a.m.

For us, the long weekend was not a getaway weekend. Many foreigners do take off and head out of the city to tourist destinations in Ethiopia. But we have been privileged to host Joyce Burkholder, a Ten Thousand Villages (TTV) buyer who has been here all week. TTV has wanted to buy in Ethiopia for some time but many factors have prevented them from doing so up until now; export duties, shipping costs, lack of artisan capacity and infrastructure have all been a hindrance. But this past week provided a glimmer of hope. As Wanda and Joyce visited various businesses some possibilities have emerged. It’s too early to say whether anything will come of the contacts this week, but Joyce has said the odds are better now than ever before.

So Wanda and Joyce spent Good Friday with a potential entrepreneur/ artisan community. Yesterday morning the same, and in the afternoon 4 women gathered to string beans together. Would a coffee bean necklace sell in TTV? Can something be attractive to the NA market and cost effective (given the fact that TTV has to mark up items 5 ½ times in order to stay in business)? So Wanda, Joyce, Tamara (our MCC Service worker who is currently volunteering with the one project we are looking at partnering with), and Naomi (a young woman who is here with her parents from the U.S.) were soaking beans and trying to string various bean combinations together to see what would look good. I ended up making a pizza for all those who were hungry. The twins had been at a birthday party at the Sheraton Hotel all afternoon and had eaten so much that they weren’t hungry for my pizza!

So today we are planning to go to church, but our western church service will be rather quiet compared to the Easter celebrations we’ve heard. Wanda isn’t feeling well at the moment, meaning we’ll do the minimum activity, whatever she can do. We’ll probably eat out like we do most every Sunday after church. Then we’ll come back to our house in the afternoon. Thanks to all the generous birthday gifts from family and friends, there are a lot of DVD’s we can watch.

Tomorrow, Easter Monday, the girls go back to school but the MCC offices will be closed. A free day! But I will be preparing to teach a class on Tuesday at Meserete Kristos College in Debre Zeit (about 19th century Christianity) and speak at the chapel as well. This coming week will be another busy one . . . and another short week as well. Ethiopia recognizes May 1 as a national holiday and the following Monday, May 5, is another national holiday. Another long weekend for the girls from school. Again, many folks will be retreating to various resorts but, alas, we didn’t get our reservations in on time and won’t be going to places we targeted to retreat to. Which means we’ll likely be around for another long weekend. Which means, I’ll probably be able to blog some more . . .

Travelogue: Sudan (MCC EARM meetings)

29 March 9 a.m. Uganda time
I am starting this email above the clouds in an Eagle Air twin prop 18 seater. We took off in cloudy, rainy weather this morning on our flight to Yei (pronounced “Yay”), southern Sudan (for those of you who are scrambling to look up Yei on the map, find Juba and then look south and west. It’s close to the Congo and Ugandan borders). This is where the MCC EARM (East Africa Regional Meeting) is happening. So in this 18 seater are Doug & Deanna Hiebert and their two little girls (from near St. Catharines, mind you!), who are Great Lakes Country Reps (that would be the African Great Lakes; the countries of Burundi, Rwanda, East Congo). Also Mike and Maguay Soloman and their two boys, Country Reps for Tanzania and Dale and Gann Herman, Country Reps for Uganda. And of course yours truly, Amani sitting by herself in a single front seat on the left, Sophia and I in the last two seats on the right (next to luggage and cargo) and Wanda and Abby just in front of us. So far the lush green scenery below has been wonderful, such a contrast to the dry and dusty brown of Ethiopian right now.

We started yesterday in Addis. We left the house at 8:30 a.m. and made it to Bole Int’l airport by 9:00, in time to begin check in. We were supposed to leave at 11 a.m. and arrive at 1:30 p.m. in Entebbe, Uganda, but we didn’t leave until noon. That’s the way it is here. However, amazingly, we landed at 1:30 p.m.! Go figure . . . We were picked up by the Central Inn shuttle and taken to where we would stay overnight. We looked forward to meeting the Hieberts and Solomans there but to everyone’s surprise and consternation, when they arrived the Central Inn said that it was full, sorry. They offered to take them to another hotel. They wouldn’t work with them to accommodate them any further. It was slightly awkward for us because the Hieberts and Solomans had been in conversation with CI for a month and we just booked the other week and they got bumped. We arrived first and our rooms were ready. Another TIA (“This Is Africa”) moment. So they went to the other hotel but came back and we all ate supper together. The children played, the women talked and Mike, Doug and I played Scrabble.

I’m looking out my window and continue to see nothing but beautiful landscape. It’s the rainy season here and so everything is very green. Unfortunately none of that rain has made it over the mountains into Ethiopia.

We made it through the night at CI but I must admit I didn’t sleep well. In part because there were voices outside our rooms, in part because Wanda and I were in one room and the girls in the other (if we had a ‘do over’ we would split up ourselves and the girls) and also because of the room doors. On the outside was a huge bolt to lock the door from the outside! It made me paranoid over night, I kept imagining someone locking us and the girls in our rooms and we couldn’t get out. There are iron bars on the windows so it’s not like we could break a window and get out. So I prayed for safety and that nothing would happen, but I still slept very light. Early morning a thunderstorm came through the area. The thunder and lightning and the pouring rain actually relaxed me, first thunderstorm since last summer and it was nice. We were up early (5 a.m.) to dress, pack, eat a light breakfast and head out to the airport for 6 a.m. And here we are up in the clouds!

Lots of things are happening in Ethiopia right now. We are in the midst of a drought, no rain in Feb and March. Now the people we have been helping with our partners (MKC RDA and CFGB) are starting to feel the pressure. No rain, no water and people are now walking up to a full day to fill their jerry cans with water. No rain, no crops. No crops, no income and no food. It seems we may be on the verge of a crisis in southern Ethiopia. This is all new to Wanda and myself so we are working with partners and MCC folks in Akron and Winnipeg to try and respond. But the government needs to declare an emergency or otherwise we won’t be able to operate freely (sorta works like when the President declares a place a ‘disaster area’ then FEMA can go in and give emergency help, bringing in supplies, offering low costs loans for rebuilding, helping the state and local gov’ts with money, that they can’t otherwise).

We have enjoyed hosting people in the past week. We had 4 people from Toronto for supper one night, two of them attend Toronto United Mennonite Church. That was fun. They are all psychiatrists and are here on a government exchange program. They were delightful in their questions and conversation. Diverse too; ethnic Russian Mennonite, Chinese Canadian, Jewish Canadian, Japanese Canadian. We had homemade pizza, salad and chocolate chip cookies and tea for dessert. This coming month we’ll be hosting 2 10,000 Villages VIP’s from Akron and in May we’ll host more MCC persons coming for a variety of reasons. We enjoy hosting and it’s been so interesting to hear people’s stories coming through on why they are here and to answer questions about what we see and do.

I’m looking out below and seeing a long snaking river with ‘lakes’ within the river basin, sorta like the North and South Platte river basin in Nebraska. This is the White Nile river basin. I think we’re in southern Sudan now. For those of you who think of Sudan as desert the answer is yes and no. From the capital city of Khartoum to the north it is mostly arid and brown desert and inhabited mostly by Muslim Arabs. South towards Malakal and Juba it is green and lush and inhabited mostly by Christian or animist black Africans. The tall Dinkas come to mind. The 50+ year war/skirmishes have a lot to do with riches, both agricultural and mineral. The north tries to impose control and siphon off wealth for the north and the south resists. Of course the tensions are more than economic but that is foundational.

So we are flying into southern Sudan which is not run by the gov’t in Khartoum these days but by GOSS (Government of Southern Sudan). So our visas have to be gotten from GOSS. Fortunately our MCC CR in Sudan, Rob Haarsager, got all our visas and will be waiting at the airport in Yei for us when we arrive, to hand us the visas. We had enough trouble getting the Ugandan visas. They wanted to see our GOSS visas or else they wouldn’t let us in Uganda. So eventually they allowed me to write a letter, as the NGO head in Addis, requesting that the Amstutz family be granted a visa on the basis that we were only in transit through Uganda. They allowed me to endorse myself and our family and so we are winging our way to Yei.

We landed in the forenoon on a long dusty runway under the hot African sun. The long runway in the middle of an empty plain led to a small house which the GOSS customs officers were sitting in, waiting for everyone to deplane. Two groups were waiting for the passengers, MCC and a group called the Harvesters (I don't know anything about them except that they are working at orphanages in Sudan). We waited to fill out forms and to register and then we through our luggage on the back of a Toyota pickup and a dozen of us squeezed into a Toyota Land Cruiser to take the bumpy ride on dirt roads through Yei to the RECONCILE compound.

Yei is a hub of economic activity, being at the crossroads of trade from Uganda, Congo the Central African Republic and Sudan. We saw a fleet of motorcycles in the downtown commons area up for sale. But everything is dirt, no grass on the commons. But the surrounding area is all green; trees, bushes, wild grasses. It is the rainy season.

Evening falls.

We are in Yei, Sudan and have an exceptional wireless internet connection! So I’m going to send this off right now. Amazing, can’t find something like this in Addis but out here in the middle of nowhere (check your map) we have a great signal!

March 30
That was fun. Talking to Grandma & Grandpa Amstutz on Skype computer-computer and talking to Aunt Debbie on Skype computer-phone. And who was that answering the phone at the Kindlers? Someone named Aaron but with a voice an octave lower! I was sure that I had the wrong number when we rang and this unknown voice answered. Someone is growing (Deb said he is now 5'7")!

So tomorrow night we'll try calling more relatives before we go back to Addis. Grandma & Grandpa Roth, Amstutz' in Kidron and hey, maybe a shout out to Anita and Kenneth in ABQ (are you off tomorrow?). The connection is not always clear, sometimes choppy and sometimes the connection is dropped. But we learned something; those of you who have Skype can do what I did; give myself $10 credit on the Skype account (put it on my Mastercard). So you call from computer to land line . . . for 2 cents a minute! Yep, you read that right, beats any plan anyone has come up with yet! So if you can figure it out you can call us for great rate!

So now it's evening and we've had a good day. The adults sat in meetings most of the day and talked about MCC business and life. The kids were entertained by young ladies from Uganda and Sudan. They played games and watched a Scooby Doo video we brought and played on our computer (this thing is versatile!). Later in the afternoon Wanda pointed out our three girls playing in the water and mud. Yes, they were getting muddy but upon closer inspection they were creating a mud dam to hold the water from draining away (the water came from an outdoor spigot where people were washing hands). One our friends pointed out that they were being good MCC'ers. Sure enough, they were making 'water catchments', ponds that are built to catch the water so communities can access water. They had been with us when we were in southern Ethiopia and had seen some of the water catchments there (which are quite dry now).

Now it is evening and the distant flashes of lightning fill the sky. The sky reminds me of a Gulf Coast Florida sky, high cumulus clouds by day, threat of rain from the afternoon on. The warm humidity of the air and the flora and fauna also are similar to Florida as well. It is almost time for all the lights to go out. The generator runs until 10 p.m. then is shut off. All the lights go out and we're left in the darkness of Yei. But the starry, starry night is bright with the millions of stars above us.

March 31

Another hot, humid day in Yei. We sit around wooden tables in plastic lawn chairs all day long and slowly get warmer. In the morning it is quite pleasant, even cool. But by evening I am dripping and ready for a shower.

After long sessions yesterday the EARM meetings came to a close. We were all relieved that all the business had been attended to and tired from sitting. It has become customary when there is a break folks open up their computers and begin checking email, news, sports, etc. The biggest interest over this weekend was the election in Zimbabwe. Whenever computers were opened the question was; what is the latest from Zimbabwe? The outcome remains in limbo but there are signs that Robert Mugabe's reign is coming to an end and that would spell hope for the lives of the masses of poor and those who fell from middle class to poor class during his oppressive regime. We also kept track of the NCAA tourney and of course email.

But the biggest blessing was the ability to use Skype. We called Grandma Roth and heard her voice loud and clear. But, sadly, she said she couldn't hear us. So our phone time was cut short. We then tried calling Aunt Anita & Uncle Kenneth but they were not available so we left messages ('calling from Yei!'), marvelling at the miracle of communication over such a great distance in extremely remote locations (after all, we are literally in the middle of grass huts and no electricity. When the generator goes off at night, it becomes quite dark with the stars and moon as the only lights). But the connection hit a sweet spot when we finally called Kidron; we reached Grandma & Grandpa as well as Uncle Lon, Aunt Heidi and Jakob, Katie and Greta. We heard them clearly, they heard us clearly and we spoke with joy and amazement for 50 minutes! What a blessing! And all for free, it's hard to believe. So when we finally hung up everyone was happy to hear familiar voices.

April 1

So now it is time to go. EARM was good to us. The girls enjoyed the large compound, playing with each other, the other children, the water and mud, goats, chickens, and exploring. The first round of passengers loaded in the Land Cruiser and headed to the landing strip (I would fain call it an airport) and our turn is next in about an hour. We'll spend 5 hours at the Entebbe airport waiting for our Ethiopian Airlines flight to Addis, arriving tonight at 8:30 p.m. The girls should be in safely in their own beds by 10 p.m., Lord willing.

A special thank you to all of you who have waited patiently for almost 2 months to see a new blog. I apologize for not writing but I hope to write, even short entries in the future on a weekly basis. Call it a renewed new year's resolution. I wish to thank my brother Lon for gently prodding me, in the best possible way, last night while we were talking. Of course friends and family are waiting to hear from us. So we shall try again at regular missives . . .