Day 12: Saturday (11/23): NGO Fair and "Red Terror"

--> Saturday, 11/23. Today was quite a day (and a long one). It's about 11:30 p.m. and I'm just getting to bed. We started off the morning by going to the NGO fair. Every month at the International Evangelical Church, a group of NGOs (non governmental organizations) get together and sell their products. It was really great. One, because we got to see a lot of different social enterprise. Two, because we got to support a lot of social enterprises, and three, because I got a lot a great stuff like an amazing animal quilt! I am so excited! Some organizations' items were made by HIV individuals, disabled individuals, etc. It was really neat and rewarding to be able to support them.

My new quilt! (And Mindi's and Amy's)

After three or so hours shopping, we went to lunch at this delicious Indian restaurant. It was very spicy, but very good. It was fun to be having Indian food in Ethiopia. I love the mix of cultures!

Then we went to the Red Terror Museum. It is a private museum (not supported by the government or a NGO) that gives the history of Ethiopia from the last emperor to communism and then to the period of time called Red Terror. It reminded me of the Rwandan genocide, and it was so sad. Similar to the Holocaust museum in LA, our docent was a survivor, who was in prison for 8 years and tortured. It was just devastating to see how humanity could be so evil. And to see that we never learn from our mistakes. And I couldn't believe that it was so recent. Some of it happening while I was alive. But it is also crazy to see how far Ethiopia's come in the last 20 years. From famine, droughts, mass deaths, torture to this new and up and coming place.

The Red Terror Museum

"As if I bore them all in one night, they slew them in a single night."

I honestly had tears in my eyes. I'm not sure if I can really process or write down in words how it made me feel. And I wish I could explain all the history I learned, but I don't think I have the energy or the emotional capacity right now. (If you are interested, please look it up online.)

After that we went home, and got to have dinner with the Minister of Culture and Tourism. The conversation we had with him was rich and very educational. And really... who gets the opportunity to have dinner with someone like the Minister of Culture and Tourism for the country?! Not very many people. He told us all sorts of things about Ethiopia. I'm amazed with Ethiopia, and it really has a special place in my heart. I WILL come back here, and I really hope more people have the opportunity to meet and fall in love with this country like I am. It is so rich in religious, historical, and political history. And the cultural landscape is so diverse. With over 100 languages spoken and 80 nationalities, it is amazing. And as I said the only African state not to be colonized, it is so unique. This is really a changing point for Ethiopia, and I see lots of progress and growth in its future, and that is really exciting.

I know this is a short blog, but today was fill with so much rich and important information, and I am very thankful. Understanding the history of a culture is so important to building relationships and becoming more loving human beings... (That's what I think at least.) I know there is SO MUCH more for me to learn. And I hope that I can continue to be a part of Ethiopia even after I physically leave it.

Day 11: Friday (11/22): More About Ethiopia

Friday, 11/22. Another day at SLTSSA and another Sign Language Class! I'm really enjoying my time taking class and trying to communicate with the men and women in the class. Most of them are repeats so by now they've seen me a few times. It's been cool to see them interact. The teacher was really nice and wanted to be inclusive again, and wrote out a few lists in English on the board. I learned all sorts of fun words today like: lazy (lazy boy, lazy girl), selfish, far, improvement, park, deaf, blind, mute, open, close, long/tall, and a lot of other ones. Not sure I remember them all, but I definitely added to my current dictionary.

After class, I pretty much got an Amharic lesson from from Wondiamagn. Literally, I learned so much about the language. I also learned how to type Amharic using a Standard English keyboard, if you have the special program. But really, Amharic would take me forever to learn!!!!

And I learned about the Ethiopian Calendar versus the Gregorian Calendar (which we are on). So today for us would be 11/22/13 (November 22, 2013) but in Ethiopia today is 13/3/2006 (November 13, 2006). I’m guessing you are a bit confused. Let me explain. First, they put the day first, then the month and the year. Second, as I mentioned earlier, Ethiopia is 6 years behind us. Third, November is actually their 3rd month (Sept. is their first month). Fourth, they are also behind on the day of the month as well.

And (as I’ve mentioned before) time of the day starts when the sun rises, which is around 6 am our time, but for them 6 am would be 0 am or 12, so... a normal work day is from 2 am - 11 am which would be 8 am - 5 pm for us... so yes, it's been a bit confusing to schedule things.

After my long but really insightful conversation with Wondiamagn (which included a lot more information), I went to meet Nicole at Jupiter Hotel. We hung out, got some work done and then ventured to find a post office. When, Danny, our driver brought us there, he brought us to the main post office in Addis, which was huge AND a training post office. And WOW. It was large.

Also, today Dean Weber (the Dean of Pepperdine's Graduate School of Education and Psychology came!) She is doing work with Mindi and trying to establish some relationships between Pepperdine and Addis. It's pretty great (and rare) to have your professor of your class and the Dean of the school share the experience with you. So I'm looking forward to having her here (to our home, because that's what it feels like, my new home).

To be honest, I'm feeling sad to be leaving. I've just started to build relationships with people and get comfortable here, and it's sad to think that I might not see some of these people ever again (even when I come back in 2015, they might not be here). I can't even believe that in 4 days I will be gone, that this experience will have come and gone already.. just like that. I pray I can keep of piece of this experience with me forever, and I really do hope I can come back to Ethiopia. (God willing of course.) Maybe I'll get to coordinate a Missions Trip here OR start a summer International Program here or both! Or something else, but I really do hope to come back (and bring some friends!)... maybe you?!

Think about it. #ethiopia2015 is sounding pretty good, don't you think?

Day 10: Thursday (11/21): Bring your friend to work day!

Thursday, 11/21. Today was an exciting day! Nicole and I were going to have a day of adventure together! Nicole came with me to SLTSSA this morning. We both went to sign language class. They even wrote some of the words in English on the board for us (the foreigners). Then Wondimagagn sat next to us to translate the Amharic for us so we could learn more sign. We probably "learned" about 100 words!

I'm saying "hello!"

Nicole counting with some of our deaf friends.

My observations from today's class:
1. There were a lot of people who returned from yesterday. So I thought it was cool to see them again.
2. Some sociology students from Addis Ababa University came to visit class.
3. It still took 45 minutes to write on the board.
4. We actually finished with 15 minutes to spare.
5. The teacher is engaging and jokes with the class, but, I think the class could be more interactive. Maybe quiz them, or spend more time on each word.
6. I want to learn sign language.. really badly. I wish I knew more ASL before I came.
7. I want to come back to Ethiopia... #returntoEthiopia #summer2015

Then after class Wondiamagn wanted to "take tea" with us. So we walked down the street this little cafe. He taught us all about Amharic. How there are 32 letters, but each letter had 7 different sounds.. kinda like Chinese, but instead of 4 it's 7... (and the signs for each of the letters is crazy..) He also wrote our names in Amharic which was really exciting. He said multiple times that he doesn't want us to forget him! Which is precious and broke my heart a little.

"Taking Tea" (but we both got coffee)

Wondimagagn writing our names and teaching us Amharic

Finished product! Our names in Amharic!

After Nicole and I left, I realized that in a few days I will be gone... and I'm really going to miss a lot of people here and it's only been a week. I really do hope I get to come back and stay in touch.

Next, we went to an office supply store so we could buy supplies for our organizations. I bought some colored pencils for the kids at the school and some notepads and pencils for SLTSSA. I thought that people taking the class might need some notebooks. Then we had lunch, FASTING PIZZA again! After lunch we went to Misrach Center. It's a social enterprise that sells handmade items. All of the items are made by disabled people. It was one of the organizations that I was interested in originally, so it was great to visit it. Nicole bought all sorts of blocks, puzzles and toys for the preschool that her organization is starting. I was really impressed by the quality and price.

After we got back, we decided to go off again to exchange money and run some more errands. One thing we noticed was how people in Addis treat foreigners. Today, we actually went to two different banks. And both times they pulled us into the back of the bank behind the tellers to help us. They also demanded that we sit. Not in a mean way, but everyone always wants us to sit. At one bank we decided to share a chair and the guy grabbed another chair and basically made us sit in our own chair. Also, our awesome driver, Amanual, gave up his chair when he saw us and asked us to sit while we waited. And even though I told him I wanted to stand, and there was an empty chair, he still didn't sit. They are just really polite to foreigners.  Mindi told us later, that it's not just Americans, but it's really anyone that is not Ethiopian. It's like we are their guests. It's not a servant-like issue, it's that we are guests in their country. I hope this makes sense. But it was really interesting. I really don't see that happening in America, where people go out of their way to serve people who aren't from the area.

I also further discovered from talking to Mindi that people really do live in two extremes. Either they are very poor with tin roofs and mud huts (yes, this is in the city, not just in rural areas) with no running water or electricity or they live in huge houses which cost $5000-$6000 a month. Even a hotel room at the Radission during busy season cost $500 a night...It's so crazy to me when renting a taxi for the whole day cost $20 (and transportation is the most expensive part of living here) and buying lunch will cost less than $5, but then there are some things that are just out of this world expensive even more than the States. It's pretty shocking to see. It's just such a drastic difference.... it really makes me think.

Day 9: Wednesday (11/20): Sign Langauge Class and Visiting the School

Wednesday, 11/20. Today, I went to SLTSSA at 9 a.m. to go to their community sign language class. These are the classes for family members of deaf kids, social service community members, or older deaf kids. I knew it was going to be in Amharic, but I thought it would be fun and interesting to observe. Things I learned:
1. Class does not start on time.
2. Lots of people come late (up to 30 to 45 minutes late)
3. The professor doesn't come on time either
4. They spend 45 minutes just writing on the words they will practice on the chalk board
5. Students (adults, family members, etc) are really engaged. They have created a type of community.
6. I'm excited to go back tomorrow! (Plus, Nicole, is going to join me to help with observations)

The sign language classroom. (See the Amharic Sign Alphabet above all of the words.)

The teacher knew English and I met him yesterday so he did translate some of the words for me, he also made one of the community workers translate for me. So I got to learn some new signs. BUT, halfway through class, Gosh Demere pulled me out of class. He walked me over to the Director's office of the school of the deaf and told me a lot of interesting things about the school:

Before 1963, there were no provisions for the deaf. As I've said before, most people believed that it was a curse from God. He and a few others wanted to open a school for the deaf, but it was a really hard concept for others (especially the Minister of Education) to accept since it was a new idea. Most people thought people who were deaf couldn't learn. Finally, the Church of Christ Mission, helped them start a school in a house with 3 children. The next year, they built the school and had 37 students enrolled. They decided to name the school (in Amharic) after the emperor's son, because in Amharic the word for deaf means stupid. The Late Emperor himself visited the school, and it became "the talk of the town." People were starting to accept deaf kids could be taught.

Then Demere went to Denmark to be trained in Sign Language teaching, where he was encouraged, and brought back some of the tools to Ethiopia. That is when they decided they needed to develop Ethiopian Sign Language. Demere worked with a few other deaf schools (and individuals who were deaf) to develop the official Ethiopian Sign Language. It took two years and it's the only official African sign language. Although it's based on ASL, they had to come up with the Amharic alphabet letters and a way represent the 7 different sounds for each letter. Then they added some signs for words don't exist in America. It's pretty amazing that he was one of the ones who developed it. 

The original (and still used) Ethiopian Sign Language book.

The school itself is now an inclusive school. It is good for both the hearing and deaf children to learn about each other, to see that they are the same except just hearing. These students learn that both can make mistakes and both can do really well. It's also important for deaf students not to think that they need to be separated in special schools, but that they can learn together with hearing students. Now the school has 265 students from Kindergarten (Grade A) to 8th Grade. 177 are deaf and 88 are hearing. Last year, all their 8th grade students (both deaf and hearing) pasted the national exam!

Demographics of the School.

After I learned a lot of great things about the school. The director introduced me to about 6 classes. I had to try to introduce myself in sign and then tell them where I was from. Then the director told them I would come back next year and teach them English! AH! Pressure.

Then I walked around with the social worker of the school. She was pretty young. Her role was to update the children's profiles and grades and send the information to the many people (in Denmark) sponsoring the school. She also wrote up descriptions of the events and celebrations that took place during the year so that the sponsors can know what is happening at the school. She not only has to do this for the 265 children at Makanisa, but also at two related countryside schools. So she has a total of about 600 students to constantly update.

Then after I talked to her for a while, I decided to take my lunch that I had packed. Demere let me sit in this nice board room. I probably spent and hour and a half in the room eating and journaling. I wrote down my observations from today and started to reflect on things that have happened during this trip. It was actually a good time to think about what I am learning and thankful for. Finally, I decided that I would say hi to the guys at SLTSSA. They were sitting outside of their building, so I spent the next hour and half waiting with them (for my taxi) and talking to them. Lots of people came and go. It was casual but nice.

Then I was picked up and dropped off at the Radisson Hotel. Amy, Nicole and I were going to meet up for dinner. Once they finally arrived we had dinner at the restaurant next door. My huge veggie burger and fries (and bottle water) plus tax and service charge was less have $5. Just to put some things in perspective for you.

Other observations:
Greetings: So Mindi told us that a way of showing respect (I think to someone older) when greeting is to take your left hand when shaking hands and touch your forearm (but closer to your elbow). BUT actually, people at the organizations (like 4 different people) shook my hand and then we touch shoulders. Sometimes both shoulders. I think it’s a sign of friendship which means I am getting closer with them! That’s pretty cool.

Classes: Today I also observed older kids in younger classes. I know it's because they didn't have the opportunity when they were younger, but I still wonder if it’s hard to be in a class with much younger students.

Day 8: Tuesday (11/19): Sign Language

Tuesday, 11/19. Today, I decided to venture back to STLSSA. I wasn't sure what to expect or what time to arrive, but I knew there was still much more to learn. Mindi offered to escort me there since we weren't sure who I was meeting. When we got there, the manager, Firkremarcus, and the founder, Gosh Demere, weren’t there... so Mindi started giving me a tour herself. Then we eventually found out that Firkremarcus had planned that I meet up with the community/social workers. I had met one of them on Friday, so it was nice to see a familiar face (Wondimagagn!). The other community worker didn't know much English, but I was able to find out more information about their Morning Sessions at the health clinics. I asked them to share with me the information they share with the patients.

The Social Workers of SLTSSA

First, they try to explain to the patients that deafness is not a sin or punishment from God for a past "evil deed," but instead it is just an issue of the ear. They explain that there are two types of deafness, either partial or general (which means complete deafness). They explain that being deaf can be caused by a lot of situations:
1. If a mother who is pregnant takes drugs that are not prescribed by a doctor, the drugs can affect the baby (not just with deafness, but other mental or physically diseases).
2. Alcohol can also negatively affect a baby.
3. Not having proper care during delivery (nurses, midwives, or doctors)
4. Working in a job with loud noises or hazards.
5. Listening to music with head phones.
6. Sticking things in your ear (and damaging the inner ear)

Then they talk about prevention measures:
1. Only take drugs prescribed by a professional
2. Don't drink alcohol during pregnancy
3. Go to professional doctors (the biggest reasons why women don't do this is actually awareness. Most women are just used to having a "practical mother" help deliver the baby, but they don't have real training. It's getting better, but some women don't know that they need to go to a health clinic or doctor).
4. Wear earplugs or protection for hazardous jobs.
5. Don't listen to music too loudly.
6. Don't stick things in ear.
7. Make sure to breastfeed babies for at least 6 months. Many women stop after a few months because they need to work and breastfeeding can take time, but it's really important for the development of the child.

Then after I met with them, I asked them to teach me a few signs. They aren't fluent as they are just learning as well, (because they had only been working at SLTSSA for 3 months) but I thought it would give us something to talk about since I had asked them a lot of questions already!

They asked me if I wanted to go to a community meeting with them, and I was torn... I wanted to experience it, but at the same time I was nervous. (More on Public Transportation.) They had just finished telling me that transportation is their biggest challenge. They didn't have a car to use (only one for the Administration). So they said it's hard to get around because roads are closed, construction, traffic. They said it’s very unreliable, but it’s really the only way for people to get around. When I tried to figure out what time I would be back (because I needed to make sure I had a ride home) I couldn't really understand what they were telling me (Ethiopia is on a different hour time as I mentioned earlier). Also, Wondimagagn mentioned that after these meetings, a lot of time he just goes home after, so I didn't want them to have to escort me back to SLTSSA and I didn't know about public transportation or how late it was going to be... so I turned it down… I think I let some fear creep in.. but maybe it was also some wisdom? I know it's important to get out of my comfort zone, but I know that God has a reason for everything, even turning down a potentially really rich experience, and maybe exchanging for another rich experience (which he did). So I didn’t go.

So I decided that I probably had enough for today. I didn't have anymore questions and I didn't want to keep them from work. So I said bye and decided to sit outside of the building, hoping to find the person Mindi told me that would give me a ride home. I couldn't find anyone so I just sat there. Eventually the guys came back outside and said that the meeting got postponed until next week (so of course, as always God worked everything out for my good). Then I ran into a young man, Abayneh I met on Friday who escorted me home. He was with his friend who was deaf (and a teacher, although he was very young.) His name was Abraham. Talking with both of them was the highlight of my day!

Abayneh wanted to show me his classroom/office, so the three of us went to his classroom). He is a computer teacher at the school. I was excited as I hadn't gotten to see much of the school yet. On the way there, they were both trying to teach me sign. Even though Abraham is deaf, he could understand me (I'm guessing reading lips). He understood English as well. I was very impressed. I spelled out my name for them in American Sign Language because they both knew the American alphabet and guess what?? Then Abraham gave me a sign name! From what I've learned about ASL and signing is that you can't just give yourself a sign for your name, but most deaf people (and hearing people that sign) have a sign for their name. Instead of having to always spell out a name when you are talking with and about someone, there is a sign that represents you. I think it's usually the first letter of your name and then something that will help people remember you. So he signed the letter B by his cheek because I have a mole on my cheek. Honestly, it was really exciting for me that I have a sign name and that I actually was able to communicate with him and learn signs from both of them. (Abayneh speaks English and he signs, so he was really helping to translate as well.)

Abayneh in his office (sorry I don't have a picture of Abraham!)

I learned all these really cool things from them. I learned the signs for Africa and Ethiopia. I learned their original signs and then how they were later changed because they were "bad" before. The Ethiopia sign has to do with the nose, because they said Ethiopian's noses are all different. (I thought that was funny.) Abraham told me that he made him happy that I was trying to sign. I found out that he is a teacher at another inclusive school (for deaf, hearing, and those with mental disabilities). SLTSSA pays for the school fee, so that’s why he was there, to collect money.

After Abraham left, I talked to Abayneh for awhile about sign language, his computer class (he teaches about microsoft word, powerpoint, excel, publisher), and then he started to talk to me about his faith. Which I thought was incredible that he was sharing. He told me that during his class he uses Bible verses as the working material for the class. His students have to change the font size, make it bold, enter information, and have to see the Bible verses a lot as they modify it. Then many of them will ask him what the verses mean.  This is his way of getting to share God with his students. He also said that there are no words to describe God's love. He talked about eternal life, God's grace, and the importance of his faith. I felt very special that he felt comfortable sharing all of this with me.

My favorite part was when he asked me if I knew that the Bible had 66 books, which honestly I didn't. I've never counted. But he said that we are, him and me and other Christians are the 67^th book of the Bible. We must share with others through our actions. I think I've heard something like this said before, but I thought it was beautiful and completely spot on. It was definitely a reminder to me of why I'm on this earth. It's not just about the experiences I have or what I can get or my job, but it's about God. It was really awesome for him to share.

Today was full with a whole lot of learning and meaningful experiences. I am so thankful God brought me back to SLTSSA and Makanisa.

Day 7: Monday (11/18): Selam Children's Village

Monday (11/18). Today, the Manager of SLTSSA was going to be gone for the day, so I decided to go with Amy to Selam Children's Village. It was quite a sight and a learning experience. Selam is a school for orphans and other kids in the community from Kindergarten up to prepatory school (high school) or vocational training. About 120 orphans live on the compound. What is so amazing about this organization is their vocational training programs, which produce services or products that cover 45% of their expenses. It is a true social enterprise. Some example of vocational trainings including food prep, auto electricity, auto mechanics, metalwork, human resources, etc. They also have a lot of income generating activities including flower/plant growing and selling and a diary farm (cows). They actually have enough cows to supply milk for the entire school as well as sell the extra.

It's pretty amazing. And not just for Ethiopia but for any country. Selam employs over 200 people. They have A LOT going on! It is pretty incredible that they can be in the business of doing so many different things. However, at the heart of everything they do (incoming generation and vocational training) are the orphans and how they can help them.

Amy and I got to meet the General Manager (the one in charge) and the Director over all of the education programs. We also met some volunteers from Switzerland and London at lunch. We had lunch at Selam's restaurant, where many of the servers and cooks are part of the food prep vocational training. After lunch we got a tour of the compound that holds the children's village (which is the school). The youngest kids were SO EXCITED for us to be there. They would run up to us and shake our hands and say "hello!" It was like we were celebrities or something. Of course the middle schoolers didn't bother to say hello to us, but the younger kids were so excited!

Children at Selam

We also discovered that they make all of the uniforms for the kids in house. Selam was quite an incredible place, although they definitely still have needs. They need funding for infrastructure like roads, buildings and fields. They have been looking for a dean for over a year. They said that often on paper the person looks qualified, but once they are working they lack the capacity that the school was expecting. They also need help with English training.

I'm glad that I got the opportunity to see another (and one of the largest) organizations in Addis. It gave me great perspective and inspiration for SLTSSA. Since they are 100% funded from outside sources, I think SLTSSA could think about being more financially sustainable by becoming more like a social enterprise. Just a thought? Tomorrow I will be back at SLTSSA and Makanisa, so I will be able to find out more and ask more questions.

Other observations/great things about today:

Seatbelts/Driving: I know that I've already talked about driving and traffic, but I have a few more observations. First, there are crosswalks all over Addis, but I'm not sure why, because the cars NEVER give people the right away. So it's not like the crosswalks do anything! Also, I can't stress enough how many people are out walking the streets... like the most I've ever seen. I don't know where people are always going or what they are doing on the streets, but they are always out. Second, there are usually no seatbelts in cars or autobuses. Maybe just for the driver and the passenger seats. At first this made me really nervous because driving here is crazy, but so far, this hasn't been any issue because even though the driving seems reckless to the naked eye, there are definitely unspoken rules that somehow make it all work.

For example, if you want to cross a busy intersection (and of course there are no lights or stop signs), then you just have to drive the car out in the intersection, BUT you don't have to really "worry" if the ongoing cars are going to stop, because they just do. In LA, you could never do this because drivers are never paying attention and would probably crash right into you, plus they would get mad. But here, it's just the reality that if you had to cross you would go. Not sure if this is making sense, but it works here. Also, I did notice that our driver would buckle and unbuckle his seat constantly. He would keep the seatbelt on his leg so it would look like it was on, but it was unbuckled. Not sure if he would buckle it when there was police around or what? And I don't know if there is a law or not (or if it's enforced) but I did notice that he did it about 6 times on our drive.

Injera: Tonight for dinner we had this amazing Ethiopia meal at our house. Injera! Injera is this very traditionally Ethiopian food. It's kinda like a large crepe, but made out of this grain called Teff (a grain high in iron! Perfect for the vegans out there) and a little bit sour. It's fermented. You put in on your plate and then you put different sauces/dishes on top of it. My favorite was the red lentils. YUM. You use the injera to pick up your food. No utensils. Just injera. It was so delcious. :)

Injera! (Just look at all those dishes!)

Today was a good day. A long one, but good. Tomorrow I'm back to SLTSSA. Hopefully it won’t be awkward for me and I'll have things to do and people to meet. It's always kinda weird to be alone in a new place, but I know God will be with me!

Day 6: Sunday (11/17): Day of Rest

Sunday, 11/17. Sunday mornings in Ethiopia are supposedly the most relaxed days. And I guess I can confirm this, since there were no screaming soccer playing kids waking me up this morning. Today, I woke up early, got ready for the day, and spent sometime with God before the day began. How blessed am I to be in Ethiopia right now? God is good. 

 

I thought it would be an appropriate time to share this picture of Ethiopia and God's Beauty.

Once everyone got up, we went to Kaldi's for breakfast. It's a coffee place that serves some pastries and some other foods. The logo is a green circular image... sound familiar? After breakfast we headed to IEC (International Evangelical Church) for church this morning. It's a church that Mindi and Dereje have gone to a few times. And wow, I was SO SURPRISED at the diversity at the church. There were so many people. I didn't even realize so many non Ethiopians were living in Addis. It felt so weird to see so many different people, not only Americans or Europeans, but also people from other African countries. When I asked Mindi why all these people were here, she said that there are a lot of international jobs here. There are embassies, non profit organizations, missionaries, and those involved in the African Union (AU) and other organizations. Also a lot of business happens in Addis. So there is a lot of diversity in the city, so much, that the church has francophone and Korean service as well! The message was great, and it was really nice to worship (in English) with so many people from all over the world. Seeing so many different people praising God together brought happiness to my heart.

After church we headed to the Sheraton to relax, eat and get some Internet access. Yesterday, we tried to go to the Golf Club to use their wifi, but like most places they use the Ethiopian internet system which is always down. Sheraton on the other hand, uses their own completely different Internet system. So we paid a little fee (hence why some of my blog posts made it) to use the Internet. But anyways, the Sheraton is Addis is REALLY NICE. They actually have a miniature model of the property to help you find your way around. Yes, it's that big and fancy.  Plus the prices are… well the same as in the states. Lunch cost me about $20, whereas in the rest of Ethiopia you can get a full meal for about $5.

The pool at the Sheraton

Being at the Sheraton made me realize that Ethiopia has two very different extremes. There are the poor who beg on the street, who don't have food or homes and then there are the very rich. Yes, I do realize that most of the people at the Sheraton today were guests, but we did see about 5 different wedding parties and wedding guests. All dressed in beautiful gowns and suits. I can't even imagine how expensive it must be to have your wedding at the Sheraton, but I'm assuming A LOT. I know that almost every city has this dichotomy, but I think I was just naïve and didn't expect it here in Ethiopia. Just to give you an even bigger picture: the 10th wealthiest man in the world lives in Ethiopia and owns the Sheraton here. Actually before it was build, the Sheraton area was a ghetto. But this man decided he wanted to build the hotel instead. So what do you think he did? He tore down the whole area and reallocated everyone that was living there to condominiums. Can you believe that? Wow. You got to be really rich to do that. I wonder how the extreme wealth makes the extreme poor feel and vise versa?!

Anyways, after that we went up the mountain to Entoto. It was the place where the first church was built and where past Kings and Queens lived. We got to see and walk around in some of the original homes. It was really neat to see this piece of history. (I also learned today that the Ethiopia calendar is about 6 years behind us. The tour guide continuously said, Ethiopia year XXXX. I also found out that Ethiopian time is different. They start the day at the time the sun rises. So for example, 6 p.m. on a Sunday in Ethiopia would actually be around Noon for them.

The church at Entoto (this is the one they rebuilt. The original one was built close by was very small.

--> That's the highlights for today. Tomorrow, my project coordinator at my organization will be out of the office, so instead of trying to make something work while he is gone, I'm going with Amy to visit Salam. I will tell you more about it when I learn more tomorrow!