January 6th 2012
Today is our 4th day in Ethiopia. It’s hard to believe, but the time is flying fast!
We had one day in London January 2nd, where we had a great day (despite being exhausted from lack of sleep!). We started off by taking the tube to Buckingham Palace, and got there just in time to see the changing of the guards. Then we were off to Camden Lock Market, where we got to soak up some British street culture and do a bit of shopping before heading to Reuben’s for lunch (a kosher 5 star restaurant in central London). After that we were definitely too tired to do anything else, and headed back to the airport for the flight to Ethiopia.
We arrived in Addis Ababa, the country’s capital, and were brought to our hotel. We met the Israeli group and had breakfast together before having our first briefing with Manlio Dell’Ariccia, the JDC’s Country Director for Ethiopia, a charming Italian from Rome! Soon after, we had a briefing with Dr. Rick Hodes, JDC’s Medical Director in Ethiopia. After lunch, we had the opportunity to go visit the JDC’s in-transit house where they hold the Falasha Mura (descendants of the Beta Israel people of Ethiopia) for just a 24-hour period before they board their plane to Israel to make Aliyah. This experience was really the first of what will be several shocking and emotional experiences on this trip. These people have literally nothing. They are given clothing and new shoes, and some basic medical care before leaving for Israel. We met a little boy who was at the in-transit house, whose entire family was already in Israel. We also met a couple who were about 80 years old, and have been waiting over 10 years to make Aliyah. It was a touching and humbling experience.
Day two we woke up at around 3:30 AM to start our day with a flight to Gondar. The second we landed; we really felt that we were in Africa. We went from the airport to start our first day of work building a new school in Gebrut Waka. The ride from the airport to Gebrut Waka was amazing. Open fields various shades of brown and beige, with shepherds and their sheep and goats (some boys as young as 3 years old had this job, and did it alone). The kids ran after our bus as we passed, and waved at us. I was in the builder’s group, and we got straight to work as soon as we arrived! Did I mention we had an audience? Somehow in Ethiopia, wherever we go we attract a following. One, two, then 50 kids appear out of nowhere, just to watch us. They are mesmerized by everything we do. We worked all day long, laying bricks and cementing them. In between we took the time to play with some (we started a soccer game with the ball they were using: a piece of fabric stuffed with cotton). The kids have no shoes and threadbare clothing, but they LOVE to play! It was amazing. They are so shy to speak to us, but the second they smile you can see the joy that comes out of them from the simplest acts. We really take life for granted. These kids walk sometimes an hour or more just to get to school (and remember, that’s with no shoes or water in sight). After leaving I think we all felt amazing for the work we had just done, and excited for all the work we have yet to do. Next stop was the Jewish Agency for Israel’s office where we had a briefing and learned more about the Aliyah process and the Falasha Mura community still living in and around Gondar.
Day three was equally amazing. My group switched with the other group, so they were building and we were visiting a school built by the JDC to help de-worm the children, check their vision and do a few activities with them. There were a couple of different classes that rotated in their one-room school. We took turns helping to administer the medication to the children, checking their vision and playing with them. My favorite part was when we started singing with one of the groups of kids and teachers. We taught them some songs we know (the ABCs, Head-shoulders-knees and toes) and then asked them to teach us a song. The kids all started clapping, with one girl singing a chorus (the traditional way they sing here). I have been dying to learn the Ethiopian dance (an amazing dance using mainly the shoulders and chest) and I finally saw it! Two of the kids did it for us, briefly, but the other kids were too shy, as well as the teachers! It was incredible. Don’t worry we took videos!!!. We gave them some presents we had brought (soccer balls and basket balls, tennis balls, pens, coloring books, notebooks and markers) and saw how much these small gifts mean to them. They followed us back to our buses to say goodbye (as we are starting to see is very common here…:). Next stop were the JDC’s water development projects (one at a local school, and one site for a soon to be well). When we got to the school, we were led to the back where Alemu, a local JDC staff member explained this well. They re-routed a natural spring and built a cement dam so that the water is stored all night and during the day, runs. Locals come to fill their 7-liter buckets. When we were there, an old woman was filling hers. She must have been 80 years old, and was saying how happy she is that the water is there. She thanked us over an over again. Next we went to an area where there is a small pond, where a spring runs into. To us it looked a bit murky but as we were standing there, a woman approached with her bucket. Women work very hard here. Sometimes they walk up to two hours per day (each way) to get water for their families. We saw one woman filtering the water as she was pouring into her bucket with a mesh filter. Many people suffer from various illnesses that are contracted by drinking contaminated water. Alemu asked if we could try to carry it to see how heavy it was. Jordanna volunteered. It was so heavy she said she would never even last 5 minutes, let alone the twenty the woman would be walking with it on one shoulder. This little pond with the spring will be the site of the JDC’s next water treatment “dam” as they call it, and the people using that water will finally have access to clean water. The basic necessities we take for granted are so precious here.
Next stop: a meet and greet with a few of the JDC’s scholarship recipients, which are given to women who are enrolled in nursing and other programs like midwifery. They get some spending money and their tuition, room and board is paid for. We got to speak to some of them about the work they are doing. One of the midwife students (who is currently already practicing) told us that the women walk during labor to get to the hospital to give birth. Many of them won’t leave their villages, where they have a traditional birthing dance that they do when in labor.
Day 5 was today!
We went to the JDC clinic where we helped give out these nutritional bars mainly to kids and pregnant mothers. They’re called plumpy-nut! They have 500 calories, and they follow close to 6000 patients monthly to make sure they are gaining weight and are getting proper nutrition. We also played with the kids and had so much fun giving them some toys, and blowing bubbles, which I’m sure they have never seen before in their lives. It was truly enriching. Next we went to the school where Alex and Ari teach English, the two JDC fellows that are working on the ground here. We got a chance to have “speed dates” with one of their classes and converse with them in English. They are so eager to learn and love asking questions. It is beautiful to see. After that, we went to Wolleka, a small village where the Beta Israel lived. There is still a Jewish Cemetery there, and we had a beautiful ceremony organized by a few of the participants on the trip. They said a few words and we had a moment of silence for the Jews who died here. The group we have is really amazing and we are so lucky.
That brings us to Shabbat which starts soon! We will be lighting the candles soon…gotta run!!!
Hope you got a glimpse into our trip. More to come soon 
Elysa
