In Bahar Dar, by Lake Tana

by Heather Plett | Jan 13, 2007 | Uncategorized

“Salam!” I’m not sure if I’m spelling it right, but that’s how you say hello in Amharic, the local language of Ethiopia. We’re having an amazing time here.

Our journey across the countryside is nearing an end. The first members of our group (Jim & Sharon) are leaving this afternoon to fly to Addis Ababa and then home. The rest of the group will drive to Addis tomorrow and then we will prepare to go our separate ways shortly after that.

It has been an incredible week. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity not only to see some amazing countryside and to meet incredible people here, but also to travel with a remarkable team of people. It has definitely been a “God thing”, pulling some very gifted people together for this trip.

I don’t have much time to write now, but I wanted to let everyone know that we are safe and happy, the journey has been a success so far, and we have fallen in love with Ethiopia. We have all commented how incredibly beautiful this country is – much more beautiful than we could have imagined. We have seen vistas that rival the Alps, the Grand Canyon, and the Rocky Mountains. We have met amazing people who are committed to helping their people and building their country into the place it has the potential to be. We have been blessed.

My heart is so full of the wonders I have seen. I will write much more about this, but for now, I want to live in the moment and enjoy a lovely hotel with a great view. Talk to you soon!

Peace!

Fulness

by Heather Plett | Jan 5, 2007 | Uncategorized

Wow! My heart is full of the sights and sounds and smells and tastes of Ethiopia. So full, I feel almost ready to burst. It’s been a good – very good – day.

This morning, when I awoke from a surprisingly good sleep (that homeopathic “no jetlag” pill that Stu gave me seems to have worked!) I realized that, as much as I love stepping off the airplane (or train or car) in a new country, even more than that I like waking up in one. The first day is often a little overwhelming in its intensity. Everything feels foreign – you don’t know who to trust, you don’t know how to catch a cab, you don’t know how to say “no thank you” to the dozens of people who want you to buy their wares, and you don’t even have a familiar room to hide in when the unfamiliarity gets to be too much. On top of that, you’re suffering from jetlag or just plain tiredness from traveling, and your emotions feel a little close to the surface.

By the next morning, however, if you’re lucky enough to have had a good night’s sleep, the world looks full of possibilities and promise. By then, there is some safety in the room where you’ve laid your head, you’ve had a brief opportunity to learn some of the crucial cultural do’s and don’ts, and you feel so much more prepared to see the foreignness as opportunity rather than obstacle.

This morning, I ventured out onto the streets alone. I’d been told that there was a market within walking distance, and I headed in that direction. As soon as I’d set foot outside of the hotel complex, however, I was joined by Solomon, who told me he worked at the hotel laundry and was out for a stroll and wondered if he could join me. Having had enough experience traveling in places similar to this one in the past, I knew that Solomon’s interest in joining me was not strictly for a friendly stroll. I wasn’t sure what he was after, but I had a pretty good hunch he would offer to show me the sights, maybe help me find my way to the market, and then hope to be paid for his efforts. At first, I was wary, but after chatting with him for awhile, I decided to trust him to help me find my way. After all, it seemed easier to navigate the streets with a local person at my side than alone. At least with him beside me, it was easier to say no to beggars, enterprising salespeople, and/or people offering a taxi or bus ride.

That’s one of the things I have a hard time getting used to in developing countries – especially in the cities. Because of the lack of employment and the intensity of poverty, people have to become resourceful in order to support themselves and their families. Some turn to begging and many hock their wares wherever they can find a willing customer. A white person – particularly one walking alone and looking distinctly like a visitor – is a prime target. Everywhere you go, someone is hoping you’ll be willing to part with your money. Walk down a short street, and you’ll be approached by small children with sob stories about their parents both being dead as well as several dozen people wanting to sell you paintings or crafts or fruit or any number of things. Most of them are quite aggressive too – following you down the street and insisting that you stop. In areas where poverty is particularly intense, you see a desperation in their eyes. I find it rather exhausting. I suppose if you lived here, you’d become somewhat immune to it, but in my short visits, it often feels overwhelming.

Anyway – back to Solomon, my personal guide to the market place. He was very pleasant, and he told me many stories of Addis Ababa and himself. If his story is truthful (and I have no reason to believe it’s not, but some of it might have been a story to get me to trust him and be generous to him), he’s studying to be an artist. While he studies, he does laundry at the hotel. But they don’t pay him – they only provide food and lodging. He has a girlfriend, but he cannot marry her until he has a steady income and her family is satisfied that he can provide for her.

Solomon took me to what he called the “student market”. Apparently, the handicrafts sold there raise money to support the student artists who make them. He showed me some of his paintings, and I liked one of them enough to buy it. I also bought some beautiful silver jewelry. Oh my! There is so much beautiful local art, jewelry and textiles! I could come home with a boat-load!

We didn’t make it past that store (since I already spent more money than I’d planned to today). When we were done there, he took me back to the hotel aboard the most common local transportation – a small bus/van that they pack full of so many people it feels like the sides will burst open. When we parted, I was a little surprised at the amount of money he asked for – I gave him a lower sum which was still VERY generous. Not surprisingly, we parted ways before reaching the hotel. I suspect he doesn’t actually work for the hotel, but that he used that bit of information to get me to trust him.

For lunch, I had my first serving of injera, the local food. It’s a pancake-like bread that they put a variety of stews and sauces on and you tear a piece off to wrap around the bite of food you want to eat. I quite like it, though I’m horribly messy and use up a lot of napkins.

After lunch, Azeb, the administrative assistant at our Ethiopian office, picked me up to give me a tour of the city. First we drove up Entoto (sp?) mountain where there is a museum, St. Mary’s church, and the rather plain palace of a former emperor. We hired a tour guide and took a tour of the buildings and grounds. One thing I’ve learned fairly quickly is that Ethiopia is steeped in ancient history that dates back to Biblical times, and the people feel a great pride for their history. Everyone talks about the Queen of Sheba, who gave birth to one of King Solomon’s sons who grew up and took the Ark of the Covenant away from Israel and carried it to Ethiopia. Apparently, the Ark is still here in Ethiopia, though no one is ever allowed to see it anymore.

After the mountain (which was a bit of an interesting, steep, white-knuckle climb) we visited the cathedral. The orthodox church is very strong in Ethiopia. Depending on who you talk to, either 60 or 80 percent of Ethiopians are Christians, and of those, 90 percent are Orthodox. The other 20 to 40 percent are Islamic. While we were at the cathedral, worship was in process, so we got to sit and watch and listen to the worship. Most of the service, including the reading of the holy book, is done in a melodic, sing-song voice that sounds somewhat like the Islamic call to prayer. It was quite moving sitting there in a beautiful church listening to the people worship.

Azeb brought me back to the hotel, and I went down to the restaurant for supper. Though I usually enjoy eating alone when I travel, after a few days of it, I was feeling rather lonely tonight. After 2 full intense days, I really wanted someone to talk to and share my food with. But I had no-one, so once again, I ate alone. I was beginning to wish that, instead of a hotel I’d stayed at a guest house where people tend to eat together and have more communal spaces in which to strike up conversations.

Just as I was eating my fruit salad for dessert, God must have decided to answer the prayer I didn’t really pray, and sent some people to keep me company. What a pleasant surprise! First I chatted with a young girl whose precociousness made me lonesome for Maddie. Then I struck up a conversation with her mom. Frey grew up in Ethiopia but moved to Portland 10 years ago. This was her first visit back to Ethiopia since she left. She was dining with her brother Samson who still lives in Ethiopia. Recognizing that I might be lonely, they invited me to eat with them. I carried my dessert over to their table, and very quickly knew that I’d found just the right friendly, gracious people to take the edge off my loneliness. They were
so gracious in fact, that they not only paid for my meal, but invited me to join them at a local night club where we could see cultural dancing and music.

We shared a bottle of wine at the Dos Abyssimia and it proved to be a magical evening. We watched the dancing and enjoyed comfortable conversation. Little Helen danced for us, and before long, fell asleep in her mother’s lap. We ate lamb goulash (once again with injera), and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to pass the evening. They wouldn’t let me pay for the wine but once again insisted on treating me. It was their way of welcoming me into their country, they said.

Wow! What hospitality! It makes me want to search out lonely foreigners visiting my country and make them feel as welcome as I was made to feel tonight. Unfortunately, in North America, we’re too often wary of strangers and not often enough open and gracious.

After a full day, I look forward to another good night’s sleep. As I lay my head down tonight, most of you are in the middle of your day. It’s eleven thirty here, but at home, it’s 2:30 in the afternoon.

Made it!

by Heather Plett | Jan 4, 2007 | Uncategorized

I’m sitting in my room at the Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa. It 6:20 in the evening, but my brain still tells me it’s 9:21 in the morning and that I just missed a full night of sleep. I’m exhausted. If I start to slur my words, forgive me. I don’t want to go to sleep just now, though. I’m trying to fight it off until at least 9:00 so I can get a decent night’s sleep and try to adjust to this time zone.

Dusk is settling in. Just outside my massive window, there are towering trees and brightly coloured flowers. They’ve just turned on the lanterns along the footpath. It’s quite a beautiful view. The hotel grounds are quite magnificent.

So far, things are going well. I got in early this morning after another long flight. I didn’t sleep well on that flight – mostly because I was frickin’ cold the whole time. Those thin blankets they give you on planes just don’t do much to fight the chill.

I had a short nap when I got to my room, and then Kebede, our Ethiopian consultant picked me up to take me to the Ministry of Information where we applied for our film permit. For a few scary moments, it looked like it would be touch and go because I’d gotten a tourist visa instead of a business visa. But it looks like they’re going to let it pass. We have to pick it up tomorrow. Navigating the bureaucracy is challenging in ANY country, but it’s multiplied when you’re in a developing country and they’re speaking a foreign language. Thank God for Kebede who’s an old pro at working the system around here!

I have a reasonably good dial-up connection at the hotel, so I may be able to post once or twice before we hit the road on Monday. Tomorrow – SHOPPING! I’ve already seen some nice souvenirs I’ve got my eyes on.

Unfortunately, my joy at being here is tinged with a bit of sadness. The first email I opened when I turned on the computer was one from Marcel with the subject line “sad news”. Of course, it was with some trepidation that I opened it. Sadly, a close family friend – my best childhood friend Julie’s dad – was killed in a car accident. I feel a little sick with sadness that I can’t be there for Julie during this time. She was there for me (and my mom) when my dad died and now I really wish I could return the favour. I know how it feels to be punched in the gut with the sudden death of a parent.

Time to head to the dining room for supper. Talk to you soon!

Posting out of sheer boredom

by Heather Plett | Jan 3, 2007 | Uncategorized

All of those departure times and not one of them is mine! I still have four hours to wait. It’s been about five so far. I’m getting bored. I’ve wandered every corner of the departure lounge about 5 times. Ask me where to buy a new tie, a digital camera, or a fashion magazine in the Frankfurt airport – I’ll find it for you in less than 5 minutes. That’s just how bored I am.

I can’t find a comfortable chair to curl up with a good book. There are very few chairs in the departure area. I guess they expect everyone to check in first BEFORE relaxing. The problem is, I had to collect my luggage and then re-check in, but the check-in counter doesn’t open until a few hours before the flight, so I’m stuck with a cart full of luggage and nowhere to go. At first I thought I’d have to wait until check-in to go pee (can you bring a luggage cart into the washroom?) but then I got desperate enough and found a handicap washroom with enough room for the cart. Whew! Relief!

Let me tell you about some of the sites in the Frankfurt airport….

Did you know that God owns a store here?

And I guess, when they’re serving booze out of the back of a car, they’re not too worried about drinking and driving.

I love the way staff around here get around – on bicycles.

And this is how I look after two flights and several hours of boredom.

Let me tell you, though, they may have been long flights, but MAN was I pampered. I think I have officially been spoiled for regular economy class travel. I was in business class on both flights, and there is nothing quite like reclining in your huge easy chair, sipping champagne, while the commoners file past to the cheap seats in the back! Before we’d even taken off from Toronto, they’d brought champagne, blankets, pillows, a toiletry kit, water bottles, and promises of MUCH more. Sipping tea out of REAL teacups and washing your hands with warm towels is DA BOMB! I’m going to have a hard time downgrading to the cattle class on my flight to Ethiopia.

Trust me, though, I didn’t CHOOSE business class. I booked late and there was nothing else available. I’d feel more than just a little guilty working for a non-profit organization, flying to a developing country to visit people with not enough food to eat, and opting for business class!

Oh – and if you think I’ll post this often when I reach Ethiopia – sorry, I don’t expect so. It will be much harder there, with little or no connection.

By the way, since I’m also blogging for work, I saved my deep thoughts for this post.

On the way

by Heather Plett | Jan 3, 2007 | Uncategorized

Delayed. My flight has been delayed by more than two hours. Sigh. I’m sitting in the Toronto airport. I’m supposed to be on a flight bound for Frankfurt, leaving in twenty five minutes, but instead I will sit here for an extra two hours and hope that the crew, currently stuck in Montreal, will make it here soon.

Fortunately, I have lots of time to spare in Frankfurt before catching my connection to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Unless something goes seriously wrong I should make it.

As I sit here, I recognize the now-familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach – a healthy dose of excitement, mixed with a small measure of guilt. I love hopping on airplanes and heading off on adventures, but when I kiss my family good-bye and they stand there on the other side of the security barricade fighting the tears, I feel a little sick to my stomach. Is it okay to say goodbye to them for two weeks? Am I a bad mother for occasionally putting my dreams and my career ahead of my kids? Will they hate me for this and grow up damaged by my occasional disappearance?

I know I will miss them, but I also know that they will miss me more. It’s always harder being the one left at home. I will have enough adventure and excitement to keep me from intense loneliness, but they have only the ordinariness of daily routine. They will feel the absence of Mommy every single day.

Don’t get me wrong though – the guilt is never strong enough to make me reconsider my life and my choices. I love what I do and I will continue to do it, despite the occasional spasm of guilt for leaving now and then. In the end, I know that the opportunity to fulfill my wanderlust once in awhile makes me a better mother because it makes me happier. And a happier mom makes for happier kids.

Switching topics (because I can only talk about Mommy guilt for so long before I get distracted by more interesting things), I had a delightful conversation on the flight from Winnipeg to Toronto. I don’t always chat with people on airplanes – usually I relish the opportunity to sit quietly with my own thoughts and read or watch a movie. But since I have lots of flying ahead of me, I didn’t mind sharing a couple of hours with an interesting seat-mate. Tom, my flying companion, is a pilot who was on his way home after a shift. He’s in the process of moving from Halifax to Winnipeg.

He had lots of stories to tell, but the best one was about the time he flew for a skydiving company. Just as I discovered when I went skydiving, he said jump instructors are often cut from the same cloth. They’re adrenaline junkies who love to party, and they often portray the same persona as surfer dudes. At the company where he was working, they had an annual tradition of doing a nude group jump. On one of these events, a storm was beginning to blow in, and he said he wasn’t sure they could do the jump. But the flight instructors kept pushing him to fly them up despite the approaching clouds. So he did, but insisted they get out of the plane a little earlier then planned because he wanted to make it back to the ground before the storm arrived. Just as he was landing, the storm arrived, and two of the jumpers got blown way off course. They landed two miles away from the hanger, in a plowed corn field. There they were, in the middle of a muddy field, buck naked with the rain pouring down on them. They hiked to the nearest road, wrapped their chutes around them, and tried to hitch a ride. Not surprisingly, no one stopped to pick up the muddy, bedraggled, naked skydivers. Eventually, they were found by one of their partners who’d gone in search of them. Since then, I’m sure they’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of THAT story!

Yay! I just found a spot in the terminal with wireless! At first I’d have to post this from Frankfurt, but now I can get it online sooner. For you, my dear readers, I searched for a connection so that you wouldn’t have to wonder for a moment longer “where’s Heather at?”

By the way, isn’t an airport just the most fascinating place to people-watch? I just sat in the cafe watching a young woman have a vicious fight with her lover. She spoke French, but there were enough English swear words and hand gestures thrown in that I could catch the drift. I often marvel at people’s comfort level on cell phones – do they REALLY not mind that anyone can listen in on their personal intimate moments?

Oh – they’re calling for pre-boarding on my flight – gotta go! Catch up with you soon!

I resolve

by Heather Plett | Dec 31, 2006 | Uncategorized

I don’t normally make New Year’s resolutions, but here are a few I thought I could live up to…

I resolve to:
– eat chocolate when I feel like it
– play “would you rather” in the bathtub with Maddie until she outgrows it
– laugh
– read a few good books
– enjoy my husband’s kisses
– write things that inspire me
– believe in people
– forgive myself for not getting the laundry put away

– lounge around the house in my pajamas on Saturday mornings with my daughters

– let the kids have coke and chocolate for breakfast on New Year’s morning, like they’ve done every year since the turn of the century
– send a few things in the mail to special people
– go to the Folk Festival and discover a new singer-songwriter to fall in love with
– hang out in my favourite bookstore
– eat s’mores by a campfire
– play Settlers with Julie
– enjoy the company of friends
– walk to 7-11 for a Slurpee with my daughters
– gaze out the window of an airplane
– get a few more things published
– put highlights in Nikki’s hair again
– make friends with a stranger
– savour good food
– listen to the birds
– keep doing “lie-with-me-night” until the girls don’t want me in their bedrooms anymore
– paint something
– follow my calling
– write blog posts
– daydream
– read interesting magazines
– indulge myself
– show compassion
– pray
– waste time and enjoy it
– encourage my children in their giftedness
– go on a few dates with my husband
– stand up for someone
– eat a fresh mango
– give something away
– be bold
– sleep in late
– be kind to my mother
– ride my bike through the park
– eat popcorn at a movie with one, two, or three of my siblings
– stare into space
– let go of unnecessary things
– visit my dad’s grave
– play with lego
– read blogs that make me laugh, cry, smile, cringe, or snort
– sit under an acacia tree