One and All,
Hello from Ethiopia!
I feel like I've been here for ages, though I'm not even in my second week. The jet lag has worn off, and now I am adjusting to life at 8,000 feet. It is so good to be in the mountains again. And Addis Ababa is surprisingly cool this time of year. Apparently, the rainy season is just around the corner, so my summer will compare to the weather back home in Alaska, except for the occasional afternoon heat.
The rain will provide welcome relief from the smog— the number of cars in the city has risen exponentially in the past decade, with little effort to control vehicle emissions. Just breathing the air here is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. There is trash everywhere, and people sleeping on sidewalks and highway medians. I'm pretty sure I stepped over a dead guy at one point.
On the other hand, the people (at least the ones with jobs) are exceptionally well-dressed and quite proud. It is disconcerting to see an immaculately dressed woman, one who may have stepped right out of a fashion magazine, walking carefully across a muddy parking lot in high heels. A man you might take for a high-powered attorney rides on the back of a donkey cart. A boy drives his goats in front of a brand new sky-rise. And the Sheraton of Addis is pretty much paradise; I guess some Saudi sheik decided he needed a good place to stay in town. Palm trees, lights, colors, panache and such. It's all part of the show, folks.
Addis is a city of contrasts.
But 30 miles outside of the city, you find yourself back in the Stone Age. Gaunt cattle roam around aimlessly, and termite mounds spot the semi-arid landscape. A thin vein of modern civilization clings to the highways, and at the major intersections, the population congeals into ramshackle towns and villages. A few regional capitals could be called cities, even though livestock takes up more of the street than people.
Ethiopian food is fantastic. Traditionally, various stews, vegetables and meat dishes are placed on a platter covered with Njera, which is like a giant sourdough pancake. With your right hand, you tear off a piece of the bread and scoop up whatever dish delights you most. Spicy sauces and peppers on the side add a bit of a challenge to the game. And of course, Ethiopians pride themselves on their coffee, even claiming to be its birthplace.
I don't really understand the political situation in Ethiopia, and I'm not sure I can explain what I do understand. However, the country just threw off communist rule not 20 years ago. The Revolution did little good for Ethiopia, and much harm. Unity proves difficult, as there are over a hundred languages in use, and 30-something official languages of education.
People in the capital speak Amharic as their first language, though many speak some English as well. I've managed to pick up a few useful phrases, and I hope to know enough to be a nuisance to our guards before long. Fortunately, Amharic is a Semitic language, so the grammar and vocabulary bear significant similarities to Hebrew. Writing may prove more difficult for me than speech though, since there are over 200 letters in the alphabet. We'll see.
So those are my first impressions. The people are great. The landscape is inspiring. The city is intriguing... And appalling.
But the city is where the people are. People whom God loves. People who need to be embraced. People who need to be helped and to be taught. For that matter, I've got a good bit to learn myself.
I'll give you ministry-related details next weekend. I'll be down in the Rift-valley all week, so you can direct your prayers against the mosquitoes. It's the age-old battle of DDT versus Malaria. And I'm preaching twice this week, so you can pray I think and communicate clearly.
Lord bless.
Joel
Hello from Ethiopia!
I feel like I've been here for ages, though I'm not even in my second week. The jet lag has worn off, and now I am adjusting to life at 8,000 feet. It is so good to be in the mountains again. And Addis Ababa is surprisingly cool this time of year. Apparently, the rainy season is just around the corner, so my summer will compare to the weather back home in Alaska, except for the occasional afternoon heat.
The rain will provide welcome relief from the smog— the number of cars in the city has risen exponentially in the past decade, with little effort to control vehicle emissions. Just breathing the air here is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. There is trash everywhere, and people sleeping on sidewalks and highway medians. I'm pretty sure I stepped over a dead guy at one point.
On the other hand, the people (at least the ones with jobs) are exceptionally well-dressed and quite proud. It is disconcerting to see an immaculately dressed woman, one who may have stepped right out of a fashion magazine, walking carefully across a muddy parking lot in high heels. A man you might take for a high-powered attorney rides on the back of a donkey cart. A boy drives his goats in front of a brand new sky-rise. And the Sheraton of Addis is pretty much paradise; I guess some Saudi sheik decided he needed a good place to stay in town. Palm trees, lights, colors, panache and such. It's all part of the show, folks.
Addis is a city of contrasts.
But 30 miles outside of the city, you find yourself back in the Stone Age. Gaunt cattle roam around aimlessly, and termite mounds spot the semi-arid landscape. A thin vein of modern civilization clings to the highways, and at the major intersections, the population congeals into ramshackle towns and villages. A few regional capitals could be called cities, even though livestock takes up more of the street than people.
Ethiopian food is fantastic. Traditionally, various stews, vegetables and meat dishes are placed on a platter covered with Njera, which is like a giant sourdough pancake. With your right hand, you tear off a piece of the bread and scoop up whatever dish delights you most. Spicy sauces and peppers on the side add a bit of a challenge to the game. And of course, Ethiopians pride themselves on their coffee, even claiming to be its birthplace.
I don't really understand the political situation in Ethiopia, and I'm not sure I can explain what I do understand. However, the country just threw off communist rule not 20 years ago. The Revolution did little good for Ethiopia, and much harm. Unity proves difficult, as there are over a hundred languages in use, and 30-something official languages of education.
People in the capital speak Amharic as their first language, though many speak some English as well. I've managed to pick up a few useful phrases, and I hope to know enough to be a nuisance to our guards before long. Fortunately, Amharic is a Semitic language, so the grammar and vocabulary bear significant similarities to Hebrew. Writing may prove more difficult for me than speech though, since there are over 200 letters in the alphabet. We'll see.
So those are my first impressions. The people are great. The landscape is inspiring. The city is intriguing... And appalling.
But the city is where the people are. People whom God loves. People who need to be embraced. People who need to be helped and to be taught. For that matter, I've got a good bit to learn myself.
I'll give you ministry-related details next weekend. I'll be down in the Rift-valley all week, so you can direct your prayers against the mosquitoes. It's the age-old battle of DDT versus Malaria. And I'm preaching twice this week, so you can pray I think and communicate clearly.
Lord bless.
Joel
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3 comments:
Joel and Ethiopia Team. Hello from New York! It sounds like it will be an exciting and beneficial time. What I want to know is how is the farming up there? I really must know! I also would like to hear how you teach and talk to people. What would you like prayer for? But really all I want to know is about the farming.
joel,
scott here. readin this post while sippin some legal grounds special blend and eatin a prom cake. ian says you should dress up like rambo and take for ransom six cows then paint them blood red and set them on fire to run wildly through the city streets. miss you bro, sounds like youre doing well. ill see you Aug 19th in Anchorage, AK.
ps: how do the salmon spawn in the desert?
"Joel Reemtsma: On Assignment in Africa." This is some great writing-vivid descriptions, good imagery,settings come alive. I think it's cool that you're taking the time to get to know a place before you take it over.
Cheers,
Ian
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