If parting is such sweet sorrow, reconnecting will be pure joy
It's great to be back in Ethiopia.
After coming here every year since 2008, we took a year off because of the political unrest. There has been dissatisfaction with some of the decisions being made by the ruling party, a party of which it is not necessarily clear represents the majority of its citizens. In 2016, government troops fired into a crowd of protestors, killing over 200 people. Another riot resulted in several killed when the crowd panicked and started a stampede. Then, a woman, a graduate student from Berkeley, was killed when she was hit by a protestors rock while on a bus. The U.S. Embassy warned visitors that their staff was not allowed to leave the capital, so if something happened to American citizens while they were outside the city limits, they would not be able to help.
While things aren't completely settled, there seems to be progress towards a resolution. The Prime Minister released thousands of political prisoners and himself resigned. (A new Prime Minister is to be named tomorrow.)
We needed to not be here last year. It was potentially too dangerous.
However, our hearts grieved.
We've been working with the kids now at Meserte Kristos church since 2010. Most of them barely came up to my chest. They were thin, malnourished, and some of them were pretty sick. Because of the Children's Hopechest program, they are now flourishing. Some of them are taller than me. Some of them have left the program and started their own businesses. Some of them are enrolled in universities or technical colleges. This program has changed lifes. It is breaking the cycle of poverty.
But not coming last year was hard. We know these kids' names. We've been to their homes. We know their families. We've watched them grow every year. We've watchded them become more confident and sure of themselves. We've become closes to them.
Tomorrow, we get to see them again!
Our flight yesterday was painless. Easy run through security at Logan Airport, quick flight to Toronto, and then a joyful 12.5 hour flight to Addis.
One note about the trip:
There's something new called "eVisa" where you can pay for your visa online before you travel, supposedly to avoid long lines when you get to your destination. You fill out an online form, and then a few hours later, get a document to print and present at Immigration upon your arrival. While mine was ready in about two hours, Michael's was still not ready when I woke up in the morning. So, I did another one and then went about getting ready to go. However, it still hadn't been released by the time we had to leave. It was suggested that I show the immigration official the email visa (assuming it would be approved by the time we arrived in Ethiopia). The other option was to pay for another visa when I got to Ethiopia (at $50, that wasn't very appealing.)
Fortunately, the visa was approved while we were flying to Toronto, so I would just print it at the airport. Unfortunately, airports no longer seem to have business centers (at least the Toronto airport didn't have one). I found this out from the receptionist at the Air Canada executive club who mentioned that the club had a printer but since I wasn't a member, wouldn't be able to use. After a few minutes of talking, she agreed to let me print the visa.
Let me just say I got a view of how the other half lives! Nice big, cushy, comfortable seating, a bar, big (I mean huge) screen TVs, and computers to use. There were baskets and baskets of pastries and other food and bottles and bottles of water, soda, and juices. However, realizing the generosity of which I'd just been bestowed, I bypassed all of these goodies and got Michael's visa printed.
Good news, right? Maybe. Looks like everyone knows about eVisa, so the normally short line for the last immigration stop was very, very long, the line for those who chose to purchase their visas on site had a short, quick line. It took us over 90 minutes to get through immigration, while the person on our team who did't get the eVisa was through in about 20 minutes.
We met our Children's Hopechest crew outside the airport, loaded up suitcases, drove to our guest house, and have been vegging all day. I'm writing this at 8:00pm local time, fighting to keep my eyes open, listening to the noises around me. I hear competing calls to prayers, Ethiopian music on the radio in the nearby kitchen, sirens in the distance, It feels good to be here again.
Tomorrow, we head to Kombolcha. Our 50 minute flight is at 8:00am. We'll spend a short time with the kids at both care points tomorrow, and then start most of the program on Tuesday.
As I write this, I also think about everything that it took to get us here today. I'm grateful for my wife, Lori, who is one of the most organized people I know, for her work with Candy Tennant, our partner in North Carolina. I'm grateful for everyone that has been working so hard over the last year to pull together care packages, hygiene kits, crafts, rec supplies, and everything else we brought. I'm grateful to the sponsors who should know that the impact they've had on the lives of these kids is immeasureable. I'm grateful to all of our friends and family who have donated money that is being used for medical needs, food, and start up funds so kids in the program and their families can build their own businesses.
We will not have Internet access after tonight until Saturday when we return to Addis. Lori will be sharing status updates. I will add posts here once I am able.
Thank you to everyone for your support.
Tom
After coming here every year since 2008, we took a year off because of the political unrest. There has been dissatisfaction with some of the decisions being made by the ruling party, a party of which it is not necessarily clear represents the majority of its citizens. In 2016, government troops fired into a crowd of protestors, killing over 200 people. Another riot resulted in several killed when the crowd panicked and started a stampede. Then, a woman, a graduate student from Berkeley, was killed when she was hit by a protestors rock while on a bus. The U.S. Embassy warned visitors that their staff was not allowed to leave the capital, so if something happened to American citizens while they were outside the city limits, they would not be able to help.
While things aren't completely settled, there seems to be progress towards a resolution. The Prime Minister released thousands of political prisoners and himself resigned. (A new Prime Minister is to be named tomorrow.)
We needed to not be here last year. It was potentially too dangerous.
However, our hearts grieved.
We've been working with the kids now at Meserte Kristos church since 2010. Most of them barely came up to my chest. They were thin, malnourished, and some of them were pretty sick. Because of the Children's Hopechest program, they are now flourishing. Some of them are taller than me. Some of them have left the program and started their own businesses. Some of them are enrolled in universities or technical colleges. This program has changed lifes. It is breaking the cycle of poverty.
But not coming last year was hard. We know these kids' names. We've been to their homes. We know their families. We've watched them grow every year. We've watchded them become more confident and sure of themselves. We've become closes to them.
Tomorrow, we get to see them again!
Our flight yesterday was painless. Easy run through security at Logan Airport, quick flight to Toronto, and then a joyful 12.5 hour flight to Addis.
One note about the trip:
There's something new called "eVisa" where you can pay for your visa online before you travel, supposedly to avoid long lines when you get to your destination. You fill out an online form, and then a few hours later, get a document to print and present at Immigration upon your arrival. While mine was ready in about two hours, Michael's was still not ready when I woke up in the morning. So, I did another one and then went about getting ready to go. However, it still hadn't been released by the time we had to leave. It was suggested that I show the immigration official the email visa (assuming it would be approved by the time we arrived in Ethiopia). The other option was to pay for another visa when I got to Ethiopia (at $50, that wasn't very appealing.)
Fortunately, the visa was approved while we were flying to Toronto, so I would just print it at the airport. Unfortunately, airports no longer seem to have business centers (at least the Toronto airport didn't have one). I found this out from the receptionist at the Air Canada executive club who mentioned that the club had a printer but since I wasn't a member, wouldn't be able to use. After a few minutes of talking, she agreed to let me print the visa.
Let me just say I got a view of how the other half lives! Nice big, cushy, comfortable seating, a bar, big (I mean huge) screen TVs, and computers to use. There were baskets and baskets of pastries and other food and bottles and bottles of water, soda, and juices. However, realizing the generosity of which I'd just been bestowed, I bypassed all of these goodies and got Michael's visa printed.
Good news, right? Maybe. Looks like everyone knows about eVisa, so the normally short line for the last immigration stop was very, very long, the line for those who chose to purchase their visas on site had a short, quick line. It took us over 90 minutes to get through immigration, while the person on our team who did't get the eVisa was through in about 20 minutes.
We met our Children's Hopechest crew outside the airport, loaded up suitcases, drove to our guest house, and have been vegging all day. I'm writing this at 8:00pm local time, fighting to keep my eyes open, listening to the noises around me. I hear competing calls to prayers, Ethiopian music on the radio in the nearby kitchen, sirens in the distance, It feels good to be here again.
Tomorrow, we head to Kombolcha. Our 50 minute flight is at 8:00am. We'll spend a short time with the kids at both care points tomorrow, and then start most of the program on Tuesday.
As I write this, I also think about everything that it took to get us here today. I'm grateful for my wife, Lori, who is one of the most organized people I know, for her work with Candy Tennant, our partner in North Carolina. I'm grateful for everyone that has been working so hard over the last year to pull together care packages, hygiene kits, crafts, rec supplies, and everything else we brought. I'm grateful to the sponsors who should know that the impact they've had on the lives of these kids is immeasureable. I'm grateful to all of our friends and family who have donated money that is being used for medical needs, food, and start up funds so kids in the program and their families can build their own businesses.
We will not have Internet access after tonight until Saturday when we return to Addis. Lori will be sharing status updates. I will add posts here once I am able.
Thank you to everyone for your support.
Tom
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