DAY 1 IN ADDIS ABABA

In the airport parking area, we watched our van driver and a few young men as they loaded all our bags onto a small rack on top of the van. It truly looked like one of those safari shows you see on the Discovery Channel...two guys on the ground hoisting things up to one on top, who then piled them, not so gracefully, but efficiently, nonetheless, one on top of the other. The final step was to crisscross rope across, over, under, and through all the bags so that each one was secure.

We then squeezed ourselves into every available seat and space in the van, and one or two of us rode with Mesfin, and we were off to our hotel. As we drove through Bore on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, and the area where the airport is actually located, we began to get a real feel for life in this Ethiopian city. It was as if everything was in motion. Traffic....cars, vans, trucks, buses, all vying for space on every road and in every intersection;  people....walking everywhere...on sidewalks, along roadways, sometimes IN the roads; animals...dogs in the median and along the side of the road, a herd of goats being shepherded up a side street, a couple of donkeys being led down the sidewalk, a man walking a single goat on a leash; the energy of the city was now evident, prominent, in your face.

Also immediately evident was the different architecture, signage, posted billboards, the small shack-like store fronts with merchandise spilling out onto the streets, and of course, the extreme diversity of the people’s modes of dress; That old adage, “we ain’t in Kansas anymore, Dorothy” popped into my head! I also realized once again how clothing often defines and classifies us. Even in this society, it was often obvious who were the haves and who were the have-nots. It was also clear from the clothing that different indigenous cultures were also represented here. Colors of clothing, the ways that certain articles were wrapped, headdresses, etc., collectively seemed to be indicators of some people’s origins.

I began snapping pictures out the window of the van as we drove along, hoping to catch even a few shots of this new and foreign (to me) city bustle. One picture I have yet to get, but would love for everyone back home to see is that of these small trucks with wooden side racks on them, which carry huge amounts of fruits...melons, bananas, just loaded!

So, eventually, we reached the hotel, the Ras Amba, which is perched on the hillside, and which is reached via the steep, ruddy alleyway behind the building. It’s a nice little place, older, not posh, by any means, but pleasant. Is it like a place in the states? No, not much. It has plywood built in wardrobes, sconce-type light fixtures, none of which are still hanging upright, water-damaged ceilings, and loose doorknobs and locks. The bathrooms in the rooms have broken tiles, water-stained ceilings and walls, broken leaky pipes, and ours has a semi-permanent puddle on one end of the room. But the rooms are fairly clean, the people are nice, and all we need are a place to sleep comfortably and be able to bathe. And after some of the sites we’ve seen, even on this short trip from the airport, I am very thankful for what we have.

We got our room assignments, and everyone headed off with their gear to get everything put away, and freshen up a bit. We then followed our leader up to the 3rd floor where there was this beautiful little terrace, complete with tables, chairs, etc., and an incredible view of the city skyline below. I have to admit I was pleased to hear the younger folks say that they were very winded after walking up the stairs! Turns out that even at 8000 feet, the air is much thinner, and it can really magnify any exertion.

We ordered coffee and milk, and a few ordered breakfast. Coffee is thick and dark, like espresso, and oxygenated so that it is almost frothy. Milk is served steamed and frothy, and the combination is absolutely delicious! We had a bit of a pep talk about trying to keep going so that we could all get acclimatized and push through our potential jet-lag. We all agreed to meet again in the lobby about noon to head out for some lunch.

Mesfin had a driver and a van meet us at the hotel and transport us all over to the Blue Top restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed ordering fairly western food for our first meal in the city. After a tasty lunch, we began working our way back, but stopped, as planned, at the National Museum of Ethiopia. We had a very nice young man who gave us a tour through the exhibits. There were art work, artifacts from local excavations, regalia and furniture from different imperial regimes, and of course, the replicas of the skeleton of “Lucy”, the first Australopithecus Afarensis remains found in the Rift Valley. Turns out the original are actually on exhibit in the U.S.!

After the museum tour, we continued walking back to our hotel through the busy streets. Again, the whole area was teeming with people and traffic, and I remember thinking what sensory overload this experience is. Sight, sound, smell...it is so hard to explain!

When we returned to our hotel, we went to our respective rooms and rested for a period. I took advantage of that time to shower and wash off the day’s dust and sweat. We met Mesfin once again at about 7 pm, and piled into the van and Mesfin’s vehicle, and headed off to a restaurant called 2000 Habesha Cultural Restaurant. Great place! There were short stools and chairs that I presume had been created locally by artisans. Short tables centered various seating groups and provide the place for food and drink. This place had a full buffet type menu of traditional Ethiopian food. To add to its appeal, if also had a traditional band playing native music. And to add even FURTHER appeal, there were dancers who appeared and reappeared, each time with a costume changed, and demonstrating a new and culturally or tribally different dance. It was very exciting to watch.

Our driver waited at the restaurant for us and transported us back to the hotel, where all of the group, once again, headed for the terrace for a discussion of our day’s activities, and a briefing about plans for the next. Following that, I headed off to my room to try once again to connect to the internet on the wireless network. The service is a bit sketchy, so I am having some minor difficulties getting my blogs uploaded. I will also take this opportunity to apologize for any mistakes you may find. Our day was so busy, and it is when I am my most tired that I seem to have time to update the blog sites.

HEADING OUT!!

Well, team Ethiopia pulled out of the parking lot at Shenandoah University a few minutes after 7 am Friday, March 4th. We had loaded two vans with everyone’s bags as they rolled in, and, while we were waiting for others to come, we chatted as we bounced and moved, and generally tried to stay warm. Most of us didn’t wear winter coats because, of course, we were traveling to a sub-tropical area, and no one wanted the added bulk. And the order I put in for warm weather must not have gone through! We really appreciated that President Tracy Fitzsimmons and Bethany Galipeau-Konate, who is in charge of the Global Citizenship Project, both braved the cold to come out and see our team off. Bethany even brought donuts for everyone!

We finally loaded everyone into the vans, despite the fact that we were still missing one student, and we were just getting ready to leave when that last student arrived. We were on our way! We arrived at the door nearest the Ethiopia Airways gates and unloaded everyone and headed inside. At the gate, “mama” Jean Hayes, one of our staff members, who also happens to work with the GCP and international students, gathered all our passports and headed for the gate to help get us all checked in. That proved to be a great time-saver, and we were all checked in, and bags were all checked in no time.

Security was relatively uneventful, and we hopped the shuttle to the B terminal. It seemed like no time until we were boarding Ethiopia Airways flight 501, beginning around 10 am. The plane was a very large 747 with rows of three seats on each side, and three in the middle. As one may imagine, boarding all those people took a considerable amount of time. For us, however, we were on our way to an exciting new place, so it didn’t bother anyone. Takeoff was also smooth and soon, everyone was watching movies or TV shows, playing games, or listening to music on his own screen on the back of the seat in front of him.

There was a very diverse mix of people on board...young, old, white, brown, black. I remember standing near the very back of the plane at one point waiting for the rest room, and looking out across the sea of heads before me, many of which were adorned with the most colorful and varied array of hats, scarves and headdresses, and thinking what a great photograph that would make.

All the members of our group were seated in the same general vicinity. There was a young mother with four small children, probably aged 2 to 5, sitting in the rows in front of us. She, and a few other ladies somehow managed to keep these children relatively quiet and subdued throughout the trip! I marveled the whole time at how well-behaved these children really were. I am not sure that I could have kept my own kids entertained with such success for so long a period of time!

We were served two meals on board during the flight, both of which were surprisingly good, AND they opened up the little kitchenette in between and set out an array of sandwiches, snacks, drinks, etc. for everyone to just go pick up if they wished. Periodically, I would check the interactive map on the screen in front of me periodically to see where we might be. I was watching as the little plane icon flew over parts of Spain, Portugal, Tunis, and more! I remember looking past the folks in my row and out the window at one point around 7 pm (home time) and seeing a strip of coastal land all brightly lit and glistening in the blackness below. I checked the map on the screen on the seat in front of me, and it indicated we were passing over Algiers!


I think I speak for everyone when I say that the long flight turned out to be a lot less painful than perhaps we expected. We deboarded, again, without incident, and relatively quickly, and we were met by one of our leader, Des’ friends, Mesfin, with whom he once worked here in Addis Ababa. Mesfin has been very helpful already in Des’ preparations for our arrival, and today, he helps us through customs, through gathering baggage from the claim area, and he has a van in the parking lot waiting to load up our gear and transport us to our hotel!

As we stepped out of the airport on our way to our vehicle, we were immediately bathed in warm 78 or so degree sunshine! Having left the mid-Atlantic earlier this same day, essentially, at 20 degrees with windy conditions, this was certainly a welcome change for me!

Coming up next....Day 1 in Addis Ababa!

One Step Closer!

About the packing thing…I think I may have it licked! I went through my clothes tonight and made some decisions as to what I would actually take with me. I ironed a few shirts, got everything folded, picked out the suitcase I’ll use, and gathered most of the incidentals like toiletries, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Now, if I can just fit everything in the suitcase! I really should put everything in my suitcase, and have my wife put a lock on it so that I can’t change my mind about anything inside! Usually if I plan this far ahead, I tend to second-guess and question myself, and that leads to something stupid like, “Maybe I should take khakis instead of jeans.” OK, I’m going to stop right there. I will not change my mind. I will not change my mind. I will not change my mind!

I transferred my camera, batteries and charger, and SD cards over to my new camera hip bag. I pulled out my travel backpack that will neatly fit either into the overhead compartments or under the seat. I tracked down the neoprene sleeve that works best with my laptop, and makes passing everything through security at the airport a lot easier. I went through my dop kit and took out all unnecessary items and added a few small things that are needed. It’s finally starting to sink in that we actually leave in two days for Ethiopia!

The final GCP pre-travel meeting was this past Sunday afternoon and when we broke out into our separate groups, our team had the chance to ask questions and discuss things we may have been wondering or worrying about. I felt a great sense of relief throughout the group as we said our goodbyes and left that meeting! Off I went to the store to pick up a waterproof rain jacket and a travel umbrella to ward off the possible early spring rains, something I hadn’t, until this meeting, even thought about.  Quite coincidentally, I ran into two of my travel mates in the store picking up last-minute items too!

We have been given our itinerary for the trip. It includes a trip to the Rift Valley, and the museum there that contains the remains of “Lucy,” the first-known upright-walking homo sapiens, first discovered in 1974; a day-long excursion out to the mouth of the Blue Nile and the Nile River Gorge; visits to the university, the hospital, and one of the embassies; and a trek though the ‘Mecato,’  one of the largest open-air markets in the world. There are also some flexible times built into our schedule for both rest and unplanned activities.  I think it’s safe to say that the whole group is pretty excited about all the possibilities!

Next on my list….and boy, do I have a list…do some quick research on jet lag (we have an 18-hour flight) and altitude sickness (the city of Addis Ababa is situated in an extinct volcano at about 8000 feet). Wish me luck!
(Photo above by Cathy Kuehner, Shenandoah University)

Preparing to Pack

OK...so I am trying to figure out what to pack. The action that is going on inside my head feels very similar to the way a steel ball bounces around inside a pinball machine! Shorts? Long pants? Tee shirts? Long sleeves? What’s the weather going to be like? Where are we actually going to go? Jacket? Rain jacket? Big suitcase? Small backpack? Did I get more SD cards? Do I have a small can of shaving cream? Will I need antacids? What if the food is terrible? Should I take some granola bars? How much weight is this electricity convertor going to add to my luggage? Will I have room to bring back souvenirs? What if I find a drum? Can I ship things home? WAIT! Do I have enough socks? Will this bottle freeze in the cargo bay? Is this bag small enough to be a carry-on? (and then that little steel ball gets hit by the flippers and it starts bouncing around again, even crazier than before!) Finally, I realize that I haven’t really done anything productive, and I give up once again. This is about the fourth time I’ve been through this routine over the past week.

In about ten days, I leave for Ethiopia with a group of 11 or so others from Shenandoah University. We are one of five teams the university is sending out this year as part of the Global Citizenship Project.  (See the entry explaining the GCP) There are two faculty members, three staff members, one board member, and seven students who make up the Ethiopia team. The GCP program incorporates quite a few pre-travel meetings and gatherings to help prepare each team for the kinds of experiences they may expect, as well as helping each individual understand how the cultures with whom they may interact may perceive them with regard to behaviors, dress, etc. We have also had a chance to get to know each other just a little better, and will hopefully find traveling together just a bit easier as a result. In my experience, traveling with a group can be a lesson in tolerance, even among the best of friends!

So.....back to the whole packing thing. Maybe I should start a list! That’s it....I’ll make a list! Let’s see.....I’ll take those two pairs of convertible pants with the legs that zip off to make shorts. Oh, and that lightweight waterproof red jacket. Wait, is that going to warm enough? What if it’s colder in the higher elevations? Is this bag with the wheels going to hold everything? How will I know until I figure out what I’m taking? Will they have toilet paper over there? Do I have a first aid kit? Will I be able to..........??????????????

About my Blog

I guess some of you may be wondering why I titled my blog "Walk a Mile in My Merrells." Actually, I'm even wondering why! But let me emote for a few lines, and perhaps that and a little therapy later will help me to know. You're on your own!

Merrells, of course, refers to shoes....a particular brand, actually, most of which are shoes for ACTIVE people....like hikers, kayakers, walkers, rock-climbers, etc. While I enjoy a good little walk from time to time, I don't consider myself any of the former, even by the farthest stretch of the imagination! I'm nearly 55 years old, and I have some health issues that keep me from being as active as I'd like, but nevertheless, I'm just not one of those crazy adventurous types.....PHYSICALLY!

But I have two sons, and the older one is constantly telling me that I need to get some Merrells!! Now, I know that what he wants is for me to go hiking with him...and most of the time I would love to go...especially if I could trust him not to drag me to some crazy trail with rocks and cliffs, and inclines in excess of 80 degrees! (He can't be trusted.) But what he tells me is, 'You need to get some Merrells.' 'Dad, you need these Merrells!' and 'Dad, they have Merrells over at __________, and they're only $89!!!'

I also love to travel. I would rather travel than do just about about anything else. I love the opportunities to see new places, meet new people, and experience new things! I also love to share those experiences with anyone who is interested, so beginning a travel blog seemed to be a great way to begin! So, all you friends out there....WALK A MILE IN MY MERRELLS (yes, I do own a pair now!)...please enjoy my travels, and my ramblings, and my photographs, set to verbiage herein! Let me know what you like, what you don't like, and even ask questions if you like! I hope you get to travel too, if you like traveling, and I hope you will consider sharing your travels with others as well!

George Hoffman

The Global Citizenship Project at Shenandoah University

I want to explain a bit about the Global Citizenship Project at SU, which has afforded me this incredible opportunity for travel and cultural exchange.

The Global Citizenship Project was inspired by long-time friend and former trustee of Shenandoah University, Dr. Nancy Larrick Crosby, who charged the university to find a way to impact across the institution in some significant way and consistent with our mission. Dr. Crosby was a tireless advocate for literacy around the world. Her model for engaging communities in the global context set the stage for what inspires with our students and community today, the Global Citizenship Project.

GCP is an opportunity to travel abroad during spring break each year with an academic focus in a group-oriented and faculty-led experience. 5-6 destinations are selected each year along with 5-6 very experienced faculty scholars to lead each group.

Full-time members of the university community - students, faculty as well as staff - submit streamlined applications that seek to identify those whose passion for the opportunity to learn abroad can be heard in a short essay (although not exclusively, the focus is on first-generation global travelers). Applicants do not know where they will be going each year and apply ready to be sent anywhere in the world (destinations not on the U.S. State Department warning list).

The university removes all barriers to participation except for one - passion! Expenses are paid apart from incidentals, logistics are handled by the institution, and anxiety is reduced with group-oriented, faculty-guided travel. Destinations are announced shortly after selection. Destination groups are formed with 11 participants each (seven students, two staff, and one faculty member plus the faculty scholar leading the group) representing the diversity of the institution on each trip.

Upon return, an intentional effort is made to stimulate dissemination of the experiences and lessons learned back into our various communities - on campus (through programs like Creative Scholarship Day), into the local community (through outreach programs into the schools as one example), and into student's home communities (through press release and media interviews).

There are 5 destination groups this year: Sweden, the Bahamas, Australia, Paraguay, and Ethiopia. I am traveling with the Ethiopia team. We leave on March 4^th, and will return on March 13^th.