Thursday, February 17, 2011

Busy day! We distributed 400 pairs of shoes at a school with a lot of

older children (grades 5-8, which can actually include children into

their 20’s) and then took a tour of their school. They have a library

with no books and a science building with no equipment. We were told

we were the first white people to have ever visited that school.

Although I know we’re in a more rural area it just seems hard to

believe. It’s so hard here because we are able to provide some

assistance in a specific way but because everyone needs so much, they

ask us for books and supplies and computers and desks. Of course we

would love to provide all these things for everyone but it just never

feels like it’s enough to make an impact. We just keep reminding

ourselves that we are giving everything we can while we are here and

that we are doing some good.

During the distribution, an Ethiopian told me I sounded like I have

lived here and have spoken the language for 5 years. Yessss. Too bad I

am now proficient only at Amharic words that involve something

surrounding shoe fittings. Ha.

We are getting pretty efficient between the five of us during the

distributions so we finished pretty early. Hallelujah, one of Sally

and Tom’s Ethiopian friends, took us into the city on public minibus,

our first of the trip. We almost drove over a cliff and it broke down

with smoke streaming from an outside vent. I suppose we were broken

into Ethiopian public minibuses quickly! We walked to the next stop

and made into town to lunch. We were near my old neighborhood/stomping

grounds again, although everything still looks so different. Yemamu

met us at lunch and it was so good to finally see him again! It was

like he and Nick had already known each other because I’ve talked

about them so much. He looks the same but it sounds like a lot has

changed in his world.

We were close to Gladney’s office so we stopped into the Kechene girls

shop first. Ang and I are hoping to have them knit a few laptop covers

while we’re here so we can take them back to the States and send them

to a few companies who may carry them. Our end goal is to have the

Kechene girls making a few things that are REALLY marketable and

modern that appeal to Americans that can be carried by a company. This

takes out the requirement of us having to do all the marketing and

selling back in the states ourselves and creates a continued business

relationship for them. We’ll see if it all works out.

We walked around a bit and caught up with Yemamu and headed back by

contract taxi to Tafo. We made it back here by dark which is always a

plus. I’m still feeling pretty sick and keeping Nick up at night while

I’m blowing my nose but I’m making it through.