A measly 8200+ miles under our belt, somewhere near 19 hours being held hostage on a handful of varying airplanes, a severe overdose of Dramamine, the new found skill of that oh-so flattering bobble-head / rubber-neck upright sleeping trick and it had become official ~ our feet were about to touch the ground we could only imagine in wonder many many anxious nights prior to this moment. It was Tuesday, July 8, 2008. I remember vividly as I waited for my feet to feel the ground beneath me and make this dream “real”, butterflies of excitement and butterflies of nervous wonder were at war inside my stomach, no amount of Dramamine could tame the fluttering. Here began the defining moment of my initiation to a foreign land and foreign customs that would eventually engulf me… mind, body & spirit. I was anxious to embrace the unknown and I continued to focus on my aspiration of being a blank canvas for Africa to be my artist and paint its beauty deep into the pours of my life. These were the minutes I remember when my life changed course from auto-pilot to NO pilot! These are the sensations that captivated me!
My first sight(s) was complete and utter chaos; literally masses of people scrambling like ants on a disturbed sand hill inside this airport ~ each with their own purpose and rushing along diligently to make their way through the mess. There was no order to follow, no rules or regulations to incorporate calmness and ease, coming from America all I could ponder was where in the world was the "end of the line"? For a rookie to simply survive the airport experience was an accomplishment all of its own! Once we edged through the chaos of people pushing here and pushing there, luggage being strewn about and one random security check point after another we were met by huge smiling faces outside the airport doors. My first sight of pure beauty in Africa was the faces of strangers greeting me as a personal friend expressing the warmest welcome I could’ve dreamed to receive. A young man holding a sign that read “Ethiopia Guest Home” anxiously waving it in every white person’s mug as he bounced around with a toothy grin planted across his face stretching from ear to ear. When Donny and I responded to his excitement with a little twitch of the eyebrow and a smile of confirmation his eyes grew even bigger with enthusiasm, which I didn’t even know was possible. How eager could one person be without spontaneously combusting?! Meeting our hosts and being welcomed to Ethiopia was one of the most heartwarming experiences I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of. Little did I know at that point, the same gift of hospitality is ingrained in almost every African soul I would soon meet.
My first memorable smell was the odor of a dirty men’s locker room, the smell that lingers on a Friday afternoon after a week of football practice in sweltering August heat ~ that would be the flavor of our bus! (seriously our bus deserves a post all of it's own to pay appropriate tribute to that wild wagon on wheels) At first the aroma was bitter to me and I thought the smell would be sickening so I opened the window for a breath of fresh air and my lungs were graciously greeted with the choking gasps of diesel fumes. So if I had to summarize two smells that will fondly bring me back down memory lane in Ethiopia it would be perspiration and diesel fuel. I seriously and honestly say this with a smile on my face. In no time at all I grew to embrace these smells and I seriously await with eagerness the day one of these two fragrances catches me by surprise and sends me on a reminiscent path down that Ethiopian road.
The sounds of the city could be summarized in one simplistic yet perfectly descriptive word: HONK! Every contraption on wheels had a horn and let me tell you they are not afraid to use it. I truly believe a horn is an essential piece of survival in Ethiopia. All hours of the night, EARLY morning and especially throughout the day a horn can be heard whistling away! When I find myself in a quiet moment I can faintly hear the distinctive tune our bus horn sang and it brings a giddy smile to my face. If I could have had one souvenir of choice to remember our travels through the city of Addis Ababa, it would have been the bus’ horn!
The party bus in all its glory:
Our driver
An inside peek of the pink leopard print beast!
Our drivers side kick. Yes, driving in Ethiopia is a two-man job just to survive, this kid save the day many a times!
My first taste was a delicious meal of Ethiopian spaghetti. It tasted nothing like the Ragu/Prego version you are envisioning from your kitchen stove. It was a unique Ethiopian version and by far my favorite meal I encountered in Africa. The food was not my most memorable portion of the trip so I'll end the descriptions there and keep this paragraph short & sweet! (speaking of sweets ~ there was nearly none to be found...can you believe I survived!)
My first feeling was “chaos” in its purest form but that was quickly replaced by an indescribable definition of the word “hospitality”. From the inside of their enlarged hearts to the outside of their glowing smiles the Ethiopian people are warm, kind, friendly, welcoming, accommodating and by nature they exude this humbleness and quietly proud temperament at what they believe to be a privilege to share their country with you. (If only they knew it was OUR privilege) There’s no mistaking the feeling of “hospitality” when you encounter a beautiful Ethiopian soul. It is so vivacious you can physically feel warmth all around you. I’ve come away from this experience inspired on a deep level to strive for growth towards a place in my heart where “hospitality” with Ethiopian intensity becomes a natural part of my character.
Our amazing hosts!
The Amazing Akim
The beautiful Hannah Banana!
The gorgeous miss "Zee"
Welcome to Ethiopia my friends! Your eyes are the window of your soul, if you let your senses be your guide you might just be able to feel 1/100th of the emotion I do when I gaze upon these photos:
Shoe shining with smiles! I have a doozy of a shoe-shining story coming up!
A common sight near any "market" of sorts.
60 KPH isn't just the speed limit for motorized vehicles.
TRAFFIC ~ or what I call a near death experience.
Rushour traffic comes in all shapes and sizes!
The chicken market.
Homelessness, which unfortunately is a more common sight than street signs.
A typical house.
A "grocery" store.
Another beautiful Ethiopian face!
2 comments:
I cannot wait to hear the rest of the story!!!
How amazing!
Your pictures are BEAUTIFUL! You've got such a great eye. I can hardly believe some of the portraits are yours and not taken in a studio. I'm really enjoying the story as well. Thanks for taking us along on your journey!
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