Tiffany on Going to Ethiopia

1 - Tell me 3 things about yourself aside from having recently travelled to Africa.

-I own a house in the west end which I love.

-I think a lot about what I’m going to be when I grow up. It’s annoying how much I think about it.

-I love summer, biking, ice cream and playing games outside, but I also like autumn, crisp bike rides, pumpkin pie soft serve ice cream and playing board games inside.

2 – Where did you go and why?

I went to Ethiopia for work. I work for Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB), a not-for-profit organization that works to end global hunger. The organization feels that it is important that all employees get a chance to see the work that they do first hand, so this trip that I went on was with 7 other people who are somehow related to the work done in the Canadian office.

3 – How long were you there?

I feel slight shame in saying that I was only in Ethiopia for 7 days. It is kind of bizarre to fly for 24 hours to stay somewhere for a week, and then fly another 24 hours back home. Unfortunately that decision was not up to me. This is maybe a good place to put in my disclaimer: these are my thoughts only, and not to be taken as fact about what this country is like…this is what I experienced in seven days and how I feel about it.

4 – What was your first thought when you stepped off the plane?

I thought about how great it felt to unfold my legs and breathe fresh air and how awesome I was going to sleep that night in a bed, rather than with my head bobbing in the aisle of the airplane.

5 – What’s it like over there?

The capital city, Addis Ababa, is 2,300 metres above sea level. This means that the nights cool down to a really comfortable temperature (maybe around 10-15 C), and the days never really get that hot (maybe around 20-22 C while I was there). It also means that any sort of physical activity is ten times harder. Climbing a couple flights of stairs takes your breath away, and not in a magical sort of way. My experiences in other countries in Africa prepared me for things that turned out to be rare or non-existent in Ethiopia. I never felt any danger, or the need to be overly cautious of getting robbed. It is, in general, a very relaxed country.

6 – Tell me a bit about the people in the places you visited.

-We visited a man who was the beneficiary of one of the projects we went to see. He took us to his home, which he had recently built with the money he made from a few years of good crops. He took great pride in his ability to provide for his family.

-One of our hosts was the project leader at the refugee camp we went to close to the Somali border. He is from Addis Ababa, 25 years old, has a university degree, and was a godsend for me. Our conversations are invaluable to me and my experience and helped me get a glimpse into real life in Ethiopia.

-A woman calmly told us that when her family fled from Mogadishu, Somalia, she took one child and her husband took the other two, and she has not heard from them since. This was at least 3 years ago. We were visiting her yard in the camp because she had a prosperous garden that was their shining example of one part of the project.

7 – Describe a typical day for you while you were there.

Wake up at 6:00am, get breakfast at the hotel (toast, eggs, sometimes bacon, the strongest and smallest cup of coffee you’ve ever had). Travel from whichever city/town we woke up in to a rural area (anywhere from 1-6 hours in a car, or a 2 hour flight). The organization I work for does a lot of work through local partners in agriculture and sustainability. These projects typically happen in very remote locations, far from most resources. We met with the partner who was showing us around their project that day and were briefed on their history in the area, challenges they face, and the results they have seen and hope to see. We drove out to the site and either meet up with one person, or a large group of people, depending on the project. Some projects deal with individual farmers, and some are more community integrated, where they all work together towards a common goal. There would be some sort of sharing and discussion time, where we could hear from the beneficiaries of the project, and explore the countryside. We did a lot of looking at agriculture. We would also typically eat a meal with the hosting partner, and use the time to ask questions and discuss challenges. Then, back to a hotel and usually in bed by 9pm.

8 – How did your trip surprise you?

I was surprised by how much you can pack in to 7 days. I’ve never seen so much and moved around more in my life. Every night was in a new town/city. We saw so much and learned a lot.

9 – What was the best part? 

From a work perspective – the best part was our visit to a water diversion project that hadn’t received assistance in 26 years, and seeing for myself that the work that CFGB participates in has lasting power. We drove through rural, arid land until we came to a green, lush community. They had animals, prosperous and lucrative cash crops, and many banana, mango, and papaya plants. We spoke to 3 men that worked on the project in the mid-80s and heard how this intervention completely changed their lives for the better.

From a cultural perspective relevant to my personal life – going out with a 25 year old Ethiopian guy one night and completely ignoring the loud voice in my head telling me to go to bed at 10pm. We went to a fancy hotel bar, smoked 1,000 cigarettes and ended up doing tequila shots in an “underground” club which was just at the back of the hotel. It was the best. I slept for two seconds that night and couldn’t have cared less.

10 – Did you ever feel like a minority? Tell me about it.

I almost always felt like a minority. It wasn’t always the most prevalent thing on my mind as Ethiopians don’t remind you that you’re white all day long, which was the opposite experience in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria (“Mzungu!”). But still, driving through the countryside, hours away from any urban centre, and almost every person we zoomed past in the Land Rover waved at us. Having hoards of children running from all directions towards us when we arrive at a location. That was a constant reminder that I didn’t blend in, that my presence was abnormal. Or walking into the “underground” club and hearing the bouncer and others at the entrance using the Amharic word for foreigner. I guess non-Ethiopians don’t go to those places much.

11 – What was the hardest part?

I feel embarrassed about this one a little bit, because the hardest thing should be something like “experiencing life in a Somalian refugee camp,” or “visiting with a woman who doesn’t know the whereabouts of her husband and 2 kids after fleeing from Somali 3 years ago.” BUT, the hardest part was travelling with co-workers 30 years older than me for 8 days straight. It was hard.

12 – On a scale of Boring to Life-Changing, how was your experience?

I’d say my experience was about 75% above boring. Nothing about the trip was boring but I wouldn’t say it completely changed me either. I’m trying to make some practical adjustments to my life resulting from my time in Ethiopia. I’m walking a lot more. Taking time to breathe and not rush to the next thing (which is typically something super meaningless anyway). Ethiopians walk SO much. And often with water jugs over their shoulders, or the biggest bushel of sticks you’ve ever seen on their back. I think I can walk the 2 km’s home from work each day.

13 – How has it been talking with family and friends about your time since coming home?

A close friend of my family and her husband, who recently passed away, were missionaries in Ethiopia for 10 years in the 50s and 60s. Before I left I spent some time with her talking about the trip and when I got back I gave a little slide show for her and for my immediate family to give them a little taste of what it was like. My parents lived in Nigeria for a year in 2005-2006 and so they understand a lot of the experience that is impossible to really explain in words and pictures. Most friends are interested and ask questions but it’s hard to know how deep to get, or how much information they really want.

14 – Describe a funny moment while being over there.

Oh my. I have the perfect moment. Me, being an un-skinny 6’2” tall woman, I typically feel pretty out of place, no matter where I am. Double takes are common, being called a “sir” by the cashier who doesn’t take the time to look all the way up when greeting me; all while in my home city. So, on a guided tour through a 1,000 year old city thousands of miles away from my home I see a man, probably 6’8” tall, walking with some pals and I think, “Yes! Finally someone who doesn’t make me look/feel so tall.” Tall guy’s friend sees me first, reaches up to hit his tall friend on the wrist to get his attention, and points me out to him. They both stop in their tracks, laugh and stare. WHAT?! How am I still the weird one in this situation?

15 – Tell me about a humbling moment!

I felt humbled by the stardom that I fell into because of the organization I work for. People wanted advice from me on farming practices, gender roles, and how to keep refugees motivated and active. What? I don’t know anything about anything!

16 – Tell me about something you’re proud of, regarding this trip.

I’m proud of my ability to sleep anywhere. It was necessary.

17 – How do you think the people you met perceived you?

I think I was perceived as a quiet bystander. I traveled with the Executive Director of CFGB and he did most of the talking in groups. I did a lot of listening. I hope the people I met perceived me as gracious. I put a lot of thought into how I came across to the people we met, and really tried to focus on being thankful.

18 - What have you learned about yourself from this trip?

In retrospect, I have learned that I need to push myself more; to be risky and willing to sacrifice things, like a solid sleep for a really fun night out on the town. And to take advantage of the situations I’m in and the people around me. Talk to people, ask questions, learn something you didn’t know before, get out of your comfort zone and risk looking stupid.

19 - What have you learned about life in general from your trip to Africa?

I’ve learned to not be so rushed. I need to prioritize things in my life and not worry so much about not staying on top of the newest thing. I want to cherish relationships more and not be so selfish. Let’s all just step back from being busy and chill out for a second.

20 - At the end of your life, how might this time in Africa have made a difference for you?

Gee, I hope that it makes me a more patient, loving, and open-minded person. Not everyone thinks, looks, and acts the same way I do. Nor do they want to. Life in Ethiopia is a beautiful thing. It’s very different from here, but that’s what makes it wonderful.