Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Oct. 25

It is Friday morning here in Ethiopia. We started our Canadian Humanitarian (CH) orientation on Wednesday, and were out at our first projects yesterday. It was such an amazing day - there aren't really words to describe it. All five of us were on different sites, doing different projects. Ward was doing medicals while I was doing a sewing project with two other women. 

Lauren went with the Self-Esteem team, and led her own group of 7 and 8 year olds, with a translator. She read a book with them (english - amharic), she did some art work and made brochures with them about what they liked about themselves, and then what they liked about each other. (Phenomenal - she was so pumped when we met up with her later at the Guest House, which was cloaked in darkness, as the power had gone out).

Yohannes went with the Infection Disease team and did some games and teaching around disease prevention. He also had a lot of fun - and was a great addition to the team. Not surprisingly, he is taking everything in stride! 

Faven went to help with doing intake for all the kindergarten-aged kids that needed medicals. She partnered with a man named Vern (who says that his passion is children - he has six children and six grandchildren). Faven and Vern had to take a photo of each child, and do the height and weight. All of the kids loved her, and apparently were 'chanting' her name, and hanging at the windows to get a glimpse of her. She was so happy when she returned! Her stress level has gone down significantly since the CH group arrived, and we do not have to talk about, or deal with her 'story' and her birth family. She is still having a difficult time with all of the poverty, and the extremely different way that people live here. In many ways, it is as if she has never been here before. 

Today we leave for Gindo Town, which is about three hours southeast of Addis. We will be out there until Monday night. We will be running programs out there - Medical, Infectious Disease, Sewing, Self Esteem, Drip Irrigation and the "Incredible Race". Also, there will be an official opening ceremony for the Gindo Centre - so we will be celebrating with them - and eating, singing and dancing! We will be busy.

Our first couple of days with the group of 27, have been such a blessing...... I cannot believe that we have been given this opportunity, amongst a very interactive and caring group of volunteers, to provide this 'kind of' volunteer (on the ground) work to our kids. They are truly blossoming, in ways that I could not have even imagined. Though we have only been with the larger group since Wednesday morning, the whole group is enamored with them (which certainly makes us proud) - and moreover, the responsibility for them has really been undertaken by many members of the group.

Yesterday, right in the midst of our volunteer work, Ward and I were separately interviewed by Rick Castiliogne (there is a documentary being made while we are here). He wired me with a microphone, the camera man pointed his camera and lights, and they told me to continue interacting with the kids, AND answer the questions that they asked without really looking at the camera. I was at a table covered with sewing materials, I had (at least) four girls working with me at that table, very excited to show me their stitches, and right behind me, someone was making animal balloons for the boys (who were not sewing) - and there was LOTS of loud shrieking and the sound of many popping balloons. To say that I found it difficult to focus, gather my thoughts and make coherent sentences - is an understatement! However, Rick reported later that both interviews (mine and Ward's) were "gold", especially Wendy, he said, who almost made me cry with her responses that were right from the heart. Rick ended my interview by saying, "I think the saying on your shirt really sums up what you are trying to do." I said, "Yes--Be The Change!" (It was a shirt that I got at We Day last October - almost a year ago to the day!)

We remain healthy, and lucky for us - we are not dealing with jet lag, as many of our fellow volunteers are. There is not a single day that I am not moved to tears by the sights, the people, and the stories. For example, at orientation, one of the social workers told the story of a girl in the projects who lost both parents when she was three; she witnessed their dying and remained with them until found later by her aunt. That girl is now thirteen - and through rigorous work with the social work team, she has found her voice (she would not speak for years after the incident). We heard another story today about a boy named Teddy. His mother died when he was six, and his father abandoned him. He lived on the street, making a life for himself by shining shoes, being a parking attendant, and then organizing construction work (as a kind of contractor) until he was "found" by CH, and taken into one of the projects. He is now 17 - and claims that he would like to be the leader of the country one day. When asked how he has remained so positive over these very difficult years, he responded by saying that it is simply his nature - "I could be happy or sad - but it wouldn't change my situation, so I may as well be happy." 

Each day our facilitator - Deborah Northcott - starts our day with a saying. This morning, the quote was this:

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.