Time flies

It has been a long time since I last wrote. It is not that there is nothing to tell.
Erik came to visit me, and we travelled through Ethio. It was beautiful. As always, I planned the schedule too tight, so Erik was missing a bit of free time for reading, relaxing… . I will have to learn that still. But anyway, we enjoyed it. I picked Erik up in Addis, where I also tried to get the translation of my criminal record, which I did not manage unfortunately. Without that I will have more difficulty to get a visa for Mozambique. But I will try it again. And when I arrive, I hope things are settled in Mozambique and I will get the necessary letters to apply for a better visa. Actually this is the only mayor shadow on my stay in Africa – the uncertainty if visa get renewed or prorogated and repetitive trouble around the visa and the possibility to stay or not.
But we did not let them spoil our time. We fled the rain in Addis – after visiting good old Lucy in the Natural Museum - went to Gondar, a city with ancient castles that makes you think you are in medieval Europe. We walked up to 4000 meter in the Simien-mountains, a 3 day hike, where we spend hours with the Gelada Baboons, an endemic species that – unlike other baboons -have their red spot on their chest rather than on their buttocks. One of them became friends with our guide and they would pick the fleas out of each others fur. My most direct contact was, when one approached me and stole my bag with roasted grain out of my hand. Those baboons are strict vegetarians, but their teeth are bigger than a lion’s teeth and I really did not feel like arguing with that fellow. Luckily I could just switch to other food. Which was more difficult for a young Jewish couple: A baboon stole their Pesach bread – on Easter Saturday. The only thing they had left to eat was some oranges. I was once more very happy that we Protestants don’t have those strict food restrictions!
Anyway, it is amazing to observe them from nearby and see their behavior, which very often is so similar to ours. Only that they seem to lack that kind of consciousness which we humans have, and which makes us behave like we think we are expected to do rather than how we feel we would like to behave.
After we managed to leave the mountains (the arrangement was to be picked up, but that did not work out smoothly. And when the expected car finally arrived, it was in such bad a condition that we had to get out and walk up hill, because the car could not make it with us inside), we enjoyed a good shower which turned us back from baboon’s nephews into human beings. We travelled on to Axum, a town in northern Ethiopia, where – no doubt – the arc of the covenant is kept. No ferenji is allowed to even come near the church where it is kept. And no Ethiopian is allowed to see it, except of a handful of priests. It is “shown” to the public once or twice a year, when a priest carries it around town in a procession. But even then it is covered with (beautifully embroidered) cloths, so nobody will see it.
But we did not come for the arc. Axum lies in Tigray, a region with an amazing landscape: peaky mountains change into sandstone rocks that could be compared to Monument valley in the US. Every hillside is covered with terraces, so that farming is still possible. The people, especially women, are even more beautiful than the rest of the Ethiopians, and centuries ago they had the idea to build their churches up in the rocks that rise from the landscape. Some say this was to hide them from enemies. Others say that it has a religious aspect: The way to God cannot be easy, so to prove their dedication they climbed up the rocks and carved their churches into the stone. Which now makes believers climbing up harsh rocks to attend church service, in turn proving their dedication to God. They even carry up babies to those churches in order to baptize them.
For me, this was the most impressive part of the journey. This region combines nature, beautiful views, art and religion in a fascinating way. Sometimes we had to climb up a vertical face of sandstone, with 100 years old looking priests climbing in front of us with an ease, as if the heavenly angels would lift them up. Or maybe it was the snake that also lifted the first priest to the top of a mountain to build the first rock church (We nonbelievers say it is a legend. For the Ethiopians it is history).
But we could not stay for the eternity in those rock churches, because other churches where waiting: In Lalibela with saw 11 more churches. They are also hewn into the rock, but in a much more accessible place. Also here: Ethiopian history says that king Lalibela carved them out all alone in the 12th/13th century. And for the ones who doubt it: To have an estimated 3000 people helping would have been impossible, but the help of some angels, he managed. Who ever made them – alone, in a group or with the help of angels - left us some wonderful churches full of symbols, stories, atmosphere - still living and active places of worship for the Ethiopians. On morning we attended a church service: that whole rock carved building full with people in white robes, chanting, playing drums, praying… . And nobody seemed to be bothered by our presence.
But also this fascinating place we had to leave… to see more churches: the monasteries around Lake Tana. So off we went to Bahir Dar, a town with a kind of Mediterranean charms, palm trees and warm, humid climate. We admired the paintings in the churches on pen-island and islands around the lake. The Ethiopian Orthodox style of painting seems naïve, but maybe that is the reason they are so impressive and interesting to watch. They tell stories: of Jesus, Mary, the Apostles, Ethiopian Saints… . And all in a way that makes it easy to understand even for people unfamiliar with those stories.
Only one little thing sometimes annoyed us: As tourists we felt like a purse on legs. Entrance fees have been skyrocketing since last year… that is for ferenjis. For Ethiopians, most places don’t charge entrance. Which I think is very good. But are 50 USD entrance for the churches in Lalibela a fair price? Or why are women paying the same entrance fee as men for a courtyard with 3 churches and one museum, when they are only allowed to enter one church and not even the museum?? Especially if the entrance fee is almost 12 USD… .
In a similar way begging can be a hassle. If I believe the kids in Lalibela, there would be only a handful of adults living in that city. They all tell that they are orphans that need money to go to school. And they seem to have learned very well, how to convince ferenjis. They even use almost the same sentences: “Can you give me some money or buy me some schoolbooks, because I want to go to school. Education is important. Because without education I have no future.” Of course, they are right, at least if they mean what they say. But I heard that exact same sentences dozens of times in the 2 days we stayed there. Which made it somehow unlikely.
This and the real poverty one obviously witnesses every day in Ethiopia sometimes makes me feel very guilty. It is so hard to decide where to give and in which way. I see so many foreigners giving money and goods in incredible amounts. On one hand it makes people beg more, to the point that it becomes a real hassle. And on the other hand people “learn” that they just get things and don’t have to do anything for it. That creates dependencies. And I wonder if very often we the real reason is that we try to feel less guilty and calm our own conscience. Isn’t it a nice feeling when people are happy, smile at you and hug you, because you gave them something, that might be very little for us but a big thing for them?! Where and what to give, is an important decision, which is not easy to make. Personally I am currently more tending towards not giving at all. That might be influenced by the way we are treated in tourist spots (the purses on legs), but also by the fact that I try to give by teaching and working here (even though I often get the impression that the interest in improving care is limited).
So I am happy to be back in Mota. It might not be a beautiful town, nor have much to show, but most people are warm, welcoming, friendly and honestly interested. I learn more about the Ethiopian way of life and feel like being part of life and not only a spectator. After all, even though result of my work might not be permanent, I might have helped a few midwives to learn something and a few mothers and babies to have a better start into life and motherhood. Isn’t that a good thing to go for?!

PS. about the pictures: they are some of the impressions of our journey, from most of the places and things we have seen. Some show the people we kept meeting and with whom we visited many places. Maybe the openminded and hospitable attitude of the Ethiopians makes that also the tourists are more open en hang out togetehr much more?
The video was inspired by an american girl we met and who told us about the touch of sound (http://www.thetouchofsound.com/), where you can post sound impressions. In Lalibela many things are symbolic. So there is that tunnel that leads to one of the churches and symbolized the dark way at the end of which one can find heaven. As you can see, it is really dark. De singing is from a nun who had come to Lalibela and she was very much afraid in the dark, so she kept singing to get courage.