Earthy, Enigmatic Ethiopia

Ethiopia hits your senses like a freight train. There is so much assault to the eyes--the tin roofs of the shanty townships in Addis, dead dogs in the street, barefoot children playing in the mud.


Yet the beauty of the country side and the depth of the history and culture is awe inspiring.
Kimberly and I returned to Addis Ababa last week on the invitation of the Ethiopian Nurses' Association and Aga Khan University to help facilitate a workshop on nursing scope of practice and competencies. We were anticipating and dreading the trip at the same time, so glad that we had been invited to help but reluctant to take on ferenge (white foreigner) status again.


After three days of workshop, we took a tour with our guide, Fish, and driver, Abraham, south to visit a Konso village. The Konso live in walled villages of mud huts high on the mountain side. They farm the hillsides using a terracing method that has been recognized by UNESCO. The village was eerily quiet and seemed to be inhabited only by children as most of the adults were in the fields.


Narrow winding pathways around high stone walls help to protect the village from marauding tribes. Living conditions are very primitive, just mud huts with thatched roofs, but the setting is spectacular with views over the valleys. We left the place with conflicting emotions, a common state when visiting Ethiopia., I've found.



Our visit to Chamo Lake to see the hippos and crocodiles was pure delight, however. As we skimmed over the murky surface of the lake in our metal boat, we could see the water's edge dotted here and there with the dark bumps of hippo heads and haunches. We spotted long wedged lines in the water--crocodiles! But as we rounded a bend, a herd of hippos soaked themselves in the water in front of us. We pulled closer to shore, seeing nothing at first then realizing that the dull gray rocks lying on shore were really modern remnants of the dinosaurs. A splash made them come alive and hit the water with lightening speed. The lake was also filled with hundreds of pelicans. It was truly a great afternoon for a nature lover like me. Unfortunately, my camera battery had died just before going on the boat so I don't have pictures. But Kimberly will send me some of hers and I will post them later.

Malta and the ICN

As UC-Q employees we are privileged to have opportunities for travel and to attend conferences in Europe and Asia. Kimberly and I had posters accepted at the International Council of Nurses Conference in Malta, which was held during the first week of May. Dave and I, Kim and Tam and Miran made plans to go even though Tam was a bit nervous about it because of the civil war in Libya, just across the water. The ICN was saying everything was safe and we felt pretty confident that there would be no problems on that front.



The Maltese Islands are irregular masses of stone that are nestled in the Mediterranean just south of Sicily. Their history goes back to the iron age when the first inhabitants traveled there by boat from Sicily. They were occupied by the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Ottoman Turks, and finally Europeans when the Knights of the Order of Saint John captured the island of Malta during the siege of 1565. The Knights built Valletta, with its wonderfully protected harbor, as their capitol city. Many of the buildings of Valletta date from this period. The Cathedral of Saint John was built by the Order and commemorates and celebrates the Grand Masters. Even the Mediterranean Conference Center where the ICN conference was held was built by the Knights as a hospital in the late 15 hundreds.



Those of you who know your New Testament history will remember that St. Paul was ship-wrecked on the Isle of Malta during his sea voyage to Rome. St. Paul is a prominent figure in Valletta, and the Church of St Paul of the Ship Wreck holds a magnificent bronze statue of him. It also holds his wrist bone, and part of the pillar on which he was beheaded in Rome.


We had rented apartments in a 16th century villa on one of the narrow hilly streets of Valletta, a nice central location within walking distance of all the sights of the city, and overlooking the Grand Harbor. Just down the street was a tiny bakery where we bought sandwiches and pastries for breakfast and lunch.


One of the highlights of the trip for me was the self-guided walking tour that we took out in the countryside. We had found the tour on-line and went prepared to do the 12.5 km walk. It took us through fields, along rubble fences, past palaces and ancient ruins, up-hill and down. We even came across some beautiful potato fields in blossom. It looked a little like N. B. What a great day we had in the sunshine, eating lunch in a farmer's field, and catching the bus back to Valletta late in the day.


Another highlight was the ancient city (and original capitol) of Medina. We had arranged for a tour guide to take us there in the evening when the soft lights illuminate the walls and narrow, winding streets.


Malta is worth a re-visit. But then I say that about every place I have visited. Oh yeah--the conference was great too!