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!

Tents

Winter is camping time in Qatar. Expats and tourists enjoy taking overnight camping tours to the inland sea and spending the night in the dunes. Nationals have camping sites at some of the beaches for the season. I think they must move to the tents for the weekend much like we would go to a camp on the Tobique. But not all tents are in the desert.

Qataris love their tents and practically every villa has a tent in the front yard. Some have fireplaces to provide some warmth on those cool winter nights. Some have satellite dishes and wide screen TV's. Others are for special events such as weddings--not for the bride and groom, mind you, but for the men to get together and socialize. Tents are a part of the way of life.



I'm not sure the purpose of the boats. Maybe they take off and go fishing some times.




The wedding tents are surrounded by carpets and furnished with elaborate upholstered chairs. No ladies allowed!

The Car Show

We see a lot of different kinds of luxury cars on the roads here in Doha. Cars that would never be seen in New Brunswick are fairly common here. When you think that just a couple of decades ago the main method of transportation in this country was by camel, you can understand why the people here love their automobiles. The saying "from camel to Cadillac in 20 years" is more than a truism. Oil money has brought ostentation, and that is most evident in the vehicles.

A couple of weekends ago there was an international automobile show at the Doha Exhibition Center. I thought you might like to see some of what was on offer.






A Beemer for Paul:



And one for Jennifer:


And how about this one for Cait?

The Desert

The desert seems so barren. It appears as if nothing grows there, nothing lives there. But if you spend a little time wandering around you will find that the desert has a life of its own. Lizards, birds and foxes are common inhabitants of what seems to be the most uninhabitable places. Cacti and succulents lie dormant until the scant winter rains, and then burst into voluptuous green. Camels wander at will, leaving their round flat foot prints in the sand. How do they find enough to eat in the desert? There must be more nutrition in a sidra bush than would seem possible.

Wheels

I know that this is long past Christmas holidays, but I have to do just one more blog on Viet Nam. The quintessential symbol of Viet Nam is not the cone hats or the pagodas. It is not the Mekong Delta or the charming river boats. The icon of Viet Nam is the motor bike. They are all over everywhere, clogging streets and sidewalks, filling parking lots, buzzing around you in the street. They are a sign of modernization and prosperity, and are symbolic of the spirit of industry and progress that is so vibrant among the Vietnamese people.

Even the pets get into the act with the motor bikes!


And finally, I have to add a picture of our friends, Sheila and Errol. If Sheila had not been teaching in Ho Chi Min City, I probably would not have thought about traveling to Viet Nam. I would have missed a wonderful travel experience. Thanks, Sheila. It was great to see you and have some time together.

The Food of Viet Nam

The food of Viet Nam is best seen in the colorful and odorous markets. Everything from fruits and vegetables to wiggling fish, bubbling shellfish and squirming snakes can be found in the markets.






Meat on the hook and on the hoof is also available if you dare. There were some innards for sale in the market in HCMC that I had only heard about, never seen.