Today was one of those perfect Northern African days. It has been the rainy season here so it has rained every day. Not just Seattle drizzle rain, but a true soaking deluge kind of rain. Every…single…day. It makes the poorly built and incomplete roads into quagmires of mud, potholes, and huge puddles. The rainy season is coming to an end and the weather should begin to be perfect like it was today, mid 70 F and sunny with no humidity.
I was going to post earlier, but each time got my post finished, the power went out so I gave up and went for a walk in the village near my apartment with my friend Jen. What I love most about this place are the Ethiopian people. They show amazing resiliency, courage, and an absolute undefeatable spirit. This spirit is what helped them rout every attempt by Europeans to colonize them. They are a proud people and they love their country.
Every morning, I go running. Ethiopian runners are a source of national pride. The route I run takes me on a road where many people run each morning. Today I actually saw a group exercising in the median of the road. While I am running, the Ethiopians will cheer me on. They call out “good job”, like I am doing something great, when all I am doing is jogging for exercise. There is one part of my run that takes me parallel to a government housing project. Each day a little boy, maybe 10 years old, comes out and jogs with me down the road, grinning from ear to ear. He is adorable. He says good morning to me and then says “sport”. When he leaves me he said Ciao and I know I will see him tomorrow. You can tell he is proud of Ethiopia’s tradition of running.
Even on our walk to the village, the people smile and say hello or salam. The kids gather and walk with us, wanting us to take their picture. Women invite us for coffee. What I have realized from spending time with Ethiopians of all ages is that it is their culture to care about human beings. They take their time, they listen to you. They FEEL, they truly feel compassion with their hearts, and it isn’t just superficial bull. Ethiopia is a country with a soul.
PS. Between writing and posting, Ethiopia just won a soccer match against Central African Republic and for the first time, qualified for the World Cup. It is partying and chaos on the street. What a wonderful celebration of national pride.
These aren’t filtered yet, I haven’t had time to go through them, but they are the ones I took today http://sdrv.ms/19u2kms
Life Divided by Zero 
reminds me of a half-remembered quote… something about when you strip away all else, love is all that’s left?
Robin, I am struck by the beautiful smiles of the children! Gorgeous!
You paint such a warm and vivid picture. It’s funny how simple things like going for a run can become so meaningful with a change of context. And how they become a source of connection when elsewhere in the world everyone generally keeps their head down and stays in their own bubble!
Cat