Group Picture with the Orphans

We took a group picture after delivering the gift bags to the children. The gift bag included toiletries, a picture of the girl scout and a drawing with a short note written by the scout to her Ethiopian friend. There was this great moment when we saw an Ethiopian girl kiss the picture of her American friend and put it in her pocket. You could see their faces full of happiness not for the gifts but for the pictures.

Interacting with the Orphans

We went on a visit to a local NGO to deliver 50 gift bags sent by Girl Scouts from San Diego. All the bags' recipients were children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. The kids were extremely charming and very well-behaved. The thing they liked the most from the gift bag was the picture sent by the scouts. Here Erin interacting with an orphan. Elisa in the background.

Poker Night

Erin, Erina, John, Elisa and Aaron playing poker at home. Since we didn't have poker chips, we used red beans as chips. I was the banker. We were enjoying St George beer and kolo. Kolo is a party mix of roasted barley and peanuts. Erin was the winner of the night. She got to have the bean chips for breakfast the next morning. 

Working hard in PCI-Ethiopia

PCI Interns working hard at PCI offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We are six interns total working for PCI this Summer. All, but me, share the conference room. I have a individual desk next door, but I will be moving into the coference room on July 24 because a new PCI hire will take over my desk! In the picture: John (UC-San Diego) who is working with disable children; Erin (far left; from U of Arizona) who is working with Anti Retro-viral adherence for people living with HIV/AIDS; Kim (near right; from U of Denver) is working with public relations; and Erina (far right;from American University) is working with orphans and vulnerable children. Missing in the picture: Elisa (from UC-San Diego) who is working in a project related to violence against women; and me.

Weekend trip to Lake Langano

We went on a weekend trip to Lake Langano. It was a three-hour drive from Addis Ababa to the resort. We spent Saturday and Sunday at Bekele Mola Resort which was decent. Although the Lake has been declared billharzia-free, I was hesitant and didn't swim in the lake. Sadly, the lake is brown-colored due to erosion coming from the surrounding mountains. We also went hiking on the Arsi Mountains for a couple of hours. In this picture, from left to right: Aaron, Erin, Jose, Erina, and Kim.

Macchiato Felegalo

Macchiato Felegalo: I need a Macchiato. We all are now addicted to coffee, especially to the macchiatos from the restaurant downstairs. The servers are extremely friendly and will cater to our office every day upon request. In the picture, I am behind Erina who is endulging in her first macchiato of the day. We usually order two every day: one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The price of a macchiato is 1.50 Birr ( USD 0.17). We usually order some pastries to go along the macchiato.

Bayenatu: National Food

Currently, the Christian Orthodox is in their yearly fasting period. During this period Christians will only eat vegetarian food on Wednesdays and Fridays. On these days, no animal products should be eaten. We usually order bayenatu on injera, the national staple. Bayenatu includes shiro-wat (chick pea puree), alicha-wat (split peas puree), boiled potatoes, rice, lentils, green beans, boiled cabbage, and swiss chard. The dish on the picture is for four people and we have refills at no extra charge. Sharing a meal, especially with an Ethiopian, is a sign of trust and friendship. Although you eat with your hands (no silverware, please), it is very to impolite to touch your mouth or lick your fingers. You use your right hand to grab the food; the left hand is reserved for your drink.

Hiking around Lake Langano

During our trip to Lake Langano we went hiking in the mountains close to the Bekele Mola resort. It was a two-hour hike on which we saw goats and many birds. I definitely preferred the hiking over the swimming in the brownish waters of the lake.

In this picture: Aaron, Ethiopian guide, and me. In the background: Lake Langano

Hiking near Langano Lake 

BDS Presentation at CHF Workshop

CHF-International, a US-based NGO, invited me to participate in a day-long workshop in the town of Durame. I did a 45-minute presentation on Business Development Services: Importance and Role in the Cluster-Network Approach. Since the audience (around 48 individuals) didn't speak English, the presentation was translated into Amharic by Sintayehu Manaye, CHF-GEBI Program Manager. The workshop gave the opportunity to learn more about the challenges faced by small producers who are struggling to get access to credit and improve the quality and increase the marketability of their products.

Walking back home from work