"Ethiopia" by Aaron Walters

Aaron let me share this awesome poem with all of you. He wrote it on the plane on his way back to the U.S.
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Ethiopia
by Aaron Walters

People, with nothing, scared, hungry, sick, cold, dirty.

Dogs, not touched, not noticed, not as important as people who are also not touched and not noticed.

Mud, boys make a living cleaning shoes because of it; clean the mud off my shoes boy.

Money, kids running up to the car competing with each other to sell a beautiful bunch of bright orange carrots, grown by people who live with the land, crisp and sweet...for ten cents. Exhaust blowing in their faces as we eat the carrots and drive away.

Donkeys, lying in the middle of a busy road because it is the most comfortable place they can find.

Oxen, strong and proud attached to each other, pulling a plough through the earth which resists every step. Men carry the plough back to home, start again in the morning.

Chat, a natural drug that keeps people awake, only so they don't have to sleep.

Tej, people drink so they can lose a bit of their fear, smiles, laughter, joy...hangover.

Injera, why would you want it without meat? Can't you afford it?

Friends, real. Not much to get in the way of genuine human interaction.

Bugs, in your bed, biting you while you sleep, not sleeping...they win.

Rain, too much now...not enough later. I hate the rain...if it doesn't rain I'll die.

I'm sick myself, how can I take care of you?

The street children say their first need is love, the second, food.

Churches, carved out of rock by hand. Why? Old men who have been living in them for 70 years, what do they know? Can I know it?

People, proud, strong, healthy, intelligent, skilled, patient.

People.

2006 PCI/Ethiopia Staff and Interns

2006 PCI/Ethiopia Staff and Interns:

First row standing from left to right: Kim, Walleligne, Kurt, John and Jose.

Second row standing from left to right: Elisa, Erina, Addisalem, Helina and Abebaw.

Sitting from left to right: Israel, Baheru and Erin.

3/4 of the Family at Metro

Metro Restaurant and Pizzeria was our favorite place to go eat. Aaron, Erin, Erina and I institutionalized Thursday nights as Family Nights. Every Thursday night after work, we would go to Metro and enjoyed food and drinks together. But this night was different. It was Erin's last night in Ethiopia and Aaron had already left to London. But we still had a lot of fun and made plans for the future.

Dinner at Aladdin

We went to Aladdin for Erin's farewell dinner. We ate humus, kebabs and other Middle Eastern dishes. In the picture, for left to right, Helina, Jose and Israel. Helina and Israel are part of PCI/Ethiopia's excellent staff.

Farewell Party

PCI threw a farewell party for us last week. PCI staff includes outstanding human beings who are extremely talented and committed to their work. They always tried their best to make our work easier and more comfortable. Since I was the first intern to arrived to Ethiopia, I had the honor to cut the cake! I also had to do an impromptu speech about our experience in PCI and Ethiopia.

Future Farmers

We found these young kids selling carrots on our way back to Addis. We bought a bunch of carrots for 1.0 Birr! The carrots were delicious and we ate them with peanut butter! Talking about Erin's influence over the group!

St. George's Church at Lalibela

Lalibela was the last stop of our week-long trip through the North of Ethiopia. There are numerous monolithic churches in the Lalibela complex connected to one another by tunnels. The picture shows the only church not connected to the others. St. George's Church, the most famous one, was carved from solid rock in the shape of a cross. It took 40,000 people to build it!

The Family in Gonder

We visited the castles in Gonder. Here from left to right: Erin, Erina, Jose and Aaron. In the background: Fasil's Castle which is the most famous and best preserved of the castles. Gonder was the capital of Ethiopia from 1632 to 1855, and it has the remains of castles and palaces constructed by various emperors.

Coffee Ceremony at the Simien Mountains

Coffee ceremony in Ethiopia is an important part of their social and cultural life. An invitation to attend a coffee ceremony is considered a sign of friendship or respect and is an excellent example of Ethiopian hospitality. An Ethiopian family invited us to a coffee ceremony at the Simien Mountains. The lady in the picture washed a handful of coffee beans on a heated pan. When the coffee beans turned black, they were ground with a long handled mortar. The ground coffee was slowly stirred into the black coffee pot (made out of clay). We had four cups each! It is impolite to retire until you have had at least three cups, as the third round is considered to confer a blessing. We had so much coffee that none of us could sleep that night!

Visit to Monastery

There are several historical churches and monasteries in and around Lake Tana. These monasteries are decorated with paintings that depict biblical scenes about the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Access to the some churches is forbidden to women. Since women are permitted to visit churches on the Zeghe peninsula, we decided to visit them. Here Erina and I in a monastery in Lake Tana, Bahir Dar.

Struggling to cross the Nile

Aaron, Baheru, Erin, Erina, Kim and I went on a trip through Northern Ethiopia and visited Bahir Dar, Gonder, Simien Mountains and Lalibela. Our first stop was in Bahir Dar home of the Blue Nile Falls. The Blue Nile flows from Lake Tana in Ethiopia, while the White Nile flows from Lake Victoria in Uganda. Approximately 86 percent of the water that Egypt consumes annually originates from the Blue Nile River, while the remainder comes from the White Nile. The picture shows some locals helping Erina and me cross the Blue Nile. We had to get to the other side of the river to have a closer look at the Blue Nile Falls.

Sabahar: Handmade Ethiopian Silk

Sabahar is the only company in the country dedicated to the processing (i.e., spinning and reeling) and weaving of handmade silk and silk blends. Sabahar's line of handmade products includes scarves, curtains, wraps, throws, table linens, and pillows. All the products are naturally dyed with plants, most of which are found in Ethiopia.

Sabahar has a vision to employ skilled women who are single parents and lack a reliable source of income. More than 60 women are spinning Eri silk and are receiving significant income for their good work.

PB break at the Office

Erin and Aaron having a PB break! Erin LOVES Peanut Butter; she will eat it straight up from the jar. We usually drink macchiatos and eat PB&J sandwiches at the office. Bananas are a group favorite also. Here Erin is enjoying some PB; Aaron glaring at Erin in the background.

After Gym Picture

Before and After Gym Pictures: Here is the After Picture. Erin and I stayed a bit later for a intense workout that included aerobics, treadmill, stationary bike and some weights.

Gym Pictures: Before Picture

Before and After Gym Pictures: Here is the Before Picture. Erin and I had meetings that day so we had to dress up. After work we went to the gym for our daily workout routine. Check out our after gym picture!!