An Adventure In Ethiopia

Apologies for those following the blog, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of  finishing up work, packing, souvenir hunting,  and goodbyes. Alas, our great adventure has come to an end. This morning we will leave for Addis Ababa and the next day, we fly out!
I think I speak for both Suzie and I when I say that we really can't find words to describe how Ethiopia has affected us. The hospitality, food, language; every part of their culture has been an enriching experience.  It seems hard to believe that only three months ago we both wandered the streets of Addis, terrified, trying to find a store that sold water, with only our instincts and sense of curiosity leading the way. I don't think either of us had any idea as to what was to come over the summer.
Of course, I wouldn't trade those 'terrifying' experiences for anything in the world. Every time we put ourselves out we felt apprehensive, almost always followed by a sense of pride and above all, fun. For instance, on our first shuttle ride in Jimma we had no idea where its destination was, but we took the chance and in the end we learned the route. Three months later, we knew the taxi routes all across town like the back of our hands. For me, this sense of trial-and-error learning has been one of the most rewarding parts of living here.
Finally, we'd like to give a heartfelt "thank-you" to NSAC International for giving us this life-changing opportunity, Jimma University for all of the incredibly helpful staff and students, and of course the people of Ethiopia: no matter where we traveled or how terrible our Amharic was, we were always met with unbelievably open arms and minds. Ethiopia will be dearly missed.
Thanks for reading!

Deuna seunbetu,

Manny

Dear Friends From the PHM M.Sc Class

Church, Olympics and Braids

Our days in Ethiopia are coming to an end. I think both Mannfred and I are having mixed feelings about leaving, happy to be going home and seeing family but sad to be leaving Jimma, a place that has become our home away from home. The next blog post will be about our departure from Jimma but for now I’ll stick with what Manny and I have been doing to fill our days this past week.

Manny left off describing his experience at the slaughterhouse and visit to Lake Boya. While Mannfred was tramping around a marshy wetland, I was doing something completely different. I attended a Sunday church service at the Winner’s International Protestant Church. Now, most people who know me well, know that I would not consider myself a religious person but I do respect religion and people’s beliefs and I was curious about the difference between a church service in Ethiopia versus Canada.

 First, I would like to say that Ethiopia has a number of religions which are popular, the most common being Orthodox Christian, Muslim followed by Protestant. Coming from a Western country it is very common to hear about religious conflict around the world but I can honestly say that Ethiopia appears to be very peaceful when it comes to the acceptance of each other’s beliefs. Living on a University campus you see students and staff of mixed religions working harmoniously together and best friends of different religions walking hand in hand.

I choose to accompany three friends to the Protestant Church on Sunday which proved to be much more interesting than a Canadian sermon. Upon walking in, the choir was singing and dancing on the stage at the front, dancing meaning full on jumping up and down on the stage. I also don’t think that I have seen so many smiles before with people genuinely enjoying themselves as they danced along to the choir. It turns out that it was the last week for the minister at this church so there were many tears shed during the morning. It was overall a very interesting experience to take in.

Aside from attending church, Mannfred and I have been hanging out a lot with our hallway of Belgians going out to eat dinner around town, playing football matches against the Ethiopians (soccer if you will) and even dancing the night away. Picture a massive crowd of Belgians, Ethiopians, a couple Canadians and a Kenyan all out dancing. It certainly makes for a fun night of shoulder dancing (and some stiff muscles in the morning). We have also been watching the Olympics recently with a very memorable experience watching in the student lounge as the Ethiopians won gold in the Women’s Marathon, which was spectacular to watch with such a vibrant crowd. We may have suffered some mild damage to our ears from the piercing screams.

Our final days have been filled with some last minute shopping we didn’t do until now as well as printing photos for friends and today I even got my hair braided. I’ll be entering the Netherlands with my new Habesha hair style. Manny will fill you in with our final fairwells.

Ciao.

Suze

Boys after church

Playing some football

Getting my braids

A Slaughterhouse, Clinic, and Wetlands

It's been an interesting week since coming home from Gondar. We arrived back to find some Belgians and a Kenyan student staying in our dorm, and it's been fun showing them around town and comparing our expectations, observations, and experiences of the country. A Ph.D student, Veronique, has been to Jimma many times before and has been both helpful and insightful concerning the culture and language. She is here collecting fluid and organ samples from cows, so I decided to tag along to the slaughterhouse and see how it's done. Obviously, it was a gruesome experience and I expect the word 'slaughterhouse' is description enough. Plants don't make nearly the mess when you dissect them. In the end I was glad I went; as a consumer of meat it was a valuable opportunity to appreciate that part of the process of putting food on my plate. Though the methods used to sedate and kill the animals are far from optimal, the manager seemed quite eager to learn from Veronique and was opened-minded enough to accept recommendations after her research is complete.

Last Friday I had some chest pain so Prof. Solomon rounded up a car and we made the first trip of the summer to the health clinic. Suzie came along too as it had some potential to be an adventure. Prof. Solomon seemed glad to have an excuse to avoid another administrative meeting and his good spirits were welcomed in the waiting room as he told jokes and roared his famous Harar laugh. The trip had a bit of irony since Prof. Solomon and our friends have always joked about taking us to the clinic everytime we got sick throughout the summer. Of course, until last Friday we had managed to avoid the clinic, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything. The office is run by a recent med-school graduate and it really didn't differ too much from one in Canada. However, there seemed to be some critically ill patients there so I felt a bit sheepish coming in with comparatively mild symptoms. In the end the diagnosis was nothing serious and a day of rest led to recovery. 

I ended the weekend by hiking out to Boya lake with the Belgians (~8km from Jimma). As we inevitably got lost, it became increasingly difficult to get directions because the rural people spoke more and more Oromo and less and less Amharic. In the end we found it, but what remained of the lake was a marshy-wetland system. Still, the wildlife and relative quiet compared to Jimma were a welcomed break to my ears and we got to enjoy some bread and Nutella (gotta love those prepared Belgians) under a Warka tree. Meanwhile in Jimma, Suze experienced the emotional atmosphere of a protestant minister's final sermon. Stay tuned for that story!

Ciao,

Manny

Least Gruesome Slaughterhouse Photo

  Prof. Solomon Registered me as 'Menifled Ababa'

Eva, Kewan, & Lien at Boya Wetlands

Bahir Dar.

I’ll continue the chronicles of our travels through the North of Ethiopia which started with yet another early morning departure from Gondar enroute to Bahir Dar. After a restless night of food poisoning and what seemed like an endless call from the mosque beside the hotel we began the next leg of our adventure. Manny and I were lucky enough to have Tamiru organize a vehicle from Gondar University making the trip much easier. Upon arriving in Bahir Dar Manny began some sightseeing of the palm lined boulevards of Bahir Dar while I settled in attempt of a quick recovery.

In the evening we went out to one of the many resorts on the Lake for a drink before we wandered further into town. Sitting near the lake a storm quickly blew in out of nowhere which I would have classified as a tropical storm at home with the intense wind knocking the power out. After the rain died down we moved onto a traditional music house crammed full of people. The small room is lined entirely with chairs and as more people arrived the beer crates came out as extra seating.  The source of the music was from a traditional Ethiopian instrument called a  masengo which is a one stringed instrument, some drumming in the background also accompanied by a azmari which is a singer who improvised verses about the audience. Being the only Farinjis in the room automatically made us a target for the entertaining verses but it moved on to every person in the room whether, short and bald or the business man in the corner. Dancing continued with the traditional shoulder  dancing which is much harder than it appears. The two year old in the corner was a better dancer than me but you have to give Manny and I credit for still giving it an attempt. We moved from the traditional house to a more modern bar where the music ranged from what I’d call Amharic  pop to Bob Marley and even some hardcore rap in the mix. It made for an entertaining evening and what better way to spend a Saturday night.

It proved to be a challenge getting our next bus ticket back to Addis and we ended up in Bahir Dar for a second day so we spent it resort hopping around Lake Tana with Tamiru and his friends. Bahir Dar is located right on the southern shore of Lake Tana which is the largest lake in Ethiopia and proves to be a touristy area. We enjoyed the view from five different resorts taking in the nice and day chatting away about everything and anything.

After a long week of travel we were looking forward to arriving back in our home of Jimma but after two full days of bus travel a some extremely stiff muscles.

Ciao for now.

Suze

Getting stormy on Lake Tana

Hanging with new friends

Dark room of dancing

Gondar

For the last week Suze and I have been travelling to and from Gondar. As always, we started out with a rough plan but somehow managed a full week of new people, places, and food . We started last Tuesday by heading to Addis where we stayed with two former NSAC folks, Mary and Gary. They were most kind; providing us with a place to rest, great meals, and some funny stories about their experiences in Nova Scotia.

We then headed for Gondar. For some reason I had thought the bus ride was only seven hours, but was corrected of that after arriving 13 hours later. The view on the road made up for that though. The winding road through mountains of Debre Markos were both terrifying and awesome, we were sometimes driving above low-lying cumulus clouds!

Once there, we were greeted by our friend of JUCAVM, Biru, and our soon-to-be guide for the following days, Tamiru. After a thorough rest we headed into town where you can find the castles of the Emperors of Gondar (now a UNESCO world heritage site). These castles were built in throughout the 17^th century and though partially destroyed by bombs during conflicts in the 1940’s, much of the structures remain intact. Though mostly empty of artifacts, the areas which once hosted kitchens, bedrooms, animal stalls, courtyards, a library, and even a lion's den remained. It's a precious symbol of a great power that once ruled the region.
 Also interesting was the bath of King Fasilides. This was a huge in-ground pool with a castle constructed right in the middle! The pool is still used today by Orthodox Christians who bath in it every January as part of the Timkat (baptism) celebrations.  

We ended our tour of Gondar with a trip to Gondar University where we met up with some students from the University of Calgary. Knowing the area, they took us out to the Dashen Brewery Gardens where we had some delicious (but consequently spoiled, as Suze learned) chicken, and a tower of Dashen beer, which had been brewed a stone’s throw from where we sat. How’s that for local?  

We left the next morning bright and early, and continued our adventure along with Tamiru in the Amhara capital, Bahir Dar. Suze will fill you in!

Ciao,

Manny 

Road to Gondar

Emperor Fasilides' Palace

Touristin' at Fasilides' Bath

Tassel's worth the hassle!

Well I’m back again. First I’d like to say what a great Interview Mannfred did, I think it gives a great source of first hand knowledge about the project we’re helping with, whats being done and what can still be done in the future. There are so many bright students here at JUCAVM  who have put an enormous amount of effort into moving forward with career plans. This past weekend Mannfred and I were able to share in the celebration of these students’ accomplishments by attending the graduation ceremony at Jimma University. First I’d like to say that the graduation at Jimma University is broken into two different weekends purely because of the massive graduation class. JUCAVM students were graduating on the second weekend along with the social science, business, and law students at the university. Overall there were approximately 3000 graduates that received their degrees at the ceremony. You think this is a lot but how about picturing 50 000 new university graduates across Ethiopia this year, an astonishing number and a tremendous accomplishment for the country which has gone from a few universities to 31 universities in approximately a decade. JUCAVM has their first ever Post Harvest Management class graduate this year which is an accomplishment for the PHMIL project.  

The graduation ceremony was a nice mix of new and traditional elements. The crowd of black gowns, coloured sashes and grad caps was overwhelming initially but with proud parents looking on it was easy to join in with the excitement even though Manny and I didn’t understand a single word of the ceremony. The official sign that you have graduated here is when you can move the tassel from your grad cap from the right to the left hand side. Not every student walked across the stage because that would have taken all day but each program recognized the top academic achievers as well as special awards like the top female academic overall at JUCAVM. It was an eye opener for me with the sudden realization that I’ll be graduating myself next year.

One special element of the graduation ceremony was the guest Gebisa Ejeta who received an Honorary Doctorate from Jimma University. Dr. Ejeta attended JUCAVM many years ago before he moved to the United States to continue his education. He has now become a well known professor at Purdue University in Plant Breeding & Genetics and in 2009 won the World Food Prize Laureate. Dr. Ejeta did a public lecture on campus in the following days about Improving National Development Challenges through Science, Technology and Innovation. Dr. Ejeta has put an impressive amount of work into giving back to his country that gave him his initial start. It was a very inspiring talk and gave many of the graduating students ideas of the possibilities of what they can one day accomplish.

Aside from graduation Manny and I have been going about our usual routines but with a few ailments, Manny had another small bout of food poisoning and I’ve caught a cold. The only other excitement we’ve had is that Manny had a bird poop on him yesterday and I had a bug the size of my fist crawl out of the shower drain this morning which almost gave me a heart attack. There is always something new to entertain our days. Tomorrow we’ll be off again on another adventure out of Jimma but this time to the Northern part of Ethiopia headed to Gondor and Bahar Dar. We’ll keep you posted.

Ciao.

Suze

JUCAVM's first Post Harvest Management graduating class

My improved injera as Manny mentioned previously

The lovely bug that decided to join me in the shower

Interview

Hi All, this week I decided to interview a couple of the new M.Sc students here at JUCAVM in lieu of the usual update. It's a short discussion meant to give the reader perspective on the students' motivation behind studying Post-Harvest Management, the need of such programs in Ethiopia, and their ideas on what they can do to solve agricultural problems. Enjoy!

Manny


Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. July 3, 2012.
Gerefa Sefu and Misale Kuru

Mannfred: First off, what is meant by Post Harvest Management, what does it entail?

Gerefa: Post Harvest Management is essentially the control of crop losses from the ‘farm to the fork’. Controlling any losses. 

Mf:  So what sorts of activities define Post Harvest Management? 

Misale: I think it’s a process, it’s not one activity or another. It starts at the harvest and continues until it reaches the customer or consumer. It involves, after harvest, anything like pre-cooling, cooling, packaging, processing, whatever is needed. It’s a long process, keeping the quality of food products.

Mf: Why do you think PHM has been identified as such an important issue? Why not pre-harvest management?

G: I think Post Harvest Management is ‘Pre-Pre-Harvest Management’ [laughs] because when there is no Post Harvest Management, there are no good pre-harvest contributions. If Post Harvest Management fails, everything before it does as well.  So, Post Harvest Management is the mother for all Ethiopia. 

Mf: How can PHM improve the lives of Ethiopians at both the local and national level?

Ms: You can see after farmers produce a crop, when it gets to a market it’s already deteriorated. If we can help them to handle their products correctly or practice the right types of management after harvest, they can boost their crop sales and also profits. If they contribute to the growth of their hometown economy and feed themselves and their families, then you can say the country as a whole is developing. After that, we can start to extend our market to the international level. 

Mf: What does modern Post Harvest Management research include? 

G: Modern Post Harvest Management includes extending the shelf-life of perishable commodities and products. This means modifying storage facilities and proper handling. This is the modern concept of Post Harvest Management. 

Ms: It’s a broad question, it can include a lot of different research. We can develop packaging, we can develop storage conditions…the main idea is to strengthen the shelf-life of the products. 

Mf: So does this mean a focus on laboratory or field work? Is there one that seems to be dominating in modern Post Harvest Management research? 

Ms: Both ways. We can do food fortification or food preservation in the lab, also storage research or packaging materials. At the same time people are doing their research in the fields. We collect data from both areas. 

G: Post Harvest Management is very broad. So, it’s not defined by the field or the lab. First, we find where the problems are and the location is secondary.  

 Mf: So this is about you guys. What are your PHM research interests? What will you be doing during your Master’s degree? 

G: My project will be on the mango fruit, extending its shelf life through waxing. I’ll be using essential oils extracted from cinnamon, clove, and ginger.  I’m hoping to make a contribution to society. Mangos are produced only in one season a year for the whole market. After that, they disappear. So, to improve the presence of that fruit in the market we need to extend its shelf life. We can use different mechanisms including good storage, packaging, atmospheric modification, and also through waxing. 

Mf: So does waxing prevent oxidation, pests, or something else? What is the main purpose of waxing? 

G: Waxing is very important for preventing oxygen from entering the fruit. If oxygen enters the mango, it creates favourable conditions for microorganisms, fungus, bacteria. If you prevent oxygen from entering, you can deter these things. So, the rate of production and shelf-life is increased and more mangos are available for longer durations in the market. 

Ms: My work will be with oranges. In modern times oranges are lost in Ethiopia due to diseases. I’m identifying these pathogens and why they’re attacking oranges. Part of the M.Sc program includes a plant pathology course so I’ll be working with plant pathologists studying Colletotrichum spp. and anthracnose diseases. 

Mf: When Suze and I were in Addis Ababa we noticed lots of different types of fruits. Is fruit being produced primarily in one part of the country or are they coming from all over?

Ms: They’re coming from everywhere.  If they’re produced outside of Addis or some urban area, they’re brought to the market. That means if you’re in one of these centres, you can find oranges anywhere. The problem right now is bringing the products across the country. 

G: Mangos are being produced in the West and South of Ethiopia. Asosa, Jimma and other Southern parts of Ethiopia too. They’re being brought to these urban areas, but there are losses associated with this transport.

Mf: As Ethiopians and students of agriculture, what do you identify as the most pressing issues in Post Harvest Management? 

G: I think the number one problem is connecting all the Post Harvest Management controls. So, connecting technology and knowledge. The harvesting, handling, and processing process especially is not done correctly, over 50% of losses are coming just from harvesting. In the market, storage is a real problem. Technology needs to be incorporated into the storage, handling, and harvesting systems. 

Mf: Can you think of a good example of how harvesting technology could be used to reduce that 50% loss?

G: Yeah, a simple technology is being used for mango fruit collection. There are a lot of losses because the fruits hang so high from the trees and become damaged when they fall. So, they need to be harvested without injuring the fruit and technology has improved this. The harvesting basket is simple, but effective.

Mf: How does the harvesting basket work?

G: It’s just a basket with a hook to cut the fruits from the tree. The basket is designed with materials that prevent damage to the fruits. It’s much better than landing on some hard surface like the ground. 

Mf: And Misale, what do you see as the most pressing issue in Post Harvest Management? 

Ms:  I agree with him but a new problem is the know-how. If the resources are available but the people don’t know how to use them, then there are no improvements. They need workshops to show them the best way of using what is available to them. The focus should not just be on new technology but how to use what they already have. It’s a major problem for rural farmers. 

Mf: Farming methods in Ethiopia are often passed down over generations and hold a traditional value. Do you think if university or government agencies try to teach farmers new methods, they will accept or reject them? 

Ms: I think they like modern concepts, but the problem may be that what they are being taught requires some costly equipment, or they do not know how to use such equipment. They may also not understand the importance of some machine, or think it will damage their soil for example. If we teach them before they are in the field, then there is no problem. 

Mf: So do you think Ethiopia needs these new, better technologies, or to use what they have better? What do you see as more effective? 

G: I think if technology is developed that is good, but we have become economically relevant with what we have so far. I think we need to focus on small things first: processing and handling. These things can be improved without much improvement to our existing technologies. 

Ms: What he said is right, we need to maximize the use of what we already have first. 

Mf: What do you see for the future of Ethiopian agriculture?

Ms: I can see that in the past five years we’ve developed our agriculture quickly. I’ve witnessed it. Our future is good; we will be able to export our fruits and vegetables on the international food market. Students like us, the next generation, will be able to do something better for the country. 

Mf: What will be the major agricultural products coming from Ethiopia? 

Ms: Coffee! For sure. Everyone already knows Ethiopia for its coffee.

G: In the future we’ll be exposing our products to other countries, even Canada. Mangos, coffee, bananas. I’m expecting this in the future. 

Mf: Do you have any concerns that Ethiopia will begin to export its products before it has taken care of its own people? 

G: Yes that’s an issue. It’s a matter of organization. As of now, Ethiopia is exporting raw materials and importing the processed product. We’re buying our own products that have been processed. For example, we have oilseed plants here for making our own oil, but instead we buy our oil from foreign countries. We export oilseed from Ethiopia and then buy the oil. By producing our own product we could provide for our own society and sell the extra products to the international market. So…it’s possible.

Ms: I think it’s possible. That’s one of the goals of Post Harvest Management. With some effort we should be able to feed ourselves and access international markets. Management should be so good that these things are made possible. The problem is the losses; we produce a lot, but we also lose a lot. If Post Harvest Management is improved we can do both. ⌂ 

Misale Kuru, 1st Year M.Sc in Post Harvest Management, Jimma University

Gerefa Sefu, 1st Year M.Sc in Post Harvest Management, Jimma University

 

**Also, this just in, Suze has made attempt #2 at making some Injera. Photo evidence soon to follow.

Cooking Lesson

We’ve mentioned before that our consumption of food in Ethiopia has been very different from our normal diet. This starts off with the most important element of Ethiopian cuisine, injera. Injera as described before is like a giant pancake that is cooked on one side while the other side resembles a sponge. It has a slightly acidic taste like sour dough and the average Ethiopian eats injera about twice a day. Upon arriving in Ethiopia I had been told I would eat a lot of injera but I don’t think I really understood that it would become a staple in my diet. Now saying this I can tell you that I have reached a point where I can identify good injera from bad injera or at least my preferences. I had the chance the other day to try my hand at cooking injera.

The job of cooking in Ethiopia still remains primarily in the hands of the women, finding a male in this country who can cook is rare (at least most can make pasta but thats like saying you can make Kraft Dinner at home). I asked my friend Eleni from the Post Harvest class if she could show me how injera is made.  Mannfred and I headed over to Eleni’s with a few of the other girls from the PHM class. First I was shown how to perform the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony starting from roasting the beans and using the traditional Jam^&*( to brew the coffee. My coffee didn’t turn out half bad but with some help from Beza while Manny and Misale ate popcorn and watched the magic happen. We also enjoyed a wonderful lunch that Eleni made which really showed us how different a meal can be when its homemade. We have primarily been eating our meals from restaurants where the injera is made in large commercials batches while the meal we had at Eleni’s was much tastier and the injera much softer. Its like comparing homemade rolls to Ben’s bread.

After lunch, I got my first attempt at making injera. To start injera is very basic with the main ingredients being water, tef flour and yeast and then the mixture needs to sit and ferment for approximately three days. On the third day, additional water is added to create a batter similar to pancake batter. A large grill (the name I cannot remember because its Amharic) is used for cooking the Injera. Eleni showed me the technique for pouring the batter on the grill which didn’t seem too challenging until I tried it myself. Like the young girls I was given the last bucket of mix and tried to pour my circle of injera, it proved to be very tricky where you need to pour quickly in a perfect circle. You don’t want it too thick in places because then it won’t bubble properly but you also don’t want holes in your injera which is exactly what happened to mine. Mannfred’s comment about my holey injera was that “its only good enough for firfir” which is a common dinner time item of broke pieces of injera and lots of spices. I’ll be making my second attempt at making Injera in the coming days and hopefully it will turn out slightly better. At least for now I have a good line for the guys that I would make a terrible wife because my injera is bad.

Thats all for now.

Suze

Coffee Ceremony with some help from Beza

My roasted beans

My injera with lots of holes in it.

Manny and some konjo (beautiful) girls

Journey Out of Jimma Part II

Indeed I should have heeded Suzie's advice about Gravol on the road to Addis. Lesson learned.
As Suzie mentioned, we visited American/Dutch/Ethiopian managed Genesis Farms. The operation was unlike anything Suzie and I have seen our entire visit. Every aspect of the farm had been carefully managed to maximize efficiency. Seed germination greenhouses, watering schedules, and packaged dairy products at the farm's own grocer were just some of the features that the farm boasted. It was most impressive to see how a few simple steps could improve the quality and quantity of a farm's output. More about the farm can be found here: http://genesisethiopia.com/
On our last day of our trip we caught a ride from Bishooftu to Addis while Tilahun dropped off Dr. Debele (JUCAVM professor of Environmental Science) at a bus station. Unfortunately for us this meant a 4:45am wake up call, and driving around Addis for a couple hours waiting for a restaurant to open for breakfast. We couldn't help but wonder how on earth the bus system works here. From our perspective it seemed as though we drove to a parking lot full of buses (and lots of food vendors) while Dr. Debele hopped out to find a bus to Jimma. No signage, no clocks, no ticket booths. If we ever need to take a bus somewhere we're going to need much better Amharic!
As the city woke up we took a visit to some old relatives at the Ethiopian National Museum. On the upper floors we got to check out a wide variety of ancient Ethiopian artifacts: tools, dishes, thrones, paintings..you name it! But what we were really excited to see were the bones of the many hominids (relatives of humans, more so than chimps) that have been unearthed here in the last century. Most notably, a molded replica from the remains of 'Lucy' (Australopithecus afarensis), a partial skeleton discovered in the Awash Valley in the 70's. The remains are apparently over 3 million years old and represent an important step in humans' evolution. A wealth of information on Lucy can be found all over the web, but here's a good overview for those interested: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060920-lucy.html
We finished off the morning by touring around Addis with Tilahun. It's really quite a city. Development everywhere; condos, office buildings, industry. In parts of the city we noted a stark juxtaposition between the rich and poor, where mansions on a hillside overlooked a sea of slums. Many people here comment on the widening gap between the wealthy, middle class, and impoverished. The future of the capital's society and culture is surely at an important crossroads. Addis is a city to stay tuned to for sure!
That's all for now, we're back on JUCAVM campus until our journey to the North.

Ciao!

Manny

Addis Ababa from Mount Entoto, 3km Above the Sea

 Impressive Greenhouses at Genesis Farms

Great Aunt Lucy 

Journey Out of Jimma

Well it may appear like Manny and I have fallen off the face of the earth but in reality we escaped Jimma to explore more of Ethiopia. We were very lucky this week because Professor Solomon and the dean of JUCAVM and another professor were headed out of town to three days of meetings to present a project proposal. They realized that we’ve been getting antsy to get out of Jimma and brought us along to explore. The journey began with an early morning departure for the long 6-7 hour journey to Addis Ababa. The drive is an incredible drive down a perfect road through the mountains, the Gibe valley and passing through the rural villages watching people plow fields and work their fingers to the bone. The road zigzags through the mountains and can be rough on the tummy as Mannfred learned the hard way. Perhaps next time he’ll take my advice about gravol because he had the pleasure of enjoying breakfast twice along the trip.

Our afternoon in Addis started by dropped off the dean at the Netherlands Embassy and we continued to do some touristy things like visiting Mount Entoto the highest peak that looks over the city of Addis. We saw one of the first Orthox churchs, the Palace of King Menelik and Taitu as well as the incredible  view  of the city. Remember we’re at the top of a mountain and approximately 3000m above sea level and once again Mannfred and I can feel the drop in oxygen level as we panted everywhere we walked. My camera even recognized the height change and automatically went to airplane mode (isn’t that telling).

We continued from Addis to a small town about 45 minutes away (depending on traffic) called Debrezeit also known as Bishooftu (recent name change) which is where the meetings would be taking place in the following days. Once settled into our hotel Mannfred and I couldn’t help but laugh at the design of my Austin Powers suite. I had sweet gold bed covering, blue and pink curtains, 70’s style upholstered chairs, a lava lamp and a drawer full of contraceptives and candles.

During our days when the professors were in meetings we did some touring around with our driver Tilahun. Tilahun’s English is rough but my Amharic is even rougher, needless to say we spent a good portion of the time having language lessons and I’ve learned the most important phrase yet, “I don’t know”. Tilahun drove us around Bishooftu where we got to see some of the many lakes in the area which Mannfred realized is the first time we’ve seen a large body of water since leaving home. We also visited a large farm which is extremely developed and has poultry, dairy and plant sections where they produce their own yoghurt and pasteurized milk as well as a small grocer where they sell all their fresh vegetables. It was quite an impressive operation to see. One of our favourite  things we did in town was visit the Lemma Guya Art Center. This was so cool to see because I’ve primarily been exposed to western art techniques and the style of the artist brought in some folksy elements but at the same time remaining quite realistic. The majority of the paintings were done on animal hide and he used the fur on the hide as a way of texturizing the clothing in the painting while removing the fur where faces and arms were. It also became apparent in the art how much he love his country with the focus of the paintings either being on a geographical or cultural element of the country or a famous or influential person in Ethiopian history whether it was a painting of Aba Jaffar or Haile Gebreselassie.

Not only did Mannfred and I get to explore touristy sites but we were also able to visit some supermarkets which may sound pathetic but it was super exciting for us and we made our first purchase of Peanut M&Ms since being in Ethiopia. Our excitement level was through the roof. Stay Tuned and Mannfred will fill you in on the remainder of the trip.

Suze

View of Bishooftu Lake

Can you see how big the tree is?

A painting from Lemma Guya of the harvesting of tef which is used in Injera

Excited about Peanut M&Ms!!

Out and About

Welcome back! Suzie and I had a busy weekend and finally got out of ol' Jimma town with some of the Post Harvest Management graduate students and Prof. Solomon. Saturday we woke up bright and early and hurled down a bumpy backroad to Seka Falls (~35km outside of Jimma). The drive was treacherous at times but with lots of interesting sites along the way. There is a surprising amount of highway construction, and we stopped in a small town market where we were met with the usual chorus of "Farenji! Farenji!" (Foreigner! Foreigner!) ) and "You! You! You!”. It's always fun interacting with locals and trying out some Amharic greetings that we've polished enough not to butcher. Suzie and I exchanged some worried glances as the car approached our destination; we slowly descended down a steep narrow path to the falls best described as 'off-road'. There were times when I almost spoke up to say we would walk the rest of the way,but alas I figured the driver had made the trip many times before.

The next day we headed to Abba Jafar Palace, an old wooden palace built for King Jafar in the late 19th century. The palace sits atop a mountain just outside urban Jimma and boasts a beautiful view used in those times as a strategic military lookout. The grad students held King Jafar in great regard as they recited his height, weight, and number of wives and children. His reputation almost has a mythical twist to it! Suzie pointed out that this building has been the first wooden construct we've noticed, something common in Canada but rare here in Ethiopia. The palace incorporated designs influenced from traditional Ethiopian, Indian, and even some French metal work. On the walk down the mountain we got to take in the great view, and enjoyed the serenades of the grad students who love singing as well as debating over their favourite Ethiopian pop tunes. One thing we always laugh about is that Ethiopians invest a lot of emotion into their conversations. Whether it be ordering food or arranging meeting times, a brief heated argument always precedes any sort of decision!

Well, the Euro Cup has kicked off and the campus is again cheering into the night as England takes on France. Lively nights are surely ahead! We are (hopefully) heading to Northern Ethiopia in the coming weeks so we’ll fill you in as the time approaches.  

Ciao,

Manny

 

 Backroads on the way to Seka Falls (widened for new construction)

 

Kids hangin' out at a market in Seka

 Abba Jafar Palace

                                                       

Cabin Fever and Bajaj Rides

The definition of normal has certainly proven to be a relative thing. We’ve started describing things as normal and then realizing that its our “Ethiopian Normal”. Amazingly enough, we’re a third of the way through our time here but we’ve also started showing some signs of cabin fever. At home I always think of cabin fever hitting during the snowy days but with the rainy season in Ethiopia I can say we’ve got a mild case of cabin fever.

We’ve found ourselves somewhat trapped indoors while the rain beats down and knocks the power out. Friday night the lights were out early and out for the night. The heavy rain the other day even brought ice pellets which was certainly a surprise.  Mannfred and I have found ourselves on many occasions sitting eating our supper in the dark. It poses some difficulties finding the plate of food and finding your mouth but its a nice solution for the meals you’re not too keen on eating.

Mannfred and I haven’t gone in great detail about the Ethiopian culture but a major difference we’ve found is that they aren’t shy in showing their emotions. Whether its a wedding and the honking horns go on for hours, a funeral where people cry openly in the streets or a simple greeting with a friend. Whenever you see a friend you ALWAYS stop to say hello. It could be a handshake, shoulder bump, a couple kisses on the cheek or a hug. We’ve started learning more and more about the cultural norms and like many cultures, food and eating is a social occasion. Saturday morning after a very interesting game of pool with our friends Esa and Gerefa we went out for lunch together. When you’re true friends you may ask “can we gursha?” This is essentially when a friend will feed you a nice large chunk of Injera and whatever other food you’re eating. I’ve been asked this question a couple of times and just could not take it seriously but I gursha (ed?, I don’t know the spelling or tense, its an Amharic word) on Saturday. Below is a lovely photo of Esa feeding me a nice bite of Injera, I guess we’re true friends now!

One way of dealing with our growing cabin fever has been attempting to journey farther and farther away from JUCAVM campus. We took our first Bajaj ride the other day in order to hunt down a comforting meal to sooth our stomachs. Assuming you’re unfamiliar with what a Bajaj is, its basically a 3 wheeled taxi about the size of a golf cart but with an engine similar to a ride on lawnmower. You feel like you’re on an amusement park ride going down the bumpy road, dodging potholes and pedestrians trying to hold onto the measly metal bar in front of you so you don’t slip out the side where the door is missing. We successfully made it to Honeyland Hotel for a nice lunch and some familiar food. On the way back to JUCAVM we were having difficulties finding an empty Bajaj so we hopped in one with some locals (5 people made for a slow drive) and split the fare to a central area where we were then directed to get one of the main taxis. Taxis here are basically shuttle buses (12 seater vans) with designated routes and I have no understanding of how the system works. Thank goodness people helped us because we miraculously ended up in the correct place. Transportation wise we have made some great accomplishments in venturing around town on our own.

Each day when we walk to down to get our daily dose of Vitamin C with a delicious glass of mango juice we pass by a couple schools where we can hear lots of children. We decided to stop and set an appointment to visit the ABFM Academy which is a private school owned by a Canadian in Ontario. The school we were at is kindergarten age 4-6 and later they move to the primary school which has 400 students. We had a nice little visit with some adorable children and can’t wait for when we can visit the primary school to do some simple English lessons and some children’s songs!

We’re in the midst of making travel plans to see more of the country so keep checking to see where we end up next!

Suze

I'm like a baby bird being fed

Our first Bajaj ride

Visit to the ABFM Academy

Enter June

Believe it or not, today marks one month since our departure. We like to think we've adjusted quite well to the way of life here. Bucket baths, critters in our rooms, and venturing out for groceries are becoming normal parts of our everyday routine.

After the busy week with the conference we've been left with lots of ideas as to how to focus our time and efforts. We're looking to visit Omega Farms (see Suzie's last post) and we're starting to form a plan to produce an Enset manual http://www.aaas.org/international/africa/enset/descrip.shtml. This idea came about after watching a documentary produced by Katie and Jenn (McGill's interns from last year) and Sirawdink, a researcher here on campus. The documentary focused on the gender roles associated with farming Enset, and featured some interviews with locals. In these interviews we saw the need for resources on the propagation, harvesting, and post-harvest management of the plant, so we thought we would spend the next few weeks researching and then designing a farmer-friendly Enset manual!

Meanwhile, I spent the week in bed with a delightful case of food poisoning! Raw vegetables are the prime suspect, and I knew I shouldn't have eaten them, but I have a macho reputation that needed upholding haha. This has led to countless people phoning to offer to bring me to the health clinic. Classic Ethiopian hospitality! 

Sirawdink kindly lent me his guitar so that's done a great job at keeping me busy. I've had some fun trying my hand at some Ethiopian tunes. The music of Ethiopia is wildly unique in that every song almost without exception is played rhythmically in triplets or 'waltz', as well as some cool microtonal singing. Makes for an exotic experience for someone who has been primarily exposed to Western styles of music!

This week Suzie and I attended a neat lab on food preservation with a post-harvest grad class. The class has been particularly friendly to us and frequently take us out for buna (coffee) at what they call 'The 5 Star Hotel'; a cool little hangout consisting of a tarp with benches inside. Can't argue with the quality coffee though! I'm not really sure what Suzie's been up to other than that, I've been living the hermit life while I recover. I'll let her fill in the gaps on the next post.

That's all for now. Ciao!

Manny

Boiling rinds for pectin in PH lab

Awesome lady selling Samosas down the road

About to eat said Samosas 

Conference Week

Its been a whirlwind week with the International Conference for Post Harvest Management and Technology for Food Security. It was an educational few days with some great presentations from a wide variety of people all with the common goal of helping with Post Harvest Management.  As Manny mentioned earlier there were attendees from NSAC, McGill, UC Davis, Industry Representatives, and Entrepreneurs along with speakers from India and the FAO.

Speaking with some the PHM Grad Students one of the most popular presentations was by a gentleman Daniel Gad. Mr. Gad used to live in the United States and work for AT&T and decided to move back home to Ethiopia and start a commercial farm called Omega Farms. The farm follows strict International Quality and Health Regulations and distributes his farm fresh products to Tesco in the UK and Wholefoods in the US. He has also recently become very involved with the Ethiopian chickpea industry. Daniel not only had a lot to talk about in regards to his business and the agriculture in Ethiopia but he had also just arrived from the G8 Summit meetings regarding Agriculture in Africa.

Another interesting presentation was by the Quality Manager, Abiy Kasahun of HILINA Foods Enriched Processing Center. The company produces peanut based supplementary foods for the treatment of malnourished children. The biggest Challenge for HILINA has been the assurance of quality peanuts because of poor harvesting practices and improper storage of the nuts which results in contamination of aflatoxin and mycotoxins. They have tried to solve these issues through new technologies such as peanut shellers along with the encouragement of better harvesting practices. Other presentations included one on the use of apple waste into neutraceuticals, environmental impacts of coffee processing, and so many more great presentations. The conference ended with a banquet dinner in the Alumni Gardens, you could tell it was a special occasion since there was a full cooked goat on the buffet table. I may have given a little squeal when I saw it which sparked some laughter in the crowd.

Aside from the conference, it was nice to have some familiar faces around campus and enjoy some easy humor and nice little care packages from home. Mannfred and I were lucky enough to meet one of the PHMIL interns from last year who flew in from doing her PhD research in South Africa. We took a little drive around Jimma and she pointed out some restaurants for us to try and gave us some great insight into further work we can do while at JUCAVM.

Campus has seemed extremely quiet since the conference with all the attendees gone and the general atmosphere seems to be much more relaxed with the stress of all the organization in the past. Mannfred and I enjoyed the majority of our weekend in the Alumni Gardens taking in the sun and drinking coffee with friends. When I say friends I’m including our nice new friends as well as the wildlife. One day there was a full troop of monkeys busy in the garden. At one point I counted nearly 20 monkeys and there were a few sitting above me in a tree giving me the stare down. Later there was also a massive tortoise making its way across the paths. These things don’t seem to faze anyone except Mannfred and I, and now we’re the strange Canadians chasing down the tortoise in the gardens. Oh well, one thing that doesn’t faze me anymore are strange looks.

I hope you’re enjoying this lovely Monday which is actually a Holiday in Ethiopia!

Ciao

Suze

The majority of the conference presenters

Please note the napkin in its mouth.

Grivet monkey in the tree.

One Phone To Rule Them All

Today was the first of presentations at the International Conference of Post-Harvest Management & Technology for Food Security. The timing was perfect since Suzie and I have gotten settled and are looking for some perspective as to our role in the PHMIL project. There is an eclectic group of conference attendees on JUCAVM campus this week. Some of our professors from NSAC, professors from McGill, Dalhousie, UC Davies, Industry Represenatitves and Entrepreneurs from all over Ethiopia, and researchers from India and across the world.

A page of discussed Post-Harvest topics could be listed, but some included handling techniques, processing for value-added products, economic impacts and influences, and bio-technologies. What struck me most was the statistics regarding Post-Harvest losses of some foods. Some reported losses of upto 20% from crop harvest to reaching the consumer. These are huge numbers and seem particularly relevant given the recent population estimate of 7 billion humans on Earth. In some cases, lecturers argued that Post-Harvest management may be as cost-effective (if not more) as pre-planting strategies such as genetic work and pesticide research. The conference will continue through Thursday so Suzie will delve deeper into the details soon.

In other news, I’ve acquired my first cell phone. Those that know me might appreciate my long time resistance to the mobile world, though it is (understandably) useful for safety and communication. Suzie has taken a great joy in seeing me fumble and curse through menus trying to set alarms, add contacts and other cell-phone related tasks that I’ve avoided until now. Also, most people in Ethiopia have the same ringtone so I feel like a fool frantically digging through my backpack or pockets only to discover the call is for someone across the street. You’d be over-estimating my abilities if you think

I have the first clue as to how to change the ringtone. I feel like I can relate to the burden carried by Frodo and Samwise to Mordor.

We had quite the cultural experience this Saturday night past. The Champions League Final (football or soccer depending where you’re reading this) was shown outdoors due to an overflow of people in the Student Lounge (which was holding at least 200). There was a huge crowd of people gathered around a TV outside, most of them very emotional Chelsea fans.  Some tied up their sweaters over their face or hid behind trees as Bayern took their penalties. It was hilarious to see how excited they were. The crowd was as loud as a rock concert and I received many a hug from total strangers when Chelsea took the cup. They love their football as much as Canadians love hockey.

Well, that’s all for now.

Ciao,

Manny

Comfy Seats at a JUCAVM Lecture Hall

 

Sweezie and Mary on Lunch

 

Avocados Picked from Prof. Solomon's Backyard Tree