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

Creepy Crawlies

The past few days have been slow work wise but Mannfred and I have managed to still fill our days. We’ve done a small amount of prep work for the conference with editing and sending invitations to the Jimma University Senate. Its the calm before the storm you could say because our NSAC colleagues start arriving today through Saturday and we’ve been given fair warning that they’re bringing suitcases full of work for us in order to prepare for the upcoming conference (conference.phmva.net).

Yesterday a student asked if we would like to attend an entomology lab and since we weren’t busy we figured why not. The entomology lab was very interesting and I now have a much better understanding of the Ethiopian creepy crawlies that I will be avoiding for the next few months. Insects seem to be much larger here and not my friends. I have a little story about these crawly creatures. I have paid close attention to tucking in my mosquito net around my mattress at night but somehow last night it came untucked around the edge and was draping on the ground. A little cockroach decided to use my net as a ladder and I woke up with it crawling on my arm, lesson learned I will ALWAYS check to see that my net is tucked in!

This morning Mannfred and I were enjoying our morning Macchiatos and reading in the Alumni gardens when we were stampeded by a grade four class. There were probably around 30 students and when they saw a faranji their teacher lost control. They filled the gazebo and started asking us questions and were extremely keen to try out their English and giggle away. Too bad we weren’t carrying our cameras. We talked to their teacher and we got his phone number so we will pay them another visit in the coming months. In the Ethiopian culture people take much more time in their greetings and farewells to their friends, a standard handshake, a couple kisses on the cheeks or a few shoulder bumps is the norm (it all depends on how deep your friendship is). As the entire class started leaving, every student wanted to say goodbye and forget personal space, we were mobbed and the kisses and handshakes seemed to never end. Needless to say we had literally drawn the attention of every other person in the gardens.

Later in the day we ventured into town with our new friend Biru. We took our first taxi ride which was amusing since you pile as many people as possible into the van. Town is always much hotter and dustier than campus which feels like a lush oasis in comparison. Biru took us to a nice restaurant in the centre of Jimma and we enjoyed a delicious fish meal and an interesting honey drink.  The drink was yellowy orange in colour and looked very fruity but upon tasting it we realized it was pretty much watered down honey. I’ve discovered since living with Mannfred that he has a very big sweet tooth and he took a great liking to the honey drink. Our lunch also came with a nice green salad which I wanted to eat so badly but was very hesitant with the raw veggies. Manny is an interesting guest for meals here since he can spout out many microbiological facts about the possible organisms that could be in our food. This is a situation where I can honestly say ignorance is bliss!  Manny however, still took the plunge and ate his veggies where as I avoided temptation after his nice little organism speech. Let’s see how his tummy is acting tomorrow! Hate to say I told you so!

Ciao for now.

Suze

Morning Macchiatos

Town life

I'm going to attempt to bring home a wooden stool at the end of the summer.

Bayoinet & Macchiatos

Well, if you were within earshot of Ethiopia this weekend, it will come to no surprise that Manchester City are the Premier League Champions. They sure do love their football, and it's always a joy to watch matches with such enthusiastic fans.
As Suzie said, we started to settle in this week. Much to our relief, the bathing situation has been figured out and we've got a lead on the laundry. Living here has been a real eye-opener as to my water consumption at home; Canada is truly lucky to have the fresh water resources that it does.
We delved deeper into some cultural experiences this week. The coffee ceremony was great fun (see Suzie's post) and we had our first Bayoinet (Injera served with potato, yellow rice, lentils, beetroot, or other sides). I'm not usually a coffee drinker but I've found the Macchiato (a delicious cup of layered coffee, milk, and sugarcane) to be quite addictive...okok  really addictive.
Things are starting to pick up work-wise, especially as JUCAVM prepares to host the International Conference of Post-Harvest Management & Technology for Food Security. It looks like it will busy days ahead so we'll enjoy our downtime for now. We're also preparing a tutorial on conversational English for the undergrads, and a special topic of our choice pertaining to our degree. I think we'll do some sessions on MS Word and Excel for the grad students sometime soon too.
That's all for now. Ciao!

Manny

Some delicious coffee from the ceremony

JUCAVM football match

Bayoinet

One Week Down

Mannfred and I have officially been on Ethiopian ground for a full week. It came to us as a shock because we have completely lost track of the days. One week in and we’re finally starting to adapt and feel more comfortable in our new environment. The other students also seem to be getting used to having Faranjis (foreigners) on campus too. Everyone seems to say hello and know our names and I haven’t the slightest clue who they are.

Our first day on campus there were a bunch of girls hanging in our bedroom windows talking to us and welcoming us. These girls have been extremely curious and even dragged me up to their dorm room the other night as Mannfred mentioned. My visit not only consisted of a room full of girls asking questions but at one point a chorus of Justin Beiber and Shania Twain started ringing through the room. I was roaring with laughter, so that’s how people identify Canada now?  They were dead set on dragging me to the student cafeteria which Mannfred and I have been hesitant to go to since they often push the foreigners to the front of the line. My strategy was different since I made an obvious point of showing that I was with the girls. I was a spectacle as I ate with every eye on me to see if I ate the Injera, if it was too spicy and if I did the proper thing and only ate with my right hand.

Yesterday we were supposed to be heading to the main Jimma University campus to watch a football match between the staff. We were told to meet at 8:30 and we showed up right on time. That doesn’t mean a thing here since we waited for another 45 minutes for others to show up. The concept of time is very different here and I’m having a hard time with it and I’ll have to work on my patience. As one girl said to me “Your time is gold, our time is metal”. Everyone piled in one truck, yes the entire football team in the truck driving down the road and we stopped every fifty meters to add another person to the pile in the back. After getting halfway there we found out the game was canceled so they decided to have a friendly match back at JUCAVM. I will admit that I was distracted for the majority of the game because Dr. Ali (PHM Department Head) had brought his two year old daughter who initially was very hesitant around us but then became fascinated with Mannfred and I. She started crawling on our knees and as soon as we tried to take a photo of her, game over. The camera was her new favourite toy.

Later that day we were invited to attend our first coffee ceremony with the Post Harvest Management Graduate students. If you didn’t know already, Jimma is where coffee originated and the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony goes through every step of the process with washing the beans, roasting, grinding, and finally making the coffee. Coffee here is extraordinary. It is much stronger and makes Canadian coffee taste like water. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to drink a cup of Tim Horton’s coffee again!

Thats all for now!

Suzie!

She really wants the camera

Traditional coffee ceremony

The Post Harvest Management Department at JUCAVM

On Campus

It's been a whirlwind four days in Ethiopia and so I thought I'd catch a breath (literally, the altitude makes for thin air!) and update anyone curious on mine and Susan's adventure. I’ll share a bit about the experience on campus so far.

As of now, we're staying at our home for the next three months: Jimma University. The first thing many people surely notice is the pristine landscaping and huge variety of plants, insects and animals. Grivet monkeys seem to hang out casually in the trees and avocados grow plentifully from trees. Not your typical university campus! The students have been understandably curious but above all, friendly. Passing people will readily shake your hand and love trying out their English. "How are you?" seems to be a favourite. The director of the post-harvest management program, Solomon, has been most welcoming to us and has taken lots of his time to introduce us to many student and faculty.

Last evening I spotted a soccer (football here) match and decided to get out the cleats and see if I could join. Thankfully I was more than welcome, and it was good way to socialize without involving too much language. On the way back I also made the first social faux pas: wiping my muddy shoes on the curb. Note to future self: wipe shoes on designated mats, not curbs. How embarassing! All part of the experience I suppose. In the evening Susan was whisked away to hang out with some girls in the dorm, the students are genuinely interested in Canada and seem to like hearing about our culture.

Our third afternoon Susan and I ventured downtown. Many people called at us and some approached to get a better look. We managed to buy some carrots, potatoes, and eggs in order to cook our first meal since we arrived. We’re still nervous about interacting with the shop keepers as the language barrier makes communication difficult. In time we’ll hopefully know enough Amharic to get around better. 

Earlier, Solomon took us for a tour of the university’s horticultural gardens and farms. We got to see some coffee trees and tried out some Jamun, a very tart, purple fruit with apparently very high antioxidant levels. We also saw some mango trees and some other fruits which I have never heard of before. The diversity of organisms here is something to behold.

Susan and I will try to periodically post over the next three months. Forgive us if personal email or Facebook correspondence is slow; the internet is still a developing part of their infrastructure and can be intermittent at times. Until next time..

Ciao!

Manny

P.S. Mannfred seems to be a difficult name for the locals to say, so I'll be Manny for the summer. 

 Dorm

 

A Handful of Jamun

On Tour

Off to Ethiopia

Hello All,

First I would like to say, welcome to our blog of our Ethiopian adventures. This blog has two authors, myself, Susan Sipos and Mannfred Boehm. We have been selected to take part in a three month internship abroad in Ethiopia funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Nova Scotia Agricultural (NSAC) and McGill University. We are taking part in the project called Post Harvest Management Improving Livelihoods (PHMIL) at Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (JUCAVM). As part of our Canadian public engagement component of the internship we have decided to compile a blog of our daily activities, adventures, and experiences dealing with cultural changes and our general life as two students abroad. We have decided rather than do individual blogs to do a joint blog featuring both of our experiences in order to allow for varied perspectives to be shown and hopefully a more entertaining read.

Mannfred and I are both in Ethiopia already having just begun our adventure but I would like to backtrack a few days to the days that led up to where we are now. Looking back to our predeparture there didn’t seem like there was possibly enough time to prepare ourselves for this summer. We had to finish exams, complete training, get medically prepared which included vaccines, vaccines and more vaccines, packing when we really didn’t know what to pack along with mentally preparing ourselves for the days to come and saying goodbye to friends and family. One question that I was frequently asked when saying goodbye was “what exactly are you doing there?” This seemed like a pretty reasonable question and one that I couldn’t seem to answer satisfactorily. We had been given an outline of the tasks that would be completed while we were away but not knowing the environment that we would be in, made it a challenge and I think neither Mannfred nor I had any preconceived  expectations but we were ready to head off with open minds about whatever we would face.

The actual trip to Ethiopia took us 3 flights, approximately 24 hours and virtually no sleep except in 20 minute increments. We flew over the Atlantic Ocean, across Europe over the Mediterranean Sea and over the Sahara Dessert and finally closer to the mountains of Ethiopia. We spent the first night in Addis Ababa attempting to sooth our exhaustion. In the morning we were to head off to Jimma which would be our new home for the next three months.

I had an interesting wake up the first morning in Addis. I woke up snug in my bed with the blaring crys from the nearby mosque, I had been warned that this would happen but I somehow forgot that this occured at 5:30 in the morning and would continue for another couple hours on and off, so much for needing to set an alarm. Our drive to the university was supposed to arrive in the morning but until they showed up Mannfred and I ventured down the street to buy water for the 6 hour drive ahead of us. This I would call the turning point, the point where we both realized we were actually in Ethiopia and would be for the summer. Walking out of the hotel all you could see around you was construction, EVERYWHERE. It was a challenge to navigate ourselves down the street and to interpret the stores deciding what they would be able to offer us. We successfully found water after following a pair of confident people out of the hotel who seemed to know where they were going, it was like being led to the watering hole. First successful purchase using Ethiopian Birr= very smug Mannfred and Susan.

Tilhoun, a professor from the Post Harvest Management Department at JUCAVM (who will be at NSAC later this summer) and our very nice driver arrived shortly after we got back to the hotel. The drive to Jimma was lovely and passing through the little villages it amazed me that even on the long stretch between towns that people were everywhere and walking everywhere. The road from Addis to Jimma was astonishing to me because it was perfect, I don’t think we have roads in Nova Scotia this nice but I supposed they don’t have snow and ice to crack their roads. The road zigs and zags through the mountains as we drive closer and closer to Jimma with a spectacular view the whole way that you wouldn’t want to miss (I will admit I fell asleep partway through the drive, woops!) Along the way we stopped for lunch and had our first Ethiopian Meal. We started off brave and had kitfo as our first meal. We had been warned about this because traditionally it is raw meat served in a very spicy sauce and eaten with Injera which is a sort of flat bread type product but made out of teff which is a tiny grain that is only grown in Ethiopia. We were with other Ethiopians so they made sure to order the Kitfo cooked so it wouldn’t upset our sensitive stomachs which are not accustomed to these types of food. The kitfo was actually quite yummy and we learned how to properly scoop our food with Injera, the only thing was that it was a little spicer than anticipated and we’ve come to realize that there is no such thing as Ethiopian food that is not burn your tongue spicy.

Our first night in Jimma we stayed at the Honeyland Hotel because our rooms had not been prepared yet. Mannfred and I happened to be staying at the hotel on a busy night, there was a wedding going on. This was a sight to see. In the back courtyard of the hotel were hundreds of chairs set up for people and once the party got started the majority seemed to be occupied. There must have been over 500 people attending this wedding and I’m not exaggerating in the least. It was an interesting way to be introduced to the country and see how festive people are. We called it an early night while the music continued and we anticipated our arrival at JUCAVM the following day. 

Thats all for now. Mannfred will fill you in on the first couple of days at the university.  

Susan

View of Addis

 

Landscape on the way to Jimma

Ethiopian Wedding