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
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