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
Ciao,
Manny
Backroads on the way to Seka Falls (widened for new construction)
Kids hangin' out at a market in Seka
Abba Jafar Palace
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