Since I've already shared most of my experience multiple times over with friends and family as well as through emails I figure the easiest way to recap is to copy and paste my emails from the past month... that could possibly be considered cheating but I'm ok with that..
After 17 hours of plane rides and a 5 hour layover we finally made it into Addis about 730pm last night. For the most part the trip was uneventful other than the Frankfurt airport thinking us all
dilinquents (apparently my clothes are full of metal according to the metal detector, Mauras water bottle is a threat, and Kristens computeris a bomb... ok not really, even though they were extra suspicious). Today we set out for the Ethiopian Museum in the Addis Ababa University. We were officially the only white people on the entire campus which meant lots of staring. Odd to be such an extreme minority. We've spent most of our free time learning Ethiopian words. So far my favorite has been "stop beating the horses", I cant remember the actual translation and I have yet to actually see a horse but I'll make sure to have it handy just in case. After the museum we went out
to lunch at a restaurant called "Top View", one of the safe for american stomaches restaurants. Being in Ethiopia I felt it neccesary to order some local ethiopian food. Spicy chicked YUM! It comes with this bread like but not bread thing called ingira. Interesting but good.
The country itself is definitely a culture shock. Most of the houses are made up of random pieces of scrap metal and throughout the day and evening there are hundreds of locals walking around on the streets. I
have yet to ask where theyre going :). The roads are interesting as well. I'm not sure if there are rules to driving but if there are I have yet to figure them out. The air smells of car exhaust because I'm sure there are no exhaust car violation like we have in the US.
Tomorrow will be our first day of clinical. 2 students are going to Cheshire home, an orphanange for children with polio; 2 to yekata 12 hospital in the burn unit; 2 to the korean hospital; and 3 (myself included) to Black Lion hospital which is one of the county hospitals. Should be an interesting adventure. On friday we fly into Gonder which
is in the northern part of the country to visit the PT school.
.........................................................................................................
Today was our third day of clinical and I think we're finally starting to make somewhat of an impression and the Ethiopian PT's are recognizing that we actually do know what we're doing :) go figure. The past two days I've been with Kristen and Amber in the Outpatient ward. We basically do all our work in the morning because the culture here tends to get everything done in the AM leaving little to no patients in the afternoon. Day 1 I mostly worked one on one with an Ethiopian PT named Tessifiya. Yesterday I was able to work with my own patients which was great other than the language barrier. Everyone here is extremely nice and so thankful for help of any kind. The health care here is VERY different from the USA and at times extremely heartbreaking. There are so many patients with so many preventable illnesses however, the poverty and distance from medical facilities means that often health care comes too late leaving the patients with lasting disabilities. On the plus side (maybe?) is that disability isn't looked down upon or ostracized as much here as it is in the US. Part of it I think is due to the frequency of it but I also think part
of it is a more general acceptance and empathy with people in general. It's amazing the bonds between peoples families and friends and how willing they are to drop everything for one of them. Today was a completely difference experience at the hospital because I worked in the ward (inpatient). We saw everything from Tetanus to meningitis to
a 12 year old with a stroke. Very sad but very eye opening. We've all fallen in love with the 12 year old because despite his disabilities he's so happy and smiles all the time. We've also taught him the thumbs up sign and he uses it often. There is a very different approach to physical therapy and they are much more conservative which is frustrating at times. The man with tetanus had been in bed for 4 weeks! at home you're up in standing as soon as you're stable. Apparently there is a lot of resistance here to PT as well from the government because they don't find it necessary. Hard to believe when you look at all the individuals unable to walk etc that could be so easily helped. We went out to lunch today with 5 of us and 6 of the physical therapists here. It was funny because we went to a very
Ethiopian restaurant and everyone walking in stared at us. For 11 of us to eat and each get a drink it cost 123birr which is about 10 American dollars total not per person! . Makes you realize how overpriced everything is in America
when they're selling a bottle of coke for $.025! Anyways, there's a lot more to share like the prisoners we treat who are escorted by guards with shot guns! (don't worry mom, its not at bad as it sounds. There is very little actual violence here mostly just petty theft and then your more white collar crimes. Also, I asked the PT about them and he said the prisoners would never dream of running away so not to worry about the shotguns. They're more for show.) That's all for now.
......
Hello again from Ethiopia! So many adventures its difficult to share all of them with the limited internet time (there's always a line!). Last night we got back from Gondar, the old ethiopian capitol about an hour north plane ride from Addis. The city was absolutely AMAZING. It's a very old city so there are a lot of cool buildings to explore.
We left Ethiopia friday morning at 6:30am. We got to the airport at 5:30 am thinking we would have plenty of time. Little did we know that the Addis airport is a DISASTER. There is no sense of order so everyone forms a mob at the security gate and pushed themselves through. We got through around 610am, waited in line to get our
tickets printed out, then waited again through the second security line. The only good thing is there is no rule about liquids. We got to the bus to take us to our airplane at 6:30am and the flight didnt leave till 7:30. Quite the airport adventure. When we got to gondar it took us a while to get to Gondar university because we had to drive
behind a walking funeral procession. When we got to Gondar we toured the facilities, met with the student and faculty, and sat in with part of a class. It was very cool. We then took a tour of the castle. There are 5 seperate castles each built by a different king or queen. Reminded me very much of europe and we had a tour guide to give us the
history. We then went to the swimming pool (no water, no one actually swims). Its used during the time of the epiphany in january and its the only time during the year its filled and it takes two weeks for them to collect the water. The water is then blessed and splashed on everyone. After we toured the only original orthodox church left in gondar. 43 of the 44 were destroyed by muslims from neighboring countries about 200 years ago.
On saturday we drove an hour outside the city to a rural area where we could trek. About 10 members of the community, children included joined our group and we walked out to the high desert to see baboons!!! real live baboons about 10 yards from us. it was like we were living in the show planet earth! in the trees there were
columbus? monkeys. So cool. We then went on a tour hour hike. The terrain is similar to san diego in that it is a lot of dirt and eucalyptus trees however, its more like the grand canyon with its huge hill tops and ravines. absolutely beautiful and an experience i will remember forever. The children here are so cute. They hold our hands and sing songs with us as we walk. One of the girls didnt even have shoes :( We then went to a brewery, home of dashen beer. it was actually pretty good. After our hotel tour guide Tess and his cousin took a group of us to dinner. We then went to a local bar where they had traditional shoulder dancing, we have it on video, people singing in amharic and a person playing a drum. Really cool even though we all got pulled up center stage to try it. Americans dont move their shoulders much. After we went to a more westernized bar where they played english rap music. odd to hear in ethiopia.
.................
dilinquents (apparently my clothes are full of metal according to the metal detector, Mauras water bottle is a threat, and Kristens computeris a bomb... ok not really, even though they were extra suspicious). Today we set out for the Ethiopian Museum in the Addis Ababa University. We were officially the only white people on the entire campus which meant lots of staring. Odd to be such an extreme minority. We've spent most of our free time learning Ethiopian words. So far my favorite has been "stop beating the horses", I cant remember the actual translation and I have yet to actually see a horse but I'll make sure to have it handy just in case. After the museum we went out
to lunch at a restaurant called "Top View", one of the safe for american stomaches restaurants. Being in Ethiopia I felt it neccesary to order some local ethiopian food. Spicy chicked YUM! It comes with this bread like but not bread thing called ingira. Interesting but good.
The country itself is definitely a culture shock. Most of the houses are made up of random pieces of scrap metal and throughout the day and evening there are hundreds of locals walking around on the streets. I
have yet to ask where theyre going :). The roads are interesting as well. I'm not sure if there are rules to driving but if there are I have yet to figure them out. The air smells of car exhaust because I'm sure there are no exhaust car violation like we have in the US.
Tomorrow will be our first day of clinical. 2 students are going to Cheshire home, an orphanange for children with polio; 2 to yekata 12 hospital in the burn unit; 2 to the korean hospital; and 3 (myself included) to Black Lion hospital which is one of the county hospitals. Should be an interesting adventure. On friday we fly into Gonder which
is in the northern part of the country to visit the PT school.
.........................................................................................................
Today was our third day of clinical and I think we're finally starting to make somewhat of an impression and the Ethiopian PT's are recognizing that we actually do know what we're doing :) go figure. The past two days I've been with Kristen and Amber in the Outpatient ward. We basically do all our work in the morning because the culture here tends to get everything done in the AM leaving little to no patients in the afternoon. Day 1 I mostly worked one on one with an Ethiopian PT named Tessifiya. Yesterday I was able to work with my own patients which was great other than the language barrier. Everyone here is extremely nice and so thankful for help of any kind. The health care here is VERY different from the USA and at times extremely heartbreaking. There are so many patients with so many preventable illnesses however, the poverty and distance from medical facilities means that often health care comes too late leaving the patients with lasting disabilities. On the plus side (maybe?) is that disability isn't looked down upon or ostracized as much here as it is in the US. Part of it I think is due to the frequency of it but I also think part
of it is a more general acceptance and empathy with people in general. It's amazing the bonds between peoples families and friends and how willing they are to drop everything for one of them. Today was a completely difference experience at the hospital because I worked in the ward (inpatient). We saw everything from Tetanus to meningitis to
a 12 year old with a stroke. Very sad but very eye opening. We've all fallen in love with the 12 year old because despite his disabilities he's so happy and smiles all the time. We've also taught him the thumbs up sign and he uses it often. There is a very different approach to physical therapy and they are much more conservative which is frustrating at times. The man with tetanus had been in bed for 4 weeks! at home you're up in standing as soon as you're stable. Apparently there is a lot of resistance here to PT as well from the government because they don't find it necessary. Hard to believe when you look at all the individuals unable to walk etc that could be so easily helped. We went out to lunch today with 5 of us and 6 of the physical therapists here. It was funny because we went to a very
Ethiopian restaurant and everyone walking in stared at us. For 11 of us to eat and each get a drink it cost 123birr which is about 10 American dollars total not per person! . Makes you realize how overpriced everything is in America
when they're selling a bottle of coke for $.025! Anyways, there's a lot more to share like the prisoners we treat who are escorted by guards with shot guns! (don't worry mom, its not at bad as it sounds. There is very little actual violence here mostly just petty theft and then your more white collar crimes. Also, I asked the PT about them and he said the prisoners would never dream of running away so not to worry about the shotguns. They're more for show.) That's all for now.
......
Hello again from Ethiopia! So many adventures its difficult to share all of them with the limited internet time (there's always a line!). Last night we got back from Gondar, the old ethiopian capitol about an hour north plane ride from Addis. The city was absolutely AMAZING. It's a very old city so there are a lot of cool buildings to explore.
We left Ethiopia friday morning at 6:30am. We got to the airport at 5:30 am thinking we would have plenty of time. Little did we know that the Addis airport is a DISASTER. There is no sense of order so everyone forms a mob at the security gate and pushed themselves through. We got through around 610am, waited in line to get our
tickets printed out, then waited again through the second security line. The only good thing is there is no rule about liquids. We got to the bus to take us to our airplane at 6:30am and the flight didnt leave till 7:30. Quite the airport adventure. When we got to gondar it took us a while to get to Gondar university because we had to drive
behind a walking funeral procession. When we got to Gondar we toured the facilities, met with the student and faculty, and sat in with part of a class. It was very cool. We then took a tour of the castle. There are 5 seperate castles each built by a different king or queen. Reminded me very much of europe and we had a tour guide to give us the
history. We then went to the swimming pool (no water, no one actually swims). Its used during the time of the epiphany in january and its the only time during the year its filled and it takes two weeks for them to collect the water. The water is then blessed and splashed on everyone. After we toured the only original orthodox church left in gondar. 43 of the 44 were destroyed by muslims from neighboring countries about 200 years ago.
On saturday we drove an hour outside the city to a rural area where we could trek. About 10 members of the community, children included joined our group and we walked out to the high desert to see baboons!!! real live baboons about 10 yards from us. it was like we were living in the show planet earth! in the trees there were
columbus? monkeys. So cool. We then went on a tour hour hike. The terrain is similar to san diego in that it is a lot of dirt and eucalyptus trees however, its more like the grand canyon with its huge hill tops and ravines. absolutely beautiful and an experience i will remember forever. The children here are so cute. They hold our hands and sing songs with us as we walk. One of the girls didnt even have shoes :( We then went to a brewery, home of dashen beer. it was actually pretty good. After our hotel tour guide Tess and his cousin took a group of us to dinner. We then went to a local bar where they had traditional shoulder dancing, we have it on video, people singing in amharic and a person playing a drum. Really cool even though we all got pulled up center stage to try it. Americans dont move their shoulders much. After we went to a more westernized bar where they played english rap music. odd to hear in ethiopia.
.................
The Mercado in Ethiopia is probably the most insane place I have ever been in my life! The guide books don't recommend going there but since we had our faithful drivers Fantu and Soloman we decided it was worth
the experience. You almost get the feeling you are in a zoo and by that I mean that we're in cages with everyone looking at us. There are not too many "firengies" in Ethiopia especially in Addis. For the most part you get used to being a spectacle with little kids and adults alike waving to you but in places like the Mercado where there is
barely enough room to breathe you're reminded all over again that you're white. The Mercado is the one stop shop for all shopping in the city. It has everything from baskets to chickens to lamb (all still alive) etc. Then you have thousands of people trying to walk down streets that would be better off as a one way yet try to fit cars and people going in both directions. Absolutely insane. We're amazed no one got lost! Luckily our driver Fantu is an absolute bad ass and treats us all as if we were his kids. Him and Soloman are very protective of us. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience and one I think I'll pass on if offered again. One of our professors video taped us walking down the streets so you'll get an idea of the Mercado madness when we all get copies of it. I know I just wrote but I had to share this experience! The two nursing students and other faculty member arrive tonight so our group will grow to 13.
the experience. You almost get the feeling you are in a zoo and by that I mean that we're in cages with everyone looking at us. There are not too many "firengies" in Ethiopia especially in Addis. For the most part you get used to being a spectacle with little kids and adults alike waving to you but in places like the Mercado where there is
barely enough room to breathe you're reminded all over again that you're white. The Mercado is the one stop shop for all shopping in the city. It has everything from baskets to chickens to lamb (all still alive) etc. Then you have thousands of people trying to walk down streets that would be better off as a one way yet try to fit cars and people going in both directions. Absolutely insane. We're amazed no one got lost! Luckily our driver Fantu is an absolute bad ass and treats us all as if we were his kids. Him and Soloman are very protective of us. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience and one I think I'll pass on if offered again. One of our professors video taped us walking down the streets so you'll get an idea of the Mercado madness when we all get copies of it. I know I just wrote but I had to share this experience! The two nursing students and other faculty member arrive tonight so our group will grow to 13.
...............
We leave tomorrow for Yetebon so it will most likely be my last email of the trip. We will be in a very rural town so I'm guessing we won't have the same access as here.
We've spent the past 2 days meeting the most amazing people I have ever met in my life. I don't know how many of you have heard of Paul Farmer and his work but each individual we have met is similar to him in that they have helped thousands of people with little to nothing in return other than knowing they have done a small part in the fight for social justice. The first place we visited was the Fistula hospital here in Addis. It was developed by 2 Australian MD's who moved here to give women free health care after child birth injuries. Fistulas are a tremendous problem here in subsaharan africa as are maternal deaths. I wrote a research paper on it last semester if anyone is interested in knowing more about it. We were fortunate to meet the founding MD (her husband passed away a few years back). She is 86 and continues to perform fistula surgeries and consultations. Truly one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. The hospital itself is a safe haven within the city filled with beautiful gardens and is as clean as any
hospital in the US. Any woman who they are unable to fix is offered a job at the compound to both live and work because many of them are ostracized from their communities if the problem persists. Pictures do not do it justice but it is the best I can do. The second place we visited was the Mother Teresa home for adults and children. Many of
these individuals have unheard of diseases and cancers etc and this is a place for them to stay and best case scenario, get medical care. There is a MD who has lived there for the past few years from the US
who fund-raises money to send these individuals to the United States for very complex operations. He takes only the more difficult scenarios and his goal is to treat the poorest of the poor. He has also adopted about 8 children all deemed unadoptable and sent them to the best schools in Ethiopia. Once again, all of his health care is
performed for free including the transportation to and from the United States for these patients. Absolutely unbelievable. The third place we went was by accident through mutual connections here at the Yeka guest house. A woman from Germany moved here with her husband about 10 years ago and his since started a home for mothers and children living on the streets. She currently attends to 80 children and mothers between
2 house. I have a video of the children singing and dancing which moved most of us to tears. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I don't think words can describe the impact these individuals have had on the world or on ourselves after encountering them but I do know it is impossible not to be affected by them. I will try and describe more when I am able to show you pictures but many of it is just to difficult to put into words.
So far this trip has been nothing short of life changing for all of us here. It really makes you start to wonder what your part is in the world and what you can do to improve the lives of those less fortunate. We truly are so blessed in the United States but I had no idea how blessed until this trip. At the same time the people here are much happier and much more giving than your average American. Makes you wonder where our country went wrong when we stopped having time for people and lost the importance of so many of the social attributes a country like Ethiopia has. Sorry if this is a generalization to most Americans and most Ethiopians but none of us here can deny that the people here are so much more friendly and love so much more. Within the past 2 weeks I have made some of the best friends who despite the short time we've known them I have no doubt will continue to keep in contact throughout the years. I know I've already mentioned this but they truly are some of the best people I have ever met.
We've spent the past 2 days meeting the most amazing people I have ever met in my life. I don't know how many of you have heard of Paul Farmer and his work but each individual we have met is similar to him in that they have helped thousands of people with little to nothing in return other than knowing they have done a small part in the fight for social justice. The first place we visited was the Fistula hospital here in Addis. It was developed by 2 Australian MD's who moved here to give women free health care after child birth injuries. Fistulas are a tremendous problem here in subsaharan africa as are maternal deaths. I wrote a research paper on it last semester if anyone is interested in knowing more about it. We were fortunate to meet the founding MD (her husband passed away a few years back). She is 86 and continues to perform fistula surgeries and consultations. Truly one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. The hospital itself is a safe haven within the city filled with beautiful gardens and is as clean as any
hospital in the US. Any woman who they are unable to fix is offered a job at the compound to both live and work because many of them are ostracized from their communities if the problem persists. Pictures do not do it justice but it is the best I can do. The second place we visited was the Mother Teresa home for adults and children. Many of
these individuals have unheard of diseases and cancers etc and this is a place for them to stay and best case scenario, get medical care. There is a MD who has lived there for the past few years from the US
who fund-raises money to send these individuals to the United States for very complex operations. He takes only the more difficult scenarios and his goal is to treat the poorest of the poor. He has also adopted about 8 children all deemed unadoptable and sent them to the best schools in Ethiopia. Once again, all of his health care is
performed for free including the transportation to and from the United States for these patients. Absolutely unbelievable. The third place we went was by accident through mutual connections here at the Yeka guest house. A woman from Germany moved here with her husband about 10 years ago and his since started a home for mothers and children living on the streets. She currently attends to 80 children and mothers between
2 house. I have a video of the children singing and dancing which moved most of us to tears. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I don't think words can describe the impact these individuals have had on the world or on ourselves after encountering them but I do know it is impossible not to be affected by them. I will try and describe more when I am able to show you pictures but many of it is just to difficult to put into words.
So far this trip has been nothing short of life changing for all of us here. It really makes you start to wonder what your part is in the world and what you can do to improve the lives of those less fortunate. We truly are so blessed in the United States but I had no idea how blessed until this trip. At the same time the people here are much happier and much more giving than your average American. Makes you wonder where our country went wrong when we stopped having time for people and lost the importance of so many of the social attributes a country like Ethiopia has. Sorry if this is a generalization to most Americans and most Ethiopians but none of us here can deny that the people here are so much more friendly and love so much more. Within the past 2 weeks I have made some of the best friends who despite the short time we've known them I have no doubt will continue to keep in contact throughout the years. I know I've already mentioned this but they truly are some of the best people I have ever met.
Finally, I would like to add in my summary comments from my trip:
- Ethiopia has some of the nicest people I have ever met. Their culture is beautiful and I've come to envy the closeness they are share including the hand holding when walking.
- I had no idea a place as beautiful as Yetebon could exist in Africa. If they had an ocean it would look just like Hawaii!
- It's frustrating the government limits its countries development by its high taxes on technology. Without technology they will continue to fall behind the modern world and the gab between the rich and the poor will continue to grow.
- There are so many treatable diseases and conditions that are not cured secondary to lack of resources. Despite this Ethiopia is truly and example that money does not drive happiness.
- After meeting so many inspiring people on this journey it is impossible not to wonder how I can make my mark on the world. If I could do even half as much as these individuals I would consider my life a success.
- There are so many opportunities for growth in Physical therapy in Ethiopia it is exciting to watch!
- Global perspective should be the only perspective. Despite our vast differences it's amazing how similar we all are. I don't know why it has always been acceptable to have an egocentric view of the world but when you expand this view to think more globally it's amazing the opportunities that become available.
- I truly hope I carry this amazing experience with me everywhere I go because it has changed me in ways I can't even begin to describe!
