Addis Ababa - Part I: The Mercado

In late May, I spent about ten days in Addis for a conference on HIV/AIDs. While the conference was a mixture of information and politics, another part of my education came from the time I spent in Addis. I arrived on a Friday evening at Bole International airport with colleagues also attending the conference and their family members. I was initially struck by how cool the weather was and realized that – like Kigali – Addis is also at an elevation.

I could not see much of the city as the hotel shuttle whizzed through darkened streets. But, from what I could see of it, I knew that Addis was a much bigger town than Kigali and, like my colleagues, I was excited to be in a new place. Ado Solomon, who greeted us at the airport, and drove us to the hotel pointed out shadowy buildings and would indicate whether it was a palace or a church. I asked him about the recent elections and he said that it would take many days to know the results of the election. I also asked him about the Mercado since I had heard that it was an amazing market – not to be missed – and my colleagues and I wanted to plan a trip there. He let me know the hours and, before I knew it, we arrived at the hotel.

Early the next day after breakfast, my colleagues and I set out for the Mercado, which is the largest open air market in Africa (or so I was told repeatedly). We rented a taxi and were dropped off at in an area that didn’t much look like a large open air market. We started to walk around and saw a lot of goats just sitting in the middle of a busy street. But, still, we could not figure out where the fabric stores were or all the other types of shops we were told about. However, as we were walking around a little lost, we were approached by a few guys who offered to serve as guides through the market. My colleague picked one who didn’t use a hard sell approach and Fikadou became our guide.

Fikadou really knew his way around the Mercado. But, he walked quickly and it was difficult for one of my colleagues and his wife to keep up since they had their baby with them. Within a few minutes, we entered an area that looked like an open air market and started to pass stall after stall with all kinds of goods – arts, crafts, antiques, appliances, house hold goods, gold, silver, and food stores with colorful red chilies and spices. We wove our way through a maze of shops –crossing a couple of busy streets, ducking out of the way of traffic, donkeys and goats -- headingtowards the section called shemawat (hope I got this right) with Ethiopian fabric stores. Two of us wanted to buy shawls, and we did find stores that sold beautiful shawls.

Although I have never really been much of a shopper, the Mercado brought out the shawlaholic in me, and I ended up buying more than a few shawls. After the first set of purchases, we headed towards the section of the Mercado that sold the antiques and crafts. Along the way, one of my colleagues, his wife and child decided to head to another part of town to get coffee because they were tired of running around.

So, Fikadou was left with two of us. He took us to a shop and, since I did not have much interest in the antiques, I started to walk around and look at nearby stalls. But, within a few minutes, I was pulled back into the stall and given a stool to sit on while my colleague negotiated for some antiques that she wanted to buy. During the negotiations, we were given macchiatos (a very good and potent local coffee drink). I ended up looking around the store and found one item that I really liked. So, I too started to negotiate on a price and, before long, the shopkeeper and I found a price that we both agreed on. My colleague eventually got the items she wanted and traded a digital camera for a portion of the asking price.

While sitting on the stool, I realized that I needed dishware and cutlery in Kigali since I would not have those things when I returned. So, while my colleague finished up her deal, I left with Fikadou and went out to another part of the Mercado. I ended up getting everything I needed including dishware, glasses, coffee cups, and cutlery for the unheard of price of $30. Yes, you can find some of the most amazing bargins at this market! By the time I got back to the antique shop, my colleague had returned to the hotel because the shopkeeper had offered her a ride. So, I took the opportunity to set out to yet another part of the Mercado to buy a few more things. It started to rain and became really muddy. But, after an hour, I came back to the antique shop where I had been allowed to leave my dishware and other purchases. Just as I got there, the shop keeper showed up and insisted on also giving me a ride back to the hotel since I was ‘his customer' too. I paid Fikadou for his work as our guide and headed out with the shop keeper.

Again, I'm not sure why i'm amazed by unexpected generosity but i was touched. I tried to pay the shop keeper for the ride, but he would not let me. It was something he wanted to do, he told me. The ride back was a little scary since there was no seat belt in the car and the traffic there does not always follow the rules of the road. But, I got back to the hotel and even learned a little about Ethiopian music on the ride back. I enjoyed immensely my adventure in the Mercado, and I’d recommend a visit there to anyone who makes it to Addis in the near or distant future! It’s truly an amazing community of shop keepers, guides, and a mish mosh of humanity.

Day to Day

During my fellowship orientation some months ago, I was told that it might be wiser not to write about my work – for obvious reasons – in a public forum. Consequently, I have purposely limited the references here to work and am trying to focus on those things I am learning outside of work. However, I will say that it is a complex, political environment and I am learning a lot at work and outside too.

The government of Rwanda (GOR) seems committed to scaling up HIV/AIDs programs and to the three ones - one national strategic framework, a coordinated approach to partners, and one monitoring and evaluation system. So far, Rwanda has done well in exceeding targets set for it in the treatment and care of people with HIV/AIDs. But, like many other countries, it faces challenges including the need for more trained health care professionals (particularly post genocide). The goal of the coordinated approach is to prevent a duplication of efforts and to ensure that coverage and treatment of individuals with HIV/AIDS is maximized. In adopting this approach, there is a commitment to spending funds efficiently and, more importantly, helping as many people as possible.

My fellowship – while giving me exposure to the topics above – is currently focused on working with local staff in my office. The office here is attempting to set up management systems. It has been interesting to learn about how US agencies function aboard and how they have set up a common, collaborative system for basic services in order to reduce overhead costs. Like the GOR, the USG seems to be striving for efficiency. It’s not easy here and, in many aspects of this experience, I found that people make assumptions – which are sometimes counterproductive at the least and, well, just inappropriate at its worst. In coming months, I hope to get more exposure to technical issues and pick up a technical portfolio. But, more later.

Akagera Game Park

May 2005

I went to Akagera the first weekend in May at the invitation of people I had only recently met. I appreciated their generosity – especially to someone they don’t really know. I’m not sure why I’ve been surprised, but many people I have met here are generous and offer a lot without thought or expectation of reciprocity. It’s good to be reminded of this and these gestures seem so unexpected – just because I am not used to them in New York.

So, as a follow up to my previous post, I found out that Rwanda does have mandatory community service days and witnessed it for myself. This practice, which is called umuganda (and is not unique to Rwanda), apparently now occurs from 9 am to noon the first Saturday of every month after previously being held on the Fridays. The Saturday morning we left for Akagera was a community service day and, while we were allowed to travel outside the
city without being stopped because of license plates that
clearly indicated we were foreigners, many cars with
Rwandan license plates were stopped on the side of the road.
People were lined up outside their cars, perhaps to pay fines
and then to participate in the national and mandatory
community service.

The two hour drive to Akagera was interesting. Just outside
of Kigali, the scenery changes dramatically and there are
fields of crops such as corn, sugar, and houses with fences
made of live plants. The road to Akagera was well paved for
the first hour, and we passed small towns with mud and brick houses. Because it was a community service day, it seemed as if every person
in these small towns was out and on the side of the road.
And, they stared as the car passed through their towns.
Some people, particularly children, waved at us, and we
waved back, but many others had a stern look on their
faces – as if to say that it was not appropriate to be traveling
on umuganda.

As we neared the park, the road changed and was unpaved.
Since it had rained a lot, the tall grass and thicket-like trees
looked green and lush. The road was red, may be from the
clay in the dirt, and it was often bumpy and filled with
potholes. The land also flattened out near the park, as it is on the
border with Tanzania.

Akagera was a nice entry into the world of wild animals.
During the war, the Akagera game lodge hotel was
abandoned and was taken over by baboons. And, even now,
the baboons behave as if humans are a pesky nuisance and
roam the hotel freely. I saw a baboon walking the grounds of
the hotel when we first arrived. And, I was a little mesmerized
by the whole troop, which I soon met near the hotel pool.

The baboons camp out in close proximity to the pool
because it has tables where people eat and drink. They wait for
opportunities to steal food, water bottles and, yes, beer.
When careless guests walk away from their food or drink,
the baboons make their way from the grass and
trees directly behind the pool, climb up a short brick wall,
and perch on the wall’s ledge while they grab their goodies
– usually before anyone is the wiser. And, even when you
can see it coming, you might just freeze as I did the first
afternoon of my trip.

A baboon slinked up the wall and sat on the ledge about two
feet away from me. And, in a quick move, the baboon stuck out its long, thin brown furry arm and its black, padded digits towards the
cup of coffee on the table next to me. I could not believe that
I was so close to a baboon and just stared at it. But, the
people behind me started to make a noise and then a waiter chased
it away. I kind of wished they had just been quiet since it
would have been fun to see, if the baboon would have stayed
on the ledge after he picked up the cup of coffee.

Later that afternoon, I walked over to a tree behind the pool
where the baboons congregated to eat berries. Again, I was able to get
just a few feet away and watch them jump from one tree
branch to another. They’re mischievous and playful creatures
and I loved watching them eat, play, and plot to take
food and beers from the guests.

Early the second morning of my stay at the lodge, I went out
on a drive in a modified, school-bus that was only covered on
the sides and top with canvas – not much protection from the
animals we hoped to see. When we stopped at the ranger’s
office to pay entry into the park after leaving the lodge, a
section of our group went behind the building. After a few
minutes, the driver of the bus came in and asked us to join
the rest of the group. He had given me a pair of binoculars
and, with a little direction from another group member, I
focused in on three giraffes moving through the landscape in
the valley below. There were two adults and a baby giraffe.
And, they seemed to saunter through the area. Next to them,
the trees looked small and overshadowed. Too bad we could
not get any closer but it was still nice to see them.

During the four hour drive that first took us up some hills and
exposed us to amazing vistas, we saw impala, antelopes and
a lot of interesting birds. The red, clay filled road was still
such a beautiful contrast to the tall, green grass that was peppered
with small white and yellow butterflies and purple and yellow wildflowers. (I may have said this before, but Rwanda is breathtaking and gorgeous!!)

The guide on the bus initially kept apologizing for not seeing
any of the big animals, but I was taking in the soothing
scenery. My one regret was not being able to get a camera
before leaving the States since things just got too hectic.
But, the absence of a camera forced me to really enjoy the
moment and, while some of the other hotel guests were
scrambling to get good shots of the animals we eventually
encountered, I could just sit back.

After about an hour into the trip, the driver cut the engine of
the bus. I couldn’t figure out why until I looked straight
ahead and saw black and white stripes. We came upon a
group of zebras (and from the sight of them, pretty well fed).
A long time ago, someone told me that zebra stripes are not
identical. And, since this was my first encounter with a herd
of Zebras, I started looking at them closely and did notice
differences in the group. Zebras look a lot like horses and,
unlike some of the impalas we ran into, they stayed clear of
our bus. The entire group backed up when the driver
turned on the engine and slowly moved towards them.

After seeing more antelope and some rare birds, our
bus made its way down to one of the lakes in a network of
water ways that serves as a natural divide between Tanzania
and Rwanda. The scenery changed and we moved into a
palpably warmer climate. When we neared the lake, we
saw that there were hippos in the water. The bus got within a
few feet of the water where the hippos were cooling
themselves off. Although it was only about 10:30 in the
morning when we got to the lake, it was getting progressively
hotter and I kind of envied the hippos. We
saw at least two groups of hippos and a couple of them
snorted at us – as if to say, keep your distance. A
couple of the hippos looked like they were swimming but it
was really hard to tell since they just keep their very round
eyes and ears above water. It was a great sight! But, I hope
to see the hippos out of the water sometime – although that
is when they are at their most dangerous and can charge a
vehicle.

After viewing the hippos, we moved along to another part of
the lake and found an elephant (named Solitaire) in the park.
The elephant was also in the water, which was good since he has
run after people and vehicles in the last month. There are
people who monitor the animals and this elephant was tame before the
war but -- for some reason – does not like people now. So, we
were warned to keep a healthy distance and did not get very
close at all.

After the game drive, I spent the rest of the afternoon
roasting in the sun and catching up on some sleep before
heading back to Kigali. It was an amazing experience, and I
hope to have the chance to visit the park again in the future or another one where I can see more animals up close. Although Akagera is
known to have a lion and rhino, we were not lucky enough to see them
this time but I still loved the experience and the entire
weekend! And, just before I left, I saw the baboons plotting
to take advantage of another unsuspecting guest. I have a feeling that - if the baboons have their way – I will come back one day and find them lounging by the pool with big beer belies and concocting a plot to raid the hotel kitchen!

A little behind

Because of power outages and a crazy work schedule, I have not been able to post as often as I wanted. However, i have been keeping a journal and will transfer things to this site periodicallly (or en masse whenever possible)!

Arriving in Kigali (Update #1 - April 2005)

Update #1 - April 2005

Dear family, friends and colleagues:

Hope this finds you doing well in your respective parts of the world. After an unanticipated delay, I finally started my ASPH fellowship this month. I arrived in Kigali Sunday, April 3rd – about three weeks ago. I have just started to explore Kigali, which is a gorgeous place (idyllic, really)! And, I have also started to learn about a number of issues including the genocide, local development efforts, language, and culture at a surface level. I hope to understand these issues in much more depth in coming months. But, for now, here are a few initial observations. This update is a little long and disjointed so apologies in advance. And, if you make it to the end, you should get a gold star for endurance and patience :-].

Rwanda initially reminded me of Vermont since -- topographically -- that is the only other green, hilly, and landlocked place I have lived and could reference from experience. But, Kigali has a tropical climate with lush plants like hibiscus and bougainvillea. It is usually a comfortable (even balmy) 60 to 70 degrees during the days and drops a little in the evenings – to the point where you may need a light sweater or blanket. While it is the rainy season now and it has rained most days, Kigali is not very humid – may be because it is at an elevation. And, thankfully, there are few mosquitoes and other insects in Kigali (again, probably because Kigali and most of Rwanda is at an elevation).

The work day begins at 8 am and is supposed to end around 5:30 pm – although you can often end up staying until 6:30 or 7 pm. I started work on April 4th, and met my Rwandan colleagues for the first time. Almost all of the people I talked with before leaving New York had said that Rwandans place a premium on being both polite and stoic. I was told that the display of emotion – either joy or sadness – is frowned upon. After arriving here, I heard the same sentiments echoed by my American colleagues and some other expats that I have met over the last few weeks. My American colleagues had told me that it was difficult for them to adjust to working in an environment where people seem polite but are very guarded. Some expats who have been here for a long time say that they feel like perpetual outsiders and that it is hard to become integrated into the local community – very much in contrast to their experiences in other parts of Africa.

My experience so far has not entirely mirrored those of my colleagues or local expats. To be sure, most Rwandans I have met are extremely polite and many are reserved. However, I have found that if I made an effort to ask questions about their lives and interests, the Rwandans I’ve met were willing to share their views and opinions. And, if I tried to speak a little bit of Kinyarwanda (just basic greetings), they appreciated my efforts. Over the past few weeks, I have gotten to know my Rwandan colleagues a little and, perhaps as a testament to their openness, I have even been able to talk with some of them about their experiences during the genocide in 1994. It will take time to really know people well. But, as with any collective trauma like the genocide or even if it can be attributed to a culture that values reserve and stoicism, some people open up slowly and it is important not to give up easily --even if met with guardedness or suspicion initially.

Since Rwanda is a francophone country, I tried to speak French to my co-workers from my first day at work. However, I realized quickly that my French language skills are woefully poor but – thankfully -- my colleagues are kind and patient with me. I am hoping to get a French tutor soon and wished that I had started working with one before I left NYC. As far as speaking French, lets just say I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with making a fool of myself on a daily basis as I try to learn the language. The little I learned of French in high school and college is a dim and distant memory. But, I’m hoping that I’ll become more comfortable speaking it over the next few months, especially since entire meetings can be conducted in French.

Rwanda is changing rapidly and the genocide has even had an impact on what languages are being spoken here. Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard a couple of people say that – although Rwanda is considered to be a part of Francophone Africa – it is rapidly becoming an English speaking country. Because of the recent political instability, most of my Rwandan colleagues were refugees who lived outside of the country in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Burundi. They returned to Rwanda in the last ten years along with others who left the country. Consequently, some speak French and Kinyarwanda while others are fluent in English because they lived in Anglophone countries. While you don’t need to know French to get along in Kigali, I’m told that it would be good to learn it and may be then start on Kinyarwanda (although that’s a lot more daunting!). French is mostly spoken by the elite and educated, which still comprise a relatively small percentage of the overall population. Most of the masses still communicate in Kinyarwanda. But, schools are beginning to instruct students in Kinyarwanda, French and English and, in a couple of decades, this could well be a tri-lingual nation.

I’m a little scared by the high level of social organization and government control. Recently, the government outlawed the use of plastic bags in order to beautify the city/country. And, I have yet to find a plastic bag on the streets or any other litter. In fact, I think the streets of Kigali are a lot cleaner than my neighborhood in Washington Heights. Kigali has a lot of newly paved roads and sidewalks, even some bumpy cobbled stoned streets. Almost everyday, I see new construction and it is really amazing how the city is being transformed. The government has a plan to make Rwanda a middle class economy in the next couple of decades, and there is a lot of money being poured into development of the country’s roads, housing, and other related sectors…Last fall, the government – for a short time – decreed that its citizens must spend Saturday mornings doing community service, which could include roadwork. Some people were actually stopped on the road while in their cars and sent to do community service, if they were out on Saturday mornings. All in all, there seems to be deference towards authority and people obey government ordinances without much question. But, I’ve heard these stories second hand and this is an issue I hope to learn more about in coming months.

One of the most heartbreaking sights is the ever present groups of orphans and street children in Kigali. Most approach you only when you’re walking on the street. They usually ask for a little money and it is expected that you give a small bill – usually to at least one or two of them that you identify before a big group forms. However, I was told by a visiting doctor – that while some will use the money for food and items that their families need – many others have gotten into the practice of sniffing glue. Consequently, giving the children money may be fueling a bad habit so I'm starting to think about just carrying some food to give out.

Last week, I went to a memorial for the Rwandan employees of the US mission who were killed during the genocide. The event included testimony from a boy who lost his father in 1994 and from a representative of a survivor’s association. There is still a lot of residual anger towards foreign governments/institutions and it appears to bubble up at different times – such as at this event. The boy argued that the US government should pay for his college education in the States for the service his father provided to the embassy. The representative from the survivors organization talked about the irony of going to Washington, DC in 1995 to receive an award on behalf of the Foreign Service Nationals (FSN is the term used for Rwandans employed by US govt. agencies) who had helped save American lives – even as so many Rwandans in their service perished. Finally, more than one speaker talked about HIV/AIDs and how it serves as a constant reminder of the genocide because women who contracted the virus in 1994 are dying now. All in all, it was a very powerful ceremony, and I kept thinking about it long after it was over.

In addition to adjusting to work, language barriers, and a new culture, I have had to address practical issues such as housing, food and exercise. I have been given a temporary apartment, which is bigger than any place I’ve lived, while I look for permanent housing. It’s really plush and there are a lot of expats in the apartment building. I’m a little uncomfortable with this insular environment. However, I am weighing my options now and have until early June to find a place to live. I have been encouraged to rent a house as most people do when they come here for an extended period. While you can rent a whole house fairly cheaply, most of them are pretty big and they generally have at least three or four bedrooms. I feel like that may be too much space for me – especially after living in a small New York City apartment. But, I’ll see how it goes.

The larger supermarkets have a variety of products (both foreign and domestic), but they can be expensive. Surprisingly, it’s been pretty easy to find things to subsist on as a vegetarian. There are plenty of fruits and veggies including some of my favorites such as mango, papaya, and avocado. And, I’ve even found luxury items such as Nutella and tofu! Kigali has a number of NGOs and, for better or worse, even small stores here carry foreign food products to cater to the expat community.

Before coming here, I wondered about what options existed for exercise. In the last few weeks, I have found a fair number of ways to exercise. The easiest thing to do is walk, and you can walk a lot here. A Rwandan colleague also took me for a high, impact aerobics class at the stadium in Kigali. (For those of you who get HBO, the stadium is the site where the filmmakers premiered Sometime in April, which seems to be regarded more highly here than Hotel Rwanda b/c it was filmed locally. HR was filmed in South Africa). The instructor for the classes at the stadium incorporates kickboxing moves into his workout and, while fun, I was sore for two days afterwards. However, I enjoyed it and may go back next week. A third option for exercise is tennis. Although I haven’t played for a long time, lessons here are relatively (compared to the US) cheap and cost about $10/hour. I just may be too much of a slug to actually wake up at 6:00 am for lessons – so this last option is not too promising.

Hope this sampling of the issues and topics I’ve encountered so far made some sense as I’m still trying to digest it all. It’s really been a little overwhelming, but I am very happy to be here! And, I’ve especially enjoyed the new people that I have met. I look forward to hearing about your lives (whenever you get a chance) and hope that all is well with you. Take care.
Love,
M-.

Happy New Year !

It's new year's eve and I'm thinking about all that 2005 is going to bring. While I am excited about going to Kigali, there's much to be done before I can relax and enjoy the experience. Right now, I'm literally drowning in a sea of paper. I have forms galore to submit for my internship, a passport to procure and shots to take -- which means more paperwork. But, I'm not complaining (okay, may be a wee bit). I'm looking forward to an amazing adventure. Until now, I've been tortured by the three travel magazines that show up in my mailbox each month. May be I can finally put some of the articles to use next year!