Weekend 1...

We are wrapping up our first weekend in Addis. On Saturday, we started our day later than planned and went to the Lime Tree. John met with his Amharic tutor, and the rest of the team ate and happily people watched. We talked to John's tutor and set up weekly lessons starting next weekend. Afterwards John bravely explored the city looking for a SIM card for our communal cell phone, and bought necessities like bread, eggs, and pasta. We went over to Martha's house where we met people from all over the world doing various things here in Addis. There was a woman who worked exclusively with an orphanage and helped make Ethiopian adoptions possible, while others worked in various development capacities with HIV infected communities, agricultural initiatives, and woman centered projects. We made some connections so that we could distribute the clothes, educational toys, and books that we brought with us from the states. We hope to do so next week. We spent the rest of the evening at home figuring out how to use the stove (it involves holding down the knob while lighting a match and NOT burning your eyebrows off), and learning new Amharic words.   This morning we started the day by feeding our turtle, (Aylee), bits of green apple, and she ate it all like a champ. Positioning her arms strategically she shoved large pieces into her small mouth. After that excitement we ate a traditional Ethiopian meal at a beautiful place called Hiber on Bole. John and Ryan loved the spicy lentil dishes (missir), and the lamb was amazing. After filling up on injera, spinach, cheese, and lentils we found some internet access and set down to work. We had a productive meeting about the project, and started to put our thoughts on paper.   We created a high level list of project initiatives including various facets of our work: 1. Identify projects and beneficiaries with high business potential, 2. Create/pull together a process for beneficiaries to evaluate and plan their businesses that SIM can easily manage, 3. Build partnerships with an MFI to provide funding for the SIM incubator we hope to create. After talking through the overall process and mapping out our deliverables for the next two weeks, we started to digest all that we had discussed. Our heads buzzing over building a continuity plan for the project and creating opportunities for buy in early on, we took the rest of the day off. Don't worry, it's Sunday.   Ryan went and enjoyed 5 hours of "ferengie"* bowling complete with a caving roof, human pin setters, and scary rented shoes, while John and Nondini headed home to read, quiz Ato Guierma (the house guard) about Amharic words and phrases, watch a movie and eat a nice bowl of cereal for dinner. Here's an excerpt from a Nondini/John conversation:   J: Why is everything in the 6th form? It's the hardest to pronounce… N: They must have done it on purpose. J: Yeah, those buggers.   After discussing various sounds and "forms" until we had lost all sense of what we were talking about- we retired to bed. Another full day tomorrow, we hope to head out to Lideta bright and early and finalize our schedule to meet with all the support groups. Exciting stuff!   Hope to get internet access tomorrow…but at least we have power…   * Ferengie in Amharic means foreigner. It's not a derogatory word, just a bit broad. You'll find that "ferengies" give each other a little nod when passing on the street, and don't be surprised if you find yourself immersed in a 4 hour conversation with a random stranger about some interesting project or recent trip. Yes, clumps of ferengie can be seen walking together, but you'd be amazed at their command of the language and culture, as well as the path that has brought them/us here.