First Impressions

* Photo is of the intersection a few blocks from our house*

We have now been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for just over a week. The time has gone both incredibly quickly and painfully slowly. In this our first real update we want to share some of our first impressions of Ethiopia and what we are learning.
The most striking thing about Ethiopia and Addis is the poverty. It is everywhere and unavoidable. We live in the Bole area of Addis, which is the wealthy area of town. Investors are building new structures all around the area and there are many homes that are extremely nice, even by western standards. In contrast there are tin houses all around and many people living in the streets, sleeping on sidewalks and in front of buildings with all of their possessions tucked under plastic sheets or a blanket, if their lucky. Everywhere you look you see little mounds dotting the sidewalks, which are people wrapping themselves in blankets to stay warm and sleep. There are street children and beggars everywhere. The sides of the streets are lined with people trying to make money by selling candy or shining shoes, men selling items like books and movies, and countless crippled beggars and street children. Even on small, residential roads we constantly encounter street children and elderly, crippled beggars asking for money. Addis is a large city; even on a short fifteen minute walk, we pass perhaps hundreds of people and countless beggars and homeless people, depending on the street. The poverty problem seems insurmountable and hopeless.
So far our most meaningful interactions have been with the street children, who are both heartbreaking and beautiful. When they approach us they have the saddest faces, are usually very dirty, and are often wearing little more than rags. A few times a young girl has had a baby tied to her back. Their desperation is overwhelming. Learning how to respond appropriately and effectively has been difficult. Many children, even street children, know a few English words and they love using them. Somehow English is a tool to the real joy that children have inside them, rather than the sadness of their situations. When we are able to make them smile and engage them, the children become absolutely beautiful. They have the most amazing smiles and laughs. We are hoping to use these interchanges to begin to show them that they are loved and cared for. We hope that our interactions with them, no matter how small, can be meaningful.
We are constantly stared at. Keegan draws the attention of anyone passing by, but Anne's complexion draws just as much curiosity. Is she Ethiopian? Is she not? Why is she walking with that white person? Many times people have started talking to her in Amharic because she does look quite Ethiopian. The staring seems very innocent, but can get very discomforting and even frightening, especially when we think of Anne walking by herself. Like the children, we have started trying to initiate some kind of exchange with many who we pass on the streets. Even a simple head nod or "Selam" eases the tension and can spark an exchange, especially with those that may speak English. We are adjusting to city-life just as much as to the culture; people are used to walking somewhere without engaging or acknowledging others. Just down the street is a group of men that is always playing cards on the side of the road. On Friday we began talking with them and learned that one speaks English. We learned the game they were playing and hope to play with them soon. We want to take advantage of every opportunity to build relationships with people here.
Other first impressions are that the language is incredibly difficult to learn; the traditional food is extremely unique but quite tasty; people drive like madmen and only follow the laws of playing "chicken"; living with a maid and cook is different but a great blessing as well as relationship opportunity; and 65 degrees sounds wonderful but is actually very cold, especially during the rainy season. Adjusting has been difficult but does get easier everyday. The more we get to know the people, the more friendly and beautiful they become. While it will take a very long time for this to feel like home, our first week was a good beginning.