Flat Tire

**Our Street**




Here's a riddle for you: How many men does it take to change a flat tire? The Answer? I have no idea; it was too dark to count them. It was Ethipian New Years, September 11, Ethiopia's most celebrated and exciting holiday. To celebrate, I had gotten out of town a bit in my borrowed car. While on the way back to town that evening, I found a spot overlooking the countryside and valleys. It was already dusk, so I decided to watch the sunset and found a spot to pull off the road.


In Addis Ababa you see many foreigners. But you don't see many foreigners sitting beside a road outside of the city. The people walking by me thought I was a bit of a novelty, so I got to have several small conversations. Just as the sun was close to setting, a large group of boys approached me and began to talk. One spoke decent English, and I used the little Amharic I knew. We talked about the usual things--the US, what we're doing in Ethiopia, the holiday, and even sports. The group was probably 8 boys, all around 18 years old. We were enjoying our conversation so much that I didn't mind too much when a cloud blocked out the sun just before it set.


As it began to get dark, I decided I should get back into the city. We all shook hands, and they invited me to come back the next day for lunch. As I walked to the car, I noticed a completely flat tire. Flat tires are very common here. I've heard many stories of people going on a one hour drive and getting three flat tires. In our four months of driving, we've gotten four flat tires. Like every other time we've gotten a flat tire, other people have jumped to help us. So the group of boys quickly began helping me with the tire. I shouldn't say helping me---they wouldn't let me do anything! I got out the jack, and after a few minutes of cranking they said the jack wouldn't work; it was too old and rusted. They found a large, flat rock, put the jack on top, and tried again. Still no success. After a few more tries, one of the boys ran down the street and borrowed a jack from another car. Of course, the occupants of this second car all came and helped...in their holiday dress clothes!


This second jack worked, but was too small and didn't raise the car up enough. Back to the large rock, which they again placed under the jack. More cranking, more crawling around on the dirt, more yells for the light (one cell phone light was all we had), and finally the car had four good tires. By the time it was done, the sun was down completely and an hour had passed. I had done virtually nothing, other than stand around hoping the jack wouldn't fail and crush someone.

In Ethiopia when a foreigner has a problem, it's common for people to flock to the scene to help. Many want to be paid for their work, even if they just stood around watching. But this group of boys was different. They asked for nothing and simply wanted to help out their new friend. Just like these boys, most Ethiopians are exceedingly friendly and helpful. They will do all they can to help one another or even a complete stranger. While I gave them money to buy dinner together, they would have been perfectly happy receiving a simple thank you and wave as I drove back down the mountain. So how many men does it take to change a flat tire? In Ethiopia, it often takes a village!