Gender Observations

Quite a few things strike me with regard to gender roles here. Some observations:

• Majority of my interactions have unintentionally been with men. Most women take a passive stance in the social scene. So far, walking on the streets and figuring out public transport, I must have talked to 50 men and 2 women. I would love to get to know some more women, but most that I have been introduced to shyly say “hello” and then retreat.
• I have a weird personal inclination to really watch how people walk, and try conjecture their character/mood/state of mind/intentions. Men here usually walk with a comfortable, confident jaunt, gesticulating expressively. Women tend to inhabit a smaller space, look down, are quieter, and appear to be trying to blend in.
• Above observation was made a few weeks ago. Today I think I figured out why. The other day I debated buying a hijab just to cover myself so men would not pay me so much unwanted attention. I’m still seriously considering it! When I walk alone, too many men I don’t know call out to me (either greeting or inquiring or complementing), or even walk with me, asking where I’m going… None of their business! Ignoring them doesn’t help either.
• Compared to “in the west,” men are more comfortable demonstrating affection for each other—holding hands, etc. Bars are more dominated by men, and boy can Ethiopian men move. They move everything. The dancing is not as sexualised as “in the west” (though of course some is). 2 men will get up and wind their bodies around each other, shaking it to no end, all in the name of having a good time. I really like this—not everything needs to be sexualised.
• In the rural areas, gender roles in everyday life are very different for men and women. Men work all day in the farms while women are in charge of cooking, taking care of children, and fetching firewood and water (sometimes they also grow crops at home). You know the story.

Tropical Rainstorm at Rush Hour

Jaywalking chaotic streets in the pouring rain. Chasing after a public minibus only to have it drive off and leave me dripping. Fighting through a crowd of 50 to get on a 9-seater minibus. Feeling absolutely ridiculous and laughing at myself all evening.

Agroforestry in southern Ethiopia

Just got back to Addis from Wenago, in southern Ethiopia's Gedeo Zone. Lem Ethiopia has been active in the Wenago area for several years, and most recently implemented a Sustainable Land Management project that started in July 2011 and that we were tying up with this visit.

Lem Ethiopia organised a ceremony with the local farmers to conclude the current project. There were very few women present, likely because they were too busy or they were guarding their homes from thieves. The Wenago High School Environment Club gave a comedy performance on the adverse effects of deforestation; beehives were presented to select model farmers who were both willing to share technical knowledge and socially respected; and tree seedlings were handed out and planted.

Unfortunately, population pressure and limited resources has led land use in Wenago to drift away from agroforestry towards crop agriculture, leading to soil degradation.

Lem Ethiopia has introduced several SWC (Soil and Water Conservation) methods to the farmers. Here, water fills the trough and is absorbed by the tree seedling planted next to it.

More SWC through vetivers, whose deep roots absorb water and prevent runoff and soil erosion. Vetivers' other uses include animal feed, perfume, and insect repellent.

Primary school kids running and chanting environmental songs, holding signs like "CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT TREE."

Construction of a new local health post by Lem Ethiopia, simultaneously promoting usage of mud bricks as an alternative to wood.

We also had a field visit to the farms themselves to get feedback on the project's input:

Shoes caked in heavy mud from the wet path after a tropical downpour.

Urine diversion toilets, which separate urine and faeces, built by Lem for the local school. The faeces are stored with ash over them and later used as compost.

Agroforestry in its full glory. At the top are birbira, bisana and wanza trees, perfect for giving dappled shade to coffee, while simultaneously increasing soil fertility. Below are banana and ensete (false banana) trees. The bushes in the background are coffee plants. Lower are some sugarcane plants. Finally, at the bottom are cabbage, peppers, and godere (taro).

Maize growing on what used to be barren land with infertile, depleted soil.

Likewise, wheat, with a lone mango seedling, on what used to be barren land.

A model farmer's new water harvesting pond for irrigation (the angel in the back is me measuring my height against a maize stalk).

Traditional beehives made of mud.

A model farmer, his wife, and their new, more efficient beehives provided by Lem Ethiopia.

After conducting an in-depth interview with the farmer and his wife, through a translator.

A typical hut and home garden. In the back is the hen house, from which a wild cat recently stole chickens.

First Impressions

Fertile-Ethiopia

I am not actually in Ethiopia on holiday (though I will do my fair share of exploring)! I am spending over 2 months here getting practical development experience, as part of my Master of Development Practice at UC Berkeley. I will be working with Lem, the Environment and Development Society of Ethiopia ("Lem Ethiopia"), a civil society organisation, on a couple of projects including

• An urban waste management project in the capital
• A rural community project integrating population, health, and environmental aspects 100km north of the capital
• A green zone tree plantation project along a new road being built
• An agroforestry project 300km south of the capital

Lem’s symbol is a colobus monkey on a dry branch, symbolising the fragility of human interaction with natural resources—if we do not start managing them sustainably, the symbolic dry branch will break and we will fall

Funnily enough, I didn’t know until my second day at the office that “Lem” does actually have meaning—it means “green and fertile” in Amharic! About time I learned that…

The team at the Lem office: Mogues (executive director), Gebeyehu (programs/operations manager), me (intern for data analysis etc), Sammy (financial manager), and Natsanat (secretary)

First Impressions of Ethiopia

Such warm people..

Ethiopia… Wow, so much more to this country than the stereotype of barren land and starving children (though that is a reality in many areas). What strikes me the most is the people. I cannot do justice to the people here with mere adjectives, but their temperament can be crudely described as unbelievably hospitable, shockingly giving (even a starving family will invite you in for coffee), relaxed (often even when doing business!), and welcoming (people call Canadians nice?). This is all calmly accepted as part of “Ethiopian culture,” the obvious norm.

One of many orthodox Christian churches

No kidding when people warned me that Ethiopia was like no other place. One of the few African countries that was not colonised, Ethiopia has retained much of its ancient culture. The lilting music, the traditions, and the hospitable culture have all made it through to today. A defining characteristic of many Ethiopians is their extreme religiousness, with Ethiopian orthodox as the dominating religion followed by other forms of Christianity, Islam, and traditional faiths.

On the way to St Giorgis orthodox church

Drinking culture

Coffee ceremony

Coffee and Ethiopians are inseparable. During the coffee ceremony, grass is laid out on the floor, coffee beans are roasted, and strong coffee is brewed and served in small cups. I am personally a latte drinker, but this coffee is so good I drink it black like the locals do, with some sugar, and stirring in some "tena adam (rue)" herbs.

Morning coffee

Alcohol is also a regular part of life here. Good beer. However, I cannot keep up with the quantities imbibed…

Om nom nom

The staple food here is injera, which looks like a giant crepe with mini craters, made from teff. Unique taste, slightly sour—I like. On top of the injera is either lamb, goat, chicken, or shiro (bean paste). The injera is used like naan/chapati/bread to gather up the meat or bean paste. I think my spiciness tolerance will have to increase over the next few months…

Injera with "tibs" (meat) and "shiro" on top

No, I am not that much of a pig. Meals here are served on one big plate that everyone eats from.

Gasp! And let’s hold hands.

An interesting observation I made today was the “inward gasp.” In most "Western" countries, when one is nodding in agreement to another’s words, one often adds an “mmhmm.” Over here, one often adds a slow, quiet “gasp” to demonstrate they are listening. I figure it makes sense as an “mmhmm” requires one to be breathing out (Ethiopians “mmhmm” too), but if one is breathing in, the “inward gasp” is quite convenient ;)

Another tradition here is hand-shaking. You shake hands with EVERYONE you meet, EVERY time you see them, and then again when you say goodbye. It’s nice, this added human touch—increases the feeling of friendship and unity.

Speaking of the human touch, a common sight here is 2 men holding hands, or a girl with her hand around another girl’s waist, or a man with his hand on another man’s knee. Nope, homosexuality is certainly not accepted here! These are all just signs of good friendship.

A gargling surprise

Sintu, a baby adopted by a German couple

 When I moved into my temporary guesthouse upon arrival in Ethiopia, little did I realise I would be woken up the next morning by lots of crying babies. My guest house was actually an international adoption centre! Couples from around the world stay here and adopt Ethiopian babies or young children from orphanages around the country. I learnt a lot about the long process of adoption across countries, capability testing, and child rearing training that these couples went through before being joined up with their future children.

I was pickpocketed!

Transferring between one chaotic public minibus to the next, the man walking in front of me stopped suddenly to tie his shoelace, forcing me to also stop suddenly. For my next few steps, I remember thinking that the man behind me was walking quite close—maybe he was in a rush. A minute later, I brought my backpack in front of me to find something and realised the zips were open! Luckily, I had locked the one pocket with valuables, and nothing was taken from the other pockets.

Babo Gaya lake

After 3 hours of hectic transfers on various forms of public transport to get out of the capital,

The "public taxi"

The "bajaj" (we call it "tuk tuk" in Kenya)

I found myself at a beautiful hidden gem of a lake, teased by light swirling mist after a hailstorm and rainstorm.

Babo Gaya lake

Nomadic Wanderings

Started off in the Yeka guest house (adoption centre).

Moved to another guesthouse situated above a Bar & Restaurant, very close to my office. The owner and I have become quite good buddies.

Addis Abeba Bar and Restaurant, owner below

 

Chilling with my buddy Tedy

Yesterday, I moved to Piazza (infamous for pickpockets) to stay with a family of 3 who have decided to temporarily adopt me as their “daughter”/“sister”.

 

Tomorrow, I will be travelling to southern Ethiopia with the Lem Ethiopia team to tie up an agroforestry project. There we will stay for a week. The adventures continue…