On Wednesday, I left Addis Ababa to travel east to my university. I was told that I would be picked up by a driver at my hotel at 6am, so I was a bit surprised when my phone rang at 5:40am. I had mostly packed up everything the night before, but still had a few odds and ends scattered around the room. In a panic, I packed up everything, brushed my teeth, and tried to get all of my luggage back down to the first floor (I had been staying on the 4th floor). With two big suitcases, a backpack, and a messenger bag, this was somewhat challenging to do alone. After some awkward lifting and dragging, I made it out the door and the driver helped me load my stuff into the car. We drove to Semira’s house and picked her up since she would be accompanying me to Haramaya University. We when got to the airport, Semira told me to make sure I had my passport and ticket out so that I could show the airport security. This is when I freaked out. I did not have my ticket, but I knew exactly where it was; I had left it on the nightstand next to my bed in the hotel. I felt awful. How irresponsible of me to forget my passport just two days earlier when we went to the embassy and now this! Semira waited at the airport with all of our luggage while the driver took me back to the hotel. The ticket was right where I had left it. Luckily, we made it back to the airport with just enough time to spare. After going through security, we checked in (Semira checked one of my large suitcases and I checked the other). We were able to get all of my stuff onto the plane without any extra fees!
The flight was short, but pleasant. We were probably only in the air 30 minutes, yet they served us beverages and a little sandwich. I didn’t eat the sandwich since it was only shortly after 9am. I mostly talked to the man sitting next to me who was an Ethiopian Somali now living in Canada. He had a very intriguing story and was happy to tell me all about his home region. Regrettably, I did not have a window seat, so I couldn’t really see the terrain that we were flying over.
When we landed in Dire Dawa, I was greeted with lots of sunshine. When we stepped off the plane, I could immediately tell that I was overdressed. The highs in Addis were around 70, but in Dire Dawa, it was around 90. Because of the heat, the landscape is a bit different. Things are drier here, but still somewhat green since we are at the end of the rainy season which brought about lots of plant life. They say that in a month or two everything will be yellow and brown. Already the rivers and streams are dried up; they usually only flow in the beginning of the rainy season in this region. Although it is relatively dry, the land is still used for farming. As we drove from Dire Dawa to Haramaya (about one hour), I was able to see various crops, including corn (maize), sorghum, and chat. A whole different blog post is needed to discuss chat, a mild narcotic that this region is famous for.
When we landed in Dire Dawa, I was greeted with lots of sunshine. When we stepped off the plane, I could immediately tell that I was overdressed. The highs in Addis were around 70, but in Dire Dawa, it was around 90. Because of the heat, the landscape is a bit different. Things are drier here, but still somewhat green since we are at the end of the rainy season which brought about lots of plant life. They say that in a month or two everything will be yellow and brown. Already the rivers and streams are dried up; they usually only flow in the beginning of the rainy season in this region. Although it is relatively dry, the land is still used for farming. As we drove from Dire Dawa to Haramaya (about one hour), I was able to see various crops, including corn (maize), sorghum, and chat. A whole different blog post is needed to discuss chat, a mild narcotic that this region is famous for.
Before leaving Dire Dawa, however, we stopped at the American Corner. The Dire Dawa American corner is located in the public library and was established in 2007. American Corners are libraries and resource centers created by the Department of State to encourage English language learning and provide up-to-date information about American culture. The spaces are open to the public although sometimes a minimum age requirement is set. There are usually computers with free Internet access. In the next 10 months, I hope to utilize these spaces for some of my programs and activities.
As I mentioned earlier, the drive from Dire Dawa to Haramaya is about one hour. I was quiet most of the ride as I soaked in the surroundings. I was really impressed with the beauty of this area. It is much more mountainous than I had imagined. For some reason, I associate dry areas with relatively flat landscapes. The road we took was smooth, but windy. As we headed to Haramaya, the elevation increased, but seemed to flatten out as we neared the university. During this drive, I truly felt like I was in Africa for the first time. This is probably because I saw things that are more stereotypically “African”. For example, instead of seeing houses made out of concrete, like in Addis, I saw tiny one-room homes built out of stones or clay. I also saw more livestock on the road, mothers carrying their babies in beautiful sarong-like wraps, groups of children with dirty faces playing on the side of the road, people carrying plastic jugs of water that they had just pumped from the local well, and women carrying huge bundles of firewood on their heads. I also saw “classic” African trees –rather short with plumage that sticks out horizontally and is flat on top, like a baobab tree. All of these things made me smile and realize that I am finally in a land that I dreamed so long of visiting.
The university is about 5km off of the main road that connects Dire Dawa to Harar. The area is mainly farmland scattered with crops, livestock, and small homes. There are a few little shops nearby that sell pre-packaged/bottled foods (nothing refrigerated), but otherwise campus is quite isolated. Haramaya University actually consists of three campuses. I am living and working on the main campus. The second campus is in Harar and the third is located about halfway between Harar and Addis Ababa in Asebe Teferi, also called Chiro. Altogether, there are about 30,000 students. Originally, Haramaya University was established as an agricultural school in partnership with Oklahoma State University in 1954. While this partnership still exists, the focus is no longer solely agricultural. The main campus also specializes in veterinary medicine, social sciences (including the English department), education, and some business fields. The campus still has many of its own farms and crops though.
As soon as I arrived, I was introduced to Muluken. He is my main contact here at Haramaya and also teaches in the English department. He will be leaving in just a few weeks to go to Eugene, Oregon as part of a teacher training program. Already I know that I will miss him dearly; he has helped me to settle in and answer all of my questions (which there are a lot of). Muluken first showed me the guesthouse where I will be living for the next 10 months. He had sent me photos via email, so I knew what to expect. My house is very large and quite nice by Ethiopian standards. The guesthouse actually has three bedrooms, so I may share the residence if there are future guests. Rather than go into detail about the place, please check out my photo albums to find pictures of my new home.
After dropping off my luggage, we met one of the vice presidents of the university (there are four). We took a very brief tour of campus and visited the building where my office will be – the social sciences building. Semira and I then left Muluken to drive to Harar to visit the American Corner there. It took about 30 minutes to get there, but we decided to eat lunch first. We stopped at a place called “Fresh Touch”. Semira and our driver ordered roasted goat and I had a beef dish (small pieces of beef sautéed with red peppers, hot peppers, and onion). I really liked my food, but found the goat to be a bit tough and overly gamey smelling/tasting. We finished our meal with traditional coffee. There was a small section of the restaurant that was dedicated to preparing coffee. One woman worked there; she roasted the green coffee beans, ground them, prepared them, and then served the brewed coffee. Coffee here is a huge part of life. Traditionally, you drink three rounds of coffee using the same grounds; the first is the strongest, the second mediocre, and the third weak. By doing this, you are able to spend a good chunk of time with your companions and really get to know each other. Most Ethiopians like a lot of sugar in their coffee…just like me! The coffee is brought out with incense and a side dish of popcorn. Traditionally, sorghum was popped instead of corn, but now you can find both.
After lunch, we parked the car by some little shops. I needed to stock up on some staple food items. When I dropped my stuff off at the guesthouse, I met an old woman named Almaz. She used to work at Haramaya University and has since retired. Her pension is small though, so she continues to work to supplement her income. She wanted to be my housekeeper and I agreed to it (I didn’t feel like I had much choice though since she was already in my home preparing things and I don’t know anyone else yet). Washing machines are extremely hard to come by in Ethiopia, so she will be doing my laundry by hand. She also wants to cook for me – any and all meals that I desire. While it is strange for me to have hired help for the first time in my life, it will be extremely convenient. When she told me that she only wanted 500 birr (about $26 USD) per month, there was no saying “no”. Almaz made a short list of items that I should get right away. We were able to get most of the items from one shop in Harar: spaghetti noodles, macaroni-shaped pasta, tomato paste, oil, flour, salt, rice, bottled water, local coffee, bagged tea, peanut butter, jam, honey, and toilet paper. We had to stop at another shop to get dish soap and laundry detergent. Finally, we got a few fresh food items from individual vendors: two kinds of lentils and garlic. Altogether, I spent about $60 USD for these items – maybe a little less than what I would pay back home.
Before taking these items back to my house, we stopped at the Harar College of Teacher Education where the American Corner is located. I met Abera who is the librarian running this particular American Corner. He was at the college long before this space was created in 2004. It sounds like this American Corner is used mainly by students enrolled in the education program there. Since this space is slightly closer than the one in Dire Dawa, I hope to use it frequently for various activities.
Jet lag, traveling by car, and receiving lots of new information were all catching up with me – I was tired. It was already after 4pm and the driver still had to take Semira back to Dire Dawa. After dropping off my purchases, we said our goodbyes. I had only known Semira for a few days, but I had already grown attached to her – after all, she is my Ethiopian mother! I must admit that a little bit of panic set in at this point. I was being left alone in a new country, a new city, a new home without any direction of what was to come next. I was told that classes would start the first week of October, but that is 2 weeks away! I was also told that I would have Internet access in my house, but that was not the case. I felt disconnected from the outside world and wondered what I would do with myself for the next few days…
Before bed, I decided to take a little stroll around campus. I was told that there was wifi access in the teacher’s lounge, so I wanted to seek it out. After failing to find any signals, I asked some students sitting outside. They informed me that the Internet had been down for several days and probably wouldn’t be working again for several more. Disappointed, I continued to walk around. I had almost reached my house when I heard someone behind me quietly say, “it’s a pleasure to see you a second time.” I turned around to three guys walking behind me that I had passed by earlier. Feeling lonely, I struck up a conversation and found out that they are all teachers at the model school near my house. The model school is for children of the staff at Haramaya University (kindergarten through grade 12). Two of the guys were named Solomon and the other was named Andarge. Ironically, one of the Solomons was the EXACT same age as me. Come January 13th, we’ll have to have some kind of dual birthday shindig! These guys showed me the school they work at and gave me information about local transportation that I had been wondering about. They also confirmed what I heard about hyenas on campus: they come every night and are not dangerous. During the day, the hyenas sleep in the forests on campus and in the evening around 5pm, they wander around. I didn’t see any, but I heard them all night long. It was so cool…kind of a mixture between wolves howling and dogs barking. I can’t wait to see them in person!
After dropping off my luggage, we met one of the vice presidents of the university (there are four). We took a very brief tour of campus and visited the building where my office will be – the social sciences building. Semira and I then left Muluken to drive to Harar to visit the American Corner there. It took about 30 minutes to get there, but we decided to eat lunch first. We stopped at a place called “Fresh Touch”. Semira and our driver ordered roasted goat and I had a beef dish (small pieces of beef sautéed with red peppers, hot peppers, and onion). I really liked my food, but found the goat to be a bit tough and overly gamey smelling/tasting. We finished our meal with traditional coffee. There was a small section of the restaurant that was dedicated to preparing coffee. One woman worked there; she roasted the green coffee beans, ground them, prepared them, and then served the brewed coffee. Coffee here is a huge part of life. Traditionally, you drink three rounds of coffee using the same grounds; the first is the strongest, the second mediocre, and the third weak. By doing this, you are able to spend a good chunk of time with your companions and really get to know each other. Most Ethiopians like a lot of sugar in their coffee…just like me! The coffee is brought out with incense and a side dish of popcorn. Traditionally, sorghum was popped instead of corn, but now you can find both.
After lunch, we parked the car by some little shops. I needed to stock up on some staple food items. When I dropped my stuff off at the guesthouse, I met an old woman named Almaz. She used to work at Haramaya University and has since retired. Her pension is small though, so she continues to work to supplement her income. She wanted to be my housekeeper and I agreed to it (I didn’t feel like I had much choice though since she was already in my home preparing things and I don’t know anyone else yet). Washing machines are extremely hard to come by in Ethiopia, so she will be doing my laundry by hand. She also wants to cook for me – any and all meals that I desire. While it is strange for me to have hired help for the first time in my life, it will be extremely convenient. When she told me that she only wanted 500 birr (about $26 USD) per month, there was no saying “no”. Almaz made a short list of items that I should get right away. We were able to get most of the items from one shop in Harar: spaghetti noodles, macaroni-shaped pasta, tomato paste, oil, flour, salt, rice, bottled water, local coffee, bagged tea, peanut butter, jam, honey, and toilet paper. We had to stop at another shop to get dish soap and laundry detergent. Finally, we got a few fresh food items from individual vendors: two kinds of lentils and garlic. Altogether, I spent about $60 USD for these items – maybe a little less than what I would pay back home.
Before taking these items back to my house, we stopped at the Harar College of Teacher Education where the American Corner is located. I met Abera who is the librarian running this particular American Corner. He was at the college long before this space was created in 2004. It sounds like this American Corner is used mainly by students enrolled in the education program there. Since this space is slightly closer than the one in Dire Dawa, I hope to use it frequently for various activities.
Jet lag, traveling by car, and receiving lots of new information were all catching up with me – I was tired. It was already after 4pm and the driver still had to take Semira back to Dire Dawa. After dropping off my purchases, we said our goodbyes. I had only known Semira for a few days, but I had already grown attached to her – after all, she is my Ethiopian mother! I must admit that a little bit of panic set in at this point. I was being left alone in a new country, a new city, a new home without any direction of what was to come next. I was told that classes would start the first week of October, but that is 2 weeks away! I was also told that I would have Internet access in my house, but that was not the case. I felt disconnected from the outside world and wondered what I would do with myself for the next few days…
Before bed, I decided to take a little stroll around campus. I was told that there was wifi access in the teacher’s lounge, so I wanted to seek it out. After failing to find any signals, I asked some students sitting outside. They informed me that the Internet had been down for several days and probably wouldn’t be working again for several more. Disappointed, I continued to walk around. I had almost reached my house when I heard someone behind me quietly say, “it’s a pleasure to see you a second time.” I turned around to three guys walking behind me that I had passed by earlier. Feeling lonely, I struck up a conversation and found out that they are all teachers at the model school near my house. The model school is for children of the staff at Haramaya University (kindergarten through grade 12). Two of the guys were named Solomon and the other was named Andarge. Ironically, one of the Solomons was the EXACT same age as me. Come January 13th, we’ll have to have some kind of dual birthday shindig! These guys showed me the school they work at and gave me information about local transportation that I had been wondering about. They also confirmed what I heard about hyenas on campus: they come every night and are not dangerous. During the day, the hyenas sleep in the forests on campus and in the evening around 5pm, they wander around. I didn’t see any, but I heard them all night long. It was so cool…kind of a mixture between wolves howling and dogs barking. I can’t wait to see them in person!