August 31, 2008

It’s so cold here in Addis Ababa that it is hard to remember that this is Labor Day weekend. I had the chance to fly from the states to Ethiopia first class by accumulating enough mileage. It really was nice. I sat next to a gentleman who founded the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. Very interesting! But I still slept most of the way.

It was cold and raining when I arrived, my rented house was waiting and I did have electricity. My first emotion was depression. It was so nice spending four months in my home with friends and family. But… it didn’t take much time to remember the good things here.

As I was unpacking my luggage I saw the maid who helps my landlord. She looks about 19 years old and is so shy she can’t lift her head. She never leaves the compound which is especially frustrating for some one like me who can’t stay still a moment. I pulled out a new spray perfume (check with your Independent MK beauty consultant; the new limited edition is yummy). As I showed her how to use it and that it had a smell, I realized that she had never even seen such a thing let alone owned her own. I felt a knife in my heart about how lucky we all are and what a privilege it is to be here and have the opportunity to make a practical difference in the world.

The next day I got to see Kassa’s wife and baby. The baby is tiny and looks just like her mother. She may be one of the sweetest babies I’ve ever seen. Her name is Mesalie. She wore some of the new clothes that Kassa’s friends sent as a present from the USA.

Then it was on to the Trampled Rose for the “war” to begin. Much to my surprise, everything looked perfect. It was so perfect I almost could not believe it. The office was spotless with our new secretary working diligently at her computer. The kitchen was bustling in preparation for lunch. Even the dogs were well groomed and happy to see me. Ishi is still as jealous as ever and will not let anyone near me.

We have an operational Chicken Farm with no dead chickens. They live in a house that has very strict procedures for entry. Mostly visitors are not allowed because of the risk of Bird Flu. But after I sterilized my shoes I was allowed to peek. I just knew this was a great business idea. Chicken is in such high demand here most restaurants cannot even serve it. Good market predictions on our part.

Most of the women attending our Beauty School have already been hired by local salons and the styles they are doing now are actually wearable. Our tailoring school is making progress but still a little behind because of some difficulty finding the right trainer. The one we have now is making lots of fast progress. But the thing that touched me most is the confidence in the ladies. When they first came to our organization, most could not read nor write nor even look you in the eye. Now they are all busy bees working towards their own dreams.

Next week my focus will be getting more certification from the governmental offices here and working on reports for all those places that need some response. Then my daughter will be here Thursday night and I’ll get to show her my “other” life. I’ll do my best to keep the updates a little more frequent.