Notes by Joyce Moeller

We flew on Ethiopian Airlines from Gondar, where we visited the ancient castles of 17 kings, to Addis Ababa, the capital of this country. We held several Water to Thrive meetings with NGO’s (non-government organizations) that implement water projects. 

We said goodbye to Kattie Somerfeld of Lutheran World Relief, one of the W2T travelers, who is flying to Kenya to visit a friend who is working for the United Nations in the Somali pirate trials. They are flying to a beautiful beach…so we are wishing we were going there too. Tomorrow we will be sightseeing in Addis and then departing for the U.S. Sunday evening. 

At the moment, we are in our hotel room after a tasty dinner at a local Mediterranean restaurant. There is a wedding on the 2nd floor and we’re on the 3rd floor. Loud music until about 11:00. For dinner, we enjoyed the company of Alem Tesfay of Diversity Tours. Alem assisted in the planning of the June 2011 trip and served as our guide for the trip. We spent time mapping out possible itineraries for another similar tour in May/June of 2012. 

Ethiopian food is good, especially the lamb. It tastes more like beef. In Addis, one can find any kind of restaurant you can imagine. I would compare Addis to NYC…many people (6-7 million) and a lot going on. Clothing is modern (like skinny jeans) and the women wear makeup and they are very attractive. In the countryside, life is like it was 1,000 years ago.

This is my first trip to Ethiopia and Dick’s 6th. I have taken about 2,000 photos and I’ve kept a notebook of thoughts, too. It is sad to think about leaving the friendly people that we have met along the way. They are so kind and gentle and have big hearts. Many speak English well enough to converse a little and others are fluent. The children learn English in addition to their own language. After a good grade on the national exam, kids can go to government universities free of charge. I am very hopeful for this nation and the people.

As far as the well projects, they are a very good way to help the neediest people in the world with one of the basics of life…water. We saw the joy that comes from clean water being pumped as well as communities where they are still desperately awaiting clean water. I understand so much more about the need now. Most Americans can’t grasp the need because we’ve simply not seen these remote communities and their incredibly difficult circumstances. Brown runoff puddles and contaminated springs with leeches!

 

This is a life changing adventure.

 

 

Notes by Joyce Moeller

We flew on Ethiopian Airlines from Gondar, where we visited the ancient castles of 17 kings, to Addis Ababa, the capital of this country. We held several Water to Thrive meetings with NGO’s (non-government organizations) that implement water projects. 

We said goodbye to Kattie Somerfeld of Lutheran World Relief, one of the W2T travelers, who is flying to Kenya to visit a friend who is working for the United Nations in the Somali pirate trials. They are flying to a beautiful beach…so we are wishing we were going there too. Tomorrow we will be sightseeing in Addis and then departing for the U.S. Sunday evening. 

At the moment, we are in our hotel room after a tasty dinner at a local Mediterranean restaurant. There is a wedding on the 2nd floor and we’re on the 3rd floor. Loud music until about 11:00. For dinner, we enjoyed the company of Alem Tesfay of Diversity Tours. Alem assisted in the planning of the June 2011 trip and served as our guide for the trip. We spent time mapping out possible itineraries for another similar tour in May/June of 2012. 

Ethiopian food is good, especially the lamb. It tastes more like beef. In Addis, one can find any kind of restaurant you can imagine. I would compare Addis to NYC…many people (6-7 million) and a lot going on. Clothing is modern (like skinny jeans) and the women wear makeup and they are very attractive. In the countryside, life is like it was 1,000 years ago.

This is my first trip to Ethiopia and Dick’s 6th. I have taken about 2,000 photos and I’ve kept a notebook of thoughts, too. It is sad to think about leaving the friendly people that we have met along the way. They are so kind and gentle and have big hearts. Many speak English well enough to converse a little and others are fluent. The children learn English in addition to their own language. After a good grade on the national exam, kids can go to government universities free of charge. I am very hopeful for this nation and the people.

As far as the well projects, they are a very good way to help the neediest people in the world with one of the basics of life…water. We saw the joy that comes from clean water being pumped as well as communities where they are still desperately awaiting clean water. I understand so much more about the need now. Most Americans can’t grasp the need because we’ve simply not seen these remote communities and their incredibly difficult circumstances. Brown runoff puddles and contaminated springs with leeches!

 

This is a life changing adventure.