There is one hotel in Addis Ababa that volunteers from other parts of Ethiopia often use when they come to the capital. The manager in this hotel is very friendly towards all patrons, especially volunteers. It was during one of my medical check-ups that I had this funny and illuminating conversation with him.
“You look tired. Where have you been?” He asked politely.
“Oh, I went to the hospital.” I answered.
“You’re sick?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“You know, I have a cure for that. I can give it to you for free.” He enthusiastically informed me.
“Oh yeah, what is it?”
“Holy water.”
“I’m sorry?” I asked again, unsure that I heard him right.
“Holy water."
At this point I can’t help but laugh. I knew that he meant well and I did apologize for laughing.
"It can cure you of your sickness. It can cure anybody of any disease.” He insisted.
“But I don’t believe in holy water.”
“It’s true. I assure you.” He replied, with his right hand raised in the manner of taking a serious oath.
“Well, then you should probably boil it first before I can take it. We’ve been warned against drinking water that has not been boiled and filtered.”
“But that would take away its healing powers.” He answered, eyebrows raised slightly and eyes rounding in surprise.
I laughed again. My well-intentioned hotel manager was disappointed and aghast at the mere suggestion of boiling the holy water. But he and his staff laughed with me. They probably realized the futility of convincing me of their holy water’s powers.
Pardon my ignorance, but apparently, this holy water comes from a holy spring. The sanctity of the source is what makes the water holy. Thus, boiling it is out of the question.
Well, should I risk drinking the pure holy water for a possibility of being cured? Not a chance. But that conversation left me with a feeling of hope; that there are still some people who believe in miracles even if I don’t believe them myself.
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Showing posts with label ethiopia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethiopia. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Ethiopia: Travel Back in Time
In modern day Ethiopia, I can still see how Africa must have looked during Jesus’ era. Nothing much has changed if you compare it to paintings of olden days. It always feels like I’ve been transported in time. Only the main roads have been paved. Most streets and even major roads are still red or brown.
A big part of Ethiopia is in the Rift Valley, so they have a lot of these red volcanic rocks which they grind into smaller stones that they then spread over the streets and roads. They say it does not absorb water, instead allowing the water to go straight to the soil. So, it keeps the roads/streets from turning into mud during rainy season and peoples’ feet drier. And it actually works!
The regional capital of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPRS) is Awassa. It is not that far from the capital and it is along the “best” highway in all of Ethiopia. It only takes 4 hours ride by minibus or car and 7 hours by big bus (because the big bus stops so often for food!) from the national capital, Addis Ababa. It is the second largest “city” in Ethiopia, but still looks like a small town in all aspects compared to other cities in developing countries.
For transportation, they have the autorickshaws which they call Bajaj since it is the name of the company that exports them to Ethiopia from India. It is like a motorized pedicab in Asia but much bigger wherein the passengers are behind the driver. They also have the horse-drawn carriage. Those are the main modes of transportation around the town.
For out-of-town trips, you will have to take the vans which they call the minibus or the bigger buses. You will also find donkey-drawn carts used for moving wares, water, firewood, hay, etc.
There are horses, donkeys, goats, sheep and cows everywhere. You may not know this but Ethiopia has the most number of livestock in Africa. You’ll find horses and donkey being left by their owners to fend for themselves when they are too sick to work – I mean the animals.
They don’t eat horse or donkey meat and since it would take a lot of energy to bury them when they die, dead horses and donkeys, or whatever dead livestock are left on the side of the streets as hyena meal. You’ll be amazed at how fast these hyenas can finish off a horse. A dead horse may be left in the evening and by morning you’ll only see the bones.
In Ethiopia, you’ll see the rich and the poor in the same villages which must have been the case during biblical times. They have no “rich” or “poor” villages as we know in most countries today.
The secret is that Ethiopia was a former monarchy that gives out land titles to everyone who applies for land. It is not real land ownership as we know it. Rather, it is only a transfer of land rights. And these patches of land used to be of the same size for everyone that is actually big by many developing countries’ standards.
Many compounds are separated from other houses with tall concrete walls, probably to keep off both thieves and hyenas. Others only have bamboo fences or GI sheets which I doubt would keep off neither the hyena nor the thief.
They also don’t designate areas for the poor or the rich. I think the government gives land titles depending on the area assigned to be distributed and according to whoever is applying for land by that time. When the federal government took over after the monarchy was overthrown, they did not change the system (well, I think only until recently).
So, whether you can afford to build a concrete house or only a mud hut, you’ll have the same lot size with everyone else. You own the house though, which you can sell along with the land rights.
A big part of Ethiopia is in the Rift Valley, so they have a lot of these red volcanic rocks which they grind into smaller stones that they then spread over the streets and roads. They say it does not absorb water, instead allowing the water to go straight to the soil. So, it keeps the roads/streets from turning into mud during rainy season and peoples’ feet drier. And it actually works!
The regional capital of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPRS) is Awassa. It is not that far from the capital and it is along the “best” highway in all of Ethiopia. It only takes 4 hours ride by minibus or car and 7 hours by big bus (because the big bus stops so often for food!) from the national capital, Addis Ababa. It is the second largest “city” in Ethiopia, but still looks like a small town in all aspects compared to other cities in developing countries.
For transportation, they have the autorickshaws which they call Bajaj since it is the name of the company that exports them to Ethiopia from India. It is like a motorized pedicab in Asia but much bigger wherein the passengers are behind the driver. They also have the horse-drawn carriage. Those are the main modes of transportation around the town.
For out-of-town trips, you will have to take the vans which they call the minibus or the bigger buses. You will also find donkey-drawn carts used for moving wares, water, firewood, hay, etc.
There are horses, donkeys, goats, sheep and cows everywhere. You may not know this but Ethiopia has the most number of livestock in Africa. You’ll find horses and donkey being left by their owners to fend for themselves when they are too sick to work – I mean the animals.
They don’t eat horse or donkey meat and since it would take a lot of energy to bury them when they die, dead horses and donkeys, or whatever dead livestock are left on the side of the streets as hyena meal. You’ll be amazed at how fast these hyenas can finish off a horse. A dead horse may be left in the evening and by morning you’ll only see the bones.
In Ethiopia, you’ll see the rich and the poor in the same villages which must have been the case during biblical times. They have no “rich” or “poor” villages as we know in most countries today.
The secret is that Ethiopia was a former monarchy that gives out land titles to everyone who applies for land. It is not real land ownership as we know it. Rather, it is only a transfer of land rights. And these patches of land used to be of the same size for everyone that is actually big by many developing countries’ standards.
Many compounds are separated from other houses with tall concrete walls, probably to keep off both thieves and hyenas. Others only have bamboo fences or GI sheets which I doubt would keep off neither the hyena nor the thief.
They also don’t designate areas for the poor or the rich. I think the government gives land titles depending on the area assigned to be distributed and according to whoever is applying for land by that time. When the federal government took over after the monarchy was overthrown, they did not change the system (well, I think only until recently).
So, whether you can afford to build a concrete house or only a mud hut, you’ll have the same lot size with everyone else. You own the house though, which you can sell along with the land rights.
Ethiopian Trivia: Lucy, Moses and Jesus
When people hear of Ethiopia, sick, thin, hungry children almost always come to mind. This is the result of the posters that International Development and Funding Agencies circulated around the world when they talked about poverty and hunger.
And as you probably know already, the "missing link" which they call Lucy was found in Ethiopia, far from the "cradle of civilization" which is South Africa.
But, did you know that the Ark of the Covenant - the chest containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments that Moses received from God - and Jesus' cross are said to be found in Ethiopia?
They say that these are guarded by one (or more) tribe(s) in northern Ethiopia. Ethiopians claim to have found the true cross of Jesus that they even have an annual celebration for that every September which they call the Meskel Celebration (Meskel being Amharic for Cross).
There may be some merits to their claim about the covenant although I’m skeptical about the cross. You see, an Ethiopian queen, Queen of Sheba, was said to have seduced King Solomon and became his mistress. Historical accounts say that she certainly visited King Solomon. As for being his mistress, there is no concrete evidence. She may have gotten the Ark from King Solomon for safekeeping.
If you have read your bible, you may remember that King Solomon's house/family was the safe keeper of the Ark. Or they may have gotten it when Ethiopia once conquered Egypt.
Nonetheless, Ethiopia is not only about poverty and AIDS, or about children being waited upon by vultures as a meal. Ethiopia has much more history than most people know, enough to whet the appetite of the curious. For me, Ethiopia is the right place for my quest for old civilizations and the origin of mankind.
So if you are looking for some sort of adventure to give you a sense of time travel, or curious about ancient civilizations, Ethiopia is waiting for you...
And as you probably know already, the "missing link" which they call Lucy was found in Ethiopia, far from the "cradle of civilization" which is South Africa.
But, did you know that the Ark of the Covenant - the chest containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments that Moses received from God - and Jesus' cross are said to be found in Ethiopia?
They say that these are guarded by one (or more) tribe(s) in northern Ethiopia. Ethiopians claim to have found the true cross of Jesus that they even have an annual celebration for that every September which they call the Meskel Celebration (Meskel being Amharic for Cross).
There may be some merits to their claim about the covenant although I’m skeptical about the cross. You see, an Ethiopian queen, Queen of Sheba, was said to have seduced King Solomon and became his mistress. Historical accounts say that she certainly visited King Solomon. As for being his mistress, there is no concrete evidence. She may have gotten the Ark from King Solomon for safekeeping.
If you have read your bible, you may remember that King Solomon's house/family was the safe keeper of the Ark. Or they may have gotten it when Ethiopia once conquered Egypt.
Nonetheless, Ethiopia is not only about poverty and AIDS, or about children being waited upon by vultures as a meal. Ethiopia has much more history than most people know, enough to whet the appetite of the curious. For me, Ethiopia is the right place for my quest for old civilizations and the origin of mankind.
So if you are looking for some sort of adventure to give you a sense of time travel, or curious about ancient civilizations, Ethiopia is waiting for you...
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