Preview of Addis Ababa

I finally made it to Addis (the locals pronounce it 'Adees'), but will be here longer than the planned couple hour layover before going on to Dar. Flight from DC was delayed bc the plane was coming from Rome, which was late bc of volcanic ash. I missed my connecting flight to Dar by 5 hours, and the next one doesn't go until tomorrow. So Ethiopian Air put me (and 2 van-loads of nice Africans connecting to different places who also missed their flights) up at a nice hotel for the night.

 I made it! Me outside of the Addis airport. And, yes, I did chop off more hair. I'm not too fond of it at the moment, but didn't want to grow a mullet over the next 3 months...

I made friends with quite a few people on the long flight here: a woman and her kids from Uganda (living in Rwanda), a guy from a village in Kenya who is studying in Kansas, a girl & her little niece from Nairobi, Kenya who have family in Maryland, and a guy who lives in Virginia who is from Addis (and coincidentally knows a lot about water issues here & is planning to email me some material).

 Loading the bus.

T

The clouds broke as soon as we got into the van. It's so lush and green here- I love it! 

It's already late afternoon here & raining outside, so I'm deciding weather I should go out into the city for a preview, or take what I can see from my balcony as enough for the night. I'll give Livy (someone who went to school w my friend Jamie who now lives in Addis) a call in a bit to see if logistics of getting together would be a hassle or easy-peasy & go from there. 

Addis Ababa- view from front of Hotel Riviera. You can't tell much in this shot, but the city is very hilly.

4 star hotel. 

 Room balcony. 

This view is great. The rain hasn't stopped a group of teenagers from playing soccer in the muddy field (which they are sharing w horses, donkeys cows, and some sort of wildebeast thing) behind the hotel. 

 View.

 Field/soccer game/livestock. Maybe this will be one of my research sites.

Feeling so sleepy all of a sudden.. Maybe I'll just take a little nap.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Off to Africa

Hello all! It's been a couple years since I've written here. But, this is my Adventure's Abroad blog, and since I hadn't been abroad in a while, there was really no reason to write here. But I'm heading off to my 4th continent on Thursday, so have taken the liberty to inform you all about what the heck I'm up to this time.

Where in Africa? Why?

Ok. So I'm skipping the country on Thursday heading to a new world (for me) to spend 3.5 weeks in Mtwara, Tanzania, where I'll visit my best friend from high school, Kristi, who is in the Peace Corps there. She's staying in a village in the Southeastern corner of the country, and is teaching English to kids, educating about HIV/AIDs, and is working on some permaculture projects. Other than the kids who speak a little bit of English, I don't think I'll be able to communicate much with the villagers other than making gestures and faces- ha haa. But Kristi's been there for about 10 months now, and speaks Kiswahili well enough, I think. I'm just looking forward to seeing Kristi, taking a much needed break from books and word documents, and getting over the culture shock of such a different place. There, my shower water bucket-carrying techniques won't be for saving water and sculpting my guns as is here in the desert of Arizona, but will be used out of necessity in the village with no water conveyance infrastructure. This experience will be quite the eye-opener, I think.

After those few weeks, I'll head to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for 2 months to do my summer fieldwork for my masters research. I'll be studying the farmers who use highly polluted water to irrigate their crops because there is very little water treatment, and the ways in which they work to safeguard their interests (i.e. mitigate health risks and maintain their livelihoods).

Here's a little something related to the topic:
http://www.gadaa.com/AkakiRiver.html

Since I'm leaving in a couple days, I better get back to finishing up the billions of pages of final papers to write. But more on my research and travel plans to come.

Loves to all.

Been back in the states for months

Well, I planned on writing a nice closing blog back in August when I was returning to the US, but I was too emotional & didn't feel comfortable posting what I wrote.

So, here I am, at the end of the semester & planning another possible project in Pakistan for next summer. I spent this semester presenting findings from last summer's project and writing a few articles on it. And I'm applying to graduate schools for next fall.

Thanks for following my blog & it will be back up next time I go abroad.

Post (what # are we on now, No?)

I'm in Karachi now, the 7th largest city in the world. It's dusty, polluted, smelly, & crowded. Tomorrow morning I'm leaving to Thatta (Keenjhar Lake) to interview some fisherfolk, then I'll be off to Nawab Shah to meet farmers. Basically, I've met tons of bureaucrats, NGOs, & researchers about the freshwater issues in Pakistan. Now it's time to meet those who are most harshly affected- the poor workers who live closest to the land & depend most on the Indus Basin. I'll be back in Karachi tomorrow late afternoon, where I'll meet an aquaintance & his wife (both water rights activists in Sindh). They'll take me & Jawaria (the friend from WWF who is serving as an interpretter & assistant) to meet the villagers of Karachi (ironic sounding, I know, but that's what they're called), people who used to farm or fish, but have been forced to move to the city for a host of reasons, usually including lack of water in the lakes or rivers to irrigate their fields or for fish. We'll meet & interview some of those people, who are struggling to eek out a living in Karachi. Then we'll have dinner with Mr Memon & his wife at their place.

This is one thing I really appreciate about the people of Pakistan. Everyone seems to want to be a good host. No one allows me to pay for dinners out, even if I am the one who invited them, because, "you are a guest here". Loads of individuals have introduced me to their families & shown me their homes. A perfect example of this hospitality was just last night. One of the WWF staff took Jawaria & I to Hyderabad to meet a guy who wrote a book about the Kala Bagh Dam issue & to meet several people from SIDA (the Sindh Irrigation Development Authority, a really excellent group which has given over 5 million farmers the opportunity to manage their own water resources collectively). We then sat in on one of the initial Friends of Indus Forum meetings, & saw about 40 activists planning to develop this advocacy group to improve the livelihoods of those living in Sindh Province, all of whom are suffering because they in the lower riparian section of River Indus (including Karachi- very close to the outlet of the Indus into the Arabian Sea), where the riverbeds are essentially used as drains for the sewage & industrial effluents to flow into the sea. Not much potable pani (water) actually makes it down to these people, as it's all dammed up or being used/wasted by those living in the upper riparian areas.

Anyway, so Jamal is one of the WWF-Karachi guys who was facilitating our meetings in Hyderabad (about 2 hours north of Karachi). He took it upon himself to take us to his hometown, Kotri, which was just a few km from Hyderabad. There, he showed us the Kotri Barrage (the last one in the Indus Basin before the water/waste reaches the sea). He took us to his brother's home (where half a dozen of his & his brother's children were running around, not to mention his sister-in-law, his wife, his auntie, uncle, & a few other sisters). From the roof of the house we could see children playing in the small amount of water that was present in the usually dry riverbed (it's monsoon season for the next month & a half, so they see a bit of rain this time of year). Luckily, I brought the camera for the interviews & meetings early in the day, so was able to take some footage. His brother & his wife had to play host at their house, & even though we told them we'd already been given at least 4 chais (lipton tea, with milk & sugar that Pakistanis drink hot- even in the summertime) that day, they adamantly insisted that we enjoy some of the delicious roh-afza, a rose flavored red beverage whose name literally means "soul blessings". Then we went a few houses down the street & visited his house & a whole host of other family members. They presented us with a few glasses of Pepsi & we chatted for a while. Jamal even said we could stay in Kotri if we liked, as it was getting late. But we opted to go back to the place we were already paying for in Karachi, even though the laidback, comfortable nature of Kotri was much more appealing.

As soon as we hit the super-highway we were met by monsoon rains & flooded streets. We eventually made it back, thank goodness!

I'm alive!

No time to write. I'm at an internet cafe & am paying for every minute here so have to make it snappy.

Basically I have a ton to write about, so I'll do it when I have time.. The good news is I'm in Islamabad again, doing interviews, & considering a trip to the north to see the glaciers which feed the Indus (not the unsafe north). On the 27th or 28th I'll take off for a week in Karachi, which should be really interesting bc it is supposed to be the dirtiest, largest city in the country. I have been fortunate enough to see the clean cities of Lahore & Islamabad for the past month, so it will be a change, if nothing else.

Also, I'll finally be able to meet with the farmers & fishermen of Sindh Province, which should be much more stimulating than all of these bureaucrats. =)

Having a blast, but getting really sick of the food.

Family & Friends, I love you & miss you all! Wish I could have been at Amanda's wedding, I heard it was lovely.

Oh, yes, & don't worry if I go to the north. I even have permission of the Minster of Interior, so safety isn't an issue there. Coldness is something to be more concerned about..

Post At

Ok.. It's been AGEs since I last wrote, but I've been having a ball & haven't had much time for blogging. Plus, I got sick of the play by play account of what I'm up to. From now on I'll just write about the exciting bits.



Load-shedding is another reason I haven't been online much. Each city government rations power bc there is an extreme shortage here. In Lahore we are without electricity for 8 hours per day now. Fortunately, Ammar's family is among less than 1% of the population that can afford a UPS system (which is a power generator of sorts), which will keep 1 light on per room & keeps the fans running. Everything else is out. All of the appliances. All lights deemed "unnecessary". Everything. I cannot imagine how the poorest of poor survive with no power at all. Ever. It get's so hot & humid here. But, I suppose they have adapted to it. I'm sure that doesn't make it any less miserable for these people.



I went to a shrine 2 Thurdays ago in a village called Mianmir to listen to Qawaali music (Sufi devotional music which is incredibly transic to hear). En route to the village (which is really a suburb of Lahore), I saw people sleeping on the side of the road with, literally, nothing but the clothes on their backs. I'm sure they came to Lahore seeking work, but even if they were lucky enough to find something, they still can't afford to pay rent. Imagine laying next to the road, being disturbed by the headlights of those better off than yourself, inhaling dust from the street. The question keeps coming to my mind, "What's on their minds? Are the feeling downtrodden & defeated?" Surely, they have families they must be concerned about. Or perhaps they're alone. Doubtful, as the population of this country is mushrooming for a reason. The poor tend to be the ones who embrace religion the most, as they are the one's most in need. Extremism is prevalent here, and Islam is similar to Christianity in being anti-contraceptives.


That night I also visited the Shah Jamal Shrine, one that is famous for a pair of drummers who begin at midnight every Thursday & play until dawn. One of the drummers has been deaf since birth, but he picked up the skill of rhythm from his father who would tap beats on his back when he was a child. This guy & his partner (I believe his name is Pappu Sain) are absolutely amazing. The night I went, I was 1 of 6 women present, with well over 500 men in attendance. The men sat in a very dense ccroud, which formed a circle for the devotees who danced like mad in the middle. These guys danced for hours, shaking their heads, stomping their feet, & best of all, spinning when they were moved to spin. They were drenched in sweat & clearly high on more than just "the spirit". In fact, I didn't take a hit of anything, but even from behind the protective barrier where women sat, I still felt the affects of being surrounded by hashish. And that was outside. I had the best sleep of my life that morning when I got home. Naturally, I could not go in to the WWF office that Friday, being so sleep deprived.

I did some shopping with Pinky, Ammar's 17 year old sister, for the shalwar camees so I won't stick out so much here. The shopping experience was good fun (even though I normally hate shopping for anything other than food), but exhausting. I had a hard time keeping up with this girl, who is a pro at picking out fabric, lace to match, designing the curta, and walking through ever step of what she wants with the tailor. I thought it would be easier just buying a few things ready-made, but didn't want to miss out on the experience of having something made & tailored just for me.

Most of my clothes are finally finished being stitched, and I find that people treat me quite a bit differently when I wear the shilwar & camees (traditional pants & shirt with a dupatta- scarf) than when I'm wearing my everyday jeans & t-shirts. Naturally, the locals appreciate that I am making an effort to appreciate their customs & culture, & I feel more comfortable when people assume that I am from the northern areas (where people have fair skin & light colored eyes), rather than staring at me, knowing I'm a foreigner. Of course, that assumption is shattered as soon as I open my mouth to speak.

Even though I have learned a bit of the language (really a few words here & there), I don't know the grammar well enough to put together more than disjointed fragments of a sentence. Most of the people I encounter (the wealthy/elites, business people, academics, & goverment officials) do speak English, but I'd like to be able to speak to commoners (I know it sounds horrible to say that, but here there are servants, cooks, drivers, door-people- all in the service industry bc they need work). I encounter these people everyday, & get by with others translating for me, or with my pathetic attempts at speaking Urdu.

There is a guesthouse where some of my friends were staying, hosted by the American Institute for Pakistani Studies. This org is in serious trouble due to funding cuts by the US government. It's funny, the federal govt won't support American students studying Pakistani Studies in Pakistan, but will support the studying of Pakistan in other places.. what!? It's the same with Fullbright; they've cut their Pakistan progran altogether. It's a sad thing, because this Institute promotes cultural understanding & interaction, the obvious deterrent to extremist assumptions about people in other places eventually leading to "terrorism". I ot a few Urdu books from the library there today, & the program director invited me to come back for private lessons. Unfortunately I won't have time for language classes, being so busy with this research project. But I'll keep trying to read & pick up bits & pieces on my own..


Anyway, Jawaria (the girl from WWF who is working with me on this project), Ammar, & I are about to take off for Islamabad where we'll be for the next 10 days or so. I'll be interviewing scores of goverment official for the research project. Wish me luck!

Post Sat- Research & Other Reflections

3 days ago the internet connection wasn’t functioning & I haven't posted since, so here’s a makeup account before I get to today’s post. Essentially, I went to WWF in the morning to further develop my research plan & to get more contacts, came home for lunch, went to change money, and Ammar & I went to meet Scott (the photographer/lawyer I met at the airport in Delhi) at the Holiday Inn where he was staying. The government car & driver picked us up & we went to the Pakistan/India border to Wagha (also spelled Wagah) to witness the closing of the border ceremony, which I got footage of: (I'll post it when I can). It was very much a show of might & masculinity, sort of a “who can make the most noise to prove their worthiness” type of pre-mating performance. The Pakistan military men stomped around & puffed up their chests, so did the Indian military men on the other side of the gate at Amritsar (sp?). There were stadium seats on both sides, but the seats were only gender segregated on the Pakistan side of the border. Men wearing green shirts which read “Pakistan zhindabad (sp?)” (long live Pakistan) ran around in circles in front of the gate & patriotically waived their green flags with white crescent & star to the chanting of slogans by the crowd. Before the ceremony began people were dancing, clapping, & cheering to Europop songs, among others. The same thing was happening on the Indian side of the border, but to their own chants, songs, and cheers. Once the ceremony official began, the military men came out wearing black uniforms on the Pakistan side & beige ones on the Indian side. Who knows why the Pakistanis chose to wear black (could have something to do with Islam) in that terrible heat! Both parties were wearing funny hats, the same hats that the doormen at the hotels in both India & Pakistan wear. They are pretty much the same as the one Napoleon seemed to favor, and just as goofy looking. So, the ceremony began & these men stomped their way down toward the gate, each side hurled their gate open & stomped right on up to the line dividing the 2 countries. They faced each other, puffed their chests, looked up toward the crowd on their side & seemed take a deep inhale as they looked around the stadium. Then one from the Indian side & one from the Pakistan side shook hands, stomped away, & both gates were slammed shut. The sort of dance was repeated once more & then the 2 flags fluttering above the border were both lowered in a long, drawn-out, rather ceremonious fashion. Finally, it was over & I was dripping with sweat.
Scott invited Ammar & I to join him for dinner, & asked for advice on a place to go. Since we mentioned sheesha earlier, which Scott had never tried, we decided to go to a nice Arabic restaurant where they had sheesha, delicious food, and a really nice Sufi band. Ammar’s sister, Niaz (nicknamed Pinky), came to join us a bit later. The discussion was good fun because, while Scott is a semi/pseudo-liberal from California, he also practices corporate law & is a bit of a right-winger on many issues. Ammar, on the other hand, is much more of an idealist & holds much higher standards for politicians & don’t want them to represent him on some issues (which Scott said he’d be fine with), but on all issues. Personally, I could see both sides & piped in here and again, but things got ridiculous after a while. The discussion became a bit heated when Ammar said that Hillary Clinton was a war criminal & Scott started demanding to know what right Ammar had to OUR education system. Pinky showed up right in the middle of the tension & didn’t say much. Finally, things lightened up when we started asking Scott about his photography book that he did on Vietnam.
When we came in last night Ammar’s pops wanted to talk. He’s an extremely intelligent guy: a doctor, a poet, a documentarian, and an activist. He jokes around a lot about “you people” (referring to Americans or whites in general) being imperialists hindering the development of a previously rather progressive country. He gave me a history lesson (not to make me feel guilty, but just so I’d be aware of how Pakistan came to be the way it is). He talked about how in the 70s there were tons of foreigners who visited the country, fewer fundamental extremists, more liberated women, more secularism. But the Christians & Muslims joined forces against the atheists (both being people of the book)
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Wednesday was relatively uneventful. I worked at WWF from 9am until 3pm. Then I came back to the house & have been reading materials about the Indus for most of the day, preparing a more detailed lit review, and drafting interview questions more specific to each of the stakeholders I’ll be approaching. I took a break to join Pinky who really enjoys TV (this Pakistani girl knows what’s happening in all of the American sitcoms & pop-culture in general, very few of which I’m familiar with at all). I just watched a documentary on the Indus made by a Swedish WWF guy which pretty much covered the issued I plan on addressing for my documentary. Oh, well. Mine will be better put together, I hope.
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Yesterday
I've had a horrible cold/ flu, so I just stayed in & slept most of the day. Ammar's mum said she'd get me some antibiotics. I'll write on today later.