I never thought I would find it hard to leave Ethiopia but I did; I miss that place. I got attached to the country and what it has to offer; the weather, the food, the people, just everything. It was a short two weeks but very enjoyable and quite unforgettable. The friends I made in Ethiopia gave me an Ethiopian name, Mentawab, which is the name of a former Ethiopian Empress. I don’t really know why I got the name but it’s an honour anyway. Some of the people I met, especially in the southern region of the country, don’t know me as Khairoon but as Mentawab. What surprised me the most is that both Khairoon and Mentawab have the same meaning, only in different languages; one is an Arabic name and the other an Ethiopian name. I wonder if I will be acquiring more names as I go further south. We are currently just outside of Nairobi, after long days of driving from the northern part of the country into the central region. You have to read the team journal to truly get a taste of what we have seen and experienced in these past few days. I am just so glad and relieved that those days are now behind us and we can have a little down time in Nairobi as we recharge our batteries. I know I need to sleep one full day to get back to my usual self…I’m exhausted! We’ve been on the road for two months now so you can just imagine how tiring it can get at times but I’m still enjoying every moment of it all…

My last few days in Ethiopia really shed some light on the lives of many Ethiopians, and Africans, alike. When you read the statistics on the population distribution of Ethiopia, you realize that most Ethiopians actually live in rural areas, outside large cities and towns, and in small villages spread across the country. This, I knew, because of the amount of people and villages we saw while driving into Addis Ababa. It was the last part of our journey that opened my eyes into the lives of millions; in southern Ethiopia where a lot of the people are involved in farming and coffee production as their means of survival. One conversation is still so clear in my mind and I have to share it with you all. I met a woman, Abebech, who works at a coffee cooperative; she has been working there for three years now. I asked her how old she was and you will not believe the answer I got. “I think 35,” she said, quite casually. It was almost like age was nothing to her. All she cared about is her livelihood, her family and her work. I realized just how much emphasis we usually place on our age and our birthdays when in some parts of the world, that is so irrelevant. What I admired the most is her dedication to her lifestyle. She lives in a small village in southern Ethiopia, with her five children and her husband, who spends most of his days working in the coffee farms. Every morning, she wakes up early and makes coffee and breakfast for her family; behind their house, they have a small coffee farm where they pick the beans, clean them, roast them and make fresh coffee every day. Her older children, who are between the ages of 10 and 15, make their way to school as she makes her way to work at 7.30 a.m. There is no such thing as day-care for her. Her youngest two children stay home together while she is at work. “My fourth child, who is too young for school, stays home and takes care of the youngest one while we are all at work,” she told me. She walks for 2.5 km to work and stays there until noon, working under the sunlight sorting out cleaned coffee beans. She is on her feet all day at work. At noon, she walks for 2.5 km again to go home and prepare lunch for her children and husband who come home for lunch. After this, she walks back to work and stays there until 5 p.m., when she goes home for the evening.

When I asked her about her children, she told me that she wants all of them to have a good life. She is uneducated, her children are getting educated; that’s the difference, she told me. “I want them to have a better life, to go out there and work, that is why I want them to study very hard,” she said. I’m telling you about this woman because I think she represents the unrecognized heroes of Africa: the women of Africa. Her hardworking nature, her commitment to her children and the hours she puts in at work, all so that the family can have extra income; an income that allows her children to have a better life, so that they can be educated. She is counting on this education; an education that will change the lives of her children, she hopes. Many people think it is usually the men that are the breadwinners in many African families, but we rarely stop to think about the role women play. Many of them, especially in this part of Africa, are quite active in bringing home some money. On top of this, they take care of the children and the house. It is like having three full-time jobs. Women are becoming more and more active. Abebech told me that the majority of the women she knows lead a life similar to hers; can you see how empowering this is? Not only to the women themselves, but to the children they raise; children who grow up seeing mommy being so busy and hardworking.

I left Ethiopia with an image of a strong people, who are working their hardest to make ends meet. As we crossed the border into Kenya from Ethiopia, I knew that in the future, I would go back and visit the country again; for now, it was time to get into the heart of East Africa; my real home. But before I could enjoy this, we had to drive through an unsafe area in northern Kenya and this was not the best experience. We were actually accompanied by some soldiers in our cars just incase we might run into some bandits. We did make it through the area safely but I was extremely nervous especially when the soldier that was in our car was telling us about how many people lost their lives on this one road. Although the first few days in Kenya have been rough because of this and the driving on bad roads in the northern part of the country, I am very excited about being here. I’ve been speaking my language, Swahili, since the minute we arrived here and it has been great. And oh, how can I not mention the food that I have been eating. I have enjoyed all kinds of East African food, especially ugali, which is known as stiff porridge. You eat it along with all kinds of greens and different kinds of stews. And the fresh fruits that are found everywhere: from passion fruits to guavas to mangoes.

Being in Kenya is making me think about the direction of East Africa, the area covering Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. For years, these three countries have been talking about forming an East African Community, or rather a federation; especially in the past few years, there has been a great push towards this. I know it will take years until this is all accomplished but I support this idea wholeheartedly because we all can learn from each other. Kenya is leading the way in many things here in East Africa; its economy is stronger, its numerous industries are also quite solid, such as the media industry, and it’s somewhat more developed than the other parts of East Africa. If the three countries unite and form a solid community, all three countries are bound to benefit and improve economically and socially; the issue of politics is always unpredictable so we just have to wait and see. For the next few weeks that we are here I want to learn more about this direction of East Africa so that I can understand where we are headed to. There is so much that we can improve and make the most of here in East Africa and maybe, through this kind of unity, we can meet our development goals and make changes that will benefit all of us. There is so much that has to be covered in Kenya, especially Nairobi – stories about the different parts of the city, cell phone usage and visiting schools.

The other exciting part of my time in Nairobi is that my 23rd birthday finds me here. My last four birthdays were all celebrated in Canada with my friends and this year it’s back home in Africa. I am not too sure what my plan is but I know for a fact that it is going to involve some kind of rich chocolate fudge cake. Now all I have to do is find the place that makes the best cakes in town. In the meantime, I have to get back to work and see what Nairobi has to offer, all of which I will share with you. Until next time.