Some thoughts in Soddo

While I was talking to Peter today about some of the logistical bits and bobs I face here, he suggested that you might like to know a little more about them. 

Having just re-read it though, I’m concerned that it might seem like I’m complaining but I’m certainly not.   They are simply some of the things that are so different to the way that we live in Australia and that I have become familiar with here.

TRAVEL TO SODDO

Currently we are based in Soddo which is about 400km to the south of Addis Ababa by road.  Yalew has to fly from Gonder which is to the north of Addis.  Our driver on this tour lives in Addis with his family.   A new expressway to Hawassa is partially completed but because of the number of donkeys, chooks, children, people, goats, ponies pulling carts and slow vehicles on the rest of the route, it is an eight-hour drive at the least.  Roads are relatively narrow and of course there are no overtaking lanes.   We are working in Gesuba Woreda (municipality) which is a 40 minute drive from Soddo.

HARDWARE SHOPPING

Bunnings does not exist.  A hardware shop here is about the size of your bedroom and it is chaotic.  Yalew and I prefer to buy all our materials from one shop but it takes absolutely hours.   Nothing is computerized – nothing is automated – so everything is written out in long hand on a piece of paper, number of items is included, and the price calculated.  We have 40 items to purchase so this takes absolutely ages especially because at the same time, other people come in but unlike Australians, they do not form a queue so they reach over us, shout loudly and demand attention.   The shopkeepers interrupt what they are doing with us to serve customers as they appear at the same time as answering their mobiles.   

Purchasing this week took us four hours standing at the counter.   At one stage I suggested to Yalew that we leave so that the shopkeeper could get the information he needed regarding a couple of items but Yalew said we should stay, otherwise we would be put at the bottom of the priority list.  Of course - he was right.   Itemized receipts are not a thing here and because nothing is computerized, they are impossible to get.  A receipt from the till just has the total amount printed on it. I’m making headway but it’s a long process. There is also rarely a choice – there is only one external tap available, one internal tap, one sort of wire etc.  Prices change daily – particularly things like cement, reinforcing and PVC pipe eg the price of chicken wire has increased five-fold in less than one year.

When it comes to paying, it has to be done at the bank.  On line banking is not a thing.   So we stroll over to the bank with the shopkeeper, get frisked before we enter, then wander behind all the tellers and into the manager’s office where we organize the transfer of funds.   Can’t do THAT in Australia!

FUEL AVAILABILITY

We have 75 litres with us on the roof of the vehicle but finding fuel is a HUGE and perennial problem across the country – especially in the south.  And it’s time consuming.  At any time, most of the fuel stations are out of fuel and even then, they have long queues.   At one place in Hawassa the other day, there were about 600 motorbikes (almost all are for businesses or public transport) lined up, while at others there were queues of around 200 vehicles, and at a truck filling place on the highway to Djibouti, the queue was 4 km long.  Sometimes people queue for several days, fuel comes, but they still don’t get any because the station just runs out again.  The council has given us a letter signed by two levels of government (there are five levels of government here) that gives us priority but it is still difficult.

The council has somehow attained some fuel for us at their depot that we can use but it is not much.   This time my driver went out at 5 am to get fuel.  Last time I was here, Yalew and the driver went out at 3 am and it still took them four hours to fill up.    This week, the government has declared that Wednesdays are an extra day off for workplaces and schools across the country because of the fuel shortages, until further notice

UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN NEGOTIATIONS

Yalew is an incredible interpreter - he doesn’t just translate, he interprets meaning and cultural differences.   In Soddo, he is working with three languages - English, amharic (the national language and his language) and the local language of which he understands about 60%.   I struggle with the non-verbal communication here which is different to that which I am used to in the north of the country - when people (frequently) get worked up, I can’t understand if they are excited and happy or really angry.    I have to be patient and wait until Yalew works things out and can get back to me.   

CREATURE COMFORTS

I miss a few things.   Finding a half decent hotel is tricky.  Some hotels double as brothels, most are grubby and security at the front door, throughout the building and on room doors is really poor.  In addition, councils across the country turn the water off for days on end eg at Yalew’s house, he and his wife collect water when it is on one day in every seven to ten.   Better hotels have their own water supply which is luxury because otherwise you will have a bucket of water in your room.   Even in good hotels with their own water, hot water is a treat.  Power outages are frequent and while good hotels have a generator, most do not turn it on unless it is dark.

In small communities I am really looked after and welcomed but in towns and cities, the culture is different and it can be extremely unpleasant for me to walk alone in the street –  town-based men tend to harass a white lone woman so once I’m back at the hotel, I stay inside unless I have Yalew or my driver to escort me.   Yalew of course was appalled when I first told him this.  I’m also a target because I’m seen as being wealthy (and relatively I am of course).   I’m super careful about my security, and am always aware of where I am, who is behind me and around me, what is happening around me.   I always sit with my back to the wall, leave the hotel at different times every day, and come back at different times.  I keep my sentimental and meaningful jewellery that I cannot bear to take off under my shirt.  I keep USD and credit cards stuffed in my socks.    I like to return to the same hotels that I feel are secure, where people know me, and where we have some form of a relationship – this has security issues attached to it but I hope it solves other security issues.

Phone coverage is an ongoing problem.   Telstra and Optus don’t work so I use Whatsapp for calling and messaging but that requires wifi and it often doesn’t work anyway.   In addition, Yalew can’t hotspot.  So I prioritise talking to Peter when I get coverage which is only in a hotel or the airport but it gets frustrating when it takes a lot of phone calls at a time because it keeps cutting out.   I miss being able to chit chat freely with him but also with family and friends and whenever I would like. 

The local food is ok but tends to be mushy in texture and the local versions of western-style foods like rice and pasta tend to be really oily.  Food poisoning is dynamite here.   I miss raw food and when I have eaten it in desperation in the past, it has landed me with really bad food poisoning.   Three years ago, I had food poisoning that I’m pretty sure was caused by uncooked spices in shiro in a small community – the lady of the house was trying to make a small amount stretch to accommodate us and I noticed her mixing extra spices into a cooked base.   I could not get out of bed for the next three days and Yalew dropped things like orange juice and nice bread off at reception for me.   When I have had it, food poisoning is usually coupled with some level of dehydration due to the heat and exertion so it’s even worse.

Malaria is a potential problem – especially towards the south where I’m currently working.  It is another reason I avoid leaving the hotel at night.   I’m always sprayed with repellent and dosed up with doxycycline as a preventative which I take daily and for four weeks after leaving the country.  If I go in and out of the country, I can take it for months on end – seven months is my longest stretch.   It has some side effects – some of which I put up with and others that I carry extra medication for.    

But by far, the worst thing I need to deal with is the poverty I see all day every day, and its effects.  I go back to a decent hotel with water and food and a clean bed while I leave those I have met that day life-threatening situations.  There is no sense that can be made of it.  I struggle to find a reason for the incomprehensible differences between our standards of living and I feel guilty for my opulence and waste.   I feel guilty for having more than one t-shirt with me and for having a decent pair of boots

Serving

Catherine