December 29
We spend the night in a tent that was setup by Ethiopian Electric Power workers. While my two friends slept in a car (I had rented a car in Dire Dawa for 400 birr/$25 USD a day), I slept next to my grandmother only wearing gabi (cotton blanket) in a shivering high altitude cold. The next morning, the day of St. Gabriel, we got up at 4am for prayer, chanting and candle lighting ceremony. The Tabot came out of the church at around 5am; we only heard this as we did not get to see it, but this is similar and colorful ceremony as the one in Gonder. The rest of the morning was spent praying and listening to Sermons. We headed back to Dire-Dawa around 11am and arrived there after 4 hours, a good part of it spent in the town of Kulubi stuck in a car and 100, 000 human traffic. For me, this was awesome to see such a colorful celebration that has ancient roots; the church itself is claims to be build by Ras Degen Mekonnen, father of Haile Selassie, in 1896. The King built it after the victory of Adawa, which the King said it was an answer to a prayer request during his previous visit what was before a small Shrine on the top of the when the church is currently built.
Just a day before on Sat Dec 25th Christmas Day, I spent the afternoon wondering around Harar for a few hours (It was my first day in Harar and didn't really see much) and celebrated Christmas with VSO and Haramaya University friends. Gary, a VSO volunteer from Ireland, had found a tall and leafless tree somewhere on campus had placed it in his house as a Christmas tree. We, about 17 of us, most are faculty of Law at Haramaya, had brought gifts to put under the tree. We then put numbers on each gift and picked a number randomly. My gift was #17, a Coffee Bug! Interestingly, two of the other Ferengy at the party where UW Law School Alumni. One is actually the Dean of the Law school at Haramaya University. They, along one other Habesha and Dutch, are hired by the University directly as contractors. Another sign of a lack of human resources in Ethiopia.... I guess it is a small world...
Harama University, for those that are not familiar is an old established University in Ethiopia, perhaps considered the Harvard of Ethiopia? It has been around for over 50 or so years and had produced many famous Ethiopian academicians. The campus is located about 5km from a Haramaya town and there is literally nothing else on and off campus. The University itself is a small town in the woods and In fact, Hyenas are seen wondering around like dogs on campus and around student and staff dormitories. The campus is generally impressive compare to Dire Dawa, especially given the fact that over half of the Dire Dawa campus is still under serious construction, the campus is literally a desert camp full of dust and construction vehicles that blow off the dust on student, staff and building like it is nothing...
I think this is would be my last 2010 update from Dire. In the next few weeks, I expect I will be traveling to Bale (Southern Ethiopia) to celebrate Gena with some relatives. I might also be on a North tour, visiting Universities in Gonder, Axus, Desse with Department Deans and staff. What a wonderful way to start a new year....isn't it? If I don't check-in again, Happy New Year. I hope the new year is brings success (however you define it), happiness and new adventures to your life and let me remind you that it is you and only you that are in control for the things that ought and can happen to your Life. In other words, any situation that you think is holding you from achieving what you really really desire to be doing, it transformable. You just have to change how it occurs to you....Confused? Read "The Three Laws of Performance", by Stave Zaffron and Dave Logan.
Filed From Home in Dire.
