I guess I haven't updated in a few days. I have been keeping busy the last couple of days. Ruth showed me a few places around Addis this week because the school where she teaches was closed for the week. So, I got to see the national history museum, a place where they make really nice silk fabric, we went out to a few cafes to drink machiatto's, she had me try some cultural foods I hadn't had before. It was really a nice week, I got to experience what it would be like to live here more than I had on other trips. So, it was great.
Today we went to Sendafa again. We passed out wheat, soap and toiletries to some of our HIV patients. I got to see some people I had met on previous trips, like Woineshet. It's always a little bit strange trying to get used to how they do things during the rest of the year when the LWCC teams are not here. It is much more fast paced and Frew is always concerned about getting things done really quickly. So, we are not really able to visit people in their homes much. It's a bit frustrating for me, because that has always been one of my favorite parts. But, he said that next week I will have more of a chance to do that.
Today was quite busy because there was a guy, Andre, who is here from Water Missions International. They are an organization that we are teaming up with to provide a well for Sendafa. He is here to survey how it could all happen and figure out where is a good place to drill, how deep the water is, how the water pipe system is in Sendafa, etc. So, he was in Sendafa today and we had to help him with some things. It was a bit hectic of a day, but it was still really nice.
There was a sad part though. Last year when I was here I got to meet a little girl, Meaza, who is HIV positive. If I remember correctly she is about 8 or 9 years old maybe. Last time I saw her she was in decent health - by which I mean she was up and moving around. She laughed with us last time and didn't seem too sick. This time however she was laying in bed, she had lost a lot of weight since I last saw here. She really looked sick. It was really difficult for me to see. Somehow it is much harder to deal with a child who has HIV than an adult. Because the child made no decision that caused the disease. It seems so unfair, so backwards to how the world should work. But there it is, right in front of me. A little girl who doesn't have much hope. How do you cope with that? How can it do anything but break your heart to see it? I was at a loss of words, it was really difficult for me.
I find myself comparing again between Ethiopia and America. In America HIV is a problem, but we have access to the drugs and the education to stop it from being as terrible as it is here. The gov't here will not allow the new medications to come in, so they are using the medications here that we used to use in America some time ago. They work, but not nearly as well. You have no idea how much this disease affects people in Africa until you see it, and when you do it is so hard to deal with. I can't imagine what it must feel like, knowing that you have this disease - knowing that you will probably be outcast from your community, that your chances of survival for a long time are slim. It's really a terrible and difficult thing to deal with.
I'll leave you with that. Sorry to leave you on such a sad note, but sometimes I think it's good to be reminded how fragile life is. And also how good we have it in America.
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