I Blessed the Rains Down in Africa!

Hi Everyone!

In November, I was afforded the opportunity to go and visit my best friend Lisa in her new home in Ethiopia. She has been living there as a volunteer since April and through some amazing twists of fate, and an incredibly generous and amazing new friend Alli, I was given the opportunity to fly over to Ethiopia for two weeks.

And so, on November 2nd, away I went flying straight to Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. I was like a little kid on the 13-hour flight...didn't sleep at all! Could not wait to see my friend and to touch down in Africa for the first time in my life. When I arrived, I couldn't get my visa and my luggage fast enough. Finally after all the business was taken care of and I'm pushing my cart out the final security check, I see Lisa's head emerge from the crowd - we both began jumping up and down from afar! I made it through security and we just hugged for like 5 minutes! I couldn't believe I was there - what was in store? How was she doing? Would I ever sleep again? :) It truly felt like a dream come true to be there.

We spent the next two weeks exploring, learning, laughing, helping, eating, walking, traveling and just enjoying life. On night one, Lisa and her roommate Eden had a get together at their house so I was able to meet a lot of her close friends in Addis. Instantly, from minute one, I felt incredibly comfortable in this country. The people are so genuine and go out of their way to make you feel instantly connected. I felt like we had been friends for years and were just catching up! To see Lisa have such a support system like I saw gave me so much comfort. Like we always say, it truly is the people who help shape the experience. That is evident in Ethiopia.

With some of the girls at Entoto

I was able to spend a full day at the Beza Outreach program at Entoto Mountain where Lisa spends the majority of her time. We went to Kids Club where children come to the house for 1/2 day and participate in various educational activities, play games and sports, read books in the library and discuss lessons from the Bible. As soon as we walked through the gates into the outside play area, we were instantly greeted by tons of little kids grabbing our hands and leading us into the area. They were so happy to have us there and just wanted to get down to the business of welcoming us and playing! Some would speak some English, many would not, but that didn't matter one bit. With a flash of a smile, you made a connection with a little one that was unlike anything I've seen.

Lisa and the staff had a lot of work to do that day and so I was introduced to the staff (big shout out to Birukti, Eden, Danica and Selam!) and made myself at home with the children in the outdoor activities. We jumped rope. We played keep away. We played soccer. The kids played paparazzi with my camera. We played a game that was all in Amharic (the language spoken in Ethiopia) where everyone links arms and stands in a circle. Someone is "it" and is singing a line to a song and the rest of the group responds back with another line to a song. Then eventually the "it" person breaks through the circle and gets chased up and down the lot. Didn't understand it at all, but boy did they LOVE when I was "it!" I'm not even sure what I was singing or doing but it brought a lot of joy to the group. And to the adults watching, haha.

Another great moment there came in the afternoon after the majority of the morning kids left. There were two little girls who stayed and wanted to keep playing with me. I had brought some Halloween candy to the house as a treat to be used when the staff saw fit. Well, I think the little girls saw my bag of candy because they kept saying "chocolate, candy" to me. So I went upstairs and asked Lisa if I could give them some candy. I brought a big bag of mini packets of candy corn so I knew that would be perfect. I told her I had two little girls and she gave my one little packet for them to share. I sort of looked at her a bit strangely, thinking, wouldn't this be easier if they each got one? This is probably going to be tough to get them to share. But I know Lisa knows best so I headed away with my one packet for the girls. We sat down and I showed them the packet. Immediately, one of the girls took the packet as the other one waited. She opened up the packet and in her small hands began dividing the candy corn into two even piles. She gave the one pile to the other little girl and kept one pile for herself. Then instantly, they each handed me a piece of their candy corn pile to enjoy. I was in awe. I just sat there staring at the two of them. Sharing was not even a question - they were just so grateful to have this treat that they wanted all of us to enjoy it. Now I know this may seem like a small thing, but to me it was a beautiful, innocent moment. I had only been in Ethiopia for 3 days at that point but I already had so many realizations and takeaways.

I was able to get a real picture of what Lisa's life is like in Ethiopia. We had our share of fun for sure - eating chicken at the Beer Garden; learning about the Ethiopian tradition of the gorsha; having the best Italian food ever at Castelli's in Addis; relaxing by and playing in the pool at the Hilton; attending a wedding in Debre Zeit - literally one of the most beautiful places on Earth; attending church at Beza International and following it up with incredible burgers at Seshu; getting to see Lucy who is more than 3 million years old; sitting on the roof deck at Bon Cafe; going to an AMAZING club called Illusion on my last night and dancing the night away (Birukti you get MVP for this night!); and just cooking breakfast or dinner and hanging out with great friends while listening to amazing music at Lisa & Eden's apartment.

In Giza

Lisa and I also had the opportunity to travel to Egypt in the middle of my time over there as it's only a 3.5 hour flight from Addis. What an experience. So much history. So much beauty. Such a different culture. We navigated our way through Cairo and Alexandria with nothing more than a United Arab Emirates airline brochure! Although challenging at times, definitely an experience I'll take with me for the rest of my life. Visiting the Pyramids of Giza by camel; standing in front of the Sphinx; taking the train up to Alexandria to see the city on the sea; looking at Ramses II's mummy; experiencing my first authentic shisha at a cafe in Cairo; sailing down the Nile River; finding a Chili's on the Nile in Cairo and enjoying some chips and salsa; learning about the traditions in a beautiful mosque in Islamic Cairo; bargaining at Khan el-Khalili market; and ending the trip at a happening jazz club in downtown Cairo. So grateful for the experience.

I can't say enough about the places that I saw or the people that I met while on this journey. In Ethiopia, I saw regular, everyday people willing to sacrifice their time, money and luxuries to genuinely help those in need. It's as simple as that. They recognize a need and they are doing their best to make a difference in peoples' lives every day. I am humbled and blessed to know these amazing people...and especially to call one of them my best friend.

Major "ah hah" moments/lessons learned from the trip:

·  Recognizing your blessings and sharing them as much as you can. On my first full day in Ethiopia, Lisa and I went to Kaldi's, an amazing coffee/breakfast shop. I ordered pancakes (which were amaze!) but didn't finish them. Many people know that I rarely finish my meals when I'm out to eat - it's just too much. Unfortunately it usually goes to waste. Well Lisa suggested that we wrap up the pancakes. She said that on our walk we would find someone to give them to. And so we did just that and instantly found a woman and her infant on the road. I knelt down and handed her the wrapped up pancakes and we had this instant, basic human connection. It felt so good that I brought it up several times to Lisa on the trip. It was such a simple, easy thing for me to do, yet living here in the States, I never really took the time to do that. Well boy has that impacted me. When I go out to dinner now, and I walk away with leftovers, I will make sure that it's wrapped up and given to someone in need. I did it multiple times while in Ethiopia and Egypt and each time I had that warm feeling - we're all in this together.

·  The greatest gift we have to give is love. Love is all you need.  Sure it may sound like a Beatles song but let me tell you this was probably the greatest lesson learned on this trip. We had the opportunity to visit an orphanage in Addis on my last day in town. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I knew there were children there from infant age up through probably 10 years old. There were six of us volunteers who walked up to the orphanage yard. We saw the little guys first (probably 2, 3 and 4 years old). Picture about 50 toddlers all come running towards you at once smiling and laughing. They came right up to us and instantly reached their arms up towards us to be held. We each had two or three in our arms at once. They would reach up to be held and as soon as you picked them up they put their head on your shoulder and just snuggled. Then there would be four more at your feet grabbing on and looking to be hugged and picked up as well. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. These little kids just wanted love. They wanted to feel touch and to feel loved. I was so moved. On the playground with the older kids it was a similar feeling. They wanted to hold hands. They wanted me to watch them do tricks on the jungle gym. They wanted me to push them on the swing. They couldn't say my name so they would all just yell out, "Firenge, firenge," which means foreigner or white person! I thought it was cute so I went with it :) I'd sit down on a bench and I'd have four kids on my lap. They loved my sunglasses and loved playing with my hair! They just loved being loved on. They are kids - that's what they deserve. We have so much love to give - I'm just grateful I had the chance to do that while over there.

Pre-surgery with a few awesome kids

·  What we donate/give really does make a difference. During one of the days in Ethiopia, Lisa brought me to Operation Smile - the organization that provides doctors and nurses to perform free surgeries for children with cleft lip and cleft palate from around the world. My hat is off to this organization - I was beyond impressed and so grateful to be there for even a day to witness the transformation of these little angels. We had the opportunity to hang out in the play area where the kids go right before they are taken in for surgery. In this area they get to learn about what they are about to go through and just have the chance to be kids and play with all sorts of goodies. This was very special because here is where I saw boxes of donated toys and crafts that were literally making these kids lives! They have never played with toys like we had here. Someone said to me that the day they get surgery is literally one of the best days of their lives - 1) because they are getting the surgery that will improve their quality of life, but 2) and more importantly to them at the moment, because they have the chance to laugh and smile and play with these amazing toys and treats that they may never see again. It was just pure innocent, fun behavior - we played with blown up balloons for hours! We jumped rope. We blew bubbles. We colored. We made bracelets. We played doctor to get them comfortable with the doctor tools. It was truly remarkable. It was so good for me to see that donating pencils or play dough or balloons completely makes a child's day/year! It may seem small but the love it brings goes a long way. Shout out to Ruthye for her tireless efforts with this organization!

·  Hospitality and openness.  As I mentioned earlier, from the first minute I landed in Ethiopia, I felt instantly comfortable and welcome. Lisa and Eden opened up their apartment to me for two weeks (which is a long time to have a guest!) and they were so gracious with their space. Not just with me but with anyone - in Ethiopia, it's very common to just stay at other people's houses at any time. And for other volunteers and individuals working in Addis, you'd often find them on a couch or a mattress in Lisa and Eden's apartment. Everyone is there to help one another. Perhaps the greatest example of this is the work being done at the Change for Change house in Addis. Our friend Brian has been volunteering there for the last six months and they are doing amazing things. Taking in these driven boys who were/are living on the streets and providing them with education, discipline and a sense of belonging. They now have somewhere to go. I had the chance to practice some English with one of the boys at the house. He was so touched when I told him that he spoke English very well. The volunteers who I met here like Mule and Camden and of course Brian are giving these boys a chance that they would not have otherwise had. That is so powerful. Bottom line, I think it's easy to feel comfortable in Ethiopia because you genuinely know that people "have your back."

Thanks to everyone who provided friendship and love on this trip. You are all forever etched in my heart and you have given me great gifts that will last long after my return back to the U.S. I know our paths will cross again and I am supporting you from afar! Please know you always have a place to stay should you come to the U.S.

Amesegenallo!! Betam grateful,
Rachael