Saturday October 20th: Amsterdam - Addis Abeba

Schiphol

Today, we all got up early to go to Schiphol. After a cup of coffee, a sandwich and a malaria pill, we passed security at 9.45 a.m.. The plane leaves the Dutch ground at 11.15 a.m..
After a stop over in Sudan, we arrive in Addis Abeba at 9.05 p.m.. It takes some time to pass customs, but we are all allowed to enter Ethiopia.

Addis Abeba

Father Iede, father Vince and father Philipe are waiting for us in the arrival lounge. On the way to the father's house we already see a lot of poverty in Addis Abeba.
In the fathers house we drink some Ethiopian beer and some soft drinks and talk about our first part of the journey. After this, we try to sleep. In the background we hear singing from the Orthodox Church.

Sunday October 21st: Addis Abeba - Lake Langano

Leaving Addis

Today the alarm goes of at 7.15 a.m.. We have a good breakfast and move to the south at 9.15 a.m.. Our drivers are Iede and Vince. Again, we pass some slum areas. Out of town, the scenery is beautiful. The roads in Ethiopia are very busy. Pedestrians, donkeys, goats and cows.
The scaffolds look different from the ones in the Netherlands. They're completely made of Eucalyptus wood.

Lake Langano

The view in the Rift Valley is magnificent. At 1.15 p.m. we arrive at Lake Langano. We have a very good lunch. After that we enter our rooms and we install the mosquito nets. After that we walk along the lake.
At 8 p.m. we sit down to table in the restaurant. After diner we view the pictures of the first days on Iede's laptop. There are already quite a few photos taken.

Monday October 22nd: Addis Abeba - Lake Langano

Leaving Lake Langano

Today we have breakfast at 8.00 a.m.. We leave Lake Langano at 9.30 a.m.. Along the way we see some ostriches and a marabou.

Awasa

We stop in Awasa at 11 a.m.. Vince and Iede have to take care of some business here. We barely escape from a warm welcome from some monkeys in the trees...
We have lunch at a Total restaurant in Awasa. We meet a good friend of Abba Toon here. He is still very sad about the death of Abba Toon. He filmed at the book presentation of Abba Toon's Borana book.
At 1.30 p.m. we leave Awasa. Along the way we see a lot of coffee trees and banana trees (without bananas). The (fake-)banana trees are used to produce some kind of meal.

Candy time

The driver of an approaching car is a friend of Iede and Vince, it is father Renatus. We will meet him a few times again during our journey. We stop for a moment to meet him. We have some candies and biscuits in the car. We hand out the sweets and biscuits to some children that came running in. There's almost a struggle. Everyone wants to get some sweets of course. Then it's time to move on.
At 7.30 p.m. we leave the (paved) road and continue on a path of red sand. It's completely dark at this moment. We will reach Dadim, completely shaken up.

Warm welcome in Dadim

At 8.00 p.m. we arrive in Dadim. A lot of people are waiting for us. We shake hands with all of them. The kids that rushed up to us carry our luggage into the missionary post.
Sister Collette and sister Jo-Anne welcome us with some drinks and popcorn. We rest a little and talk about the trip. Tonight we get a very good diner. The table is filled with salad, potatoes, lentils, spinache, tomatoes, chicken and more... We enjoy the diner immensely. For dessert there is some fresh pudding with fresh fruit. After a cup of coffee or cup of tea, it is time to go to bed at 11 p.m. It was a long trip, but with such a warm welcome it is absolutely worth the while!

Tuesday October 23rd: Dadim. Visiting the clinic, the grave, the school and drinking coffee.

Visiting the clinic and the grave

Today we have breakfast at 8.45 a.m.. We're going to visit the clinic in Dadim. Little children are vaccinated here. Today there is an anti-polio-programme. We hand out some of the clothes we brought with us from friends and family in the Netherlands. Collette shows us the rooms for delivery and the examination rooms. After visiting the clinic we go to see the grave of Abba Toon for the first time. Tari, one of the catechists, speaks well of Abba Toon. He was good for the people, especially for the children and the sick.

Visiting the school

We go back to the missionary house to drink some coffee and tea. We hand out some things we took with us from the Netherlands. Father Boniface is very happy with the footballs. We're visiting the school of Dadim. When we walk into the classroom, all children stand up. Father Boniface tells us the school of Dadim is the best in the area (of the country?).
After lunch, sister Collette is talking about Abba Toon. She tells us about the way Abba Toon and Iede started to preach the Gospel in Ethiopia. The first years, they only lived together with the people and got to know the people very well. After that they started thinking about spreading the Gospel. A very good approach. Unfortunately, it was an approach that the Bishop didn't like.

Coffee

At 4.00 p.m. we're visiting a family where a baby was born 5 days ago. There is another warm welcome when we arrive there. We shake a lot of hands and give and get some great hugs. The house (hut) that the baby is in, is (in our opinion) very small and dark. But a lot of people fit in the house. We feel like some attraction, because of all the attention we get here. The children near the house are really enjoying looking at the digital pictures we're taking of them.
Then it's time for the coffee-ceremony. The coffee is blessed, roasted and prepared. We're all a little afraid of drinking the coffee. The idea of getting sick the few days we're spending in Ethiopia keeps us from drinking much of the coffee. But maybe we're a little bit overcareful. After the coffee the Borana people are dancing, singing and clapping. Very cheerful and very excited.
Then it's time to say goodbye. Along the way to the missionary house, a lot of people are greeting us and waving to us. Back in the house, we drink a gin, beer, some wine, some soda, ...

The night

Collette tells us a woman died in the village. She was found dead. She was found in the water. It sounds horrible. The woman will be buried tomorrow.
For diner we have some delicious mashed potatoes, carrots, lentils, chicken, beef and salad. After diner we talk with Boniface about visiting the Netherlands. He doesn't know whether he's able to do that. Next year, he wants to join Big Brother Africa....
At 10.15 p.m. the day is finished for us. A day full of new, wonderful impressions.

Wednesday October 24th: Dadim. The service of remembrance. Go to tea.

The Mass

Today we walk to the breakfast table at 8.00 a.m.. Ben is preparing the flowers for the grave. The flower arrangement looks very beautiful. Our diner is walking around in the garden. It looks very good.

At 9.00 a.m. we go to the church. Long before the Mass starts we hear the singing of the choir. A lot of people went to the church. Father Boniface and father Iede say Mass. Iede is translating some Borana words for us. Father Boniface says: "Today, we celebrate the life of Abba Toon." Important words of Abba Toon are: "I'm happy with life. And happy with the word of God in my life.". A boy of the choir reads out a poem. The leader of the Catholic women of Dadim wants to say some words too. But, after three words, her eyes fill with tears and she's not able to speak more.
One of the Borana men says some words. Iede translates the words for us. Again, a lot of sweet and nice words, full of praise. "Abba Toon took very well care of all the people. Especially the children. It didn't matter whether the people were baptized or not." "He was a brother of all Borana people."
After the Mass, we all go to the grave. The tablet that the family brought is put on the grave. Lia lays the wreath on the grave. Father Boniface blesses the grave. After the ceremony at the grave, it's time for the coffee ceremony. We already dare to try a coffee bean!
The children's clothes we brought are handed out. It's a little chaos. It's a matter of course that all the children want to get some new clothes. After the distribution, we go back to the misionary house and drink some coffee and tea and have lunch.
Iede tells some stories about Abba Toon working on the book. The cooperation with Sylvia wasn't always running smoothly. There were some conflicts, but the final result is a very great and valuable book.

Drinking tea

We are invited for tea at 5.00 p.m. by the leader of the Catholic women of Dadim. They prepared Enjéra with potatoes and vegetables for us. We get tea with camel milk. Everything tastes very good. Very very nice they take all this trouble for us. At this moment, the woman is able to speak some words to us about Abba Toon. She is still in distress about the death of Abba Toon. Ben (Abba Toon's brother) gets a gift from one of the boys in the house. It's a Borana-bracelet. A gracious gesture. Ben will never take the bracelet off.
After the visit, we walk around Dadim. Some students are walking with us. They like to talk to us. They do their best to practice talking English.

Campfire

Back to the misionary house, the furniture is taken outside. The campfire is started. Again there is a very good diner prepared for us. Salad, tomatoes, sweet peppers, rice, lentils en off course the goat.
After dinner we watch some Big Brother Africa with Boniface. Iede brought a video of the funeral of Abba Toon. We all watch it together. After this we sit around the fire and talk for a while. At half past twelve it's time to go to bed.

Thursday October 25th: Inauguration of the school in Dharrito.

On the way to Dharrito

Today we have breakfast at 7.30 a.m. At 8.30 a.m. we get in the car to go to Dharrito. Near Dharrito, we already see a lot of people in traditional costumes. They're on their way to Dharrito too.
At 9.30 a.m. we arrive in Dharrito. Father Vince and father Kenneth are already there. The headmaster and headmistress of the school take us round the village.

Meedicha

The people of Dharrito sacrificed some cows and goats. The skin cut from the sacrificed animals (= meedicha) are put on our arms. We're not quite used to these kinds of customs, but we feel very honoured by these gifts. It is a great honour to receive a meedicha from the Borana people.
meedicha: a strip of skin cut from a just-sacrificed animal worn, generally on the wrist, to get the blessings from, and show participation in the ceremony.
source: AADAA BORAANAA, A dictionary of borana culture, page 450; Ton Leus, Cynthia Salvadori

The ceremony

The ceremony starts. Joop cuts the tape and opens the school officially. Really a lot of people have come to the school to be present at the ceremony. All together we enter the "schoolyard".
At a rough estimate, I would say there are between 500 and 1000 people visiting Dharrito today. Iede introduces us to the Borana people. After this, there are many performances. A lot of dancing, singing, poems, speeches and more. It's very difficult for us to understand the words, but many times we hear the words "Abba Toon". So, we can understand the meaning of the words a little bit. Iede, Vince and Collette give us some short translations of some parts of the songs and poems.
Also Joop, says some words. He thanks the Borana for all the beautiful and lovely things they showed to us. We made a photo collage of the life of Abba Toon. We present this gift to the headmaster and headmistress. They're pleased with this gift.
As final performance there is a play. The key role is the role of Abba Toon. The student who fills this role, does this excellent. We recognize some characteristic features of Abba Toon very easy. It's very nice to watch.
After the ceremony we are invited to eat and drink. We're eating the cows and goats they sacrificed this morning. We visit some classrooms of the school and the church of Dharrito. After all these nice impressions we leave Dharrito. A very beautiful day. We saw (again) a lot of people who loved Abba Toon. The people are also very proud of and grateful to what Abba Toon has done in his life in Ethiopia.

Back to Dadim

On the way home, we drink some macchiato and some beer or soda. Back in Dadim, Collette tells us that the people of the village found a litte child. The child was only 3 years old. It probably died of malaria.
As every day, the diner is very good. After this we drink some coffee. For the ones who like, with a glass of brandy. After this, we play a game of Rummikub untill the lights go off (10.30 p.m.). It was another beautiful day in Ethiopia.

Friday October 26th: Doquolle.

The drive

The drive to Doquolle takes 2,5-3 hours. We drive 70 kilometres on a paved road. The last 32 kilometres we drive on a sandy path. It is a beautiful, sometimes rough and bumpy, drive. We see some beautiful animals, like camels and baboons.

The arrival

The arrival in Doquolle is very special. There are maybe about hundred (school-) children waiting for us to welcome us. They are singing and clapping, while they are walking with us to the village. We meet Vince and Renatus again. They are working in Doquolle, also in the school. Today a goat is butchered for us. Just like yesterday a piece of the skin of the goat is put around our hands/arms.

The ceremony

The people of Doquolle have gathered together to welcome us. Also in Doquolle Abba Toon is praised and honoured by the people. Vince introduces us to the people of Doquolle. To thank the people for their warm welcome Joop and Ben say thanks to them.

The lunch

They serve a very nice lunch. We drink some sodas and talk about Abba Toon.

The guided tour

After the lunch ‘guide’ Renatus shows us around at the area of the school. They have realised nice buildings for the school. There is also a beautiful church, in which Abba Toon also has done some masses.
The visit to Doquolle was short, but very impressive. We were welcomed very hearty and warm. We’ll never forget this visit.

The evening

After driving 3,5 hours, we are back in Dadim. After diner and talking for a while, everyone goes to bed. Again, it was a very special day.

Saturday October 27th: The milking of the camels and the visit to Yabello.

The milking of the camels

We get up early to see the milking of the camels. After a nice walk, we arrive at the camels. A few boys show us how to milk the camels. Some members of the family try to milk themselves and they manage to milk! To thank the boys and some other kids, we give them some whistles.

Visit to Yabello

After breakfast we leave for Yabello. We visit the market. It is very busy there. You can buy a lot of things: food, shawls and bracelets. Everyone is buying a bracelet. Iede also buys something we will eat for dinner.
The visit to the house, where Abba Toon has lives the last months of his life, is very emotional. Especially when we walk into his room, there are a lot of tears. We take some things, that will remember us of Abba Toon: pictures, cuddly toys, books, bracelets and some religious things. We really appreciate it, that the room of Abba Toon was left as it was, until our visit. We thank Iede and the others for that!

Presents

After lunch we all relax. On behalf of some Borana-people, the driver gives us some presents. The men get a beautiful bracelet. The ladies also get a bracelet, but also get a very beautiful shawl. What a large gesture!

The Mass

Before dinner, we go all to the Mass, which is held in the 'little church' in the sister's house. Present are Jo-Anne, Collette, Iede and Bonicafe(lli). This evening we, the family of Abba Toon, are also present. Boniface(lli) preaches very beautiful and touching.
Boniface(lli) tells us not to grieve about the death of Abba Toon anymore, but to thank God for the life of Abba Toon.

The Cake

After again a very nice diner, we eat a cake, baked by Colette. Joop cuts the cake. We all enjoy a piece of the cake. We drink something and talk about our days in Dadim. The last evening in Dadim is ending…

Sunday October 28th: Dadim - Lake Langano

The last moments in Dadim...

After breakfast we go to church in Dadim for the last time. During the Mass once more Iede speaks about the good and nice life of Abba Toon and especially about his meaning to Borana-people. Of course, once again we visit the beautiful grave of Abba Toon. Again a very emotional moment. Farewell to this grave, but after drinking coffee and Vince arriving in Dadim, also farewell to Colette and Jo-Anne, but also to Tari and Ulla. Some Borana-people are waving to us to say goodbye when we are leaving. What a nice and warm people. We’ll never forget them!

On our way to the Lake Langano

We leave for the resort at the Lake Langano. We travel fast. There are not many cars, trucks or people on the road, because it is Sunday. We stop several times to rest. About 4.00 pm we arrive at the Lake Langano. We have diner there and again the food is very good. After the diner we sit outside for a while and played the game rummikub. We go to bed early. 200 kilometres to go tomorrow.

Monday October 29th: Lake Langano - Addis Abeba.

The departure at Lake Langano

Today we wake up at 8.00 am. At 8.30 am we have breakfast. We eat a lot of fried eggs. After relaxing a while, we leave for Addis.
After driving some hours, we don’t see the car with Vince and the rest anymore. Some of them had to go to the toilet. Although, they don’t go to the toilet, because the toilets are to dirty. After driving some kilometres, we make a short stop at a mission-house, where they have a clean toilet.

Addis

It is very busy on the road. There are a lot of dirty exhaust gasses in the air. About 3.30 pm we arrive in Addis and drink a beer/soda at the Ghion hotel and eat a club sandwich.
After resting, Iede shows us around in Addis. After arriving at the father’s house, we talk and eat something. At about 10.00 pm we go to bed. Tomorrow, the last day in Ethiopia..

Tuesday October 30th: Addis Abeba - Amsterdam

Souvenirs

We start the day very easily. Iede shows us around in Addis. We visit a souvenir-shop. The most of us buy some souvenirs for family and friends in Holland. We shop until we drop…

Entoto

After the shopping, Iede drives us to the mountain Entoto. The mountain is full with eucalyptus-trees. The scent of the threes is very, very nice. From the mountain, you have a beautiful view of Addis Abeba. It is a very nice location to find some rest.
Women, donkeys and some trucks, fully loaded with Eucalyptus-leaves, go down to the city.

After this nice drive, we go for a beer/soda at the Ghion hotel. A nice place to enjoy the sun. We eat some club-sandwiches again.

The Vatican of Addis

We pick up father Philippe and go to 'The Vatican of Addis'. We visit an exhibition about the Orthodox religion in Ethiopia and the history of Ethiopia. The guide is talking a lot and sometimes hard to understand. It is a very nice and interesting exhibition.
After drinking a soda, it is time to go to the father’s house in Addis.

Poor and rich

On our way to the father’s house, Philippe show us the Sheraton hotel of Addis. The hotel is situated in the middle of the slums of Addis. A whole area with houses had to vanish for building the hotel. At this location you see the biggest contrast between poor and rich. From the garden of the hotel you can see the slums. Spending the night in the hotel will cost you about 1000,- euros. That is just as much as a teacher earns (in a year) in Ethiopia...
Back in the father's house we look at some pictures we have taken the past days and enjoy a good diner.
After packing our bags, we leave at 8.30 pm to the airport. We say goodbye to father Philippe, father Paddy and father Brandon.

Our flight

After arriving at the airport we say goodbye to Iede and Vince. We thank them for taking care of us the past week. At the airport we check in, pass the custom office and security. About 11 pm we leave Ethiopia, we’re on our way to Amsterdam.

Wednesday October 31st: Amsterdam

We arrive at 5.30 am at Schiphol-airport in Amsterdam. We pass the custom office very fast. Than we see Jeanny and Zora, who are waiting to welcome us. After drinking a cup of coffee we start finishing our trip. Going home...
It was a beautiful, emotional, but most of all very impressive journey. We will never forget it.