Critical Care Books Needed!

Our time is quickly coming to the end. Plans for traveling after we finish our work here in Addis is coming together. It has been so great to meet nurses from around the city and getting the chance to visit their hospitals! One huge need that we have learned is the lack of instructors here in Ethiopia. Instructors for ACLS and other medical courses like CPR, and Trauma courses (Hint hint! Any instructors out there… I have many connections that would welcome you with open arms here in Addis).

At the beginning of October a medical team is coming from the Abbotsford area to spend time running free medical clinics in the outskirts of the city where the need is great. In addition, through the connections Melanie and I have made we hope to organize education at a few local hospital.

For all of you Nurses out there that take the ACLS course annually I have a challenge! Course books are used once and then forgotten. I know a great Trauma hospital, with a few Nurse Practitioners who would love Critical Care books, TNCC, ACLS books, ECG books, basically anything ER or ICU related material to help with education!

So ask around in your departments at work, Collect as many books as possible and message me. We will set up a way for them to get to the team from Abbotsford to bring with their luggage to Addis! Many thanks, and I do hope you are successful in gathering books!

Caught in the Rain, Seeking shelter in an Animal Shelter

Traveling in rainy season is not ideal in most African countries. The land gets boggy, and mud gets sticky. Handwashed clothing tends to never let go of the moist cold feeling no matter how long you leave them out to dry. Parts of the country are covered in Mud making visiting regions impossible. while other parts of the country are desperate for rain. Farmers loose land as the unstable ground washes away, or a sudden hail storm crush's any hope of a crop this season. Rain makes things difficult. Road ways can become streams in a matter of minutes, a quick coffee turns into an hour waiting game as you try to predict if the rain is getting lighter or heavier! Carrying a rain jacket is essential, everyday, even if it is sunny in the morning! Taking a risk and wearing light slip on shoes result in them sitting out to dry for days to come. It is a good thing my hair does not Frizz with humidity!

Oh African, rainy season, unique, but still moments of beauty. Here at my house in Addis, I have two photos posted above my bed..... one of the rains in Conakry Guinea through a taxi drivers windshield, and the other is of a BC ferry in Active pass with rain drops clinging to the window pane. So Vancouver has prepared me for this African Rainy season, a true love of rain and the blue colour that comes with a storm. By rainboots are well used, to the point I cannot use them any more! Holes have cracked through. My umbrella made an early exit... literally falling from my bag never to be seen again. Oh any my trusty old green rain jacket.... not so trusty, sly little think has decided to draw rain inside! Thankfully I claimed my sisters jacket when she left me!  Now its a game of... 7 weeks left of rainy season.... I'll be fine with only my sisters rain jacket and Leather boots?!?! 

TIA (this is Africa) is a phrase that is cliché and well known. But it is cliché for a reason. For some travelers the struggles and lack of punctuality dive some people mad. But learning to grin and shrug your shoulders and say to your self TIA will lesson the blow of challenges one must expect on a daily bases while living/traveling abroad.

 

After a last minute tour of the Church in a cave, Kaylin, our tour guide Kanu and myself climbed back into our Van, our next stop was to be the Airport! After a few clicks of the ignition and a failed attempt to Bump Start the van, the three of us walked through the rural village to the road way. Kanu was quick to call and make arrangements for another car to pick us up. If this happened in Canada I may have been stressing about missing our flight, but out in the middle of the beautiful hills of Lallibella there was nothing we could do but wait and enjoy the scenery.

All around us the hills where green and plunged deep into the valley below. Grey clouds gathered above us and then the rains came thrashing down! Lucky for us we just happen to be standing next to a Goat shelter! In we stepped taking cover under the aluminum roof. Kanu apologized, we just responded with “no worries, at least it has a good roof!”.

More phone calls were made and the rain continued to come down, a chicken popped into the shelter, taking cover from the rain, kids hung on the outside laughing and chattering away while asking for chocolate and stickers. As no car was coming yet, and the time was ticking past…. 40 minutes or so, we hopped into a Baja (Ethiopians version of a TukTuk, a three wheeled covered vehicle) and headed down the bumpy unfinished, pothole filled, wet slippery road through the hills and valley’s to the Airport!

In true Africa fashion when we arrived for out flight, it was delayed by a couple hours! 

Always trying to enjoy the view and the moments we are forced to slow down and wait. I know once I am home I will be to busy to stop, and will miss the mist and the layers of muted colours when the rains come.

Morning Hikes

On our second day in Lalibella Kaylin and I took the opportunity to go on a four hour hike to see Asheton Maryam Monastery. The monastery sat on a mountain overlooking Lalibella and the region that surrounds. It was on Wednesday morning we met our Trekking guide in our hotel Lobby. His name is Kanu, he has a local trekking company in Lalibella,

https://accessecotrekking.wordpress.com/  Growing up in the region he is familiar and shared an abundance of information about the region with us as we hiked up into the mist! You learn very quickly that Kanu is a man who loves the mountains and the quiet one finds when up above the chaotic streets of Lalibella. Talking with Kanu we learned more history about the people and about current issues in Ethiopia. Gaining a better understanding of the country I am living in while climbing sheep trails. 

The hike was an enjoyable climb, passing through a mountain village filled with farmland, children and of course those selling souvenirs. Walking along carved out creak beds, and through farmer fields brought a true african village feel to the day. I have missed the quiet village paths and spread out huts. Addis is far different then Village life. Kaylin enjoyed the time trekking, stretching and moving! For myself living in Addis, at an altitude of 2 355 m (7 725feet) my body has become acclimatized. This means more red blood cells! So essentially without working out I have reached the best shape (well best oxygenated state) in my entire life! Kaylin was living for the previous 10 weeks at 1 200 meters in Massaka Uganda, climbing to the hight of 3150 meters (10 334 feet) to reach the 

Asheton Maryam Monastery did leave her a bit more breathless and clutching at her burning chest. For us "sea level" Canadians it is a bit of a change to say the least! 

Being rainy season, a mist wrapped around the mountain, obscuring a view of the valley, but reminding me of Home, coastal hikes and winter days spent hiking! A smile was plastered on my face for the entire morning. In October Melanie and I are already planning more hiking adventures, with Kanu of course! 

Highlight of Lalibella, all the mountains, green hills and misty peaks! 

Seeing the History that lies within the Rock Hewn Church's in Lalibella

Standing outside one of  the first Church's we visited

Flying north of the busy city of Addis, Kaylin and I found ourselves in the town of Lalibella. In Ethiopia there is a long history found in the Ethiopian Orthodox church. While other countries may have animals, or oceans, Ethiopia has a rich religious history.

Lalibella has the highest concentration of these magnificent rock-hewn church's. 11 church's sit in two groups and the small town is built up around it. Each church is carved entirely out of a single block of granite with the roof of the church sitting at ground level. We also visited a church on our last day that was built into a cave. Our guide explained this was to protect the church's from attacks.

Upon our arrival we found our tour guide at the airport, and dropped our bags at our wonderful hotel  Panoramic View hotel  ( http://www.panoramicviewhotel.com/ ). The name was not an over sell! Our room had a breathtaking view over the green valley. Waking up in the morning, from bed we could enjoy the view and eagles sore over the valley.

After a quick lunch and refreshing nap we headed out to the first grouping of church's. Our guide filled our head with facts and we tried our best to take it all in. Covering our heads and removing our shoes it felt like we were stepping back in time. The ceilings, the paintings, the ancient crosses that had been kept. Ethiopia is influenced as a nation by the orthodox religion and understanding more of their history contributes to understanding the locals we work along side and live among.

The king Lalibella had the church's constructed in the 12th century. Influenced from a trip to Jerusalem and Jordan, he recreated a the Holy places he saw in Lalibelle with an attempt to being it closer to his African People.

Overlooking from a passageway towards where the people
of Lalibella lived, this is where the king would make
announcements to his kingdom. 

Taking time over two afternoons we explored all the passageways and rock ledges as we traveled from church to church. Being rainy season we were not going to escape the rain, but it did force us to stop in the door way of a church we were about to leave and slow down. In  stead of rushing to see everything as fast as we could, it forced us to slow our pace from time to time.

 My favourite part of Lalibella was the landscape that surrounded us. Green hills and valley's that plunged deep down with settlements in clusters scattered

Another place outside of a Church the king would come to

St George's Church is the most magnificent of them all.
A single carving in the rock that surrounds it. 

A last addition to our tour, but a highlight for me, seeing the cave church. Climbing down the steps towards the crack in the earth, the structure of the church comes better into view. 

If one is ever in Ethiopia Lalibella is an area not to miss. If not for the church's but for the landscape that holds the church's. It made returning to Addis a bit more difficult!  

Kaylin lands in Ethiopia! My Wanderlust Sister

Kaylin having her first Ethiopian Food experience!
Injera and Shiro with local Cheese! 

Fresh off the plane from South Africa, after spotting Lions and Giraffes Kaylin had finally arrive in Ethiopia!! In June I had the chance to visit Kaylin, and get to see her part of Africa in Masaka  Uganda. 

We had a week to explore and have our own African Adventure! Ethiopia has a different feel then Uganda. Less East Africa and More North Africa. Animals are not the attraction but history that is carved into ancient rocks in the forms of Church's. 

Unfortunately it is rainy season here in Ethiopia. But being from Vancouver that didn't wash out our vacation plans! I am lucky to have a couple days of holiday at my Job, and took time off to enjoy Having Kaylin here and sights that Northern Ethiopia had to offer. 

Flying up north the Lalibella

Endless amount of Ethiopian Coffee

After the quick week, we had to say our goodbyes. It was so good to hear all about her Safari adventures and more about her life in Masaka. She has fallen in love with Africa. After years of hearing stories and seeing my desire to return again and again, She understands the love of living life as an adventure, challenging and pushing your comfort zone. Traveling with Kaylin was the first time we "vacationed" together. I hope it is an experience we get to do again, and I imagine in Africa. Something so comfortable about being with family while traveling. No barriers, nothing to hold you back. Just being together and capturing shared memories to reminisce about for years to come! Off to Europe she flew, to travel solo for awhile, my Wanderlust sister. It isn't so much of a I miss you emotion as a feeling proud of her spirit for adventure and what is to come!

We found plenty of time to relax too!