$575, Savvy, Shoeshines

Process

Only $575 is needed to cover the final payment for Rakeb’s enrollment in her study abroad program. Two weeks left until that is due!

Rakeb

Rakeb is extremely savvy when it comes to having common sense and street smarts. This past week she was telling me about how people are starting to treat her with more respect now that they have learned she is likely coming to the United States. I asked her how she felt about that, and she told me that she thought it was shallow. “No matter if she comes to the States or not, I am still the same person, and these people that are respecting me more now are obviously not in tune with who I really am.” Pretty amazing for any high-school aged person to recognize this!

Rakeb in downtown Addis Ababa

Ethiopia

There are very few places to get your shoes shined in the United States compared to Ethopia. Almost any place in Ethiopia promises to greet you with a row of young boys ready to get to work on your shoes. The going rate for a shoeshine is about 3 Birr, or about $0.20. If you think getting your shoes shined sounds old fashioned, try spending a week in Addis Ababa during the rainy season. No matter how careful you are, mud will cover your shoes sooner than later. 

Beautiful rural Ethiopia

3 Weeks, Sugar, and Kids

PROCESS

We are down to needing just $660 in the next three weeks. We can do this!

Aaron is working with Rakeb now to complete the visa application, and once that is complete they will be scheduling her interview with the US Embassy.

RAKEB

The coffee in Ethiopia is incredible! That said, the way it is prepared there is much different than here and through their process it becomes extremely strong. The average sized cup of coffee is about 1/6 the size of what we are used to here in the US. Rakeb is not a big fan of coffee, but its existence in every aspect of Ethiopian culture often makes it hard to avoid. When she succumbed to societal pressures to drink coffee (which is always drunk without milk or creamer) she would try to avoid the bitter bite of goodness by adding sugar. One time when I was preparing the coffee for a few people I put in a heaping spoonful of sugar into her coffee and asked her if that was good. She said, “more”. After adding 3 more heaps she was content.

Part of the coffee experience. Notice the size of the sugar bowl compared tot he cups...

ETHIOPIA

Ethiopians love kids! Once while myself and another Ethiopian were picking someone up from the airport, he befriended a little boy who was maybe 2 years old. While the little boys parents went through security and entered the airport (much smaller than what you are probably imagining) my colleague played with the boy outside. He even took him down to the parking lot, sat him up in our SUV, and drove him around to wave to all the guards. Again, this whole time the boys parents, who we’d just met, were inside the airport! When the person we were picking up arrived, my colleague brought the boy back to the entrance of the airport, got the attention of his parents, and we all went about the rest of our day as if this wasn’t a crazy occurrence. 

The rural Ethiopian airport where the story above took place

Money, Loss, and Safety

PROCESS

We have now received $3,200 from you all to support Rakeb’s education! With a commitment to purchase her plane ticket, the money Amanda and I have contributed, and other financial commitments made but yet to come in, that total jumps up to roughly $8,800! This leaves us just $800 short of what is needed for the final payment to Amicus, which is due April 5^th. If you are wondering why the amount we still need is slightly larger than what it was a few weeks ago, one of our commitments that came from Ethiopia ended up being less than anticipated due to the Ethiopian currency recently taking a hit. That said, $800 still appears manageable compared to where we began! Lets finish this strong!!!

RAKEB

I believe that one of the reasons I have been so driven to assist Rakeb is because of a shared loss. As many of you know, my father passed away when I was 11. While not quite as dramatic, it is clear that Rakeb felt a similar loss when her father moved away from Ethiopia to find a higher paying job in Saudi Arabia. Like myself, she was only 11 years old when he moved away, and in the six years since then he has only been able to return to Ethiopia once for a short visit. Fortunately they are able to talk on the phone somewhat regularly, but it is obvious that Rakeb longs for a more present father figure in her life. 

Rakeb and one of her mentor's, Sara

ETHIOPIA

The capital city of Addis Ababa is said to be the safest capital city in all of Africa. Based on my experience there, I can see why. I never felt nervous visiting any part of the city at any time of day. There are obvious areas where sneaky pickpockets operate, aggressive drunks hassle you for a handout, and shady taxi drivers try to swindle you, but you can find this anywhere in the world… including the US. All you need to remain safe in Addis Ababa is a healthy dose of common sense and awareness of your surroundings.

One small section of Addis Ababa that I frequented. Slums and elegance side-by-side

New Space, Akleysia, Transportation

PROCESS

Rakeb is currently working on preparing for the visa interview! We still do not have a date locked in for that, but it is really the next (and biggest) step in the entire process!

Amanda and I are planning ahead as if she will be coming here for sure. We just moved into a new place! Instead of a 350 square foot studio apartment we now have a two-bedroom, two bathroom condo that is in Denver’s East High School district! We now meet all of the requirements that Amicus asks of host families and we are ready for Rakeb to arrive!

RAKEB

Rakeb’s little sister Akleysia recently turned 12-years-old! I had the opportunity to chat with her for a few minutes during my last phone call to Rakeb, and I asked her what she did to celebrate her birthday. I was expecting to hear that the family went to see a movie, that they ate a special meal, or other friends from her school came to spend time with her. I heard none of this though. Akleysia informed me that for her birthday she and Rakeb took a walk. That’s it. While this seemed sad to me at first, I was surprised to hear no hint of grander expectations in her comments. She seemed fully content to have just taken a walk with her big sister to celebrate her birthday. Yet another reminder that other cultures have much to teach us Americans about life.

Akleysia. This picture captures her essence perfectly!

ETHIOPIA

I have navigated public transportation in NYC, Chicago, Denver, London, Switzerland, France, Panama, etc… but nothing comes close to comparing with the chaotic system in place in Ethiopia. Here are your options. If you are just navigating the capital city of Addis Ababa then you can…

1)    Get a normal taxi. Depending on the time of day, how white you are, and how far you are going this ride should cost between $3 and $10.

2)    Hop on a minivan taxi. These taxis carry up to 15 people in them and travel on specific routes. I wouldn’t recommend trying this alone the first few times you jump on, but sooner or later you might figure out the system. These rides will take you to all parts of the city and cost between $0.05 and $0.20. This is actually what I did the whole time I was in Addis Ababa. It is an adventure in itself. It doesn’t matter if you are elderly, disabled, or a pregnant woman. Nobody will think twice about shoving you (literally) to ensure that they get a spot on the minivan. Elbows and a reduced sense of compassion is a must if you plan to use this system.

Minivan taxis lining the street

3)    Brave the city bus. I never worked up the courage to do so, but it is even cheaper than the minivan taxis. The reason I never tried it out was because I have no idea where they go, how much it cost, or how to even get on. Usually when one passed me the doors would open and there was a wall of people clinging to anything they could grasp inside the door (including other people), so they didn’t fall out. The brave souls were not deterred by the apparent inhospitable environment and somehow merged into the wall of beings. Maybe on my next trip I will give it a shot.