Wake
up at 7.00 am. Outside, a big group of
students waits for us. They give us letters
and flowers, hoping to see us next year. This
invitation is also for all of the members of NomadCommunity
, which, with Loako
, has now
created a network for volunteership. If you
wish to participate in the next mission, write
on the Forum
.
Sad to leave Meki, we say goodbye to the
students, and very moved, get into the car.
Brother Zenebe Abebe accompanies us to Addis
Abeba. On the road, we relive all these
unforgettable instants and promess ourselves
that other Nomads will come here !
By the way, Erythree is not very far from
here. After the terrible war for independance,
the little country on the Red Sea knows today
an incredible development. Nomad Community
recommends you to go there, but don't tell
anything about this around you. As you know,
mass tourism has very bad effects. Keep the
secret !
Arrived in Addis Abeba, we immediately
visit the Merkato, one of the biggests markets
of Africa, and the National Museum. Inside,
the Team walks slowly; we're very impressed to
be in Lucy's sanctuary... watch the Video. As
written before, Lucy is Man's oldest ancestor
(3,2 millions years old). However, a few
months ago, the ethiopian archeologist Haile
Selassie was in Time Magazine, for the
discovery of bones belonging to Ardipithecus,
5,2 millions years old... the only thing to
know is if Ardipithecus should be considered
as a man or a monkey.
At the airport, no particular tensions, but
people still talk a lot about what happened in
America... terrific.
At 10.30 pm we embark. The plane takes of
in the silent night, as we put all our
problems in perspective. As Theo says:
"Man is small. What is important is to
know that we all breathe the same air, drink
the same water and all live together on the
same planet."
But click on the
picture and download the Video !
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In
Addis Abeba, there are two
luxurious hotels: the old Hilton
and the brand new Sheraton. That
one was just inaugurated by a
millionare. It's a huge building,
with all the facilities you could
find in an Occidental one. Water
games, privite swimming pool,
night club, 5 restaurants... it is
said it's one of the most
beautiful hotels in the World.
Anyway,
we wondered how it really was.
With a
quite snobish and smart attitude,
we went in, wearing shorts and
tongs. While classical music is
being playes, business men wearing
ties and suits talk quietly as
emplyees work hard. We walk to the
reception and ask normally for the
prices.
They
are exorbitant.
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A small
villa, with a kitchen and a
jacuzzi, costs about 5400 US$ per
night. Let's make a simple
comparison: an ethiopian earns
around 100 US$ per year. It would
take him 54 years of work to sleep
one night here !!!!!
This
only example demonstrates well the
step between rich and poor
countries.
The
Car@van went across many countries
in the southern hemisphere. We do
believe that a country's richness
should not be measured with the
national income but depending on a
combination of factors like
formation, health, work, security,
culture... That would be good the
economists talk about well being
as a new indicator...
What
do you think about this ?
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At the end
of the letter (see Other), Brother
Zenebe left a Word...:
"You
don't give much when you give what
you have. You give a lot when you
give who you are."
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At the end
of our mission in Ethiopia,
Brother Zenebe Abebe, President of
the Meki Catholic School, gave us
a small document attesting of our
participation.
Here is the
text, in full and original version.
Please read it... you're a part of
this wonderful experience !
"It
is my sincere pleasure to thank
all of you for the wonderful job
you did with the students of the
Meki Catcholic School. Your
experience put a lot of positive
impact and your lessons gave a
truly important knowledge to the
kids. You also identified that how
much you have received good things
from them and the people around. I
am sure this is one way of
sharing and growing humanly
because we are called to help each
other.
What
you have accomplished this summer
at the Meki Catholic School is a
living witness for all of us. We
all know that the world is turning
to be too materialistic and that
of course create a big gape
between the poor and the rich
which hinders them to communicate
at the same level of understanding.
You
are a history. The poor need not
material but love that has true
meaning in life. To do this, one
must be convinced of breaking the
barriers of racism which is an
obstacle for growth and
development. For the three weeks
that you spent at Meki Catholic
School, brought a good news of
sharing and loving with each other.
This is some thing which the world
need to look at and make some
progress to reach the poor. The
first world have a different views
of Africa. We may think that your
work it is a small project, but
what is important for all of us to
understand is, the value that it
contains.
I
am greatly thankful for the work
you did and I hope this will
inspire those who
have a wrong image of Ethiopia and
break the silence and join to work
hand in hand. This way, we can
bring the corrupted and divided
world a place o paradise for
people to feel the presence of
each other".
Bro.
Zenebe Abebe
President
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Humanitarian
project in Ethiopia: Mission
accomplished! Relive the
Car@van's wonderful experience
across the Journal and the videos,
by clicking
on the top left of your screen.
See you soon !!! A big big hug.
The Team.
team@nomadcommunity.com
- loako@hotmail.com |
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