Justin Ahrens
Sarah Ahrens
Kara Ayaram
Tim Damitz
Bob Davidson
Susan Herda
Kerri Liu
Katrina Strich
Intern
Guest Blogger
Getting ready to head to the airport. We are back in Addis and it is Easter here. So the town is rather still. The exception is the shepherds on the streets with their lamb carcasses and the like for people to buy for their Easter dinner.
LIA is starting a new program to support the kids and families that live in the city dump. So after packing up we headed out there with our gear to document the situation. Typically there are hundreds or more living in the dump, but when we arrived we saw very few because of the holiday, which was a relief. The description we were given on what we were going to see was making me a bit anxious. As we left, I did see a family walking into the dump holding hands…and I thought there has to be a better option. I won’t bother describing the scene, smell or endless health issues that exist there. Just jump in your garbage can when it is full and take a nap, have a snack, and I think we could start to relate, a little bit.
We left to go have dinner before our flight…and I wondered what that family was doing. I’m ready for home.
Whew… just read through your recap of the last few days… thanks so much for posting your experiences and your heart. Your recounts have sparked a lot of memories & emotions in me that I wish hadn’t faded so quickly in brutal American sun.
LIA has a very strong future, and I’m VERY excited to see your team’s resulting material from this trip. Welcome back home, and I’ll be thinking about you as you take on life-after-Africa. For me, it has been completely different… and not different enough… all at the same time.
-Adam