Day 5 in Africa

Day 5 in Africa…

Day 5 began early for a few of us who went to film Dereje’s goodbye and trip back to Addis. Dereje usually leaves much earlier on Monday mornings due to construction, but since he was going to ride back with us today, he was more than happy to depart from his family a little later.

At 6 am we made our way through the sleepy streets of Debre Berhan passing the morning commuters still wiping the sleep from their eyes. Dereje’s neighborhood much the same; quiet with only the sounds of a lone rooster and tiny birds filling the morning air. It was a gorgeous morning.

Dereje’s goodbye to his family was sweet as much as it was heart breaking.  As he kissed his children goodbye, the youngest son Yosef, began to cry, knowing he wouldn’t see his father for another 5 days. They hugged tightly and whispered to each other and then Dereje placed one bur (Ethiopian currency) in Yosef’s little hand. Yosef smiled and hugged his dad one last time before we loaded up the van and pulled away.

The rest of the day was dedicated to travel and then some filming when we arrived back in Addis. It was to be a 3 to 4 hour trip back with the occasional stop to film the country side. This was the plan.

But in Africa, plans change. A lesson, if we had not learned already, we got another session in shortly after leaving Debre Berhan. The first flat tire was not really a surprise. After passing 2 other debilitated vehicles it was not much of a shock that we would be joining their ranks. What was a surprise was the sliding door that no longer opened, making exiting the stuffy van fairly difficult.

Some benefits of having to stop and fix a tire was that we were able to meet a local farmer plowing a field with his ox, enjoy the stares of local travelers curious as to why there was a van full of Americans on the side of the road and we also were able to witness J.J. exiting the van via a small window. A feet none viewing will soon forget. (Here are some pics of this great experience!)

After about an hour we were on our way again. The rest of the trip continued without incident. We stopped twice to get a new tire and then again to repair the sliding door. When we finally arrived back in Addis we were tired and hungry and slightly frustrated to discovered yet another flat tire. This trend actually continued 2 more times before the van was back in working order.

Exhausted and a little tired, we returned to the LIA compound to film young Fikadu, a former street kid who had gone through the Street Kids program with LIA and now earned enough money to rent a place with 2 other boys. He took us to his home in the crowded slums. It was a unique experience, standing out so much in an unfamiliar place.

Filming Fikadu’s home was a great experience. We looked forward to working with him more in the upcoming days.

We left his home after dark and returned to the LIA house excited for a warm meal and a cozy place to sleep, wondering how the plans for the following days would actually turn out.

For past posts about our Africa trip, check out the following links: Journey to Africa, Day 1 & 2, Day 3, and Day 4.