Our first couple of days in Addis Ababa have been nothing short of amazing. We haven’t started teaching yet, but good news is we have more than 65 students signed up for the course – they’re providing us with the biggest lecture hall they have to accommodate all the students. The students are super excited, and so are we! Here’s what we’ve been up to, and our discoveries thus far.
Past the hustle and bustle of masses of people flooding the streets, the parade of cars creating a symphony of honks and hanks, and the towers of construction on every other street corner, Addis Ababa is full of so much life and activity. Every day there is change taking place, and it is truly an honor to have the opportunity to see it in real life. From the inner core of the city of Addis Ababa, the roundabouts are gradually being replaced by traffic lights, and the roads are being painted with car lanes to bring greater order and rules to the roads. The sidewalks are being decorated with budding palm trees to bring life back into the concrete desert. Moving further out, the shanty-towns are being replaced with the commercial and corporate development of high rises. Paved high ways take vehicles out into the countryside, where trucks bring loads of cement and gravel to develop roads and build water infrastructure to connect people living in rural areas.
When I read about the emerging economies of Africa, and the double-digit growth that countries are experiencing, it was hard to paint a picture of what this looked like. And now I can see it in real life. It is the $200M African Union headquarters building that was donated by the Chinese government, and the public promotion of HIV prevention on school grounds and highways. It is the offices of micro-finance facilities located in the heart of the city that allow the multitude of small business owners to set up shops around the city. It is the high ratio of women to men in schools, and the increasing bags of U.S and U.N aid that is actually received by the bottom line. The combination of international support, social programs, equity promotion, and reduced corruption that is fueling prosperity in this country. And to top it off, the education system is top notch with the number of post-secondary institutions growing exponentially since the past 10 years. Where the government provides funding for students to attend school, the literacy rate is quickly climbing – providing qualified, educated individuals to the workforce.
Ethiopia is one of the few countries in Africa that was not colonized in the early 1900s. As a result, English is not a recognized language among the masses excluding the very educated. Italy tried to invade the country in the late 1800s, but was driven back by the locals, and Ethiopia remained independent since. The influence of the Italians, although minimal can still be seen today in some of the breads and foods served in Ethiopia. Although late out of the gate, all public schools now integrate learning in English, while all private schools and post-secondary institutions are conducted strictly in the English language.
Although I have only spent a short amount of time here thus far, walking through the streets of Addis Ababa, I see great spirit and potential among the people. Everyone is doing something all the time, each playing a vital role – turning the gears that power the growth of this great city. Speaking with those I can, they have great pride, and are hopeful about the prosperity of their country. And so am I. I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience this change in person, because I know Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will be a different place 5, 10 years down the road. And who knows, a couple decades later, the concept of a ‘developing country’ may even be non-existent!
Stay tuned for more! Coming up – the communication barrier, and the magic of non-verbal cues…