Ethiopia Trip Update #9
On Monday morning, Samuel and I met up at 5:45 a.m. and got a ride to the Addis Ababa Airport. It was a very short drive, and we were dropped off a little before 6:00 a.m. We had to get through security to get to ticketing and get our boarding passes. After printing our boarding passes, we had to go through security again. I commented that this was strange, and Samuel told me that when we go home on Thursday, we will have to go through security four times.
Once we were through the second checkpoint, we had a few moments before a voice came over in Amharic to let us know that we could prepare to board. While we were waiting in line, I realized that we were standing at ground level, so there wouldn’t be the typical jetway-to-plane setup I was used to. Once they scanned our boarding passes, we stepped outside and got onto a large people mover. The ride to our plane was a long but fascinating one. I had never been so close to so many different types of jets. If I had to guess, I would say that the plane was at least a mile and a half from where we got on the people mover.
The taxi to the runway was also long, but we took off on time and, after a 35-minute flight, landed in Hawassa. The airport there is nice and seems new, but only Ethiopian Airlines services it and only one flight at a time. On our arrival, we discovered that the rest of the MKA Ministries team that was joining us was behind schedule with the mini-bus. After a little research, Samuel found us a taxi to go and meet Bahru (who had come with his family the night before) at a restaurant and have breakfast. The taxi we found was not a large vehicle at all. I made an assessment of the vehicle and decided it would be best to fold myself in the backseat. The restaurant was about 20 kilometers away, and the drive was fascinating. Hawassa has a large lake next to it, and the landscape of the mountains and water is fantastic.
During the drive, I quickly realized we weren’t in Addis Ababa anymore. People were walking along the road with goats, sheep, and cows. Small wagons pulled by donkeys were hauling loads of assorted different items. Honestly, I saw more donkeys on that 20 km drive than I’d seen in my entire life, and that was only the beginning of the day. In fact, a few blocks from our destination, I saw small monkeys on the side of the road
We arrived at the restaurant right on the lake, ate breakfast, enjoyed the scenery, and waited for our ride.
After they arrived, we got in the mini-bus quickly and headed through the heart of Hawassa. There was so much going on with all the people and shops. While there was a lot more traffic, there was still a lot of foot traffic and wagon traffic. At one point in the middle of the city, more than 20 goats ran through an intersection together, and we had to wait for them.
Once we reached a more rural area, I expected the foot and wagon traffic to thin out or even stop. I also thought that maybe there would no longer be sheep, goats, cows, and donkeys walking around without anyone watching them. During the entire five-hour trip, there were small mini-taxis, buses, wagons with donkeys, animals on the side of the road, motorcycles, and people walking along the road. The road was pretty smooth for most of the trip. The biggest obstacle was people going to a celebration for the Orthodox Holiday for “God the Father.” In one small city, we pulled in, and the road was full of people approaching a large crowd. Elias, who was a part of the class I taught last week, jumped out of the van and asked people how to get around. After a few tries in a few different detours, we got around without too much of a delay.
When we arrived in Hosanna, we found the same thing. It is a much larger city, and so the crowd was more substantial. Elias jumped out again, and we navigated the streets to the restaurant where we were having supper with ease.
Samuel had ordered ahead for me, and I had a very unique pizza. It had jalapenos, red peppers, beef, cabbage, and a hard-boiled egg.
After everyone had eaten, we found our way to where we are staying and settled in. Tomorrow, we will go to the MKA Ministries School for a tour, and I will be preaching at chapel in the afternoon.
