Private clinic, laughter school, and lent halfsies

Sunday morning was technically our first day of clinic. After a breakfast of omelets, ferfer (a fermented bread which is the Ethiopian staple), kinche (a grain) we were picked up by an Ethiopian pediatric surgeon and taken to his private clinic where we saw several interesting patients, two who really need procedures. Those patients were scheduled for later this week. The private facility was very nice and included clinic, a lab, an adult ward, a pediatric ward, an icu, and two operating rooms.

Clinic ended and the daylong hunt for Pepsi light began. Unfortunately this dream was not realized today for those who so desperately needed their cola caffeine fix (which is not me but i am totally for any opportunity to visit/shop in a foreign supermarket. Actually who am I kidding? Any grocery store. I heart grocery shopping). There have been several theories about why diet soda is so elusive. The one that makes the most sense is that it doesn't sell well in this country because most people are malnourished and need the calories. Interestingly everyone who has actually tasted the regular Pepsi says it is not as sweet as the stuff at home.

The surgeon that we were with wanted to take us to lunch and drove us to one of the very fancy malls. Driving around we passed a billboard for laughter school. Apparently the guy who runs the school teaches people to laugh for longer and holds the world record for longest laugh. While trying to park Dr. M asked us what we wanted for lunch and we replied Ethiopian. He told us that it was too early in the week for that and he would rather us be sick on the way home. I protested that we had antibiotics and he ignored me. He suggested American. We said no thanks. We got out of the now parked car, went through a metal detector, and were guided in to an American-type fast food chain: Chicken Hut. Sounds delicious right? This trend would continue despite me almost being to the point of making a sandwich board reading "Ethiopian cuisine is not the enemy! american food is not the answer!" and marching in the lobby of the hotel for all (which currently includes the world bank meeting) to see.

Chicken Hut is cross between Popeyes and Pizza Hut with a fasting option. Fasting is what all of the Ethiopians do during the 40 days of lent (& Sunday marked Lent Halfsies). They eat nothing from sunrise to noon and then for the rest of the day they are vegan. I ordered the fasting sandwich, not because religious conversion after 24 hours here is imminent but because it was the only thing that seemed even remotely healthy. Chicken Hut is located in one of the new modern malls. It had an arcade, a movie theater, and many stores selling excellent knock offs of everything you can imagine.

After lunch we walked to one of the famous orthodox churches in town and saw an Ethiopian funeral. Hundreds of people were weeping and moaning. We were later told that loud expression of grief is expected from everyone. From their we went to a coffee shop for the team to buy at least 3 times its weight in coffee beans. I am told Ethiopian coffee is the bomb (just like I was told Vietnamese coffee was the biz-est. see early Vietnam blogging experience) however I would eat most bugs or even more durian fruit before drinking coffee.

On to Entoto mountain to see Addis from above and visit the city's oldest orthodox church. The view from Entoto was amazing. At the church we experienced our first Klingon self-appointed guide (think creeper in a bar that overhears you and tries to change what you are ordering to eat and drink. "Do you know what you really want?". It happens, but that is another blog another day).

Here is what I learned from reading the signs: Ethiopia was the first Christian nation and says that it has the actual Ark of the Covenant which no one is allowed to see. Each church, however has its own ark which comes out for major holidays. Other times only the priest is allowed into the inner sanctum to hang out with the ark. The middle circle of the church (they are all roundish. I believe round or hexagonal) is for only the truly devout those peeps get to take communion, and the outer ring is for the less spiritually pure. The stand or kneel outside and pray. The orthodox here share many similarities with Judaism (although most Jewish people in Ethiopia are underground and/or actively trying to immigrate to Israel.) For example they follow many of the same dietary rules and focus mostly on the Old Testament. But Like the Catholic Church they celebrate and pray to saints as well as god.

Here is what I learned from the guide: if you take pictures of people it is nice to pay them for it and he hoped to cost 10 dollars a person.

On our way down from the mountain we saw 10 plus women carrying large bundles if sticks or huge jugs of water. (Clean water is a big problem for this area.) I asked our driver, " if all the women are carrying heavy loads of sticks and water what exactly are the men doing?" His response: "Sitting around."

We ended the day with a 13-1 vote for mediocre hotel Italian food. "We won't forget! We won't forgive! Italian food tastes like ..." I heard something chanted like that at a protest once. Except that last sentence had to do with exploitation. It might be the sign I hold to carry while wearing my sandwich board.


Pictures:
Ferfer is the orange stuff
Roses brought buy one of the families of the children we saw
The private clinics operating room
The church
The hearse van
A nun
The magical coffee
Looking down on addis
Entoto church
Sunday school
Sticks
Laughing school