to Market, to Market

    I've been meaning to post these stories to the blog for a few days now, so please forgive my delinquincy.  Things have been somewhat busy lately, or at least unrpredictable. 

    On Saturday, after our morning rounds, we had opportunity to go into the greater Soddo metroplex for coffee and some shopping at the "mall."  We walked the route that Dr. Bowers (Harry) and I had driven a couple days earlier ... It's amazing how much more you see on foot.  There appears to be a lot of road construction going on in Soddo right now, not that anything is going to be paved anytime soon, but there will at least be decent gutters and sewers to keep things passable in the rainy season.  There are a lot of dusty roadside stands, offering everything from the ubiquitous "Miranda" orange soda, to shoe shines (hope springs eternal), to a game of ping pong or fusball.  We reached the mall and climbed the stairs to the fifth floor to the rooftop coffee shop - home of 30 cent lattes!  This time, I was able to watch the barista work an ancient looking, puke-green, Italian Faema espresso machine.  It was complete with the hand-crank pistons - old school espresso.  I must say, he brewed some fine shots and can froth powdered milk better than most Starbucks robots. 

    After coffee, we sampled the offerings at the mall.  I didn't buy much... it was mostly window shopping and grabbing a few essentials in the grocery booths.  I did try to buy some shoes - Ethiopian Skechers knock-offs.  Word of advice: try on both shoes, as not all size 43's are built alike.  After this, I hit the grocery booth for some over-priced, but refreshing Coca cola ($1.30 a can?  there goes my latte savings.)  After leaving the mall, our group split up, some heading back to the tranquil hospital grounds while four of us decided to brave the local market.  This is the one that burned down a couple of weeks ago - apparently economic recovery is a bit more swift in Soddo than it is in the States.  I gave everything of value (except my camera) to Harry to take back to the compound (apparently, pickpockets are a birr a dozen at the Soddo market). 

    The market was organized chaos - a sprawl of tarp tents and blankets spread out on a sloping dirt (and ash) hillside teeming with hopeful merchants and bored, unattended children... bored until we showed up.  There was a massive section filled with identical looking hand-woven baskets - apparently these are for tourists and we are the only ones today.  We were mobbed.  We ducked our heads and almost ran to the next section, which was all the locally grown food.  Apparently, 90% of Ethiopian caloric intake is in the form of hot chili peppers, garlic, shallots, and onions (I see a market for antacids and Scope here).  Stephne (Harry's wife) was with us and had a full time job shooing away all the kids begging us for Birr (I just thought they were cold).  We passed "Chinatown" (that's where they sell all the plastic stuff), and finally made it to the section I had been waiting for... Coffee Pots.  I had been hoping to find one of the round clay long-neck pots that Ethiopians use for their traditional coffee ceremony.  I was told that if I tried to purchase it myself, that I would be overcharged, but the lady only wanted 7 Birr (70 cents) for them.  Shoot, even Wendy isn't that much of a tightwad! (Sorry, Hon).  I bought two, in case one doesn't survive the flight. 

    The marketplace, however chaotic, was a true testament to human resilience.  This place was an ash heap only two weeks ago.  No help has come yet from the government, the NGOs, or anyone.  But there they are, rebuilding their stands and still selling their wares all at the same time.  Sitting on one's insurance payout simply isn't an option, and no one is counting on a government bailout.   Against all odds, their life and their business will go on... ideally with shiny shoes (if only until the next dust storm). 

    After the market, we headed to Stephe's orphanage.  She works with Christian World Adoption - I think there's a link to her site somewhere on this blog.  I can't post any pictures of the kids since they are all potential candidates for adoption.  This is a bummer (the picture, not the adoption thing) because they are all so cute.  There must have been 10 babies or so all under 6 months of age.  They each have some sad story of abandonment and a harrowing tale of rescue, and it's amazing the progress a baby can make given nutrition and loving attention.  Stephne runs a pretty tight ship.  I guess you have to with 51 kids under one roof (I can barely handle two!). 

      That's all for now.  So much has happened surgically since then, but for 90% of you, that would either be excessively boring or grotesque, so I will spare you and make those a separate blog post.