For now we have been in Ethiopia for a week, with our 270 kg of “goods” (baby hats, T-shirts, books etc). Nobody would have wanted such things in Estonia. We are here with 8 people, all men carried 40 kg bags and all women had bags with 30 kg of goods. It is funny how the most needed things for the people here are the things, that are just something that are leftovers on our household.
We arrived in our first hotel on 31.Dec. In Ethiopia the New Years Eve is on 11. Sept and so we spent it like locals, doing nothing special. The first day of New Year we spent in warm sun sunbathing beside the pool, and not a thought were spent on European New Years Eve business.
Carring all these heavy and big bags are probably the hardest thing about our trip, because there were few buses that would carry our bags. Most of them wanted double price for them.
Maarja and Lauri have given their first 4 music lessons. The kids are practicing for concert for parents. Eva, Liidia and Amanda divided whole last day sewing kits, where they put everything needed for fixing holes in their clothes. We have also done some home visits.
Every day someone is sick. What sickness we exactly have is hard to say because one person has it for about 12 hours and then somebody else in our group has to suffer from it. Tomorrow, on 7.Jan is Christmas in Ethiopia. We do not make plans for long turn, we learn to go with the flow like the locals, so every day is like a surprise.
What was in our bags?
70 kg of clothes for families, who really can´t afford anything but basic food.
4 kg of buttons, needles and anything needed for sewing.
150 kg of English books which were donated by Estonian schools and libraries.
20 kg of warm baby hats and swaddles.
In addition some more blankets to cover themselves when there is only 5 degrees outside.
MERLE