There Goes Ethiopia……

The two weeks following the departure of the surgeons left us with the responsibility of looking after the patients who had had operations, some of whom required more attention than others. It is truly remarkable to see how the patients coped with the aches and pains of the days following their surgery, a great ordeal within itself for anyone, let alone some of the young and lonely children/adolescents who had travelled alone, across the country for days to a strange and unfamiliar place. In addition to the dressing changes and wound care, moral support and reassurance was what they needed most, and there wasn’t much that a generous amount of TLC couldn’t fix. However the language barrier did present us with some challenges with the explanation and reassurance side of things. Then came the farewells. Day by day we were reviewing each patient and assessing their recovery in lieu of their fitness to return home. Along with Dawit, we arranged for them to return to their villages, sometimes in groups so that they wouldn’t be travelling alone, or along with their guardians who had come to collect them. Saying goodbye was a happy-sad affair. There was a reluctance to see them leave after having spent so much time getting to know them, yet simultaneously a huge deal of pleasure in seeing them fit, well, transformed in some cases, all happy to be able to go back home. As the patient numbers began to decrease from the original forty down to the current remaining six, the work at the Cheshire took less and less of our time. Following the daily morning round we often found the afternoons free for us to wander around the hillside, or take a ride into town, or as became our popular choice explore the surroundings on horseback.

We came to know of Eve, an English guy living in Ethiopia who owned some stables on the Cheshire premises. Since this was so convenient and easy to arrange we went out for hours trekking through forests, jumping over streams, galloping through fields. With Jigsaw and Polly as our noble steeds, we soaked up the sun and immersed ourselves in the beautiful highs and lows of the hills and valleys surrounding us. On route we spotted hoards of magnificent African fish eagles by a semi dried reservoir in the fields, as well as ibises and a mongoose.

Ethiopia has been a very pleasurable and hospitable host to us over the past six weeks. Our experience here has been unique in many ways and the links and ties we’ve made here are strong and sure to last. The people we have met have been so broad in their lifestyles from local Ethiopians to foreign aid workers or foreigners who have married and settled amongst Ethiopians, all of whom have inspired us in their own way. The lessons we have learned from the way of life here have taught us to appreciate the lifestyles we have back home and that we have much to be thankful for in way of opportunities and potential. Most of all it is a reminder that wherever you go, although life may not always be fair, it is still a life worth living.

Hiba