Africa.
Just the word conjures up different impressions, pictures, emotions, and colors for each person. Hot, sultry safaris, blonde tall grass covering flat plains is one African stereotype that exists. If that’s what you think, I want to pop that preconceived idea right now.
West Wollega, Ethiopia has rolling hills and small mountains. Since the rains started, bright green grass covers the hills, evergreen and banana trees coexist, streams meander where they please, and it is cold.
It is not a wintery Canada cold but a windy, 60 degrees Fahrenheit, no heaters in houses or buildings cold. I deeply inhale the crisp morning air and enjoy the freshness as I walk to the hospital with a 26 ounce jar full of hot tea in hand.
Fortunately, I have socks, some long sleeve t-shirts, a fleece, a scarf, and pants that provide more warmth than skirts. Although we have no heat in our house, our windows close and we have thick wool blankets for our beds. Others are not as lucky. Some people wear all the clothes they own and still shiver.
Petra, our chaplain, told me she closed the windows of the crowded wards. (This was a monumental occasion because Petra always opens windows and preaches the benefits of fresh air.) The skinny patients, lying on their beds, with a thin sheet were quivering, so she shut the window to prevent the cold air from pouring in.
Sweltering, dry Africa was just one preset idea that was shattered. In some places it exists, just not in West Wollega, Ethiopia during rainy season.
The End.