The Last Few Miles of a Long Journey

Thursday January 20th, 2011     DAY TWELVE
RAE Daily Update; posted by Boll Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground


Our team has spent the last two weeks in a foreign country.  Many of the team were not seasoned travelers.  Many hadn't ever run more than 26 miles.  A handful left the states with injuries already haunting them.  The roads in Ethiopia were full of hazards, traffic, gleeful children following and pawing at them and, as Hans Voss found out, large stones.  The team had to travel in the daytime, no before-dawn departures for fear of hyena attacks. They were constantly challenged with language issues.  Even their assigned interpreters had trouble as the dialects changed through different cultural, ethnic, and religious areas.  Ethiopia is bordered by several countries for which the U.S. State Department has issued travel warnings.   Yet, in spite of all this, my greatest fear for the team comes now.



Everyone on the team, including our Ethiopian Team Tesfa runners, have had richly moving experiences along the road from Addis Ababa to Afursa Waru.  From the physical challenge that was anticipated and then realized as something more of a true athletic feat, to the emotional roller-coaster of accomplishing personal goals while simultaneously witnessing dire poverty beyond their collective imagination. 

Then in the closing miles of their journey all of this was eclipsed by the massive outpouring of gratitude from thousands of villagers on two separate days in different communities,  My worry for our RAE Team today is this... that they are less prepared for the emotional let-down of the parting than they were for the physical and cultural challenges they experienced on the road south.  As many of the team pack their bags and start the journey back home today, I can only imagine the mixed emotions they're feeling.  A desire to get back home to be among family must be balanced with some pull to remain in Ethiopia, to keep doing some good, to keep doing... something.

The stories over the past few days have been powerful tributes to the clear vision of On the Ground founder Chris Treter.  His perception as an American businessman to reach beyond his community, especially to those who serve our own sense of luxury and suffer in so doing, has generated a firestorm of excitement and support.  His notion of "beyond fair trade" is ambitious and groundbreaking.  These stories though are also a tribute to the power of solidarity across borders.  We as a team of disparate individuals from across North America somehow settled on this one goal, enjoined our friends, families, and networks, reached out to partners in another country,  planned something extraordinary, and accomplished it.  This is is a sign of something special, that there is a model to be replicated.  It is a journey to remembered, redrafted, kept alive.  Chris Treter may have started this with a singular notion, but it is being finished by a community of people with global reach aligned toward one purpose.

As my friends make their way home, and they begin to try to manage the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of the last two weeks, I'd like to share a poem with you. My favorite American poet is undoubtedly "the bard of Provincetown", Mary Oliver.  Please allow me this indulgence of sharing with you her poem, The Journey.

The Journey

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice--

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do--

determined to save

the only life you could save.

You can also help us continue this important work by clicking the Donate button below and contributing what you can afford to On The Ground.Today, the exhaustion had a price for us as there was little in the way of written communication.  We did get a veritable pile of photographs, however, and some extraordinary moments captured on video from Jacob and James.  We also were happy to post this terrific personal note from Doug Stanton, husband of team member and journalist Anne Stanton. Doug posted this to his Facebook wall Thursday morning as a sweet sign of love and respect to his wife.

"A picture arrived this morning of Anne Stanton reporting a story in the highland coffee growing region of Ethiopia, where she has been traveling with Run Across Ethiopia. RAE has done incredible work in this area-- this ultra-marathon/goodwill journey is something like Three Cups Of Tea meets The Longest Yard, and Anne and Jacob Wheeler have been covering this unfolding story step by step down these roads. And while we can't wait to see Anne (I miss you!), I wake up everyday hoping she's written more here on Facebook. I hope she writes a book. I have a much better appreciation of what it means to stay behind, having myself left on long trips overseas. I will never experience this absence in the same way again. Pick up a latest Northern Express to read some of Anne's writing about this trip. It's poignant, funny, and honest, and above all focused and empathic, just like her in this photo."

And our Honor Bank VP, Norm Plumstead, left us these thoughts."We ran from our hotel in Yerga Cheffe to the village of Afursa Waru - approximately 10K.  When we reached the village, we were treated to a huge community celebration.  The love and support they  gave to us was overwhelming.  Over a thousand people were cheering, clapping, and singing.  All the runners took time to congratulate one another, and then we sat down while the village gathered around. The crowd was treated to songs, dancing and formal speeches of congratulations.  Chris Treter was given a chance to speak and shared some moving words.  All the American runners were presented with traditional Oromia clothes.  

After the speeches and formalities, we were invited into a school where we ate lunch.  Following lunch we toured the village, visited the coffee processing area and interacted with the villagers.  It was at this point that I was able to grab my video camera and do some recording.  The attached video contains some of the sights and sounds from today.
Today was yet another humbling experience in Ethiopia."

In closing, we'll send you off with one of Jacob's videos of the team running the last 100 yards or so into Afursa Waru.  As you watch this video, please try to imagine yourself in their shoes.  Not only did they commit to and run this 250 miles, they each raised over $15,000 individually so that the children in this community and others will have a place to go to school for decades to come.  

You'll be getting only a couple more of these reports from me.  I'll provide travel updates and also share more candid comments from the team as they get a few moments to contemplate what they've just accomplished.

Please remember these are only excerpts of posts that our team has provided us.  All of these people represent the heart of the Run Across Ethiopia, those of us still back in the States are proud of how they serve our mission.  To read full-length stories posted by our RAE Team members please visit our blog pages at http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=d2bdc8c316&e=7b6f7ef5c1

Remember too that you can follow us on Facebook and on Twitter where we post frequent, if short, snippets about the adventure.

If you want to see our stream of photos as they arrive you can go to the website (see below) or go right to our Flickr Photostream using the link below. http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=2a544fb3e0&e=7b6f7ef5c1

Tune in to the RAE website every day, or wait for these daily email messages.  Daily coverage is available on our website, and we also have three Traverse City businesses hosting Online coverage.  Higher Grounds Trading, Pangea's Pizza, and Crema Cafe' & Grill.   Feel free to come on by and cheer on the team.

To see more photos of the team as they are sent to us from Ethiopia, go to the website, www.runacrossethiopia.org, or go to our Flickr page, http://www.flickr.com/photos/57872575@N05/.