Run Across Ethiopia

The Last Few Miles of a Long Journey

2011-01-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

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/.

Average Joes and Super Heroes

2011-01-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

Wednesday January 19th, 2011 DAY ELEVEN

RAE Daily Update; posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground

I am blessed in having a relationship with an eight year old boy who allows me once a night to read with him. Of late we've been deeply immersed in the Percy Jackson series by Rich Riordan. Percy you see is the son of Poseidon... an honest to goodness demigod.... and he travels among other Olympic Gods and monsters every day. By now you know that my mind wanders in such ways. So, it won't surprise you that over the past two weeks, each time I opened that book to read to this young boy about heroic feats and impossible quests, I tended to reflect upon my friends across the ocean in Ethiopia. Granted, our crew are all adults, and as far as I know none of them are carrying around a magic sword shaped like a pen that always finds its way back to their pockets. But they are nonetheless heroes in my eyes.

This thing we've all just accomplished, it didn't involve slaying monsters, or bargaining with the offspring of Gods and wood nymphs, but it did send a group of individuals on a seemingly undoable task. And, as promised, not only have they surpassed expectations, they have all been changed a bit by the experience. By Gods! I think there might be a book in there somewhere.

Today's posts from Ethiopia were filled top to bottom with the awe of adventure. The Run Across Ethiopia team never anticipated the level of gratitude they would find in the small village of Hase Gola. This is the town where On The Ground will build one of our schools, and here the people of the Ethiopian highlands streamed into this community from all directions until they numbered in the thousands to greet, and thank, and celebrate with our team. Our partners in this school project, the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) organized the festivities and through our heroes the equivalent of a ticker tape parade.

I'll let Hans Voss start us off.

"The biggest lessons though have come from the Ethiopian people. They are so warm, kind, and genuine. Glowing smiles. Pure joy. So many Ethiopians have cheered us on. There’s nothing better than when we run by a small hut in the countryside, those inside notice our presence, and then bolt out with arms waving, eyes wide open, and love in their hearts.

Yesterday, we visited the community where construction has begun on one of the schools the RAE donors have made possible. It was as powerful a human experience as I have ever had: the gratitude of about a few thousand people flowing endlessly toward us. 10 runners, a number of crucial role players, and over 700 donors have made a huge impact for thousands of people in this community — and all they wanted to say was thank you.

As I watched their faces, I was struck with how we are much more alike than we are different. Just like us, they work hard, do what they can for their children, contribute to their community. It does not matter how much we own or how much money we make, what ties us together – what makes us human – is something much more important than that. Frankly, I am not sure exactly what that is, but I know it has something to do with our how we reach out to each other with love, no matter how different our cultures may be. That love binds us together. That love is something I believe in."

Seth Bernard and May Erlewine, as our cultural ambassadors, played a crucial role in the day's events and had this to report.

Hase Gola, Ethiopia
The site of the first RAE sponsored school.

"As we stepped out of our bus after 30 minutes of off road driving, we were greeted by 900 singing, dancing, clapping and smiling Ethiopians from the first community where a school is being build as a result of our collective efforts. Our senses were wrapped in soulful celebration. Our hearts exploded. Tears streamed down our cheeks. It was a peak experience. Humbling and heavenly. There are no words, images or instruments to measure or convey the power of these people. Such heart, such strength, such beauty. I have not felt so alive since I was a boy. The spokesman from the community got on the loudspeaker and thanked us not only for paying a fair trade price for their coffee, but for helping their children and they saw this as a sign of deep respect and friendship. We were such lucky Americans to receive this love on behalf of the hundreds and hundreds of Americans who have supported this incredible effort. We share it with all of you. We Americans are in need of meaning, of fulfilling work, or real community. We have found it all here and it is yours, too. Hallelujah! Amen. "

Click the image below to see the team's entrance into Hase Gola, or click this link http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=9c05b3298f&e=7b6f7ef5c1

And Dena Piecuch, our Charleston, SC city police officer provided us with a thoughtful contribution.

"We are in Yirgacheffe. It almost doesn’t feel real. I feel like we have just started but i know my weary body tells me otherwise. We did 12 miles today to get here and tomorrow’s 6 miles is looked at with a pretty light hearted fun run mentality. The running is over? Yes. But the help isn’t. The things I have experienced and the people I have met here have touched my heart in a long term kind of way. The people of Ethiopia are the kindest, warmest, people I have ever met. Even though I am un able to speak to most of them, we make an instant bond with a silent communication. They are just so appreciative of us and what we are trying to do and have already done for them. They speak hugely, with no comprehend able words actually spoken. My only hope is that the Run Across Ethiopia has created an awareness and by that awareness we are able to pull together and continue, long after the run, to help one another."

Amalia, our environmental art educator sent another beautiful post, excerpted here:

"People love to smile. People love to laugh. People love to dance. People love to love and to be loved. I have never felt more loved than I have in the last few days of traveling across rural Southern Ethiopia. A smile and a wave can mean so much, to those that have so little. How excited they are, just to know that we care about them, just to have a momentary reprieve from the tasks of everyday survival. Many have never seen a person with a different skin tone, and how glad I am that their first impression is that of friendliness and compassion. We can both stare at each other in intense curiosity, but when we add a smile, the whole dynamic changes. There is nothing like a true and genuine smile to let you know that love is involved.

Today, we were greeted by thousands of people from the community of Hase Gola to thank us for raising money to build them a much needed school. As we walked off the bus, the smiling faces surrounded us and lined the streets, clapping, singing, laughing, and beaming with an excitement that is so difficult to describe in words. We walked through the crowds as policemen kept those singing, smiling people back and settled ourselves in the middle of a circle of thousands of expectant eyes. Speeches commenced as the crowd sat to listen to thank you's, prayers answered, dreams realized, goals yet to achieve, and accomplishments in progress. Children watched from the tree branches as hundreds upon hundreds of faces clapped, cheered, and emulated gratefulness. Behind us sat the ongoing construction of a school that these runners had worked so hard to help build. The school will educate 480 children in two shifts each day, affecting a total of 8,700 people in the community when all of the people in their families are included.

We toured the current school house, tiny rooms with cracked floors and little furniture, it was hard to imagine that these rooms accommodate 90 children at a time. The children that can't fit have to walk a half an hour to another crowded school. That is, if their family can afford a notebook and lunches, and if they want an education, and the possibility of secondary school remains dim. There are no bathrooms, no running water, no electricity and tiny windows, It is hot, dark, and crowded, yet math problems cover the chalkboards and children fight for the opportunity to become educated and the chance to improve their quality of life. The people in this community are in dire need of education, health care, and drinking water (there is a 3 hour walk to the nearest water fresh enough to drink). And what do they do for a living? They grow our coffee, our fair trade, organic coffee that we pay top price for. Yet, no matter how much we pay, such a small percentage goes to the grower and his family. If you would like more information about the issues of the coffee growing region of Southern Ethiopia and what is being done about it, please watch the film Black Gold, available on netflix: http://www.blackgoldmovie.com "

Finally, I'd like to introduce you to Stella. She's the daughter of Timothy (RAE team leader) and Kathy Young.

"I would just like to explain yesterdays crowds when we went to the community. When we first got there people were lined up on the side of this dirt track,I felt like I was in a parade , people were cheering, singing, and dancing. Then they brought us to a field were they brought us the actual desks that they the might actually sit in at the new school. At first in the field a person from the community was talking to us about how grateful they were that we were here. A man named Tedesse translated what the man was saying. Then Chris got up and talked for a little bit then my dad got up and spoke. After that they took us into a school room and fed us beef with rolls,the cow that we ate was killed and prepared that morning and was very tasty. But before we ate I felt like i was in a circus because I started doing cartwheels in front of some kids, then more kids came then more came. I did a few cartwheels then a few kids started doing their own tricks, like walking on their hands, then a few kids tried to doing cartwheels. Kind of going back to the field part, there were kids in the trees, like high in the trees. While I as doing cartwheels a teenage boy came up and kicked a donkey because they thought the donkey was to close to me , but I didn't think it was very funny. Sincerely, Stella."

By the way, the Percy Jackson books are worth the read, but they can't hold a candle to these average Joes and Janes. One more day with a very short, mostly ceremonial, run ahead. Then our team begins their long journey home. Stay tuned for more information on a big celebration here in Michigan sometime in February when you'll get to hear some of Seth and May's new songs create in Ethiopia.

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=def8d49bbb&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-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=0bf7e037f7&e=7b6f7ef5c1

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/.

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.

It's The Reason We Did This In the First Place

2011-01-19T05:58:00.000-08:00

Tuesday January 18th, 2011 DAY TEN

RAE Daily Update; posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground

After more than 200 miles running in a foreign land, and with the end of their quest just around a few more bends in the road, our team is experiencing the real purpose our work. Understand that for each of the runners the act of running 250 miles through Ethiopia was a significant challenge, and for most its that challenge that brought them to our organization. Without their love of running, and their belief in themselves, we would never have been able to raise the money necessary to build the schools we've committed to. We are all grateful for their courage and conviction to do this. Earlier today, because of a bad internet connection, and a resultant lack of posts coming back from Ethiopia I created this short status update on our Facebook page. It said simply, "The cultural and emotional lessons of the RAE Team experience are much more important than any athletic struggles they will endure." A few hours later my patience paid off with two marvelous posts, one from OTG founder Chris Treter, and the other from journalist Jacob Wheeler.

Here's what Chris sent us:

"Since the first time I stepped foot into the coffee growing communities of Yrgacheffe, Ethiopia I have been conflicted. I earn a living, in part, from a community of people that cannot send their children to school (as there is no school), where the average life expectancy is only 51 years (as there is no health care), and where life-threatening diseases arise from lack of access to clean drinking water. I can sit in a nice cafe listening to music, leaning back in a comfortable chair, sipping on a latte, or breve’, or cappuccino, while I know, first hand, that the farmers who produced that coffee spend their days toiling away in fields, eating false banana (known as the famine buster for its ability to stay edible for a long period of time) and only having access to the food which they grow or kill.

Most coffee growers' lives are bound by poverty, while the product they produce, some of the most sought after coffee in the world, is placed in the hands of the rich – the 20% of the world’s population that controls nearly 80% of the world’s wealth. That is, you and I, those in the United States, or Europe, whose entire population lies within the wealthiest segment of the population.

The Run Across Ethiopia was first conceived to help support the coffee growers of Yrgacheffe, knowing that although Higher Grounds, and many other coffee companies in Cooperative Coffees, pay above fair trade prices, a price will never be enough in a community so stricken by poverty. Fortunately the idea of the Run has taken off and many people in our global community have jumped in to combat poverty. (Editor’s note: Cooperative Coffees is the buying coop that Chris’ company Higher Grounds participates in to buy Fair-trade coffee in a large quantities from around the world, including Ethiopia.)

The Run Across Ethiopia is funding a four classroom block in Hase Gola that will serve 480 students a year coming from 8 feeder schools in 10 villages, thus benefiting a total population of over 8700. This project is in conjunction with the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, the organization with which Higher Grounds has formed a long-term relationship.

It will be constructed and furnished to the standard of Oromia Regional Government and handed over immediately after completion to the Government to administer the school. This is extremely important as in Ethiopia, 86.3 percent of the population lives in rural areas such as Hase Gola. They subsist on agriculture which accounts for 55 percent of the GDP and creates 80 percent of employment and 60 percent of exports.

According to international poverty line estimates, 46 percent of the Ethiopian population gets below $1 a day. In such a context, access to health services, modern transportation, clean drinking water, education, & other activities and services are beyond the reach of the majority of the population.

The school project in Hase Gola is the first (of many) major successes in the Run Across Ethiopia. And while our runners today received a joyous and overwhelming reception from over 2000 people, it is just the first step toward a community reaching long term sustainability. Thanks to many of you who have contributed to helping the community of Hase Gola begin its walk down the path of sustainability. Your generosity will serve nearly 500 students who will now receive a secondary education!"

(The data above was sourced from UNICEF 2003)

Jacob Wheeler was also obviously moved this day. His post comes from a decidedly different perspective than what he sent the previous nine days.

Day 10: The run yields to Hase Gola

"For the past nine days, my blogging has focused on running — that is, the 10 harriers running nearly 250 miles across southern Ethiopia. I've catalogued their aches and pains, daily mileage and terrain, and how the runners have interacted and boosted each other through this painstaking endeavor. In other words, I've been a sports reporter.

But I've got news for you. I've taken you for a loop. The running was never the true story here.

Today, Day 10 of the Run Across Ethiopia, after jogging a slight 12 miles through hilly coffee country, we met the true gravity of our purpose here — in the form of thousands of excited rural Ethiopians waiting for hours down a rutted dirt road for our arrival in Hase Gola — the hamlet where the first On the Ground Global school is already being built. Immediately upon disembarking from the bus around 1 p.m. today, our entourage was swarmed by an untold number of joyous local villagers, clapping their hands, singing in gospel choirs, dancing with sugar cane sticks, playing whatever instruments they had on the floor of their meager hut. The welcome was beautiful, intense, and seemed both triumphant and tragic at the same time. Imagine the kinds of crowds that turn out to greet the Beatles, or Obama. Now you have at least an impression of what this felt like. I looked from face to face of our contingent — American and Ethiopian runners/journalists/musicians/interpreters, alike — and couldn't spot a single dry eye. Many of us have traveled extensively to developing countries before; others have rarely left the Midwest. And no one — no one — had ever experienced anything like this before.

Our new friends, numbering in the thousands, mobbed us as we found our way to makeshift tables where Tadesse Mekala, head of the Oromia Fair Trade Cooperative (spelling?), Chris Treter and others gave speeches about the importance of this new school for the community. Its construction is already underway. It will include four classrooms, which can hold 480 students (240, twice a day); it will reach 10 different rural communities, and ultimately change the lives of nearly 9,000 people whose sons, daughters, brothers and sisters will attend school here. Music took over after the speeches. Our interpreter Mamoosh danced like a jackrabbit along with the choir. Seth Bernard held hands and danced up and down with the pastor. Timothy and Connor Young joined Ethiopian youth in climbing a tree to take in the scene.

Our entourage was treated to a delicious meal afterwards in the new school, including a plate of fresh raw meat from this morning's animal sacrifice. When offered a gift of luxury in an impoverished village, you never turn it down. so runner Matt Desmond, myself, Maureen Voss, Shauna Fite and Timothy Young tried the raw meat with berbere spice. Whether the cuisine will come back to haunt us is unclear. But what is clear is that today's powerful visit to Hase Gola will remain lodged in the hearts and minds of our Run Across Ethiopia team. It's clear now that the run, itself, is only a vehicle, a conductor. The school and the community is what the journey is really about."

I want to thank Jacob and Chris for their rich words. We hope that these posts will help you, sitting at home like me, to change in some small way. To have your perspective on one small part of the world shift.

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-manage1.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=1e6c06aca8&e=7b6f7ef5c1

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

The Power of Music (continued from MLK's Legacy of Values)

2011-01-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 17th, 2011 DAY NINE
Continuing the RAE Daily Update; posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground.

Food, coffee and rituals
Jacob Wheeler from the Glen Arbor Sun provides us with a view of the team from the road to Yirgacheffe.
"Imagine that you’re a poor farmer in the Sidamo region of southern Ethiopia — an African herdsman — living in a mud hut by the side of the road. Imagine that you walk out your doorway into the sunlight one morning, and there at 7 a.m., a bunch of “ferenges” (“foreigners” in Amharic, probably derived from “Frenchies”) in skimpy running shorts are laying there on the grass, stretching. Imagine, too, that a couple white musicians are playing guitars and singing. You think, what on Earth! This scene has likely never happened before in such a remote part of East Africa.

But that’s just what form the Run Across Ethiopia took on Day 9. Earthworks musicians Seth Bernard and May Erlewine joined the team for today’s 16-mile run, which took us into the Yirgachefe coffee region, and a mere 36 miles from our ultimate destination on Thursday. At every water and food stop along the road, Seth and May lit up the crowds of villagers and children, who clapped, danced, and engaged in the sort of cross-cultural love and understanding that music knows best. At one point, RAE harrier Nigel Willerton requested a Beatles tune as he jogged by without stopping. Seth played “All we need is love”, and out of the crowd hobbled a weary old man carrying a massive rolled-up animal skin over his shoulder. He began hopping up and down and dancing to the song.

See the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqoAMBsaQsk&feature=player_embedded

Another video demonstrates the Ethiopian coffee ritual that taught the Western world how to consume its #1 addiction. Follow this link to, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7jUCwXM3DE&feature=player_embedded

And just so you don't think we've forgotten the runners, here are few photos from the day.

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://www.onthegroundtc.org

MLK's Legacy of Values

2011-01-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Monday January 17th, 2011 DAY NINE

RAE Daily Update; Posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground

We begin to wonder if it is due to the fact that we don’t know enough.

Yesterday our team of runners, musicians, journalists, filmmakers and support personnel reached a turning point in the Run Across Ethiopia event. It was as if the veil was lifted from the reality of the country they had been running through over the past week. On Sunday, one after the other, posts came in reflecting a very different perspective. The beauty of the the African continent and the aches and pains associated with running more than a marathon a day gave way to emotional pleas to help make sense of a world appearing more and more alien.

We knew going into this that our team would have a vast set of experiences while covering the 250+ miles from Addis Ababa to Yirgacheffe. It’s difficult to predict, however, the emotional impact on each individual. (If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to visit our blog’s home page here. http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=c491060335&e=7b6f7ef5c1 The blog posts over the past couple days are truly amazing.)

The main gist of the blogs is the common and repeating reference to poverty and the disparity the team members are feeling. Seth Bernard in his post even says, “we don’t have enough accurate information about Ethiopia in America.” Simply asked, is it that we don’t know enough? That notion is one of the very reasons we at On The Ground are here. We’re building schools, yes. But the bigger job we have is in educating the world about the things we are privileged enough to see.

In the United States today we celebrate the life and accomplishments of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Among his many great speeches he is most often praised on this day for his ground breaking “I Have A Dream” address. While I love quoting from that masterpiece, the events in Ethiopia being brought to life by our team draw my eyes to something he penned many years prior. It is also one that stands out as it was given in Detroit, Michigan.

Dr. King gave this speech 57 years ago in Detroit’s Second Baptist Church. This is an excerpt. To see the full text of this and all of Dr. King’s speeches please visit this website.

http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=2be35c2f5d&e=7b6f7ef5c1 (This particular text includes the congregation’s response in parentheses.)

February 28 1954: Rediscovering Lost Values

I’m not exactly a stranger in the city of Detroit, for I have been here several times before. And I remember back in about 1944 or 1945, somewhere back in there, that I came to Second Baptist Church for the first time—I think that was the year that the National Baptist Convention met here.

I want you to think with me this morning from the subject: rediscovering lost values.

Rediscovering lost values. There is something wrong with our world, something fundamentally and basically wrong. I don’t think we have to look too far to see that. I’m sure that most of you would agree with me in making that assertion. And when we stop to analyze the cause of our world’s ills, many things come to’mind.

We begin to wonder if it is due to the fact that we don’t know enough. But it can’t be that. Because in terms of accumulated knowledge we know more today than men have known in any period of human history. We have the facts at our disposal. We know more about mathematics, about science, about social science, and philosophy, than we’ve ever known in any period of the world’s history. So it can’t be because we don’t know enough.

And then we wonder if it is due to the fact that our scientific genius lags behind. That is, if we have not made enough progress scientifically. Well then, it can’t be that. For our scientific progress over the past years has been amaz- ing. Man through his scientific genius has been able to warp distance and place time in chains, so that today it’s possible to eat breakfast in New York City and supper in London, England. Back in about 1753 it took a letter three days to go from New York City to Washington, and today you can go from here to China in less time than that. It can’t be because man is stagnant in his scientific progress. Man’s scientific genius has been amazing. I think we have to look much deeper than that if we are to find the real cause of man’s problems and the real cause of the world’s ills today. If we are to really find it I think we will have to look in the hearts and souls of men.

To read Dr. King's entire Rediscovering Lost Values speech, click this link. http://onthegroundtc.org/2011/01/17/rediscovering-lost-values/

Poverty Can No Longer Hide Behind the Runner's Pain

2011-01-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

Sunday January 16th, 2011 DAY EIGHT

RAE Daily Update; Posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground

Apologies for another late night report. I'll confess that I took a bit of time off to monitor the New York Jets play the New England Patriots tonight. I drank a beer, grilled some chicken, and polished all this off with a couple of Newman-O's cookies and a shot of bourbon. My team came out on top. A brief yet satisfying triumph of ego that is so very American. After the game I opened my laptop to review the posts left by my distant team members in Ethiopia. It's something I do every evening to write this dispatch. Tonight, for the first time, the juxtaposition of the two realities settled on me harshly.

Today the team of runners and their support crew seemed to all have a new tenor to their posts. Gone were the short, staccato offerings about sore feet and bland food. Our posts on this eighth day of the run all mirrored the experiences of the individuals making their way down that long road from Addis Ababa to Yirgacheffe. These posts all bore a certain resemblance, a commonality centered plainly on the sudden and undeniable reality of poverty, hunger, and strife. I send you this dispatch from a conflicted place in my heart. Sitting in my relatively luxurious accommodations, nourished, sated, loved, still I feel a bit shattered tonight with the weight of what my friends are experiencing half a world away.

Our first post is from our musical ambassadors Seth Bernard and May Erlewine. They parted with the runners just a few days into the trip to return to Addis Ababa. Recently both elements of our team reunited and from here on out they'll share the experience of Ethiopia together.

"We don’t have enough accurate information about Ethiopia in America. Hopefully our expedition will help with this in some small way with this. There is too much fear and pity and not enough respect and amazement toward Ethiopia in our collective American mind. We have so much to learn. I find myself in awe of an ancient culture that has remained largely intact. This is the birthplace of mankind and the only nation in Africa that has never been colonized by imperial European powers. People have been kind and gracious without exception. I feel safer in Addis Ababa than I do in American cities of comparable size, and although I am a country boy (thank God), I have spent many moons in many a metropolis. For centuries, Christians and Muslims, dark-skinned and light-skinned folks have lived in peace, shared the same morning coffee ceremonies and celebrated their shared communities here in Ethiopia. When I have asked my new friends what their secret is and what Americans can learn from their culture of diversity and tolerance, they say that it has always been this way. They say that kindness is more important than anything. It’s at the heart of being human. They day that it’s obvious, isn’t it? Cruelty and intolerance go against the teachings of all the religions and we’re all neighbors. Ethiopia is another heartland and we have been welcomed as brothers and sisters here. It’s going to be hard to leave, but we have a wealth of songs and stories to bring back to our people in the American heartland."

Founder of On The Ground, and owner of Higher Grounds Trading Company in Traverse City is Chris Treter. He's one of our runners, and sent this short post.
"We have entered the coffee growing region of Sidamo where Higher Grounds purchases our Ethiopian Sidamo Unwashed. The poverty is increasing as is the numbr of children. Tomorrow we will run to the town of Dilla (about 15 miles). Tuesday we will do a short run then go to Hase Gola where the school we are funding is being built for a party and tour of the community, school, and coffee fields. This school is built in a community that grows coffee for our Ethiopian Yrgacheffe (available in grocery stores and on-line). I mention this not to make a plug for HG but so that our base is knowlegeable - most of which can purchase the coffee from their local grocery store. This coffee comes from the very community we will be visiting this week. This creates a lasting impact - not only are we doing charity but are paying a fair trade price to a sustainably grown product. This is a very important lesson to understand the importance of fair trade. People can participate in both."

Our filmmaker Jamaica has sent us some of the most emotional posts to date, baring her soul as she experiences something completely new.
"I just couldn't stop crying, for 3 miles the tears pooled on my shirt, Egga's shirt, Su's shirt. I was too overwhelmed and haven't had time to process the emotional intensity of what I was right in the middle of. The fast progression of poverty we've witnessed in only 15 miles has astounded me to the point of pure emotion. From village to village we meet so many children and people, but without a chance to really get to know them; there are only moments. Yet today I couldn't handle it. We went from shaking hands to seeing a boy who snagged a water bottle, get surrounded by kids twice his age. The poverty is quickly coming apparent as we head further south, because the reaction of the villagers has a air of desperation; their basic needs aren't being met and survival is the number one priority. "

Ohio is home to one of our runners, Claire Everhart. Her fresh eyes seem to see clearly the troubles of others and the difficulty in translating this across continents.
"Today as we ran through the Sidamo region I tried to imagine my life as an Ethiopian. Am I a child? Did my mother wake my 7 brothers and sisters and I from our curled positions on the dirt floor of our hut and tell some of us to go fetch water from 10 miles away? Are we lucky enough to have a donkey to help carry the water jugs? How many jugs are we blessed enough to have? Will the wheel my older brothers fixed yesterday make the trip there and back? Am I a single mother struggling to support 5 children alone? Am I a coffee farmer working to support my family, while being paid very little for the beans I grow?"

Anne Stanton, an independent journalist from northern Michigan, has provided us with some of the clearest prose yet, often touching on humorous observations. Today, even her post changed a bit.
"The runs have shortened to about 15 miles, and the crowds have gotten way bigger. We have no way of communicating since the translaters don't speak the language here. But I have finally learned how to interact. You don't give them anything, even water or empty water bottles, because it causes fights among the kids, but you touch your heart and pointto them and smile and say "you!" (Which is their very favorite word). Or you say shalom, or you lead them into a fun chant, "Ethiopia!! Yeah!!). They love to shake hands."

Nigel, always has a way of bringing things back to running. He's our most experienced runner (not a crack at your age Nigel).

"Our exertions during the previous five days where we ground out a 28-mile and then four consecutive 30-mile runs allowed the Run Across Ethiopia team a relatively easy seventh day on the road. We ran our shortest distance yet with a ‘mere’15-mile, 24 KM effort. It took us just over 3 hours to complete. The RAE team’s cumulative mileage in a week is now 183 miles or 294 KM and that equates to exactly a marathon a day." Click the image or this link to see a video featuring Nigel. http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=02c191e790&e=7b6f7ef5c1

Our other professional journalist on the team, Jacob Wheeler - editor of the Glen Arbor Sun, provides us with most of our video footage in wonderfully short segments.
"The team that ascended 15 miles into the Sidamo coffee-rich region was nearly 20 people strong. We’ve become accustomed to villagers, and children in particular, swarming the runners whenever they pass along the road, but we got lucky today because Sunday meant that many were attending church. Fifteen miles completed today, which puts us at 198 since leaving Addis last Sunday. Only 52 more to go before the victory jog into Yirgachefe on Thursday.
The past two nights we’ve stayed at the stunningly beautiful Aragesh mountain lodge near the remote village of Yirgalem. We’ve slept and dined in a series of round bamboo woven huts that are constructed entirely of local materials and held up by one post in the center of the room. Such architecture reminded me of indigenous earth lodges and was a welcome departure from the urban grit of previous towns."

A late addition to the team, Amalia Fernand, showed up with the family wave on January 12th. She's been teaching art classes to children in schools along the way.
"Today, I joined the run and was moved by the happiness that we brought to many hundreds of children merely by our presence. The runners finished mile 198 today and I joined them in running through small villages and coffee plantations for a few of those miles. I also traveled by the bus that stays close by the group and stops to supply water and food breaks. On these occasions, the people came running to gather, to stare, watchfully, expectantly, curiously. I blew bubbles for the children and to witness the universal reaction of a child to a bubble reminds me that everywhere, people are just people. They jumped, they laughed, they chased, they loved, and I only wish that I could do so much more, bring them so much more, give them so much more. And then I look around and I realize that I am. This entire event is for them, for their education, to increase their standard of living, to give them a chance at a healthy life. Most of them do not understand this right now, and they may never. I only wish that we could spend more time with them instead of quickly moving through each village. I wish that we could explain that the reason we are here is for them and that there are so many people out there who have donated time, money, and a piece of their hearts for this cause. "

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=740648e3c4&e=7b6f7ef5c1

Remember too that you an 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-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=ae36acca7d&e=7b6f7ef5c1

Rolling into the coffee growing region

2011-01-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 15th, 2011 DAY SEVEN
RAE Daily Update; posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On The Ground

Day seven of the running portion of our expedition provided a welcome change of pace. The past four days were purposefully heavy in miles (120 miles in four days), leading up to some lighter mileage towards the end of the run. But there's an ominous justification for that, as this is where the hills begin. Here's Nigel Willerton's post from Saturday.

"Our exertions during the previous five days where we ground out a 28-mile and then four consecutive 30-mile runs allowed the Run Across Ethiopia team a relatively easy seventh day on the road. We ran our shortest distance yet with a ‘mere’15-mile, 24 KM effort. It took us just over 3 hours to complete. Spirits were very high after the luxury of both a lie-in and a full breakfast at our hotel at Lake Lagano which did not consist of hard-boiled eggs, PBJ sandwiches and, the crime of all crimes, black coffee with out sugar!! The pain of the last six days was almost forgotten.

The 15 miles almost took us to our lodging at Aragash. The RAE team’s cumulative mileage in a week is now 183 miles or 294 KM and that equates to exactly a marathon a day. As we close in on our destination of Afursa Waru, we are starting to see a marked increase in the poverty level of the local people in the villages we pass. It reinforces the teams understanding of the desparate needs in the communities and the positive impact we all hope and believe the Run Across Ethiopia can have. The villagers themselves though remain as happy and as welcoming as ever in every community we pass shouting encouragement and the obvious question puzzling them

“Where you going?” they cry, “Jirge Chefe” we respond whereupon they look puzzled for a moment and then grin and shout “Very Good, Very Good!” It is great fun to just be a part of this great experience." The display of triathlete's shorts is Nigel's tip-of-the-hat to his Shama training buddies back in the states.

Our filmmakers, James & Jamaica, after a few days following the running team detoured back north to catch musicians Seth & May collaborating with some hip Ethiopian bands. They made their way back south to catch up the team in Shashamene. In the process they also met up with the family wave. Here's a short post from Jamaica on her experience heading back south.

Only 2 hours out of the city and the atmosphere has drastically become calmer. There is always a hussle and bussle in Addis, cars and people weaving in and out of each other along with donkeys and marketers. Shoe shiners line the streets and poor sit next to businessmen while Muslims and Christians talk over milk with coffee. Always going.....

Now, Teff fills the air with every sift from the roadside homes. It's so fresh and open. (Editor's note: Teff is a staple crop in much of Ethiopia. Native to north Africa it is used similarly to wheat or barley. It is believed that the word is based on the Amharic word "teffa" meaning lost, as the seeds are very tiny and carry easily on the winds.)

The kids are ready to see their fathers, and so are their counterparts! Th kids are doing so well with acclimating and it is has been hard days filled with stimulating scenes. I'm so impressed by how well everyone can adjust to the different atmospheres of their surroundings.

After arriving in Awaso, monkeys greet us as the families reunite. I feel a sense of relief as the whole group is together again. I never realized how much I missed everyone, the humor, the smiles, the hugs. Never being in a large group dynamic, because I was the only child who didn't play sports, I'm so grateful to be embraced with this kind of love."

Our banker from Honor Bank in northern Michigan gave us a very brief update from the runners. From Norm Plumstead:

Norm
Day seven of Run Across Ethiopia in the books! 183 miles down. Everyday we receive massive support from the Ethiopians we run past. And, everyday I'm reminded of the many privileges we enjoy in America. To learn more about you can help go to www.runacrossethiopia.org.

Jacob Wheeler, our journalist from the Glen Arbor Sun sent this to his blog:
With four consecutive 30-mile days in the rearview mirror, and the distance between Addis Ababa and Yirgachefe now 67 percent complete, the Run Across Ethiopia harriers took it relatively easy today. They slept in (until 7 a.m.) and enjoyed a restaurant sit-down breakfast, before legging 15 miles (24 kilometers) through hilly but beautiful, jungle-like terrain south of Hawassa. This journalist’s left knee felt recovered enough to join the team for seven miles. Tonight and tomorrow night we’ll stay in the gorgeous Agadash lodge, which overlooks miles of lush green foliage, and where we can literally feed wild hyenas (there’s so much food in this valley that the animals won’t hurt humans).
Best of all, the team is once again at full strength. Hans Voss’ ankle issues are seemingly a thing of the past; Mary Moore returned to the trail today after a half-day breather on Day 6; and Dena Piecuch, the police officer from Charleston, South Carolina, was back on the beat after a couple days of rest.
Here are videos from Day 7:

And I'll let Jeffrey Metzler from Charleston, S.C. take us out today.

Never thought I'd say this, but running 30 miles isn't too bad once you do it four times in a row! We're through 7 of the 12 running days for the Run Across Ethiopia and the team is still looking strong. This is some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen, and the people here are absolutely phenomenal. So proud to be a part of this project, and I can't believe my legs still work! Almost done!

To read full-length stories posted by our RAE Team members please visit our blog pages at http://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=88bfddb547%26e=7b6f7ef5c1

Sugar Daddy Blog from Ethiopia

2011-01-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 15 DAY SEVEN

Posted by Nigel Willerton

Our exertions during the previous five days where we ground out a 28-mile and then four consecutive 30-mile runs allowed the Run Across Ethiopia team a relatively easy seventh day on the road. We ran our shortest distance yet with a ‘mere’15-mile, 24 KM effort. It took us just over 3 hours to complete.

Spirits were very high after the luxury of both a lie-in and a full breakfast at our hotel at Lake Lagano which did not consist of hard-boiled eggs, PBJ sandwiches and, the crime of all crimes, black coffee without sugar!! The pain of the last six days was almost forgotten.

The 15 miles almost took us to our lodging at Aragash. The RAE team’s cumulative mileage in a week is now 183 miles or 294 KM and that equates to exactly a marathon a day. As we close in on our destination of Afursa Waru, we are starting to see a marked increase in the poverty level of the local people in the villages we pass. It reinforces the team's understanding of the desparate needs in the communities and the positive impact we all hope and believe the Run Across Ethiopia can have.

The villagers themselves though remain as happy and as welcoming as ever in every community we pass shouting encouragement and the obvious question puzzling them: “Where you going?” they cry, “Jirge Chefe,” we respond whereupon they look puzzled for a moment and then grin and shout “Very Good, Very Good!” It is great fun to just be a part of this great experience.

However, the run certainly still has its challenges for us as runners. Despite our strong efforts eating into the schedule and reducing the final distance left, the balance of the run will be extremely hilly. We actually started today with a near 2-mile or 3KM ascent. We also still have to work on our teamwork even more strongly ensuring we give each other full support. It can be great fun running with a significant crowd of locals, young and old, many of whom join us often for one, two or even three miles but that sometimes makes it tough to all stay together. It does of course also make the experience complete as you see the joy on the faces of those who just want to be part of the fun that is RAE.

Finally, I will finish by confirming the team's arrival at the fabulous Aragosh Lodge in the Ethiopian Highlands. This is a sprawling hotel where we are staying in bungalows with 4-5 people sharing a three-room open space. I am staying with Norman, Abera, Ichigu and Jacob. The lodge has its own coffee plantation and the area is awash with wildlife including monkeys and hyenas. It’s certainly luxurious in comparison to some of our prior accommodations but I have to admit that best of all, it is run by a German family so everything like lights and showers actually work!

I would conclude that, sadly for myself, we are nearing the end of our epic run but I have hope in my heart that the bigger and more important journey in delivering education for hundreds if not thousands of deserving Ethiopian children is just beginning.

The Family Wave Heads South & to a Rasta Welcome

2011-01-14T18:05:00.001-08:00

Friday January 14th, 2011 DAY SIX

RAE Daily update, posted bu Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground

It's likely that you've already figured out we have a group of family & friends who've just joined the expedition. These folks, left the U.S. on January 10th, and have just joined up with the runners in Shashemene. I've had a few questions about this so I want to be clear, all of these folks paid their own way to Ethiopia and travel under a separate expense system from the running team. The same thing goes for our two journalists, Jacob & Anne. On the Ground is only responsible for financing the running portion of the expedition, our two filmmakers, and the Team Tesfa runners.

At this point the caravan is about 30 souls strong, and will stay together - for the most part - until the end of the run in Afursa Waru. At this writing I haven't yet heard about the rendezvous and how it went, but I'm assuming there are four children and several significant counterparts very happy to see the men in their lives again.

Before the family group left Addis Ababa yesterday they were busy visiting schools, music clubs, and clinics. Along with them was northern Michigan resident and environmental education activist Amalia Fernand. Amalia specializes in teaching environmental issues using art as a medium. She blogged for us today and here's a snippet for you.

AMALIA FERNAND
I am traveling with 3 other women and 4 children and today we go South, to meet up with Run Across Ethiopia. 10 runners from the U.S. and 8 Ethiopian runners are running 260 miles in 10 days across a coffee growing region of the Great Rift Valley. Each runner from the states raised $15,000 before they came and the non-profit, On The Ground, has raised over $150,000 for building schools and improving the quality of education in a region where so much of our coffee comes from, yet the people are too poor to feed their families.

I have been working directly with an organization that embodies the compassion of this country through the spread of education. Tesfa was founded by Dana Roskey 7 years ago after his Ethiopian-American fiancee, Leeza, passed away (http://www.tesfa.org/). Her dream had been to return to Ethiopia to educate her people and Dana founded Tesfa in her memory to carry out that dream. He has built 7 pre-schools in Ethiopia and I spent the last 2 days working with the children at the Markato school. (On the Ground is building a brand new addition to one of these schools through our RAE program. We also funded a year-long school lunch program at the Mercato School.) There are fifty 4-6 year olds whom the government deemed in dire need of free schooling. Along with musicians, Seth Bernard and May Erlewine, I worked with these beautiful and loving children at their simple and functional school set amidst a backdrop of poverty. Today we leave this bustling capital, full of memories of cultural experiences such as shopping in the colorful markets, listening to live Ethiopian music in the evenings, and visiting the National Museum of Ethiopia. We saw the bones of ancient human evolution and the cast replica of the 3.3 million year old Austrolopithicus aferensis, "Lucy" and the 4.4 million year old child, Salem, both excavated in Ethiopia.

And Team leader Timothy Young sent us this update.
On day six that long straight-as-an-arrow piece of asphalt that's been pointing the way through the Ethiopian plains to Jirge Chefe has given way to some curves, rolling hills and lush green vegetation. The good news for Hans Voss, Chris Treter and myself is that our loved ones, along with Seth and May and the film crew, just left Addis Abbaba and are driving our way. We should see them in about 5 hours. We have a lot in store for everyone over the next few days. . Thanks to some quick organizing by our Tesfa Foundation support team we have a dinner planned at a small hotel on Hawassa Lake. I just came from there where I booked some rooms for the family visitors. I have no doubt my kids will love it since within a few minutes of arriving I was feeding monkeys out of my hand. Many of them had clinging babies. Too sweet. So the team will have dinner on the Lakeshore tonight and possibly even get to go out on paddleboats and mingle with hippos....at a safe distance of course. Then tonight, Seth and May have concert planned with other local musicians. I've been told by the organizer that they are already expecting close to 1000 people and the plan to do radio spots this afternoon, so the crowd will likely grow.

After running three consecutive 30 mile days the runners have put some miles in the bank so we can taper off a bit in the coming days and we begin to climb in elevation. Hopefully that will allow them to stay up a little later tonight to see the concert. Then after tomorrow's run, we have arranged to have a goat roasted over a fire on the shore of Hawassa Lake. This a traditional Ethiopian BBQ and should be a fun and rewarding way to bond as a team and prepare them for the final stretch. I met the goat moments ago and thank her for tomorrow contribution to our meal. I don't think she understood my English, but my intent was pure.

And Nigel, our U.K. representative, pitched in this little note:

"Ethiopia is an exceptionally beautiful country. We also ran through Shashamene today which is where the Jamaican Rastas set up their community when they returned from Africa in the 1950's. Couple of sheds, several Rastas (one of whom sang us a great solo tune) ...

And Jacob Wheeler posted this associated story to his Glen Arbor Sun blog late on Friday evening. http://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=011fd67d64%26e=7b6f7ef5c1

How did 1,000 ganja-loving Jamaican Rastafarians show up in a rural village in southern Ethiopia? The Run Across Ethiopia harriers learned how on Day 6 of their 250-mile run to Yirgachefe.
Former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie (“Negus Negusti”, the “king of kings”) gave land in the village of Shashomane, north of Hawassa, to 300 Jamaican Rastafarians in the 1950s. Rastafarians believed that Selassie was a prophet from God. This Jamaican enclave lives on today. The Run Across Ethiopia spoke with a second-generation Jamaican named Ibrahim about this unique history." Click the image below, or this link to watch the video on YouTube. http://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=da662b86a1%26e=7b6f7ef5c1

And we'll just let Jamaican Bob take us out on the update. See you all tomorrow.

To read full-length stories posted by our RAE Team members please visit our blog pages at http://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=867ce9689f%26e=7b6f7ef5c1

Remember too that you an 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://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=665308cae9%26e=7b6f7ef5c1

Water, Plastic Bottles and Monkey Masks

2011-01-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

Thursday January 13th, 2011 DAY FIVE

RAE Daily update, posted bu Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground

I forgot to give you a the Family Update last night, so I'll include it here. The family wave all made it safely to Ethiopia. Kathy Young and her two children Connor and Stella, Maureen Voss along with Aiden and Lucy, Shauna Fite and her fellow "Benzoid" Amalia Fernand. The entire entourage showed up in Addis Ababe late Wednesday night where they were greeted by James, Jamaica, Seth, and May. Now there's a crew I want to hang out with. But the schedule left these folks little time to settle in before pushing them out the door to experience the wonders of Ethiopia's capital city.

Food, dance, music, and the intense closeness of this urban "new flower."
The family crew followed along as Seth and May went to a local school to work with students on Art to Music, a program developed by Grand Rapids, Michigan native Stephanie Schlatter in her capacity as director of the Art Aid International component of the Tesfa Foundation. Stephanie led the children through a purposeful process of first listening to music that Seth & May would play, then making art right on the spot based on what the music made them feel. Stephanie was also joined by Benzie County, Michigan native Amalia Fernand who brought her depth of environmental education knowledge to the school. Amalia worked with the children to create fabulously colored monkey masks representative of the animals common to Ethiopia. It is evident from the joyful expression on their faces that everyone loved these exercises.

Amalia took some terrific photos of the day's events. I'll include one here, but please go to our Flickr site to view all the photos in their best resolution. This is my favorite photo of one of the children making her way home with her fashionable mask firmly attached to her head. Our team obviously made a great impact.

And here's a sweet, short video of Seth being literally mobbed by children who've just made artwork based on the music he'd been playing. A new fan club! This is from the Old Sarum School in Addis Ababa. Click the image of this link to see it. http://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=cc090ad5a3%26e=7b6f7ef5c1b4

The look on Seth's face tells the whole story.
For the runners it was one more grueling 30 mile day on the road between Ziway and Lake Lagano. Jacob Wheeler wrote the following for his blog on the Glen Arbor Sun's website.

Today, the Run Across Ethiopia harriers and local Tesfa team runners faced a third straight 30-mile run through the Rift Valley to Lake Lagano. The team that awoke this morning before 5 a.m. hobbled, limped, crawled and pranced their way to the bus for a predawn breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and coffee — some of their toes bound in tape and sore ankles and knees wrapped, their stomachs victims of the local cuisine, and looking battle-weary like soldiers returning from the front.

But once aboard the bus, the music cranked, and the mood shifted to anticipation of feet on the ground. The pranks, the jokes, the light trash-talking resumed. Nigel the Brit’s early morning karaoke acts, Chris Treter’s tank-like running stride, Chris Girrbach’s feet that seem to attract sharp objects as if they were magnets. This is the kind of self-deprecation that carries one through hell intact … or a 250-mile, 10-day run through Ethiopia. And a little adversity ain’t gonna stop these cats.

The gang tried something new today: music from the support van’s speakers to pick up the runners whenever they felt down. First, Beyonce, Eminem and icons of American hip-hop; then this journalist was asked to produce a thumb drive of reggae, Latino music and (Hans’ Voss request) Rammstein German techno music. I sat out the 30-mile run today. After jumping into the fray and running 8 miles, then 10, then 17, then limping toward 12 yesterday — without training for any sort of marathon — my left knee felt as though it had been stabbed by a knife. So I played DJ, assisted Coach Dan Zemper and nurse Mamoush in preparing the water and food sustenance breaks for the runners, and shot videos. The team has now run 138 miles (20+28+30+30+30), which means we’re over halfway to 250! One more 30-miler tomorrow, and the hardest stretch will be overcome — though the low mileage altitude climb is yet to come.

Nigel Willerton thought it was time to introduce us to the impressive group of distance runners representing Team Tesfa.

This Run Across Ethiopia would not be possible without our Ethiopian friends and guides from TEFSA who will build the schools with the money we raise. They run with us every day keeping us safe and focused. I really do not know how we are all holding up so well during these runs. I have been very fortunate not to get injured or sick like some of the incredible people I am running with who are toughing it out during Run Across Ethiopia give a new meaning to HTFU.

They are from left to right, Meheron, Zinash, Xilahun, Abera, AbdulQadir and Bekolech.

Meanwhile the runner we all refer to as "pizza man", Chris Girrbach, sent this update.
The day started out as any other day when you are getting up at 4:45 to eat peanut butter and jelly for the 5th day in a row to prepare for another memorable run across a country that has seen many foot prints left upon its surface. We were all chipper as usual (Ha Ha) and spirits were high as we set out on our journey. We crossed another part of the country that was filled with children that only wanted to run and sing with us. It is a humbeling sight to to have children running barefoot faster that us for mile after mile. The day was a hit with all of us finishing in a blistering time of just over 6 hours. One more day of thirty mile then we get a bit of a break only 24 miles. We are all excited of what is to come and want to thank every body at home for the support. (we really do appreciate it). Well time to go as breakfast is at 4:30 am and we all need our beauty sleep so TA TA for now.

This final update I'll leave you with is from Claire Everhart. She is our youngest runner, but also so very thoughtful as she passes through a country very foreign to the place she left behind.

We just completed our 5th day of running, also our 3rd of four 30 mile days. It was brutal but we made it! Believe it or not, the first 20 miles go by fairly quickly, it's the last 10 that seem to take forever. We had several moral boosts as crowds of children in every village we passed through ran with us, some for over a mile, gliding over jagged rocks and thorny bushes in bare feet as though they were running on lush grass. Their skinny figures, tattered clothing and obvious lack of dental care does not stop the chorus of laughter that surrounds us the entire time they're running. Many will often grab one of our hands while they run, or say "you! you!" If we say it back they just double over in giggles. Matt Desmond has a quite a way with them. He often can get the whole group repeating him in unison, as he shouts team member names or soccer teams. It is quite heartbreaking, however, when they all beg for our empty water bottles. One runner can often be surrounded by 20+ outstretched hands and only one empty water bottle to give out.

We have all been reminded of how easy it is to take for granted water always coming from the faucet. Most here don't even have faucets, and those who do, cannot count on water always coming, we didn't have any water for several hours where we're staying tonight, what a harsh difference from the states.
This video was shot by Jacob Wheeler of Claire during a short break on Day 5. Click the image or this link, http://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=7cd293948b%26e=7b6f7ef5c1

That's it for now. We'll have plenty more tomorrow, including a nice long piece by Michigan Land Use Institute staff member Shauna Fite.

Day six on Friday promises more stories, and more adventures.

To read full-length stories posted by our RAE Team members please visit our blog pages at http://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=373302acdd%26e=7b6f7ef5c1

Becoming elite athletes ...

2011-01-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Wednesday January 12th, 2011 DAY FOUR

RAE Daily Update; Posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On the Ground

I have been making the case since coming on board RAE that our team, a variant group of business professionals, cops, entrepreneurs, students, and community leaders, will eventually learn that they are becoming elite athletes. That is to say that they were all extraordinary going into the project... they had to be to commit to such a feat. My feeling was that many of them didn't understand the true nature of day after day physical punishment, and its effect on the body and psyche over time.

It is the nature of all things to return to inert uniformity, a process we know as entropy. There is irony here for those who would venture to call themselves endurance athletes. Typically this physical truth occurs when things cease motion, an old tractor left out in a field, the newspaper caught in the rain, a mountain slowly turning itself into boulders, gravel, and sand. For these runners remaining in motion the entropy ensues. There is breakdown of both the physical and the spiritual, but unlike the tractor and the newspaper and the mountain these dreamers, these doers, these bodies in motion rebuild. As the RAE Team shows us, it's not about the limp we may have, or the pain that we bear. It is about being present when we feel things breaking down, and understanding in that moment that there are always others whose pain and fragility is greater than our own. That in fact our own momentary pain can simply be a reference point for the sacrifice others live with every day of their lives. It is this act that challenges them, not the motion itself which they seem to thrive upon, but the process over time, difficult to predict, impossible to measure, but once completed clearly understood.

I watched a short video today of an interview with my good friend Hans Voss conducted by Jacob Wheeler. Hans had a simple mishap on Tuesday, turning his ankle twelve miles into a thirty-mile run. Hans, a seasoned endurance athlete, stopped briefly and then buried his pain somewhere deep within to finish out the day. In this interview he said, when asked about the pain he'd suffered through, "there's a lot of people struggling a lot harder than me. One day off with a rolled ankle in nothing in comparison to the challenges the people in this country and around the world face every day. So, I'm fortunate, I'm healthy, and I'm ready to go." I loved this comment because part of Hans' pain was in his wise decision to take the day off from running. He put his ego aside on Wednesday for the betterment of the rest of the team, knowing that he would ultimately slow them down if he chose to continue. Instead he stayed on the bus, and decided to contribute to how the team was supported during the day, adding new depth and a repeatable process that will live on for the rest of the run. Hans seemed to embrace the simple acts today of gathering and distributing fresh, salted, avocados to help replenish the team running south today without him.

Here's Jacob's post from his Glen Arbor Sun blog.

Michigan Land Use Institute executive director Hans Voss, one of the original activists behind the Run Across Ethiopia, saw a different side of the run today. Voss sprained his ankle early on Day 3 but gutted out the entire 30-mile run yesterday. But extensive swelling last night convinced the competitive athlete that riding in the support van today might be wise. Earlier today, Voss talked about his injury, the importance of the “sustenance” van for the runners, and why Coach Dan Zemper — a late addition to the Run — has been nothing short of a Godsend to this ambitious endeavor.

To see the entire video clip on YouTube click the image or click here.

Today we had several runners chime in to our building storyline. Here are some excerpts:

NIGEL

And finally, today was day two of four consecutive 30 milers as we Run Across Ethiopia. We are now right out in the African Savanna. The temperature is rising and the people from the villages we run through sometimes join us for a few hundred yards or even a few miles. Luckily Matthew Desmond, Chris Girrbach and myself can still find cold beer at the end of each day :-) Day 4 - Another 30 miles down as we ran from Alem Tema to Ziway in 5 hours 53 mins. That was 30 mins faster than the 30 miler the day before. In four days we have now run 108 miles or 175 KM in 21 hrs 21 minutes. We are rolling (or at least crawling :-))

MATT

Day 4 of the run, 108 miles down, 108,000 mind-blowing strides, approximately! The Run Across Ethiopia team gelled today over the 30 mile run with an earlier start and extremely efficient support along the run: water every half hour, food every hour, no lolligagging. That added up to an earlier end time and about an hour and a half less in the hot afternoon sun. We made big waves in the small communities we passed through, including many consisting of round, mud-brick, thatch roofed houses. Folks welcomed us even more heartily today. Adults and children joined us en masse as we passed by, some for several miles. The highlight of the day was midway through the run when 60 or so people ran with and behind us, mostly children. A chant erupted from the kids: "Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea!" referencing the English soccer team. Nigel, our Liverpool loving British teammate was none too pleased! Soon, however, we were able to redirect the cheer to honor our visionary leader: "Treter, Treter, Treter!" The moment was well deserved for Chris and provided a timely pick-me-up for us all.

A few days ago May Erlewine and Seth Bernard made their way back to Addis Ababa to work with more school children and to interact with one of Ethiopia's most renown jazz musicians.

Seth &May

Another incredible day here in Addis Ababa!

We are inspired every moment and have been trying to soak in as much as possible. Today in the schools we focused on love as a theme. The kids did art work and we played all of the love songs we could muster. We felt so fortunate to be able to witness such a beautiful intimate moment with them. The paintings were beautiful! (Stephanie from Art Aid International, a division of the Tesfa Foundation helped with the art portion and provided the photo).

Amalia Fernand arrived yesterday with the rest of the Young and Voss families and of course miss Shauna Fite. Amalia worked with the kids to make leopard and baboon masks. The students colored them in and put them on. The school became a forest of wild animals... dancing wild animals. The images of these little ones with their colorful masks and giant smiles will be one I will hold onto dearly in my minds eye!

We also got a quick tour of the Jazz school that our musician friend Henock helped to foster here. It's a really incredible school that focuses on the Berkley school of music curriculum. They provide Theory and Ensemble classes and offer practice and jam spaces for the students. The atmosphere was very free and open. It was the first time in a long time that I have felt moved to return to school.

We are going out this evening to see some traditional Ethiopian music. It's been hard to pass up all of the amazing cultural experiences, but we're all a bit exhausted from the constant motion. I am operating on the idea that I can rest when we're back home. But still, I think we'll call it early tonight. Everyone is well and sending love back to all of you!

Day five on Thursday promises more stories, and more growth.

To read full-length stories posted by our RAE Team members please visit our blog pages at http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552&id=dfafc38c28&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 if you're in the Traverse City area, three area businesses host 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/.

Nigel rocks ... (and dances a little too)

2011-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

From the RAE Facebook page ... January 12, 2011

Posted by Jacob Wheeler

BEFORE ... Day 4 of the Run Across Ethiopia, Englishman Nigel Willerton rocks out to Eminem in order to pump up his fellow harriers. What a way to start the day!

Another 30 miles ...

2011-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

From Nigel's Facebook page ... January 12, 2011

Day 4 - Another 30 miles down as we ran from Alem Tema to Ziway in 5 hours 53 mins. That was 30 mins faster than the 30 miler the day before. In four days we have now run 108 miles or 175 KM in 21 hrs 21 minutes. We are rolling (or at least crawling :-))

And finally, today was day two of four consecutive 30 milers as we Run Across Ethiopia. We are now right out in the African Savanna. The temperature is rising and the people from the villages we run through sometimes join us for a few hundred yards or even a few miles. Luckily Matthew Desmond, Chris Girrbach and myself can still find cold beer at the end of each day :-)

Making friends on the run ...

2011-01-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

From the RAE Facebook page, posted Monday, January 11, 2011.

So this whole darn thing is about school children right? This fun video was shot by Jacob Wheeler running behind this little child (6 or 7 years?) with a huge backpack on. The kid is trying to keep up with Chris Treter and Nigel Willerton leading the group of runners down a busy road out of Debre Zeyit.

(Note: The kid's smile at the end is worth the entire video.)

Nigel and Million ...

2011-01-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

From Nigel's Facebook page ... January 8, 2011.

Run Across Ethiopia started with an 11k training run in the beautiful Enkoko Mountains and then a run past the coffee cooperative being cheered on by the workers. This evening we met several Ethiopian running superstars including 5,000M Sydney 2000 Olympic Champion Million Wolde.

The team brushes off 30 miles ...

2011-01-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Nigel's access to Internet for blog postings remains inconsistent, so while he's away, we'll bring you updates from the entire team by way of the RAE "Daily Updates." We'll also bring you bits from Nigel's Facebook postings.
__________________________________________________________

Tuesday January 11th, 2011 DAY THREE

RAE Daily Update; posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On The Ground

While we've boasted that the team will average a marathon a day for 12 days, the truth of that is a bit more daunting than a catchy phrase. Today, the group put in just over 30 miles. For many of them it was the longest single day run they'd ever accomplished. Only 9 more to go! This is a reminder that these people have set off to take on a real challenge. This is not a stroll in the park for any of them. Reports back suggest very high moral and a team ethic that is encouraging each member to take on some kind of leadership role each day. We also here that many of the runners are dealing with the expected aches, pains, cramps, and blisters of any endurance athlete. As of yet, there have been no cries of "uncle", or even hints that any runner won't complete the journey.

We are so grateful for the presence of Dan Zemper. He showed up as the last team member, only knowing three of the others prior to getting on his 26 hour plane ride. He's a hero in my eyes because I don't know what they would've done without his steady hand and experienced coaching. This picture shows him tending to Mary's blisters, a simple but incredibly important skill.

I am also grateful for the second to last joiner on the team, journalist Anne Stanton. Her blog posts have been the cornerstone of our reporting back home. She has given us all a glimpse of what it's like to be a wide-eyed midwesterner dumped into an alien place. Here are a couple short excerpts from Anne's posts this week. The first is from Monday.

On this trip, I often find myself looking around and seeing things I haven't seen before; each sight is new-- an adventure, a leap into hope. The school we visited has no running water, and the windows are cut out squares in the building. Two small rooms. The crayons are little stubs, and there is just a shelf full of books.

There are so many kids, about 7 of them, and they draw right on the concrete porch, which gives their art a bit of a serrated look. The bathroom is the kind they call a 'shit pit,' where you position your feet on either side of the hole, and, um, squat and pee. The door is corrugated metal. The kids are expected to learn three languages in their little lives--Amharic, the local language, and English. And I mean, they are REALLY expected to learn them because they can't funciton without the first two, and have to know English for secondary school. Seth and May were a huge hit with the kids. I talked to Chris Treter later about the less than wonderful physical aspects of the school, and he told me that it was better than what you'd see in coffee country further south. 'To me it's a human rights issue.'

This excerpt is from Tuesday.

Today, the team ran 28 miles (amazing), and I ran six (four, then one, then one), and it was hotter than hell. Poor Claire wasn't feeling well at all and STILL ran 28 miles. As we were running out of town, this little guy in a school uniform broke away from his friends and ran with us, smiling and laughing--he was running fast, and just as I was getting worried about him, he ran up the driveway to his school. It was like that the whole run, little guys joining us, some even barefoot.

A "runner's bus" follows the runners, and stops every 30 minutes with water, and every hour with some kind of sustenance. Even so, two of the runners "bonked" because they didn't eat enough food. Every day, there's a kind of recap meeting where we discuss what went right and wrong, and everyone unanimously agreed we need an earlier start because of the heat. I volunteered to help make pbj sandwiches in the morning (I start at 5:15 a.m.) Of course, time really doesn't have any great meaning in my book since I am totally screwed up anyway; just today I'm finally getting my bearings as far as the clock goes (we are 8 hours ahead of EDT in the US).

There were times today when I was the only white person on the bus with eight of the Ethiopians, who were rocking out with the Ethiopian music and chatting, chatting. The runners, of course, are rock hard. Two of the Ethiopian women went ahead of the group (probably frustrated with the pace), and ran all the way into town at which point another Ethiopian had to come and find them. They were kind of "timed-out" today on the bus but will run again tomorrow. Will close with this scene. We finished the run, and were walking to cool down, and we were at this beautiful farm where they harvest tef, and eight or so bulls were tethered together, minded by an 8 year old. A younger man with a pitchfork posed for pictures. (I'll be sure to post some when I get back.) Anyway, I look over and there's this man with a whip standing on the road, kind of whipping the air. Snap. WEIRD. I miss you all and will try to write again tomorrow.

Timothy, as team leader, has the unenviable job of getting the team up and rolling very early each morning. Here's a quick update from him before Tuesday morning's run.

On quiet cool morning in Mojo our team gathered outside to share a meal PB&J, hard boiled eggs, pineapple and bananas. With only four mugs, coffee was chugged in or to give the next teammate a turn. At 5:30 in the morning it was a bit earlier than most of our bodies wanted to be up, but all were appreciative of the runners that arose and hour earlier to get the meal ready for the road weary. The goal was to get on the road even earlier this time. Mission accomplished. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise over the Rift Valley as Coach Dan and Manush, our Ethiopian nurse, tended to some blisters before the team headed off on day three of this adventure.

And after the run Timothy sent a few more words.

The runners rocked it out today. In order to know some miles off a 59 km day tomorrow, they all agreed to run 56 km today. They are really gutting it out and moral is high. I've gotta run to greet them and them to their rooms. We're hitting the part of the run where showers and electricity are not assured, but a soft bed we can provide.

Nigel Willerton is our team member based in Houston, Texas. He seems to always have a bright disposition. He's been writing a blog of his own during the trip but, like the rest of the crew, has run into technology issues.

Run Across Ethiopia - Run Day 3 - Today we ran 30 miles from Koken to Meki in 6 hours 23 minutes. This gives us a total mileage of 78 miles in 15 hours 36 mins. First time I have run 30 miles straight in my life so I am having a St George beer to celebrate :-) I am having to give up on my blog through terrible internet access so I will stick to Facebook for my updates on Run Across Ethiopia . We are three days and 127KM of the 400KM down. Just check out this young man with his engine on his donkey who came over to see us off at 7.00am this morning...

One of the team seemingly moved most by the experience in Ethiopia is filmmaker Jamaica Weston Lynne. I've enjoyed her baring her heart for us.

As we now have been on Ethiopian time for 1 week, I think I'm starting to acclimate. The time is not only different in terms of numbers, but the reality of it as well. Starting with the sun, hour 1 is 6 am and when the sun goes down, 6 pm, it is 12. Makes sense because it is correlated naturally with the earth. There are also 2 new years, 13 months, and it is 2003, which I haven't figured out yet since I don't feel any younger. The reality of time is also very different from the U.S. Chris said it perfectly, "We called for 2 buses and got 3 buses an hour late." You never really know what you are in for or what will come or how long it will take, but then again, isn't that life. No matter how much our culture is always pushing forward the inevitability of life creeps in, an usually when we don't want it to. This culture is teaching me to go with the flow and just be, here, in this moment and the connections with people around you at that moment are what matters most. Everyone here is so beautiful and interested in close relationships and having a good time. I love to see the men on the street holding hands and talking with just love and friendship. This culture is really impacting how I view life and learn to take it easy, go with it and see what comes of it. We knew before we came that we couldn't specifically plan out the documentary, and that really was getting to me. Now, even if we had planned, it would probably wouldn't have mattered. It is now coming to life right before our eyes, and that is an experience I'm glad I didn't see coming, so I breathe in saying yes to life and, in this country, a short breath in also means yes.

Lastly I'll toss in this piece about Seth & May. Why, you might ask, would we send two musicians on a running expedition designed to raise money for schools? From the moment they arrived in Ethiopia, this incredibly gifted couple proved to everybody the power of music to connect people despite culture and language challenges. Everywhere they've gone Seth and May have opened doors for the team and left people laughing, smiling, and dancing in their wake.
Over the past couple days Seth & May, along with the film crew, went back up to Addis Ababa to catch up with some world class Ethiopian musicians. Henock Temesgen started a jazz school in Addis Ababa, and that's where our musicians settled in. Henock is renown for being one of the first Ethiopian musicians to graduate from the prestigious Berklee School of Music.

We expect to have some video of their sessions soon.

Down into the Great Rift Valley ... we have all got it working, baby!

2011-01-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

Monday January 10th, 2011 DAY TWO

RAE Daily Update; posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On The Ground.

The high plains of the Entoto Mountains quickly give way to the lush, familiar looking, farmland of Africa's Great Rift Valley. Our runners spent their second day on the road today with a 28 mile jaunt... downhill. The miles are beginning to take their toll. While the runners are all still healthy and positive, let's not kid ourselves, today was their second marathon in two days. Several of our runners have only run this far once before, let alone days in a row. This is a time when the team is challenged with either coming together, supporting one another, or risking the chaos of the alternative.

Today, finally, it seemed the team found a window of bandwidth with which to connect back home. There were a lot of Facebook and Twitter updates this morning, as well as direct blog entries. Here are some excerpts:

Nigel

Struggling to find much connectivity in Ethiopia but I am pleased to report we are two days into our run and 48 miles (79 KM's) down with a total run time of 9 hours and 23 minutes. We are in the town of Mojo and we have all got it working baby!! Day One we ran 20 miles from Addis Ababa to Debrei Ziet and 28 miles from there to Kokem. Feeling great so far. The people of Ethiopia are fabulous and the kids are unbelievable cheering and running with us in every town.

Jamaica

Seems Facebook is the only connection I can get down in Africa right now. Just came back to Addis Ababa for 3 days to film with Seth and May, interview people from Tesfa, and greet the families as they arrive. It has been a whirlwind full of experiences. Today we saw the runners off for their second day, 28 miles, and had an encounter with the Ethiopian Airforce. Note to all those out there, do not film near the base or even stop the car outside of the base, as it is suspicious behavior! Things are all good and well, and we saw the children in MoJo today. They sang songs, danced, performed drama and told us traditional stories of their culture. It was magical.

Claire

Sorry many of us haven't been sending a lot, we have very very little downtime, and when we do we're all dying, I fell asleep on my bed after the run still caked with dirt, I was too tired to even shower. I will try really hard to upload pictures tomorrow if I can, oh and we also only have 3 computers with internet (tim, treter, jacob) and they often need the computers.

Anyway, the first day of running was much harder than I anticipated, the altitude is a huge factor; it's very difficult to breath, less oxygen is getting to our muscles, and it's much more difficult to stay hydrated. Each of us completed yesterday and today and are ready to wake up at 5:30 am tomorrow! It has been a true honor to run with the 6 Ethiopian Tesfa runners, we're all learning a little Amharic and bonding very well with them. They're definitely holding back their pace to stay with us, haha.

We've only been here for a few days and the poverty is already quite overwhelming. This is such a great way to visit a country; running 25-35 miles a day gives you a lot of time with your thoughts, a lot of time to think about why things are this way, what can be done, and what any one of us can do after RAE to help alleviate poverty here or anywhere else. I'll write more soon with pictures!

May Erlewine (Half of the traveling duo mentioned throughout as Seth & May)

I am writing to you from a sweet little guest house in Addis Ababa (this is the capital city of Ethiopia. The name means "new flower"). Seth and I are back after two days out and about on the runners trail. It has been a whirlwind and it's hard to tell how much time has gone by. This is a beautiful country full of the most loving and generous souls. We have been in awe and inspiration every moment of our trip so far. We have been working in the schools with children from ages of around 4-12. Working with Stephanie, Tesfa volunteer and organizer http://tesfa.org/, we have been doing art and music workshops with the kids. These children are so full of light and joy we have been overwhelmed with honor and emotion in their presence. Please watch this beautiful video of May and Seth shot at the New Hope Academy in Addis Ababa.

Timothy Young
The Run Across Ethiopia team covered 28 miles and dropped another 200 feet into the Great Rift Valley. Two days out of Addis Ababa and I can feel the rhythm kicking in as The Tesfa Foundation support team steps up, allowing me to get another fix of hugging babies and dancing with kids at the their school in Mojo. I'm so excited for my family to arrive!

Jacob Wheeler
The Run Across Ethiopia harriers stepped things up a notch on Day 2 of the 250-mile, 11-day journey. This morning, shortly before 8 a.m., we left the town of Debre Zeyit and headed southeast, then due south, on a 28-mile jog, during which the urban congestion gave way to beautiful rolling fields of teff grass (which Ethiopians use to make injera, their national dish), cattle and livestock, and families living near the road who were surprised to see a contingent of white North Americans run by. Among today’s highlights was a little local schoolboy in a backpack running in the gutter alongside the road to catch up with RAE’er Chris Treter. The next three days’ journey will exceed 30 miles, before we begin climbing again into the Rift Valley.

Chris Treter
Today marked the second day of the Run Across Ethiopia. After an extremely busy first day that saw us getting off to a late start due to the logistics of transporting our whole team of over 30 people to the launch, while accomodating a surprising extra 25 well wisher, the team decided to start earlier on day 2 to minimize our exposure to the sun. We thought it best to wait till after sunrise to start jogging as Heinas are known to enjoy the flavor of runners in the night time so we started out at about 7:30 am. The run was much smoother then I thought. The first 15 miles are on the main road from Addis Ababa to Djibouti, a busy thoroughfare where exports and imports make their way between the port and capital. Once we took a right off that road in Mojo and started down the road toward Kenya, things started to be much more rural with far less traffic. That is, minus the one random Chinese cement factory (Chinese are heavily investing in Ethiopia) in the middle of nowhere that filled the road with smoke for a good five minutes of jogging. We covered our mouths and noses with our shirt to avoid sucking in the thick toxic smoke.

James Weston
Stray dogs bark wildly as the runners stretch out into their beds, all of our film equipment is charging through of one single plug, and Seth and May can be heard making new music in the room next door. As the second day of the Run Across Ethiopia comes to a close, I feel like the last six days of being in this country have made up a full month. So much anticipation and preparation went into what is now taking place and every day we receive further confirmation from the Ethiopian people why this effort is so vital and timely. Jamaica and I love seeing the locals explode into joy, curiosity, and support as the runners trot by, keeping up their pace along on the 250 mile journey through a beautiful & historic land. James and Jamaica are raising funds independently to fund the production of the Run Across Ethiopia documentary. Please click the graphic to the right to visit their site.

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=88a1e08ed0&e=7b6f7ef5c1

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/.

The longest journey starts with one step ... and just maybe a bundle of sticks

2011-01-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

Friends,

Here's to best laid plans and all of that ... In the outskirts of Addis Ababa and the Great Rift Valley, the RAE team has limited access to the Internet, so we're sharing others' stories on Nigel's Run Across Ethiopia blog as well. These are posted with permission, of course.
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Original posting, Sunday January 9th, 2011

THE RUN STARTED THIS MORNING IN ADDIS!

From RAE DAILY UPDATES (Subscribe here)

By Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On The Ground

If you're reading this in the U.S., the RAE Team has already completed their first leg of their 250+ mile journey. They started at 7am Addis Ababa time, which translates into 11pm eastern time in the U.S.. Though I haven't as yet received any media or posts from them. Make sure to watch our RAE LIVE webpage and our Facebook and Twitter Feeds for the latest updates

The map of the running route is on the right. You can click the image to download a large PDF document of the map. Today's leg of the journey takes the runners approximately 33k from Addis Ababa to Debre Zeit. That's about 20 miles give or take. A stroll in the park for these athletes. Once the run is over, they'll be staying in Debre Ziet for the night. Seth and May will be giving another performance at the New Hope Academy.
I'll end this post with a story I sent out to the entire team before they set off last week. It's an Ethiopian folk tale that my friends at the Traverse City Montessori Children's House found for me. (They're studying Ethiopia in the school this year.) It's from a book titled The Rich Man and the Singer - Folktales from Ethiopia, told by Mesfin Habte-Mariam.

THE WISE FATHER

Once there was a man who had many sons. When he was old and death was near, he called his sons together. He told them each to bring two sticks. They did as he said.

Then he told each one of them to break one of the sticks. Each son took a stick in his hands and snapped it in two. When they had done this, the father told them to tie their others sticks together in one bundle. “now,” he said, “break the bundle of sticks.”

The eldest son took the bundle and tried to break it on his knee. He failed. “All of you try to break it, “ said the father. They al tried, but they could not break the bundle of sticks.

“Now listen, my children,” said the father. “you have learned a good lesson. Each one of you alone is as weak as a single stick. But if you are together, you are strong. Always remember that when slender threads are wound together, they will have a rope to bind a lion.”

These runners are learning to be a bundle of sticks. Stay tuned for more news ...

__________________________________________________________http://www.onthegroundtc.org 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://www.flickr.com/photos/57872575@N05/

To read full-length stories posted by our RAE Team members please visit our blog pages at

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

Day One - Addis Ababa

2011-01-07T15:55:00.000-08:00

Arrived in Addis at 7.30am this morning. It's Christmas Day here in the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Calender so Melkin Yelidet Beaal in amharic !! Unfortunately online communications are poor here in the capital so it is likely to be a lot worse once we hit the road Sunday and head on our 250 mile trek south. Therefore it will be a struggle to write this blog every day as I had hoped and upload any photographs etc. but I will do my best.

To celebrate Christmas we visited an HIV orphanage and home for the destitute in the capital run by Mother Teresa's Mission in Addis Ababa . It was obviously very sad but also uplifting as the fabulous Seth and May played an impromtu Christmas Concert. They are fabulous guys and tremendous musicians. Check them out at http://www.sethandmay.com/ We will be trying to bring some fun, and some hope, to all the towns and villages we pass on our run. We have a planned visit to a school every day after each leg as this event is about much more than just a feat of athletic endurance.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will driving north up into the Ethiopian Highlands to the Entoto Mountains and National Park. This is the mecca of ethiopian running for a final 8-10 mile warm-up. We will then visit with Tadesse Meskela, General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union - The Fair Trade Coffee Cooperative featured in the movie Black Gold http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/story.php

We will then run 2 miles with him and hundreds of members of the cooperative from the coffee fields to the new roasting facility the Fair Trade premiums paid by US consumers have helped to finance. These developments empower these growers in an international coffee market dominated by multi-national corporations and traders.

That evening is then the launch party in Addis where some current and former Ethiopian World and Olympic running champions and other runners will join us and give us the best possible send off.

On Sunday, it's ALL BUSINESS !! Opening 40km run south from Addis Ababa as we wind our way on our first leg towards our final destination of Yirgacheffe in the lush southern coffee growing region of Ethiopia

dehnaa hono chaw or goodbye for now
NIGEL

The Ethiopia Run Starts!

2011-01-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

Today I will board a plane for Ethiopia with nine other runners and a team of support people to run a marathon-a-day for 10 consecutive days from the capital city of Addis Ababa through the Great Rift Valley to the Ethiopian Highlands. The reason is to raise funds to build three schools in a poor coffee growing region where an education is the best chance people have to achieve the most basic economic security – I am talking about shelter, clothes, and food to eat.

I am thrilled to report that more than 600 people have donated a total of over $100,000. It’s been a terrific team effort with dozens of people volunteering huge amounts of time and extraordinary dedication for this meaningful cause. Work has already begun on the first two schools (I will be visiting these communities soon and meeting the kids!) and we are confident that we have the momentum to raise the funds needed for the third school.

I know many of you have donated already and for that I am totally grateful. Thank you very much! For those of you who are excited about this cause but have yet to get involved by making a donation, I hope you will consider it because it really is a chance to make a gift that will directly help people in real need. The Run Across Ethiopia is a project of On the Ground, a 501c3 non-profit, so your gift is tax deductible. You can donate on line here: http://onthegroundglobal.org/On_The_Ground/DONATE.html you can send a check made out to "On the Ground" to

On the Ground
806 Red Drive, Suite 150
Traverse City, MI 49684

We have a terrific crew of writers and videographers who will post regular updates as the run progresses. We start running on Sunday January 9th. You can find all the latest on the run by subscribing to e-mail alerts at http://eepurl.com/b8fbv Being a Facebook friend of “Run Across Ethiopia” is also a good way to stay tuned into the action.

I really appreciate your involvement in supporting this. I will run a bit stronger knowing you are there with me.

Best wishes, and many thanks. Gotta run!

NIGEL

If they would only let me bring my bike.....

2011-01-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

I could do 250 miles across Ethiopia in 10 hours instead of 10 days on my GURU 901! Leaving for Addis Ababa tomorrow. Its On :-)

one week to go!

2010-12-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

the time to run is drawing near......................