Mr. & Mrs. Vandebilt + kids

When Jim and Marion said they were traveling south to the Boorana tribe we decided we would join them to see what it was all about. They have been ‘front line missionaries’ in this area for five years now and it has become their passion. We knew setting out that it wasn’t really our thing but thought we would go and lend them a hand getting set up. That and we knew it would at least be an experience out of the ordinary.

The area that they are staying in is about 45km from the town of Yabello and Yabello is already in the middle of nowhere. It’s just about the last town before you reach the border of Kenya. There is one paved road through the middle of town and the rest are dirt roads. The main mode of public transportation is a horse and cart.

Even though the village wasn’t that far from Yabello it still took about an hour and a half to drive there. It is a graveled road for a part of the drive followed by driving on dirt paths that wind their way through bush and villages. We had a Land Cruiser to take us to the village that we had stuffed to the gills. We were ten people traveling in the jeep plus all of our supplies that we were going to need for the week – we needed to take in enough food and drinking water for seven people for five days. Jacob, Chad and I sat in the back of the jeep with our chin on our knees.

The government is in the process of opening a medical clinic for the villages. It’s completely constructed but still seems nowhere near to operation, like a lot of other things in Ethiopia. Since it’s not being used as a medical clinic we were able to set up our tents on the compound under an overhang and get out of the sun. Thankfully there was also a fence around the compound that helped keep out the curious onlookers.

I really liked the experience of living in the bush, but the work was not for me. Since we are not missionaries each day felt more or less the same as we set out to go visit one of the neighboring villages. We went with a different objective than Jim and Marion, as they were teaching people we took the opportunity to see how the people live. We were invited into peoples homes and got to see how their huts were set up and how little they have.

These people live in the dark ages as far as we are concerned but they want for nothing. Mostly because they don’t know there is anything else to be had. Everyday the women concentrate on getting enough water out of the well while the men go out and tend the cattle. The water is for cooking and watering the sheep or cows, not for drinking. The Booranna tribe only drink milk and eat corn. They will never eat beef and would prefer their children starve to death before they kill one of their livestock. Everyone lives in a grass and mud hut which can fit entire families and all their possessions.

Living in the bush for a week was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had so far on this part of the trip, if not the whole part. It was the side of Africa that everyone wants to see but few have the opportunity to do. The only part I would have changed is, I would have gone with an objective. If we had been building something or teaching kids then I would have had some purpose while I was there. Since we didn’t, we headed back to Addis after only one week in the bush.