I'm back in the US after participating in a workshop and meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was not my first visit to the continent, as I've previously been in Morocco, Egypt, Senegal and Tunisia. Each experience to Africa has been different. On this trip I saw little beyond the drive from the airport to the hotel and the offices at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
It is unfortunate that there was not time to see more. Addis Ababa appears to be a city on the rise, or least the area around UNECA is under major construction in preparation for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the African Union. But, even without seeing the city, I did have the opportunity to meet some great people. Establishing relationships and connections with people was more important than seeing a place. That goal was met, and I look forward to continuing conversations with these people in the future ahead.
A major document was released during the week, so I may now have some spare brain cycles to return to the blog. There are a few threads that I want to explore before heading out to Rootstech in a few weeks. I don't have a lot of ambitious writing goals for the month. Perhaps returning to daily writing itself should be the goal, and the stories will unfold from there.
Patrick, when I read the lead sentence to your post today, I was hoping for some great photographs of your destination in Africa. But that is understandable--and you are so right: "Establishing relationships and connections with people [is] more important than seeing a place." And with the nature of your work, you very well may return and get that opportunity in the near future!
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