At the end of the Yetesfa Birhan session last Wednesday Yodit, a young Ethiopian girl of around 12, came up to us and invited us to her sister’s birthday party. One member of our team said they would go one declined because they needed time with their family. I was unsure what we were doing last Sunday so did not give a definite answer.

Sunday arrived and as usual Phil and I went to the 8.30 service and the Adult Bible Fellowship that followed. A West African lady called Patience was speaking at the fellowship on the basics of marriage. We didn’t know this was happening until we were seated. She is an ebullient character whose presentation on marriage was fascinating by it’s cultural perspective. She and many present I’m sure feel that arranged marriages aren’t so bad and how much more sensible to ask many people who know you well whether your chosen partner will suit you, rather than relying simply on your own feelings!

We then went to the gym which this time was uneventful. It was as we drove up towards the Bingham gates that I saw a small figure crouching in a tiny spot of shade. It was Yodit and her whole face lit up when she saw me. I got out and she greeted me warmly. The guard confirmed that she had been waiting a very long time. As the member of our team that was keen to go hadn’t appeared I felt I must go with her. Having collected a little cash and a couple of gifts we crossed the road where we squeezed into a blue and white minibus. Yodit had established it was going towards her home. After the second stop a fourth person had squeezed onto our back seat made for three and at least four others were crouching on the floor. The fare was passed over shoulders from person to person to reach the conductor.

We managed to get out about 3 km away in the mayhem that is the railway construction. There were people, taxis and buses everywhere but Yodit carried my bag (which isn’t negotiable here) and led me a further half a kilometre or more on foot. We crossed the railway line past people selling their wares on the tracks and down a dusty path between corrugated iron shacks to Yodit’s home. It was a room of about 3 by 5 metres with a double bed at the back on the right. Wood and cloth had been erected on the left around another double bed-sized space. Other than that there were a selection of chairs that appeared to have been borrowed from neighbours. I was introduced to Grandma, Grandma’s sister, Grandpa, Mum, and the other 3 children who all live there. The two year old turned out to be the birthday girl.

They didn’t offer water for hand washing which was a shame as I'd come straight from the gym! Instead I was ushered into the adjoining shack where there was a bed in the corner, a table of food, probably the poorest menu I’ve encountered, and various aunts and uncles. I had to rely on inspired guesswork to decide whether the 5 kiss or 3 kiss greeting was appropriate. I was helped to injera (even greyer than normal) and various toppings. I took the requisite two sheets of toilet paper which had been carefully folded to hold my plate, and returned to Yodit’s dwelling.

Kindly they ushered me into the softest seat and from there I took a closer look at my surroundings. A ‘Happy Birth’ paper banner had been tucked between the gaps in the wood around the second bed. They had run out of space though and ‘day‘ had been torn off and tucked in above. The ceiling was yellow and peeling and there were five jagged black holes where silver tinsel had been fixed. Draped over the curtained window were a set of flashing fairy lights. I followed the wire with my eye and it went out of the door so I wondered where the electricity had been tapped from. No one apparently noticed all the flies in the room. At this point I met Yodit’s dad who offered me something to drink, instructing Yodit to serve me. It was reddish-brown and I had no clue what it was (Yodit told me later that they make it with grapes, sugar, Coke and water; I hoped that the Coke might kill any bugs that were in the water!) The other option was a thicker light brown liquid with a ring of black bits that floated near the top of the glass.

During my time there at least 30 people arrived over the course of a couple of hours and were all greeted and fed. The men adjourned outside in the space between shacks and the women were inside. At least four were sitting on the double bed. Everyone was given a bottle of beer and I accepted for fear of being offered the remaining brown liquid with black extras. I was the first to leave before the cake; I was in an unknown part of Addis and wanted daylight whilst traveling on my own by blue and white minivan taxi.

As Yodit tried unsuccessfully to hail several over-full taxis for me that just drove past, a lady came by begging with a baby on her back. Without pausing Yodit reached into her pocket and gave the lady one of her three coins - with a big smile.