Extract from an e-mail from the beginning of November

I have been putting the cat amongst the pigeons with my report (I sent you the first draft just to let you know that I am doing other things) and have had quite a few positive responses from all walks of life. Have also now visited all 10 museums in Addis and collated their information to get a list for the students and also the local monthly free tourist magazine (like ‘What’s On’). Otherwise the students keep me busy and I have 22 two-page reports to read and assess for exam purposes. I am a real glutton for punishment! But I wanted them to present a subject as a ‘Guide’ for 5 minutes each, so gave them a list of subjects to write and talk about and the outcome is that I learnt a lot about Ethiopia!! We have also had very heated discussions. One was about Eritrea. As it was historically part of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia), the students are unwilling to let go, despite the Eritreans’ vote to be independent. So, the older people say ’let it be’ but the younger ones want to go and fight to reclaim it. Thus millions of dollars are being wasted in a futile aggressive action. In the Postal museum, I was shown how a letter to Eritrea has to go via Italy. When will mankind learn?! And of course, on the southern border with Somalia, the same nonsense is going on. This time with American aid as they have not forgotten their defeat by Somalia a few years ago, so want revenge. And I have learnt that most of the Live-Aid food 20 years ago went straight to Uganda where it was sold. There is apparently a book about that scandal. The only legacy is that the kids are all taught to beg for money much worse than in the rest of Africa. Yesterday I spoke to a man who is organizing the manufacture of impregnated Mosquito nets. This kills the mossie and deters others, so that many lives can be saved. The UN is buying 20million of these to distribute freely in Africa. But the very poor and vulnerable will no doubt be selling them in the market the following day. My informant told me this without a flicker of concern. If only they are asked to pay a few cents for them, they will not treat them like just another hand-out from the Western stooges -- maddening for me as I do not approve of all this free stuff constantly streaming into the country. That is why I like working for Habitat for Humanity as they only help people who are willing to help themselves. Sorry about this outburst!
Every day seems busier than the previous one and I wonder if I will ever get away in a few months’ time.. And I left my room this morning with terrible guilt feelings. I was playing bridge last night and returned too late to buy bread, so the birds woke me with their usual demand for food and I had nothing to offer. They walk into my room off the balcony through the French doors and my guilt is compounded….