Even for a trip to a third-world country I need a fashion consult. In many ways, I’m more concerned about what I should wear in Ethiopia than I have been for other destinations I’ve traveled to outside of the U.S.
My desire to avoid drawing attention, or inadvertently offending anyone, is strong. With my blonde hair and fair skin I will stick out enough. So I’m choosing colors carefully, focusing on neutral tones — black, khaki, gray — and checking in frequently with my traveling companion, Keri deGuzman, who is making this trip with her husband Brian for the third time in four years.
She has a direct line to the people who work at the orphanage and foster home we will visit. She has a network of friends with ties to Ethiopia.
But even she gets conflicting advice. One day she said, “Jeans are fine in Addis Ababa [the capitol city] but not in the village.” (For four days of our journey, we will be staying in the village of Soddo, located 250 miles south of Addis Ababa. The drive, much of it on undeveloped roads, takes seven or eight hours.)
A few days later she corrected that: “Jeans are fine even in Soddo.”
At one point she heard that we shouldn’t wear sneakers or track shoes, but then found out that was okay. (We are both compromising, taking shoes that fit and feel like sneakers but look more like dress shoes.)
One aspect of dressing for Ethiopia is very clear: We need to keep as much skin covered as possible. Long pants. Long skirts. Closed-toed shoes. Arms have to be covered past the elbow, so we will wear long-sleeved shirts the entire time we are in the country. (Thankfully this will not be a problem because we will be there during the height of the rainy season, when temperatures hover around 68 degrees.)
And rain boots. I had to go on Facebook to ask my friends where the heck in Phoenix, Ariz., one could find rain boots. I ended up ordering them from Target. I also needed a decent raincoat, which I bought at REI.
My sister-in-law Sally, who has traveled to Africa, recommended I take a hat or scarf to cover my head.
And then there is the need for respectful but semi-casual attire for the visit to the American Embassy. That will be the day Brian and Keri finally get the documents they need to bring their two babies, Mintesnot Solomon and Tesfanesh, home to Arizona.
Today my task is to figure out how to meet all these needs with the fewest possible items. My luggage is already heavy with technical equipment I am taking (laptop, external drive, video camera, Nikkon digital camera, audio recorder & headphones…). And then, like Keri, I am also packing items for the children at the orphanage. Calendar & Directories Editor Mala Blomquist asked if her family could contribute, so she will bring some things for me to take when I see her Monday.
The list of needs is heartbreakingly basic: formula and diapers, multivitamin drops, diaper rash medication, Vaseline, thermometers, developmental books and DVDs are among the items on a “wish list” Keri shared with me. While we are both taking some of these things with us, I don’t want to waste money on excess baggage fees.
Cash is light, and American currency buys a lot in Ethiopia.
