On The Ground

POST BY NORM PLUMSTEAD

Thursday January 20, 2011

Norm Plumstead - Honor Michigan

We ran from our hotel in Yerga Cheffe to the village of Afursa Waru – approximately 10K.  When we reached the village, we were treated to a huge community celebration.  The love and support they  gave to us was overwhelming.  Over a thousand people were cheering, clapping, and signing.  All the runners took time to congratulate one another, and then we sat down while the village gathered around. The crowd was treated to songs, dancing and formal speeches of congratulations.  Chris Treter was given a chance to speak and shared some moving words.  All the American runners were presented with traditional Oromia clothes.  In the video, you can see some of the runners in their garb.

After the speeches and formalities, we were invited into a school where we ate lunch.  Following lunch we toured the village, visited the coffee processing area and interacted with the villagers.  It was at this point that I was able to grab my video camera and do some recording.  The attached video contains some of the sights and sounds from today.

Today was yet another humbling experience in Ethiopia.

Timothy Young posted this about Norm yesterday

I’d like to report that Honor Bank’s VP, Norm Plumstead, has just completed his 250 mile Run Across Ethiopia in great form along with our team of 16 Ethiopian and US runners. Thanks to Honor Bank and many other supporters, Norm is part of team that has raised over $150,000 to build schools in the coffee growing region of Jirge Chefe. Yesterday, in Hase Gola, where one of our schools is already under construction, Norm and the team arrived to a cheering crowd of over 2000 community members celebrating the team’s efforts to bring educational opportunity to this region.

www.runacrossethiopia.org