A show of unity

Fireworks. Parades. Traditional music late into the night.
Any Ethiopian who could be in Mekele this week is here. Ethiopia is one nation made up of nine states and more than 80 tribes. And for this week, representatives from every corner of Ethiopia are here in a show of unity.
I heard about it late and every hotel in Mekele was booked. After six weeks in Ethiopia, I've made a few friends and started calling them for help. Does anyone know anyone in Mekele?
After a few tries, yes, someone knew someone who knew everyone in Mekele and she found me a room, a pass to the festival (which it turned out I didn't need) and a ride to Addis if I wanted it after the closing ceremony.
That turn of events made me feel at home.

Early morning, I stopped at a nearby restaurant for a coffee and spiced injera before heading to the stadium.
An Ethiopian man at the next table asked where I was from.
Turns out - he lives in Denver and is in his hometown visiting family. He owns a liquor store in Denver and said the city has a huge Ethiopian community. He said there are 70 Ethiopian-owned liquor stores in Denver. (As an aside, Charlie and I went to an Ethiopian restaurant in Denver on our first date.)
The man gave me a ride to the stadium and along the way showed me how his hometown had changed in the 20 years since he moved to the U.S. It has grown from 20,000 people to 300,000, he said.
A river used to flow here, he said.
And this two story hotel in the center of these glass buildings used to be the highest thing in town.

I thanked him for the ride.
"It's not a big deal," he said. "Well, in Ethiopia it's not a big deal. In Denver, you can't just give someone a ride."

The stadium was packed with people standing in the wooden scaffolding that surrounded the bleachers.
I  met an Italian friend who was in town for the celebration and we enjoyed the strange celebrity that comes with being the only white people in a crowd of thousands. People wanted to take our photos, to pose with us. Teenagers snapped pictures with camera phones.
In the center of the field, there was a marching band. They were dressed exactly like an American high school band - tubas, trumpets, batons.
In the stands were children holding up painted cards and as a group, the cards spelled messages in Amharic. Someone would give a signal and the cards would change - different colors to represent the different regions.
Then the cards changed again to form a field of green and in the center was the face of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi who spoke that morning.

On stage, dignitaries were making speeches, the crowd was cheering and my phone kept ringing. My Ethiopian friends were so excited I was there. They were watching it on TV.
I held my my phone so they could hear.