I felt Haile’s warmth
Feb 23, 2005
You have probably seen him on television, running in one of those world sporting events. One thing I
Jackie Olanya was determined to meet Olympic gold medalist Haile Gebreselassie and she did. bubbling with Acholi boldness, she strode up to Haile and introduced herself
You have probably seen him on television, running in one of those world sporting events. One thing I looked forward to, when I landed at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November, was meeting Haile Gebreselassie.
Louis Jadwong, Andrew Kironde, Teopista and myself (Jackie Olanya) were in Ethiopia to attend a five-day British Council sponsored African Sports Strategy Seminar. There were about 35 participants from over 10 countries. The conference kicked off as scheduled on november 30. To my great exhilaration, it was confirmed that Haile would be coming that evening.
I yearned to see him. Being the young warm-blooded lady that I am, searching for heroes and heroines to emulate, Haile without question qualified to be one of my esteemed heroes. Not only does he hold two Olympic gold medals, for 9 years, he reigned as the world’s fastest marathon race ace.
Day one of the conference came to a close. We all rushed to our rooms for a quick shower before the ‘parry’. Refreshed, I joined the group in the hotel gardens. We were some minutes into the event when Haile majestically walked in. I was awestruck. We all received him with a standing ovation.
Bubbling with my Acholi boldness, I strode up to him and introduced myself, after a short while. “Oh! You are from Uganda,†Haile said. I felt the warmth of his body as he hugged me. Then I quickly made a request for a photo with him, which he granted. It was my opportunity for a life time as I circled my hands round Haile’s waist and heard the click of the camera.
“I love your President ‘Mo-seveni’, is he well?†he inquired after we had been photographed. Frankly, I have never met President Museveni, but I told Haile, with the confidence of someone who lives in State House, that he was very well. I extended Haile a verbal invitation to come to Uganda anytime. Haile went on to give a brief speech.
Welcoming the guests to Ethiopia, he thanked the organisers for their recognition of the importance of sports in society and wished us all a nice stay in Ethiopia.
And a nice stay I did have. I had the opportunity to explore parts of Bole International Airport. This impressive glass structure so fascinated me I wished Entebbe had one like it or even better.
Bole is a masterpiece of modern architecture. It is only three storeys, but has the height of a six storey building. Shopping malls, internet cafés and restaurants fill the rest of the space. At Bole airport, you move straight from the boarding terminal into the plane through the gangplank.
Shortly before we departed for Uganda, I wished an Ethiopian I had become friendly to at the Hilton Hotel, a merry Christmas. “It’s still a long way, he said in a heavy Ethiopian accent. “Just two, three weeks, is that long,†I responded.
He laughed and told us ‘their’ Christmas is in January. The majority of Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians and their Christmas called Epiphany falls on January 19.
As told to Joe Nam Jackie Olanya is studying Social Work and Social Administration at Makerere University
You have probably seen him on television, running in one of those world sporting events. One thing I looked forward to, when I landed at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November, was meeting Haile Gebreselassie.
Louis Jadwong, Andrew Kironde, Teopista and myself (Jackie Olanya) were in Ethiopia to attend a five-day British Council sponsored African Sports Strategy Seminar. There were about 35 participants from over 10 countries. The conference kicked off as scheduled on november 30. To my great exhilaration, it was confirmed that Haile would be coming that evening.
I yearned to see him. Being the young warm-blooded lady that I am, searching for heroes and heroines to emulate, Haile without question qualified to be one of my esteemed heroes. Not only does he hold two Olympic gold medals, for 9 years, he reigned as the world’s fastest marathon race ace.
Day one of the conference came to a close. We all rushed to our rooms for a quick shower before the ‘parry’. Refreshed, I joined the group in the hotel gardens. We were some minutes into the event when Haile majestically walked in. I was awestruck. We all received him with a standing ovation.
Bubbling with my Acholi boldness, I strode up to him and introduced myself, after a short while. “Oh! You are from Uganda,†Haile said. I felt the warmth of his body as he hugged me. Then I quickly made a request for a photo with him, which he granted. It was my opportunity for a life time as I circled my hands round Haile’s waist and heard the click of the camera.
“I love your President ‘Mo-seveni’, is he well?†he inquired after we had been photographed. Frankly, I have never met President Museveni, but I told Haile, with the confidence of someone who lives in State House, that he was very well. I extended Haile a verbal invitation to come to Uganda anytime. Haile went on to give a brief speech.
Welcoming the guests to Ethiopia, he thanked the organisers for their recognition of the importance of sports in society and wished us all a nice stay in Ethiopia.
And a nice stay I did have. I had the opportunity to explore parts of Bole International Airport. This impressive glass structure so fascinated me I wished Entebbe had one like it or even better.
Bole is a masterpiece of modern architecture. It is only three storeys, but has the height of a six storey building. Shopping malls, internet cafés and restaurants fill the rest of the space. At Bole airport, you move straight from the boarding terminal into the plane through the gangplank.
Shortly before we departed for Uganda, I wished an Ethiopian I had become friendly to at the Hilton Hotel, a merry Christmas. “It’s still a long way, he said in a heavy Ethiopian accent. “Just two, three weeks, is that long,†I responded.
He laughed and told us ‘their’ Christmas is in January. The majority of Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians and their Christmas called Epiphany falls on January 19.
As told to Joe Nam Jackie Olanya is studying Social Work and Social Administration at Makerere University