Sunday, July 31, 2011
Happy Birthday Dols
This post could be called Babogaya in the dark. We have been without electricity for most of our time here. However, the lake is beautiful. The kids are swimming. We begin our final two days of reflection tomorrow. We will add more to this blog when we can charge the computer a bit more. Just wanted to write a short note to let everyone know everything is ok...other than electricity and internet connections!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
From Dire Dawa to Babogaya
July 30, 2011
We rose early this morning. We had sent some of our luggage ahead with Brother Retta, who was visiting from Nazarit. Breakfast was at 6:30, with a 7:00 departure scheduled. Well of course there was a little problem. They sent the wrong van. One thing led to another and we left Dire´Dawa at 9:30. The day was overcast and one of the coolest since our arrival. The road from Dire´Dawa to the top of the valley is 10 miles of hairpin curves and probably a 20 degree temperature change.
The difference in landscape is incredible. From desert rocks to arable land in just a few short miles. The clouds started to close in and soon we found ourselves in a driving rainstorm and fog so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Villages appeared like ghosts as we past through. It was really chilly, which was infinitely better than heat, but it cause the windows to fog continually and in the absence of a defroster, it made of a lot of window wiping. The roads here tend to be very good and oncoming traffic had lights, it is the people, donkeys and goats that were hard to see. Every town was a muddy mess, with even the livestock seeking shelter under the eaves of any structure they could find. Even in the rain there were so many people on the roadsides. I guess wood and water need to be gathered despite the cold driving rains.
We didn’t stop for lunch until we were out of the highlands. It had already stopped raining in the lower elevations, but everything was still wet. Again, it took nearly two hours to feed everyone. Every creek and river had water in them. As the ground level, so did the architecture. The square mud dwellings with tin roofs of the higher elevations gave way to round thatched huts in the valley. There men, with their single-bottom oxen pulled plows were everywhere there was a cultivatable spot of land. The plows haven’t changed in hundreds of years. They are a 10-12 foot pole which is more or less straight fixed to the yoke of the oxen. The pole angles to the ground where the wooden or sometimes metal blades is attached to a smaller poll that acts as a rudder or steering device. It is more visually appealing that efficient. In a few places there are people cultivating with a broad hoe type implement that has an ax type handle. They are probably too poor to afford oxen.
As we enter further into the valley, the structures and landscape change. Here there must not be enough rain to make agriculture profitable. The villages are close to the road and close together. The huts are the hive time home of the pastoralists. The are constructed of sticks covered with tarps or plastic or cardboard. Most of them are surrounded with barriers made of prickly acacia branches. There are more goats and camels than people.
We finally arrive in Awash, technically for a bathroom stop, but there is no bathroom. We continue out of town and find an empty field, so we created a tourist sensation, except the locals were the gawkers. I guess seeing 20 white people peeing in a field would draw a crowd just about anywhere! Awash marks the half-way point.
We make a final stop at a soda lake to wash our hair. Dols was more enamored with the results than any of the kids. Emily said it looked like someone had used the lake for a bathroom, but washed her hair anyway. The land next to the lake gave testimony to the volcanic nature of the area. There were lava fields and huge outcroppings of black lava all along the road.
It was dark by the time we reached Nazarit. But Debre Zeit was close to there. We arrived at Babogaya with dinner waiting for us. The hot soup tasted so good to all the bone weary and chilly travelers. It was too dark to see the lake, but the property here is lake front, so everyone will enjoy that tomorrow.
We rose early this morning. We had sent some of our luggage ahead with Brother Retta, who was visiting from Nazarit. Breakfast was at 6:30, with a 7:00 departure scheduled. Well of course there was a little problem. They sent the wrong van. One thing led to another and we left Dire´Dawa at 9:30. The day was overcast and one of the coolest since our arrival. The road from Dire´Dawa to the top of the valley is 10 miles of hairpin curves and probably a 20 degree temperature change.
The difference in landscape is incredible. From desert rocks to arable land in just a few short miles. The clouds started to close in and soon we found ourselves in a driving rainstorm and fog so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Villages appeared like ghosts as we past through. It was really chilly, which was infinitely better than heat, but it cause the windows to fog continually and in the absence of a defroster, it made of a lot of window wiping. The roads here tend to be very good and oncoming traffic had lights, it is the people, donkeys and goats that were hard to see. Every town was a muddy mess, with even the livestock seeking shelter under the eaves of any structure they could find. Even in the rain there were so many people on the roadsides. I guess wood and water need to be gathered despite the cold driving rains.
We didn’t stop for lunch until we were out of the highlands. It had already stopped raining in the lower elevations, but everything was still wet. Again, it took nearly two hours to feed everyone. Every creek and river had water in them. As the ground level, so did the architecture. The square mud dwellings with tin roofs of the higher elevations gave way to round thatched huts in the valley. There men, with their single-bottom oxen pulled plows were everywhere there was a cultivatable spot of land. The plows haven’t changed in hundreds of years. They are a 10-12 foot pole which is more or less straight fixed to the yoke of the oxen. The pole angles to the ground where the wooden or sometimes metal blades is attached to a smaller poll that acts as a rudder or steering device. It is more visually appealing that efficient. In a few places there are people cultivating with a broad hoe type implement that has an ax type handle. They are probably too poor to afford oxen.
As we enter further into the valley, the structures and landscape change. Here there must not be enough rain to make agriculture profitable. The villages are close to the road and close together. The huts are the hive time home of the pastoralists. The are constructed of sticks covered with tarps or plastic or cardboard. Most of them are surrounded with barriers made of prickly acacia branches. There are more goats and camels than people.
We finally arrive in Awash, technically for a bathroom stop, but there is no bathroom. We continue out of town and find an empty field, so we created a tourist sensation, except the locals were the gawkers. I guess seeing 20 white people peeing in a field would draw a crowd just about anywhere! Awash marks the half-way point.
We make a final stop at a soda lake to wash our hair. Dols was more enamored with the results than any of the kids. Emily said it looked like someone had used the lake for a bathroom, but washed her hair anyway. The land next to the lake gave testimony to the volcanic nature of the area. There were lava fields and huge outcroppings of black lava all along the road.
It was dark by the time we reached Nazarit. But Debre Zeit was close to there. We arrived at Babogaya with dinner waiting for us. The hot soup tasted so good to all the bone weary and chilly travelers. It was too dark to see the lake, but the property here is lake front, so everyone will enjoy that tomorrow.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Harar
July 29, 2011
Today was the last day of teaching and being a Friday, there were quizzes. In general the students were better today. Having a holiday in the middle of the week is never good for teachers.
After lunch the cook’s assistant, Fanu, prepared coffee in the traditional manner, bringing the charcoal right into the living room. It is a slow process, starting with roasting the beans. After the ceremony we presented Fanu and Aojete, the cook, with pictures of them with Yared, Aojete’s son.
Late in the afternoon, we headed for Harar which was about an hour away. Harar is an ancient walled city, whose history is rather clouded in lore. At any rate the city is at least 1000 years old, if not 1500. The wall that surrounds the city was built in the mid-1500s. Only a few of the street are wide enough to allow for motorized traffic.
The first thing we did was head for the brewery. We all had to don lab technician coats, so we were a sight! However, they didn’t allow photos, because this would have been a good one.
After the tour we were taken to the beer garden where we could sample the beer. Don’t worry, the students had Sofy…the non-alcoholic version. We ordered dinner and then realized how late it was getting. We made haste…because it was feeding town for the hyenas.
I guess no trip to Harar would be complete without a trip to the hyena man. I tried to find out the beginnings of that tradition, but there seem to be several different theories. It has been going on for about 60 years and there are, in fact, two different hyena men…one at one gate of the city and the other one then next gate down. We went to a different one than last time. Fewer hyenas, but he was a bigger show off! Not only did the kids feed hyenas meat hanging from sticks they would put in their mouths, but the hyena man had them bend down and the hyenas would put their from legs on their back in order to reach the meat the hyena man would hold over them. There should have been a sign reading: Do not attempt at home.
We went back to the brewery to finish our dinner. Brother Daniel provided entertainment by dancing for us. Getachew told a couple of the jokes only he understands, but everyone laughs at the fact that they crack him up.
On the way back we passed through a town, whose name I don’t know, but it was a night chat market. There were people everywhere carrying huge bundles of chat. The area around Harar is known as the primary chat exporting area in the country. Unfortunately, chat takes up fields where coffee and other agricultural products once grew.
Today was the last day of teaching and being a Friday, there were quizzes. In general the students were better today. Having a holiday in the middle of the week is never good for teachers.
After lunch the cook’s assistant, Fanu, prepared coffee in the traditional manner, bringing the charcoal right into the living room. It is a slow process, starting with roasting the beans. After the ceremony we presented Fanu and Aojete, the cook, with pictures of them with Yared, Aojete’s son.
Late in the afternoon, we headed for Harar which was about an hour away. Harar is an ancient walled city, whose history is rather clouded in lore. At any rate the city is at least 1000 years old, if not 1500. The wall that surrounds the city was built in the mid-1500s. Only a few of the street are wide enough to allow for motorized traffic.
The first thing we did was head for the brewery. We all had to don lab technician coats, so we were a sight! However, they didn’t allow photos, because this would have been a good one.
After the tour we were taken to the beer garden where we could sample the beer. Don’t worry, the students had Sofy…the non-alcoholic version. We ordered dinner and then realized how late it was getting. We made haste…because it was feeding town for the hyenas.
I guess no trip to Harar would be complete without a trip to the hyena man. I tried to find out the beginnings of that tradition, but there seem to be several different theories. It has been going on for about 60 years and there are, in fact, two different hyena men…one at one gate of the city and the other one then next gate down. We went to a different one than last time. Fewer hyenas, but he was a bigger show off! Not only did the kids feed hyenas meat hanging from sticks they would put in their mouths, but the hyena man had them bend down and the hyenas would put their from legs on their back in order to reach the meat the hyena man would hold over them. There should have been a sign reading: Do not attempt at home.
We went back to the brewery to finish our dinner. Brother Daniel provided entertainment by dancing for us. Getachew told a couple of the jokes only he understands, but everyone laughs at the fact that they crack him up.
On the way back we passed through a town, whose name I don’t know, but it was a night chat market. There were people everywhere carrying huge bundles of chat. The area around Harar is known as the primary chat exporting area in the country. Unfortunately, chat takes up fields where coffee and other agricultural products once grew.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Lasallian Youth
July 28, 2011
Today was our sixth day of teaching in Dire´ Dawa. The kids were quite rambunctious and according to Mr. Dols the kids were “obnoxious little sh**s”. Overall we decided that teaching has been a success even though some of the kids do not listen, but we would find that problem no matter where we are.
The library has continued to make good progress; almost all of the books are now cataloged and re-shelved. This morning Emily and I went to check our laundry and we saw four happy chickens walking around. After our third period of teaching we proceeded to check our laundry to see if it was dry and found the happy chickens being de-feathered and gutted. We had a nice anatomy lesson on the chicken body from the woman and saw a cat devour the chicken’s small intestine. Yummyyy. While eating the chickens for lunch it was hard not to think about how happy they were this morning.
After lunch we had a choice to go to a market to buy traditional Ethiopian dresses. We could choose our fabric and then the man would sew it into a dress right in front of us. When we came back to the compound the school’s Lasallian Youth Group put on a presentation for us. During the meeting the group sang and performed a coffee ceremony for us. We then broke into small groups and got the chance to talk with members of their Lasallian group. We discussed many things and then had dinner. It was our last dinner at the Brother’s house and it was delicious. We went back to the rooms and did some cleaning. We had a meeting out on the basketball courts. It was a beautiful night and we stargazed.
Carly Iversen and Emily Pearson
Shout out to all mom’s having their daughter’s participating in the TC 10 mile! (Emily, Carly, Lindy, Morgan, Lizzie, Lexie, and Lauren LaVelle) Make sure you sign us up please! Training has been successful.
Today was our sixth day of teaching in Dire´ Dawa. The kids were quite rambunctious and according to Mr. Dols the kids were “obnoxious little sh**s”. Overall we decided that teaching has been a success even though some of the kids do not listen, but we would find that problem no matter where we are.
The library has continued to make good progress; almost all of the books are now cataloged and re-shelved. This morning Emily and I went to check our laundry and we saw four happy chickens walking around. After our third period of teaching we proceeded to check our laundry to see if it was dry and found the happy chickens being de-feathered and gutted. We had a nice anatomy lesson on the chicken body from the woman and saw a cat devour the chicken’s small intestine. Yummyyy. While eating the chickens for lunch it was hard not to think about how happy they were this morning.
After lunch we had a choice to go to a market to buy traditional Ethiopian dresses. We could choose our fabric and then the man would sew it into a dress right in front of us. When we came back to the compound the school’s Lasallian Youth Group put on a presentation for us. During the meeting the group sang and performed a coffee ceremony for us. We then broke into small groups and got the chance to talk with members of their Lasallian group. We discussed many things and then had dinner. It was our last dinner at the Brother’s house and it was delicious. We went back to the rooms and did some cleaning. We had a meeting out on the basketball courts. It was a beautiful night and we stargazed.
Carly Iversen and Emily Pearson
Shout out to all mom’s having their daughter’s participating in the TC 10 mile! (Emily, Carly, Lindy, Morgan, Lizzie, Lexie, and Lauren LaVelle) Make sure you sign us up please! Training has been successful.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Home Visits
July 27, 2011
Hamle 20, 2003
We began our day with teaching grades k-9. We thought it went smoother than the first day because they are starting to recognize us and respect us as teachers. We have been working on our lesson plans and hope that we can see progression in their English and math skills by the time we leave. The library is coming along nicely, although there are still some things that need to be finished, it looks like the organizing and cataloging of the books will be completed by the time we leave. After the school day was over, kids stuck around as usual to interact and play with us. Instead of the usual play time this afternoon, we got to go on house visits of students from the school.
Lauren LaVelle, Sophie, Carly, and Heather went to a young girl’s house who is 21 and is a 12th grader at the school. It started off with a taxi ride Lauren, Heather, and our host, Saret, were in one car while Carly and Sophie got separated into a different one. This was very intimidating for all of us due to the fact that we did not know where we were headed (these taxis are nothing like the ones at home). We drove for only about 5 minutes and arrived at her house safely. She graciously welcomed us into her home and before the coffee ceremony could commence, she had us dress up in traditional Ethiopian dresses and headscarves. We sat in a very small room, that was very hot, and only got hotter with the fire for the coffee. She served/hand fed us injera with pasta and injera sauce as well as bread and popcorn. She had us help prepare the coffee by letting us take turns roasting the coffee beans over the fire. We started with listening to traditional Ethiopian music as she showed us pictures of her family and friends, but she decided we would feel more “at home” listening to the Pussycat Dolls. She also treated us to her own manicures with bubble gum pink polish, which we were all in need of. We had our own GNO (girls night out)!
We all send our love to our family and friends! See you all soon, we miss you a lot.
-Carly Iversen, Lauren LaVelle, Sophie Nord, and Heather Klosterman
Lauren, Laura, Jessica and Mikayla went to a boy named Bemnet Ali’s house. Bemnet is 17 years old and will be in 12th grade next year. He lives with his mother, brother and sister. He has another brother that is studying engineering in Germany. We took a taxi ride about 15 minutes out of Diré Dawa to Bemnet’s home. There, his mother welcomed us with 4 kisses each and prepared a coffee ceremony for us! First, she served us mango juice (that she makes herself), then we were treated to soda, bread and homemade marmalade. They bought us fresh fruit and served us two rounds of coffee. Bemnet’s family was very welcoming; even some neighbors stopped by to talk. After coffee, Bemnet’s sister, Tagist, gave all four of us French manicures! Then, Bemnet and three of his friends took us to Papa Recreation Center. It was almost like a carnival: there was a ferris wheel, swimming pool, arcade games and bumper cars. We played pool and ping pong there. We would have stayed out all night, but we realized that Dols probably wanted us back for dinner. It was fun to see a place where teenagers like us hang out.
Sending all of our love, God bless!
-Laura Mueller, Mikayla Hoff, Jessica Cook and Lauren Moore
Krista and Olivia’s House Visit:
Krista and I went to Nadi’s home which was located about 20 minutes from the school. Nadi is seventeen years old and is in grade 11 at the Brothers’ school. We took a small taxi to her house and got to see many parts of Dire Dawa along the way. Nadi’s house was located close to Diré Dawa University and she lived in a quiet neighborhood away from the city. We met her father, aunt, younger sister, and younger brother. They were very welcoming and were happy to have us in their home. Nadi first offered us bread and Fanta pop, then Nadi and her sister began the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. First, we watched her cook the coffee beans, then she ground them, boiled water, and served us the first of three round of coffee. It was delicious. We were also treated with popcorn that is traditionally served at a coffee ceremony and injera bread with a special sauce. During the house visit we learned more about Nadi and her life in Diré Dawa and we also told her about the United States and our families. Nadi is the only child in her family attending a private school and she loves biology and plans to become a doctor in the future. After we finished the coffee ceremony, Nadi and her sister took us in the taxi back to the school. It was a relaxing evening and we are glad we got to spend time with Nadi and her family.
Katie, Jake, Rob, and Clayton’s house visit:
The boys and I went to LemLem’s house. She will be in grade 12 and wants to study medicine. She has lived in Diré Dawa for 11 years, and previously lived in Harar (which we will be visiting Friday). We took a 10 min. taxi ride and went to an Orthodox church in the final stages of construction. The structure was present and the painting was in progress as well as the laying of the face bricks. We got to walk up the stairs to the roof. It was one of the coolest experiences yet. After visiting the church, we went to her house and had a coffee ceremony lead by her best friend and neighbor. With the coffee we had coke, popcorn, bread, injera, spinach, and a beet/potato dish that were all wonderful. Clayton was forced to show off his karate, and LemLem taught us how to dance. After the ceremony we walked around the town and got to see another Orthodox church, Diré Dawa University, and we even went to Papa Recreational Park, which had rides and an outdoor pool. Soon after it was time to go, so we took another taxi back to the school. Overall it was a great experience that we will never forget, she even promised to add all of us on facebook.
Ciao!
I went for my usual walk with the Brothers last night. It was longer than usual, we walked almost to the gates of the airport. There was a cool breeze blowing, so it was very comfortable. The Brothers were explaining to me that because of the climate in Diré Dawa it has a very large number of homeless; and indeed it does. They said in Addis the homeless suffer so much because of the cold and rain. Here the nights stay in the mid-70’s at least, it is in the mid-90’s during the day…and this is considered one of the cooler months. In the two blocks around the Orthodox church we pass, I count at least 30 people sleeping in the streets. I notice for the first time two women, both nursing what look like newborns. Further down the street a toddler sits in the crook of his mother’s arm as she seems to be sleeping. The women seem to gather together and sleep close to each other, for protection I imagine. When we go to Mass in the morning, there are usually people sleeping in front of the church. I know that on somedays, the altar boys are passing out bread to them. I don’t know if that is that attraction to the other churches as well.
Hamle 20, 2003
We began our day with teaching grades k-9. We thought it went smoother than the first day because they are starting to recognize us and respect us as teachers. We have been working on our lesson plans and hope that we can see progression in their English and math skills by the time we leave. The library is coming along nicely, although there are still some things that need to be finished, it looks like the organizing and cataloging of the books will be completed by the time we leave. After the school day was over, kids stuck around as usual to interact and play with us. Instead of the usual play time this afternoon, we got to go on house visits of students from the school.
Lauren LaVelle, Sophie, Carly, and Heather went to a young girl’s house who is 21 and is a 12th grader at the school. It started off with a taxi ride Lauren, Heather, and our host, Saret, were in one car while Carly and Sophie got separated into a different one. This was very intimidating for all of us due to the fact that we did not know where we were headed (these taxis are nothing like the ones at home). We drove for only about 5 minutes and arrived at her house safely. She graciously welcomed us into her home and before the coffee ceremony could commence, she had us dress up in traditional Ethiopian dresses and headscarves. We sat in a very small room, that was very hot, and only got hotter with the fire for the coffee. She served/hand fed us injera with pasta and injera sauce as well as bread and popcorn. She had us help prepare the coffee by letting us take turns roasting the coffee beans over the fire. We started with listening to traditional Ethiopian music as she showed us pictures of her family and friends, but she decided we would feel more “at home” listening to the Pussycat Dolls. She also treated us to her own manicures with bubble gum pink polish, which we were all in need of. We had our own GNO (girls night out)!
We all send our love to our family and friends! See you all soon, we miss you a lot.
-Carly Iversen, Lauren LaVelle, Sophie Nord, and Heather Klosterman
Lauren, Laura, Jessica and Mikayla went to a boy named Bemnet Ali’s house. Bemnet is 17 years old and will be in 12th grade next year. He lives with his mother, brother and sister. He has another brother that is studying engineering in Germany. We took a taxi ride about 15 minutes out of Diré Dawa to Bemnet’s home. There, his mother welcomed us with 4 kisses each and prepared a coffee ceremony for us! First, she served us mango juice (that she makes herself), then we were treated to soda, bread and homemade marmalade. They bought us fresh fruit and served us two rounds of coffee. Bemnet’s family was very welcoming; even some neighbors stopped by to talk. After coffee, Bemnet’s sister, Tagist, gave all four of us French manicures! Then, Bemnet and three of his friends took us to Papa Recreation Center. It was almost like a carnival: there was a ferris wheel, swimming pool, arcade games and bumper cars. We played pool and ping pong there. We would have stayed out all night, but we realized that Dols probably wanted us back for dinner. It was fun to see a place where teenagers like us hang out.
Sending all of our love, God bless!
-Laura Mueller, Mikayla Hoff, Jessica Cook and Lauren Moore
Krista and Olivia’s House Visit:
Krista and I went to Nadi’s home which was located about 20 minutes from the school. Nadi is seventeen years old and is in grade 11 at the Brothers’ school. We took a small taxi to her house and got to see many parts of Dire Dawa along the way. Nadi’s house was located close to Diré Dawa University and she lived in a quiet neighborhood away from the city. We met her father, aunt, younger sister, and younger brother. They were very welcoming and were happy to have us in their home. Nadi first offered us bread and Fanta pop, then Nadi and her sister began the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. First, we watched her cook the coffee beans, then she ground them, boiled water, and served us the first of three round of coffee. It was delicious. We were also treated with popcorn that is traditionally served at a coffee ceremony and injera bread with a special sauce. During the house visit we learned more about Nadi and her life in Diré Dawa and we also told her about the United States and our families. Nadi is the only child in her family attending a private school and she loves biology and plans to become a doctor in the future. After we finished the coffee ceremony, Nadi and her sister took us in the taxi back to the school. It was a relaxing evening and we are glad we got to spend time with Nadi and her family.
Katie, Jake, Rob, and Clayton’s house visit:
The boys and I went to LemLem’s house. She will be in grade 12 and wants to study medicine. She has lived in Diré Dawa for 11 years, and previously lived in Harar (which we will be visiting Friday). We took a 10 min. taxi ride and went to an Orthodox church in the final stages of construction. The structure was present and the painting was in progress as well as the laying of the face bricks. We got to walk up the stairs to the roof. It was one of the coolest experiences yet. After visiting the church, we went to her house and had a coffee ceremony lead by her best friend and neighbor. With the coffee we had coke, popcorn, bread, injera, spinach, and a beet/potato dish that were all wonderful. Clayton was forced to show off his karate, and LemLem taught us how to dance. After the ceremony we walked around the town and got to see another Orthodox church, Diré Dawa University, and we even went to Papa Recreational Park, which had rides and an outdoor pool. Soon after it was time to go, so we took another taxi back to the school. Overall it was a great experience that we will never forget, she even promised to add all of us on facebook.
Ciao!
I went for my usual walk with the Brothers last night. It was longer than usual, we walked almost to the gates of the airport. There was a cool breeze blowing, so it was very comfortable. The Brothers were explaining to me that because of the climate in Diré Dawa it has a very large number of homeless; and indeed it does. They said in Addis the homeless suffer so much because of the cold and rain. Here the nights stay in the mid-70’s at least, it is in the mid-90’s during the day…and this is considered one of the cooler months. In the two blocks around the Orthodox church we pass, I count at least 30 people sleeping in the streets. I notice for the first time two women, both nursing what look like newborns. Further down the street a toddler sits in the crook of his mother’s arm as she seems to be sleeping. The women seem to gather together and sleep close to each other, for protection I imagine. When we go to Mass in the morning, there are usually people sleeping in front of the church. I know that on somedays, the altar boys are passing out bread to them. I don’t know if that is that attraction to the other churches as well.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Contrasts
July 26, 2011
Hamle 19, 2003
Today, the feast of St. Gabriel on the Orthodox calendar, is also a special day for Besrate Gabriel School. Besrate Gabriel means the Annunciation of Gabriel…therefore, like all schools wishing to celebrate, we don’t have classes!
Lauren, still recovering from her appendectomy, and I stayed home this morning. Brother Getachew feared that the crowds being what they were might jostle her. Her recovery is remarkable, even though she doesn’t think so. The incision is clean and looks good and she is walking straighter and faster every day. We went to the clinic run by the doctor who performed her surgery the other night and he removed all the dressings. The stitches come out tomorrow. Humble by our standards, with concrete floors and plastic chairs, the waiting room in the back boosted a T.V. set! As we waited one of the Muslims unrolled his prayer run right next to the T.V. for his evening prayers. It was like seeing the Maasai Moran in his traditional shuka riding in the back of a pick-up truck talking on his cell phone.
The Brother’s residence has two floors. The bedrooms are on the second overlooking a small walled garden. On the other side of the wall is a very busy street; so busy it affords the only stop light I have seen in Dire´Dawa. It is trafficked all hours of the day and night. There are duel trailers drawn by smoke belching trucks, private cars that speed by, trucks pulling shipping containers, busses and the every present bajajs that swerve in and out of all the other traffic like pesky mosquitoes. However, they honk their horns to attract business rather than buzz. I happened to glance out my window this morning and instead of the usual traffic there was a caravan of camels, slowly plodding down the street. They bore saddles made of woven reeds and the front and back cross pieces were worn tree limbs. Again the contrast between the ancient and modern that is Africa became apparent.
I just wanted to add a bit to what the girls have written about our visit to the Missionaries of Charity. The facility is unique in that it was founded here 30 years ago in response to the large number of mental patients. Sister Marie said Mother Theresa has visited here many times. Many of the mental patients here are because of the use of chat. Over time chat cause a type of schizophrenia.
The first stop on our tour is the clinic which is located in the men’s compound. We then walk through a part of the compound where the wards for the terminally ill and undiagnosed are. The work of the Missionaries of Charity is to care for the sick and dying, so necessarily there is a mortuary in this part of the compound.
We return back to the area for the mentally ill men and tour one of the dormitories. There are fifty beds arranged in rows, head to foot. There are two of these on the floor we visit. All of the patients are in “uniform” which helps the staff of almost 200 keep track of who needs to be where. There are only 8 sister here.
We leave the men’s compound and walk down the street to the woman’s compound. There are several parts to this compound also. The women with physical illness are in the first part we tour, they seem very happy to see us. There are many fewer women than men. Women are usually taken care of in their homes. We then tour the area for women with mental illness, which sister explains seems to hit them harder.
We then pass to the children’s area. We have been followed by a few of the kids since we entered the women’s compound. First we go to the room with the children with extreme mental and physical disability. There are several lying listless from malnutrition. Somehow it is always harder to see a sick child, they seem so helpless.
The women, ululate in joy as we approach. The all have babies that is why they are here. Their children may be sick, so they stay with them or they have recently given birth and have yet to return home (if they have a home to which to return).
We end our tour at the garden and a plot of land yet undeveloped. The sisters have everything so clean and organized, all for those who are the poorest of the poor. And in the midst of all the suffering, the sister's always smile, which is the greatest healer. And for those of you who have read "Cutting for Stone", the answer is, "the ear", through which words of comfort are heard. As we get ready to leave, the rains which have threatened since our arrival, finally come. A blessing in Africa.
Hamle 19, 2003
Today, the feast of St. Gabriel on the Orthodox calendar, is also a special day for Besrate Gabriel School. Besrate Gabriel means the Annunciation of Gabriel…therefore, like all schools wishing to celebrate, we don’t have classes!
Lauren, still recovering from her appendectomy, and I stayed home this morning. Brother Getachew feared that the crowds being what they were might jostle her. Her recovery is remarkable, even though she doesn’t think so. The incision is clean and looks good and she is walking straighter and faster every day. We went to the clinic run by the doctor who performed her surgery the other night and he removed all the dressings. The stitches come out tomorrow. Humble by our standards, with concrete floors and plastic chairs, the waiting room in the back boosted a T.V. set! As we waited one of the Muslims unrolled his prayer run right next to the T.V. for his evening prayers. It was like seeing the Maasai Moran in his traditional shuka riding in the back of a pick-up truck talking on his cell phone.
The Brother’s residence has two floors. The bedrooms are on the second overlooking a small walled garden. On the other side of the wall is a very busy street; so busy it affords the only stop light I have seen in Dire´Dawa. It is trafficked all hours of the day and night. There are duel trailers drawn by smoke belching trucks, private cars that speed by, trucks pulling shipping containers, busses and the every present bajajs that swerve in and out of all the other traffic like pesky mosquitoes. However, they honk their horns to attract business rather than buzz. I happened to glance out my window this morning and instead of the usual traffic there was a caravan of camels, slowly plodding down the street. They bore saddles made of woven reeds and the front and back cross pieces were worn tree limbs. Again the contrast between the ancient and modern that is Africa became apparent.
I just wanted to add a bit to what the girls have written about our visit to the Missionaries of Charity. The facility is unique in that it was founded here 30 years ago in response to the large number of mental patients. Sister Marie said Mother Theresa has visited here many times. Many of the mental patients here are because of the use of chat. Over time chat cause a type of schizophrenia.
The first stop on our tour is the clinic which is located in the men’s compound. We then walk through a part of the compound where the wards for the terminally ill and undiagnosed are. The work of the Missionaries of Charity is to care for the sick and dying, so necessarily there is a mortuary in this part of the compound.
We return back to the area for the mentally ill men and tour one of the dormitories. There are fifty beds arranged in rows, head to foot. There are two of these on the floor we visit. All of the patients are in “uniform” which helps the staff of almost 200 keep track of who needs to be where. There are only 8 sister here.
We leave the men’s compound and walk down the street to the woman’s compound. There are several parts to this compound also. The women with physical illness are in the first part we tour, they seem very happy to see us. There are many fewer women than men. Women are usually taken care of in their homes. We then tour the area for women with mental illness, which sister explains seems to hit them harder.
We then pass to the children’s area. We have been followed by a few of the kids since we entered the women’s compound. First we go to the room with the children with extreme mental and physical disability. There are several lying listless from malnutrition. Somehow it is always harder to see a sick child, they seem so helpless.
The women, ululate in joy as we approach. The all have babies that is why they are here. Their children may be sick, so they stay with them or they have recently given birth and have yet to return home (if they have a home to which to return).
We end our tour at the garden and a plot of land yet undeveloped. The sisters have everything so clean and organized, all for those who are the poorest of the poor. And in the midst of all the suffering, the sister's always smile, which is the greatest healer. And for those of you who have read "Cutting for Stone", the answer is, "the ear", through which words of comfort are heard. As we get ready to leave, the rains which have threatened since our arrival, finally come. A blessing in Africa.
Feast of St. Gabriel
July 26, 2011
Hamle 19, 2003 ec
Happy St. Gabriel’s Feast Day! There was no school today, but we still had to wake up early. It was a treat for breakfast this morning because along with our normal bread rolls there was a fresh jar of nutella and strawberry jam.
After breakfast we all dressed in our Sunday best for the celebration of St. Gabriel’s Feast Day in Lagahare. We had to drive what we thought would be 20 minutes but really turned into a hour drive, but we can’t complain too much because along the way down the mountains there was beautiful scenery as usual. Nineteen of us fit into the Brother’s van and the rest rode in the back of the Brother’s pick-up truck! Don’t worry though, in Africa riding in the back of a pick-up truck is considered safe and legal.
Once we arrived we were shocked by the traffic and amount of people all gathered for this saint’s feast day. Think of the Minnesota State fair multiplied by 2. Apparently all Christian Orthodox Ethiopian’s gather for this day, and some even spend the previous night sleeping by and around the church to ensure a chance to pray to St. Gabriel for hope. We still haven’t gotten used to being stared at by every passerby, it was like a “ferengie parade” (the word they use for white person). There were even some locals that stopped us to ask for a picture with us. When we finally arrived to the beautiful church there were people EVERYWHERE. We felt like elephants in a line holding on to the person in front of us in hope that we would get pulled through and stay together. We walked around the whole church and then we took off our shoes so we could enter the church. Once inside we all walked around and looked at all the beautiful ceilings, walls, altars, and decorations. We took some pictures and some time to take it all in and pray.
After we left the church we all walked back and on our way we stopped to buy some necklaces and bread, they are beautiful and the bread was delicious! Brother Getachew decided to take a short cut home and this short cut included what we called our “hike number 2”. We very carefully went down a side of a hill to beat the hustle and bustle of the celebration. It was a little scary, but we trusted him and it gives us something extra to journal about.
We rode back 19 to the van and 6 in the back of the truck again, once again beautiful sights to see. Once we got home we all were tired and tried to take naps, but it was too hot so we all went outside (yes it is hotter in our room than outside)! Not many kids showed up to playtime today because of the feast day celebration, but a few did so we all played basketball and volleyball.
After playtime we took two trips as a group in the back of the truck and we went to visit The Missionaries of Charity, it was a care center for kids, men, and women. These individuals are cared for from birth until death. While we were there Sister Maria Thomasma, originally born in Italy, gave us a tour of both the men’s and women’s facilities. Although it was difficult for us to see people in these situations, it was remarkable for us to experience the love of the sisters and patients who are there every day. After our tour it began to rain and so we left The Missionaries of Charity and went back in the back of the truck. When we got home we all gathered for dinner, and after as usual we reflected on our experiences of the day.
The past two blog entries were written by Lexie, Krista, and Olivia
Krista- I would like to give a shout out to MJ, Rog, Naney, Welty and Skeat and all my other family and friends! I miss you all and love you all so much! I hope everything is going well!
Lexie- I want to send my love to My Mom and Dad, My Brother Taylor, and all my family members that are following this blog! I am having a great time in Ethiopia and can’t wait to share my experiences with all of you when I get home!
Olivia- Hey every one! Happy early 21st Kelsey! And to the rest of the fam.. mom, dad, Sam, Megan, and Maes and all my friends: I miss you all and love you so much! See you soon!
Hamle 19, 2003 ec
Happy St. Gabriel’s Feast Day! There was no school today, but we still had to wake up early. It was a treat for breakfast this morning because along with our normal bread rolls there was a fresh jar of nutella and strawberry jam.
After breakfast we all dressed in our Sunday best for the celebration of St. Gabriel’s Feast Day in Lagahare. We had to drive what we thought would be 20 minutes but really turned into a hour drive, but we can’t complain too much because along the way down the mountains there was beautiful scenery as usual. Nineteen of us fit into the Brother’s van and the rest rode in the back of the Brother’s pick-up truck! Don’t worry though, in Africa riding in the back of a pick-up truck is considered safe and legal.
Once we arrived we were shocked by the traffic and amount of people all gathered for this saint’s feast day. Think of the Minnesota State fair multiplied by 2. Apparently all Christian Orthodox Ethiopian’s gather for this day, and some even spend the previous night sleeping by and around the church to ensure a chance to pray to St. Gabriel for hope. We still haven’t gotten used to being stared at by every passerby, it was like a “ferengie parade” (the word they use for white person). There were even some locals that stopped us to ask for a picture with us. When we finally arrived to the beautiful church there were people EVERYWHERE. We felt like elephants in a line holding on to the person in front of us in hope that we would get pulled through and stay together. We walked around the whole church and then we took off our shoes so we could enter the church. Once inside we all walked around and looked at all the beautiful ceilings, walls, altars, and decorations. We took some pictures and some time to take it all in and pray.
After we left the church we all walked back and on our way we stopped to buy some necklaces and bread, they are beautiful and the bread was delicious! Brother Getachew decided to take a short cut home and this short cut included what we called our “hike number 2”. We very carefully went down a side of a hill to beat the hustle and bustle of the celebration. It was a little scary, but we trusted him and it gives us something extra to journal about.
We rode back 19 to the van and 6 in the back of the truck again, once again beautiful sights to see. Once we got home we all were tired and tried to take naps, but it was too hot so we all went outside (yes it is hotter in our room than outside)! Not many kids showed up to playtime today because of the feast day celebration, but a few did so we all played basketball and volleyball.
After playtime we took two trips as a group in the back of the truck and we went to visit The Missionaries of Charity, it was a care center for kids, men, and women. These individuals are cared for from birth until death. While we were there Sister Maria Thomasma, originally born in Italy, gave us a tour of both the men’s and women’s facilities. Although it was difficult for us to see people in these situations, it was remarkable for us to experience the love of the sisters and patients who are there every day. After our tour it began to rain and so we left The Missionaries of Charity and went back in the back of the truck. When we got home we all gathered for dinner, and after as usual we reflected on our experiences of the day.
The past two blog entries were written by Lexie, Krista, and Olivia
Krista- I would like to give a shout out to MJ, Rog, Naney, Welty and Skeat and all my other family and friends! I miss you all and love you all so much! I hope everything is going well!
Lexie- I want to send my love to My Mom and Dad, My Brother Taylor, and all my family members that are following this blog! I am having a great time in Ethiopia and can’t wait to share my experiences with all of you when I get home!
Olivia- Hey every one! Happy early 21st Kelsey! And to the rest of the fam.. mom, dad, Sam, Megan, and Maes and all my friends: I miss you all and love you so much! See you soon!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Teaching in Diré Dawa
July 25, 2011
Hamle 18, 2003 ec
Today we woke up at 6:30 in the morning for our first official day of teaching. We were split up in pairs to teach different grades English and Math.
Kindergarten teachers are Lindy and Morgan, Prep (the grade between kindergarten and first) teachers are Carly and Emily, 1st grade teachers are Mikayla Hoff and Sophia 2nd grade teachers are Lauren LaVelle and Katie, 3rd grade teachers are Sophia and Mikayla Hoff, 4th grade teachers are Lauren LaVelle and Katie again, 5th grade teachers are Krista and Olivia, 6th grade teachers are Jessica and Heather, 7th grade teachers are Rob and Clayton, 8th Grade teachers are Laura and Michaela, 9th grade math teachers are Lexie and Lizzie, 9th grade English teachers are Bri and Haley, and Jake works in the computer room reinstalling the computer network. Everyone is taking turns helping to log and sort books in the library.
There are five class periods a day and each pair teaches about 2 to 4 classes a day. These students compared to the students from Meki are very different in the ways they address individuals who are older than them. These kids are very respectful an eager to learn in class. We think the reason these kids are more relaxed is because it is a city school rather than a rural town where kids who don’t actually attend Diré Dawa are not allowed in.
The kids are excited to see us every day but do not jump on top of us and they also do not beg as much as the students from Meki. After school we all gathered for lunch and relaxed before playtime by reading, napping, listening to music, and playing outside. At 3ish the kids started to trickle in ready to play futbol (soccer), volleyball, basketball, and socialize with them. Also the college students from Texas A&M also joined playtime at the end again. Although playtime is set to end at 5:30 the kids usually don’t leave the school until 6ish.
After all the kids left we all walked to the church we attended on Sunday because the women’s orphanage is directly behind it. We met eight girls of the forty that stay there while the school year is in session. The girls are allowed to leave and visit their other siblings, aunts, uncles, and other families that live in the city during the summer. They embraced us with smiles and hugs as we arrived, and they even invited us to play volleyball. We stayed at the orphanage for about one hour and headed back home. Note: The Brothers ran a similar program for boys until last year at which time the borrowed residence was needed. They were granted land by the government and began building a new residence, however, at this time the government says there was a mistake and that the land may not be theirs.
Once we arrived back home we all gathered together once again for dinner. We all thoroughly enjoyed tomato pasta, bread, potatoes, bananas, oranges, meat, beans, tuna salad, and although every meal we eat is delicious we still talk about our American food cravings at our meals!
After dinner we all gathered at the school basketball court and looked at the stars as we had our nightly meeting. At the meeting we discussed the plans for the rest of our time at the school, how our classes went today (pros & cons), and finally we each went around the circle and talked about the reasons we all decided to embark and take on the challenge of coming to Africa to serve God and do his work. After our meeting we were all tired and went to bed fast due to the late skype sessions (at least for us with the time change) from last night.
Hamle 18, 2003 ec
Today we woke up at 6:30 in the morning for our first official day of teaching. We were split up in pairs to teach different grades English and Math.
Kindergarten teachers are Lindy and Morgan, Prep (the grade between kindergarten and first) teachers are Carly and Emily, 1st grade teachers are Mikayla Hoff and Sophia 2nd grade teachers are Lauren LaVelle and Katie, 3rd grade teachers are Sophia and Mikayla Hoff, 4th grade teachers are Lauren LaVelle and Katie again, 5th grade teachers are Krista and Olivia, 6th grade teachers are Jessica and Heather, 7th grade teachers are Rob and Clayton, 8th Grade teachers are Laura and Michaela, 9th grade math teachers are Lexie and Lizzie, 9th grade English teachers are Bri and Haley, and Jake works in the computer room reinstalling the computer network. Everyone is taking turns helping to log and sort books in the library.
There are five class periods a day and each pair teaches about 2 to 4 classes a day. These students compared to the students from Meki are very different in the ways they address individuals who are older than them. These kids are very respectful an eager to learn in class. We think the reason these kids are more relaxed is because it is a city school rather than a rural town where kids who don’t actually attend Diré Dawa are not allowed in.
The kids are excited to see us every day but do not jump on top of us and they also do not beg as much as the students from Meki. After school we all gathered for lunch and relaxed before playtime by reading, napping, listening to music, and playing outside. At 3ish the kids started to trickle in ready to play futbol (soccer), volleyball, basketball, and socialize with them. Also the college students from Texas A&M also joined playtime at the end again. Although playtime is set to end at 5:30 the kids usually don’t leave the school until 6ish.
After all the kids left we all walked to the church we attended on Sunday because the women’s orphanage is directly behind it. We met eight girls of the forty that stay there while the school year is in session. The girls are allowed to leave and visit their other siblings, aunts, uncles, and other families that live in the city during the summer. They embraced us with smiles and hugs as we arrived, and they even invited us to play volleyball. We stayed at the orphanage for about one hour and headed back home. Note: The Brothers ran a similar program for boys until last year at which time the borrowed residence was needed. They were granted land by the government and began building a new residence, however, at this time the government says there was a mistake and that the land may not be theirs.
Once we arrived back home we all gathered together once again for dinner. We all thoroughly enjoyed tomato pasta, bread, potatoes, bananas, oranges, meat, beans, tuna salad, and although every meal we eat is delicious we still talk about our American food cravings at our meals!
After dinner we all gathered at the school basketball court and looked at the stars as we had our nightly meeting. At the meeting we discussed the plans for the rest of our time at the school, how our classes went today (pros & cons), and finally we each went around the circle and talked about the reasons we all decided to embark and take on the challenge of coming to Africa to serve God and do his work. After our meeting we were all tired and went to bed fast due to the late skype sessions (at least for us with the time change) from last night.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Church, the people
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Hamle, 17, 2003, ec
Today, Abba Ayele, a charismatic Franciscan Priest, asked us to be in charge of the 11:00 Mass. He said, “I will say in English!” Nothing Abba says is without an exclamation point. He said you do everything: songs, readings, everything! So we were glad to oblige. Clayton choose the songs which we practiced. We did the readings and Abba had written the petitions. The congregation was very international. There were a few Ethiopians, Italians (who are here working on the railroad), several Notre Dame Sisters (from India who have a school several blocks away), several Indian families, a group of Chinese, and a nine-member Neumann group from Laredo, Texas lead by Brother Máirséan O’Leary (originally from Ohio, now from London), and several Sisters of Charity. The point of the delineation is the reflection of Church, the people—not the building. It was amazing that in the extreme location of Diré Dawa, Ethiopia, people gathered in faith to pray together this Sunday morning.
We prayed for the people of Norway and continue to follow the news as it unfolds via the BBC and Al Jezeera. Both networks are covering this horrible story as it unfolds.
The news here is very international, with smattering of information from all over the globe. The stories are indepth and very well done, putting some American networks to shame.
In the afternoon, Brother Máirséan and his group came over to play basketball and volleyball. They are here working with Mother Theresa’s sisters at the orphanage here in Meki. They were in Northern Ethiopia earlier and will go to World Youth Day in Spain at the end of their trip. These are college students from Laredo Community College and Texas A & M International University.
Brother Getachew took everyone for ice cream after the games.
Hamle, 17, 2003, ec
Today, Abba Ayele, a charismatic Franciscan Priest, asked us to be in charge of the 11:00 Mass. He said, “I will say in English!” Nothing Abba says is without an exclamation point. He said you do everything: songs, readings, everything! So we were glad to oblige. Clayton choose the songs which we practiced. We did the readings and Abba had written the petitions. The congregation was very international. There were a few Ethiopians, Italians (who are here working on the railroad), several Notre Dame Sisters (from India who have a school several blocks away), several Indian families, a group of Chinese, and a nine-member Neumann group from Laredo, Texas lead by Brother Máirséan O’Leary (originally from Ohio, now from London), and several Sisters of Charity. The point of the delineation is the reflection of Church, the people—not the building. It was amazing that in the extreme location of Diré Dawa, Ethiopia, people gathered in faith to pray together this Sunday morning.
We prayed for the people of Norway and continue to follow the news as it unfolds via the BBC and Al Jezeera. Both networks are covering this horrible story as it unfolds.
The news here is very international, with smattering of information from all over the globe. The stories are indepth and very well done, putting some American networks to shame.
In the afternoon, Brother Máirséan and his group came over to play basketball and volleyball. They are here working with Mother Theresa’s sisters at the orphanage here in Meki. They were in Northern Ethiopia earlier and will go to World Youth Day in Spain at the end of their trip. These are college students from Laredo Community College and Texas A & M International University.
Brother Getachew took everyone for ice cream after the games.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Hiking, Bats and other fun
July 23, 2011
(Hamle 16, 2003, ec)
Hello everyone, it’s Holty or Mrs. Sloan. I hope everyone is doing well back home. We had a great day today as we went on a hike throughout Diré Dawa from 9am until about 4pm. We started by leaving the school compound and then walking through the streets of the city. There were many people out and about on the streets today; selling their foods and goods, running their errands, and traveling to get their much needed food and water. I highly enjoyed just taking everything in as we walked through the streets and observed their way of life.
There is definitely a big temperature difference from Meki to Diré Dawa; which surprised me that there could be that much of a difference. We finally came to the edge of town and made our way up this big hill. There was somewhat of a path that we followed as we made our way to the top but there were also times when we had to create our own way to continue the climb. About half-way to the top we decided to grab some water and take a quick break. The view of the city was so amazing! I can’t wait for everyone to see our pictures because sometimes words just can’t describe. We finally made it to the top of this big hill and then had to make a choice to go to the cave or the springs first. We decided to go to the cave. So, we made our way down the big hill on the other side and finally arrived at this big cave. Many of the people of the town followed us there and watched as we went down the stairs to the main opening of the cave. Immediately, we could here the squeaking and flapping of the many bats that lived in the cave. Let’s just say that Dols was completely freaking out. He is highly afraid of BATS. About half of the group decided to venture into the cave and the other half stayed up top and waited. I was a little hesitant at first to go into the cave but I decided why not as many of the other kids did, too. We went Indiana Jones style and lit some tires on fire to light our way. We started our short descent right into the home of all of the bats, and they were flying and squeaking all over the place. You could feel a breeze from them flying around. Clayton and I were towards the back and at one point the guys with the torches kind of forgot we were back there and let’s just say it was a little too dark for me as we could hear the bats whizzing by our heads. We were also quoting the movie, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which made us laugh so hard! GUANO!!!! The cave was a great experience and one I will never forget.
Next, we took the long way through town and made our way to a fresh spring. The hike was pretty far but to be honest, for me, it was so great to be outside getting some exercise (I don’t think everyone agreed with me). The weekends are pretty fun as we get to venture out and get a little time to relax from teaching. We finally made it to the final destination and everyone put their feet into the water and some even decided to take a little bath; fully clothed of course. We then had some lunch, spaghetti and French toast of course, as we were all in need of a little extra energy. After about an hour lunch, we made our way back to the school. This time, we took the main path that many people take when they are traveling to and from the springs to get their own water. I couldn’t believe how far some people had to travel. There were women and children carrying some pretty big loads of food and water and all I had was a small backpack and I was sweating and so thirsty. It makes you really appreciate the accessibility of water back home.
Before we got back to the school, we stopped at a small store and bought some water; which I think the group downed in less than 2 minutes. Today, was a great experience and for me, a way to relax. The students did an awesome job as the day was pretty long and a little tiring. Let’s just say that they should sleep very peacefully tonight Well, I think that is all I have for today. Like I said, you are missed at home but we are all doing well here and taking care of each other so there is no need to worry. Love to everyone and God bless!!!!
(Hamle 16, 2003, ec)
Hello everyone, it’s Holty or Mrs. Sloan. I hope everyone is doing well back home. We had a great day today as we went on a hike throughout Diré Dawa from 9am until about 4pm. We started by leaving the school compound and then walking through the streets of the city. There were many people out and about on the streets today; selling their foods and goods, running their errands, and traveling to get their much needed food and water. I highly enjoyed just taking everything in as we walked through the streets and observed their way of life.
There is definitely a big temperature difference from Meki to Diré Dawa; which surprised me that there could be that much of a difference. We finally came to the edge of town and made our way up this big hill. There was somewhat of a path that we followed as we made our way to the top but there were also times when we had to create our own way to continue the climb. About half-way to the top we decided to grab some water and take a quick break. The view of the city was so amazing! I can’t wait for everyone to see our pictures because sometimes words just can’t describe. We finally made it to the top of this big hill and then had to make a choice to go to the cave or the springs first. We decided to go to the cave. So, we made our way down the big hill on the other side and finally arrived at this big cave. Many of the people of the town followed us there and watched as we went down the stairs to the main opening of the cave. Immediately, we could here the squeaking and flapping of the many bats that lived in the cave. Let’s just say that Dols was completely freaking out. He is highly afraid of BATS. About half of the group decided to venture into the cave and the other half stayed up top and waited. I was a little hesitant at first to go into the cave but I decided why not as many of the other kids did, too. We went Indiana Jones style and lit some tires on fire to light our way. We started our short descent right into the home of all of the bats, and they were flying and squeaking all over the place. You could feel a breeze from them flying around. Clayton and I were towards the back and at one point the guys with the torches kind of forgot we were back there and let’s just say it was a little too dark for me as we could hear the bats whizzing by our heads. We were also quoting the movie, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which made us laugh so hard! GUANO!!!! The cave was a great experience and one I will never forget.
Next, we took the long way through town and made our way to a fresh spring. The hike was pretty far but to be honest, for me, it was so great to be outside getting some exercise (I don’t think everyone agreed with me). The weekends are pretty fun as we get to venture out and get a little time to relax from teaching. We finally made it to the final destination and everyone put their feet into the water and some even decided to take a little bath; fully clothed of course. We then had some lunch, spaghetti and French toast of course, as we were all in need of a little extra energy. After about an hour lunch, we made our way back to the school. This time, we took the main path that many people take when they are traveling to and from the springs to get their own water. I couldn’t believe how far some people had to travel. There were women and children carrying some pretty big loads of food and water and all I had was a small backpack and I was sweating and so thirsty. It makes you really appreciate the accessibility of water back home.
Before we got back to the school, we stopped at a small store and bought some water; which I think the group downed in less than 2 minutes. Today, was a great experience and for me, a way to relax. The students did an awesome job as the day was pretty long and a little tiring. Let’s just say that they should sleep very peacefully tonight Well, I think that is all I have for today. Like I said, you are missed at home but we are all doing well here and taking care of each other so there is no need to worry. Love to everyone and God bless!!!!
Friday, July 22, 2011
After Dinner Walks
July 22, 2011
Hamle 15, 2003, ec
The Brothers take a walk every night after dinner in the cool of the desert evening. It was especially cool last night as it had rained in the afternoon with showers lingering into the evening, so much so our first attempt at our walk was postponed. The irregularities of the cobbled streets and sidewalks makes navigating a bit difficult especially when the street lights are sporadic. Last night Brothers Daniel, Taye and I walked away from the school, which had less traffic and fewer people. We walked for about an hour and were on our return home, about nine, it had started to sprinkle a little when a small boy of about five joined us. Daniel and Taye recognized him. He walked for a while between Daniel and I holding our hands. As we neared our gate, Taye gave him a Birr and sent him back. He and his mother are among the many homeless here in Diré Dawa. At this time of night, the streets are lined with men, women and children, huddled against the walls for protection and warmth, indistinguishable as human in the pile of rags underneath which they seek a night’s sleep. An old woman, grasps her only possession, a discarded plastic bottle which is her water supply as we pass.
On a brighter note, Lauren returned from the hospital today. She moved slowly, but looked so much better. The group was buoyed by her return as evidenced in the chatter at dinner. We were blessed that we were in Dire´Dawa and so close to medical help. God is watching over us. So, we are all back together, ready for the weekend and new adventure.
Tonight we all walked together. It is faster and louder as a group…we certainly attract attention. It is like a parade, everyone stops and looks!
Hamle 15, 2003, ec
The Brothers take a walk every night after dinner in the cool of the desert evening. It was especially cool last night as it had rained in the afternoon with showers lingering into the evening, so much so our first attempt at our walk was postponed. The irregularities of the cobbled streets and sidewalks makes navigating a bit difficult especially when the street lights are sporadic. Last night Brothers Daniel, Taye and I walked away from the school, which had less traffic and fewer people. We walked for about an hour and were on our return home, about nine, it had started to sprinkle a little when a small boy of about five joined us. Daniel and Taye recognized him. He walked for a while between Daniel and I holding our hands. As we neared our gate, Taye gave him a Birr and sent him back. He and his mother are among the many homeless here in Diré Dawa. At this time of night, the streets are lined with men, women and children, huddled against the walls for protection and warmth, indistinguishable as human in the pile of rags underneath which they seek a night’s sleep. An old woman, grasps her only possession, a discarded plastic bottle which is her water supply as we pass.
On a brighter note, Lauren returned from the hospital today. She moved slowly, but looked so much better. The group was buoyed by her return as evidenced in the chatter at dinner. We were blessed that we were in Dire´Dawa and so close to medical help. God is watching over us. So, we are all back together, ready for the weekend and new adventure.
Tonight we all walked together. It is faster and louder as a group…we certainly attract attention. It is like a parade, everyone stops and looks!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Appendectomy
Thursday, July 22, 2011
(Hamle 14, 2003 ec)
Diré Dawa, Ethiopia
This is John Dols blogging today. Yesterday we had quite the day. For the first time some of our students are getting sick. I am guessing that it has to do with altitude and dehydration. No worries, we are pushing water and sleep when people are feeling sick. So, when Lauren Moore said that she wasn't feeling well we decided to treat it with Ethiopian Gaterade (fizzy water, salt, sugar, limes, and orange mix) but it did not help. So when she told us that she was feeling sick and she had pain in her side Anne, Br. Getachew, and I decided to take our first trip to the hospital this trip.
After an initial check at the clinic, under the advice from the nurse at the clinic we went to the big public hospital. After a short wait where I entertained her with my version of Justin Bieber (even sporting the Bieber hairdo), at the same time watching a person get stiches in the open emergency room, she was seen by a nurse that believed she had a bad appendix. We were brought to a nurses station to have her admitted at the same time Br. Getachew saw a doctor who brought her to a private room to examine her. Most rooms had six beds with people in them, they don't really have private rooms, so we got lucky. It ended up that this rooms would be her home for the next 24 hours. After an initial exam and an ultra sound, it became obvious that she would need an operation to remove her appendix. A note about the hospital, it is not what we are used to, but everyone was very accomodating and hospitable trying to make her feel safe and comfortable. She had her appendix removed in a 15 minute procedure.
That evening Anne, Lauren LaVelle, and Carly stayed with her in her private room. In the morning when I returned, she felt better, was experiencing some pain from the surgery, but was in good spirits. The initial pain is gone and she will need to take it easy for the next few days, but will be fine and will even be able to swim with the group in Baba Gayou in a week. The total cost for the procedure, the prescriptions, the room, and everything between $50-$75. It was a little more expensive for us because we are visitors (for Ethiopians it would have been $40-$50). They were going to charge us $4000 Birr (about $400), because we are foreign but because we are here for service they gave us a discount. We were very lucky, Lauren was very lucky, because if the appendix would have burst, she would have been in very bad shape. It was also lucky that we found the doctor we did because he set us up nicely. We are, and Lauren is, very blessed.
The rest of the trip is going very well. There are so many stories that we will have for you when we get back. We are building very great relationships, trying to stay busy, at the same time trying to embrace a lifestyle that is meant to be lived at a slower pace where relationship is more important than anything else. We have 2 hour meals and the whole country shuts down between noon and 3pm.
It is hot in Diré Dawa and this is the cool months, I can't imagine the hot months. It is as if God turns the heat on at about 10:30 and doesn't turn it down until 4pm. I hope you are enjoying the blog and the twitters. Continue to pray for us and we will pray for you as well.
John
(Hamle 14, 2003 ec)
Diré Dawa, Ethiopia
This is John Dols blogging today. Yesterday we had quite the day. For the first time some of our students are getting sick. I am guessing that it has to do with altitude and dehydration. No worries, we are pushing water and sleep when people are feeling sick. So, when Lauren Moore said that she wasn't feeling well we decided to treat it with Ethiopian Gaterade (fizzy water, salt, sugar, limes, and orange mix) but it did not help. So when she told us that she was feeling sick and she had pain in her side Anne, Br. Getachew, and I decided to take our first trip to the hospital this trip.
After an initial check at the clinic, under the advice from the nurse at the clinic we went to the big public hospital. After a short wait where I entertained her with my version of Justin Bieber (even sporting the Bieber hairdo), at the same time watching a person get stiches in the open emergency room, she was seen by a nurse that believed she had a bad appendix. We were brought to a nurses station to have her admitted at the same time Br. Getachew saw a doctor who brought her to a private room to examine her. Most rooms had six beds with people in them, they don't really have private rooms, so we got lucky. It ended up that this rooms would be her home for the next 24 hours. After an initial exam and an ultra sound, it became obvious that she would need an operation to remove her appendix. A note about the hospital, it is not what we are used to, but everyone was very accomodating and hospitable trying to make her feel safe and comfortable. She had her appendix removed in a 15 minute procedure.
That evening Anne, Lauren LaVelle, and Carly stayed with her in her private room. In the morning when I returned, she felt better, was experiencing some pain from the surgery, but was in good spirits. The initial pain is gone and she will need to take it easy for the next few days, but will be fine and will even be able to swim with the group in Baba Gayou in a week. The total cost for the procedure, the prescriptions, the room, and everything between $50-$75. It was a little more expensive for us because we are visitors (for Ethiopians it would have been $40-$50). They were going to charge us $4000 Birr (about $400), because we are foreign but because we are here for service they gave us a discount. We were very lucky, Lauren was very lucky, because if the appendix would have burst, she would have been in very bad shape. It was also lucky that we found the doctor we did because he set us up nicely. We are, and Lauren is, very blessed.
The rest of the trip is going very well. There are so many stories that we will have for you when we get back. We are building very great relationships, trying to stay busy, at the same time trying to embrace a lifestyle that is meant to be lived at a slower pace where relationship is more important than anything else. We have 2 hour meals and the whole country shuts down between noon and 3pm.
It is hot in Diré Dawa and this is the cool months, I can't imagine the hot months. It is as if God turns the heat on at about 10:30 and doesn't turn it down until 4pm. I hope you are enjoying the blog and the twitters. Continue to pray for us and we will pray for you as well.
John
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Besrate Gabriel, Diré Dawa
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
(Hamle 13, 2003, ec)
The ground floor of the Brother’s Residence consists of a small chapel, library, community room, dining room, kitchen storage/workroom and finally the kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with a rather primitive set of electric burners, more akin to an industrial sized hot plate rather than a home cook-top. So, to manage cooking for 29 people a small charcoal brazier is called into play…set in the middle of the kitchen floor. Considering the lack of cooking equipment, the meals have been wonderful.
Although the kids had helped kill and butcher a chicken in Meki, I am not sure they were prepared for the chickens here to be killed and plucked in the room adjoining the dining room. It does give a certain immediacy to the process. Killing, dressing, cooking and serving all within 20 feet. It also serves as a very real lesson that something gave its life so we can eat; a lesson not so obvious in the pre-packaged world in which we live.
Our experiences are growing, as are we. What would have been shocking two weeks ago, everyone is taking in stride, supporting each other when necessary.
Today, we just observed classes, getting ready to begin full force. The summer schedule has five 40 minute classes which begin at 8:00. There is a half hour break after the third class. The day is over by 11:30. Lunch follows with a time to rest in the heat of the day. The kids come back about 3:00 and will play until 5:30. There is a paved volleyball and basketball court here as well as two small gravel soccer fields. The school has a much different feel than Meki. First of all, it is in the middle of the city, there is a lot of traffic noise emanating from the street in the back of the school. The property is much smaller than Meki and lacks the green lushness. Three sides of the compound is composed of two storied buildings: the administration block, elementary block and the Brother’s residence. The remaining side houses the 11th and 12th grade along with kindergarten and 1st grades.
Population and school fees are approximately the same in both ministries: Besrate Gabriel has about 1600 students in their day school and kids pay about $12.00 a month. Brother Getachew says the largest class here has 78 (not a typo)! In addition to the day school, there is a night school which has about 800 students. The night school is comprised of older people who must work during the day to support their families but want to have a secondary education.
(Hamle 13, 2003, ec)
The ground floor of the Brother’s Residence consists of a small chapel, library, community room, dining room, kitchen storage/workroom and finally the kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with a rather primitive set of electric burners, more akin to an industrial sized hot plate rather than a home cook-top. So, to manage cooking for 29 people a small charcoal brazier is called into play…set in the middle of the kitchen floor. Considering the lack of cooking equipment, the meals have been wonderful.
Although the kids had helped kill and butcher a chicken in Meki, I am not sure they were prepared for the chickens here to be killed and plucked in the room adjoining the dining room. It does give a certain immediacy to the process. Killing, dressing, cooking and serving all within 20 feet. It also serves as a very real lesson that something gave its life so we can eat; a lesson not so obvious in the pre-packaged world in which we live.
Our experiences are growing, as are we. What would have been shocking two weeks ago, everyone is taking in stride, supporting each other when necessary.
Today, we just observed classes, getting ready to begin full force. The summer schedule has five 40 minute classes which begin at 8:00. There is a half hour break after the third class. The day is over by 11:30. Lunch follows with a time to rest in the heat of the day. The kids come back about 3:00 and will play until 5:30. There is a paved volleyball and basketball court here as well as two small gravel soccer fields. The school has a much different feel than Meki. First of all, it is in the middle of the city, there is a lot of traffic noise emanating from the street in the back of the school. The property is much smaller than Meki and lacks the green lushness. Three sides of the compound is composed of two storied buildings: the administration block, elementary block and the Brother’s residence. The remaining side houses the 11th and 12th grade along with kindergarten and 1st grades.
Population and school fees are approximately the same in both ministries: Besrate Gabriel has about 1600 students in their day school and kids pay about $12.00 a month. Brother Getachew says the largest class here has 78 (not a typo)! In addition to the day school, there is a night school which has about 800 students. The night school is comprised of older people who must work during the day to support their families but want to have a secondary education.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Road to Diré Dawa
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
We awoke early and began packing our vehicles for the long trip to Diré Dawa. We were loaded and ready to depart by 6:30 a.m. and bounced down the dusty rutted street one last time. The only paved road in Meki is the highway which runs through the middle of town. The taxis of the dirt roads are still horse drawn, two-wheeled carts. The horses are beasts of burden, skin and bones and not well groomed. The main street of town is serviced by the omni-present three-wheeled, blue, two-passenger taxis and a string of continuously honking mini-vans.
Our transport is the Brother’s 12 passenger van and a rented bus. The bus featured a shag carpeted ceiling. The 7 ½ hour journey stretched into 12 hours as each of our stops for breakfast and lunch took over two hours. No McDonalds or Quicktrips. Spaghetti sounds simple until you remember they are boiling the water over a charcoal fire. Nothing is easy here…or quick.
There is a great diversity in the Ethiopian landscape as well as the people whom inhabit it. Around Meki there is a series of shallow lakes, which during the raining season, fill, allowing agriculture, especially crops such as tomatoes and other vegetable and fruits which require a steady supply of water. Soon our journey takes us through a semi-arid area of scrub, sand, goats and camels. The houses change with the landscape. The more permanent residences of the farmlands, round with thatched roofs, change to the small domed shelters of the pastoralists made of small branches covered with cardboard and plastic. The temperatures rise noticeably. We start again to leave the dry, arid valley. The highlands are cool. The smell of eucalyptus fills the air, especially from the cooking fires as we pass through village after village. There are fields of coffee and chat (a mild narcotic favored in Arab countries that ban alcohol and a chief export in the area). Chat is also used by the poor to cut their hunger pains. The villages which are holding markets are busy and colorful. As we reach the edge of the escarpment which drops back into the Rift Valley, the eucalyptus gives way to cedar and quickly acacia and euphorbia. The square mud dwellings are replaced with rock structures. Again the heat of the lower elevations are evident even as the sun is setting. And as darkness sets, we arrive in Diré Dawa, “The Queen City of the Desert”. As a testament to its former grandeur, there are street lights and pavement. However, the train station is dark as the train service that formerly ran from Djibouti to Addis stopped two years ago.
The girls are staying together in a classroom and the boys in some rooms behind the Brothers residence. Mr. Dols and I are housed with the Brothers. There are four Brothers here: Getachew, Kasseye, Taye and Daniel. Brother Peter, an American, is on his home visit.
Bri writes:
Lucky us woke up at 6 to load the bus for a whopping 9 hour drive to Dire Dawa. Overall, it was probably one of the most beautiful car rides I have ever taken. The landscape through the mountains and valleys to reach Dire Dawa seemed like they jumped straight off a painting. We drove from dawn to dusk; barely ever stopping except for breakfast, lunch, and every half hour to let the guards/cops screen the van.
When we finally reached the school I think some people got a reality check. We were shown where we would be staying the next week or so and it was different than our Meki lifestyle that’s for sure. All 18 girls would be sleeping in one kindergarten classroom. This should definitely be interesting.
We awoke early and began packing our vehicles for the long trip to Diré Dawa. We were loaded and ready to depart by 6:30 a.m. and bounced down the dusty rutted street one last time. The only paved road in Meki is the highway which runs through the middle of town. The taxis of the dirt roads are still horse drawn, two-wheeled carts. The horses are beasts of burden, skin and bones and not well groomed. The main street of town is serviced by the omni-present three-wheeled, blue, two-passenger taxis and a string of continuously honking mini-vans.
Our transport is the Brother’s 12 passenger van and a rented bus. The bus featured a shag carpeted ceiling. The 7 ½ hour journey stretched into 12 hours as each of our stops for breakfast and lunch took over two hours. No McDonalds or Quicktrips. Spaghetti sounds simple until you remember they are boiling the water over a charcoal fire. Nothing is easy here…or quick.
There is a great diversity in the Ethiopian landscape as well as the people whom inhabit it. Around Meki there is a series of shallow lakes, which during the raining season, fill, allowing agriculture, especially crops such as tomatoes and other vegetable and fruits which require a steady supply of water. Soon our journey takes us through a semi-arid area of scrub, sand, goats and camels. The houses change with the landscape. The more permanent residences of the farmlands, round with thatched roofs, change to the small domed shelters of the pastoralists made of small branches covered with cardboard and plastic. The temperatures rise noticeably. We start again to leave the dry, arid valley. The highlands are cool. The smell of eucalyptus fills the air, especially from the cooking fires as we pass through village after village. There are fields of coffee and chat (a mild narcotic favored in Arab countries that ban alcohol and a chief export in the area). Chat is also used by the poor to cut their hunger pains. The villages which are holding markets are busy and colorful. As we reach the edge of the escarpment which drops back into the Rift Valley, the eucalyptus gives way to cedar and quickly acacia and euphorbia. The square mud dwellings are replaced with rock structures. Again the heat of the lower elevations are evident even as the sun is setting. And as darkness sets, we arrive in Diré Dawa, “The Queen City of the Desert”. As a testament to its former grandeur, there are street lights and pavement. However, the train station is dark as the train service that formerly ran from Djibouti to Addis stopped two years ago.
The girls are staying together in a classroom and the boys in some rooms behind the Brothers residence. Mr. Dols and I are housed with the Brothers. There are four Brothers here: Getachew, Kasseye, Taye and Daniel. Brother Peter, an American, is on his home visit.
Bri writes:
Lucky us woke up at 6 to load the bus for a whopping 9 hour drive to Dire Dawa. Overall, it was probably one of the most beautiful car rides I have ever taken. The landscape through the mountains and valleys to reach Dire Dawa seemed like they jumped straight off a painting. We drove from dawn to dusk; barely ever stopping except for breakfast, lunch, and every half hour to let the guards/cops screen the van.
When we finally reached the school I think some people got a reality check. We were shown where we would be staying the next week or so and it was different than our Meki lifestyle that’s for sure. All 18 girls would be sleeping in one kindergarten classroom. This should definitely be interesting.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Last Day in Meki
Monday, July 18, 2011
(Hamle 11, 2003, ec)
Today was our last full day in Meki. It was also the first official day of summer school, so the regular teachers were in attendance and we were weaned out of the classrooms. Although it was a sad day, it was also filled with anticipation for our trip to Dire Dawa. The Holy Family kids had grown fond of the Meki children, so it was a day of good-byes.
Bri writes:
Today was our last day in Meki and I am so tormented by that idea of leaving. The kids and teachers at Meki Catholic School were so wonderful and welcoming that I feel completely at home here.
Although it was our last day here, it was the kids first official day of summer school. We originally taught free English classes and the school opened their doors to children of the community to learn, but today was a little different than our normal schedule. Instead of returning to our assigned classroom that we were present in for the past week, we had to work around chemistry, physics, and math teachers and their assigned classrooms. Needless to say we did not do much teaching…in fact, Hayley and I sat through a whole chemistry class, in Amharic. It was somewhat interesting but we pasted the time playing quality games of Hangman and Pictionary. Granted, the schedule was a little messed up, but none of us seemed to mind. Instead of teaching Meki students synonyms and antonyms, we had the chance to bond with the students and chat with them during the time when we would usually be drilling English into their brains. I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
After “teaching” we went back to the hostel and had lunch. SIDENOTE: all the women that take care of us by cooking our food and cleaning the hostel are such amazing women…and top chefs. I swear I am gaining weight on this trip. God bless each and every one of them.
After lunch we usually have some down time to relax and recharge our battery until playtime starts at 3. Most of us usually play Banana Grams or Mafia, we have probably played more games on this trip than I have in my whole 18 years. But playtime was definitely bittersweet; bitter because it was our last moments with the kids and none of us wanted to leave, and sweet because we knew we would be moving forward and meeting more wonderful kids. My playtime consisted of sports. Dream Team is our name and basketball is our game. Unfortunately, playtime was cut short because the Brothers wanted to treat us to a dinner on the town for our “last supper”. The goodbyes were probably the hardest part. We all went around passing out our contact cards to the kids and writing down email and contact information. The sight of all the love in those final moments with the kids was truly amazing. Some kids came bearing gifts they have made or bought for us; however, I found myself with a new boyfriend in those final moments considering I received a peck from Daute aka Dave…a student…I think?
When we all finally finished our goodbyes we headed back to the hostel and got ready for dinner. The women lead us through Meki to this beautiful little hotel amidst a quaint little garden and we proceeded to have some drinks (just sodas, don’t worry). Then once the food was ready we were lead into the dining room where they fed us the MOST AMAZING FOOD EVER!!!! We have injera with goat meat and vegetables. It was some of the best food I have ever had, sorry mom. When we finished dinner we went back to the hostel and had to finish packing and get ready for our big travel day tomorrow.
(Hamle 11, 2003, ec)
Today was our last full day in Meki. It was also the first official day of summer school, so the regular teachers were in attendance and we were weaned out of the classrooms. Although it was a sad day, it was also filled with anticipation for our trip to Dire Dawa. The Holy Family kids had grown fond of the Meki children, so it was a day of good-byes.
Bri writes:
Today was our last day in Meki and I am so tormented by that idea of leaving. The kids and teachers at Meki Catholic School were so wonderful and welcoming that I feel completely at home here.
Although it was our last day here, it was the kids first official day of summer school. We originally taught free English classes and the school opened their doors to children of the community to learn, but today was a little different than our normal schedule. Instead of returning to our assigned classroom that we were present in for the past week, we had to work around chemistry, physics, and math teachers and their assigned classrooms. Needless to say we did not do much teaching…in fact, Hayley and I sat through a whole chemistry class, in Amharic. It was somewhat interesting but we pasted the time playing quality games of Hangman and Pictionary. Granted, the schedule was a little messed up, but none of us seemed to mind. Instead of teaching Meki students synonyms and antonyms, we had the chance to bond with the students and chat with them during the time when we would usually be drilling English into their brains. I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
After “teaching” we went back to the hostel and had lunch. SIDENOTE: all the women that take care of us by cooking our food and cleaning the hostel are such amazing women…and top chefs. I swear I am gaining weight on this trip. God bless each and every one of them.
After lunch we usually have some down time to relax and recharge our battery until playtime starts at 3. Most of us usually play Banana Grams or Mafia, we have probably played more games on this trip than I have in my whole 18 years. But playtime was definitely bittersweet; bitter because it was our last moments with the kids and none of us wanted to leave, and sweet because we knew we would be moving forward and meeting more wonderful kids. My playtime consisted of sports. Dream Team is our name and basketball is our game. Unfortunately, playtime was cut short because the Brothers wanted to treat us to a dinner on the town for our “last supper”. The goodbyes were probably the hardest part. We all went around passing out our contact cards to the kids and writing down email and contact information. The sight of all the love in those final moments with the kids was truly amazing. Some kids came bearing gifts they have made or bought for us; however, I found myself with a new boyfriend in those final moments considering I received a peck from Daute aka Dave…a student…I think?
When we all finally finished our goodbyes we headed back to the hostel and got ready for dinner. The women lead us through Meki to this beautiful little hotel amidst a quaint little garden and we proceeded to have some drinks (just sodas, don’t worry). Then once the food was ready we were lead into the dining room where they fed us the MOST AMAZING FOOD EVER!!!! We have injera with goat meat and vegetables. It was some of the best food I have ever had, sorry mom. When we finished dinner we went back to the hostel and had to finish packing and get ready for our big travel day tomorrow.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Mass and Home Visits in Meki
Sunday, July 17, 2011
(Hamle 10, 2003, ec)
Sunday mornings do not begin quietly. At five in the morning the Orthodox Christians began their liturgy, broadcast over multiple loud speakers. Their liturgy is 3 hours long and all chanted in Geez. Geez, like Latin in the Roman Church, is not longer spoken outside liturgical settings. The other main difference in the Orthodox and Roman liturgies, is the the Orthodox congregation remains standing for the entire service... all three hours.
The Catholic service began at a more reasonable time: 7:30. Men on the left, women on the right. The women cover themselves in a gauze-like cloth, usually white. The Mass was in Amheric. The Mass is recognizable none-the-less. The real difference came at communion time. The priest came in front of the altar, one of the altar boys accompanies him with a candle indicating the Divine Presence. Another altar boy holds an umbrella, resplendent with velvet, glitter and fringe, over the priest and the Blessed Sacrament. The women ululate both at the beginning and the end welcoming Jesus among them.
Hello everyone! This is Lizzie Fenske taking over for Brother Chuck. Yesterday we got to visit an orphanage in Meki. It was a short walk from the hostel and when we arrived the kids greeted us with smiles a mile long. We got to see their rooms which were brightly colored, full of stuffed animals, and had beautiful murals all over. The children were amazing. This particular orphanage is sponsored by a company in Spain. Each of the children we visited have a sponsor family in Spain that support them. They were mystified by our cameras and for our entire visit one of the little girls, Cha-Cha, entertained us by wearing all of our sunglasses and stealing our cameras. This experience was truly amazing. To see kids that have nothing be delighted and full of joy because of our presence made this trip all the more real for us. Note: Mom and Dad, I didn't take home a child yesterday but, I have one all picked out for us .
After the orphanage, we were separated into 3 groups and went to 3 different student's houses. Each of us had very different experiences ranging from an Ethiopian dance party, learning to milk a cow, and experiencing traditional coffee ceremonies and conversation . This was a highlight for the majority of the group. We were treated like royalty and the families were incredibly hospitable. After dinner, the entire group gathered to hear the story of one of the girls staying in the hostel. She told us that at the age of 14, her father wanted her to stop her education and get married. She felt differently and wanted to become a doctor. Her father eventually abducted her along with her sisters. After awhile, her brothers saved her and brought her to Meki Catholic where she told her story to Brother Betre. She hasn't seen or heard from her family in 2 years. She now is one of the top girls in her grade and plans to attend a university in the future. To hear this story from a girl who is our age was hard but it made us realize the amazing cards we have been dealt in life and the fact that we need to do more to help those in need. The group is getting along very well. No one has gotten sick yet and we are all enjoying the Ethiopian cuisine. We all miss you and love you guys! (Love you Mom Dad Patrick Claire Grace and Grover!!)
Jake:
After Mass we walked further down the street to the Meki Orphanage. I was very scared for all of my traveling companions, because my brother Alex had previously described to me some African orphanages where children lived in appaling conditions. I didn’t want a bad experience to traumatize my friends. I was very surprised when we arrived at the orphanage to see that it was a colorful place full of smiling children and adults. The children lived in bunkrooms plastered with beautiful murals. The children, who ranged from ages 4 to 12, explained to me that donor families in Spain sponsored the orphanage. Many of the children had visited Spain to visit with their donor families, so they could speak Spanish, English, and Amharic very well. One girl, Chacha, immediately grabbed my sunglasses off my face and started running around. We started to connect with the children using physical games. We would swing the children around and they would shout “Lela,” which means again in Amharic. The children also loved to play with the girl’s cameras and take pictures of their friends and the animals that lived on the orphanage. At one point I looked up to see Chacha, only five years old, dragging a full grown bull around by a three foot leash! Needless to say, these children were living great lives in this orphanage. As we left, Mr. Dols warned us that all African orphanages would not be so happy and cheerful.
After lunch we decided to go on some local house visits. I decided to go to the house of a young man named George. We walked to his house where we sat outside and began a coffee ceremony. George was extremely proud of his sister, who had just graduated from Meki Catholic School. He ran inside to grab her diploma and proudly displayed it to us. George also introduced us to his other sister, who was #1 in her third grade class. We passed around barley, popcorn, and peanuts to munch on while the coffee was prepared. After we drank our coffee, my friend Lindy Wirth started handing out Mint Altoids to everyone present. George’s grandmother, who was sitting on the ground in the corner, was very gracious. She did not speak a word of English, but immediately started saying a blessing over us for giving her a simple mint. Lindy saw that the grandmother was enjoying the mint, so she gave her the whole tin! The grandmother said more blessings, and George translated the blessing. She asked God that all good things would come to us in our future.
Before we left, George showed us some of the livestock that his family owned. We all got a chance to milk the cow. On the side of the cow’s stall, I saw that many cow pies were stuck against the wall. I asked George about it, and he said they were drying out. I asked what they were used for and he said, “We use them to make the bread.” Some of the girls in my group almost threw up until George explained that the cow dung was burned as a fuel to make the bread, not as an actual ingredient.
George helped us find our way back the MCS compound. It was pitch black outside except for the headlights of cars and motorcycles whizzing by. George held my hand the entire way home. I thought this was strange, until I remembered that it is part of Ethiopian culture for men to hold hands walking down the street; it is a sign of brotherhood and loyalty. Once I understood, I was happy to be participating in a culture different than my own.
After dinner at the hostel, one of our hosts walked Haley Fischer and Lauren Lavelle through preparing Ethiopian coffee. While we drank, she introduced herself as Lobey. She told us her personal story and why it was important that MCS had a girl’s hostel. She was born in a rural town outside of Meki. Her father did not believe in education for women and arranged for her to marry a man she didn’t know. After much begging, Lobey convinced her father to take her to Meki to tour MCS. Her father said no and abducted her. With the help of her brothers, she escaped her father’s captivity and walked back to MCS, where she now is the #1 student in her class. Her story made me understand how messed-up gender roles and traditions can be in other countries.
(Hamle 10, 2003, ec)
Sunday mornings do not begin quietly. At five in the morning the Orthodox Christians began their liturgy, broadcast over multiple loud speakers. Their liturgy is 3 hours long and all chanted in Geez. Geez, like Latin in the Roman Church, is not longer spoken outside liturgical settings. The other main difference in the Orthodox and Roman liturgies, is the the Orthodox congregation remains standing for the entire service... all three hours.
The Catholic service began at a more reasonable time: 7:30. Men on the left, women on the right. The women cover themselves in a gauze-like cloth, usually white. The Mass was in Amheric. The Mass is recognizable none-the-less. The real difference came at communion time. The priest came in front of the altar, one of the altar boys accompanies him with a candle indicating the Divine Presence. Another altar boy holds an umbrella, resplendent with velvet, glitter and fringe, over the priest and the Blessed Sacrament. The women ululate both at the beginning and the end welcoming Jesus among them.
Hello everyone! This is Lizzie Fenske taking over for Brother Chuck. Yesterday we got to visit an orphanage in Meki. It was a short walk from the hostel and when we arrived the kids greeted us with smiles a mile long. We got to see their rooms which were brightly colored, full of stuffed animals, and had beautiful murals all over. The children were amazing. This particular orphanage is sponsored by a company in Spain. Each of the children we visited have a sponsor family in Spain that support them. They were mystified by our cameras and for our entire visit one of the little girls, Cha-Cha, entertained us by wearing all of our sunglasses and stealing our cameras. This experience was truly amazing. To see kids that have nothing be delighted and full of joy because of our presence made this trip all the more real for us. Note: Mom and Dad, I didn't take home a child yesterday but, I have one all picked out for us .
After the orphanage, we were separated into 3 groups and went to 3 different student's houses. Each of us had very different experiences ranging from an Ethiopian dance party, learning to milk a cow, and experiencing traditional coffee ceremonies and conversation . This was a highlight for the majority of the group. We were treated like royalty and the families were incredibly hospitable. After dinner, the entire group gathered to hear the story of one of the girls staying in the hostel. She told us that at the age of 14, her father wanted her to stop her education and get married. She felt differently and wanted to become a doctor. Her father eventually abducted her along with her sisters. After awhile, her brothers saved her and brought her to Meki Catholic where she told her story to Brother Betre. She hasn't seen or heard from her family in 2 years. She now is one of the top girls in her grade and plans to attend a university in the future. To hear this story from a girl who is our age was hard but it made us realize the amazing cards we have been dealt in life and the fact that we need to do more to help those in need. The group is getting along very well. No one has gotten sick yet and we are all enjoying the Ethiopian cuisine. We all miss you and love you guys! (Love you Mom Dad Patrick Claire Grace and Grover!!)
Jake:
After Mass we walked further down the street to the Meki Orphanage. I was very scared for all of my traveling companions, because my brother Alex had previously described to me some African orphanages where children lived in appaling conditions. I didn’t want a bad experience to traumatize my friends. I was very surprised when we arrived at the orphanage to see that it was a colorful place full of smiling children and adults. The children lived in bunkrooms plastered with beautiful murals. The children, who ranged from ages 4 to 12, explained to me that donor families in Spain sponsored the orphanage. Many of the children had visited Spain to visit with their donor families, so they could speak Spanish, English, and Amharic very well. One girl, Chacha, immediately grabbed my sunglasses off my face and started running around. We started to connect with the children using physical games. We would swing the children around and they would shout “Lela,” which means again in Amharic. The children also loved to play with the girl’s cameras and take pictures of their friends and the animals that lived on the orphanage. At one point I looked up to see Chacha, only five years old, dragging a full grown bull around by a three foot leash! Needless to say, these children were living great lives in this orphanage. As we left, Mr. Dols warned us that all African orphanages would not be so happy and cheerful.
After lunch we decided to go on some local house visits. I decided to go to the house of a young man named George. We walked to his house where we sat outside and began a coffee ceremony. George was extremely proud of his sister, who had just graduated from Meki Catholic School. He ran inside to grab her diploma and proudly displayed it to us. George also introduced us to his other sister, who was #1 in her third grade class. We passed around barley, popcorn, and peanuts to munch on while the coffee was prepared. After we drank our coffee, my friend Lindy Wirth started handing out Mint Altoids to everyone present. George’s grandmother, who was sitting on the ground in the corner, was very gracious. She did not speak a word of English, but immediately started saying a blessing over us for giving her a simple mint. Lindy saw that the grandmother was enjoying the mint, so she gave her the whole tin! The grandmother said more blessings, and George translated the blessing. She asked God that all good things would come to us in our future.
Before we left, George showed us some of the livestock that his family owned. We all got a chance to milk the cow. On the side of the cow’s stall, I saw that many cow pies were stuck against the wall. I asked George about it, and he said they were drying out. I asked what they were used for and he said, “We use them to make the bread.” Some of the girls in my group almost threw up until George explained that the cow dung was burned as a fuel to make the bread, not as an actual ingredient.
George helped us find our way back the MCS compound. It was pitch black outside except for the headlights of cars and motorcycles whizzing by. George held my hand the entire way home. I thought this was strange, until I remembered that it is part of Ethiopian culture for men to hold hands walking down the street; it is a sign of brotherhood and loyalty. Once I understood, I was happy to be participating in a culture different than my own.
After dinner at the hostel, one of our hosts walked Haley Fischer and Lauren Lavelle through preparing Ethiopian coffee. While we drank, she introduced herself as Lobey. She told us her personal story and why it was important that MCS had a girl’s hostel. She was born in a rural town outside of Meki. Her father did not believe in education for women and arranged for her to marry a man she didn’t know. After much begging, Lobey convinced her father to take her to Meki to tour MCS. Her father said no and abducted her. With the help of her brothers, she escaped her father’s captivity and walked back to MCS, where she now is the #1 student in her class. Her story made me understand how messed-up gender roles and traditions can be in other countries.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Graduation
Saturday, July 16th, 2011
(Hamle 9, 2003, ec)
The steely gray skies of rainy season gave way to sunshine and brilliant blue, today is graduation. The last graduation ceremony was at least 10 years ago and the tradition is being revived by Brother Belaynah. No one seems to remember why it was stopped, not even Mr. Galila, the deputy headmaster. The caps and gowns are a new addition at any rate. Four tents are set up on the dirt of the soccer field, tables and chairs are brought from the classrooms, flags are strung all over (which later will un-cap many of the new graduates as they are hung pretty low.
We were told the ceremony was to start at 9:00, but that was arrival time. The 10:00 ceremony began at 10:20, when the Bishop arrived. The entertainment consisted or recitations and small dramas by the elementary school children in English. The them was that parents should love their children and children should love their parents. Holy Family had their place in the program and sang “Sanctuary”. Then there were speeches by Brother Belaynah, who spoke in Amheric, Brother Esayas, the Visitor of the Lwanga District (read: Head Brother in East Africa) who addressed the graduates in English and finally the Bishop, who in deference to the American guests, spoke in English. The diplomas were handed out and special students recognized. A representative from one of the NGO's who sponsors 100 children was on-hand. Then the teachers passed out cookies and soda to all in attendance. Then a little more dancing and it was all over in just over 3 hours...short by African standards. But it was a grand day.
After lunch, we drove to the farm. It was kind of a time warp as on the way we passed men carving traditional stools with adzes, women winnowing grain with flat winnowing baskets—throwing the grain in the air to let the breeze carry away the chaff and letting the grain fall back on mats on the dirt, and fields being plowed with oxen. The farm, on the other hand owns the only tractor I have seen in Ethiopia. The herd of dairy cows provide milk which is converted to cheese and yogurt. Their “other” by product into bio-gas and fertilizer. The farm produces strawberries which are made into jam and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. The were mangoes, papaya, tomatoes, and grapes. Eventually, there is a plan of wine-making, but the vines are not cooperating. The goal of the farm, beside teaching sustainable agriculture is to provide a lasting source of income for the schools here.
I was invited out to eat with the Brothers, the deputy headmaster, Mr. Galila, the activity directors and the secretaries, essentially everyone who had planned graduation. After gathering in the garden of the hotel, where we waited for everyone to arrive, we went inside for a traditional Ethiopian celebratory meal: meat! Large trays were placed before every four diners. The trays were lined with ingera, the bowls of meat were then dumped in the middle of the platters, cooked goat and fitir (raw beef with seasoned ghee). I think the kids are going to go to the same place on Monday...I will take pictures. God help the vegetarians. But it was very good.
(Hamle 9, 2003, ec)
The steely gray skies of rainy season gave way to sunshine and brilliant blue, today is graduation. The last graduation ceremony was at least 10 years ago and the tradition is being revived by Brother Belaynah. No one seems to remember why it was stopped, not even Mr. Galila, the deputy headmaster. The caps and gowns are a new addition at any rate. Four tents are set up on the dirt of the soccer field, tables and chairs are brought from the classrooms, flags are strung all over (which later will un-cap many of the new graduates as they are hung pretty low.
We were told the ceremony was to start at 9:00, but that was arrival time. The 10:00 ceremony began at 10:20, when the Bishop arrived. The entertainment consisted or recitations and small dramas by the elementary school children in English. The them was that parents should love their children and children should love their parents. Holy Family had their place in the program and sang “Sanctuary”. Then there were speeches by Brother Belaynah, who spoke in Amheric, Brother Esayas, the Visitor of the Lwanga District (read: Head Brother in East Africa) who addressed the graduates in English and finally the Bishop, who in deference to the American guests, spoke in English. The diplomas were handed out and special students recognized. A representative from one of the NGO's who sponsors 100 children was on-hand. Then the teachers passed out cookies and soda to all in attendance. Then a little more dancing and it was all over in just over 3 hours...short by African standards. But it was a grand day.
After lunch, we drove to the farm. It was kind of a time warp as on the way we passed men carving traditional stools with adzes, women winnowing grain with flat winnowing baskets—throwing the grain in the air to let the breeze carry away the chaff and letting the grain fall back on mats on the dirt, and fields being plowed with oxen. The farm, on the other hand owns the only tractor I have seen in Ethiopia. The herd of dairy cows provide milk which is converted to cheese and yogurt. Their “other” by product into bio-gas and fertilizer. The farm produces strawberries which are made into jam and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. The were mangoes, papaya, tomatoes, and grapes. Eventually, there is a plan of wine-making, but the vines are not cooperating. The goal of the farm, beside teaching sustainable agriculture is to provide a lasting source of income for the schools here.
I was invited out to eat with the Brothers, the deputy headmaster, Mr. Galila, the activity directors and the secretaries, essentially everyone who had planned graduation. After gathering in the garden of the hotel, where we waited for everyone to arrive, we went inside for a traditional Ethiopian celebratory meal: meat! Large trays were placed before every four diners. The trays were lined with ingera, the bowls of meat were then dumped in the middle of the platters, cooked goat and fitir (raw beef with seasoned ghee). I think the kids are going to go to the same place on Monday...I will take pictures. God help the vegetarians. But it was very good.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Waiting for the week-end
July 15, 2001 (Hamle 8, 2003)
Brother Esayas arrived yesterday afternoon with Brother Getachew, from Diré Dawa. After dinner, I took Esayas, Getachew, Belaynah and Johannes over to talk with the kids. They asked questions like, “what is not meeting your expectations, or how is this different than you imagined?” They also answered questions about things such as time (several East African countries begin the day at 6 o'clock, rather than 12...so nine at night is really 3, three hours after sunrise or sunset.) It makes sense since near the equator the day begins at six and ends at six.
It rained hard during the night, which has led to some anxiety. Tomorrow is graduation, an outside event and the last thing they want is rain. The soccer field that was almost completely submerged this morning is, by this afternoon, is dry. They are erecting tents and are expecting at least 100 of their graduates. Not everyone comes back for the ceremony because of the distance. The kids are going to sing “Sanctuary.” They sang it for us last night and the Brothers were very impressed. It will be the highlight of the ceremony.
We traded classrooms today. It is unbelievable how many children just stand at the doors and look in. It was heart-breaking today when one little girl begged to come in to learn computers, “just once.” But all 25 spaces in both classes have been filled. The children we have are very, very bright and very eager to learn. They touched a computer for the first time on Monday. But they have no fear of the technology. The problem is their unfamiliarity with the keyboard.
Today, just for the heck of it, we had the second class get out the Lego robots. They have never seen a Lego, much to Jake's dismay. I wanted to see how they would handle an on screen pictorial tutorial. Animation isn't very common in Africa and from my years in Kenya I wasn't sure how seeing it for the first time would work. But they were great students. Not only are they dealing with the unfamiliar terminology of computing, but also concepts of beginning programming.
Yesterday, I brought Brother Esayas over to see the new computers, the microscopes and the Lego Robots. Mr. Alemu, the Biology Teacher was still here with a pile of leaves, a jar of dirty water...as I said before, he may never leave. The point is the Brother Esayas was very impressed and enthused about the potential of having such a set-up at all of our schools.
I am about to loose my chair. Everything is being moved outside in preparation for tomorrow. A big day. All of the graduates from here qualify for the university as opposed to the 40% or so from the government schools...that is why families are willing to pay tuition. Last night we asked and found out that almost one third of the students here are on full scholarship. The tuition is only about $120 a year, but for the people here it might as well be 100 times that much. The kids on scholarship are proud they have been selected to attend school here. As we see daily, the numbers of kids who want to be here far outnumber those who have been selected.
Brother Esayas arrived yesterday afternoon with Brother Getachew, from Diré Dawa. After dinner, I took Esayas, Getachew, Belaynah and Johannes over to talk with the kids. They asked questions like, “what is not meeting your expectations, or how is this different than you imagined?” They also answered questions about things such as time (several East African countries begin the day at 6 o'clock, rather than 12...so nine at night is really 3, three hours after sunrise or sunset.) It makes sense since near the equator the day begins at six and ends at six.
It rained hard during the night, which has led to some anxiety. Tomorrow is graduation, an outside event and the last thing they want is rain. The soccer field that was almost completely submerged this morning is, by this afternoon, is dry. They are erecting tents and are expecting at least 100 of their graduates. Not everyone comes back for the ceremony because of the distance. The kids are going to sing “Sanctuary.” They sang it for us last night and the Brothers were very impressed. It will be the highlight of the ceremony.
We traded classrooms today. It is unbelievable how many children just stand at the doors and look in. It was heart-breaking today when one little girl begged to come in to learn computers, “just once.” But all 25 spaces in both classes have been filled. The children we have are very, very bright and very eager to learn. They touched a computer for the first time on Monday. But they have no fear of the technology. The problem is their unfamiliarity with the keyboard.
Today, just for the heck of it, we had the second class get out the Lego robots. They have never seen a Lego, much to Jake's dismay. I wanted to see how they would handle an on screen pictorial tutorial. Animation isn't very common in Africa and from my years in Kenya I wasn't sure how seeing it for the first time would work. But they were great students. Not only are they dealing with the unfamiliar terminology of computing, but also concepts of beginning programming.
Yesterday, I brought Brother Esayas over to see the new computers, the microscopes and the Lego Robots. Mr. Alemu, the Biology Teacher was still here with a pile of leaves, a jar of dirty water...as I said before, he may never leave. The point is the Brother Esayas was very impressed and enthused about the potential of having such a set-up at all of our schools.
I am about to loose my chair. Everything is being moved outside in preparation for tomorrow. A big day. All of the graduates from here qualify for the university as opposed to the 40% or so from the government schools...that is why families are willing to pay tuition. Last night we asked and found out that almost one third of the students here are on full scholarship. The tuition is only about $120 a year, but for the people here it might as well be 100 times that much. The kids on scholarship are proud they have been selected to attend school here. As we see daily, the numbers of kids who want to be here far outnumber those who have been selected.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Meki
July 14, 2011 (Hamle 7, 2003)
As I said, I am staying with the Brothers, so I am following their schedule. Morning Prayer is at 6:00 in English, then we walk across the street to the Cathedral for Mass. Mass is in Amheric. Men sit on the left, women on the right. After Mass is breakfast which consists of coffee or tea and bread. We have peanut butter!
Yesterday we had Ingera, the Ethiopia pancake like flat bread made of fermented tiff. It has the sour dough tartness that is like the sour dough bread you get in San Francisco. It is better with other food than it is alone.
Today classes seem to be progressing well. I left Jake and the girls in charge and checked in with the other classrooms. They all have at least 30 kids, if not more. Everyone seems to be doing well.
The other Brothers have been in meetings. The visitor of the District of East Africa, and Ethiopian Brother by the name of Esayas. I have know him for many, many years. He is a very fine person. He is going to be in Meki this afternoon, so I hope the kids get a chance to meet him. We are planning to go to the local market today after lunch.
Meki isn’t much, the market is really a weekly farmers market. Most of the produce is transported to market by a two wheeled cart, drawn by the skinniest horses I have ever seen. The streets are dirt, so the nearly daily rains are keeping some of the dust down or causing huge puddles in the streets. I think I have found a way to post the blogs and have spent the better part of my free time retyping and making smaller files. I know everyone is anxious for news. Let’s have a collective finger crossing.
As I said, I am staying with the Brothers, so I am following their schedule. Morning Prayer is at 6:00 in English, then we walk across the street to the Cathedral for Mass. Mass is in Amheric. Men sit on the left, women on the right. After Mass is breakfast which consists of coffee or tea and bread. We have peanut butter!
Yesterday we had Ingera, the Ethiopia pancake like flat bread made of fermented tiff. It has the sour dough tartness that is like the sour dough bread you get in San Francisco. It is better with other food than it is alone.
Today classes seem to be progressing well. I left Jake and the girls in charge and checked in with the other classrooms. They all have at least 30 kids, if not more. Everyone seems to be doing well.
The other Brothers have been in meetings. The visitor of the District of East Africa, and Ethiopian Brother by the name of Esayas. I have know him for many, many years. He is a very fine person. He is going to be in Meki this afternoon, so I hope the kids get a chance to meet him. We are planning to go to the local market today after lunch.
Meki isn’t much, the market is really a weekly farmers market. Most of the produce is transported to market by a two wheeled cart, drawn by the skinniest horses I have ever seen. The streets are dirt, so the nearly daily rains are keeping some of the dust down or causing huge puddles in the streets. I think I have found a way to post the blogs and have spent the better part of my free time retyping and making smaller files. I know everyone is anxious for news. Let’s have a collective finger crossing.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Classroom
July 13, 2011 (Hamle 6, 2003, Ethiopian Calendar)
This morning we began our classroom instruction. It was a little rough, but by the second session it was much better. The classrooms tend to be dark, the electricity flickers regularly and chalk is a rare commodity. But everyone is adapting wonderfully.
I am with Lauren, Jessica, Emily, Carly and Jake working with the computors. We, too, had a rocky start, but regrouped quickly. We realized before we could attack the Intel software we needed a little keyboarding review. None of these kids have ever sat behind a computer before, so we restarted at the very, very beginning: this is how you start the computer! This was followed by checking the wifi connection, logging in as themselves, connecting to the network and finally connecting to the teachers. We covered basic vocabulary like click, double click, space bar, capital and lower case. Things are going very smoothly. Jake is teaching and the girls each are watching over a table full of students. There are 5 of the local teachers helping and translating where necessary.
Jake and spent the afternoon with the teachers. We had a group of the more advanced users and worked with the lego robots and the microscope. Lee, a member of the Intel group has been great, but appreciated help teaching. As he says, he is a technician, not a teacher. Both the students and the teachers are so excited and very appreciative of all the new equipment. The biology teacher is so excited by the microscope he can hardly contain himself.
I wish they had internet. That would really make the package complete. The lack of resources is a major problem. But they do well with what they have.
This morning we began our classroom instruction. It was a little rough, but by the second session it was much better. The classrooms tend to be dark, the electricity flickers regularly and chalk is a rare commodity. But everyone is adapting wonderfully.
I am with Lauren, Jessica, Emily, Carly and Jake working with the computors. We, too, had a rocky start, but regrouped quickly. We realized before we could attack the Intel software we needed a little keyboarding review. None of these kids have ever sat behind a computer before, so we restarted at the very, very beginning: this is how you start the computer! This was followed by checking the wifi connection, logging in as themselves, connecting to the network and finally connecting to the teachers. We covered basic vocabulary like click, double click, space bar, capital and lower case. Things are going very smoothly. Jake is teaching and the girls each are watching over a table full of students. There are 5 of the local teachers helping and translating where necessary.
Jake and spent the afternoon with the teachers. We had a group of the more advanced users and worked with the lego robots and the microscope. Lee, a member of the Intel group has been great, but appreciated help teaching. As he says, he is a technician, not a teacher. Both the students and the teachers are so excited and very appreciative of all the new equipment. The biology teacher is so excited by the microscope he can hardly contain himself.
I wish they had internet. That would really make the package complete. The lack of resources is a major problem. But they do well with what they have.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Meki
June 12, Meki (Hamle 5, 2003 of the Ethiopia Calendar)
We slept in a bit, with breakfast at 9:30. There is no electricity, so consequently no water. Once the generator pumps water to the tank we can at least wash-up a bit. The kids are staying in the girl’s hostel, six to a room. The boys lucked out since they have more space. The teachers get a double and a single, I am staying across the compound with the Brothers.
The Girls Hostel is a self-contained part of the larger walled compound. It has it own guard and “Madame”, who is the house mother. Girls from the program are here to help with the cooking and cleaning. The girls in the program are “at risk”, meaning their families want to marry them off for the dowery they would receive before they finish their education.
This morning Brother Belaynah welcomed us and gave us a tour of the ever changing compound. He was very candid about the lack of water…a fact of life here in Ethiopia, as in much of Africa. The completion of the damn on the Nile will help both water and electricity issues. We saw a PowerPoint by one of the students, introducing us to the history of the school. After a lunch of fried potatoes, rice with beef, cole slaw and bread, we started work in the library. Meki has just received a huge shipment of books from the U.S. We are were oriented to the Intel system, which they are calling a miracle. The teachers are so excited, as are the students.
The school has only 24 classrooms and 1757 students: do the math. You got it right 60-70 students per classroom! But as Brother Belaynah explained, these students want to learn so badly, this number doesn’t matter so much to them. The kids are excited about summer school. They will come on Saturday and Sunday if we want them to. Education here is a ladder for advancement…and they know that from a very, very young age. The little girls, especially, are anxious to speak what English they know to us and ask us for photos. I think the Holy Family kids will fall in love with them.
We slept in a bit, with breakfast at 9:30. There is no electricity, so consequently no water. Once the generator pumps water to the tank we can at least wash-up a bit. The kids are staying in the girl’s hostel, six to a room. The boys lucked out since they have more space. The teachers get a double and a single, I am staying across the compound with the Brothers.
The Girls Hostel is a self-contained part of the larger walled compound. It has it own guard and “Madame”, who is the house mother. Girls from the program are here to help with the cooking and cleaning. The girls in the program are “at risk”, meaning their families want to marry them off for the dowery they would receive before they finish their education.
This morning Brother Belaynah welcomed us and gave us a tour of the ever changing compound. He was very candid about the lack of water…a fact of life here in Ethiopia, as in much of Africa. The completion of the damn on the Nile will help both water and electricity issues. We saw a PowerPoint by one of the students, introducing us to the history of the school. After a lunch of fried potatoes, rice with beef, cole slaw and bread, we started work in the library. Meki has just received a huge shipment of books from the U.S. We are were oriented to the Intel system, which they are calling a miracle. The teachers are so excited, as are the students.
The school has only 24 classrooms and 1757 students: do the math. You got it right 60-70 students per classroom! But as Brother Belaynah explained, these students want to learn so badly, this number doesn’t matter so much to them. The kids are excited about summer school. They will come on Saturday and Sunday if we want them to. Education here is a ladder for advancement…and they know that from a very, very young age. The little girls, especially, are anxious to speak what English they know to us and ask us for photos. I think the Holy Family kids will fall in love with them.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Leisure Camp, Maasai Mara
July 11, Leisure Camp
We rose early for a 6:30 breakfast followed by a 7:00 departure. We drove through the park for our final time. We were rewarded by both a rhino and a group of seven cheetah. What a wonderful ending to our safari.
We faced our 5 ½ hour drive to Nairobi bravely. On the way we met one of my friends and Brother, Brother Francis Njoroge, who runs a home for street children in Nakuru. He and I rushed ahead to arrange lunch. We found a really good pizza place on the way to the airport. We had our drivers join us and were able to thank them for the wonderful job they had done.
Getting out of the Nairobi airport took nearly as long as it did to get in, go figure. But we departed Kenya shortly after 6:00, arriving in Addis about 8:00. It is a short flight, so service is pretty brisk! The stewardesses didn’t quite through the trays at us, but that description would not be far off. By the time we finished our Visa forms and collected all the luggage, again, worked our way through customs and packed the awaiting bus…it was 10:00. Brother Kassu and Johannes met us at the airport.
It was 12:30 by the time we arrived in Meki. We are tired, but all are well.
We rose early for a 6:30 breakfast followed by a 7:00 departure. We drove through the park for our final time. We were rewarded by both a rhino and a group of seven cheetah. What a wonderful ending to our safari.
We faced our 5 ½ hour drive to Nairobi bravely. On the way we met one of my friends and Brother, Brother Francis Njoroge, who runs a home for street children in Nakuru. He and I rushed ahead to arrange lunch. We found a really good pizza place on the way to the airport. We had our drivers join us and were able to thank them for the wonderful job they had done.
Getting out of the Nairobi airport took nearly as long as it did to get in, go figure. But we departed Kenya shortly after 6:00, arriving in Addis about 8:00. It is a short flight, so service is pretty brisk! The stewardesses didn’t quite through the trays at us, but that description would not be far off. By the time we finished our Visa forms and collected all the luggage, again, worked our way through customs and packed the awaiting bus…it was 10:00. Brother Kassu and Johannes met us at the airport.
It was 12:30 by the time we arrived in Meki. We are tired, but all are well.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Leisure Camp, Maasai Mara
July 10th, Leisure Camp, Maasai Mara
Today we rose early for a 6:30 game drive. The camp had coffee and a bit of cake for us before we left. But the early rising was rewarded. The sunrise was beautiful just like you see in the movies about Africa, huge and gradated from red to yellow. The hot air balloons that ply the Mara were already aloft. We passed a number of Maasai manyatta, their cattle streaming out for a day of grazing in the rich pastures of the Mara. We followed the river where we saw a huge crocodile heading for the water, several groups of hippos, ribbons of wildebeest on the move, buffalo, elephant and best of all, a leopard with its kill, a wildebeest on a branch of a tree. Leopards are considered one of the most elusive animals of the Mara and we have seen two.
We returned to the camp shortly after nine for breakfast. Again, they did not disappoint. They had eggs made to order, crepes, sausage, baked beans, croissants, Danish pastries and several different breads with jams….a veritable feast.
The drivers arranged for the kids who wanted to go to visit a Maasai village. I stayed behind to blog and enjoy the morning. I am sitting on my front porch enjoying the cool breeze watching a pair of African Fire Finches forage at the bottom of the steps and listening to the herds of livestock that are coming to the river which borders the camp.
During the afternoon game drive we had one goal, to find that animal which had alluded us: the cheetah. And it was at the end of the rainbow, literally. The rain also brought the lions out from the shade. We were so close to one of the males, as it shook its mane, we got wet! Awesome!
Everyone had a great trip to the Mara. I can not say enough about the drivers and the wonderful staff at Mara Leisure.
Today we rose early for a 6:30 game drive. The camp had coffee and a bit of cake for us before we left. But the early rising was rewarded. The sunrise was beautiful just like you see in the movies about Africa, huge and gradated from red to yellow. The hot air balloons that ply the Mara were already aloft. We passed a number of Maasai manyatta, their cattle streaming out for a day of grazing in the rich pastures of the Mara. We followed the river where we saw a huge crocodile heading for the water, several groups of hippos, ribbons of wildebeest on the move, buffalo, elephant and best of all, a leopard with its kill, a wildebeest on a branch of a tree. Leopards are considered one of the most elusive animals of the Mara and we have seen two.
We returned to the camp shortly after nine for breakfast. Again, they did not disappoint. They had eggs made to order, crepes, sausage, baked beans, croissants, Danish pastries and several different breads with jams….a veritable feast.
The drivers arranged for the kids who wanted to go to visit a Maasai village. I stayed behind to blog and enjoy the morning. I am sitting on my front porch enjoying the cool breeze watching a pair of African Fire Finches forage at the bottom of the steps and listening to the herds of livestock that are coming to the river which borders the camp.
During the afternoon game drive we had one goal, to find that animal which had alluded us: the cheetah. And it was at the end of the rainbow, literally. The rain also brought the lions out from the shade. We were so close to one of the males, as it shook its mane, we got wet! Awesome!
Everyone had a great trip to the Mara. I can not say enough about the drivers and the wonderful staff at Mara Leisure.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Ol' Moran
July 9th, Ol’ Moran, the Maasai Mara,
Thirteen hours on a plane is a long time. We landed at Bole airport in Addis shortly after 8 in the morning. I don’t think anyone slept much. Within an hour we were boarding our Ethiopian Airways flight for Nairobi. The flight is only one and a half hours.
We arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport shortly after noon. After filling out the usual paperwork, we made our way to immigration. There were only three lines and with the new technology of photos and finger-printing, it took forever. All of the bags arrived with the exception of Mr. Dols. By the time we exchanged money it was almost 3:30. Bernard from Lion Trails Safaris was there to meet us. He had everything very well organized. Our drivers, Francis, Stephan, Martin and Chris are all great. We are storing the bulk of the baggage in Nairobi…it took two mini-vans and six people to get that to happen!
The roads to Narok from Nairobi were in great shape. We took a short cut from the airport, avoiding much of the traffic in downtown. We had just left the airport when we spotted our first giraffes. The kids screamed. We also saw hartebeest, wildebeest, baboons, hyena, Thompson’s gazelles, eland and impala.
We arrived at Ol’ Moran, a tented camp, in the Mara reserve area about 9 at night. The roads from Narok were in very poor condition, so it was a process of finding which pothole was the least deep. Our driver, Francis, apologized for each of the thousands he hit, as if he took personal responsibility for the roads. Just a note on Ol’ Moran: although all the basics were covered, it certainly does not compete well with the many other camps in the area. I am glad we only spent one night there so the kids can compare another place with it. Dinner was good. It was a buffet with several choices. The fish was very good as was the eggplant. Everyone was so exhausted it didn’t matter.
We did get to sleep in a bit today. Although we had our bags packed and breakfast eaten for an eight o’clock departure. The plan is a full day safari with a box lunch along the way.
The Mara is a magical place. It is a continuous cycle of life and death, it is, as Disney portrayed it: “a circle of life.” And living up to its reputation, it did not disappoint. Even though we are a bit early, signs of the beginning of the Great Migration are everywhere. The excitement of seeing the first ei, gave way to, “oh, it is just another zebra,” as their numbers increase to thousands as we continued into the Mara. Giant herds of topi, gazelle, and buffalo followed in quick succession. And then the wildebeest winding their way, single file in lines that stretched across the horizon for miles. No photo can capture the immensity of the plains and the hundreds of thousands of herbivores that there now graze.
But with all that food follow the carnivores. We have seen two sets of lions, still at their evenings kill, gorged to the point that they only wanted to nap in any available shade, which at one point was the van we were in. The lioness, after circling come to rest under the passenger side of the van. Awkward! It took a bit of maneuvering to pull away from her without running over her. Once we moved she got up and took up her nap under a neighboring vehicle. We saw so many lions, it was no longer novel. We were indeed fortunate to also see a rhino and a leopard, so in one day we saw the big five!
The only mishap of the day is that the electrical system went our in one of the vans, but we all clamored aboard the remaining three vans and were on our way. We have great photos of everything. Elephant, hippos, crocodiles, jackals. We lunched under an acacia tree in the Mara, which consists of roasted chicken, lunch meat sandwich, banana, orange, pineapple and a box of fruit juice. A great day.
We arrived at our new camp, Mara Leisure Camp after five in the afternoon. Nine hours of safari and memories for a lifetime. The Mara Leisure Camp is what an establishment in the Mara should be. The staff is welcoming, abundant and very, very friendly. We found our tents and cabins, which are really, really nice, rugs on the floor, some with bathtubs, comfortable chairs on the porches.
Dinner was Kenyan themed and very good. We had a buffet that started with cream of tomato soup and an assortment of salads: pepper, avocadoes and a couple of others. They offered steak, chicken and two kinds of sausage. They also had very traditional Kenyan foods: ugali (cornmeal mush, which is a staple) arrowroot, pumpkin, Matoke (cooking bananas which tastes like potatoes) and chapatti (a flatbread). The desserts were beautiful and tasty: little cream puffs shaped like swans, a banana crumble and different cakes and pastries. The kids were great with the unfamiliar food. They don’t have to like it, but most of them did, I was just proud that they tried it. It is so important to the people here.
After dinner we were treated to Maasai dancing, in which the kids all joined in. It was a full day, so everyone went to bed both full and happy.
Thirteen hours on a plane is a long time. We landed at Bole airport in Addis shortly after 8 in the morning. I don’t think anyone slept much. Within an hour we were boarding our Ethiopian Airways flight for Nairobi. The flight is only one and a half hours.
We arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport shortly after noon. After filling out the usual paperwork, we made our way to immigration. There were only three lines and with the new technology of photos and finger-printing, it took forever. All of the bags arrived with the exception of Mr. Dols. By the time we exchanged money it was almost 3:30. Bernard from Lion Trails Safaris was there to meet us. He had everything very well organized. Our drivers, Francis, Stephan, Martin and Chris are all great. We are storing the bulk of the baggage in Nairobi…it took two mini-vans and six people to get that to happen!
The roads to Narok from Nairobi were in great shape. We took a short cut from the airport, avoiding much of the traffic in downtown. We had just left the airport when we spotted our first giraffes. The kids screamed. We also saw hartebeest, wildebeest, baboons, hyena, Thompson’s gazelles, eland and impala.
We arrived at Ol’ Moran, a tented camp, in the Mara reserve area about 9 at night. The roads from Narok were in very poor condition, so it was a process of finding which pothole was the least deep. Our driver, Francis, apologized for each of the thousands he hit, as if he took personal responsibility for the roads. Just a note on Ol’ Moran: although all the basics were covered, it certainly does not compete well with the many other camps in the area. I am glad we only spent one night there so the kids can compare another place with it. Dinner was good. It was a buffet with several choices. The fish was very good as was the eggplant. Everyone was so exhausted it didn’t matter.
We did get to sleep in a bit today. Although we had our bags packed and breakfast eaten for an eight o’clock departure. The plan is a full day safari with a box lunch along the way.
The Mara is a magical place. It is a continuous cycle of life and death, it is, as Disney portrayed it: “a circle of life.” And living up to its reputation, it did not disappoint. Even though we are a bit early, signs of the beginning of the Great Migration are everywhere. The excitement of seeing the first ei, gave way to, “oh, it is just another zebra,” as their numbers increase to thousands as we continued into the Mara. Giant herds of topi, gazelle, and buffalo followed in quick succession. And then the wildebeest winding their way, single file in lines that stretched across the horizon for miles. No photo can capture the immensity of the plains and the hundreds of thousands of herbivores that there now graze.
But with all that food follow the carnivores. We have seen two sets of lions, still at their evenings kill, gorged to the point that they only wanted to nap in any available shade, which at one point was the van we were in. The lioness, after circling come to rest under the passenger side of the van. Awkward! It took a bit of maneuvering to pull away from her without running over her. Once we moved she got up and took up her nap under a neighboring vehicle. We saw so many lions, it was no longer novel. We were indeed fortunate to also see a rhino and a leopard, so in one day we saw the big five!
The only mishap of the day is that the electrical system went our in one of the vans, but we all clamored aboard the remaining three vans and were on our way. We have great photos of everything. Elephant, hippos, crocodiles, jackals. We lunched under an acacia tree in the Mara, which consists of roasted chicken, lunch meat sandwich, banana, orange, pineapple and a box of fruit juice. A great day.
We arrived at our new camp, Mara Leisure Camp after five in the afternoon. Nine hours of safari and memories for a lifetime. The Mara Leisure Camp is what an establishment in the Mara should be. The staff is welcoming, abundant and very, very friendly. We found our tents and cabins, which are really, really nice, rugs on the floor, some with bathtubs, comfortable chairs on the porches.
Dinner was Kenyan themed and very good. We had a buffet that started with cream of tomato soup and an assortment of salads: pepper, avocadoes and a couple of others. They offered steak, chicken and two kinds of sausage. They also had very traditional Kenyan foods: ugali (cornmeal mush, which is a staple) arrowroot, pumpkin, Matoke (cooking bananas which tastes like potatoes) and chapatti (a flatbread). The desserts were beautiful and tasty: little cream puffs shaped like swans, a banana crumble and different cakes and pastries. The kids were great with the unfamiliar food. They don’t have to like it, but most of them did, I was just proud that they tried it. It is so important to the people here.
After dinner we were treated to Maasai dancing, in which the kids all joined in. It was a full day, so everyone went to bed both full and happy.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Over the Atlantic
July 7th, Over the Atlantic
We had breakfast at 6:30 this morning. They had a nice little breakfast sandwiches: eggs, cheese Canadian bacon on an English muffin. They also had cereal and juice prepared for us. We then went and prepared for the day.
We started to leave the hotel at 9:00, again in three shifts. It was none too early. By the time we dealt with luggage, ticketing and security, we arrived at our gate as boarding began.
I don’t know how the kids are fairing, they are in steerage. The gate manager put Mr. Dols and I in business class…he must have travelled with teenagers at one time! Actually, the kids have been great. The stewardess just put table clothes on our tray tables. And the reclining, massaging seats will make the next 12 hours so much nicer! The hard part is deciding on the first course: shrimp, truffled chicken terrine or crab cakes.
We still don’t know about our luggage. We want to keep the bulk of it in Addis if possible. Time will tell and everyone is being flexible. The ticketing people at Ethiopian Air were wonderful.
We had breakfast at 6:30 this morning. They had a nice little breakfast sandwiches: eggs, cheese Canadian bacon on an English muffin. They also had cereal and juice prepared for us. We then went and prepared for the day.
We started to leave the hotel at 9:00, again in three shifts. It was none too early. By the time we dealt with luggage, ticketing and security, we arrived at our gate as boarding began.
I don’t know how the kids are fairing, they are in steerage. The gate manager put Mr. Dols and I in business class…he must have travelled with teenagers at one time! Actually, the kids have been great. The stewardess just put table clothes on our tray tables. And the reclining, massaging seats will make the next 12 hours so much nicer! The hard part is deciding on the first course: shrimp, truffled chicken terrine or crab cakes.
We still don’t know about our luggage. We want to keep the bulk of it in Addis if possible. Time will tell and everyone is being flexible. The ticketing people at Ethiopian Air were wonderful.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Ethiopia 2011
I just arrived in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. Since I flew in on Delta and am flying out on United, I had to go get my bag and recheck it. That is easy and they were very helpful at the United counter, since my flight doesn't leave for six hours.
Security was easy also, it is just doing it twice in one morning is a bit of an exercise.but the lines moved quickly. The had a different full body scanner here, it is more three dimensional as the scanner seems to swing 360.
I am really just letting everyone know that the blog is up and running and I will try to keep everyone up to date. I will also send out a tweet every time I manage to get the blog updated. So if you want to follow my tweets, you can do so at msafari3556. I have links to everything on the page at http://lasalliansafaris.org/ethiopia.htm.
Washington, Dulles
July 6th, Washington, Dulles
Our short two hour flight from Minneapolis to Washington, Dulles was uneventful. We had all of the kids grab a snack before we boarded the plane since it was close to dinner time. The only snag in the process is that my bag made it to Washington before I did, so it was the last one to be found.
Moving 25 people is not easy…especially 25 people with luggage! It took several shifts to get us to the hotel. We all arrived by 11:00. We checked into our rooms and freshened up a bit, then returned to the lobby for pizza. As we ate, we had a little briefing about helping each other as we go through this month. Africa is nothing else if unpredictable. Distances are just that, not to be judged in terms of time. Activities are the same: to be enjoyed and not fretted about.
We also had a safari etiquette lesson. If animals are to been seen, you must not be heard; if you smell good to other humans, the animals will be able to smell you, too and finally, you don’t want to be brighter than the landscape.
The Aloft Hotel is about style. Clean lines with minimalist sensibilities. All of the kids said they slept wee. I did. I also savored my last really good shower for the next month. I also relished brushing my teeth with running tap water. Ah, a comforts one leaves behind only to appreciate them more upon return…and I am sure that will apply to parents as well!
Our short two hour flight from Minneapolis to Washington, Dulles was uneventful. We had all of the kids grab a snack before we boarded the plane since it was close to dinner time. The only snag in the process is that my bag made it to Washington before I did, so it was the last one to be found.
Moving 25 people is not easy…especially 25 people with luggage! It took several shifts to get us to the hotel. We all arrived by 11:00. We checked into our rooms and freshened up a bit, then returned to the lobby for pizza. As we ate, we had a little briefing about helping each other as we go through this month. Africa is nothing else if unpredictable. Distances are just that, not to be judged in terms of time. Activities are the same: to be enjoyed and not fretted about.
We also had a safari etiquette lesson. If animals are to been seen, you must not be heard; if you smell good to other humans, the animals will be able to smell you, too and finally, you don’t want to be brighter than the landscape.
The Aloft Hotel is about style. Clean lines with minimalist sensibilities. All of the kids said they slept wee. I did. I also savored my last really good shower for the next month. I also relished brushing my teeth with running tap water. Ah, a comforts one leaves behind only to appreciate them more upon return…and I am sure that will apply to parents as well!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Anticipation
All the kids are here and pepped. We are eating in shifts, so we have strength for the rest of the journey! I have to finish learning everyone's name...but they have to hold still.
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