Our Lasallian Group

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Farewell Ethiopia

We left Babagayu after a late breakfast. The morning traffic was heavy, so we arrived at St. Joseph at 10:00. We had been invited to graduation. Our friend, the Archbishop was the chief guest, but we too, were recognized by Mr. Demesse. The honored alumni was from last year. He received the top score in the country on the national exam (as his brother did the year before). The school has a lot of brain power!

After graduation, the long awaited SHOPPING!!!!!!! Bargaining is the name of the game and everyone came away with great treasures.

The trip home: 3 continents, 30 hours, 8 time zones. What else can one say!

It was a great trip. Many, many thanks to our hosts. I still feel like I have been hit by a truck, so this is short. I am looking forward to seeing all of the photos.

Although I am not finished organizing all my photos, you can see them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/msafari/.

Nazaret and Babagayu

Maurice:

As the trip comes to an end, so many emotions are running through everyone’s mind. I’ll get to that shortly. While we were in Nazareth, we visited my twin school, St.Joseph and we actually got to meet some of the students even though there weren’t many at the school due to testing. The 1^st day we played with the kindergarten (KG) which was really fun because they were so energetic about seeing us. They also sung a couple different songs for us which were really nice and they sounded beautiful. The staff, afterwards, held a ceremonial coffee ceremony which was one of the best because the KG came in and danced for us while we were drinking coffee. When we got done with the school, we went back to the house to eat lunch. After lunch, we decided to go to a natural hot spring and the water was boiling hot. That was probably because it was hot outside and that warmed up the water. Me and a couple others decided to go get massages, which were excellent and if I had a choice I would go back and get another. We also had ice cream too which was really nice. When we got back, we ate dinner and after that we reflected.

Then on Friday, we went back to the school, but it was a different part of campus where the older kids go to school. One of the brothers who work there gave us a brief history of the school and a few statistics. The highest paid tuition is 152 birr, the lowest 98, and the avg. class size was about 55-60 students in most classes. He then took us for a tour around school and the school is very beautiful and very well kept up, even though it was made in 1951, it still looked nice. We later saw the senior class and introduced our self to them. We saw the library, computer room and the fields they play on futbol and basketball on and we played basketball there. We ate lunch and left for Babagayu.

During the last reflection, a lot of people had a lot of mixed emotions and were stuck between “I want to go home” and “I don’t want to leave this place.” And I see where they come from because it’s been three weeks since we’ve seen our families and friends; at the same time, we don’t want to leave a place like this and everyone we’ve meet on the trip because we’ve become so close with one another. No matter where we are or where our future lead us, we will still have all of the great memories from ETHIOPIA.

Meki

Needless to say, the last blog wasn't sent. Meki is getting electricity only every other day and I report that is not a certainty. Today is an electricity day, but the power has been off most of the morning. Without electricity, water is also sporadic since the necessary pumps are electric. But that is mainly and inconvenience which has not hampered the enjoyment of our stay here in Meki.

We are lodging in the pastoral center across the street from the school. We are taking our meals with the Brothers who are located on the adjacent side of the school, so it is a short walk across the school compound and the soccer field.

There are four Brothers here: Brother Betre, the headmaster and Brother Getachew in the school; Brother Cassi, works at the farm; and Brother Taye, who is 4^th year scholastic visiting here for a month.

Unlike the other schools we have visited, Meki Catholic is in a smaller town, perhaps 60,000 people. The area is very, very poor. There are 1517 students in grades KG-12. Until recently it was the only secondary school in town. The government opened their secondary school this year. There is a great need as over 1600 students applied for the 50 open spaces last year. The school is double stream, meaning there are two classrooms for each grade, with the exception of 9^th grade, for which there are three. There are 25 classrooms (that is 60 students per room). The school population is comprised of 790 boys and 727 girls. The ratio between boys and girls is decreasing.

Students in grades 1-6 pay only 25 birr per month ($25.00 per year); 7-8, 30 birr per month; 9-10, 35 birr per month; and 11-12, 45 birr per month. This tuition covers only 15% of the real cost of the education.

There are many issues revolving around the female students. Many girls are being forced to marry after grade 9. There is no real motivation to educate a female student. Marriage brings money to her family in the form of a dowry. Even the girls who do continue their education face many difficulties. The girls, after attending school, are required to do much of the work around the house, such tasks as gathering wood and water. They also must work late into the night. The exhaustion showed on the faces of many of the girls in the classroom. The school is meeting these problems by both advocating for the girls and building a hostel where they can live if the situation forces the removal from the family.

Ali: Remember back to your thirteenth birthday. As young women, we were excited to enter into our teen years; young women, no longer children. Now imagine, instead of a birthday cake, a party, and your first PG-13 movie, you wake up to the reality that today is your wedding day. You are to be married to a man you've never met, who is more than twice your age, and who already has two other wives. It's the price you have to pay to feed your family. Your husband has already paid your family two cows and a goat for your hand. Your sin is that you were born poor in a rural farming community with traditions that are outdated, and that you are born a female. Females are promised or "sold" into marriage from as early as age one through adolescence. This is the reality that we discovered one afternoon while interviewing four young women at Meki Catholic School. While each of their stories had similarities, they were each as heart wrenching as the previous. Each girl had been promised into marriage, and each had rejected their forced destiny, left with no chance but to run away from their circumstance. One girl moved to Addis to live with relatives so that she could receive and education, only to be forced to do manual labor, leaving little time for her studies. This reality was no improvement from her first. Another girl moved in with relatives, was abused, and became deaf in one ear after being beaten in the head with a shoe. One girl was forced to be married in the fourth grade despite her objections. She ran away numerous times, and was caught and beaten each time until finally breaking the will of her husband. The final girl experienced the death of her parents, who left twelve children behind. She moved in with one of her brothers, but was treated no better than a maid. In each story, escaping the initial marriage was not the end of the struggle. Each girl faced poverty, sexual abuse, forced prostitution, and all sorts of inhumane treatment because of their gender. These are not the end to their stories. To highlight all their struggles would take too many pages, and too many tears. Their stories do not end with despair. Each girl found hope in Meki Catholic School. Through Brother Betre's care and the twinning schools finances, these girls were able to find the support they needed in Meki Catholic School. Support for women generally falls into three categories. Full support covers tuition, a place to stay, and a small stipend for necessities. Partial support includes tuition, book fees, and other various expenses, while minimal support which covers tuition of young women who live in stable, yet poor, homes. These four girls spoke of hope because of the opportunities that were given at Meki, in fact, one girl is top of her class. Each spoke of their future goals of helping women who cannot help themselves. Brother Betre is not able to help all the young women that come to him with similar stories. He has about forty girls on a waiting list to be helped and countless other young women to have yet to come forward. Because the need is so great, Brother Betre is opening a women's hostel that can serve sixty young women. The project with cost approximately 600,000 USD, which may seem like a lot of money. When one girl was asked what Meki has done for her, she said "It gave me life". Which begs the question, what is the price tag for hope, for life?

Monday we broke into groups and observed classes. In the 6^th and 7^th grades, many of the questions concerned why we were here, the global economic situation and American politics, especially Obama. In the mid-morning we were introduced to all of the teachers and had tea and biscuits.

Playing before a packed arena, we lost yet another basketball game. This one was at least close. We have been swarmed by kids ever since we arrived.

After dinner, Brother Betre showed a powerpoint on the school, which I hope you all will have a chance to see.

On Tuesday morning, we visited Meki Farm. The farm is an initiative to not only teach modern farming techniques to the local populous, but to insure the future survival of the school. The farm is about a 20 minute drive from the school.

Betsy: Brother Amilcare gave us the farm tour. It is a wonderful example of combining the natural resources available with modern agricultural and genetic techniques. Right now they have 30 hectars (about 120 acres) of land very near lake Zway. They have dug ditches to contain the lake water and placed a submersible pump there. The pump is then able to transport the water up in elevation about 15 feet and almost a half mile in distance to a retaining pond and to the main pumping station. This allows the farmers the ability to control the amount of water the farm receives and to use drip lines to water only the crops. The concept of drip irrigation is very hard for local farmers to grasp. The success of drip irrigation will convince farmers to water their fields in a far more effective way, especially during the dry seasons.

They have already planted thousands of plants. There are between 500-1000 each orange trees, mango trees and papaya trees. They have a more than a 1000 banana trees planted and have planted small grasses between the trees for the cows to graze. The theory of intercropping not only conserves space and uses vital farm land efficiently, it also keeps down the weeds so the farmers (women) don't have to spend so much time weeding. One interesting result from the intercropping was that the banana trees didn't grow well when alfalfa was planted with them. Now they have only small grazing grasses planted. They also have many standard farm plants: corn, tomatoes, onions, etc. Finally, they have established an amazing vineyard. They have planted more than 20,000 grape vines of seven varieties including merlot. Brother said that once the vineyard is producing at full capacity in several years, they hope to bottle well over 100,000 bottles of wine.

They also are planning to have a large herd of cows that they will use for making yogurt and cheese. The Christian population fasts about 200 days out of the year so they don't use much of their milk. The hope is to exchange cows to the local farmers in return for their milk. Then the Meki farm will make the yogurt and cheese. In addition, they will be selecting specific cows that are hardy and can live off the land and cross breeding them with cows that are high in milk production. Because of the specific genetics, the cross breeding has a high probability of success. This will ensure strong healthy milk producers for the local farmers. Finally, they will only need to maintain one or two bulls to keep the large female population impregnated (all by artificial insemination).

The buildings are well on the way to being completed. They include the main building, class rooms, the dairy, the cheese room, the jam/marmalade room and the winery. We toured the upper level of the winery by walking up a wooden scaffold. It was a challenge to come down it successfully and we are glad to still be here to write the blog.

Alex: In Meki, we met with the LaSallian Youth to experience the culture of the region. To kick off the festivities, a student dressed in traditional clothes started the coffee ceremony. It smelled delicious. While the coffee was being prepared, the students introduced Abraham, who was supposed to do a modern dance for us. As soon as the music came on, he came out dancing his heart off and doing really well; however, the power was out, something that is a reality in Ethiopia that occurs daily, and the dry cell powering the boom box failed. He stood there, all embarrassed, but applause broke out all the same. He killed it. Then, the narrator introduced girls who were going to dance traditional dances. The music started and the girls began, and they were shimmying and popping their bodies to the beat. It was all really cool. Again, however, the music cut off, but instead of stopping, we started clapping out the beat and the dance finished. It was incredibly cool and the girls danced very well. By the time the dances finished, the coffee was ready to be served, and, as the coffee was served, we started to talk to the LaSallian Youth. They were very interested in how we saw the country, and asked many questions, such as our reaction to the culture, climate, impressions of the people, the poverty. They were also interested in our lives, asking if American movies accurately portrayed our culture, our parents' reaction to us going, and what out LaSallian Youth does. Of course we described how the culture is beautiful with its old roots, proud heritage, dance, music, and coffee. The people are the most welcoming and hospitable people, always with a smile on their face, and always proud of what they have, no matter how little it is. We commented on the way the people don't let their lifestyle keep them down, and how beautiful the weather is. The students and teachers were delighted with our answers and beaming at each other with approval. Ethiopia is truly a beautiful place. Then we focused on our lives, describing how the movies do not portray American culture, how some of our parents were apprehensive, some needed some persuasion, and some were all gung-ho about their kids going, and lastly how our LaSallian Youth helps out the community through service and fundraisers. The exchange of culture was very informational and exciting.

Maurice: While we were in Meki, we paired up with students from the school who were in LaSallian youth and the goal was to see how each student lived. In my group we had three from the school so we went to three different homes and a church. The 1^st house we went to was Seble's. I was really surprised by how modernized the home was. The had a living room which had four couches, a TV, a stereo set and a china cabinet with really nice dishes. They prepared the cultural coffee ceremony and we also had popcorn. After we did that, we visited Abreham's house. His home was different from Seble's because she lived in a house made from brick and he lived in a mud/stick house. Another difference was that Seble's home had different rooms from different purposes while Abreham had one room for many different purposes. It surprised me because there was a big difference in homing and how people lived and it was all in the same city. Even though they didn't have much, they were still welcoming and very humble. That's what really surprised me since day one how these people have so little or maybe even so much and they keep up the same positive attitude day in and day out. And to see all of the different homes was really nice and an experience I will never forget.

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Pentecost Sunday--Harar

June 7, 2009, Pentecost Sunday.

 

The distance between heaven and hell is 19 km.

 

As you travel from the floor of the Rift Valley, the temperature quickly drops from the "breath of the Devil" to the much more refreshing breeze of Angel's wings. As quickly as the temperature changes, so does the landscape, the number of people and commerce. The mountains are agricultural, where the semi-desert is pastoralist. The drive to Harar (I have found it spelled "officially" three different ways) is short.

 

We arrive and the first order of business is lodging. We find two hotels near each other which can accommodate our number. Once everyone gets settled in, we head to find the hyena man. Harar is an ancient walled city, with twisting streets and alleyways. The roads outside the old city are crowded with taxis. There are very few vehicles within the walls, because there is no parking nor roads wide enough for them to pass. The streets are alive with vendors and animals.  Except for the electric lights (which our hotels were without), it was like stepping back hundreds of years.

 

Outside the wall, where the city fades to countryside, lives the hyena man. Shortly after dark, we arrive. Soon an old man comes out of his nearby house with a bucket of meat scraps and begins to whistle and call the hyenas by name. You see their eyes first. Soon the dominant male overcomes it fear of all the people gathered to watch and the hyena man feeds him a scrap of meat from his hand. After a few moments two younger hyenas appear, perhaps a female and its pup. The hyena man then invites the visitors to give it a try (using a 10 inch stick). He positions the person next to him, puts the stick in his hand and then drapes a piece of meat over the end. Cautiously the hyena approaches and quickly snatches the meat. Over and over the procedure is repeated with different  people. Some bravely put the stick in the mouth. It is a fun experience. Once the scraps of meat are depleted, some "helpers" dump a bag of bones and as people back off nearly 20 hyenas end up showing themselves for the feast.

 

We depart to the Ras Hotel for dinner. Again, no electricity, so dinner is by generator. There is no injera (somewhat like the restaurant in Heathrow being out of English Muffins). So we opt for western fare. Not so successful. My lamb chop which the waitress said was fried, was chopped lamb at best: braised. So we returned to our waterless and dark hotels. Both lights and water came on shortly after midnight. We left the following morning at 6:00 am.

 

We stopped in the town of Asabteferi where we had stopped on the previous trip. This time the Franciscan Sisters, one of whom is Brother Teddele's cousin, Sister Tsega, had prepared a breakfast of pancakes, omelets, scrambled eggs and coffee for us. After breakfast they had a coffee ceremony. Starting with the roasting of the coffee beans, they then passed them around so we can inspect both the roast and the fragrance. I asked Sister to show me how they are ground. When the coffee is for a few, they us a mortar and pedestal, but for larger groups they use the hollow of a large log and a wooden pole about 4 ft long, both worn smooth through use. She took me out behind the house to see it. Then she showed me women baking bread. There was a large shallow pan over a brazier on which they placed large wet leaves. On top of the leaves, they placed the dough and on top of that they were placing several more layers of dampened leaves. Their gardens had fallen victim to the lack of rain, but there were fruits on the pomegranate tree. I also saw a little cordon bleu finch.  We only had time to drink one cup of the three traditional cups of coffee of the ceremony and we were on our way again.

 

We passed the same route as we did on the way to Dire Dawa. However, this time we travelled the lower elevations in the heat of the day. By the time we left the mountains and arrived at the town of Awash, it was fully 100 degrees and still climbing. The van travelled faster than the luggage truck, so we arrived in Awash after they had already gone. We had discovered a little café that keeps their water almost at freezing temperatures. Heaven! As we finished our water, Brother Kassu, who really knows everyone, runs into the Minister of Culture and Tourism. He insists we have lunch with him…who can say no to that? The Minister is the former Ambassador to Zimbabwe, former Minister of Mines and an alumni of our school, Besrate Gabriel in Dire Dawa. He is in Awash with his team to do conflict resolution with the local tribes. Ambassador Mohammed Deril ordered for us and when the food comes, he arranges it on the tray of injera. He asks Brother Peter to bless the food, because the Ambassador is Muslim. He was a gracious and charming host. Lunch was delicious.  Peter said it was the "softest" chicken he had had in years. The Ambassador said it was between 43-45 degrees Celsius (between 108-113).

 

We finally arrived at Lake Metehara, where we had stopped before. It has a detergent like quality, so we stop to wash our hair and soak our feet. The water was probably 80 degrees, but was very refreshing compared to the air temperature. The van had stopped there earlier and everyone had a good hair washing! I drove the remainder of the way to Nazaret, where Kassu after a nap took over the wheel to drive through the maze of traffic to Debra Zeit. We caught up with the group at Babagayu.

 

Lake Babagayu is a beautiful volcanic lake surrounded by resort villas.  The Brothers have a retreat house there complete with individual rooms, a chapel, a kitchen, a dining room and sitting room and a spacious lawn that was well-maintained.  We had a chance to sit in chairs on the lawn overlooking the lake, swim and boat and enjoy the several varieties of ducks and cormorants who often dove into the water for fish.  We also got to "enjoy" the loud music that played at a resort around the bend.  We didn't notice it overnight, but it was at full-blast again at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning.

 

The night we arrived we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant. They served both Ethiopian and Western fare, so everyone was happy.  Every so often we will see "Westerners" in the places we stay.  At the restaurant a large group of Europeans sit at a table near us.  While the man I spoke with was British most of the group was Dutch.  They were all on scientific research grants studying water issues or wildlife.

 

For once we got to sleep in on Sunday morning. Again, everyone was happy. We walked to Mass at a different retreat center run by the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady, not far from the Brothers. (The priest-director told us that the government is trying to take their prime spot to turn it into a resort.) Today we celebrated the Feast of the Pentecost which marks the end of the Easter season and commemorates the story in the Acts of the Apostles when the Holy Spirit came in wind and fire on the disciples after Jesus had ascended to heaven. Under the power of the Spirit the disciples were enabled to speak in different tongues or languages and preach the Good News to all the foreigners who had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast days.  Celebrating Pentecost was so appropriate for our gathering. One of the priests was from Malta, the other from Ethiopia. There were two Comboni Sisters there who work in Ethiopia, one was from Peru, the other Spain. They were there for a conference led by a Ugandan. There were also some from the Sudan. There were also Sisters there from Ethiopia. Mass was celebrated in the common language: English. Some of the songs were in Amheric. But the gifts of the Spirit were evident as we all gathered as one Church.

 

After Mass, we had lunch at the Sisters. They had prepared, goat, fried cauliflower, green beans and carrots, a lentil dish and rice. It was delicious. After lunch we walked back to the Brother's retreat for a swim. Because the lake is an old volcano, the water is deep, fed by cool subterranean springs.

 

We are now on our way to Meki, where I hope I can send this.

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From Dire Dawa to Harer

June 5, 2009

 

Upon arrival at Dire Dawa, one of the Brothers said the usual pattern is to either water or electricity. That has certainly been true. We started to get water again yesterday, but electricity has been sporadic. Of the two, I choose water.

 

It took me over an hour to post the last blog from here, so I don’t know if this will get posted before we leave Dire Dawa for Harrar later today. We are going to feed the Hyenas, stay overnight and then continue to Nazarit tomorrow.

 

Yesterday we toured the facilities of the Sisters of Charity. Here in Dire Dawa they care for over 1200 destitute and dying people. The facilities, like those in Addis were clean and well ordered. The street leading to the shelter was lined with people waiting to be admitted. There seem to be many homeless people here. Many of the streets are lined with them at night, sleeping against walls on pieces of cardboard.

 

Sr. Vincentina, met us at the women’s and children’s section. There were at least 10 newborns many of them orphans, being cared for. The cribs were all covered with netting to ward off the flies. We also visited the special needs children. When a woman brings in a sick child in this area, the bring all the rest of the children also. So immediately we had children with whom to hold hands and carry. There was also a section for mentally disturbed women, which we did not tour. Every section of the facility has a Sister in charge. Again, they were all smiling.

 

Down the street was the clinic and the men’s section. There were many more men than women. We visited a number of wards: geriatric, a ward where wounds needed watching and changed, HIV, those that are dying, and the undiagnosed…the Sister’s are very, very organized in their care. They also had an area of the mentally disturbed. Currently there were 400 men there. The usual number is 800, but because of construction to enlarge the facility they had to send the least violent back to their villages for the time being.  Sister Deo Gracia, from Tanzania greeted us. She was full of laughter. We greeted many of the men and shook hands and then liberally applied hand sanitizer. Even here, everyone is very welcoming.

 

Later in the day we visited the street boys program run by the Brothers. There are 20 boys in residence in all age ranges. They go to local schools, but come to the center for meals and sleeping. Each day we enter or leave the Beserate Gabriel school compound , we are mobbed by street children, most of whom are savvy and aggressive. The Lasallian Youth from Besrate Gabriel spend their Saturday’s clothing, cleaning, feeding and teaching the kids. Brother Taddele, who is in charge of the program, then chooses the ones with the most regular attendance to become part of the program as room is available. As we go around town, we meet many alumni of the program who have successfully completed grade 10.

 

The oldest boys in the house are 18 and they watch after the younger ones.  Zelalem, in particular, an 18 year old grade 11 night school student is articulate, kind and very good with the younger boys. He is fiercely proud of his little mattress in one of the rooms that he shares with two others.  He showed us his wardrobe and his pile of school books sitting on top.  He really enjoys natural sciences and hopes to study chemistry at the university.  The boys live in a house that is on loan from Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity because the Brothers have been trying to obtain a piece of land to build a permanent home.  We just got word that after a morning meeting today (Friday, June 5^th), the Brothers received a gift of land from the government.  They want to build lodging for 20 street boys and then lodging for an additional 20 rental rooms to subsidize the cost of the street boys program. 

 

When we visited the Lasalle Boy’s Home, we gathered our chairs in a circle and had the chance to ask each other questions.  Both groups were shy it seems so few questions were asked.  Instead, some of the Lasalle boys performed traditional dance for us in the middle of the circle.  One of the boys had an amazing voice and sang the traditional tunes as he led the dancing.  Over and over again we are seeing the several dances that are unique to each tribal or regional group.  Even some of the very small students at the school are proud to show us the dance moves that they know.  Megan and Kylie in our group offered beautiful songs and Ryan and Jon attempted a few simple dances. But unfortunately, we have nothing to offer them by way of traditional dancing or singing.  When they asked us to perform, we could think of nothing to show or, I suppose, that the students don’t know or don’t feel connected to traditional American dances like square or contra dancing. 

 

Ethiopia is still very much a traditional culture.  Cultural rituals and symbols are emphasized in the home and at school and students are very proud to show off what they know.  In fact, the students know more than just the rituals of the tribal group they belong to.  They are able to perform the dances and the song of the several major regional groups.  Ethiopia is certainly diverse, but stresses unity in its diversity.  By contrast, in some ways, in the United States unity has so trumped diversity that we are more homogenous and without strong knowledge of traditional cultural symbol and rituals.  There are exceptions of course; I think of traditional Irish step dancing that many young people still learn today, but those kinds of examples are rare.  I think our students are keenly aware of those cultural differences between our societies and (some at least) have expressed sadness that we don’t have those same ties to the past.  It may be easier to have connections to a culture that is 3000 years old as opposed to an American culture of only 200+ years.   

 

In the afternoon, the Lasallian Youth provided us with a traditional coffee ceremony whilst the 6th graders provided the entertainments. Later we had a discussion with the PSI club, whose purpose is to practice English.

 

June 5^th,

 

Today we visited the two primary schools that adjoin Besrate Gabriel, one run by the Conventual Franciscans and the other by the Sisters of Notre Dame. Besrate Gabriel is the only one which offers 11-12 grades. The Sisters did at one time but because of government regulations now stop at 10. The Franciscan Brothers have about 730 students. It seems to be single stream, there were three students to every bench, so even though the rooms were very small, there must have been upwards of seventy kids in every classroom. The whole school was crowded, but we were given the grand tour. The A-V room had a variety of visual aids for biology and geography…all hand painted on canvas. I think of all the maps and charts our students have access to and compare to what little is here in the terms of visuals for the students.

 

The Sister’s school was beautiful. It was clean, well ordered and very disciplined. In one of the rooms the little kids (maybe 1^st graders) were watching a projected video which was teaching them the names of colors and body parts in English. All of the schools had computers (often old and mismatched), but seen as necessary for the total education of their students.

June 3rd.

Monday we left Arbaminch at 6:00 in the morning. Father knew of a shorter route with better roads through the mountains. And it was. Although the roads were dirt, they were much smoother than the temporary roads which skirted us around the road construction. The scenery was beautiful. As we climbed we had awesome views of the lakes. The mountains were very populated at the lower elevations, rich with agriculture on terraced fields. The dwellings here were very different. They were very tall, thatched buildings, mainly circular, but seemed to have a front porch or entry way. They were very graceful and well-kept. As we climbed higher, the area was much more alpine, with great expanses of conifers. It really became a horse culture, both as transportation and work. Plowing was still done with oxen. The area was lush, green and cool.

We came out within 20 km of Soto, (for those of you following our journey on a map, both Arbaminch and Soto are on the map I found on the Encyclopedia Britannica site.) We stopped very little, so reached Addis in about 11 hours…right at rush hour. The van went on to the city of Debre Zeyit, where the Brothers have a retreat center on the lake, Babugaya. The truck went to the Postulancy building to pick up luggage. Unfortunately, the luggage truck was delayed by traffic, so it stayed in the city overnight. The group met up the next morning to begin the journey to Dire Dawa.

Dire Dawa, “the Queen City of the Desert”, is hot. May is the hottest month, but someone forgot to change the calendar. It is 11:00 am as I write and it must be pushing 100 degrees. Although last night was cool. Air-conditioning certainly hasn’t made it here yet. We asked Br. Tadele if his room had air conditioning and he nodded yes as he showed us his tiny box fan. Obviously definitions of “air conditioning” vary around the world!

Leaving Babugaya, we passed an area that was heavily agricultural. Many fields were being plowed by oxen, a now familiar site. The area did not have the diversity which the area South of Addis enjoyed. Most of the fields seemed to be maize. The area didn’t seem as prosperous either.

As we moved eastward, we again seemed to pass through several tribal areas, witnessed by style of structures and dress. Although still in the highlands we passed through a very arid area. Here, farms thinned and a pastoralist lifestyle was evident. There were great herds of goats, camels and cattle. One of the herds we passed must have easily had over 1000 head of cattle. The herdsmen all carried rifles. The men wore Afro hair styles, either a western style shirt or a loose waist length tunic and a knee length piece of cloth wrapped around their waste. The women really didn’t have a very distinctive way of dress. Most had their heads covered, long dresses with a length of cloth twisted around the waist. Many wore a bright saffron yellow. For ornamentation many women had necklaces made of large chunks of amber or intricately embroidered collars.

The dwellings here were typical of the Maasai or Turkana people of Kenya. They are moveable villages, as they continually move to better pasture lands. The huts are made of small branches covered with mud and dung topped with a tarp. Each year they might return to the same camp. Each encampment is surrounded by thorn branches to protect the herds from predators and theft (the reason herders carry rifles for the larger herds that cannot be brought home for the night). Many of these groups have the same creation narrative: God gave cattle to them, so they really aren’t rustling, they are just taking back what God gave to them. The herd is a bank account on a hoof. They buy a bride, they provide life. The relationship between animal and man is very close. Cattle are not eaten. These tribes survive on milk and blood taken from the animal.

We stopped in the town of Awash for breakfast. Omelets (or Omleets on the menu) and coffee. The coffee here is strong and there was a special coffee waitress for those who wished traditional coffee without milk. She sat on the floor, which even in the restaurant the small area was covered with a fresh grass (which is actually available for sale in the markets). She had all the cups arranged on a low table in front of her. There were two braziers of charcoal, one to hold the black ceramic pot, keeping it hot and the other to keep a continuous supply of coals and to burn incense from a small basket she kept nearby. Every order of coffee was accompanied by a pinch of incense.

From Awash we began to climb to a higher elevation. The people seemed much poorer and the towns mainly of very small shops made of mud, with a tin roof. There were two crops, maize and chaa. Chaa is a mild drug, legal, but none-the-less, a drug. It is sold mainly to the Arab countries to the north. Truck drivers use it to stay awake, but long time use leads to insanity it seems. The dwellings here are long rectangular buildings. It took me a while to figure out the larger building in relationship to the apparent poverty. They some started having two doors: a dwelling for both people and their animals.

We passed rusting shells of several military tanks, remnants of the war with Somalia in the late 1970s, grim reminders that many of the problems of this country are man-made.

At the highest elevation, it was very cool and raining hard. Then we dropped back into the Rift Valley. Probably at least a 3000 ft. difference by a constant series of hairpin curves. Brother Kassu was tired so I took over the wheel of the luggage truck for the last 60 km. My driving skills, honed in Kenya came in handy. Not only do you have to negotiate the road, but around all the people, goats, cows and donkey which also share the same road. It make for an interesting drive.

We finally arrive at Besrate Gabriel school at about 4:00 in the afternoon. Besrate Gabriel means the Annunciation of Gabriel (the story in the Gospels when the angel Gabriel “announces” to Mary that she would bear the Christ child, the Son of God), a fitting name for a school that announces the good news! We were greeted by a banner over the drive and a great number of children who were still in the school yard, even though classes ended at noon (because of the heat). During final quarter of the school year, which corresponds to the hottest part of the year, the day begins at 7:00 am and ends at noon. The boys immediately engaged themselves in a game of basketball and the girls volleyball. Thankfully afterward, there was enough water for showers. Dire Dawa is a city of 400,000 and because of some problem there has not been water for several days. We are all staying at the brothers residence. They have moved beds into their library for the boys and the girls are in the adjoining building.

I rose early to attend 6:00 mass. The mass is in the compound of the Conventual Franciscan, who live next door. Next to that is a school run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame from India. Mass was in Amharic, but it was the Roman Rite, so I could follow it pretty closely. Breakfast, very Ethiopian and good, was at 6:30.

After breakfast many of us went to the morning assembly. The students line up outside in front of the classrooms for prayer and announcements. All the little kids wanted to shake hands, and came running to do so. I don’t know if it because I am old or they thought I was a priest, many of the smaller children either kissed my hand or pressed their foreheads to it.

The school was built in 1945 ec (Ethiopian Calendar), which translates as 1953. Originally, it was only a primary school, but with help from the twinning schools and international help in the last 15 years has added many new buildings and is now one of the 4 secondary schools in the city, the other three are run by the government. The daytime enrollment is a little over 1500 students. There are two classrooms for each grade KG-12. I will save you the math: the smallest classroom had 48 students, the largest 78. The children are in the same classroom all day, the teachers move. They sit in rows, two abreast on benches without backs. Some of the benches had three students. We visited classes today. The students were all eager learners. The 4th grade class was learning a small poem in English. The teacher wrote in on the board and then read it once, then the students all were eager to read it individually (with 60 kids not all got the chance).

In the sixth grade, one of the students proudly demonstrated how to figure the time difference between Ethiopia and the United States using longitude. First, he knew the longitude of both, which amazed me. Second, he could multiply the degrees and divide them by 15 (and knew that was the process). And third, he came up with the right answer!

I was very impressed with a little girl in the 9th grade. John Dols asked her what the difference was between Ethiopian students and American students. She basically and very articulately said that American students have so much in both educational opportunities and materials and the Ethiopians have so little. She went on to comment on the seriousness of the students here, noting that American movies and music are not only a waste of time but they corrupt the tradition here because many students want to imitate what they see. Not only was the answer impromptu and astute, but in her second language.

In addition to the 1500 students that attend day school, there is a night school attended by shop-keepers, shoe-shine boys and the like who want to get an education. The night school begins at 6:00 pm and lasts until 8:30. It take them two years to finish one grade. In the day school tuition is in a series: KG-4 students pay 85 birr per month; 5-6, 90 birr; 7-8, 105 birr; 9-10, 115 birr; and 11-12, 150 birr. Since there are approximately 10 birr to the dollar and the school year is ten months the amounts above can translate into dollars per year. So a 12 grader pays about $150. The night school too, has a graduated tuition. First grade pays 7 birr a month…yes that would be 70 cents. The tenth grade (the highest grade offered at night) pays 35 birr a month. The teachers are the same as for the day students and get paid more for teaching night school. The Brothers said they tried to raise the tuition for night school several years ago, but it caused so many people to drop out, so they lowered it again.

Despite the seeming low tuition, they have 103 students on scholarship. Many of the students have to find transportation to school, which for some of them amount to more than tuition. It is not an easy situation.

There are three Brothers currently at the school. Brother Retta is the headmaster, Brother Taddele, who has been accompanying us teachers 7 and 8 grade morals. And Brother Peter de Groot. Brother Peter is originally from the Netherlands. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 17. At 21 he joined the Brothers in the California district and has served for the last 16 years in Kenya and Ethiopia. I think Brother is about 74 years old. A fourth Brother, Brother Sheferaw is here from the scholasticate in Nairobi as part of his fourth year program of studies.

It is hot here. The students say it is about 35 degrees Celsius. I just know that by 9:00 this morning, it was oppressive. We went to watch the girls volleyball team take on another one of the city teams. They played on a concrete court, barefoot. After returning from volleyball we had the opportunity to chat with the 11th graders who were on a break, since Brother Peter has finished his morals class with them for the school year, since he is going on his home visit to the states. After lunch there are several hours of down time, a siesta, where everything slows down in the heat of the day. At three, our students in pairs went with members of the Lasallian Youth here to visit their homes. Brother Peter, who handed out bread to homeless people who were sleeping next to the walls of the school on the way to Mass this morning, took members of Lasallian Youth to the Sisters of Charity’s orphanage here to hand out fruit for an afternoon snack.

Alex: After lunch, all the kids went to visit some houses of the students here. We all lined up and were picked like it was a game of dodgeball. I got picked by a girl and we started off to her house. On the way, I quickly realized that we are a lot the same. She complained about school, her siblings, parents, and how she wasn’t ready to pick her future. We took a cab—a motorcycle with three wheels and a body around it—and went about two miles outside of the city to her house. It was very nice compared to the slums we have seen having a gate, courtyard, multiple buildings, televisions, and a computer, all the luxuries that we experience in the states. Then, two other girls arrived that were late to the initial meeting, and we went over to another girl’s house, again taking a cab. There, I experienced the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. The girl got out coffee beans, a pan, a burner, cups, and the coffee pot. She roasted the beans as she explained how usually the hostess must wear traditional clothes, but she felt it was unnecessary at this time. After the beans were black, she crushed them into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. She then poured the coffee beans into the pot and added water. While the pot was on the burner, all the girls explained that there is three rounds of coffee, each tasting less and less strong. On holidays, the hostess would be making coffee for fifty people the same way. If one person was late, she had to start over for that person. I was amazed at how tedious the ceremony was, yet it was still amazing and another testament to the Ethiopian’s hospitality. She served the first round of coffee, and it was very good. With the coffee she served fresh grapes from her tree in the courtyard, it was all so good. After the first round, the second round was served, but being a coffee novice, that was all I could handle. It was very simple but beautiful, and I am glad that I got to experience it.

There was boy with an Obama tee-shirt on, which prompted one of the Brothers to tell me proudly of Henock, a former student. Evidently, when Obama visited the region several years ago he passed through Dire Dawa because of the U.S. Army base nearby. Henock was his official interpreter, so when Obama was elected president a large billboard was erected in the center of town with a picture of Henock and Obama.

The ladies here did laundry for us today…an amazing feat considering there is no running water. They were carrying buckets all day, because the kids hadn’t done laundry for a week. Most of the adults had done their own while we were in Arbaminch…I guess the kids were hoping for the best! It is pretty incomprehensible for most Africans that kids don’t know how to wash their laundry by hand. I don’t even know how to explain the fact that we have machines to do it for us…and dishwashers, too.

A mighty wind blew in this afternoon and it rained for a short time. It barely settled the dust, but it cooled things down.