We have been incredibly busy the last few days, and then, on top of that, we've had very iffy electricity the last few days, so it didn't bode well for emails being sent. We had more times the last few days without electricity than with. Let me tell you that it is very disconcerting to be taking a shower in a well-lit bathroom and suddenly have the lights go out.
We are on the way to Dese or Dessie - I have seen it spelled several different ways. That is what happens when you try to write Amharic words using the Roman alphabet. There are very few words that are spelled consistently - even major cities! We left at 7 am and will be "on the road" for the next 10 days. We will be in Dessie tonight, then on to Lalibela for a few days and Gondar. We'll come home via the Blue Nile Falls. We were originally supposed to go to Axum, but it was too far and too expensive to be able to fit it in the grant. That's okay - I think we'll be overloaded on Ethiopia history as it is. Lalibella and Gondar were both capitals at different times in history. Lalibella is famous for a series of rock-hewn chuches and Gondar is famous for having something along the lines of 40 churches along with ruins of a bunch of castles.
The last few days have been really busy. The highlights:
*speaker from the ministry of Education.
*a visit to Addis Ababa University school of music for a look at some traditional instruments and a demonstration (very cool!)
*A talk by a man named Ibrahim about how the Muslims have been treated and persecuted in the past in Ethiopia.
*Walked around a mosque at the Mercato, a large market. It is about 1 mile square and gave us lots and lots of experiences with beggars and pickpockets (no one was successful getting money from our pockets, but it was pretty uncomfortable).
*Dinner at a really nice traditional Ethiopian restaurant for injera and wat (bread and stew) and a demonstration of traditional music and dance from various areas and tribes in Ethiopia.
We just drove past a banana plantation!
More highlights:
*Visited the first all-girls school in Ethiopia. It is where two of our organizers lived as children when their parents came to Ethiopia to work as Presbyterian missionaries and then where one taught as an adult.
*Art day! We heard a talk by two artists about their work and about traditional Ethiopian art.
*Went to a museum at Addis Ababa University (the main campus, this time) that is in what used to be Emperor Haile Sallise's palace. It had information about life in Ethiopia in different areas of the country, traditional art and traditional instruments. It was a really good museum.
*Got caught in a major traffic jam. We decided that they must not require cars to pass an emissions test.
*Went to a grocery store to stock up on a few things for the trip
*Talk about curriculum links and things we might want to buy when we're on the trip north for our classrooms.
So that is the good, and busy, news. The bad news is that last night I got really, really sick. Thank God for immodium and zofran! I'm doing much better than I was this morning, though, so I think I'll survive. Fortunately there were snacks for the whole bus that included something very much like Saltine crackers! Yahoo!
Okay, so hopefully things are going well at home. I hope Archie is behaving and that Joshua hasn't broken any more bones. ;) Will email again when there is time.
Alica
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
July 5, 2010
Good morning,
We had a good day yesterday, although our July 4 did not include any fireworks. :) We got to wander around the area where we're staying, which was kind of interesting. There were more shops than any of us really expected, and all kinds of people. The kids all like having their picture taken, but we always ask permission before we take their pictures.
Yesterday we worked some on curriculum, started thinking about ways to incorporate this into classrooms, even when the main focus of classrooms is almost exclusively reading and math. We also got to hear about some of the history of Ethiopia. I'd read some about Ethiopia's history before I left, but it was kind of tough because I have absolutely no previous exposure to the topic. I read the book The History of Ethiopia, and then I read the history in the guide book, and then when I heard the lecture yesterday, I felt like I actually knew something! A lot of the history we're discussing took place in the north in Gonder (also spelled Gondar) and Lalibela, where we'll be touring in a couple of days. We'll leave Wednesday and be gone for 10 days, I believe. We'll also be seeing the Blue Nile Falls while we're gone, I think. I'm excited about that trip!
One thing I've found interesting is that addresses here mean very little. When I had to apply for my entry visa, I was given the address of our guest house. I thought that meant something, but evidently it means very little. A street here might be named something officially, but called something different by everyone. I have only seen one house number the whole time. If people are trying to find our guest house to come for lectures, they come to the sub city and then they call for instructions on how to actually get here! Sure makes life interesting!
Today we're going to have someone associated with the government who will come and talk to us about schools - this time from a more "official" point of view. This afternoon we'll be going to a music school and museum to learn about traditional music and instruments. We'll also be doing a tour of the city and visiting a mosque, although most of the group won't be able to go in, since we're women. I believe we're also going to some sort of history museum, but I don't remember exactly what the name of it is.
The weather continues to be lovely. It rained a bit yesterday afternoon and evening, but nothing like I'd expected (knock on wood). It has been mostly sunny and warm!
Hope you're all doing well. Until later...
Alica
We had a good day yesterday, although our July 4 did not include any fireworks. :) We got to wander around the area where we're staying, which was kind of interesting. There were more shops than any of us really expected, and all kinds of people. The kids all like having their picture taken, but we always ask permission before we take their pictures.
Yesterday we worked some on curriculum, started thinking about ways to incorporate this into classrooms, even when the main focus of classrooms is almost exclusively reading and math. We also got to hear about some of the history of Ethiopia. I'd read some about Ethiopia's history before I left, but it was kind of tough because I have absolutely no previous exposure to the topic. I read the book The History of Ethiopia, and then I read the history in the guide book, and then when I heard the lecture yesterday, I felt like I actually knew something! A lot of the history we're discussing took place in the north in Gonder (also spelled Gondar) and Lalibela, where we'll be touring in a couple of days. We'll leave Wednesday and be gone for 10 days, I believe. We'll also be seeing the Blue Nile Falls while we're gone, I think. I'm excited about that trip!
One thing I've found interesting is that addresses here mean very little. When I had to apply for my entry visa, I was given the address of our guest house. I thought that meant something, but evidently it means very little. A street here might be named something officially, but called something different by everyone. I have only seen one house number the whole time. If people are trying to find our guest house to come for lectures, they come to the sub city and then they call for instructions on how to actually get here! Sure makes life interesting!
Today we're going to have someone associated with the government who will come and talk to us about schools - this time from a more "official" point of view. This afternoon we'll be going to a music school and museum to learn about traditional music and instruments. We'll also be doing a tour of the city and visiting a mosque, although most of the group won't be able to go in, since we're women. I believe we're also going to some sort of history museum, but I don't remember exactly what the name of it is.
The weather continues to be lovely. It rained a bit yesterday afternoon and evening, but nothing like I'd expected (knock on wood). It has been mostly sunny and warm!
Hope you're all doing well. Until later...
Alica
Sunday, July 4, 2010
july 4, 2010
Good morning! It is 9 am on July 4 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Sorry I didn't get an email sent yesterday. I only slept about 4 hours the first night and was exhausted yesterday. We had a great day yesterday, even with the lack of sleep. We had two men come in to talk about the educational system in Ethiopia, and barriers to education that exist in the country. We were supposed to go to the bank to change money, but the banks were closed in the afternoon, so we ended up changing plans. Our guide, Habtu, arranged for someone to come to the guesthouse to change money for us - somewhat black market. :) Then we went and did a little shopping. We went to a couple of places where there were little shops. When I say "little shops" I mean LITTLE! Tiny little shops stacked to the gills with all kinds of things! I didn't buy anything - I was a bit too overwhelmed and didn't feel prepared to barter. At all. I did see some neat things, and I think we're going back to some of those places later. I also was a little overwhelmed trying to figure out the exchange rate ($1=13 birr). I have my "cheat sheet" now and I'm ready for the next time we go shopping!
This morning we got up early and went to an Ethiopian Orthodox church service. It was fascinating. There were many beggars outside the gates, but also inside, near the church. There were LOTS and LOTS of people there outside the actual church. In fact, not that many even went in. Evidently, if the worshipers don't feel that they've been right with God, then they will stay outside and worship instead of going inside. There were speakers on the outside, so everyone could hear, even from far away. We didn't go inside but we did look in, and we spent about 45 minutes experiencing the worship and talking with one of our guides, Habutwold, who is the son of an Ethiopian Orthodox priest. It was nice to have someone to explain to things to us.
This afternoon, we were supposed to have someone who is a bigwig in the coffee industry come speak, but he is ill, so we're changing plans. Good to be flexible! I think we're going to start working on curriculum today. Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow - haven't looked that far ahead.
The food has been yummy - breakfast yesterday was waffles and fresh pineapple juice, lunch was pasta with a spicy sauce and steamed veggies, dinner we ate pizza out. There is a significant Italian influence here since Ethiopia was occupied by Italy for a time.
Driving around the city is an adventure. There seems to be little regard for lanes of traffic. Today we got held up by a herd of donkeys. We have seen several people selling goats along the side of the road. There are lots of fruit stands that are absolutely beautiful! Avocados, mangoes, bananas, and papayas stacked in the most beautiful arrangements. The van driver today said the avocados would cost about 4 birr for 1 kilo. 1 birr = 7 cents...pretty good price!
That's all for today. I think we might get some breakfast soon. :) Will email again when I have time. Hope all is well at home!
Alica
This morning we got up early and went to an Ethiopian Orthodox church service. It was fascinating. There were many beggars outside the gates, but also inside, near the church. There were LOTS and LOTS of people there outside the actual church. In fact, not that many even went in. Evidently, if the worshipers don't feel that they've been right with God, then they will stay outside and worship instead of going inside. There were speakers on the outside, so everyone could hear, even from far away. We didn't go inside but we did look in, and we spent about 45 minutes experiencing the worship and talking with one of our guides, Habutwold, who is the son of an Ethiopian Orthodox priest. It was nice to have someone to explain to things to us.
This afternoon, we were supposed to have someone who is a bigwig in the coffee industry come speak, but he is ill, so we're changing plans. Good to be flexible! I think we're going to start working on curriculum today. Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow - haven't looked that far ahead.
The food has been yummy - breakfast yesterday was waffles and fresh pineapple juice, lunch was pasta with a spicy sauce and steamed veggies, dinner we ate pizza out. There is a significant Italian influence here since Ethiopia was occupied by Italy for a time.
Driving around the city is an adventure. There seems to be little regard for lanes of traffic. Today we got held up by a herd of donkeys. We have seen several people selling goats along the side of the road. There are lots of fruit stands that are absolutely beautiful! Avocados, mangoes, bananas, and papayas stacked in the most beautiful arrangements. The van driver today said the avocados would cost about 4 birr for 1 kilo. 1 birr = 7 cents...pretty good price!
That's all for today. I think we might get some breakfast soon. :) Will email again when I have time. Hope all is well at home!
Alica
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