Wednesday, June 16

Just a quick update. Internet has been a challenge this week ... took me about 40 minutes just to post that AT&T thing! Not complaining, but I am behind with that challenge, teaching, and trying to see and experience Ethiopia:

-- Last Saturday I had a crazy adventure to a town called Hawassa, 175 miles south of Addis Ababa, that I still need to finish writing and telling you about! 

Hippopotami in their natural habitat! EEEK!

-- Tomorrow we're taking the kids to the ZOO!! They'd likely never have the opportunity to do something like that. It's kinda expensive but Robin and I want to do it for them. I'll follow up on that. 

-- Early Friday morning we're heading to Lalibela in northern Ethiopia. I suspect we won't have Internet there, either, so I'll be further behind at keeping you up to speed ;-).

General:

Great week here so far. I've found my stride in terms of comfort and navigating my way around, which is so interesting to me. In the beginning of most/all journeys and, I think, moreso to places that are very different from what we're used to, I think it's natural to resist everything that isn't in synchronicity with what we already know. Anything that is "different" is "more difficult" and therefore might be viewed as a "problem" … given time to adapt, given time to find a way to accomplish our tasks, I think we surrender to what is and life begins to flow again. That's what I've experienced. It took me a week to "figure it all out," but I admit I was unconscious doing so … it's only in retrospect that I can see my struggle. I guess I could have chosen to accept it at any time and thus settled into things more quickly, huh!? I bet I will next time now that I "see" it.

I have also been thinking about how the initial shock of what's "different" from what we know is what's intriguing. Now that I've gotten used to some things, I find I don't take as many pictures. I hope my images or remarks haven't been disrespectful in any way ... certainly not meant to be. Just first impressions from an American, really, without any judgment. "Different" is interesting and intriguing. That's what I've been making note of, I guess.

Classroom went well Monday and Tuesday this week. I have so much respect for teachers. I consistently overwhelm myself with everything I want to impart. The kids, of course, are sponges. I think one of the trickiest things I've found here is that the range of ability is vast among this group of 15. They're mostly five years old, although a couple are six and I believe one to be seven. The two little ones (Yabsra and Kalid) appear to me to have suffered from malnutrition as infants and are slow. Very slow. We've found that we need to create a separate project for them each day. Kalid can't even identify a number when asked. Yabsra shows a little more promise but whatever ailment she suffered left her hearing impaired so she has that hurdle.

This morning I went outside early. I'd bought the kids a ball last night for 85¢ … when I threw it to them the screams and shrieks would have warranted throwing them X Boxes or delivering Justin Bieber himself. As the kids entered the courtyard, they greeted me, as we've taught them. Hayder anxiously approached me with hand outstretched: "Good morning, Debbie."
"Good morning, Hayder."
"How are you," he responded very articulately.
"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"
"I'm fine," he said with a grin of pride that split his face in half. Yabsra was pushing against Hayder and pulling at my shirt in excitement for her turn. I took her tiny hand:
"Good morning, Yabsra."
She stood at attention and looked me in the eye: "My name is Debbie."
Sigh. Yep. Not sure how to reach her in the short time I have. Praise, love, encouragement might be the only tools I have for that one!

At the other end of that spectrum, Frewihiwot should be in primary school. If there were more time for her, I'm confident that she would be reading at around a first-grade level as I know it. I challenge her ("Class, today's color is 'orange.' Frewihiwot, please come spell 'orange,'") but I also don't want to push her pedestal so high that the others resent her or become discouraged. She's the one I believe to be 7 or 8 years old.

I can't express enough how much everyone's comments and word of encouragement mean to me. I'm engaged here and "being" in this moment, but I also recognize this opportunity as a placeholder between what I used to know and do and whatever it is I'll be doing when I return (no idea ;-) ... new chapter. In that regard, I'm a little apprehensive as the calendar pages turn, but every day contributing here is my privilege and pleasure and I promise I'm making it all count with everyone's spirit in mind.

xo

Kalid is sick. :-( More to come.