I learned SO MUCH about Ethiopia just from the conversations we had with Mindi and Dereje. Ethiopia is still considered one of the poorest countries (by the UN) however, it's in such an exciting time of rebirth. Money and construction are being pumped into Addis, and there are a lot of changes trying to happen. The education system is in the process of getting updated (mandating that all kids go to school), although there are still things to work out (like how to enforce this), in the last five years the number of Universities has gone from 7 to 35. Also, some slum areas are getting renovated for sewage and electricity (although they will have to move all the people living there out as well as the Merkato, which is the biggest open air market on the continent, so it will be pretty sad to see it go as it's rich in history for Addis). I also learned that at 7th or 8th grade, students began to learn English AND all of their classes are taught in English. And no, they don't learn English in school before that. They just have to start right away with English. Doesn't that sound impossible?! Also, I found out that if you get top grades in your class you might be one of the lucky few to get into public University and it's free (a place to live and meals!), of course you still have to pay for some transportation and books, but isn't that amazing...! But again you have to be in the top and it's very competitive. Medical school and other higher degrees are also free, but again so competitive that students will try to steal books from each other. But wow... can you imagine, free University?! However, many don't make it that far.
But what stood out to me the most today was on our walk. I guess this could be considered one of the "cultureshock" stages of adjusting to a new place. We decided to take a walk and there were lots of people out on the streets. School had just gotten out and many people were trying to catch the autobus. And well there was just a lot of staring. Either I just forgot what it's like to be a foreigner or there were more stares than last time I was in Africa, but we definitely stood out. In my mind I just wanted to smile at people and have them smile back, but mostly we got stares (which I completely understand). So really I tried to avoid eye contact because I didn't want them to think I was staring at them... Sad. I know. One guy (high on chat) started yelling at me because I was taking a picture.. I felt awkward. I don't want to make anyone mad! And I really don't think people were staring in a mean way, but it still feels awkward. But we also came across a lot of friendly people. I tried to say thank you to everyone in Amharic to get a smile out of them. It seemed to work. Either way, it will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow when I get to meet people at my organization and start building a relationship instead of just walking pass people on the street. I'm looking forward to learning more about the organization, the leaders, and the kids. I'll be attending the morning chapel. I hope that I'm not too much of a burden on them, and I hope I can spend tomorrow just trying to get to know them. Ethiopia is more of a warm culture meaning that relationships are very important to them. I look forward to seeing how I feel after this initial meeting, I'll probably be a lot less anxious! Okay well it's 8 p.m. and I've been up way to long. Good night Friends!
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| A view from our walk |
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