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Another week is over, and it brings us one week closer to Christmas. As I write this there are only 30 days until Christmas which seems very short. Some of us here are hoping to get away for Christmas, to Kenya. We’re hoping to spend Christmas in Mombasa, in South Eastern Kenya, on the beach. We had a day off on monday so we went down to the local travel agent to try and arrange something. He had some package holidays but they were all very expensive. We came home and looked for some accomodation outselves, and didn’t have too much luck. Beginning to think we may have left it too late to organise, we have managed to source a couple of cottages on the beach which we can rent for a reasonable price, roughly $20 per person a night. Hopefully we’ll be able to go on a safari also, one of the largest game parks in Kenya is quite close to Mombasa beach. Should get some great pictures there!
On street ministry this week we met a kid who had been offered money in exchange for his kidney. I think he was offered about 4000 birr or £200, which to some of these kids is a fortune. He was offered a trip to Thailand where he would have the operation. These people had paid for his trip and visa. He had gone to Thailand and the doctor in the hospital had asked him to confirm that he was the nephew of the people who were paying him, which is what they had filled out on his visa and other forms. He started to have second thoughts at this stage and decided not to go through with it, returning to life on the streets in Addis. This is quite a problem for the street kids in Addis, as there are a number of people who scout them out in order to obtain organs for next to nothing. Had this guy gone through with it, he may well have died and been left. Obviously there is noone waiting for him to return.
Dundee was also very dissapointed to see one the guys who he helped leave Addis back on the streets. He had helped three kids, and the other two had gone, though this kid had obviously got off the bus at the next stop and returned with the money that Dundee had given him to help him out. Dundee told him in no uncertain terms not to expect any more help from him.
This week was thanksgiving week so some of the younger Americans were feeling a bit homesick. On Saturday evening, we had a community thanksgiving dinner organised by some of the Americans here. Thanksgiving is something that should be instagated in the Ireland too, two Christmas dinners a year can’t be a bad idea. We played games afterwards, the Pictionary/charades game I brought from home caused some laughs.
After the evening’s activities, some of us went to the squash court to play a game of “Wallyball”. This is essentially volleyball played in a squash court, and the ball is allowed to bounce off the side walls and back wall. So you can serve off the wall etc. It is an interesting game, and very entertaining. Trying to judge where to stand as the ball bounces off the wall is extremely hard.
This weekend, I’m heading off on a retreat with the Grade 11 kids, down country. Hot springs etc. Should be good, I’ll get a couple days off teaching! Excellent.
Thats all my news this week,
Niall.
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