Archived Blog
Off to Kenya!
So this is my last post before I leave Ethiopia for the first time since October. I'm really looking forward to my first Christmas on the beach; its an experience all the Australian/New Zealand staff swear by so it should be good to experience that. It will also be my first time in the southern hemisphere.
Classes this week have been fairly relaxed and I've enjoyed the lesser pace of work. Its been good because I've had plenty of things to fill the time instead. Yesterday I accompanied the Grade 6 and 7 classes to Debra Zeit, to the Air Force Officers swimming pool. This time, the water was freezing, so much so that it took your breath away when you got in. The air temperature wasn't wonderful either and there was a breeze so it was quite cold until you dried off in the sun. Since we are still slightly in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter here and it is noticable. In the mornings it is getting very cold. One measurement a few days ago was 5 degrees. A few mornings we've even had frost. Its the kind of thing I'm used to back home but I didn't really expect it in Africa!
Phil and Chris Griffin leave today to return home. As I write this, I'm staying up to bid them farewell. They leave at 1.30am. They have been here since August, Phil is the IT teacher who has taken Grade 9 and 12, so after he leaves I will pick up his 10 classes a week. So I'll be very sad to see him go! He and his wife Chris are lovely people and there will be many sad faces when they are gone. I asked Phil if there would be a lot of work waiting for him when he got back, he said that there probably would, he was still wondering if he wanted to go back at all. I think he has gotten so addicted to teaching he is temted to do a teaching degree and coming back here.
This evening, Dundee and I went out to see some of the street boys that we met the last few weeks on Street ministry. There was no street ministry tonight, so it was just Dundee and I. We took 6 of the boys out for coffee, and bought them egg sandwiches and a drink which they all eagerly devoured. They are all so touched that we would take time out to spend with them, its really great to see. I shared with them the parable of the seed and the sower, and they all said that they wanted to be the fertile soil. Dundee is going to take them to church on sunday which is really encouraging. They are all addicted to cigarrettes and some are addicted to drugs which they want help to beat. So we prayed with them, and I wrote down their names. They are Benian, Yohannes, Casahoun, Indaleh, Tamarat and Mikias if you would like to remember them also.
I've discovered that Google Earth has a very detailed view of Addis Ababa. It is possible to zoom right in and see the streets in detail, so I've created a couple of files so that you can have a look at Bingham Academy and the house where I'll be living with Brian after Christmas. Go to the Contact section of my website for all the details!
Must go, my next post will be from Kenya!
Niall
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