Archived Blog
End of a week at Mekelle
So I'm finishing up the week here, it has been really great to spend some time looking at how things work here, what an average day looks like, and what it would be like working here. It's a fair bit different from Addis, for one thing, the language has been a bit of a frustration. The main language here is Tigray, which is similar to Amharic, but different enough that I don't know what people are saying. Some people here do speak Amharic, but I've found that I'm not concentrating to what they're saying as I don't expect to understand them. The team here speak great Tigray, so I've been relying on them mostly for translation. It has been very frustrating being relegated back to ignorant tourist after being able to converse a little in Addis. Another difference here is that the vast majority of people here are Orthodox. Protestant religion is termed "Pentay" by the Orthodox people here, and there is a bit of a stigma related to it, the people are quite wary of it. Therefore, in order not to distance themselves from the people, the team do have to try and fit in with Orthodox culture to an extent. This involves, amongst other things, saying grace with your eyes open; something that takes a bit of getting used to. It has been really interesting to sit and talk with Jon, the team leader here about all of the issues involved with working in this particular context and culture. He does a great job of making time for people, including me, to sit and talk about whatever issues may be on your mind.
The week has been really enjoyable, getting to know the various programs, and getting involved wherever possible. I think most of the computer issues have been solved, and I've added to their website as well as setting up a Mekelle Youth Center Facebook page so that they can advertise upcoming events to a lot of the kids who are on Facebook.
120 5 year old kids came on Friday morning, controlled amazingly by Esther, the English sports coordinator here.
Jon, surrounded by kids from the Centre.
I've sat in on most of the programs that take place here. They play bingo with the kids twice a week, for simple prizes like chewing gum, and bigger prizes like the old burst footballs and volleyballs which apparently the kids take home and stuff with rags or whatever. This is definitely one of the most popular programs, there are up to 400 kids all playing bingo at once. Good fun to watch. The sports programs here are also pretty impressive, some of the kids practising here are practising for national competitions so they're pretty good. Some of the ping pong going on here is insane, (it would put IBC students to shame) and the volleyball and football players are also pretty talented. I've also seen a couple of guys who are in training for the circus, practising unicycling. He's amazing, really mesmerising to watch.
Bingo!
Though not everyone is interested...
It has also been fun to sit in on the various study sessions which go on here. Jon had a graduation meeting this morning, so I was roped into helping out with the younger boys club which meets on a Saturday morning. This didn't involve too much, they have great Ethiopian staff here who know what they're doing, so they took care of most of the activities. This afternoon, I was able to go and visit one of our old friends, Kifle, who I visited with Mum and Dad, so it was good to be able to send greetings from our family to his. They treated me to a traditional coffee ceremony.
Kifle and his wife
Kifle has opened this small shop next to his house since I was last here. He says business is slow, he's not ideally located.
Making coffee the traditional Ethiopian way takes a lot more time, but it's well worth the wait.
Overall, the team here are really fun and easy to get on with. Some of them are leaving soon, so there will be some changes in the next year or two, but the main leaders are sticking around. It's been really great to get to know them, they've made me feel like part of the team really quickly. I've enjoyed the various games evenings, meetings, going for injera every lunchtime, and generally being part of the team here, if only for a short while.
Tomorrow morning I head back to Addis for one last day in Ethiopia, for now...
Picture album updated, scroll to bottom for most recent photos as usual.
Niall
0 comments