Full Update

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Ok so now that I am finally settled in and I have the day off I figured I would give a good update. Addis is like everyone has described to me, dirty, kind of smelly, but rich in history and culture. I should probably be edting these things to give it a little more structure bt its more fun to just type whatetever thought comes into my head, so you will have to bear with me.
When I landed I had a bit of luggage trouble, had to wait around the airport for about 45 minutes until someone fiinally found my bag. It was very comforting though to see Simon with holding a sign with my name on it. The first coffee I had was in a nice outdoor setting under some palm trees overlooking the bustling city. Iv'e never been a coffee drinker butI gotta say I am hooked on the coffee here. it was dark but had a really great flavor and only about 30 cents! Of course I was wearing shorts when I arrived, much to the pleasure of the locals who pointed and laughed. The culture here is very conservative, most men wear long sleeves and pants and the women were not showing much skin. As I had my coffee though I waited and hoped I would see someone else wearing shorts, but after a half hour I realized it wasn't gonna happen, o well. The coffe helped me get through the day, but as I said before I took a very long nap.
Now to the school, I have alreadsy settled into a nice routine with the kids, during the day I play games and sports with the boys and at night I hang out with the girls. The boys are of course crazyand like to think of me as a jungle gym. The girls are a little more reserved and more welcoming than the boys! I like to be able to hang out with both and I hope to continue this routine. At night the girls usually spe nd their time playing various games and dancing. Last night they encouraged me to dance, and anybody who has seen me dance knows its not pretty, but they loved it anyways.
Walkng through Asco(the part of Addis Ababa I am in) you see herds off donkeys and goats everywhere cows on the sides of the streets trying to steal the locals food, and dogs looking to scrounge up a meal and various street vendors with everything you could think of. I was really unsure how I would settle into this city but I really don't have anything negative to say about it or the people. Yesterday I went with some of the other volunteers to a museum about when Ethiopia was occupied by a facist govermnet and was murdering anyone who opposed their views. really powerful to see skeltons and cothes that had been dug up from mass graves, but it goes to show why Ethiopians are so proud of their herigate and how they took their country back. Well Iguess tats all nfor now, time fora nice nap. Till next time!

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Comments

[Coralie Williams]

Hey Pete- We loved reading about your experience so far. Glad you are safe and settling in. Can't wait to hear more. Peace-Coralie & Fred