Blogs from Oromia Region, Ethiopia, Africa - page 9

Hello Everyone, I am trying to remember what I have told you and what I haven't. Oh, so the group I am with is 40 volunteers. They are pretty much split down the middle as far as gender. They are from all over the US. There is one guy from Franklin, TN, so that is pretty neat. After this we will be dispersed throughout the country. AHHH! Let's talk about culture. Ethiopia is a very conservative country but this does not limit its beauty. The colors are just as vibrant as anywhere else in Africa. In my house, I have 5 people living with me. His name is Gammachise and his wife is Boga. He has two daughters, neither is his, but one he brought in from the street to give her an education and the ... read more

The sun shone, ants bit and the lone hyena, out in the daylight, skulked in undergrowth. The first stop on the Wildlife Society trip to Weliso was the ‘National Fishery and Other Aquatic Life Research Centre’ at Sebeta. Apparently the half-empty pool covered with green algae is where Emperor Haile Selassie used to come to bathe. The fishery tanks didn’t seem particularly cared for, but we did see a few Tiger Fish (at least, I was told that was what they were). This spot was probably best remembered by the group for the hyena (seen by some) and the large ants with a ferocious bite. The road out of Addis, once past Sebeta, stretches into the distance, hovering above the sodden fields of the Awash flood plain. The land was either covered in brown water or ... read more

The bureaucracy at the College is quite amazing! I had to undergo ‘internal clearance’ before theywould write the clearance letters that I need for when I leave Ethiopia. This involves 32 different people each signing (seven times) to say that I have nothing belonging to the College and am free to leave. Most of the 32 have had nothing to do with my work here! Luckily, one of the office workers, Ture, was given the task of collecting the signatures for me. There have only been two slight problems … When I handed over the running of the Higher Diploma Programme to Kefyalew, we did not formally sign over the office equipment and furniture. We spent a couple of hours with two other workers, going through the list - we even had to account for a ... read more

Monday 31st March - Friday 11th April 2008 I wasn’t sure that anyone I knew was going to use the opportunity of me being in Ethiopia to visit this wonderful country. Finally, after 18 months, my first visitors arrived - my Mum and Dad! I went to Addis to meet them at Bole International Airport and was just beginning to wonder if I should try and get into the arrivals area to look for them, when they appeared. I am very proud of them for coming to what can be a difficult country and coping so well with it. After a day to recover from the overnight flight, and a meal at Delicious Dishes, close to Liza’s house where we were staying, we headed south in a hired car with Elias, our driver. Bishangari Lodge, on ... read more

Most of the time I feel a little bit like a fraud as a volunteer in Ethiopia, as my quality of life is so much better here than in the UK. I am often asked how Ethiopia and the UK compare economically - my stock answer is that it is difficult to compare because, of course, wages are much higher, but so are costs in the UK. There is no air pollution; just the dust of Robe to contend with in the dry season. And I rarely take work home in the evening or at weekends. I sleep well and eat locally produced, organic, food. However, over the last week or so, I have felt like a “proper” VSO volunteer. I have been running lots of workshops in Cluster Centre Schools for teachers. When the workshops ... read more