Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW EVERYBODY!!!!!
 
Sorry its just a quickie, but I have been back at work since Monday and with the Ministry Newsletter deadline today (last day of December!!!) and me as Editor-in-Chief!!!!! its been pretty busy!!! (Only 3 Birr for anyone who wants an online version!) I have even been told to edit some 'sensitive' information in case it lands me in jail - no kidding! No criticism of the Government here.
 
Hope you all have fantasic plans for Hogmanny. I am off for an Indian meal after work and then a few drinks at a friends to hopefully see in the New Year and then work tomorrow. I am so missing a proper teacher's holiday at this time of year.
 
May all your dreams come true in the new Year!!
 
Lots and lots of Love and warm hugs from Joanne in a semi-sunny Addis Ababa

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Christmas in Africa

Christmas in Africa

 

My dearest bloggers as Christmas approaches I am filled with a multitude of emotions. This is my first Christmas ever away from home so it is all a little strange. Firstly Ethiopia celebrates Christmas around the 7^th on January (our Epiphany, their Epiphany is at the end of January and they just celebrated their New Year in September) so forgive me if I am a little all over the place. It doesn't help that the cd I have on is currently playing 'Caledonia' you are calling me home, and if I should become a stranger you know it would make me more than sad….. yadda yadda. Also I hear that it is snowing in Britain and could be the first proper white Christmas in years. The BBC website is rubbish for photos! I was hoping to brag about having a warm, sunny Christmas with the possibility of a BBQ, but it is unseasonably cold in Addis for this time of year. I am using two thick blankets and a hot water bottle and African houses are not designed for the cold. I did manage to burn my shoulders walking up the hills around Addis on Saturday for a picnic for Maureen's birthday though.

 

But it is strange here, hardly a decoration to be seen, except in ferengi restaurants, which I can no longer afford to eat in and after my marathon trip I can eat and pee anywhere now!! So no real sense of Christmas here and all my colleagues will be working on Friday. I miss hearing carols on the radio, seeing the shops decorated (no real shops here, only shacks – must get a camera - ) trashy Christmassy films on the t.v. my fire roaring while I wrap presents at the last minute, whisky and a good glass of red wine. But of course I miss family and friends most of all. It doesn't help that Frances sends me emails and cards from Hannah telling me she cries as she misses me so much. But to get an email or a card through the post keeps my spirits up. What I missed most on my Grand Ethiopian Tour was emailing. I thought that strange till I realised that what I miss most is sharing my experiences with those who are interested in my life. And emailing and blogging keeps me connected to you all, which is so important. Sharing and communicating with each other is what counts.

 

So I have to thank you all for your communication and a special thank you to those of you who have already sent stuff for my ELIC schools. It's brilliant. There are doublers of cds which is brilliant as I am trying to furnish two different schools (outside of my Ministry duties) which will make it easier to divvy up the goods if there are doubles. Films, audio and music cds are all welcome as are posters. When I am missing home (as I am right now greatly) knowing you are sharing in my experiences and supporting me in my work gives me great strength. Have no doubt about that. I am discovering that the most difficult thing about my placement here is being on my own. I don't mean lonely – I am not lonely, I have great friends and a happy and healthy social life (getting tennis racket soon too – yippee) but being on my own. My colleagues are infuriating, but I must have patience and learn to work with them in their environment and not 'impose' my ways on them, and the difficulties of the environment, like sanitation etc, are not that difficult. What is hard is to find the strength in myself to keep positive in the tough days. It can be difficult to have a bad or frustrating day and come home and find the power is out, or my vegetables have gone off, or there is no milk or teabags and I have to go out and speak in what little Amharic I have just to get a cup of tea. I cannot simply go round to my mums, or Gill's or Clare's for a 'free' dinner and chat and let off steam. Also as I am the only ferengi in my department I have no-one else who can understand my frustrations at work. So when I get an email or a little something through the post it gives me joy and great strength and I feel less alone. So a very special thank you for all my little cards and gifts. If I am this thoughtful over the Christmas period, heaven help what I'll be like when the New Year comes in!!!

 

So just to finish (finally) I will be having Christmas dinner with my friends: David and Maureen, Nancy, Trish, Tara, Vicki, Jamie and Mary, Mary's brother, Adam and Jillian and Me. We are having a secret santa and cooking a couple of chickens. I think we'll buy ours at the ferengi supermarket as usually folks get their chickens live from the markets and I am not sure I am all that good at plucking feathers or strangling necks, unless it is my colleagues!!!!

 

So: HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Lots of Love Joanne x

 

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Grand Ethiopian Tour

Dear All
 
my apologies for the lack of blogs. I have just returned for my 18 day trip visiting educational institutes around Ethiopia which was amazing. There is so much to share with you and I will get a blog done soon. Just one thing to say - I can't believe how green and luscious Ethiopia is - a far cry from the dry arid land we see on the news, it truly is a beautiful country. I have tales to tell of pink bottomed baboons, herds of camels, cheeky monkeys and drizzling waterfalls. All of which made up for having to share the small confines of a car with the most irritating colleague in the world and the appalling sanitation; well what can a girl expect from a 20 Birr 'hotel' (£1!)? I look forward to sharing my stories with you.
 
I am a little jealous of your Christmas preparations - there is NONE here - in fact their Christmas is not until January - the feast of the Epiphany. But us ferengis will take the day off and have dinner together. If you feel sorry for a poor VSO and wish to send me some goodies for Christmas the postal address is Joanne Cairns, VSO Programme Office, PO Box 23531, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This is also the address to send your cds and posters for my school project. Sending stuff for them could be your Christmas present to me. Thanks so much.
 
I'll be in touch soon. But just want to say the emails I have been getting have been brilliant - I missed emailing during my visit, but it is good to be back in touch. Thankyou to all of you who keep up with the emails, you have no idea how much it brightens my day. I am still enjoying the challenges of my post here, but feeling just a tad homesick with Christmas looming. Still I have my Addis family here: David, Maureen, Nancy, Trish, Vicky, Mary and Jamie all to keep me company. Tales of Christmas in a foreign land to come.
 
Love to you all
Joanne xx
 
p.s thanks for the PJs - you know who you are - I love them!!!!!

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Hi All

Dear All
 
I am now ten days into my grand tour of Ethiopia. So far it has been an amazing experience - seen herds nad herds of camels, baboons with pink bottoms, ibexes, strange houses, strange people and amazing countryside, from desert to driving through clouds. Ethiopia is so green and lucios, nothing like the pictures on the telly. I am so lucky to have a chance to see all this.
 
On the other hand I am ready to hand in my resignation at the Ministry or kill my colleague. He is proving to be a real trial to work and travel with. I just want to get back to my home in Addis and for the first time I am really missing home and all my friends and family. I will email you all when I get back around the 9th of Dec.
 
I will blog the more interesting things later when I get baack to my office, but am thinking of you all and can't believ it is December already and talking about Christmas!!!!!!!
 
Lots of love for now
 
Joanne xxx
 
 

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A Plea

A Plea

 

Dear all, just back in the office after a most frustrating day. Left the office at 2pm to go to the bank to cash the cheque for our expenses for our trip. Sat in the car for 45 mins while my colleague ranted about something other – it was all in Amharic, but raised voices mean the same thing in any culture. The driver and I had a lovely chat – with him having no English and me with no Amharic. But I did discover he had 3 children, one of who was in Beirut and he has a grandchild. I even saw photos from his wallet!!!! I managed to tell him my mum had 13 grandchildren – he was most amazed and I desperately wanted to show him some photos (hint, huge hint to my family – I am still waiting!) but all I had was a photo when Martin was about four and Maria two. But we had fun trying to work out what the other was saying. Normally conversations revolve around football but when I said football he had no idea what I was talking about – which was refreshing. Finally went off to the bank who confiscated my cd, full of boring work things. We went to cash our cheques only to be told this wouldn't happen as they were not purple stamped. EVERYTHING official here needs a purple stamp. So I waited at the bank while Tsegaw returned to the ministry to get the purple stamps. I used the time to call a colleague and finalise plans for our joint workshop. Tsegaw returned half an hour later thinking I was sitting in the long snaking queue keeping us a place. Oooppsss. Needed to be outside to get a reception on the phone. Finally got through the queue. When we got to the first desk Tsegaw asked me to produce my id. 'Id?' I said. He looked strangely at me. I did consider telling him I didn't have it (he never asked me to bring it!) but Ethiopians don't have the same humour and I really think he may have had a heart attack. So I produced my Ethiopian id and got a token to collect my money (after passing go and getting out of jail free!) It turns out Tsegaw needed photocopies of his id to get a token, which of course he didn't have. Another panic and another ten minutes while he ranted at bank staff, who have huge security guards with guns on their side, producing no results. He had to return with photocopies, 20 minutes later, then receive his token. Finally we got our money and off we set for the ministry. But alas, alack no I was to be abandoned miles form the ministry and find a line taxi back to work as he sped on to do something else somewhere else. I got back to the ministry at 5pm. We started this journey at 2pm and all I had to show for it was 1,200 Birr for expenses – that's about £50! Phew a very frustrating afternoon – but there is no getting to know beuraucracy like experiencing it!!!! Helps me to know more about about life and culture here.

 

THE PLEA

But on the other side of things I visited one of my schools who is setting up an ELIC. I have told you about them and more to come – its 5.30pm and I want to get home. These are amazing guys who want to set up English clubs in their school – but they have absolutely no resources. So here comes the plea: Can I please ask you to send stuff to me. And I thought what would be a good and quick start was if everyone could gather together all the free posters and free cds you get in newspapers and send them to me. They will be flat, easy to package and post and quite light. It wont matter if I get duplicates and it will only cost you the postage. And it should get here relatively quickly. This will be a great start and a great support to them. Obviously if you want to do more and send books or anything else that would be great. Sorry I can't remember the address right now, but my mum has it. This could be your Christmas present to me. We throw away so much and these guys would use this material in such a brilliant way. I am really excited by their work and I have already established a good contact with them, even tried explaining what haggis was! You could be a part of that. It would be wonderful. I'll post the address when I have it, but please start collecting now. Many Thanks, Joanne. Don't forget my email address is joanneecairns@hotmail.com

 

Sorry have to dash now. Also, I am off on an 18 day trip touring the country as part of my Ministerial duties – wow how lucky can a girl get. Its all by car and our first destination is an 18 hour drive!!! But just imagine what I'll see. And through this blog you'll get to see it too. Not sure how much electricity and internet connection there will be so don't worry if you don't here from me, I'll be back blogging (and bragging) before you know it.

 

I hope everyone is well and I take a part of each of you with me.

Much love as always

Joanne X

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Friends in Addis

Friends in Addis

 

Quite a few people have asked whether I have made any friends here in Addis. I can't believe I haven't mentioned them, but I guess they have become part of my life here so quickly I almost feel that you know them as well as I do. First and foremost I am very lucky to have met David and Maureen. They both work here at the ministry in the department of HDP and CPD. We have lunch together almost every day and we socialise all the time. David and Maureen are retired but spend the last two and a half years running a school in a place called Ladac in north India. We all get on so well I can't believe how luck I am. David and I are going in search of tennis and squash courts tomorrow, possibly at the Greek Club!!!!! Also at the ministry are Simon and Isobel in the same department as David and Maureen. We all get on really well. I am also friends with other VSOs here in Addis; Nancy, Doreen, Catherine and Helen and of course my flatmate Kellie. We are finding plenty to do and are putting together an ever-growing list of things to do in Addis which will fill our weekends for quite some time.

 

Out of Addis are Jamie and Mary and Tara who live close by. In fact Jamie and Mary are almost part of the family, and come into Addis so much and often stay with me that I got an extra set of keys to my house cut for them! Just don't tell Kellie!!!!! Jamie, Mary and Tara have entertained us in Sabeta and Ambo, all for another blog. I don't think I have met anyone here so far (except a certain Canadian - nothing against Canadians – Nina is especially a lovely Canadian person) that I haven't got on with. I guess those people who travel or do VSO type work have similar outlooks in life.

 

Then further afield I have many VSO friends I stay in contact with such as Richard and Emilie, Vicky and Hazel and many others. WE all stay in contact through email, phoning and texting. But being in Addis is such an advantage as people from the regions will come down to Addis for various reason and we all go out and catch up with one another. It is a familial community and we all look out for each other, but more importantly we have a great laugh together. It is a great community of people from all ages. Nancy will be 29 on Wednesday and a whole group of us are going up to the hills surrounding Addis for a picnic. No-one cares who is what age, its brilliant. So I have a healthy and happy social life with a wide variety of interesting people. I couldn't be luckier.

 

As for Ethiopian friends, that will have to wait for another blog. Its 5.30 and the building is closing up. Also Ethiopian friends are a little more complicated. I was approached by a young man the other day shouting at me 'ferengi, ferengi, you, you' asking if I wanted a 'special boy' for my time in Addis. I declined politely and gave him a quick lesson on how rude it was to use the terms ferengi and you when trying to get someones attention!!!!!

 

Next time Ethiopian friends and social life in Addis, including my attempt at the 10K Great Ethiopian Run!!!!!!! Stop laughing Carole, I am still picturing you on the bike down Kings Park Drive!!!!!

 

Love to you all

Joanne x

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Biting the Dust!

Rock Star in Addis

 

As you know I have been busy at the Ministry with Oh-so-important-work for the country. But I am also getting to see real life in Ethiopian schools. 2 young teachers literally came knocking at my ministry door seeking help for their primary school. They want to set up an ELIC in their school. Now all ELICs at present are based in Universities and Colleges so this is a pioneering idea to set one up in a primary school. I suppose it is a bit like having an English Club but more specialised and formalised. I was very excited by the idea and was invited to visit the schools and see what their plans are. As the school is so far away one of the teachers came yesterday to show me how to get to his school. When we got there he showed me round the school and introduced me to the staff. At break time all the students wanted to shake my hand. They kept coming up to me and shook my hand, I could hardly get to the cafeteria they crowede me so much. My only glimpse of what a rock star may feel like. I was then officially invited as the Ministry Representative to their flag ceremony and ELIC launch this morning. I got up early and put on my best Ministerial suit, looking all official. I successfully negotiated the three line taxis to get there – it is on the edge of the city in a very quiet almost rural setting – beautiful. So I was feeling all pumped up in my good suit and positive about getting there on my own. I made my way down the last dirt track to the school  thinking about what I would say in my address to the 2,000 pupils when I managed to slip on the only puddle in the street (remember there is a drought here!). So I arrived in less than Ministry or Rock Star style covered in mud, with ripped trousers and a bloodied knee. Oh, how the Lord likes to keep us humble. I even had to address the students and staff with one trouser leg rolled up to 'air' my bloodied knee. But the staff couldn't have been nicer and tended to my wounds, though I was stared at and laughed at by many of the children. I know now how to keep my place – with my feet well and truly planted on the ground!! Also the conditions of the school opened my eyes to the true challenges facing education in Ethiopia. I only I hope I can do my small bit to support these amazing and enthusiastic teachers who are doing their best in pretty dire circumstances. So, Clare, Claire, Fraser et al at Lourdes, if you are reading this I have a possible project for you if you are interested.

 

Love to you all and hope there are still some leaves left on the trees to cheer your day. Just remember this, when a student was asked today what he didn't like about the school he said that he liked the IT club but was disappointed it only had four computers (with no internet). This for a school with 2,000!! The lack of books, cracked blackboards, lack of free school meals for the poorest kids….. all for another day.

 

Love Joanne x

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