Second Ethiopian Christmas

Orthodox Christmas (7^th Jan) here in Gilgel went pretty much like last year. Everyone goes to everyone else’s house and you have the same food and drink in every house – popcorn, meat and injera, tella (home brew), coffee and Ouzo. I am being fed, which is an Ethiopian custom for friends to do! As all the houses are built to the same design and you’re eating the same food it gets a little confusing as to where you are. Our first invite for “coffee” was around 11:00 and we finally got home after visiting the dean’s house, at around 21:00.

Web design

For the last couple of days I have been working on a web-page front-end for some documentaries and audio lectures Göran will be taking to Bahir Dar University for the English Language Improvement Program resource centre. We will also use something similar here (on a smaller scale) when he returns with two computers for the library.

Utilities

The water has gone a bit like last year, only being put on for a few hours a day. I guess it will stay like this during the dry season. The electricity was also off for three hours last night.

Recorders

The two teachers who said they wanted to learn the recorder so they could teach children when I leave have currently an average 38% attendance record, so not good. The children, on the other hand, are doing much better. They are always early and some have attended all the lessons, twice a week, for the last ten weeks.