Got the college car to Chagni arriving around 09:00. I knew I would
have to wait until the afternoon to make the next part of my journey
so I checked into a hotel and watched a movie on my laptop. (They
didn't charge me for the room, which was nice!)
The people taking me the rest of the way arrived early (at 12:00)
which was good. We ate lunch together then set off for Bahir Dar at
around 13:00. They are part of another NGO (WASH) who Göran has had
dealings with. The journey was smooth (well bumpy until Kosober and
the asphalt road) but we made it to Bahir Dar by 16:00.
Since then, I've had pizza, lots of peanut M&Ms, ran a short workshop
at the catholic school (continuing from the previous workshop we did a
month back) about how to use resources and active teaching with the
English department. It went well, and I think I might have convinced
them to spend a week looking at children's books and getting the older
students to actually write their own books to then be read to the
younger ones.
** Friday and Saturday 15th and 16th May
Pretty lazy really, lots of spriz-smoothies (Guava, papaya, mango and
avocado) and coffees and a short walk along the lake (fending off the
usual "do you want boat?" or "gimme money" etc)
** Sunday, 17th May
Flight had been made earlier, but it all went pretty smoothly and I
got to Addis Ababa around 13:00. After a short nap in the hotel I have
come to VSO programme office and after adjusting my proxy settings, I
am now writing this.
Tomorrow we have the leaver's workshop which, mostly, we are not
looking forward to. When I asked someone why we were going, they said,
well it's sort of like a funeral – you don't really want to go, but
you feel you ought to.
Tuesday I plan to have a look round Addis, Wednesday I fly back to
Bahir Dar at lunchtime and hopefully the college car will be able to
take me all the way back to Gilgel on Thursday or Friday.
Last Thursday, before I left, was the last time I would ever be in the
house with Göran. We will meet in Bahir Dar next week before I go back
to Gilgel, but then he is off to Asossa in the South to do more
computer training before he goes back to Sweden for the Summer. He
will return to Gilgel, but I will be back in the UK by then.
So, (and this is for Jorhan:) no more ancient sumera, greenhouse
effect, Oil etc etc!!!!)
1 comment:
Hi. Saw your blog when I was doing a Google search on VSO vols and read bits of it. It's a really good one and I had a lot of fun reading it. Thanks !
I'm an RV myself, having spent 2 years in a semi-rural placement in North Central Sri Lanka. I'm Indian, but the experiences seem strangely similar - rural life ? I laughed when I saw the bit about the cars going around picking up all sorts of people and detours being taken without any prior intimation..... I went through it all, and wondered if the experience would have been different if I was not Indian (Sri Lanka has a difficult history with us). Your blog was reassuring!
Your placement's far more difficult than mine (except for there was a tense security situation in SL). I stayed in a town so I had quite a luxurious place to stay but my partner organisation was in the middle of no where, and among other things, there wasn't a toilet for me to use ! Work was frustrating at times, but at the end of it all I enjoyed the experience as I can see you do. Good luck with the rest of your placement.
Post a Comment