Grasses, Monkeys, and Making Memories

                Well, there weren’t any sheep to eat. But there were lots of monkeys, games of kick the can, capture the flag, and sardines, cold nights spent trying to get as close to the fireplace as possible, no power, and God’s beautiful handiwork shown in the majestic mountains and sweeping hills.

                This last week, I had the privilege to travel to Guassa, a region in the Ethiopian highlands (northeast of Addis), with half of the tenth grade class. The trip was a part of the “Activities Week” in which Bingham Academy sends their 6^th through 12^th grade students once a school year all around Ethiopia. Depending on the class, the focus of this week is either community service or spiritual awareness. This provides an opportunity for the students to spend time out of the city serving alongside their friends and teachers; a time to bond, build memories, and learn in a new context.

Ours was a focus on community service and we spent the week learning about the unique Guassa grass. Being a scarce resource, which is used for roofs, weaving, and other daily necessities, the surrounding community has spent the last 400 years working together to preserve it. This includes an advanced system that records the nature of the grass (height, density, etc) and any signs of illegal harvesting. It was a fascinating study on how a group of people can bond together in order to maintain and protect what’s important.

Hello Mr. Monkey~ he and his friends are the "Gellatus" monkey.

Of course, the learning is always important. But I relished the opportunity this last week of getting to know the students and teachers outside of a normal classroom- not only does this provide a different context,  but also a true bonding experience as we dealt with flat tires, screaming monkeys, a (very) flexible schedule, hiking through the beautiful Ethiopian highlands (which brought to mind either the Doxology or “The Hills are Alive” from the Sound of Music), and many games of Fishbowl. It was a great first week in Ethiopia and a chance to see how Bingham impacts many lives to this day.

And now- a week to relax (mid-semester break) and prepare for teaching that starts the next week!!

I made it!

I’m here. and pretty much hit the ground running.

Monday/Tuesday: Flights were good~ smooth, lots of new movies, interesting seat partners. First time watching Big Bang Theory in the Frankfurt airport, but not a bad way to pass the time. Luggage made it without any problem, walked through customs with confidence and found my little sign welcoming me to Bingham Academy.

Wednesday: Campus tour and trying to reorient myself with Bingham’s campus, meeting all the (new… to me) teachers at tea time, two meetings with Bingham principals, lunch and reuniting with Mekedes, my Ethiopian grandma, then heading to the Embassy to begin the process of getting my Ethiopian drivers’ license. Returned to Bingham, attended my first staff meeting, went out for dinner (injera!!) with my mentor/buddy Rachel, back for Bible Study in her apartment, then worked on unpacking… bed.

Thursday: Headed to HQ for SIM orientation, met various people (some new, some I knew, some that knew me but I didn’t know them), go off with some new people and get a cell phone… this is an interesting story that I may expound on at a later date… back to Bingham for lunch (injera!), tried to read some manuals but fell asleep, watched the beginning of Bingham JV’s basketball game, headed out with Alli (the teacher who covered for me and then I will take over for her) for grocery shopping (which may or may not include some off-roading… TIA.) and then dinner back at her place with her two adorable little boys (injera).

Friday: Started off with a trip to the Foreign Ministry of something or other to do the next part of the license process, then on to the Ministry of Transport to finish it off and got my Ethiopian drivers license! (now to work up the nerve to actually drive here). So grateful to have Ethiopian experts to get me through the journey of it all. Back to Bingham and got to skype my parents for the first time! Meeting with the principal to figure out my responsibilities here… and then headed to dinner with old friends tonight.

Deep breath.

Oh, and did I mention that I am going on a trip next week? Yep, headed to the mountains with two male teachers, eleven tenth graders, and some sheep. (Apparently, that’s the food we’re supposed to purchase, but I think we’ll actually buy them there. For reals.)

Now this seems like a lot… and I may have left our proper punctuation for effect… but I have to say I can’t imagine a better welcome to Ethiopia. I figure let’s start the adventures from the beginning and fit in as many as we can! :)