Admission
If you are a ‘freshman’, yes that includes the girls, (although only an average of 35% of undergraduate students in Ethiopia are females), you start a few weeks after your continuing student colleagues. You are likely to have been allocated a place at a university by the Ministry of Education, and although you will have had an opportunity to express a preference for where you what to go to study, this is likely to have made little difference. You are likely to be able to influence the situation if your parents are wealthy (readers will get the idea I’m sure) and/or if you are very bright and want to study a subject in a university that you have expressed a preference for has a place. The system is completely centralised and although the 9 longer established universities in Ethiopia can influence who they accept through applying minimum entry requirements, the Ministry of Education at the present time has full control over the intakes at the majority of the other 13 very new universities across the country. Indeed, it is even possible that you have been told which subject you will study if your grades have been mediocre, you have no particular strength in one subject and have not expressed a strong preference.
The subjects offered at university are likely to be similar across the nation, depending on resources, the university’s development record and areas of intended specialisation. For example DDU does not offer agriculture based subjects as there are no resources or expertise for this, but the neighbouring university offers a specialisation in this subject area as it started as an agricultural college. Thus clearly if you want to study agriculture and show an aptitude for this, you will not be sent to DDU. However, if you want to study engineering, you may well be sent here as Dire Dawa is aspiring to become a centre of excellence in Engineering and Technology .
Arriving at the university
Having come from a different part of the country, on arrival in Dire Dawa in October you find the conditions are trying. Being semi-desert the climate is unlike most of the rest of the country and in October it is still very hot. In addition the campus conditions will require some resilience in those early weeks. The campus is just one sprawling building site and there is dust everywhere, including on every chair you sit at and table you lean on, every breath you take, to say nothing about the state of your feet, shoes and clothes as you walk around. The conditions will be tiring even if you are young.
You are allocated to basic dormitory accommodation, and as much of the student accommodation is still not complete, this could be temporary accommodation and is likely to be very cramped. As with the rest of the campus, the limited supply of water will restrict the ablution facilities, although priority is given to students. The standard of these facilities may not be what you have been used to if you came from a reasonable Ethiopian family house, and the sharing of what is available will affect the standard very rapidly. Again, I think readers will get the idea!
The induction process for the 2500 new students will be limited to essential information and will focus briefly on timetables, classes and subjects. There are student clubs for you to join although many of these will not have started up at the beginning of the academic year and may take some time to get organised.
As the teaching and learning across the country at university is conducted in English, you are likely to struggle if your English is not strong enough to allow you the ease of understanding for academic study. As female students are allowed university entrance with lower grades to encourage an increasing female participation rate, this can lead to a language problems amongst the girls. There is an English Club which will enable to you to improve your language skills. However, English is only spoken for teaching and learning purposes, so as soon as you are out of the classroom, you will revert to……what? Students come from all over the country and in Ethiopia there are 80 different spoken languages and at least 4 main ones. Although Amharic is the official language, and spoken in Dire Dawa, if you come from a different region you may not speak Amharic as well as English. This is a challenging situation for both staff and students.
The university provides your meals free of charge and these are served in a large shed at long tables. The food is very basic and traditional, (injera with everything) which is what you like but it could be of a better quality you feel. It is prepared in a massive shed at the back of the refectory by an army of women and everything is done manually, with little in the way of mechanisation. The sight of 20 women sitting on their haunches peeling a small mountain of onions is fascinating to see.
The shed is big enough to look a little like an aircraft hanger, where you queue in long lines, often way out of the door and across the dusty areas in the heat of the sun. Somehow the queues move quickly which is important at breakfast time as your first lecture starts at 7.45am. However, you can be pretty certain that your teacher will be late and that if you are late, so be it, and he, or possibly, but far less likely she, is unlikely to say anything.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
You are likely to have around 4 hours of lectures a day and as there is little in the way of student managed learning tasks or groupwork given to students by staff, you have quite a lot of ‘free’ time. However continuous assessment ensures that you keep studying your lecture notes and reading your prescribed text book in the library. The library will contain a range of textbooks on your subject, many of which are sourced from Indian publishers and thus writers. You take copious notes from your lectures in a small A5 notebook which is the only thing you carry around with you to every class. You will be very dependant on your teachers, or ‘instructors’ for most of the information on your subject through lectures, as there are limited internet facilities and the speed of these and computer availability will make internet searching a very time consuming and frustrating business. You know that investment in IT is progressing rapidly nationally and internet connectivity will be a positive aid to your education in the future. A positive addition to text resources is the e-book library which is downloaded for you and available through library based computers.
In the centre of town there is also a small and rather quaint library where again most of the space is given over to desks allowing people to study and write. A reasonable selection of books are kept in a cramped room next door and categorised by the main academic areas of study. Many of the people using this facility will be university students.
As you walk across the campus to your classroom you pass a herd of goats and four of the campus dogs, and just over there are 3 donkeys grazing in the shade of a small tree.
In your school education you are likely to have experienced predominantly rote learning, in cramped, crowded classrooms with few resources. The use of chalk on blackboard will have been key to collecting written information. Thus you expect this approach to continue at university and in large basic, dusty lecture halls, or bare, box like concrete and dusty teaching rooms equipped only with a blackboard and chalk and basic wooden chairs, you are likely to receive 50 minute lectures sitting attentively and passively throughout and taking notes from the blackboard straight into your small and by now rather tatty looking notebook. Increasingly, the teacher does give you some active learning to do in the class and usually this involves being asked to work in a small group on a task for 15 minutes or so. It will also involve questions and answers, although you can usually avoid getting involved if you do not want to.
It would be nice if there was an opportunity for more practical learning outside the classroom but you realise that the university does not as yet have laboratory/workshop facilities. You know that 2nd year biology students have recently been on a field trip and are able to use a biology lab at the local high school, and Sports Science students are able to get onto a pitch at some stage even though the university has little in the way of sports facilities. In fact at a recent intra-varsity national competition held at Bahir Dar, Dire Dawa students won 4 medals in athletics! You often see students studying Surveying working in small groups with specialised equipment across the campus. As you are doing language you feel it would be good to have access to a laboratory with some electronic equipment. You believe that there is a language lab but that it doesn’t work and is not used currently. You know that a subject like Business and Management is taught predominantly from a theoretical point of view and as yet the university has little or no contact with employing organisations in the local area, although DD does have a range of industrial organisations, eg a large cement works, Coca-Cola bottling and distribution plant, textile company and Food Complex, as well as branches of insurance companies and banks. It also supports a small number of tourist standard hotels and restaurants. It also hosts the organisation, funded by the EU and tasked with rehabilitating the abandoned national railway line which was the reason for Dire Dawa’s original existence. In addition it has a large local government administrative role, being a regional capital and the second town of the country with over 300,000 population.
The specialised equipment needed to teach Engineering and Technology subjects is distributed nationally to universities by the Ministry of Education in Addis Ababa. The funding to procure this expensive specialised equipment is likely to have come from the World Bank.
Your notes carry the key information on which you will be assessed. You know that there is a national requirement for 50% continuous assessment so you understand that your teachers will be giving you a series of quizzes and tests at the end of most classes based directly on what has just been taught. You also know that the intention from this policy is for them to identify students at an early stage who need remedial support, particularly in the first year. Thus it is doubly important that you attend your classes as you don’t know which ones will carry assessment tasks that will be marked. Final exams take place at the end of each of the 2 semesters, also counting for 50% of your total mark. These exams are not usually essays and consist mainly of a mix of MCQs, gaps to complete, calculations if that is appropriate and questions requiring short open answers. They last for 2-3 hours. The teachers all invigilate, as well as mark and grade over this period which is demanding for them.
The grading system is a complex and time consuming process and in the first semester greater leniency is applied to first years, taking university exams for the first time. Staff are expected to ensure that all first years have been brought up to the same standard by the end of the year. The range of educational, social and family backgrounds of the students makes this particularly challenging and there is a growing divide between students from urban and rural backgrounds.
Free time
You walk a long way across the campus to find a soft drink at the student café and meet a few friends and sit in the shade.
Because of the heat, no classes take place between 12noon and 2.30pm, but it is quite likely that you will have evening classes after 5.30pm and also on Saturdays.
At the end of day you like to go with friends up the road to the Orthodox church, so you put on your white shawl, whether male or female and walk and chat. This is a great time of the day as the sun is setting and the road is full of students doing the same thing. For the many Muslims there are several local to satisfy their spiritual needs and duty.
There is a campus curfew of 9pm when everyone is expected to be back in their dormitories. There are no real areas or facilities for socialising or even for working together in small groups, so you do what you can with what you have. Until curfew you are free to go into town, but with limited money, this may be for a beer only. You are aware that students from more wealthy backgrounds will not live on campus in the dormitories and rent rooms in the town.
There are a lot of public holidays during the year, both religious (Orthodox Christian and Muslim) and secular but as these are mainly only one day, including Christmas, it is impossible for you to make the long journey across the country by line taxi or bus to home, so you stay on campus. Christmas is approaching and you know that the large cow that has been grazing on the campus for the last 3 days is destined to be killed to provide Christmas meal for the students and staff working on the campus as a celebration. You look forward to being able to travel to your home during the 3 week semester break in February- March.
Employment after university
You worry about finding a job at the end of your course in 3 years time and realise that the Government, the main source of employment in the country, offers jobs to the students with the best results. Otherwise you could be left with little or no opportunities for employment. As jobs are allocated you may find yourself doing something you really don’t want to do. With the expansion of education there is currently a big demand for teachers and a lot of university graduates are sent into teaching even if they do not want to become a teacher. The other reason why this is difficult to refuse is that this offsets the cost of your education and that if you refuse the position you are expected to pay towards the cost of your education.
You know that 80 out of the 350 teachers at DDU this year are new teachers straight from university without any teacher training or working experience. However, you do not question this as it is normal practice. You are aware that after 2-3 years they will be sent to one of the accredited universities ‘to do their Masters’ and will be away for as long as that takes. This is resulting in serious staff shortages at the university currently as 200 staff members are currently away for study purposes and this puts enormous workload pressure on the remaining staff.
Despite the initial challenges you are settling down well, adjusting to the conditions, enjoying your course and making friends. It is more difficult for girls as there are deeply embedded gender issues in this culture and society and the new experience of university life brings a lot of conflict and pressure. This will be discussed in a future blog.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
THE FINALE
For a final blog I thought I would answer a question that I was asked to consider before I left, but which is not easy and has required much thought and deliberation. I was asked what I thought we, in the UK, and the West generally could learn from Ethiopian society. I am writing this 2 months after being back home in the UK which has given me more time to reflect on my year's experience. By looking at this topic in context I hope it will not come across as potentially patronising, but will allow readers to gain some perspective on our own lives when contrasted with those of Ethiopians and thus allow you to draw your own conclusions.
Life is hard for the majority of Ethiopians. The following gives examples.
The climate is challenging in much of the country and this can result in disease and cause real difficulties with basic food production, as well as uncomfortable living conditions. A lack of protective housing and adequate clothing makes torrential rain and/or cold (much of the country lies at high altitude) difficult to bear, rain destroys soil and crops, and frequently roads and thus communication. It can also be so hot it is difficult to work or operate properly and crops and animals die through drought and people die from famine.
Government action can affect many people and there is a lot of current dissatisfaction about; unavailable finance, crippling bureaucracy and corruption, non-existing support and welfare and discrimination between sections of the population, as well as human rights issues.
Jobs are very limited and most are controlled by the Government. People have to be resilient and individually enterprising, with initiative and energy to work any hours at any or all times of any day where there is an opportunity to earn any money to stay alive and feed and support a family. Even teachers frequently have a second job where possible and at university the majority of teachers continue to work right through the summer teaching on summer programmes in order to earn extra money. They can not afford to do otherwise and thus have no rest, no holiday and most likely will not see their families from one year to another. And they are relatively speaking the lucky ones!
People die all the time in Ethiopia. I experienced deaths and illness over a year just amongst the candidates on my programme and their families. Eye disease, chest infections are common. Early death for no apparent reason is a given. Parents die at an early age compared to our longevity. People frequently can not afford medical treatment and what is available is limited, outside the capital, to regular every day illnesses.
How do they cope?
Above all, people are what is important in Ethiopian society. A great deal of time is spent just talking to other people. Relationships are warm, even if you are not close. Greetings are ritualistic and through this are warm and welcoming. They are tactile people who will often hold your hand while they talk to you. Men are particularly tactile to each other which is a bit disconcerting to an outsider till you get used to it. People come before tasks and tasks are achieved through other people. Animals are neglected in favour of people (see my earlier blog), children are valued and nurtured by both parents (where they are lucky enough to have two!). Despite difficult lives they appear happy people who smile and enter discourse as if they have not a care in the world. I am not saying that below the surface there are not practices, attitudes and behaviour that belie everything I have observed (eg. attitudes to women and behaviours in domestic life), but there is a genuine happy, helpful, caring and welcoming side towards others in most Ethiopians' approach to life. Regardless of what else is going on they are courteous and respectful people who are accepting and non-judgemental.
Undoubtedly they are a stoic people and this leads to a lack of show of emotion. Whereas we have been encouraged to recognise, express and manage ours in more recent years, Ethiopians seem to have buried theirs. Are they buried so deep they do not recognise feelings or are they just not emotional beings? Does this help or hinder a healthy existence, who knows?
So people die and friends and relatives are as upset there as they are here. But they accept it. They can not blame the medical profession or a national health service. It is counterproductive to ask why. That is life, people die. Death is part of life and there are institutinalised coping mechanisms and mourning rituals and routines which help them, which we do not have. Perhaps they have a healthier attitude to death. Every day we hear blame laid at the door of the NHS/medical profession for mistakes and neglect. Never-ending legislation proliferates in vain attempts to protect and defend. Of course we should expect higher standards in a rich economy, and mistakes are made, but often our attitude to death and injury seems to be that it shouldn't happen, people shouldn't die, and if it does it must be someone's fault. We do not expect to die of AIDS now, they do. And perhaps we could also better cope with death. In societies such as Ethiopia grief is supported by others in a ritualised manner over a lengthy period of time. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but maybe it is a more healthly approach to getting through a period of mourning and accepting loss and death as a natural part of life.
Religion is central to most Ethiopian lives and the arena in which emotion is most often manifested. It is with commitment and fervour that Ethiopians continue to put their faith in a celestial being to relieve their sufferings and bring them a better life. It is beyond their ken that someone would not have a belief in God. I came to understand that given that they have so little control over their lives, and the future is so unpredictable, it is quite understandable that they feel they have to trust in what they see as a bigger and benevolent force to do the work for them. At one time faith played the same role for us but now many of us feel we have total control over our lives, so what role can God play? With growing unpredictability in our own lives, including increasing environmental threats and economic and financial crisis for many, I wonder if this will change?
Ethiopia is often cited as a model of tolerance and peaceful co-existance between Orthodox Christians and Muslims and from my experience of living in a town where this proportion is evenly balanced, this appears to be absolutely true. There appears to be total acceptance of and respect for others faith and different religious practices.
People value education very highly. They know that education is the way out of poverty and like all parents, they want their children (regrettably sometimes only boys!) to have a better life. Education is the answer. There is no option of fame as a short cut to wealth and everyone knows it is only through sheer hard work that a better life is possible, and skills and knowledge will open the door to jobs and opportunities. The Government, with the help of international donor organisations such as the World Bank is supporting an enormous expansion of education at all levels across the country and enrolment rates are increasing. However, when you see the inside story you begin to realise that the statistics tell only half the story. The quality and standards of education are generally poor, due to a lack of resources and poor standards of teaching and the length of time kids are able to stay in school all tell another story. Contrast this with our society where we have resources to support the quality of education at every level that other countries can only dream of and yet kids frequently do not value the opportunity to learn and resent schooling. For many, education is no longer the route to success and fulfilment in life and fame is an aspirational shortcut.
Perhaps much of what I have said is manifested above all in the children. So many people who visit Africa from the west comment on the children. In contrast to what we are used to seeing in our own society, children there seem happy, carefree, completely natural and at home with just being a child. I rarely heard a child, even a baby, cry. They seem to learn at a very early age to just put up with their lot and adapt accordingly. They have little, and thus expect little. If they are not hungry or in pain or discomfort, what is there to cry about. They are very likely to come from large families with many other siblings and cousins so there are many mouths to feed and special treatment is out of the question. They happily and without adult supervision play in dirty roads and paths. They play with other children of all ages, (the older ones are probably given the responsibility for their younger brothers and sisters), they play with stones, rubbish, they make primitive toys out of bits of materials lying around. If they are lucky they have marbles - a very popular game and the older boys just love kicking a football around. They demand nothing except contact with other adults and children. They are disciplined, obedient and responsive to adult directives. Are there adults with malevolent intentions towards children in Ethiopia?
They all walk to school in their colourful uniforms (of very varying degrees of repair!) and often with their little plastic, Chinese made lunch boxes and cheap and cheerful kiddie bags. Often they will come and shake hands with us and if they know us they learn quickly to expect a little game of some sort. At this they get very excited! They readily practice their limited English if they are old enough; 'What is your name? How are you? Where you go? '
How many differences can you spot between these and our children!
The work context is an interesting one. The positives, with the help of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, are that by and large they have not yet reached the individualistic, achieving stage. Needs and motives around egos and personal achievement are still low but, inevitably some are motivated by that level in the hierarchy. Culturally the sense of belonging and collectivism is more important and this influences the work place. There tends to be a lack of judgement about others, as workplace performance is normally not measured. This made me realise just how, in this country, we live in a workplace environment which is constantly about relative performance and if someone is working below par, they are often openly criticised and judged. This constant judgement of others is reflected in outside life as well. I sensed a lack of this in the Ethiopian workplace and a greater acceptance of people as people who are doing their best. However, on the flip side, it is probably fair to say that a lack of judgement fits a culture where face-saving is very important.
The potential negative is interesting. Everyone from 'the West' working in the country moans about the lack of management skills in Ethiopia and this is a reality which is very difficult to work with and frequently leads volunteers to experience real problems in their jobs. One of the main problems is that they have no concept of planning or time management. While I agree that being in the present and living for the day is healthy and good, an organisation simply must have a idea about time and the future if anything is going to get done. This I believe is a contributory factor in the lack of economic development and it is a massive frustration for those of us who are tasked with trying to help Ethiopians with skills for the 21st century. This involves a massive cultural shift and there are 2 reasons for this entrenched resistence to thinking about and planning for the future. Firstly, traditionally, they have always lived from day to day because they did not know what tomorrow would bring and all their efforts needed to be put into daily survivial. Linked to this is the feeling of a lack of control over their lives and thus that the future is in the hands of God.
Perhaps because of the above, most importantly, the language has no future tense! Amharic has a past tense but no future. How can we expect a nation to become future oriented when they can not express themselves linguistically.
Hopefully this has offered some insights to help understanding and to reflect on, maybe there is something here that will strike a chord with someone. Maybe a reflection on comparative values, or attitudes towards rights and entitlement when we see others with no rights and entitlements. I write this on the day of the national public sector strike! Thinking about materialism, maybe it is not surprising that we have high expectations and aspirations about how our material world can answer our every need and bring us happiness, because we are bombarded by these facilities and resources and the promises that go with them and they are available, and we can afford it, and our mind sets, experiences and education are focused on the idea of relentless progress and improvement to our lives. Is this really possible? Is this really the answer and what do we lose in the process? Maybe our own futures will answer these questions.
Life is hard for the majority of Ethiopians. The following gives examples.
The climate is challenging in much of the country and this can result in disease and cause real difficulties with basic food production, as well as uncomfortable living conditions. A lack of protective housing and adequate clothing makes torrential rain and/or cold (much of the country lies at high altitude) difficult to bear, rain destroys soil and crops, and frequently roads and thus communication. It can also be so hot it is difficult to work or operate properly and crops and animals die through drought and people die from famine.
Government action can affect many people and there is a lot of current dissatisfaction about; unavailable finance, crippling bureaucracy and corruption, non-existing support and welfare and discrimination between sections of the population, as well as human rights issues.
Jobs are very limited and most are controlled by the Government. People have to be resilient and individually enterprising, with initiative and energy to work any hours at any or all times of any day where there is an opportunity to earn any money to stay alive and feed and support a family. Even teachers frequently have a second job where possible and at university the majority of teachers continue to work right through the summer teaching on summer programmes in order to earn extra money. They can not afford to do otherwise and thus have no rest, no holiday and most likely will not see their families from one year to another. And they are relatively speaking the lucky ones!
People die all the time in Ethiopia. I experienced deaths and illness over a year just amongst the candidates on my programme and their families. Eye disease, chest infections are common. Early death for no apparent reason is a given. Parents die at an early age compared to our longevity. People frequently can not afford medical treatment and what is available is limited, outside the capital, to regular every day illnesses.
How do they cope?
Above all, people are what is important in Ethiopian society. A great deal of time is spent just talking to other people. Relationships are warm, even if you are not close. Greetings are ritualistic and through this are warm and welcoming. They are tactile people who will often hold your hand while they talk to you. Men are particularly tactile to each other which is a bit disconcerting to an outsider till you get used to it. People come before tasks and tasks are achieved through other people. Animals are neglected in favour of people (see my earlier blog), children are valued and nurtured by both parents (where they are lucky enough to have two!). Despite difficult lives they appear happy people who smile and enter discourse as if they have not a care in the world. I am not saying that below the surface there are not practices, attitudes and behaviour that belie everything I have observed (eg. attitudes to women and behaviours in domestic life), but there is a genuine happy, helpful, caring and welcoming side towards others in most Ethiopians' approach to life. Regardless of what else is going on they are courteous and respectful people who are accepting and non-judgemental.
Undoubtedly they are a stoic people and this leads to a lack of show of emotion. Whereas we have been encouraged to recognise, express and manage ours in more recent years, Ethiopians seem to have buried theirs. Are they buried so deep they do not recognise feelings or are they just not emotional beings? Does this help or hinder a healthy existence, who knows?
So people die and friends and relatives are as upset there as they are here. But they accept it. They can not blame the medical profession or a national health service. It is counterproductive to ask why. That is life, people die. Death is part of life and there are institutinalised coping mechanisms and mourning rituals and routines which help them, which we do not have. Perhaps they have a healthier attitude to death. Every day we hear blame laid at the door of the NHS/medical profession for mistakes and neglect. Never-ending legislation proliferates in vain attempts to protect and defend. Of course we should expect higher standards in a rich economy, and mistakes are made, but often our attitude to death and injury seems to be that it shouldn't happen, people shouldn't die, and if it does it must be someone's fault. We do not expect to die of AIDS now, they do. And perhaps we could also better cope with death. In societies such as Ethiopia grief is supported by others in a ritualised manner over a lengthy period of time. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but maybe it is a more healthly approach to getting through a period of mourning and accepting loss and death as a natural part of life.
Religion is central to most Ethiopian lives and the arena in which emotion is most often manifested. It is with commitment and fervour that Ethiopians continue to put their faith in a celestial being to relieve their sufferings and bring them a better life. It is beyond their ken that someone would not have a belief in God. I came to understand that given that they have so little control over their lives, and the future is so unpredictable, it is quite understandable that they feel they have to trust in what they see as a bigger and benevolent force to do the work for them. At one time faith played the same role for us but now many of us feel we have total control over our lives, so what role can God play? With growing unpredictability in our own lives, including increasing environmental threats and economic and financial crisis for many, I wonder if this will change?
Ethiopia is often cited as a model of tolerance and peaceful co-existance between Orthodox Christians and Muslims and from my experience of living in a town where this proportion is evenly balanced, this appears to be absolutely true. There appears to be total acceptance of and respect for others faith and different religious practices.
People value education very highly. They know that education is the way out of poverty and like all parents, they want their children (regrettably sometimes only boys!) to have a better life. Education is the answer. There is no option of fame as a short cut to wealth and everyone knows it is only through sheer hard work that a better life is possible, and skills and knowledge will open the door to jobs and opportunities. The Government, with the help of international donor organisations such as the World Bank is supporting an enormous expansion of education at all levels across the country and enrolment rates are increasing. However, when you see the inside story you begin to realise that the statistics tell only half the story. The quality and standards of education are generally poor, due to a lack of resources and poor standards of teaching and the length of time kids are able to stay in school all tell another story. Contrast this with our society where we have resources to support the quality of education at every level that other countries can only dream of and yet kids frequently do not value the opportunity to learn and resent schooling. For many, education is no longer the route to success and fulfilment in life and fame is an aspirational shortcut.
Perhaps much of what I have said is manifested above all in the children. So many people who visit Africa from the west comment on the children. In contrast to what we are used to seeing in our own society, children there seem happy, carefree, completely natural and at home with just being a child. I rarely heard a child, even a baby, cry. They seem to learn at a very early age to just put up with their lot and adapt accordingly. They have little, and thus expect little. If they are not hungry or in pain or discomfort, what is there to cry about. They are very likely to come from large families with many other siblings and cousins so there are many mouths to feed and special treatment is out of the question. They happily and without adult supervision play in dirty roads and paths. They play with other children of all ages, (the older ones are probably given the responsibility for their younger brothers and sisters), they play with stones, rubbish, they make primitive toys out of bits of materials lying around. If they are lucky they have marbles - a very popular game and the older boys just love kicking a football around. They demand nothing except contact with other adults and children. They are disciplined, obedient and responsive to adult directives. Are there adults with malevolent intentions towards children in Ethiopia?
They all walk to school in their colourful uniforms (of very varying degrees of repair!) and often with their little plastic, Chinese made lunch boxes and cheap and cheerful kiddie bags. Often they will come and shake hands with us and if they know us they learn quickly to expect a little game of some sort. At this they get very excited! They readily practice their limited English if they are old enough; 'What is your name? How are you? Where you go? '
How many differences can you spot between these and our children!
The work context is an interesting one. The positives, with the help of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, are that by and large they have not yet reached the individualistic, achieving stage. Needs and motives around egos and personal achievement are still low but, inevitably some are motivated by that level in the hierarchy. Culturally the sense of belonging and collectivism is more important and this influences the work place. There tends to be a lack of judgement about others, as workplace performance is normally not measured. This made me realise just how, in this country, we live in a workplace environment which is constantly about relative performance and if someone is working below par, they are often openly criticised and judged. This constant judgement of others is reflected in outside life as well. I sensed a lack of this in the Ethiopian workplace and a greater acceptance of people as people who are doing their best. However, on the flip side, it is probably fair to say that a lack of judgement fits a culture where face-saving is very important.
The potential negative is interesting. Everyone from 'the West' working in the country moans about the lack of management skills in Ethiopia and this is a reality which is very difficult to work with and frequently leads volunteers to experience real problems in their jobs. One of the main problems is that they have no concept of planning or time management. While I agree that being in the present and living for the day is healthy and good, an organisation simply must have a idea about time and the future if anything is going to get done. This I believe is a contributory factor in the lack of economic development and it is a massive frustration for those of us who are tasked with trying to help Ethiopians with skills for the 21st century. This involves a massive cultural shift and there are 2 reasons for this entrenched resistence to thinking about and planning for the future. Firstly, traditionally, they have always lived from day to day because they did not know what tomorrow would bring and all their efforts needed to be put into daily survivial. Linked to this is the feeling of a lack of control over their lives and thus that the future is in the hands of God.
Perhaps because of the above, most importantly, the language has no future tense! Amharic has a past tense but no future. How can we expect a nation to become future oriented when they can not express themselves linguistically.
Hopefully this has offered some insights to help understanding and to reflect on, maybe there is something here that will strike a chord with someone. Maybe a reflection on comparative values, or attitudes towards rights and entitlement when we see others with no rights and entitlements. I write this on the day of the national public sector strike! Thinking about materialism, maybe it is not surprising that we have high expectations and aspirations about how our material world can answer our every need and bring us happiness, because we are bombarded by these facilities and resources and the promises that go with them and they are available, and we can afford it, and our mind sets, experiences and education are focused on the idea of relentless progress and improvement to our lives. Is this really possible? Is this really the answer and what do we lose in the process? Maybe our own futures will answer these questions.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
TEACHING THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED IN ADDIS ABABA
Addis in the rainy season
Coming to Addis on 10th July from Dire Dawa was like arriving on a different planet. I had been desperate to leave the hottest time of the year in the lowland east of the country, where some relief was being anticipated by the pending rainy season. However rain had not yet arrived by early July. The end of the academic year had been really busy, much like in the UK and working hard and having to move around physically in temperatures of 38-40 degrees C was sapping what energy I could muster.
Contrary to this, the rainy season was well under way in Addis at 2400metres by this time! After about 10 days I was heard to mutter, ‘how much more does it have to rain before I wish I was back in Dire!’
The few warm clothes I had brought with me were well employed and I wore the lot for the first 2-3 weeks while I acclimatised. Thermal vest (brought for trips into the high mountains in winter) and 2 fleeces were my constant companions including frequently in bed(!) and instead of sandals it was only trainers or boots. Trainers got caked in mud within a day. I wondered if my washing would dry before I left in 6 weeks time!
The job.
VSO traditionally is able to offer some short term projects across the country, normally within the education sector, during the summer vacation period. As I was only here for one year I thought I would make the most of the year and have a different experience before returning home, so I had applied at an early stage to participate in a summer placement. I was lucky to be offered one this summer and was asked to work in the capital with a local NGO called ‘Ethiopians for Ethiopians’ who had approached VSO to ask if a volunteer could run some English language tuition for blind and visually impaired students during the academic vacation period.
EfE was set up by a blind lawyer to support the visually impaired in Addis. They run clubs to bring people together, so providing a social forum with all those advantages, and offer computer training, using specialist verbal software, among a range of activities. The plan to offer English tuition was a new venture so the planning and organising took some time before we could start.
Let me say a little about the staff at this small organisation. It was started by a totally blind practicing lawyer who works for the Government in the High Court. He is divorced and brings up an 8 year old daughter by himself. The office manager is also blind; a very capable and competent young woman who travels a long distance to work each day by public transport, using crowded and chaotic line taxis (minibuses) which she negotiates alone. The third blind staff member is a recent graduate and he runs the clubs and handles PR. He lives alone in a tiny hovel of a bedroom and an alcove which is part of a larger poor, communal compound where the landlady also lives. It has to be seen to be believed. Two sighted female staff include the finance manager and the secretary. These 2 young women play a role in accompaning the blind staff members when on business away from the office. They are all absolutely lovely people with a love of life, a playfulness and a sense of humour that is at least totally humbling.
I was lucky enough to be able to work with a VSO colleague who normally works in a hotter place than me (near the Danakil Depression which is the hottest place on earth!) and hence had been sent to Addis for the hot summer for health reasons! Peter is a professional English teacher and so he was extremely helpful to me. We baseline tested the nearly 100 students who applied for this summer course over an exhausting 2 days and split the group between us.
The majority of participants were students, either from school, college or Addis Ababa university, although the age range was wide as people are encouraged to enter education at any stage in their lives and schools cater for a wide age range.
There was an equally wide range of English ability, so our challenges were significant;
• These students can not learn using sight
• There was no standard ability within one class
• No set course or curriculum, or textbooks.
• There is a need to respond to needs, initially unknown
• A need to motivate and entertain, as much as to ensure learning.
• For me, to construct a course in English tuition to answer the above when I have never taught English before and never worked with special needs!
I was busy for these 6 weeks! Each day I came home in the afternoon and reviewed the success of the day and based on this and feedback, I planned the 2 hour lessons for the following day (2 hour class in the morning, repeated in the afternoon for another group.) Peter provided me with some really useful books and gave me ideas and soon I got into the swing of it. We both enjoyed this teaching immensely, because, as usual, the students were so lovely and so responsive, so appreciative, participative and so hard working, and actually fun to be with.
We used to see them working their way with the aid of their canes, across the large open school courtyard before each class and we would walk out to meet our own students calling their name as we approached. Their faces would light up and a big smile would spread across and they would greet us like a long lost friend by shaking our hand and rubbing shoulders in the typical Ethiopian manner while always enquiring how we were.
The students
How they survive and manage is astounding. Some educational institutions in Addis are supposed to be resourced to support blind students, which is why these students are sent there. However, in practice there is little support for them and they fend for themselves. Fortunately they build support systems with friends but frequently they are walking and travelling around the busy, crowded streets of the capital, where pavements are uneven at best, and at worst are non existent, or with gaping holes and surfaces resembling building sites which they often are. They travel on line taxis and have to negotiate a city which has NO provision for the blind, frequently by themselves. They are cheerful, friendly and resilient. Sometimes a feeling of sadness is detectable close to the surface and over the 6 weeks I got to know them it was easy to detect mood swings and their frustrations and sadness.
They also have to endure the rainy season. Whereas I had my nice Berghaus rain jacket, good quality boots and even rain trousers and a Karrimor fleece underneath, these students had a jacket at best and at worst…nothing! No rain protection at all, arriving soaked through and sitting for 2 hours in dark (not to them), cold, drafty (window pains inevitably broken), Dickenisn classrooms in wet clothes which at best included a sweater. Most are extremely poor and have few changes of clothes.
The timing of a downpour frequently affected attendance but there were the stalwarts who made the journey often through heavy rain every day! They deserved a medal.
They liked a song and when it rained we sang, ‘its raining its pouring, the old man is snoring’ and otherwise we sung ‘if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’.
On one occasion we had a hailstorm and as well as describing this to them, I went outside and collected some hailstones so they could touch and feel the hail and we started a good game of putting hailstones down each others neck!
You also learn just how they develop their other senses, to compensate for lack of sight. We take for granted that the written word is a substitute for memory. We don’t try to remember everything, we write it down. They can’t do this so their memories are very well developed, as is their hearing. At one stage a piece of paper fell silently to the floor and I could see the students follow this with their senses, including their eyes. Their sense of direction and of the layout of their immediate environment has to be learnt the first time they go anywhere new.
These students are bright. Will they ever be able to realise their full potential in Ethiopia in the early 21st century? I doubt it. Some will, like Emyshitaw who became a successful lawyer and started a charity, raising funding to help others like him.
Blindness is appallingly common in the country and most of these people lost their sight during childhood due to disease, often under very harsh and stressful living conditions. They all wanted to know what resources and facilities are available in the UK for blind people and it was difficult not to depress them by regaling them with a standard of provision in a world that they can never experience
The End
Certificates are well sought after in this country and people gather them like trophies. So we had a little ‘graduation’ ceremony for the students at the end of the course. In addition Peter and I throughout had made audio cassette tape recordings for each student of our teaching, and the learning that had been covered. This was additionally time consuming but was highly valued. There were little speeches and VSO attended and it was a lovely occasion. I think the students were sad to see the end of the course as they prepared for their return to a new academic year.
Why do they not return home for the holidays? Well some do no doubt, but many are too poor and ill equipped to travel the long distances to where their families live. Nearly all will come from rural backgrounds and be part of large families so their families may not be able to accommodate their needs in terms of the family’s daily work routines or to provide them with the facilities they need. In Addis they are provided for better and their board and lodging (such as it is) is paid for. Even actually getting to where they actually live in rural hinterlands may be an insurmountable problem. In addition, I learnt that their blindness can be the cause of a rift between them and their families and in a few cases some may even be disowned.
Summary
My 2 months in Addis was really enjoyable. Not only did I enjoy the work and the people, I felt that I was actually making a direct contribution, however small. We had great relations with the EfE and the staff and I hope to be able to continue to support them from the UK.
Additionally the capital is an easier place to live in many respects and although I am glad that I was not able to use this more westernised environment as a comfort zone or crutch for the whole year and am grateful for exposure to a more real or typical Ethiopian environment, it was a nice way to end my year. There are more VSO volunteers in Addis so the social life is better. Although again, it is easy under those circumstances to stay within a culturally homogenous circle at the expense of extending your friendship to Ethiopian colleagues, it was great to be able to go down the Pride Bar of an evening and hang out with other vols and chew the cud, just for 6 weeks!
Coming to Addis on 10th July from Dire Dawa was like arriving on a different planet. I had been desperate to leave the hottest time of the year in the lowland east of the country, where some relief was being anticipated by the pending rainy season. However rain had not yet arrived by early July. The end of the academic year had been really busy, much like in the UK and working hard and having to move around physically in temperatures of 38-40 degrees C was sapping what energy I could muster.
Contrary to this, the rainy season was well under way in Addis at 2400metres by this time! After about 10 days I was heard to mutter, ‘how much more does it have to rain before I wish I was back in Dire!’
The few warm clothes I had brought with me were well employed and I wore the lot for the first 2-3 weeks while I acclimatised. Thermal vest (brought for trips into the high mountains in winter) and 2 fleeces were my constant companions including frequently in bed(!) and instead of sandals it was only trainers or boots. Trainers got caked in mud within a day. I wondered if my washing would dry before I left in 6 weeks time!
The job.
VSO traditionally is able to offer some short term projects across the country, normally within the education sector, during the summer vacation period. As I was only here for one year I thought I would make the most of the year and have a different experience before returning home, so I had applied at an early stage to participate in a summer placement. I was lucky to be offered one this summer and was asked to work in the capital with a local NGO called ‘Ethiopians for Ethiopians’ who had approached VSO to ask if a volunteer could run some English language tuition for blind and visually impaired students during the academic vacation period.
EfE was set up by a blind lawyer to support the visually impaired in Addis. They run clubs to bring people together, so providing a social forum with all those advantages, and offer computer training, using specialist verbal software, among a range of activities. The plan to offer English tuition was a new venture so the planning and organising took some time before we could start.
Let me say a little about the staff at this small organisation. It was started by a totally blind practicing lawyer who works for the Government in the High Court. He is divorced and brings up an 8 year old daughter by himself. The office manager is also blind; a very capable and competent young woman who travels a long distance to work each day by public transport, using crowded and chaotic line taxis (minibuses) which she negotiates alone. The third blind staff member is a recent graduate and he runs the clubs and handles PR. He lives alone in a tiny hovel of a bedroom and an alcove which is part of a larger poor, communal compound where the landlady also lives. It has to be seen to be believed. Two sighted female staff include the finance manager and the secretary. These 2 young women play a role in accompaning the blind staff members when on business away from the office. They are all absolutely lovely people with a love of life, a playfulness and a sense of humour that is at least totally humbling.
I was lucky enough to be able to work with a VSO colleague who normally works in a hotter place than me (near the Danakil Depression which is the hottest place on earth!) and hence had been sent to Addis for the hot summer for health reasons! Peter is a professional English teacher and so he was extremely helpful to me. We baseline tested the nearly 100 students who applied for this summer course over an exhausting 2 days and split the group between us.
The majority of participants were students, either from school, college or Addis Ababa university, although the age range was wide as people are encouraged to enter education at any stage in their lives and schools cater for a wide age range.
There was an equally wide range of English ability, so our challenges were significant;
• These students can not learn using sight
• There was no standard ability within one class
• No set course or curriculum, or textbooks.
• There is a need to respond to needs, initially unknown
• A need to motivate and entertain, as much as to ensure learning.
• For me, to construct a course in English tuition to answer the above when I have never taught English before and never worked with special needs!
I was busy for these 6 weeks! Each day I came home in the afternoon and reviewed the success of the day and based on this and feedback, I planned the 2 hour lessons for the following day (2 hour class in the morning, repeated in the afternoon for another group.) Peter provided me with some really useful books and gave me ideas and soon I got into the swing of it. We both enjoyed this teaching immensely, because, as usual, the students were so lovely and so responsive, so appreciative, participative and so hard working, and actually fun to be with.
We used to see them working their way with the aid of their canes, across the large open school courtyard before each class and we would walk out to meet our own students calling their name as we approached. Their faces would light up and a big smile would spread across and they would greet us like a long lost friend by shaking our hand and rubbing shoulders in the typical Ethiopian manner while always enquiring how we were.
The students
How they survive and manage is astounding. Some educational institutions in Addis are supposed to be resourced to support blind students, which is why these students are sent there. However, in practice there is little support for them and they fend for themselves. Fortunately they build support systems with friends but frequently they are walking and travelling around the busy, crowded streets of the capital, where pavements are uneven at best, and at worst are non existent, or with gaping holes and surfaces resembling building sites which they often are. They travel on line taxis and have to negotiate a city which has NO provision for the blind, frequently by themselves. They are cheerful, friendly and resilient. Sometimes a feeling of sadness is detectable close to the surface and over the 6 weeks I got to know them it was easy to detect mood swings and their frustrations and sadness.
They also have to endure the rainy season. Whereas I had my nice Berghaus rain jacket, good quality boots and even rain trousers and a Karrimor fleece underneath, these students had a jacket at best and at worst…nothing! No rain protection at all, arriving soaked through and sitting for 2 hours in dark (not to them), cold, drafty (window pains inevitably broken), Dickenisn classrooms in wet clothes which at best included a sweater. Most are extremely poor and have few changes of clothes.
The timing of a downpour frequently affected attendance but there were the stalwarts who made the journey often through heavy rain every day! They deserved a medal.
They liked a song and when it rained we sang, ‘its raining its pouring, the old man is snoring’ and otherwise we sung ‘if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’.
On one occasion we had a hailstorm and as well as describing this to them, I went outside and collected some hailstones so they could touch and feel the hail and we started a good game of putting hailstones down each others neck!
You also learn just how they develop their other senses, to compensate for lack of sight. We take for granted that the written word is a substitute for memory. We don’t try to remember everything, we write it down. They can’t do this so their memories are very well developed, as is their hearing. At one stage a piece of paper fell silently to the floor and I could see the students follow this with their senses, including their eyes. Their sense of direction and of the layout of their immediate environment has to be learnt the first time they go anywhere new.
These students are bright. Will they ever be able to realise their full potential in Ethiopia in the early 21st century? I doubt it. Some will, like Emyshitaw who became a successful lawyer and started a charity, raising funding to help others like him.
Blindness is appallingly common in the country and most of these people lost their sight during childhood due to disease, often under very harsh and stressful living conditions. They all wanted to know what resources and facilities are available in the UK for blind people and it was difficult not to depress them by regaling them with a standard of provision in a world that they can never experience
The End
Certificates are well sought after in this country and people gather them like trophies. So we had a little ‘graduation’ ceremony for the students at the end of the course. In addition Peter and I throughout had made audio cassette tape recordings for each student of our teaching, and the learning that had been covered. This was additionally time consuming but was highly valued. There were little speeches and VSO attended and it was a lovely occasion. I think the students were sad to see the end of the course as they prepared for their return to a new academic year.
Why do they not return home for the holidays? Well some do no doubt, but many are too poor and ill equipped to travel the long distances to where their families live. Nearly all will come from rural backgrounds and be part of large families so their families may not be able to accommodate their needs in terms of the family’s daily work routines or to provide them with the facilities they need. In Addis they are provided for better and their board and lodging (such as it is) is paid for. Even actually getting to where they actually live in rural hinterlands may be an insurmountable problem. In addition, I learnt that their blindness can be the cause of a rift between them and their families and in a few cases some may even be disowned.
Summary
My 2 months in Addis was really enjoyable. Not only did I enjoy the work and the people, I felt that I was actually making a direct contribution, however small. We had great relations with the EfE and the staff and I hope to be able to continue to support them from the UK.
Additionally the capital is an easier place to live in many respects and although I am glad that I was not able to use this more westernised environment as a comfort zone or crutch for the whole year and am grateful for exposure to a more real or typical Ethiopian environment, it was a nice way to end my year. There are more VSO volunteers in Addis so the social life is better. Although again, it is easy under those circumstances to stay within a culturally homogenous circle at the expense of extending your friendship to Ethiopian colleagues, it was great to be able to go down the Pride Bar of an evening and hang out with other vols and chew the cud, just for 6 weeks!
Monday, 23 May 2011
The Meat Eating Easter Feast that is Fasika
Ethiopian Christians undertake an 8 week fast leading up to Easter, or Fasika, which this year commenced on Monday 2nd March. Orthodox Easter, like Christmas can vary significantly from our dates, but this year they fell together. I admit that as I sit here I can not remember how our Easter is calculated, something about the first Sunday after the first full moon after the equinox?? I think Ethiopians also use the lunar calendar, but something must be different.
Now, clearly it is not a case of not eating for 8 weeks, but for most Ethiopians not being able to eat meat is pretty much the same as not eating. The fast includes diary products, so they are vegen for this period. This is a trying time for them, but it certainly gives some respite for the animal population!
The first thing we noticed is that all the butcheries are shut and boarded up from 2nd March. These are everywhere and usually attached to a bar! Yes indeed, as you drink your beer, you can look straight into a kiosk on the same premises where great carcasses are hanging and raw meat is being sold. By the way, bars are frequently called groceries, which amuses us enormously.
Secondly, up the road are a series of open cattle pens where animals, usually ox and camels are bought and sold for subsequent slaughter. This remained stoically empty and unused for this period of time. Menus in restaurants are all adapted to provide a fuller range of vegetarian options and the remains of animal carcasses which here are simply thrown out into the sidestreets for the dogs etc to eat are mercifully missing. Frankly the whole place becomes a lot more pleasant, as normally the raw activities associated with animals being killed and eaten are an every day reality here.
However as the week before Easter approached one started to see living meat around once more with, particularly around here, herds of large cows and goats being driven around once again and solitary individuals tied up in compounds. The cattle market up the road started to swell with business again and suddenly meat, still on a hoof was everywhere, waiting…..
The ritual of Easter itself starts on Thursday night before Good Friday when the clergy and a few serious churchgoers commit themselves to church till the end of Friday and fast completely. Most people fast completely for the whole of Friday. You may think that just sitting in a quiet, cool place without distraction may be the best option if you are not eating or drinking. However, I believe there are rituals performed during Good Friday which are quite physically energetic, including serial prostrations. Nothing like a 12 hour aerobic class on an empty stomach!
Saturday is still a fasting day (certain people are absolved from fasting, including newly married couples?!), but activities in preparation for what is to come is now the order of the day. The climax is approaching.
We arrived in Addis to start our travels on Thursday before Good Friday and the first thing of note was the absolute mass of live chickens for sale on the streets. Then there were many stalls with the same long curved sharp knifes being sold, with plenty of potential customers testing them out. Let me spell it out; abattoirs do not do the job here on this occasion, the individual purchaser(s)of the whole animal do/es and the throat is slit. Meat for everyday eating may be bought in smaller quantities from butcheries, but Easter is an orgy of meat eating and whole animals are bought by families/groups directly. A VSO colleague who admits to turning into quite a carnivore since being in Ethiopia, recounted how she and another VSO vol became part of a syndicate to buy an ox for Easter. Apparently it was split between about 8 people and the anatomy of the animal is worked out fairly in advance so everyone got an equal amount of meat from all parts of the body. Organs can be purchased separately. Apparently it is such a serious business that each person’s portion is noted and committed to writing. Apparently they secured 8 kilos of ox for 530 birr, less than £25. There were some graphic details of how resistant the animal was to having its throat cut, but I stopped the conversation as soon as possible. Where we stayed on Thursday night in Addis there was a goat tied up in the courtyard, still alive when we left on Friday! Goat meat is popular here.
So it all happens on Sunday. Once more Saturday night is spent in church, with an Easter Liturgy following after midnight and when the services have finished around 3am, with the first sound of the cock crowing, the fast is broken and the orgy of feasting begins. As dawn breaks, Doro Wat (spicy chicken stew served commonly at all festive occasions) is the culinary aperitif. This is then followed by every other type of meat in every possible quantity. Unlike Christmas which tends to be family focused, Easter is a time for inviting guests, and it is true that we had to refuse at least 3 invitations for Fasika feasting because we were travelling to Awassa to visit friends and colleagues.
My first recollection of the dawning of Easter Sunday was hearing the beat and the rhythm of beautiful female singing in harmony which awakened me before first light. This was the start of the celebrations for which only one day is allocated as Monday is not an official holiday, but many people take the day off unofficially.
We planned to hold a big lunch party for about 15-20 people that day and everyone prepared a dish. One VSO vol had been offered 5 kilos of meat from her employer and this was delivered on Saturday evening. Most of it went into the freezer!
It is common nowadays to send text messages to friends at Easter and indeed during the day I received a lovely Easter wish.
“Easter is a time to pray, to love, to care, to smile, to celebrate, to enjoy, and to thank GOD for everything he has done. Have a blessed Easter”.
I did not see, because I did not look for, direct signs of the mass slaughter that would have taken place over the previous 2 days (meat here is cooked and eaten fresh and is not hung), but there were animal skins for sale everywhere during the following days.
This is only a different take on what happens in our country of course, especially at Christmas time. It may be turkeys predominantly but the colossal amount of food that we consume at this time is undoubtedly on no lesser scale than in Ethiopia and there is absolutely no waste from any of the food prepared and eaten here. We certainly could not say the same. I’m pleased to say some of the local dogs are now looking a bit healthier! Yes, the hard facts of animal slaughter are much more ‘in your face’ here, whereas it goes on inside regulatory and sanitised abattoirs at home so we do not have to be exposed to the realities of killing animals for food.
The main wedding season follow Easter, so Kate and Wills must have known this when they planned their date! On that subject…..
Turning to recent historical events in England, I am delighted to say that I was able to join the British expatriate community at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa on that Friday after Easter to watch the Royal Wedding! I was lucky enough to have been in the capital for a committee meeting so it was a lucky coincidence. Via satellite, BBC World News transmitted it in its entirety and I think dedicated 5 hours of broadcasting to it. What a good thing there was no other important world news on that day! Despite the pending rainy season, it was a lovely day so we were able to sit outside on the grass of the Embassy as well as inside in front of the TVs. They gave us a great B-B-Q and the money we paid went to a charity supporting local streetchildren.
Watching the event from a developing country allows one to see such a spectacle through different eyes. I am not renowned for being a Royalist, but it was the sheer spectacle which was so awesome seen from ‘over here’. The organisation and planning, the precision, the splendour, extravagance, wealth, the quality and the beauty were elements that were noteworthy from this end, but which we can easily take for granted within the UK. The invited Ethiopians just seemed to say ‘amazing,’ and talking to Ethiopian colleagues back here in DD, several of them ‘watched the whole thing’ on their satellite TV’s. To see roads and pavements that are so smooth and perfect they look like plastic was a treat and the standard and quality of the photography was breathtaking to watch. That shot from the very rafters of the Abbey was iconic. These are the symbols, privileges and rewards of being a highly developed society and although they are not uniquely British, the British do it very well!
Now, clearly it is not a case of not eating for 8 weeks, but for most Ethiopians not being able to eat meat is pretty much the same as not eating. The fast includes diary products, so they are vegen for this period. This is a trying time for them, but it certainly gives some respite for the animal population!
The first thing we noticed is that all the butcheries are shut and boarded up from 2nd March. These are everywhere and usually attached to a bar! Yes indeed, as you drink your beer, you can look straight into a kiosk on the same premises where great carcasses are hanging and raw meat is being sold. By the way, bars are frequently called groceries, which amuses us enormously.
Secondly, up the road are a series of open cattle pens where animals, usually ox and camels are bought and sold for subsequent slaughter. This remained stoically empty and unused for this period of time. Menus in restaurants are all adapted to provide a fuller range of vegetarian options and the remains of animal carcasses which here are simply thrown out into the sidestreets for the dogs etc to eat are mercifully missing. Frankly the whole place becomes a lot more pleasant, as normally the raw activities associated with animals being killed and eaten are an every day reality here.
However as the week before Easter approached one started to see living meat around once more with, particularly around here, herds of large cows and goats being driven around once again and solitary individuals tied up in compounds. The cattle market up the road started to swell with business again and suddenly meat, still on a hoof was everywhere, waiting…..
The ritual of Easter itself starts on Thursday night before Good Friday when the clergy and a few serious churchgoers commit themselves to church till the end of Friday and fast completely. Most people fast completely for the whole of Friday. You may think that just sitting in a quiet, cool place without distraction may be the best option if you are not eating or drinking. However, I believe there are rituals performed during Good Friday which are quite physically energetic, including serial prostrations. Nothing like a 12 hour aerobic class on an empty stomach!
Saturday is still a fasting day (certain people are absolved from fasting, including newly married couples?!), but activities in preparation for what is to come is now the order of the day. The climax is approaching.
We arrived in Addis to start our travels on Thursday before Good Friday and the first thing of note was the absolute mass of live chickens for sale on the streets. Then there were many stalls with the same long curved sharp knifes being sold, with plenty of potential customers testing them out. Let me spell it out; abattoirs do not do the job here on this occasion, the individual purchaser(s)of the whole animal do/es and the throat is slit. Meat for everyday eating may be bought in smaller quantities from butcheries, but Easter is an orgy of meat eating and whole animals are bought by families/groups directly. A VSO colleague who admits to turning into quite a carnivore since being in Ethiopia, recounted how she and another VSO vol became part of a syndicate to buy an ox for Easter. Apparently it was split between about 8 people and the anatomy of the animal is worked out fairly in advance so everyone got an equal amount of meat from all parts of the body. Organs can be purchased separately. Apparently it is such a serious business that each person’s portion is noted and committed to writing. Apparently they secured 8 kilos of ox for 530 birr, less than £25. There were some graphic details of how resistant the animal was to having its throat cut, but I stopped the conversation as soon as possible. Where we stayed on Thursday night in Addis there was a goat tied up in the courtyard, still alive when we left on Friday! Goat meat is popular here.
So it all happens on Sunday. Once more Saturday night is spent in church, with an Easter Liturgy following after midnight and when the services have finished around 3am, with the first sound of the cock crowing, the fast is broken and the orgy of feasting begins. As dawn breaks, Doro Wat (spicy chicken stew served commonly at all festive occasions) is the culinary aperitif. This is then followed by every other type of meat in every possible quantity. Unlike Christmas which tends to be family focused, Easter is a time for inviting guests, and it is true that we had to refuse at least 3 invitations for Fasika feasting because we were travelling to Awassa to visit friends and colleagues.
My first recollection of the dawning of Easter Sunday was hearing the beat and the rhythm of beautiful female singing in harmony which awakened me before first light. This was the start of the celebrations for which only one day is allocated as Monday is not an official holiday, but many people take the day off unofficially.
We planned to hold a big lunch party for about 15-20 people that day and everyone prepared a dish. One VSO vol had been offered 5 kilos of meat from her employer and this was delivered on Saturday evening. Most of it went into the freezer!
It is common nowadays to send text messages to friends at Easter and indeed during the day I received a lovely Easter wish.
“Easter is a time to pray, to love, to care, to smile, to celebrate, to enjoy, and to thank GOD for everything he has done. Have a blessed Easter”.
I did not see, because I did not look for, direct signs of the mass slaughter that would have taken place over the previous 2 days (meat here is cooked and eaten fresh and is not hung), but there were animal skins for sale everywhere during the following days.
This is only a different take on what happens in our country of course, especially at Christmas time. It may be turkeys predominantly but the colossal amount of food that we consume at this time is undoubtedly on no lesser scale than in Ethiopia and there is absolutely no waste from any of the food prepared and eaten here. We certainly could not say the same. I’m pleased to say some of the local dogs are now looking a bit healthier! Yes, the hard facts of animal slaughter are much more ‘in your face’ here, whereas it goes on inside regulatory and sanitised abattoirs at home so we do not have to be exposed to the realities of killing animals for food.
The main wedding season follow Easter, so Kate and Wills must have known this when they planned their date! On that subject…..
Turning to recent historical events in England, I am delighted to say that I was able to join the British expatriate community at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa on that Friday after Easter to watch the Royal Wedding! I was lucky enough to have been in the capital for a committee meeting so it was a lucky coincidence. Via satellite, BBC World News transmitted it in its entirety and I think dedicated 5 hours of broadcasting to it. What a good thing there was no other important world news on that day! Despite the pending rainy season, it was a lovely day so we were able to sit outside on the grass of the Embassy as well as inside in front of the TVs. They gave us a great B-B-Q and the money we paid went to a charity supporting local streetchildren.
Watching the event from a developing country allows one to see such a spectacle through different eyes. I am not renowned for being a Royalist, but it was the sheer spectacle which was so awesome seen from ‘over here’. The organisation and planning, the precision, the splendour, extravagance, wealth, the quality and the beauty were elements that were noteworthy from this end, but which we can easily take for granted within the UK. The invited Ethiopians just seemed to say ‘amazing,’ and talking to Ethiopian colleagues back here in DD, several of them ‘watched the whole thing’ on their satellite TV’s. To see roads and pavements that are so smooth and perfect they look like plastic was a treat and the standard and quality of the photography was breathtaking to watch. That shot from the very rafters of the Abbey was iconic. These are the symbols, privileges and rewards of being a highly developed society and although they are not uniquely British, the British do it very well!
Monday, 11 April 2011
IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY
Alternatively, ‘in the day of the heat!’
Although the changing of the seasons here is not as dramatic as it is in Europe, (a change which at the present time, I’m sure all of you in the northern hemisphere are greatly relieved to be experiencing), we are having our share of drama here.
As the sun moves northwards to the Tropic of Cancer, it is about to pass overhead here as we sit at slightly less than 10 degrees latitude north of the equator. The temperatures are steadily and consistently rising, and whereas throughout February and into early March it was still quite bearable, especially as the nights still usefully cooled, something happened towards the end of March. The last ratchet of the temperature recently was like the straw that broke the camel’s back, or like the frog in the pot of water heating on the stove, you adapt to creeping change until suddenly reality hits. I do not have a thermometer and receive a surprisingly wide range of responses when I ask what the temperature is, but by my reckoning it is up to 36-37 degrees C early afternoon now, a time when there is also NO shade unless you are actually under cover of some sort. Buildings throw no relief, there is no shady side of the street.
What is worse is that the nights are now stifling. So how are I coping?
Exercise is now out of the question and even my little yoga sessions are too potentially exhausting to contemplate. I used to walk to work in the mornings, as it was still quite fresh, the dust settled and it was a good way to start the day. Now I take the staff bus service, even though it is only a 20 minute walk. The first of 3 showers for the day is taken on rising at 6.15am even though you now start sweating as soon as you are dry.
The classroom is relatively cool between 8-10am and with all the windows open and the sight and sound of industrious little weaver birds building new nests in the trees right outside, it is rather pleasant. However, the last few days we have awoken to early morning winds, so the dust is already swirling and the classroom windows are banging and paper displayed on the walls is being ripped to threads. So windows are closed if doors are open and vice versa. Not pleasant.
My Ethiopian colleagues seem to be feeling the heat just as much as me, but they are stoic and accepting, and this is the only way to survive. Any emotion, (I did briefly go through a stage of feeling sheer panic), just increases your body temperature. Everyone walks slowly and even Ethiopians are increasingly protecting themselves from the sun. Umbrellas are popular and women wrap scarves around their heads. The poor female manual workers on the windswept, dusty and baking campus strap old paperbags around their heads, bags now empty of their cement and sand contents. Students use their small notebooks. The kids seem unaffected and have as much energy as always, although I notice that the football marches outside our compound start by 6.30am on weekends and finish by mid morning. Late afternoon, although the heat still palpably hangs heavily, the matches start up again.
I shower again at lunchtime. In the afternoon the rooms are heavy with heat, unrefreshed by wind which has dropped somewhat since the morning. On the plus side this means there is not so much dust coming in if the windows are open. You simply have to accept that sweat will pour from every gland in your skin and that you are always damp. Dogs are prostate in any shade that can be found and little herds of goats (collective noun for goat eludes me) are rather amusingly huddled in patchworks of shade. Horses and donkeys are frequently not given that option by their masters! See the next blog.
Home by 5.45pm and straight into the shower. The fan in my bedroom (bought by VSO especially for volunteers in hot locations!) is switched on and the door facing the outside courtyard is opened. By bed time unfortunately the temperature outside is now lower than inside. I bring a bowl of water and sponge and wet myself all over, stand in front of the fan and then lie motionless on my bed with no cover, hoping that sleep will overcome me. Sometimes recently I have been kept awake with the heat, but other nights, well I guess I’m just so tired.
There is now no freshness to the air when the door is opened in the morning, and the whole cycle starts again, except the temperature will go up a little more today.
On the positive side, I can sense my body rapidly adjusting and although the next 2-3 months will be the worst in terms of heat, I think I will manage. I have not been dehydrated, no headaches, and apart from tiredness at the end of day, which is improving, I continue to feel very healthy. And then there is the swimming pool, but I need it here in the compound! The bad news is the heat will continue to increase and May is the worst month. I think people start to sleep outside then, a practice which is common in hot countries and I think of our colleague up in the true desert, not far from Danakil (the hottest place on earth), he has already only slept inside on one night since he arrived in September! Here it may be for 6 weeks in the year.
The other good news is that at the moment we are having a bit of rain and that is really reducing the temperatures. As I write the thunder is rolling overhead, the clouds are thick, wind is blowing and there is rain around. Much of the country does experience ‘small rains’ around this time, but we were told that Dire Dawa is unlikely to see rain. Well, any of it is welcome, long may it last. Especially as it seems that the small rains elsewhere are being reluctant to start, which is starting to worry some people, not least of all the farmers.
I will finish teaching the Diploma programme at the end of June, which is less than 3 months away now. With the end of that programme and the end of the academic year, my responsibilities here will be complete. However, because I am only here for one year and planned to return in September I have applied to do a 6 week summer project which will mean being sent somewhere else in the country. It is not the best time in Ethiopia as July-August is the main rainy season and in some parts, it does really rain at this time. I could be swapping dust for mud. Alternatively I could be sent up into the desert!! I have already told VSO I would decline that offer!!
Although the changing of the seasons here is not as dramatic as it is in Europe, (a change which at the present time, I’m sure all of you in the northern hemisphere are greatly relieved to be experiencing), we are having our share of drama here.
As the sun moves northwards to the Tropic of Cancer, it is about to pass overhead here as we sit at slightly less than 10 degrees latitude north of the equator. The temperatures are steadily and consistently rising, and whereas throughout February and into early March it was still quite bearable, especially as the nights still usefully cooled, something happened towards the end of March. The last ratchet of the temperature recently was like the straw that broke the camel’s back, or like the frog in the pot of water heating on the stove, you adapt to creeping change until suddenly reality hits. I do not have a thermometer and receive a surprisingly wide range of responses when I ask what the temperature is, but by my reckoning it is up to 36-37 degrees C early afternoon now, a time when there is also NO shade unless you are actually under cover of some sort. Buildings throw no relief, there is no shady side of the street.
What is worse is that the nights are now stifling. So how are I coping?
Exercise is now out of the question and even my little yoga sessions are too potentially exhausting to contemplate. I used to walk to work in the mornings, as it was still quite fresh, the dust settled and it was a good way to start the day. Now I take the staff bus service, even though it is only a 20 minute walk. The first of 3 showers for the day is taken on rising at 6.15am even though you now start sweating as soon as you are dry.
The classroom is relatively cool between 8-10am and with all the windows open and the sight and sound of industrious little weaver birds building new nests in the trees right outside, it is rather pleasant. However, the last few days we have awoken to early morning winds, so the dust is already swirling and the classroom windows are banging and paper displayed on the walls is being ripped to threads. So windows are closed if doors are open and vice versa. Not pleasant.
My Ethiopian colleagues seem to be feeling the heat just as much as me, but they are stoic and accepting, and this is the only way to survive. Any emotion, (I did briefly go through a stage of feeling sheer panic), just increases your body temperature. Everyone walks slowly and even Ethiopians are increasingly protecting themselves from the sun. Umbrellas are popular and women wrap scarves around their heads. The poor female manual workers on the windswept, dusty and baking campus strap old paperbags around their heads, bags now empty of their cement and sand contents. Students use their small notebooks. The kids seem unaffected and have as much energy as always, although I notice that the football marches outside our compound start by 6.30am on weekends and finish by mid morning. Late afternoon, although the heat still palpably hangs heavily, the matches start up again.
I shower again at lunchtime. In the afternoon the rooms are heavy with heat, unrefreshed by wind which has dropped somewhat since the morning. On the plus side this means there is not so much dust coming in if the windows are open. You simply have to accept that sweat will pour from every gland in your skin and that you are always damp. Dogs are prostate in any shade that can be found and little herds of goats (collective noun for goat eludes me) are rather amusingly huddled in patchworks of shade. Horses and donkeys are frequently not given that option by their masters! See the next blog.
Home by 5.45pm and straight into the shower. The fan in my bedroom (bought by VSO especially for volunteers in hot locations!) is switched on and the door facing the outside courtyard is opened. By bed time unfortunately the temperature outside is now lower than inside. I bring a bowl of water and sponge and wet myself all over, stand in front of the fan and then lie motionless on my bed with no cover, hoping that sleep will overcome me. Sometimes recently I have been kept awake with the heat, but other nights, well I guess I’m just so tired.
There is now no freshness to the air when the door is opened in the morning, and the whole cycle starts again, except the temperature will go up a little more today.
On the positive side, I can sense my body rapidly adjusting and although the next 2-3 months will be the worst in terms of heat, I think I will manage. I have not been dehydrated, no headaches, and apart from tiredness at the end of day, which is improving, I continue to feel very healthy. And then there is the swimming pool, but I need it here in the compound! The bad news is the heat will continue to increase and May is the worst month. I think people start to sleep outside then, a practice which is common in hot countries and I think of our colleague up in the true desert, not far from Danakil (the hottest place on earth), he has already only slept inside on one night since he arrived in September! Here it may be for 6 weeks in the year.
The other good news is that at the moment we are having a bit of rain and that is really reducing the temperatures. As I write the thunder is rolling overhead, the clouds are thick, wind is blowing and there is rain around. Much of the country does experience ‘small rains’ around this time, but we were told that Dire Dawa is unlikely to see rain. Well, any of it is welcome, long may it last. Especially as it seems that the small rains elsewhere are being reluctant to start, which is starting to worry some people, not least of all the farmers.
I will finish teaching the Diploma programme at the end of June, which is less than 3 months away now. With the end of that programme and the end of the academic year, my responsibilities here will be complete. However, because I am only here for one year and planned to return in September I have applied to do a 6 week summer project which will mean being sent somewhere else in the country. It is not the best time in Ethiopia as July-August is the main rainy season and in some parts, it does really rain at this time. I could be swapping dust for mud. Alternatively I could be sent up into the desert!! I have already told VSO I would decline that offer!!
Animals
Most of you know that I am an ardent animal lover and to some of you I have already made reference to my concern for the treatment of animals in this country. I know that it is no different here to other ‘less developed’ countries, but I still have difficulty with the logic that says it is poverty and its ensuing culture that dictate this, and wonder why, what I would describe as basic humanity, is apparently different in this respect, in different parts of the world.
It would not surprise some of you to know that I am rapidly winning over many of the local dogs and I really wonder what the local population thinks when they see this ferenji talking in this strange language to animals that hold fear for them, and further more touching and stroking them. And horrors, she doesn’t mind if they jump up – I see them recoil physically. If a dog follows me into the compound, the guard automatically goes to pick up a stone with which to hit it. Some dogs I will never succeed with of course, they have been too damaged by humans, are far too feral and thus aggression or a rapid retreat is their only defence. I must not paint an unrealistic picture, for although they roam the streets, the dogs that are the most friendly, are normally those in the best condition which inevitably means they are cared for and fed by humans, and thus have developed what we might call a normal relationship with humans. However even these apparently cared for dogs have required my tender loving care with dettol and water to address their wounds from time to time.
Dogs are real survivors and it seems are generally pretty self-sufficient. The goats come out on top every time and the donkeys, despite their heavy loads seem to look OK.
However, it seems to me that it is the horses that suffer most and I have seen some awful sights. They are generally very frightened of humans and are frequently clearly mistreated, malnourished and overworked. Again, I must not exaggerate as there are plenty of horses that look really healthy and are clearly well cared for.
However, these are work animals, so what happens when they can no longer be productive. On 3 occasions I have seen horses with bad deformities or injuries, that have simply been abandoned to suffer a long, slow death. On all 3 occasions I have tried to get food to them (long stories, not for now!), as that is really all I can do.
Two evenings ago, I was walking back home from the market and almost fell over a horse lying on the ground. I recognised it from a week previously with a very swollen knee joint which appeared to have had some application of orange ointment. Clearly this did no good, the horse could no longer pull its loads and serve its master, and now was being abandoned on an open piece of waste ground. I swore to myself and got upset, went home and realised I had spinach and lettuce in the fridge. Back I went with my parcel and sat on the ground and fed the horse. He was painfully thin and I noticed its skin was marked with deep scars all over from past wounds. Don’t ask what the poor animal must have been through. He seemed very calm and I was able to stroke him and he ate the food. By this time I had attracted the inevitable audience. The people were quiet and just watched. I have no idea if they were sympathising with the horse, or possibly with me, for being so foolish! I walked away but said loudly, (because they wouldn’t understand a word) to get things off my chest, ‘you should all be bloody ashamed of yourselves’! This poor animal who has given a lifetime of service to human beings is now left to die. If it was fed in health, why can it not continue to be looked after now?
I got home, upset, found we had no water in the tank – more upset, that the loudspeaker on the nearby mosque had been restored – more upset!
Our night guard was in the compound, and suddenly I saw him go with a broom into the thick foliage of the tall shrubs/trees in our little plot of garden, thrashing around for a few minutes. I wondered what was going on and then saw that he emerged with something in his hand. It was the little weaver bird’s nest that the birds had so industriously and energetically been working on for 3-4 weeks. I thought their little brains had been de-programmed as this nest was taking ages, but now finally it seemed finished and the birds had been flying around with great fervour and seeming emotion, hopefully ready to lay eggs, (again, long story, this was their second attempt and they were already paired).
So, why had this old man suddenly decided to destroy this little home, this miracle of nature?? As he can not speak any English I may never know, but I expressed my anger to him in my language, he looked bewildered.
All this in one day. I wonder about my own motives, is this all about self? Am I being self centred, do I expect that the way I look at things is the right and only way to see things. I will continue to try to understand these actions from the local point of view. Am I being self righteous, is this all ego driven. Am I just stupid and distorted in my attitude to animals? Other Brits would no doubt sympathise, so is this a cultural mindset and if so where does it come from, when did it start? I’m sure our ancestors would not have worried about a dog’s wounds, or a dying horse, or a destroyed bird’s nest? Is it linked to economic development? Why do I see it as simply a humanity issue?
I remind myself about acceptance, yet something nags at me and says it is wrong, it shouldn’t be like this.
By the way, if anyone would like a small and healthy puppy from Ethiopia, I know of 3 going at the moment. Well, come to think of it, I have only seen one over the last week – oh dear!
It would not surprise some of you to know that I am rapidly winning over many of the local dogs and I really wonder what the local population thinks when they see this ferenji talking in this strange language to animals that hold fear for them, and further more touching and stroking them. And horrors, she doesn’t mind if they jump up – I see them recoil physically. If a dog follows me into the compound, the guard automatically goes to pick up a stone with which to hit it. Some dogs I will never succeed with of course, they have been too damaged by humans, are far too feral and thus aggression or a rapid retreat is their only defence. I must not paint an unrealistic picture, for although they roam the streets, the dogs that are the most friendly, are normally those in the best condition which inevitably means they are cared for and fed by humans, and thus have developed what we might call a normal relationship with humans. However even these apparently cared for dogs have required my tender loving care with dettol and water to address their wounds from time to time.
Dogs are real survivors and it seems are generally pretty self-sufficient. The goats come out on top every time and the donkeys, despite their heavy loads seem to look OK.
However, it seems to me that it is the horses that suffer most and I have seen some awful sights. They are generally very frightened of humans and are frequently clearly mistreated, malnourished and overworked. Again, I must not exaggerate as there are plenty of horses that look really healthy and are clearly well cared for.
However, these are work animals, so what happens when they can no longer be productive. On 3 occasions I have seen horses with bad deformities or injuries, that have simply been abandoned to suffer a long, slow death. On all 3 occasions I have tried to get food to them (long stories, not for now!), as that is really all I can do.
Two evenings ago, I was walking back home from the market and almost fell over a horse lying on the ground. I recognised it from a week previously with a very swollen knee joint which appeared to have had some application of orange ointment. Clearly this did no good, the horse could no longer pull its loads and serve its master, and now was being abandoned on an open piece of waste ground. I swore to myself and got upset, went home and realised I had spinach and lettuce in the fridge. Back I went with my parcel and sat on the ground and fed the horse. He was painfully thin and I noticed its skin was marked with deep scars all over from past wounds. Don’t ask what the poor animal must have been through. He seemed very calm and I was able to stroke him and he ate the food. By this time I had attracted the inevitable audience. The people were quiet and just watched. I have no idea if they were sympathising with the horse, or possibly with me, for being so foolish! I walked away but said loudly, (because they wouldn’t understand a word) to get things off my chest, ‘you should all be bloody ashamed of yourselves’! This poor animal who has given a lifetime of service to human beings is now left to die. If it was fed in health, why can it not continue to be looked after now?
I got home, upset, found we had no water in the tank – more upset, that the loudspeaker on the nearby mosque had been restored – more upset!
Our night guard was in the compound, and suddenly I saw him go with a broom into the thick foliage of the tall shrubs/trees in our little plot of garden, thrashing around for a few minutes. I wondered what was going on and then saw that he emerged with something in his hand. It was the little weaver bird’s nest that the birds had so industriously and energetically been working on for 3-4 weeks. I thought their little brains had been de-programmed as this nest was taking ages, but now finally it seemed finished and the birds had been flying around with great fervour and seeming emotion, hopefully ready to lay eggs, (again, long story, this was their second attempt and they were already paired).
So, why had this old man suddenly decided to destroy this little home, this miracle of nature?? As he can not speak any English I may never know, but I expressed my anger to him in my language, he looked bewildered.
All this in one day. I wonder about my own motives, is this all about self? Am I being self centred, do I expect that the way I look at things is the right and only way to see things. I will continue to try to understand these actions from the local point of view. Am I being self righteous, is this all ego driven. Am I just stupid and distorted in my attitude to animals? Other Brits would no doubt sympathise, so is this a cultural mindset and if so where does it come from, when did it start? I’m sure our ancestors would not have worried about a dog’s wounds, or a dying horse, or a destroyed bird’s nest? Is it linked to economic development? Why do I see it as simply a humanity issue?
I remind myself about acceptance, yet something nags at me and says it is wrong, it shouldn’t be like this.
By the way, if anyone would like a small and healthy puppy from Ethiopia, I know of 3 going at the moment. Well, come to think of it, I have only seen one over the last week – oh dear!
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