Remember the Poorest

Walking into the Remember the Poorest kindergarten is like walking into a beehive. Once you step out of your vehicle you are swarmed by 3-to-5-year-olds wanting to greet you, to touch you, to shake your hand, to touch your skin. The kindergarten is an MCC-sponsored school for some of the poorest children in Nazareth, a city an hour and a half southeast of Addis.

When my sister and my mom visited us from Canada we visited the kindergarten together. My sister is an early childhood educator in Ontario and I thought she would be interested to visit her counterparts in Ethiopia. The children were very excited to have us visit and they spent much of their recess singing songs and chanting for us. They seemed especially taken with my white-haired mother and once she gave one child a hug there were at least 50 others stepping up in line.

Remember the Poorest is a school for some of the most disadvantaged children in the city. Many of them are orphans and living with neighbours or relatives. They may attend the kindergarten for free and are supplied their school uniform and school supplies. At the school the children are given a loving environment to begin their early years of learning. As we visited each section the class presented us with a song or rhyme in English. They were very proud to display the English they knew.

The school is typical of Ethiopia — a lot of concrete and wooden benches and tables. There are few teaching aids so my sister brought with her a number of alphabet sets and other posters for the teachers to use in their teaching. The setting is very different from what we are accustomed to, as the concept of “learning through play” is not used or understood in the vast majority of kindergartens in Ethiopia. The students sit in their rows, often four to a bench, and learn by writing and memorizing. I continue to wish we could find more ways to influence the style of education here but the system is highly regulated by the government.

We’re happy that MCC can play a small part in helping the poorest children of this city. Through the Global Family sponsorship program MCC is supporting the school’s entire budget. The children, even though they are poor, can get a good start to their education that can influence their ability to succeed in the future. Many of them would be playing in the streets if it were not for this kindergarten program. Instead, their faces are bright and their goals for the future are high. If nothing else, the kindergarten offers a window into what life can be and offers hope for a better tomorrow.

I won’t soon forget the picture in my mind of my sister and mom in the middle of a sea of kindergartners. The children were lifting our spirits with their smiles and their gestures of friendship even as our presence offered them a bright spot in their day.

May God bless each one.

Christmas Weekend

Christmas week played itself out as usual. There were gifts to be wrapped, errands to be run and things to be done. Fortunately the MCC office work was slower than normal and we could focus on some of the holiday stuff.

The girls were out of school and very excited about Christmas. Abby was in her little girl mood and she, more than Amani or Sophia, spoke up often, saying she couldn’t wait until Christmas Day. Wanda spent Monday and Tuesday out with our driver Assefa most of the working day doing errands. There was a long grocery list but there were also some gifts to be bought yet. The girls took turns going with Wanda out to shop which I think they all enjoyed.

During the Advent season when we had a supper together as a family we would light advent candles and read the GC devotional and praying before eating. In this season we also watched all our ‘Christmas’ movies one by one on the weekend evenings. DVD’s such as Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Grinch (with Jim Carrey), It’s a Wonderful Life, The Christmas Story, Home Alone, etc. The final week before Christmas I began reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to the family and on Christmas Eve we watched the DVD starring Patrick Stewart.

Thursday night, Christmas Eve, finally arrived and we went to our church, International Lutheran Church (ILC). I had volunteered to put the service together and lead worship but many people volunteered to sing Christmas songs and carols from their home lands. It was a wonderful milieu of nations with carols in Dutch, Namibian, French, Canadian, German, American, Swahili, Congo, Ethiopian, Swedish, etc. Such diversity made it a very special night. The four purple advent candles were already lit when we lit the Christ candle in the center and later used it to start lighting candles in the congregation during Silent Night. We only expected about 50 people but we must have had closer to 70. A night to remember. Coming home I lit our huge 3 wick white pillar candle and set it on the kitchen table, a solitary light that would remain on for 36 hours. We also lit a fire in the fireplace before starting to watch A Christmas Carol. Wanda prepared hot chocolate for us. Lydette Assefa, our SALT’er who lives next door and who had joined us going to ILC stayed to watch the DVD.

Outside on the streets there was no hint that Christmas was to be celebrated, after all the Christians in this country celebrate January 7 as Christmas. So it was in our little enclaves, inside the churches and houses where the spirit of Christmas was made alive. When we finally went to bed on Christmas night it was after 10 p.m., late for our girls. Sophia and I couldn’t quite make it through the whole movie of A Christmas Carol, so there are some gaps in our memories of the movie. I resolved to sleep in late (that would be 7 a.m.) if I could.

But alas I woke up at 5:30 with a headache and even though I took something I couldn’t get back to sleep so I got up and started getting ready for the day. Last night’s dishes needed to be washed, the animals fed, the curtains opened and breakfast started. The girls were sitting on their pillows in front of the Christmas tree at 6 a.m. in the dark, watching the twinkling lights on it. They simply sat quietly together and I went back into the kitchen within a half an hour 3 voices were raised in song, singing Christmas carols together. I usually listen to the BBC or VOA when in the kitchen in the morning but I turned the radio off for this sweet sound. It reminded me that my daughters are growing in spirit and maturity, not harping on when to start the gift opening but patiently, quietly waiting. In fact when we were finally all in the room and ready to open presents it was our girls who asked if we could read from Luke 2, if we could sing a Christmas Carol, God bless them . . .

But that didn’t deter from the opening of gifts. We all took turns and watched each other open gifts. They were so excited about the various gifts. Three boxes came by post from the Amstutz side and one from our dear friends Jason & Mary Trego in addition to the gifts we gave each other. Soon the floor was littered with paper. I had started a fire in the morning once again and now we had paper to stoke that fire. We didn’t need the fire, it wasn’t particularly cold, but it added an ambience to our little Christmas celebration.

Late morning the MCC young women service workers joined us; Megan, Krista, Lydette and later Tamara. We enjoyed Wanda’s cinnamon rolls with maple icing on top. They were truly delectable, probably her best batch since coming here (baking at 7,600 feet can be a bit tricky). Ethiopian and Kenyan coffee and cinnamon rolls, yum. I made some bacon, an egg and cheese soufflé and pancakes but the meal all were looking forward to was the early afternoon dinner. Wanda had been working on two chickens over 2 days, roasting one each day. She boiled and mashed the potatoes and baked the squash we found at the local market. I made a green bean casserole. It all turned out quite good and all ate to their hearts’ content. We were mindful of the fact that we see extreme poverty and hunger every day in our work, sobering us somewhat in our prayers and celebration. Still, it was good to ‘take a break’ from our lives and work for 24 hours.

It was evening and our MCC’ers had gone home (except Lydette, being local and not having to take a cab across town in the dark) when we watched one of the new DVD’s the girls got for Christmas, Tuck Everlasting. The twins had read the book in school and really looked forward to seeing the movie. Naturally the movie was different in some key areas from the book, so Amani and Abby said, but it was entertaining and even thought provoking nonetheless. Lydette had taken a call from the states during that time and it was a good connection, apparently. Wanda had tried to call her parents, Skype to land line but it was not a success. The line broke up often, the voices were electronic and the delay was very confusing. After the movie, as we were getting ready for bed, a Skype call popped up. It was my brother Lon. I wasn’t very optimistic given the recent track record but for some reason it our Skype computer-to-computer call was crystal clear, no echo, no delay. Amazing! So those of you who have Skype and a DSL connection, we can talk (although I would say some times are better than others).

Today, the 26th, has been a very laid back day. A real day of rest for Wanda and I. Just what we need. I hope you will all get the rest you need after a busy holiday season.

Greetings from Ethiopia!

There is no snow, no decorated malls, no Christmas lights blinking in the night and yet, somehow, as December approaches we still feel the stirrings in our hearts that bring us to the excitement and joy of the season. I was comforted by that this year. Perhaps there is more to Christmas than tinsel, packages and bows as the Grinch discovers by the end of “The Grinch who Stole Christmas.”

In our small corner of Ethiopia the small, artificial “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree is up, the angel brought from home is on the top, our “Grandma Anna” stockings are hung by the fireplace, the carols play from ITunes and even some Christmas cookies will be baked and frosted. The International Lutheran Church (ILC) we attend has the advent wreath and Advent services. Yes, Christmas is coming!

This past year was a good year for our family. Our work with MCC has had its ups and downs but it is always rewarding when we can visit where the real action is and meet the people that are being helped through our partners. Most of our days are spent in the office working on administration “stuff” so it’s always a highlight for us to visit the projects we support. We also have 7 service workers and will add another in January. Working at building a team and providing support for our volunteers is a part of the job that we enjoy. We also spend a lot of time hosting guests from North America, both MCC and other, who arrive for various reasons.

The girls spend their time at school and playing with their animals. We’ve had two litters of kittens and puppies over the past year. It’s been fun for all of us to watch over them as they grow. We’ve got a very cute batch of puppies right now that will soon go to their new homes.

Abigail and Amani entered middle school this year when they began grade 6. They’ve been enjoying the new schedule with a different teacher for each subject and the social events that are planned. They have grown and matured and are becoming beautiful young women on the inside and out.
Amani was baptized this summer in a family service at the lake. We were proud of her decision and it is just one indicator of growing maturity.

Sophia began grade 5 this year and has a teacher she loves. They share the same sense of humour which helps make school more “fun” for Sophia. Sophia still enjoys playing school in her room, enjoys her dolls and her dog, Peanut. They all also enjoy playing on their Nintendos and watching videos. We still try to have a Friday family night where we eat pizza and watch a movie together.

This summer we had some much needed rest and relaxation during our home leave. We spent two months traveling between the United States and Canada visiting family and friends. We really appreciated everyone’s hospitality as we roamed “homeless” for the summer.

We are now more than half way through our term. Ethiopia has become home in many ways and we have a very good community that has grown up around us. When we arrived the local “Mennogroup” gathering of Mennonite and Mennonite related people was about 12 people including our family of five. A couple of weeks ago we celebrated American Thanksgiving together and we had a group of about 45. We feel blessed to be here during a time when there are several families serving with the U.S. Embassy that we know as well as others from various NGO’s that happen to be Mennonites who are here at the same time we are. Of course we have “non-Mennonite” friends as well. We feel especially blessed by many connections we have made here.

Living in this land has helped us all not to take things for granted— basics like electricity and water. I have heard the girls say at various times “we didn’t know how good we had it.” I think that’s true for all of us. Even as we strive to make life even a little bit better for those around us, we recognize that even here, we live “the good life.”

May you all have a blessed Christmas Season and a challenging and rewarding New Year.

Love,
Wanda, Doug
Amani, Abigail and Sophia

Visit to a Partner

November is a good time of year to visit Debre Markos in the Amhara region, north of Addis Ababa. Warm sunny days traveling on a 2 lane ribbon of relatively good highway through farmland and into the Grand Canyonesque Blue Nile River Gorge. The road winds down for several kilometers with many switchbacks before coming to the bottom of the gorge. Our Toyota Land Cruiser shows the outside temperature in the cabin and I noted the temp at the top was 18° C and by the time we got to the bottom of the gorge it was 28° C. A huge new span bridge awaited us. Constructed by the Japanese government for Ethiopia, it replaced an old Italian-made bridge that was obviously making its last stand. The last time we traveled this way only one vehicle could cross at a time.

Four of us traveled to Debre Markos; Mekonnen Dessalegne, our program manager, Solomon Teferi, our assistant program manager, Krista Allen, an MCC’er and myself. Our objective was to visit our partner Migibare Senaye Children and Family Support Organization (MSCFSO) in Debre Markos. Over a year ago we visited this place to look at a watershed that had been devastated by erosion. This organization was asking for assistance to restore the watershed and stop the erosion. We agreed to provide funding. Now, over a year later we were back in Debre Markos to see the progress made.

After arriving at midday, we checked into the local hotel. It is basically the one and only hotel of decent quality in DM, where one sees other ‘ferenjis’ (foreigners), like us. There is a restaurant inside where we had lunch. After lunch, we went out to visit the field, which was north of town.

There were 4 parts to our Tuesday afternoon visit:
Enerata School compound – we visited the compound where school director, Mr. Aznaka, greeted us. We saw two types of trees planted for income generation. One type is an indigenous tree, Kosso in Amharic, that is good for the environment, although slow growing. The other is eucalyptus trees. The school has 6 hectares that they have planted 2 different seasons of eucalyptus trees. The school uses this land to raise funding for such necessary things as books, supplies and any upkeep of the grounds. Previously they grew crops on the land but saw the tree nursery as a larger fundraiser. This will help the community. The farmers have previously been asked to contribute monies for the school operation but with the tree nursery, the community expects to be freed from this obligation. Of course they need to wait 5 seasons before the trees are ready but they expect a large payout. The tree seedlings looked closely planted together in one nursery and I asked about the standard. There was some discussion in Amharic but finally someone acknowledged that the close planting may have been because children were used as volunteers to plant. Even though the instructions were to plant the seedlings 50 cm apart many are less than 25 cm apart (even 50 cm seemed to close together to me). I also asked about if there was any discussion regarding the environmental impact of eucalyptus trees on the soil and in general. It seems that economic trumped environmental concerns. We also visited a small nursery of 6 apple tree seedlings where the school is hoping to harvest apples in a couple of years and to model the mini orchard for the farmers in the area. The saplings were leafless but they assured me that the budding would be happening in the next month.

Dejel watershed-Melit micro-catchment – This was the main reason we came, to view the catchment. There was certainly a change from the last time we visited. This time the land was mostly used to grow crops; wheat, an oats variety, a type of pea plant called Gibto in Amharic, flax, teff. There are now soil bunds, check dams and planting of grasses to hold the soil in the badly eroded areas. The result of the work is that the soil has stabilized and farmers have been been able to grow their crops. One farmer, where the erosion was the worst, agreed not to farm there but to fence it off and let it lay fallow. Significant siltation has occurred as a result. He was paid to build check dams and plant grasses to prevent further erosion. Other farmers we met as we walked through the catchment were equally enthusiastic about the changes. It was a good time to visit, when the grain was still in the field and obviously successful. We were told that the local officials were so impressed with this project that they have used it as a model for other eroded areas in the region.

Tree nursery – We walked from our vehicle to the tree nursery on the far end of the catchment, about 3 kilometers. The nursery was about 1.6 hectares in size and located near the local stream that runs out of the catchment. The workers can use the stream to water the seedlings. The nursery was successful last year, not only supplying the farmers and the project objectives but also the local officials as they asked for tree seedlings. Because MSCFSO lacks a truck to transport seedlings from the nursery, the local officials and the project managers reached an agreement; the officials agreed to provide trucks and the project managers agreed to provide them seedlings. This ended up working well.

Farming God’s Way demonstration plots – At the end of the day we went across the road to a small housing settlement where two compounds were. Both of the compounds had a fenced off area that were small plots where the owners were ‘Farming God’s Way’ (FGW). FGW is an agricultural approach developed by a South African Christian that is environmentally friendly and uses Biblical Scriptures to justify his farming techniques. It has been successful in other parts of Africa where it was introduced. Canadian Foodgrains Bank sponsored a workshop in Addis in September for all their partners (of which MCC shares several partners with CFGB).

The garden was covered in a straw blanket and the openings were evenly spaced where the corn was planted. Growing in each opening were 2-4 shoots of corn. The plot was constructed just as was taught in the workshop. Those who initiated the idea were very excited and proud of what the plots looked like. The farmers will be watching this. If it is successful there may be a whole lot of FGW patches all over East Gojam region.

We arrived back at the hotel around dusk and, after freshening up a bit, had supper together in the restaurant. The menu was a combination of Habesha (Ethiopian) cuisine and Ferenji (Western) cuisine. The food was nothing to write home about but it sufficed. Spaghetti and sauce, deep fried flat pieces of fish or chicken, the injera and wat were, naturally, the best of the lot. We were joined for supper by several Meserete Kristos Church gentlemen who had been conducting a workshop that day on conflict resolution for regional government officials. They excitedly told us how the officials embraced their training and how they planned to train subordinates in their locales when they went back home. We were energized just by hearing this. After supper there wasn’t much to do but go up to our rooms to bed. Fortunately the bed sheets were clean, with running water, electricity and a TV that worked. That’s all one really needs, right? Unfortunately the hotel is right next to a truck stop with semis starting up through the night and men shouting at all hours. But for one night it was tolerable.

On Wednesday morning, after breakfast, we visited the following offices:
Local Zonal office – Our MCC team plus Mr. Yehennu and Mr. Miheratu had a short meeting with the official who is the zonal administrator, in charge of the whole zonal area of East Gojam. After a slow beginning the official had warm words for MSCFSO and, by extension, MCC. The watershed project was well received by the local community and the officials well noted its success. He talked about cooperation between the two with the use of vehicles and offering of tree seedlings for government projects. He encouraged MCC to consider funding an even bigger project to the north which would help an area where 4 Woredas come together, a main area of tributaries to the Blue Nile basin. It was an honor for us to be offered this project but by the sound of it, it would be a huge undertaking, a grander scale than we have ever done. It sounded more like a project for the UN or USAID. So we smiled and thanked the official for his kind words and departed.

MSCFSO office – Finally we met together at our partner’s office to have a short time of discussion. We wanted to extend our compliments to the group for their hard work, Mekonnen exhorted the leaders to submit timely reporting but noted that they do a good job overall of that. Yehennu asked to be heard on two subjects; one is timely funding. They feel like the funding part lags behind the reporting that they give. The other is the problem of transportation. MSCFSO purchased a motorcycle as part of the project plan and this has been helpful but there is a serious problem in transporting materials, particularly seedlings from the nursery to various locations. On top of that is the rainy season. A motorcycle can go through the mud but the rider ends up quite muddy. It would make sense to have a truck for the rainy season and to transport materials. Both concerns were duly noted and recorded. We will look into them.

We headed out around 11 a.m. for Addis Ababa. Our thought was that we would stop somewhere along the way to eat since it would be a 4-5 hour drive. But as we drove back for some reason the Landcruiser never stopped along the way, it just kept going . . . and we arrived in Addis around 3:30 p.m. All were happy we arrived, especially Solomon who was feeling ill the previous 24 hours. I was exhausted and I couldn’t figure out why. Yes, I had driven the whole way but that couldn’t be the reason. I soon found out. I became violently ill and was laid out for the next 48 hours. Solomon and Mekonnen fell ill too at the same time. Must have been something we ate, we figured. I remained very grateful that I felt fine while we were there and on the way home. No one likes to be sick far from home.

The Recovery Act

So what have we done to recover from the blitz of activities from August 22 to October 11? On Monday, October 12, Wanda and I sent the girls off to Bingham for their normal school day but closed down the MCC compound. We gave our staff the day off as well as our housekeepers. A quiet day with just the two of us. Nice. Oh yes, we did go out shopping, we needed a lot of groceries, but somehow it didn’t feel rushed like usual. We played a game of Scrabble without interruption or time constraints. Wow. Nice.

But that wasn’t all. This week we are down at Sabana Lodge Beach Resort on Lake Langano. As the girls and Wanda are down at the beach (with a family we know also here) I am sitting in our room letting you know the recovery act is going well. Bingham Academy (and the other American school) are on Fall break all week. We came down from Addis on Tuesday morning and will go back on Friday morning. Three nights. Nice.

The lake shimmers in the morning sun below. The little lodges are built on the side of a hill, terraced one level above another. At the 400 level where we’re staying we can see for miles and miles across the lake to the other side. Everything works here, the electricity, hot and cold running water. The beds are comfortable, the décor is tastefully done. But most of all, it is quiet. Except for birds and the occasional bellow of a bull or a donkey, all is quiet. No traffic, no jet planes overhead, no crowded city streets. Peace and quiet.

It will all be over too soon, I know that. We’ll be back to the city on Friday and a host of issues will be waiting for us. Still, this will put some wind in our sails. A little wind at our backs is what we need . . .

Are You Coming?

Ethiopia is hard to describe. Daily life is so different from what we all know in our first world experience. We tried to convey some of that this past summer on our home leave and also in these blogs and with e-letters to friends and family. But as they say, you have to see it to believe it.

That is why I am hoping to see some friends and family in 2010. If folks don’t want to come by themselves, if they would feel better in a tour group then there will be a couple of opportunities next year to do just that. The first is a tour in March out of Canada (Americans don’t need to feel left out, I’m sure your money is as good as theirs). Darrell & Florence Jantzi are putting together a tour from March 3-20 that will include both Meserete Kristos Church and MCC activities as well as traveling to cultural and historic sites in Ethiopia (and I believe a safari in Kenya). I don’t know the details but I saw the advertisement in the October 5 issue of the Canadian Mennonite. Contact Darrell for details at Jantzi@golden.net

The other opportunity is not out yet but I hope it will be by the end of December. MCC has what they call ‘Learning Tours’ which go all over the world. I have contacted MCC Akron about the possibility of doing such a tour. I envision a historical tour of northern Ethiopia, a tour of MCC and partners, including Meserete Kristos Church. I am tentatively planning this for November 2010. We’ll work out details on this end, work with MCC Akron on that end and come up with a plan before the end of the year. In the meantime, to all our friends and family, including all the good folks from our churches we pastored in, think about coming here for a trip of a lifetime. Any takers?

Routines

Routines

Most of us don’t think about our routine, we just do it. But routines give us a sense of stability, especially when we are strangers in a strange land. So I might share my routine to give a sense how it may be at once familiar and unfamiliar to you.

I wake up early. The call to prayer is what often brings me out of my sleep. In the darkness, even with the windows closed, the Muslim call to prayer usually starts around 5:30 a.m. Sometimes it begins earlier, I don’t know why, but 5:30 a.m. is dawn; the moment when, in ancient times, the muezzin can distinguish between a white thread and a black thread. The local mosque has a good loudspeaker, Friday sermons are loud and clear, fortunately the morning call to prayer is not so harsh, almost melodic.

As I lie in bed becoming more fully awake, the birds begin their morning routine. Singing, call out to one another. The twittering and chirping moves the wakeup call from manmade to natural. It’s now 5:45 and I cannot sleep anymore so I get up. I set the alarm on my cell phone for 6 a.m. but I rarely need it. I turn on my computer in the semi-darkness and check my email and the overnight sports scores. While we were sleeping North America was still busy. There are usually some emails from MCC Akron or Winnipeg and occasionally some from friends and family.

Another alarm rings. It is Sophia’s new alarm clock the next room over. It is loud and obnoxious but she insists on letting it wake her up instead of me these days. 6:15 is when I go offline, open the bedroom curtains and go to the girls bedrooms, open their curtains and say it’s time to wake up. Then I leave. I have learned not to push lest my daughters turn grumpy.

I go out to the kitchen and turn on the shortwave radio. Either the BBC or VOA. They give me the best morning news updates. I go around an open all the curtains in the house just as the sun is ready to stream its light through the windows. I drink my 14 oz. of water with some vitamins. Boiled water in a large pot from the night before is cooled and ready to put into our water filter.

Time to feed the dogs and cats. There’s been whining and meowing outside the doors since hearing me get up. We feed them a homemade rice/lentil/canned dog food mix. Hard to find food for animals here. I open the door; Spot and Princess Waffles the cats come in meowing in protest (where have you been? I’m hungry) and Peanut the dog darts in, often heading straight for Sophia’s bedroom. I put the mix in their bowls on the back porch and take some for Coca the dog out the other door. Coca is always waiting by the kitchen door, tail wagging, friendly eyes looking up at me. I’m popular amongst the animals, feeding them does that.

I eat a banana and start getting the kitchen ready for breakfast. The girls don’t enjoy cereal in Ethiopia because the milk tastes ‘different’. It’s true. Both the fresh and powdered milk don’t taste light NA milk. So we don’t eat nearly as much cereal as back in NA. The choices are cereal (granola and yogurt), fruit, oatmeal, pancakes, french toast or eggs and toast. I often make either scrambled or overeasy eggs or sometimes an omelette. Abby usually asks for pancakes but I try to limit that to twice a week. I will also clean up the kitchen as I am making breakfast.

Around 6:30 I see faces. Wanda comes into the kitchen to finish making the lunches that the girls worked on the night before. Every half hour the news programs change on the BBC and VOA, I keep track of time that way. At 7 a.m. it is time to start warning the girls to finish up their breakfast and get a move on. At 7:15 they are to be out the door. Their backpacks are filled with books, lunch bags and other ‘little girl stuff’. They trudge out the door and head for the compound gate where one of our guards is ready to escort them down the street (a 5 minute walk) to the SIM Press Compound. There they will climb into the minibus taxis to take them to Bingham Academy. The morning traffic jam will turn a 10 minute drive into a 40 minute one.

Now we have time to finish our breakfasts and get ready for the day. By 8:30 our staff should be arriving. We throw open the office curtains, turn on the computers and get ready to start the business day. MCC business is usually answering email, working on the computer database called PlanWin, calling people or receiving calls and simply going through a checklist of things to do. Sometimes we have to turn on the generator because the power is off. Sometimes we have to work on water issues, either in our compound or our service workers’ compound. Wanda and Yeshiareg deal with the finances and Mekonnen and I deal with the programming.

There are breaks at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tea and k’olo in the morning, coffee and popcorn in the afternoon. Everyone stops and gathers, a prayer is said and we sit and talk. It is one way to get to know each other better.

Lunch is at noon and the staff usually gets 2 hours to go and get something. We have our share of ‘power lunches’, scheduling meetings with partners around a lunch. If we leave the compound we usually go grocery shopping as well because getting around town is so time consuming. It makes sense to shop.

The girls arrive home around 4 p.m. from school. If they have to stay after school for activities they come home on the late minibus, arriving in the compound around 5:30. A long day for them. Our day ends between 5 and 6 p.m., just as Akron and Winnipeg are waking up. I can always tell who gets into the office when, the email receipts start flowing back to me between 3 and 5 p.m.

Our supper is usually between 6 and 7 p.m. Our housekeeper Yeshi has made supper earlier and we just heat it up. It’s a good time of day to catch up with each other. Sometimes after supper we watch something together, like The Waltons or Planet Earth. The girls need to be in their rooms by 8:30, lights out by 9 p.m. Wanda and I will often watch a Everybody Loves Raymond or M*A*S*H* show (yes, DVD’s are amazing, we brought back whole seasons from our home leave this past summer in NA). Our lights are usually out between 10 and 11. We’ve heard the call to prayer 5 times today. We may have heard also an Orthodox liturgy chanted over their loudspeaker. There’s the braying of donkeys and the sound of thousands of vehicles down at the bottom of the hill. But now, relative to the day, all is quiet. The barking of dogs is heard from the various compounds as they hear the street dogs gather.

The routine will start again tomorrow, a variation on the same theme.