Today, I went to a small village near Gondar, once we got off the bus, there were approximately 50 kids between the ages of 4-15 clapping and cheering for us. As we continued to walk towards the students, we noticed several houses made of wood with tin roof tops. We were quickly explained what to do, there was one platform made of cement already made, and we were able to build the walls with bricks (that are made in Gondar of tiny little rocks and cement) and cement (made of dirt, cement and water – the whole process is not as scientific as it sounds). While we were there we were able to build about 3-4 layers of brick (cinder blocks). Tomorrow the rest of the group will work more on completing some of this. They expect that it will take 2 months to complete the school house (including 3 classrooms). While we were working, many breaks were taken, from playing soccer with the kids, to talking to them, taking pictures and simply exploring what was around.
Surrounding the school were several dirt roads, where throughout the day we saw young children (as young as 3 or 4) herding some sort of mix between an ox and a cow, and goat down the road to get water and back. There were also other children who had horses and buggies. After work, we experienced a coffee ceremony. Since coffee is very popular in Ethiopia, we were explained that the coffee ceremony is very important in every family as this is when they spend time together. They lit incense, had popcorn, bread and of course, coffee. The coffee is served in small glasses (like you would expect for green tea), and apparently it is customary to have 3 of these cups. The coffee here is extremely strong, but they put A LOT of coffee (I mean A LOOOOTTT!).
There was one particular student who stood out. I honestly don’t remember his name (they are generally long and difficult to pronounce). He spoke English, fairly well. He spent about an hour sitting with myself, Allie and a few others from my group in the school house asking us questions, telling us about him, and his family. He even told Laurent that he wanted to be a scientist. It’s truly amazing how the kids who get to go to school can learn and have great aspirations regardless of the situations they are in!
After working on the school we went to the Jewish Agency. This is where the Ethiopian Jews begin the process of doing Aliyah. This is where they perform interviews, after this they take pictures to be allowed to permanently leave the country, then they received vaccinations and other medical treatments if necessary. We were explained that they are only allowed to send 110 people each month. It was interesting to see the building and talk to the people that make these things happen. However, because we went after business hours, there were not people there being prepared for their trips.
One thing that’s interesting about Ethiopia is that here it is 2004. They work on a different calendar with 13 months a year, and their new year is in September, and their Christmas is on the 6th or 7th of January, so we will be here to experience that. The sun rises and sets everyday at approximately 6 o’clock. 6 am is considered to be hour 0, noon is hour 6 and 6 at night is 12. Their time each day is limited to these 12 hours, as far as I’ve been explained.
I’ve written way more than enough! We miss you all, and are all having an incredible time.
Sending love from all of us!
Jordana Bernstein
