Cedric, January 8, 2012

So its late Sunday afternoon here in Gondar, Ethiopia. This is my first blog of the trip, so I’m going to be focusing on the first few days we spent in Gondar. I boarded the plane early morning from Addis Ababa to Gondar with no expectations in mind. How my time spent here could change a man’s perspective on life was an almost unfathomable concept to grasp.

Once we landed, we were split up into two groups. One would spend the first day constructing a school, the other deworming children, assisting in eye examinations, and distributing school supplies at a primary school in rural Gondar. I wound up at the primary school first. The drive to the school was, without question, an unforgettable experience. Looking out the window, poverty struck you in the face. I observed hundreds of citizens walking down endless roads, and questioned their motives. I observed the established houses and wondered how one could live like so.  Thinking about their lifestyle left me with an anguished face. All I could think to myself was “where the hell am I.” But from that, I began to understand real poverty. Not through a textbook or a movie, but through the lens that formed my own reality. Once we arrived at the school, I helped an optometrist administer eye tests. After that was done, we got the opportunity to play with the kids.

They say that body language is 90% of communication. Yet playing with the kids introduced me to a language barrier that I had never experienced. Alienation was my initial reaction. But shortly after, I realized that these interactions required no speaking. I learnt to understand the actuality behind that 90%.

We managed to sing, dance, and play with the kids through the movements of our body and the smiles on our faces. One of the greatest rewards was seeing the kids laugh; they became so happy from so little. Towards the end of our visit at the school, we gave the kids school supplies (pens, pencils, sharpeners, etc…) inside pencil cases. The students’ happiness was almost overwhelming. But more importantly, I realized just how grateful they were. It was an incredible feeling to know that I was making a difference in their education, no matter the extent to which it was being improved.

Again in rural Gondar, on the following day, we helped local workers build a primary school funded by the JDC, a Jewish NGO present on ground in Ethiopia. The new school would take precedence over the students’ old school, made out of wood and rocks. Their present studying conditions were almost unreal to grasp – making it almost impossible to imagine kids learning in an environment like that.  Chairs, desks, adequate reading and writing material – all factors taken for granted in Montreal’s schooling system – were missing. Seeing how just a new building could exponentially advance their studies made all the difference while constructing. Not only that, the experience once again made me understand how fortunate I am. A participant made a comment saying that she refuses to not attend a class anymore. That alone expresses the extent that this experience had on all of us. It made me appreciate what I had back at home, more so than I ever felt before.

As a side note, a crazy experience that I had was playing soccer with the students. What may seem like a trivial experience to discuss ended up being incredible. The kids chased a ball around and were so happy doing so. To think about what makes me happy and what makes them happy are such diverging concepts. It yet again gave me insight into my own life.

On that same day, we visited a community located close to the construction site. We were introduced to the way that these villagers acquire and transport their water. A little unsanitary pond is what these people currently use to cook, clean, and drink from. This experience was once again both shocking and eye opening. I focused more on the opportunity that arose from this, rather that the observations I made.   It costs $3500 to construct a well (so long as there is a natural water source under it).  The pond in this community did. Imagine raising money to construct a well in that community. That was the thought that went through my head. I forgot about the purpose that this trip has to taking us there. I was more than satisfied about that I had taken out of the visit.

On our third day, we visited a secondary school in Gondar. We spoke to many students, and two conversations stuck to me. One was with an 18-year-old male student, interested in becoming a pilot. The other was a 15-year-old girl, who enjoyed reading about Ethiopia, including its history, language, tradition, and culture. I was astonished by their capacity to learn. These conversations managed to sum up the importance that our volunteer work could have on students in the future.

All of this caps off our trips first three days in Gondar. I’ve managed to learn a lot about myself during this time. We leave for Lalibela tomorrow, and then back to Adis to wrap up the trip. Looking forward to the many other lessons that Ethiopia has to offer in the coming days.