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Termites and Teaching

8/24/2014

What do you do when the sun goes down in Addis during the rainy season?

Catch flying ants!

And eat them....

Our family was watching a movie at home when there was a knock on the door. It was some neighbor kids inviting us to a flying ant feast! I tried one myself. I'm ashamed to say that it was my first ever - even after having spent my entire childhood in Zimbabwe! A little earthy and soft, but edible! I think Ati enjoyed them the most :)

Staff orientation ended with a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, complete with incence, popcorn, and of course, freshly roasted coffee beans.

Tuesday, August 19th was the first day of school!

The year was started off with an all-school chapel, and it was so neat to see all the countries represented (including Zim!) by students and staff. It really is a diverse group!

I really enjoyed meeting my 6th grade English class! They're a great bunch! About 25 of them from all over the globe. Teaching is kept interesting here by the constant power cuts and internet cuts. Reading student journals by candle light did add an 18th century sort of aura to their writing :)

I was kept busy, too, with assessing students for our learning support program. Charis helped out with child care during the home school conference here. Dozens of families are served by our school, some of whom live far from the city.

Charis and I begin Amharic classes tomorrow. Pray for our family as we continue to adjust: learning the language, culture, and yes, even delicacies like termites!

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Moving

8/9/2014

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12 suitcases and 9 carry-ons, and we found ourselves flying across the Atlantic and over the Sahara desert towards our new home in Addis.

The leaving was compounded this time. We said good-byes to our family and close friends in the States then flew to Madrid to pick up the rest of our luggage and see friends - only to have those same friends take us to the airport 30 hours later.

I don't like this part of the movie...

As we got to airport security, and the kids gave their friends one last hug, our oldest said, "I don't like this part of the movie. I wish we could skip this part."

Good-byes in New Hampshire

Good-byes in Madrid

We arrived safely in Addis at about 4:00 a.m., Sunday, where we were met by our friend who helped us lug our bags to the school van. After sleeping till about 10:00 a.m., we awoke to find ourselves in a new world.

Ati and Miles exploring Bingham campus.

We are so grateful to be living on campus as we begin our transition to Ethiopia. We love our apartment which even includes a cozy fireplace. Believe it or not, we enjoyed our first fire tonight! In August. In Africa. Close to the equator! The overcast and rainy weather, combined with the high altitude make for cold nights. And yes, we enjoyed one of our first power cuts last night too - for now there's still that nostalgic, camping feel to the electricity going out. We'll see how we like it a few months from now!

Games by candle light during a brief power outage

We have been so encouraged by the welcome we've received and have enjoyed getting to know our new colleagues from Ethiopia, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Canada, England, Scotland, South Africa, Norway, and yes, even some from the States :)

Life outside the school gates is a completely different world. "Suks" or small shops line the road along with small restaurants, "men's beauty" salons, and much to my delight there's a café every few hundred feet! There's also an open market where - if I look hard enough - I'm sure I'll find some Real Madrid shirts to buy our kids. We found out where the local ATM is, where to buy bread (the "Nice Bakery"), popcorn kernels, and sugar.

River and housing on the other side of the fence

Fruits that are in season right now: mango, papaya, citrus, avocado, bananas, and strawberries. Other food items, such as butter, are much harder to find. Still, between the hospitality of our new community and Charis' resourceful cooking, we're eating very well!

As I think of those 12 pieces of luggage we brought over with us, I'm reminded of the saying that it's not about what you bring but what you leave behind. Pray for us as we get stuck in to life here in Addis that when the time eventually comes to go, we'll have left something of eternal significance here in the relationships formed, and in the lives touched.

Thanks for being a part of our story.

First meal as a family in our new home

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Termites and Teaching

Moving

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