Last day of the semester :)

Yesterday, was the last day of the semester. Next week will be finals, and then that's it! One more semester to go, I can't believe I'm half way through this experience.

 It was exciting preparing the final review for my students, being on the opposite side of finals was a great feeling. I can sense their nerves and anxiousness about the final but I'm hoping they will do as well as I want them to! 

I brought my camera to capture a few moments on the last day and I especially wanted a class picture of my 2 sections. I caught some good glimpses of my students working on their review, and also caught their smiles as I took out my camera. 

EVERYONE wanted a picture, and then they all took out their own cell phones and started taking pictures of me too, pictures by myself and pictures one-on-one with each student. It was quite the site to see...pretty funny. I also had a few girls crying because they were sad it was the last day. It's interesting to think that I made that type of impact on them in just 4 months..

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the day :) 

They are taking their final next week, and then..I'm off to Kenya for a 10 day backpacking adventure!

 <3

Putting a Face to a Number

The other morning while driving in a taxi, I noticed a young boy in the process of waking up. He had been using the cement as his pillow and was crawling out of his plastic flour sack, which he used as his make-shift sleeping bag for the night.  There is no way he could have been over the age of 8...

Over 800 children are living on the streets here in Gondar. Many of these children don’t attend school, hustle the streets and beg for their food. It’s a pretty astounding statistic when you really think about 800 children on the streets, eating, begging, stealing, and living  out their childhood while sleeping in plastic flour sacks. What was I doing when I was 8...what were you doing when you were 8? 

As I have blogged about before, I have spent some time working with Yenege Tesfa:Hope for Tomorrow which is a local NGO for street kids and orphans. Yenege Tesfa used some of their donated money and provided T-Shirts to give to the street children. They decided on t-shirts for the street kids because 1. The kids need clothes and 2. It’s great advertising (especially during Timkat, the biggest holidy of the year which is this weekend) I was able to be a part of handing the shirts out, and it was heart-breaking in some ways, but also eye-opening to actually see some of the faces that comprise that number of 800. We handed out around 60 t-shirts today, and have more to give tomorrow. One little boy I met was only 7 years old, his name was Goshu…

Yenege Tesfa has been an incredible NGO here in Gondar for about 10 years. They do numerous things for the communities children, but one of their biggest projects is giving housing to many of the kids they find orphaned on the streets. Yenege Tesfa currently has 3 shelters open. (I believe around 50 children live in the shelters) All of their shelters are at complete capacity right now and the need to expand is definitely evident.  They are planning to build a 4^th shelter, but are in the process of fundraising....

Alright, this is the part I ask you for money, right? No, not at this point (maybe later though!) I don’t want to make you give, or tell you to give, or even guilt you into giving, but just check out their website. Look at what they are doing here in Gondar and know that even small contributions make a big difference. If you feel moved to give, amazing and if not, it is important to be well informed about places, people and organizations like this. It has been such a blessing to volunteer for this organization in my free time here in Gondar and I can tell you first hand, if you choose to give, the money is being well used. 

Here are a few pictures of today and the boys wearing their T-shirts. They were all smiles :) 

Checkin out his new shirt :)

Immediately changing!

All smiles :) 

These two were pretty excited! 

:) 

I met these kids today. Please, check out the site..

www.yenegetesfa.org 

<3

Patience.

Today is just one of those days here in Ethiopia. Yesterday, I went to do a training at a local primary school on classroom management and techniques to teach English and again...a communication gap. This is the 3rd time a "communication gap" has occurred, and needless to say I was pretty bummed. They asked me to come again today, they informed me they would call the teachers and tell them to come but at a later time so the gap could be cleared up. SOO... I took a 20 birr bajaj ride to the school this morning at 8am, and when I arrived...no teachers. "Communication gap.." Again. At this point...I'm just so annoyed, my patience is gone and it makes me think of why the hell I'm even here...

Yes, I'm teaching here in Gondar but am I making any difference at all? If I'm not training teachers, what else am I doing other than teaching 2 classes? Why am I away from all of my friends and my family when another Habesha teacher could easily take my 2 classes of students? Last night, Skyping with my parents, sister and her boyfriend was heartbreaking for me. I talk to them and we talk about when I come home and all the good food, big party and good times at the cabin we'll have. Then when I get off Skype, I realize it's still almost 7 months away. Can I do it? Am I meant to do it? Is what I'm doing here really making a difference, is it sustainable, is it worth it, it is what I'm called to be doing??

There have been lots of tears for me the last 2 days, just missing home and feeling frustrated with all of these "communication gaps..." After I left the school this morning, a teacher at my college invited me over to her house because she knew I was upset. Her name is Melishu, and she is just great. She fed me breakfast and made me some incredible tea (with fresh mint even...cool, eh?) I got home a bit ago, and I am still just feeling out of place...I decided to go back to the source of where it all makes sense...

I have to remember to have patience. I have to remember to be joyful always and rejoice in the good things. I can do this, and I will do this, but these last 2 days it's just been painfully difficult... These verses definitely helped me out today...


2 Corinthians 6: 4-6  "As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness, in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love"

Romans 12:11-12 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.."

Spending time thinking, praying and making an action plan of future work I need to do has helped me. I know I have purpose here, and most days that purpose is evident. It's just that homesickness mixed with "communication gaps" makes it a lot tougher.

Keepin my chin up, praying for patience and a brighter day tomorrow.

<3

Cheers to 2012 :)

I can't believe it's 2012....seriously, where does the time go?

2011 has been a year that will be hard to forget. I've spent just as much time on the continent of Africa as I have in America, racked up a TON of travel mileage, graduated college, moved my life from MN to Ethiopia for the year to volunteer, have slept in a tent under the stars in the Serengeti and taught at an International School in Tanzania. After officially leaving the Fargo/Moorhead area, I feel like I've truly  re-discovered who I am, and what I want to be. This year has been full of adventure, soul-searching and realizing what it is in this life that keeps me motivated and moving forward. I feel so blessed to have had the experiences that I've had and am interested to see what's in store in 2012.

I've decided not to make solid resolutions for the upcoming year. I did some reflection on 2011 and think that for 2012 I have basic goals, but not resolutions that I will only keep for a year. In 2012, I want to obtain my first teaching position in a class in America, I want to continue growing in my faith, I will continue to become more solid about my goals and dreams for the future. I would love to visit at least one or two other countries, and I plan to focus on my personal growth and health. I want to live clean; clean in the sense of the way I eat, the way I think, and the way I act. I have started this, but have not been faithful 100%. These are the things on my mind this year, as well as the years to come. They aren't resolutions, more of a way of life that I plan to maintain.

Either way, 2011 is going to be a tough year to beat out in terms of experiences! I plan to make it as great as possible, and so far beginning in Ethiopia has been an incredible start.

Cheers to my family, friends, health and a fresh start in 2012 :)