Living as we do, facing the school field we often have football matches happening close to our front door. Some begin well before 8 am. However occasionally something surprising happens.
Before I tell you about the unusual clinics I have done this week let me update you on Yalew, briefly describe a home visit, and mention an exciting occurrence.
An Exciting Occurrence
Many of you will know that before I left the UK I downloaded a selection of recipes, some from the Sainsbury’s website. I have been truly thankful for this. Especially when the internet is not working.
I wanted to make a chocolate courgette cake as we were meeting a group of doctors who would be involved in some AIDs work. This is how it went:
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Sainsbury’s |
Addis version |
Wikipedia suggests that a giant tortoise moves slowly at 0.17 miles per hour. The fastest recorded speed is 5 miles per hour. There is a running track around the periphery of Bingham. As I made my way round it for the third time during a regular fitness attempt, I became convinced that the school giant tortoises are certainly of the faster variety.
If you are into animal rights and welfare you may want to stop reading now. However it's a fact of life in this city that animals are a commodity like any other, and if you want fresh meat especially on a public holiday you buy it - alive.
This week for supper on Wednesday we made a foray into the mayhem of people, cars and taxis outside the Bingham school compound and found what looked like a bar that could perhaps serve us food. Seating didn’t look too comfortable so we explored further. The next rather smoky bar interior wasn’t much of an improvement but we were ushered into one of the back rooms where we sat on low stools around what resembled a coffee table. The television was on with the sound turned down, showing an American film with Arabic sub-titles.
His eyes told the story. Empty, frightened, confused. And he wasn't saying a word. As I knelt by his mattress on the floor of the two-roomed mud and tin house in the back streets of Kolfe a stone's throw from Bingham, I felt pretty helpless. I was also being watched. In addition to Theresa and Dawid who had brought me here, there were at least half a dozen more people in the room, and double that in the yard outside. All worried. All concerned. I needed a story and Dawid was translating, but Yalew would say nothing. As best as I could I checked him over.
Imagine sitting in a three-person swing seat, moving gently. The sun is shining and there is a slight breeze. Two little boys (one American, one Ethiopian) are sitting beside you as you read a story. No Supply teachers are available here so when a teacher is absent requests are made for volunteers to use their planning time to cover classes. On this occasion it was 'learning support', hence the small number. We had completed the comprehension exercise that was set, and read a play. The final instruction was a story. Teaching in Africa has its perks.
It had to happen. I've had a normal week. Nothing abnormal (apart from the African Union meeting causing the traffic to grind to a halt) has happened.
The Tesfye Birhan girls came to Bingham as usual this Thursday from 4.30 to 6.00pm. The venue was the grade five classroom where a snack was prepared for them. Usually it's popcorn, half a banana and a cup of water. This week the popcorn was replaced by chocolate cake with icing sugar on top. They were more tentative about trying this. A couple of the younger girls put their finger in the icing sugar, licked it, then made a face. There wasn't much cake left over at the end however, so they overcame their reticence. While they ate they listened to a Bible story.