Day 5: Bibles and Dinner Guests

June 5, 2009

(Friday)

Today I had to be at Kechene by 8:30 because the first class I was teaching was at 8:35am. Only on Fridays do I have to be there that early because Fridays are only a half day. The rest of the week I have to be there by 9:00am. Girum (previously spelled Groom) came with me again just to make sure I knew the way (though we went a different way than before, but whatever).

Once I got to Kechene I first taught KG1 math with Azarat ,which was interesting. Basically all I did was write the information from the book they had onto the board and Azarat taught, which was ok because I don’t know what else I would have done. After math I taught Grade 1 Ethics, where I talked about right vs. wrong and how doing the right thing is not always easy. I told the story of Rack, Shack, and Benny and the fiery furnace and the kids seemed to enjoy it. I then had a break so I went and sat in the teachers' room with the other 3 teachers, and little Amun (the boy who read to me the day before) came and read to me again. I also had my Bible out and all the teachers were very intrigued by it because it is big (it’s a study Bible) and because Bibles are expensive there. They were astonished that my Bible cost probably around $70. Azarat was asking me if I could get him an English “normal” Bible (I think he means not a study Bible) because he teaches Sunday School and sometimes interprets for white men who come to the church to visit, and thinks if he had an English Bible he could interpret better. Rachel’s friend is coming and basically taking my place at Kechene when I leave, so Rachel is going to email her and ask her to bring a Bible for him. I then taught ethics again for KG2 and then it was lunch time. I declined the food today because I wasn’t sure I could eat it all and opted for the protein bar I had instead.

After lunch it was time to go home so Azarat walked me to the road and helped me get on my first mini-bus, but after that I was on my own. I switched mini-buses in Piazza and got on one for Tor Highluch and then walked up to the Cherokee House…all this by myself!

Then for the afternoon I just hung out around the house and tried to email (the phone line went out before I could actually send anything). This evening we had guests over for dinner - two boys who had been exchange students through the Cherokee program last year, along with an Ethiopian/American family who lives in Kentucky and was visiting. Both parents had been born in Ethiopia but all 3 of their daughters were born in the U.S.. The girls were 17, 16, and 14 and are some of the smartest people ever. The oldest is going to Harvard in the fall as a freshmen, the second oldest wants to go to Princeton I think and the youngest to Yale. It was insane.