Ready for a break!

Kim was starting to feel fed up with our frustrating working conditions and I was feeling worn out with my two jobs of teaching in the morning and helping with home schooling in the afternoon. So the announcement from our VSO friend Michelle that we were all invited to an a supper at Asmara’s fancy Intercontinental Hotel in honour of International Volunteer Day couldn’t have arrived at a better moment. We were able to get the weekend off from school to attend, making a four day weekend. In the end, though, I decided to stay home and just relax as I’m a bit sick and trips to Asmara tend to wear me out. So I’m writing this blog from my quiet home while Kim and the kids are in Asmara, preparing to head out in an hour or so for probably the best meal they’ll have had since we left Canada.

I’ve had a great time so far. Saba has been inviting me over for meals and has sent Yasmin to keep me company at night. (Luckily, the rat who invaded our home last week is no longer available to keep me company. After one unsuccessful night’s attempts to catch it, Kim finally killed it the night before they left for Asmara. Before this happened, we’d cleaned up the kitchen and put our year’s supply of peanuts in a water barrel, so
hopefully there’s nothing left in the house to attract more rats. I’ve since learned how to say “Kim tried to kill a rat” in Arabic, which I’m sure will come in handy in the future.) Anyways, as I was saying, it’s been nice to have the house to myself for a few days. I slept in until 9:30 this morning and plan to do the same tomorrow. I’ve also been doing some reading, studying Arabic, watched a video, and have basically just relaxed. I’m sure that Kim and the kids are having a good time too.

In a few more weeks it’s Christmas, then Eid al Adha (the pilgrimage Eid), then New Years, then Eritrean Christmas, then exams, then mid-year break. I just checked the calendar and realized we have two weeks of teaching after next week’s speaking tests, before we give our exams. Time has really flown by and I know the second half of the year will go by even faster. Unfortunately, our hoped for visit from my mom isn’t going to happen. So I’m issuing an open invitation to anyone out there who’d like to experience a very unique and wonderful little country that they’ll probably never have the chance to visit and really get to know, unless they take up this once in a lifetime opportunity. We’d really like to have one more visit at least, so please do give it some thought. Some features of this charming place: camels, the Red Sea, taita, coffee ceremonies, beautiful countryside, a great market, a miraculous baobab tree, competing calls to prayer from the mosque and the church, donkeys, and very nice people.

Every once in a while someone comes up with something in English that has to be written down. Last week I was walking to school as my arthritic shoulders were bugging me and I decided a week’s break from my bike would be a good idea. As I was leaving to go home one day, one of my students asked, “Teacher, where is the cycle?” “It’s at home.” I told her. “Oh, is it sick?” she asked. (I later learned that in informal speech, people use “hamimu” (sick) for broken items as well as people. Then, yesterday, Yasmin was talking about someone who took off their headscarf. “She opened her head.” Is I guess a direct translation from Tigrinya. I’ve been helping Saba to translate some of her poetry in preparation for getting a book published. Sometimes the Tigrinya way of seeing the world just can’t be translated without destroying the image created.

It’s now Thursday. Kim and the kids got back safely from Asmara. They had a good time though the English style meal turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. There was lots of bland meat and vegetables and not enough spicy stuff. I guess they’re getting too used to the food here. Still, I think they filled their bellies and Simon the potato lover got two platefuls of roasted potatoes so he was quite happy. They spent the day before supper helping out with some painting of schools organized by the UN. One school was in the process of being built and turned out not to be ready for painting. I guess the UN knew this but went ahead with the activity just to get some nice photos for PR reasons. Many VSO volunteers weren’t impressed. Kim ended up spending several hours cleaning paint off the floor of the school he was at while most volunteers sat around and drank tea. Despite the politics they had a good time. Today and tomorrow they’re off to visit our friend Rachel in Hagaz. It’s a twenty kilometer bike ride through some beautiful countryside, the site of the definitive battle between the Italians and the British in World War II. I’m taking another few days off. I’m enjoying my time alone and also just need a bit more time to get totally better and ready for the next two months of activity

Our next big event: Maya’s 16th birthday next Friday. We’ve got a huge surprise for her which I’ll tell you all about in the next blog.

Take care,

Barb