What's Wat?

No, that’s not a typo in the title. But it may sound like an old Abbott and Costello routine. Wat is what’s for dinner, at least most of the time. Wat is a spicy sauce that contains some kind of meat usually, although a spicy sauce of tomato and purple onions is also served. Everything is cut up very fine and cooked just ‘til warm. Saves fuel, don’t you know.

     The national dish is called Doro Wat and is chicken cooked in this sauce. It’s quite good and is Roscoe the Super Puppy’s favorite dish. Well, the chicken anyway. Other wats are made of beef, lamb, goat, pretty much what they’ve got. In restaurants they make a distinction between kinds of meat. At home or in the butcher store, it’s just meat.

     The bulk of the meal is always enjera, of course, and many vegetables and fruit. It’s somewhat seasonal, although here in Tigray the moderate and constant temperature lets anything grow all year long, IF there is irrigation. Right now mangoes are in and they are really good. Bananas are iffy right now. Most of them come from the south of the country and there are more seasonal variations there. The same is true for oranges, although after a time of tasting more like lemons, they are improving again.

     Did we mention that spinach is good and cheap and served to us regularly? Spinach can be spinach, kale, Swiss chard, whatever is for sale right now. We like it a lot, but after months of spinach almost every meal, we aren’t as crazy about it as we were.

     Potatoes are always available and plentiful. They are good and fresh. Sometimes Mowcha fries up a thinly sliced potato, like chips, and we enjoy them. Fortunately we don’t get them more than two or three times a month, because they aren’t really the healthiest way to enjoy potatoes. Ain’t that always the way, though?

     Speaking of Mowcha, she hasn’t been feeling well, complaining of pain in her abdomen. She went to the clinic Friday, but they were closed, so she came home. We wanted to take her to our doctor at the Kidus Clinic, but she refused. It is interesting that being independent and headstrong is almost genetic here. A proud, independent people these Tigrinya. That fact helps to explain why the British, who could have easily colonized this country when they came to rescue hostages of Emperor Theodore (Tedros), simply gave all their weapons and supplies to Atse Yohannes and went back home. You can read a very interesting book, “The Blue Nile,” that has a very large section devoted to this time period.

     So that’s what’s wat. Let me close by telling you that I think I’ll start another blog, one I’m currently titling “Cracked Pots with Clay Feet.” It will be a love story about the things that cross missionary minds. It will be honest, but often hard to read (substitute “convicting” for hard to read. I know that many of you just want to know what’s happening with us. For you, this blog will continue to give you interesting facts and stories like my recent “Ted and the Armored Car.”

     Cracked Pots will delve deeper, like; how I handle the little beggar girl in the filthy party dress who has no hands. I handle it badly, I think, and will gladly tell you why in the new blog. Be warned however, it will not be filled with warm fuzzy stuff. Read it at your peril. I’ll send an email with the link when I have it ready to go online.

    

Ted and the Armored Car

A few days ago, I was on an errand for a friend in the states. He wants to start a business here in Tigrai and asked me to stop by the Tigrai Development Association and get some forms and information for him. Some friends told me the office was in the main branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. So off I went.

     The bank is a great, marble-clad edifice and after I entered, it was obvious that if the office I was seeking was here, it was certainly upstairs. I went to the third floor, saw a man in his office, and asked where I could find the TDA. “Not here,” the gentleman said.

     I noticed I was at the top of a stairway, not the one I came up and asked, “Can I get outside if I take this stairway?” This time the answer was yes. I descended the stairs and noticed it looked like I was in some kind of maintenance area, but I saw daylight and soon arrived outside.

     “What are you doing here?” said the old man. Actually, I think it was the well-worn AK-47 rifle he was holding that asked the question. I guess I’ve been in Ethiopia long enough, because I wasn’t afraid. As the gun was pointed in my direction, I simply put my hands up and smiled.

     Another voice speaking very good English asked me again and I looked over to see Atakiti, the father of one of Jane’s second graders, looking at me. Not remembering his name, I said that he looked familiar. Did he have a child at MTA? And so he did.

     We chatted some more and he asked to escort me to my car. I surprised him by saying I was afoot. Not too many firengi walk around as much as I do. WE shook hands and I continued my search.

     What did I interrupt? A Toyota pickup was loaded with cardboard boxes filled with new currency, fresh from the printer’s. I had walked into an Ethiopian-style armored car delivery: a pickup truck and an old man with an AK-47. Attention Wells Fargo and Brinks: The Ethiopian system works very well. Maybe you guys should try the direct approach. Think about it!

The People Who Make a Building a School

Our time out of touch has been spent in the classroom, mostly, although both Jane and I have had some time for additional duties. Jane has been writing (editing) final exams written by some of the teachers. This gives her the opportunity to catch errors in English, as well as evaluate the various teachers’ skill level. She also took two weeks off her teaching schedule to evaluate English instruction being done by Ethiopian teachers. It’s been very helpful and informative. Jane is forcefully pursuing an agenda that includes small children hearing correct pronunciation as much as possible.

     I am working on the administrative end of things, a little. We are blessed with a very progressive principal who believes the system here can benefit from some western teaching methods. He is a very bright man, a fine Christian, a great dad and an attentive, if very busy, husband. After this embarrassing introduction, I will henceforth refer to him simply as Teshome (Te-sho-meh). He is very supportive and a very kind man as well. The more we know him, the more we like him.

     Mussie (Mus-say) is a young man with very good computer skills and training in IT Technology. He is our principal translator and a very willing friend. Although he is only about 26 years old, he finds time to spend with old people like us. We are grateful. Without guidance and help with the language, things that sometimes seem tough would be very much tougher. As far as administration is concerned, he is naturally gifted. In addition, he is open-minded to suggestions such as a dual Ethiopian-English calendar, using MS Outlook for scheduling and improving efficiency.

     Desta (Des-ta) works with money. And anyone who knows me just a little knows how much store I place in good relationships with the “money people.” Desta is quiet and competent. He receives money from me every month to pay our guard and our maid. That keeps things less complicated for us all. Desta is hard working and dependable.

     The last of the six people involved in the work at the school (including Jane and I), is Kenfe (Ken-feh) . Kenfe speaks little English, but understands much! Everyone depends on Kenfe. He’s everywhere doing everything all day long. Officially he is the purchaser and spend money guy, but he is really the spit that holds many things together (sorry for the spit illusion, but in America they know this is a good thing). Additionally, he goes out of his way to help everyone, especially Jane and I. He makes sure we have enough water here at the house, he lately has been buying fresh corn for us. He is truly an impressive, quiet hard worker who is generous almost to a fault.

     So we are soon to be known as “the corn-fed missionaries. Not to worry, we’re both still losing weight. Yesterday I weighed in at 226.6 pounds, down from the 269 I weighed when we got here. Jane continues to lose as well, an undisclosed amount because of the public scale thing (see previous blog), but she is complaining that she’s losing weight in the wrong areas (I think this is a problem for “senior citizens” in general. I remember when my Mom was living with us . . . well, never mind!)

    Now for a gentle segue . . . We need your help! We need elementary education curriculum (teacher’s manuals, etc.) and textbooks for Grades 1-8. Doesn’t have to be new, just fairly recent and consistent. That is, it needs to flow throughout each term and each year. We need it in the subjects of English, English Literature, Math, Science, and World History.

     Finding used curriculum in the states shouldn’t be very hard or very expensive. Most school systems replace curriculum at least every five years and the older books are simply surplus. The trick is getting the material from the states here. Shipping a container is expensive. Please pray with us and the Lord shows us how to best serve the people of Tigrai.

Why a private school?

We’ve been away far too long. Away from our blog, that is. As far as being in Ethiopia, we’re just beginning to get a semi-complete picture of what is needed here. And what’s needed adds up to an ever increasing list.

     Now is as good a time as any to answer the question we’ve been asked from time to time” Why are you teaching at a private school? It’s a complicated question to answer.
     For one thing, the Lord led us here. The timing, the arrangements, the opportunity was just too plain to see. God wanted Jane and Ted in Mekele, Ethiopia.
      Second: God has provided wonderful people to take care of us. Mussie, Teshome, Kinfe, Desta and many more who have made sure we have what we need.
     Third: We have been able to make some very positive contacts with people the Lord has put in our lives here. Right now, there are several students and their families we are building relationships with, people who need the kind word and gentle suggestion we can give.
      Fourth: A private school in Ethiopia is not like a private school in the states. Sure, the parents of our students pay a monthly tuition fee ($13.50 per student with breaks as you enroll more children) and they pay for bus transportation if they choose to have the school provide it (right now about $9.00 a month). However, without the private schools that started with the government’s encouragement, Ethiopia would have no chance of getting all elementary school age children in school by 2015 (a stated goal). Private schools are better than public schools, but there is still much progress to be made in teaching systems, etc.
     Fifth: We believe the Lord has called us here to help with revamping education here, albeit on a small scale. We know we are too old to be in Ethiopia for more than two or three years. Our hope and prayer is that we will be able to expose educators here to methods that will allow English to be taught at an earlier age, spoken with a clearer pronunciation, and comprehended more naturally. Since education above the sixth, and especially beginning in the eighth grade, is done exclusively in English, this will, we believe, make Ethiopian graduates more desirable and effective in international dealings and more competent and efficient in leading their country out of poverty to a better way of life.
      Sixth: Merha Tibeb Academy is a somewhat smaller school (600 plus students) of good reputation that is in a position to allow us to make changes. Additionally, the staff, especially Eyasu, the owner and Teshome the principal, are very much behind the changes we want to make. To have leadership’s blessing for an undertaking like this is critical.
      That’s why we’re here. We will begin shortly to turn our plans into action. We have one month of Summer School ahead and then we begin a new school year on September 11. We'll be in touch many times before then. Please stick with us. We need you all very much.