Exam Day at MHC

This past week, the Level I students of Mary Help College (MHC) were preparing for their mid-term exams.  Nerves were wracked all week as students and teachers worked overtime to ensure that they were well prepared.  Finally, early on Saturday morning, 90+ students arrived to the campus to take their exams.  The teachers were also present while the government assessors administered and supervised the exams.  One by one, the students finished their exams and waited eagerly for their results.  There were cries of elation when they found out their passing scores while only a handful failed to proceed to the next level. The camaraderie was amazing though as the students waited the entire morning for his/her classmate to finish their exam with the last student leaving close to 2PM.  The teachers, proud of their students’ achievement, were also at hand to congratulate them on progressing to Level II of their first year of studies at MHC

Courses offered by MHC.

MHC is a community college of around 160 students that offers two-year programs (Levels I – IV) in fashion design, secretarial studies and information technology. If the students pass all their exams at the end of two years, they receive a Certificate of Competency (CoC).  With the CoC, they can apply to the university but, more importantly, it also opens up many opportunities for them in the job market.   MHC is led by the formidable Sister Nestanet who, along with three department heads and 7 teachers, provide the educational training necessary for these students to obtain their CoC.  Many students have graduated from MHC in Dilla, and its sister campuses in Ziway and Addis Abeba, since its inception in 2012.

Sr. Nestanet and dept. heads spending
their Sunday planning for the week.

My role at MHC is to provide the students with additional training and practice in English.  I spent the first two weeks teaching the Level IV students who already took their mid-term exams last month.  I teach 3 courses per program so a total of 9 class periods. Starting this week, I will have an additional 9 hours of classes to teach since the Level I students have finished their exams. All of their learning material and examinations are administered in English so the additional classes will hopefully help them better understand the concepts that are being taught to them.  Suffice to say, my workload is slowly increasing so time to get my lesson plans organized for the week!

The Spirit of Don Bosco

This past weekend,  I experienced the Salesian spirit of Don Bosco at a retreat in the mission of Ziway, which is just north of Dilla. We embarked early Friday morning with approx. 40 young boys and girls,  two sisters, and a father to welcome the Rector Major of the Salesian boss, i.e. the big boss, who was making his rounds through the various missions in Ethiopia. On our way to Ziway, we made a pit stop to refresh ourselves at Lake Langano. The water is a reddish-brown due to the volcanic sand,  but it's one of the few safe lakes in the area to swim in. 

Saturday morning was the main event, and our kids from Dilla prepared a welcome dance for the Rector Major (R.M.), which they aced. The young boys and girls then spent the rest of the day/weekend in their retreat program while I played the role of unofficial photographer for the Dilla mission.  We then had a great feast in the evening for our special guest.

Mass on Sunday morning was jam packed since it was presided over by the R M. and assisted by the Ethiopian fathers. I truly enjoy the mass here even though it's in Amharic. The songs that they sing sound beautiful,  I just wish I could understand what they say. The program ended mid-day so we said our good-byes to our lovely hosts in Ziway. It was wonderful to meet the R.M. and see how he enjoyed interacting with the youth,  just like Don Bosco during his day.

We made our way back to Dilla, but managed to make a pitstop at Lake Hawassa. Here we could only use a boat to go out into the water but it was still nice to see the natural beauty that Ethiopia has to offer, which I hope to share/experience more of in the coming months!

Adjusting to Life in Dilla

Leaving Addis early Saturday morning with Sr. Agnese.  

Today marks one week since I first landed in Ethiopia (it’s not the moon, but it certainly feels as far away from home!).  It’s been several days since arriving to Dilla after a day-long ride from Addis, the last 75km of which was on a bumpy road under construction.  The roadway is being modernized and it will connect the capital with the Kenyan border.  However, rather than working on small sections, a large swathe of the roadway has been ripped apart, thus turning a two-hour drive between Dilla and Zway (half-way point from Addis) into a four-hour long trip.  

The "akacha" trees that can survive this arid climate.

The road from Addis to Zway leads southward from the cooler temperatures of the highlands, to a drier and warmer climate.   Along the way we saw small dust devils and a herd of camels (of the one-hump variety).  The landscape from Zway to Dilla then changes from arid brown to lush green, which reminds me a lot of Curacao and the Colombian / Venezuelan countryside.

Popcorn is served while the coffee is prepared.

The Salesian sisters live on a large compound at the entrance of Dilla that houses several school buildings, a bakery, a clinic, a library, and a tea/coffee shop for the students.  Mangos, papayas, and avocados grow in abundance, and the coffee bushes are in bloom. The coffee is delicious and I was fortunate to be welcomed by the school staff with a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony.   

The traditional layout of the ceremony.

Adjusting to Dilla has not been too difficult, as these surroundings feel very familiar to me.

The one thing I am probably still adjusting too is sleeping with a mosquito net although at the moment, there aren’t too many mosquitos since it is the dry season. But I can’t really complain about anything else as everyone has been very hospitable and friendly.  I have also enjoyed being immersed in their everyday conversations, even though I don’t understand much, but I am quickly learning Amharic phrases every day.

Today many of you celebrated Ash Wednesday but for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Lent does not start for another two weeks.  For those of you celebrating Lent, I leave you with a quote from Pope Francis, which I am going to take to heart during the Lent season in Ethiopia: "Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy." 

Sleepless in Addis

This is the second night in a row that I'm wide awake in the middle of night despite going to bed a few hours earlier. So far though, I've enjoyed these couple of days with my friends in Addis. They live in a lovely home just down the street from  Little Mogadishu, a small, bustling shopping area where one can get lamb burgers and stylish clothes from Somalia, but also in the vicinity of the embassies of Rwanda and Kazakhstan. One can see that the city itself is in an accelerated state of development, with many buildings under construction, as well as a brand new metro that began to operate last year. I've also met some really people from the expat community involved in development work, and they all have said positive things about this country, which is encouraging. But they are also shocked that I will be living for five months away from the capital! So while the sights, sounds, and tastes have been a delight to absorb, tomorrow my journey continues further south to Dilla, which is an 8 hour drive from Addis. God willing we arrive safely to our destination. Until then, I hope to catch a couple of more hours of sleep!

Beginning the Journey...

Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 2, I embark on a new mission that will take me to Dilla, Ethiopia where I will be joining the Salesian sisters as a volunteer missioner through the VIDES program. My primary assignment will be to teach English at a technical college but I have been advised to “expect the unexpected” while on mission.  This is a new challenge for me since I have never stepped foot on the African continent.  In addition, my only experience in the classroom has been at work leading sessions on due diligence and anti-money laundering topics.  But I’m confident that somehow, these skills will transition well to my future classes.

Never would I have thought that being a missioner was in store for me but God does work in mysterious ways. But I can say that my journey started when I consciously decided last year to be closer to my faith and underwent the process of getting my confirmation.  I selected St. Vincent de Paul, patron saint of charitable work, so it is fitting that I decided to undergo this mission to do charity work in Ethiopia, a country that also has a long history with Christianity. Incidentally, tomorrow is also the Feast Day of the Presentation of the Lord, and in some ways, I feel that I am also presenting myself to the people of Ethiopia to do God’s work there.

I could not have embarked on this tremendous adventure though without the support of my close friends, family and colleagues. There will be challenging obstacles along the way but I hope to also find many of God’s graces on this journey.   This mission has finally begun and I can’t wait to share as much of this experience as I can with all of you!