Alex Little

So after nearly 4 months in Mekelle and heading towards completing the first third of my placement, I’ve started to feel at home here, and getting used to things that were odd to being with. Here’s a selection of what I’m now finding to be normal…

• Tea and coffee being served with over a tablespoon full of sugar sat at the bottom – leaving just about enough room to fit an expresso into the tiny cup.
• Dialling at least 3 times to get throught to someone on a mobile, then being cut off mid-conversation.
• Walking home in the dark in the evening and thinking nothing of seeing men armed with AK-47s hanging around.
• Shopping by mobile phone backlight in the supermarket when the power has gone off.
• Yes doesn’t always mean yes. In a bar or restaurant you can often order drinks or food which then just doesn’t arrive. On asking where it is, the reply comes that they haven’t got any, so you go back to the menu and ask what they do actually have – usually around half of what’s listed. This happens in other situations too, the Ethiopians don’t want to offend you by saying no to anything.
• Going food shopping and deciding what to eat based on what’s available, rather than deciding what to eat and just going to buy it.
• All private cars are white Toyota LandCruisers.
• The ‘rules of the road’ are really only very rough guidelines to be interpreted however the driver wishes. This includes which side to drive on and whether or not to overtake a lorry on a blind corner.

Had a great trip away last weekend – but still sorting out the blog posting for that one.

This week I’m starting a series of workshops for all the Computer Science students to introduce them to Moodle, how to login, find their courses, post to forums etc.

Although they ought to just be able to use the site anyway (they are computer science students after all!) – I thought it would be useful to give them as much encouragement as possible. Leaving them to their own devices may mean only a few bother to log in. My other reason for running these workshops is that the students may then encourage the teachers to make sure the course material, handouts etc on the site are all kept up to date.

Hopefully all will go well, though I’ve had a couple of hiccups already. Some students arrived for a session last Tuesday afternoon – though they’d signed up for the session on Tuesday 20th Jan. Then I messed up by booking students on workshops on 19th Jan – which now turns out to be a public holiday (Timkat – Ethiopian Epiphany), which no-one thought to mention when they were signing up!

Also starting to consider what to do once my year contract here is up, my programme manager was asking yesterday if I’d had any thoughts about what to do. Given that I only feel like I’ve been here 5 minutes (despite it being 4 months), it still feels very soon to be deciding.

Happy New Year to you all! Just this weekend Christmas trees (plastic) and decorations started to appear in the shops here ready for Christmas on Wednesday.

Marcel and I are now proud owners of a kitchen tap that we can turn on and off without the use of pliers. The tap has had no handle since we moved in, and in fact the previous VSO volunteer who lived in the house said that it had been like that for months whilst she lived here. So, after nagging the landlord, he eventually brought round his ‘technician’. Armed only with a hammer and a wrench about 4 times the size needed for any domestic use, he fitted a new tap. Judging by the noise made and tools available, I suspect the new tap was hammered into place, so we’ll wait and see how long it lasts and the kitchen floods.

Yesterday I finally visited the war memorial and museum that I’ve passed at least twice daily on my way to work and back for the last few months. Well, it isn’t going anywhere so I can visit anytime. The monument features on almost all emblems, pictures, logos etc that have anything to do with Mekelle, it’s visible from miles away and also makes a good marker for me to navigate home by. If it ever fell over, there’s a good chance the golden ball would take out our house.

The monument is very, err, Soviet, in style, despite the fact it’s to celebrate the downfall of the communist-backed Derg. The museum displays hundreds of photos from the fight between the TPLF (Tigray Peoples Liberation Front) and the Derg. The style and wording of the displays reminded me of museums I’ve been to in Russia and Vietnam, ‘heroic struggles’ etc etc. The TPLF, along with other groups went on to form the ruling EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front).

For fans of ‘The Life of Brian’, as far as I know the TPLF and EPRDF are unrelated to the People’s Front of Judea or Judean People’s Front, or any variation thereof!

Yesterday, not only was the power off for the scheduled 6am-6pm power out, it continued later into the evening. The power is often off 6pm until round 8 or 9, so the electricity company managed to achieve no interruption in the non-supply of electricity between the day time and early evening power outs.

However, darkness doesn’t stop pool being played, all that’s needed are a couple of dim, flickering candles placed on the edge of the table. Being almost unable to see any of the balls at the far end doesn’t stop anyone here, although I think I may need more practice in these lighting conditions (or eat more carrots). I was completely beaten in both games, not even potting a ball in one game (expect the white), despite the fact my opponent continued playing whilst having conversation on his mobile. My lack of practice in low-lighting pool is my excuse anyway.

Can you spot the difference between these Ethiopian banknotes… both are 10 birr notes, one given to me in the bank, the other as change in a shop.

The cost of the sellotape holding the top note together wouldn’t be much less than the note is worth!

Internet speed improved very slightly today – so I’ve been able to add the pics from xmas day now.