Orientation Week 1
Aside from settling into our apartments and daily routines of shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc., we have also been organising various aspects of paperwork. Wednesday saw me and the other new Australian couple head to the Australian Embassy, currently located in the Hilton hotel (apparently they won’t move into their own building until they can get one built to Australian standards). Our task was to have our Australian drivers licences authenticated. This involved them writing a letter that explained the main information and conditions of our licences. We managed this task in about half an hour. We then needed to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have the letter authenticated and stamped. This can take several hours of waiting in line in a courtyard, but again, I think we only needed to wait about half an hour, maybe a little longer. To have both of these steps accomplished in a single morning is apparently quite an achievement. The next task is to visit the licence bureau to actually apply for the licence!
The next day our drivers took most of the new staff to the Licence Bureau to help us get our licences. Their job was not just to get us there, but also to help us to complete all the paperwork, including a form that must be filled out in Amharic script… We would never have managed it ourselves, so these men were such a blessing to us! I now have a beautifully laminated piece of paper that states that I may drive a car in Ethiopia. Of course, SIM will not actually let me drive a car until I have had a driving test to ensure that not only can I manage Ethiopian road rules, traffic and pedestrians, but in my case, also that I can handle driving on the wrong… er… right side of the road. Time for me to retrain my brain and hands; I think my feet will be able to largely do the same that they usually do in terms of clutches, brakes and accelerators! I intend to practise in the safety of the compound before I actually take my test some time later this week!
First Day
2 Comments »4th August, 2011; Category: Ethiopia 2011
Today has been my first full day at Bingham Academy in Ethiopia. Right now as I write this, it’s sunny, but earlier there was a torrential shower of rain and a little thunder!
Last night I slept like a log. After leaving Jacqui’s place (in another torrential downfall) I got to bed at 8pm. I don’t actually remember lying there awake so I think I pretty much passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Bliss! I awoke at the crack of 4am of course, but was happy with a solid 8 hours sleep! I go up a little while later to “powder my nose”, then went back to bed, but decided I was feeling peckish so I made a small “first breakfast” of homemade biscuits, an orange and a cup of cinnamon tea. It was a good time to pop onto the internet and check emails, while there was less demand on the school’s wireless connection. My neighbours beneath me heard me up and about, so I’m going to try to be a bit quieter, although I think the flushing toilet only has one volume… Then I got up at 7am to shower and have “second breakfast”, this time of warmed up fresh rolls with Danish cherry jam and another cup of tea. Yes, I am feeling a bit like a hobbit and think the habit could catch on if I insist on waking before dawn!
Health-wise I am doing fine. I have had a bit of an altitude headache and post long haul flight light-headedness, but am trying to hydrate as much as I can and I am sure I will adjust soon.
Jacqui collected me at 9am for my first foray into grocery shopping! I won’t need to have much around for dinners this week as meals are largely provided by staff members, either as a shared meal or as a guest in their home, so my shopping list consisted of toiletries, snacks and breakfast foods. Jacqui took me to Shoa Supermarket which had all sorts of interested things. For the record, I found Lindt chocolate (which I snaffled – I think it comes into the category of “if you see it, buy it” as I may not ever see it again!), Snickers bars, Kracks, which are a bit like Pringles and the closest thing I have found to potato chips, Nivea Body Nourishing Milk, Dove shampoo and Laughing Cow cheese. We stopped at the Bakery just outside Bingham’s gates to buy some fresh bagettes which are now in the freezer for breakfast tomorrow morning.
The staff gathered for morning tea so it was lovely to meet some other new staff (so far there are other Australians, English, Americans and Germans). Of course, I am struggling to remember anyone’s name; nouns still aren’t sticking, but as I catch up on missed sleep and settle into a routine, I am sure they’ll return!
Andrea and her children took me out for lunch to the Island Breeze Restaurant which specialises in REALLY good pizza. It was proper wood oven pizza with really nice crusts (crispy, medium and thick – all good) and really tasty toppings. It got washed down with my first African Coca Cola (which pretty much tastes the same as every other place I’ve bought it, including Nepal, Japan and Papua New Guinea… yet to decide if this is a good thing…). As the restaurant was in the centre of the city I got another good look around at the general chaos. So many people! And cows. And donkeys. And pollution. And people. I am learning to tell the difference between Ethiopian sheep (tails down) and goats (tails up). At least I think that’s the difference! As Yvette said on one of my Facebook status updates, it makes the whole Biblical “separating the sheep from the goats” reference a bit more interesting!
The afternoon was a quiet one. I went for a walk on the cross country track that follows the wall of the compound, a bit up hill and down dale which is good. I got a bit puffed, but am choosing to blame that on the altitude, not on my general lack of fitness. I failed in my decision to avoid an afternoon nap and had a little lie down until about 6pm. I’ve just had some of the tomato soup that was left for me in my fridge with another of those bread rolls and am now contemplating bed. It is 8.15pm now… I was hoping to make it to 9pm… we’ll see!
20 things to do at the airport
My friend Heather kindly sent me this in an email…
Time to kill between flights? Not every airport can be Singapore (free movies, a butterfly garden, celebrity meet-and-greets!) or Seoul (crafts centre, free showers and wi-fi!). But even in the most humdrum of air hubs, there’s more to do than just try on expensive sunglasses and eat McDonalds – and often you can get a surprising sample of the culture beyond the terminal. Some distractions, in no particular order:
- Get a shoeshine. Especially if it’s not normally the kind of thing you do. Why not arrive at your destination looking sharp?
- Admire the art. It’s hard to beat Amsterdam’s Schiphol and its old Dutch masters. But even mid-tier airports have surprising artwork in odd corners.
- Try out all the perfumes in duty-free. But for the sake of your fellow passengers do wash them off before you get on board.
- Read the local paper. If it’s in a language you can’t understand, just look at the photos – you’ll appear to the rest of the world like a savvy local. Or just buy the local celebrity rag – spray-on tans transcend language barriers!
- Get a massage. In Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi, you can get a deluxe treatment, but even one of those quickie back-and-neck rubs hits the spot after a long plane journey.
- Crank your soundtrack. With headphones and an eclectic mix, the terminal is your music video set. But no dancing on the moving walkway, please.
- Fantasise at the departures board. And try to pick out the cities you’ve never heard of.
- Enjoy the local food. U.S. airports especially have secret regional goodies, from breakfast tacos in Austin, Texas, to celeb chef Rick Bayless’s haute Mexican in Chicago.
- Sip a local libation. Same idea, but faster: impeccable lager in Prague, flawless espresso in Rome, craft beers in Portland, Oregon.
- Watch the world outside. Decode the ground crew’s hand gestures; see how the baggage handlers treat the odd-size packages.
- Let fish nibble your toes. Only an option in some airports in Asia, but we figure this spa treatment counts as a cultural experience.
- Write your postcards early. Pick out the silliest ones you can find, and confuse your friends.
- Write a letter, longhand. Really confuse your friends.
- Compose haikus. Conveniently, “waiting for a plane” is five syllables. Extra points if you work in the airport name.
- Give yourself a makeover. We’re not saying you need one. Just splurge on a travel-size hairspray, and cruise the makeup in duty-free. Brand-new you!
- Do your dullest shopping. That practical stuff that’s no fun to buy at home – mobile phone cases, new socks – become cool souvenirs if you buy them in transit.
- Do your trashiest shopping. No one’s around to see you buy that Simon Cowell autobiography!
- Ride the train. Or the bus. Or whatever takes you to a different terminal – and possibly a whole different world of entertainment.
- Go on a scavenger hunt. Two teams, two cameras – who can take pics of all the letters of the alphabet first?
- Get some fresh air. Actually, we know of only one airport where this is possible: Kuala Lumpur, where you can walk around a “rain forest” that’s actually outside.
Preparing for the Journey
Mum and Dad came to stay for about four days to help me with some jobs. Paul and his teenage son Paul are moving in after the sale of their house, so I had a bit of work to do to make it liveable for someone other than me! Dad tidied the shed, and did an absolutely marvellous job. Mum and I maintained that it was good enough to live in, and I think the resident rat really appreciates Dad’s work! Dad also did a little garden tidying. Meanwhile Mum cleaned out all my kitchen cupboards and helped me to pack up the spare room for Tom to move into (the furniture, all crappy second hand stuff, is going into the shed so he can move in his own furniture and feel a little more comfortable). Meanwhile I packed, weighed and packed again, checking my list and checking it twice. I don’t think I forgot anything, although I think I might have packed too much… Oh, well. Why be a martyr?
In the meantime, I was also busy having last coffees with dear friends and catching up with people. I celebrated my 40th birthday on 22 July and had a lovely dinner at Glendalough Estate, a new gourmet pizza place in Armagh, just out of Clare. It was such a pleasant evening, and I felt much loved by my dear family and friends. Sunday morning was my commissioning service and Alan and Geoff from SIM in South Australia came to support me. Tuesday was “hot chip nacho” night with some of the crazy kids I teach with. If you’ve never tried melted cheese on top of hot chips, then topped off with salsa, sour cream and avocado, well, you just haven’t lived! Genius idea, Emilie! That was followed by Toblerone fondue into which we may have dipped Mint Slice biscuits…
I finally wrapped up everything at school, including handing over the International programme (at its busiest time of the year) to Melissa and Rachelle, who will do a fantastic job. I may even let them keep doing it next year!
It was quite frantic at times, and I really did wonder how it would all get done. However, as my dear friend Carolyn reminded me when she sent me an SMS with Isaiah 40:28-31, “…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagle; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
So finally it was all done. I am exhausted, but starting to relax enough to enjoy the journey, and not just feel a little panicked!
Mission Kid Pre-field Orientation (MKPFO)
On Friday 18 March I flew to Sydney for the MKPFO training being held at the WEC headquarters in Strathfield. This was the first time a course was run in Australia, although a pilot programme had been run a couple of years earlier. A similar but much longer course is frequently held in the USA and the UK. It was organised by Missions Interlink which is “a network of Australian mission agencies, Bible colleges, churches, support services, and individuals serving Christ and engaging in cross-cultural and global mission.”
I have to admit I wondered what I could learn from a course like this, having taught for 17 years, and having already done the Missions Interlink Short Term Training (MIST) course last year. However I have decided to take advantage of any training offered to me, going with the attitude that it is arrogant of me to assume I know everything. Even if there is not much new, it is valuable to be confirmed in what I already know. As it turned out, it was really useful, and while there were things I already knew, there was plenty of new information, and a wonderful opportunity to meet others who were planning to do very similar work to what I was planning.
There were nine other people who were participating, from a variety of mission organisations, including Interserve, WEC, CMS and OMF. Most were teachers but some were going to be working as house parents. Destinations included Thailand, India and Ethiopia (and not just me!) . There were some who were yet to decide on a destination. The course was run by John and Janine Barclay from Interserve who have lived and worked overseas for many years in Nepal and India, including at Hebron School, a missionary kid (MK) school in India.
Topics covered included:
- crossing cultural boundaries and transitioning into new cultures
- understanding Third Culture Kids (TCKs)
- working and living in multinational teams
- Christian and International Education
- educational options for missionary kids (homeschooling and boarding)
- English as a foreign language (EFL), multilingualism and special needs
- living in restrictive societies and security issues
- child protection
- boarding and dorm parenting
Of particular interest was the discussion of the needs of Third Culture Kids, or TCKs. A TCK is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside of the parents’ culture. The TCK builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background. Third culture kids can include the children of missionaries, aid workers, media representatives, foreign services workers, corporate workers, military personnel, and educators, a very diverse groups. Similarly, children of immigrants and refugees, and those growing up in bi/mulitracial families can have similar experiences.
Some characterisitics of TCKs can include:
- being highly mobile (becoming “global nomads”)
- bcoming bi/multilingual
- being aware of and sensitive to other cultures
- being flexible and adaptable
- being observant to cultural cues and clues
- having a broad world view
- being rootless and restless…
They are certainly kids with unique needs and it was really helpful to discuss their strengths, challenges and how we can best support them as teachers in the context of an MK school in another culture. Teenagers are complex beings at the best of times!
One of the amusing slides John and Janine showed us was one titled “You Know You are an MK when…”
- You don’t have a driver’s licence at 18, but you’re on your third passport
- You speak to your siblings in a foreign language when you don’t want others to understand what you are saying
- You can travel around the world without staying in a hotel
- Most food tastes better when eaten with your fingers
- You know how many timezones you are from GMT
- You have memorized your parents’ deputation speech
- You want to take your shoes of at the door
So all those MKs and TCKs out there: let me know how true this is, and maybe add to the list! I need to learn what makes you guys tick!