Ethiopia: 13 months of sunshine

Before I came to Africa, my knowledge of Ethiopia was limited to a few impressions: the famine that inspired live aid in the 1980s, a connection to Jamaica and Rastifasim, The colours red, yellow, green and black, and the emotional image of the girl who got up on stage just before Madonna t the Live 8 concert a couple of years ago. I thought she had been scrubbed up pretty well by a stylist and P.R. team. She spoke with sounds I had never heard before.

Well, I'm just filling in the gaps. Ethiopia is staunchly independent and resiliently self centred.. i think we are going to get along just fine. Ethiopia was never colonised (there was a 5 year Italian occupation during WWII, but that doesn't count). They have their own language (Amaric), script (looks like some old alchemy texts), music (made for dancing), dance style (it's all in the shoulders), food (a pancake thing that has a crumpet texture and tastes like sour dough), religion (Ethiopian Orthodox Christian), time (starts at sunrise, so 12 noon is 6am) and calender (13 months). In Ethiopia it's 1999 and the millennium party is going to be in September... God created the Universe in September 3000 years ago apparently.

I'm settling into teaching. I teach 11-16 year olds, very happy I have the older kids... and super happy that their idea of primary school is a lot longer than my idea. I wear a white lab coat as my uniform. I have been told off for wearing too many bracelets, but I have compensated with and abundance of earrings and necklaces. Yes, I am petty.

My accommodation is not yet ready, I am itching to getting my own apartment (which I will share with the other foreign teachers when they arrive next month). I was in a hotel for a few nights. Now I have been moved into the family home of one of the school's owners. Lovely for the experience, but still craving my own space. All in good time.