Krempt krempt go away!

Greetings from Addis!

The last few weeks have continued to be busy.  We started the summer Kids' Program at Entoto - we are calling it Krempt Kids (krempt is the name for rainy season).  We have had a regular attendance of about 30 kids, most are in 7th - 10th grade.  The smaller group is great because I am beginning to learn names and really get to know this smaller group. When I have enough volunteers, I split the group into three levels.  I usually take the higher level class and speak only in English to them.   One day, I used some of my old leadership lessons and tried to discuss why leadership characteristics are important and the values of teamwork and communication.   They have gone pretty well, especially since leadership is not a common Amharic word so the translator had to explain what the concept is, let alone why it is important.  We also have a small computer room (with two working computers) that we are using.

Teddy, one of our volunteers, teaching computer lessons

They are taught so much rote memorization that it is sometimes a challenge for them to slow down and really understand the task versus them just trying to finish the worksheet as quickly as possible. 

The Library at Entoto

We also have a library which I love!  The kids are allowed to check out two books at a time, for up to a week.  So far, it's been pretty successful!  We also allow for plenty of silent and group reading within the program.  

Me and my completion certificate.  Gobez!  (Good Job!)

I finished Amharic school... for now!  I am trying to practice whenever I can and luckily the kids I work with are very forgiving.  I may return to school this fall to learn the alphabet so I can begin to read. 

Yesterday was a great day!  We hosted a one year anniversary party for the Change boys moving in to the house.  They killed a goat so we had delicious meat, as well as other yummy food, including birthday cake.  We also gave the boys some gifts (including new school supplies for this upcoming school year) and recognized the boy who was ranked highest in his class.  There was a slideshow displaying all the photos from the past few years when the ministry started - it is amazing to see how much the boys have changed!  It was a great celebration!

Some of the Change House leaders cutting the cake (a very important Ethiopian tradition - it's like how we take pictures of a wedding cake getting cut)

Part of the reason it was so great is that the team from my church in DC, National Community Church, arrived on Saturday and helped host the party.  They will be here all week, mainly working with the Change boys.  They did come to Entoto on Saturday and play games with some of those kids as well, even in the rain!  It's great to see some familar faces (and enjoy some of the goodies they brought me!).  It will be a fun week having them here.

Personally, I have been doing well.  I definitely feel settled now - I got some new furniture for the apartment to make it feel very cozy.  I've also had some great connections with people, including Hannah who went to the same youth group as I did in CT and Robyn, who I met through Phil and Becca Smith.  Robyn was only here for a few days but took me to THE best restaurant in Addis (at least so far!). 

Hannah and me

Hannah was here for two weeks so we hung out all the time and had a blast.   It is tough because it's such a transitional community - you are always meeting new people but also saying goodbye to people you really like.  In my opinion, it's worse than DC in that sense!  It's definitely an adjustment but skype calls back home make me feel better too!  Also, the letters and packages I have been receiveing are awesome  - the mail gets here in just over a week and is very reliable (hint, hint!). 

That's it for now!  Thanks for reading and staying in touch!

  

Love,  Lisa