Still alive n' tickin'! Easter is in two weeks, hope all you guys are doing well and are gettin' into the lenten spirit.
“If we are one in heart, we can do ten times as much” ~St. John Bosco.
Day 216, Mar 15th, Tue, 88°F @ 6:20pm,
This morning I woke up a bit sweaty, so I had decided to take a quick shower before going to mass, but as I entered the bathroom I noticed that there was something in the shower, and upon closer inspection it turned out to be a scorpion. Not wanting to deal with this so early in the morning, I placed an upturned jar over the critter and headed off to church. Once I had returned, sufficiently cognitive to deal with the situation, I scooped up the Arachnid and managed to deposit him into a clear jar and sealed the lid, after which I promptly went about showing it to various peoples. I don’t quite understand why the heck I am so “Lucky”, when it comes to encountering these beasties, as the majority of people I showed it to had NEVER seen one before, while during the short duration I have been here I have seen three, two of which located within my domicile.
After I had sufficiently presented the animal to the staff members, I quickly headed to the sisters compound for class (leaving the scorpion back in my office for future study).
At the sisters I ended up working entirely with the 3rd kindergarten group, which was not exactly the best thing in my opinion. The kids seem to get tired of me between the 2nd and 3rd periods, and all hell generally ends up being loosed, but today was thankfully an exception, and they managed to behave themselves somewhat (more due to Sisters frequent drop-ins than anything else I think).
During the play breaks, I managed to finish up the prayer that sister had given me to do, and I thought it turned out rather nice.
Day 217, Mar 16th, Wed, N/A,
I think that the rainy season is starting somewhat early this year. The sheer promulgation of storms that berate the countryside has been somewhat overwhelming of late (with another one blowing in upon us early this morning). When I inquired of the Salesians as to whether or not the of late frequent deluges was the early advent of the precipitous period of the year they replied that it could very well be the first signs of the coming moist spell, but that in all probability it was most likely just a freakish onslaught brought about by the current (La Nina/El Nino?) year, and that the weather should dry up again until around May. Having been satisfied with this explanation, I went about with my usual Wednesday routine, starting with the English class.
The students continued to do some excellent work with Verbs; I’ll probably wrap it up by next Wednesday and start Adverbs. Hopefully they will respond in a similarly positive manner.
I went with Abba Thomas to the Baro-mado district again today; this time we celebrated the Stations of the Cross. Abba had set up the Stations at various point throughout the little compound and as the congregation traveled from station to station they sung an Anuak hymn, which was actually quite beautiful sounding, despite my inability to understand a single word of it.
This evening I finally had another class with the Seminarians concerning computer usage. During the Christmas/post Christmas season it had been chaos, and it seemed like whenever I wasn’t busy in the evenings, they were busy, and vice-versa (It wasn’t until this morning, actually, that I found out that they weren’t busy anymore. Abba Marcos {who is in charge of the seminarians} accosted me as I was leaving Mass and informed me that they would love to continue where they had left off). So after gathering up my compy and a projector, I hitched a ride with Abba Thomas and hosted the class. Unfortunately we had previously missed so many prior classes that if I wished to still cover the same topics that I had wanted to cover when I had started the classes, I had to speed up the lessons a bit, for instance, the previous lesson we had done was on Microsoft word, and now it is on Excell, but instead of being able to spend 4 sessions on it, like I had planned, I think I will have to cut it to 2. Oh well, when life gives ya lemons, make apple juice, and then sit back and watch as the world wonders how you did it, lol.
Day 218, Mar 17th, Thu, 99.6°F @ 1:34pm,
Aha! Today is the Feast day of Saint Patrick! And although no one else really celebrated it, I tried, to the best of my ability, to make it at least a little special. My reasons for this were a couple. The first was that it was a way that I could link myself with my family back home, as they would also be celebrating it (along with a good chunk of the population), so although I am here, in spirit I feel connected with them. The second reason was that I was kinda bored anyway, lol, and wanted an excuse to celebrate. There really wasn’t much I could do out of the ordinary though. Since I had been cutting unneeded things during lent (Sugar, electricity, blah blah), I allowed myself to add some sugar to my coffee this morning, as well as some jam on my bread. I also allowed myself to listen to some Irish tunes, which really helped set the tone of the day, as well as a little tea/biscuit break in the afternoon (and also an extra portion of broiled potatoes this evening for dinner {Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew}). It docent really sound like much, but it actually created a rather jovial atmosphere throughout most of the day (A bit o’ the whiskey would have been nice, but eh, I’ll take what I can get, lol). The Salesians actually seemed somewhat bewildered by my dedication to the feast day, as I am not Irish (in their way of thinking, as in, I’m not from the country of Ireland). The Salesians are particularly fond of celebrating a Saint when it is the Patron of their country or people. So I had to explain that since America is a country of immigrants all of our feast based on cultures come from the cultures that came here. And since the Irish population is such a large one (or at least used to be) Saint Patrick’s became a welcome and widespread feast (it probably didn’t hinder its rise to popularity that the day commonly celebrated with eating, drinking, and general revelry, aye?).
The day itself was actually somewhat of a slow one. I spent the morning half of the day working with Okello and Sister Maris, but nothing out of the ordinary really happened. The kids managed to behave themselves, we did some writing exercises, Sister sent them home with some home work (which probably won’t end up being done), Etc.
Most of the afternoon was spent trying to get caught up in my writing. With the morning half of Thursdays being devoted to the Sisters now I am finding it a bit hard to keep abreast of all my postings. It probably doesn’t help that my “artistic process” is a bit whack. It seems that lately it’s been somewhat difficult to be in the right mood for writing, and so I’ll start a new chapter (day), erase it, and end up rewriting it several times before I’m satisfied. Either that or I’ll be impeded by a huge mental “bricks” that go flying through my mind, leaving large gaping holes, ideas strewn right and left, and general carnage in their wake. But then other times it seems that the things I write simply roll of my “fingers” as I type away, without necessarily thinking about it.
Day 219, Mar 18th, Fri, 99.4°F @ 3:35pm,
I was asked by Abba Thomas today to assist him in a rather large project that will probably consist of much work. He has asked me to help him prepare a PowerPoint presentation of the seven sacraments, which will include many pictures, some music, as well an explanation of what each one is, both in text and voice recording. I won’t be able to start on it for another couple weeks though, as Abba needs to write up what he wants it to say, and I also, I need to take a bunch more pictures.
Speaking of Abba Thomas, I think he shall be the subject of today’s bio. He was born in a small town in India to a large family (in the 1940’s I think), of which he was the last child. As he was growing up, he seemed to have an affinity for the religious life, but it wasn’t until he met a Salesian that he knew he truly wanted to be a priest. After the 10 years of seminary training, and after he was ordained, he spent some time working at a university, and later, a seminary, teaching philosophy. His first mission experience was in Bhutan, where he helped to run a Salesian school for many years. He then traveled to Iraq, where he again assisted in the education of the children (it was actually in Iraq where he met Abba Larcher for the first time). After some time in Iraq, he moved on to Namibia (not Kenya, was mistaken about that), where he ran a parish (and encountered all kinds of challenges). After Namibia, Abba came to Ethiopia, and has been working here about 6-7 years (I believe the total time he has spent of the African continent is 13 years). Fr. Thomas currently is the parish priest of St. Josephs in Gambella (which includes the sub-communities of Baro-mado & Newland) and carries out all the responsibilities required of his station with efficiency, grace, humility, and kindness. Out of all the Salesians here, I think he is the one that I admire and look up to the most
Day 220, Mar 19th, Sat, 100.2°F @ 3:15pm,
Today is the feast day of St. Joseph, a double feast for the Salesians here, as St. Joseph is also the Patron of the local parish. Morning mass was attended by a more than usual number of people, who came to celebrate the feast day with the Salesians.
After the service, and after a quick breakfast, I was asked by Br. Endalkachew if I would attend the Parent/Teacher/Student meeting that they were going to hold this morning and take a bunch of pictures. So after making sure that my camera was charged, I sauntered off to the “general all-purpose” building and waited for everyone to show up. And I waited…and I waited…and then I waited some more. The meeting was supposed to start at around 8:30-9:00, but we didn’t end up starting till after 10:00, that’s Ethiopian time for ya, I swear, half of the time I’ve spent here in Africa has been waiting… and the other half has been sleeping, lol. Anyhow, we finally did manage to start the meeting, which consisted of several talks from Abba Larcher, explaining what our mission was here, as well as a few by Br. Endalkachew and a couple of the other teachers. After the speeches there were some dances that had been put on by some of the primary school kids (There always seems to be dancing of some sort, regardless of what kind of gathering it be…), and then some of the school children who scored highly in their grades were given prizes, as well as a certificate stating their achievement. After that it was pretty much over, everyone flooded out of the building and headed back home, for lunch I presume, for a decent length of time had elapsed.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in the usual Saturday fashion, reading, writing (no Arithmetic though, thanks be to God, lol), Oratory, etc; However, in the evening we were invited to join those at the Vicariate (The Bishop and his priest’s and seminarians) for evening prayers and dinner, Hallelujah! I was beginning to wonder If I would have to wait until Easter to eat at the Bishops table again. At the dinner I learned something rather interesting, which I had noticed before but never really realized till now, the Salesians here (I’m not sure if they also do it at other places in the world, could just be a cultural thing) celebrate their “name” day. I hadn’t realized til tonight that this was just simply celebrating the feast day of the saint for which your parents named you after, and today Abba Larcher (who first name is the Italian version of Joseph, Giuseppe, I believe) and one of the Sisters (For some reason I keep forgetting her name, argh!) celebrated theirs today. It was a most jovial occasion, with many songs being sung, and laughter of a highly contagious sort. We even had a short skit of sorts, that the sisters had managed to ask a couple of the seminarians to perform (There were three of them, one playing Jesus, another playing Joseph, and the last playing Mary. The attempted solemnity of the play, which was accompanied by the singing of the sisters, was somewhat put off by the rather humorous appearance of the seminarian playing Mary {About which the Bishop commented, to peals of laughter, that he hadn’t realized how muscular Mary was, lol}).
The get-together was a much need break from the daily routine, which had somewhat become rather monotonous of late. Hopefully there shall be more such occasions, although I doubt there shall be any other until after Easter (unfortunately I shant be able to celebrate my “name” day, as the feast of James the Apostle isn’t until July 23rd I believe, at which point I will most likely be in Addis, preparing to leave… confounded bad luck that, lol)
Day 221, Mar 20th, Sun, 102.8°F @ 3:40pm,
Nothin’ at all out of the ordinary really happened today, aside from the evening meal containing a rather peculiar dish that greatly resembled the American dish of Chili (A most fascinating concoction! I consisted merely of large red beans of some sort in a sauce that I guessed to be tomato based. I added some vinegar, salt, cheese (of a type that Abba Larcher is particularly fond of, I believe it’s a provolone of some kind, tasty, but a great deal sharper then what I prefer, eh, but I’ll take what I can get, aye), a kind of Ethiopian pepper that tastes a lot like a Jalapeño, and ate it with a side of bread, and I’ll tell ya what, it tasted Exactly like the chili back home! Course, it could be said that I have forgotten what chili actually tastes like and that I’m actually somewhat delusional (Sometimes I swear I can smell bacon cooking, it drives me crazy. I’m pretty sure the cooks are toying with me, lol), but I think that since I have managed to state that I could be mentally impaired indicates I am quite sane, as it is only those who adamantly persist that they are of perfectly sound mind who are actually the crazy ones, or so I’ve heard.
On to the prayer of the week; since it is Lent, I thought I would focus upon Lent-ish prayers, which brings me to today’s, which is one of my favorites and I usually say it as an extra conclusion to the Stations of the Cross.
Stabat Mater
(Composed by Jacopone da Todi, who lived during the latter half of the 13th century)
1. At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last:
Through her heart His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has past.
2. Oh how sad and sore-distressed
Was that Mother highly blest
Of the sole begotten One!
Christ above in torment hangs;
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.
3. Is there one who would not weep
Whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,-
In that mothers untold?
4. Bruised , derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent:
For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation,
Till His spirit forth He sent.
5. O thou Mother, fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with thine accord;
Make me feel as thou hast felt,
Make my heart to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord.
6. Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.
Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
7. Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him Who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live;
By the cross with thee to stay,
There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.
8. Virgin of all virgins best!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share thy grief divine;
Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of thine.
9. Wounded with His every wound,
Steep my soul till it hath swooned,
In His very Blood away;
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die
In His awful judgment-day.
10. Christ, when thou shalt call me hence,
Be thy mother my defence,
Be thy cross my victory;
While my body here decays,
May my soul Thy goodness praise
Safe in paradise with Thee.
Day 222, Mar 21st, Mon, 87.9°F @ 6:00pm,
Twas a dark n’ stormy night yesterday, quite possibly the biggest yet! The wind was in an unprecedented fury, with rain striking the roof like the torrents of a great waterfall, and unlike most of the previous storms, thunder was in epic abundance, with gargantuan peals coming again and again! I learned this morning that the squall had actually felled several trees (a few of which were ours)! Thankfully there were no human casualties, although for awhile Abba Larcher feared for the worst (as many of the local’s houses are constructed in a rather flimsy manner and prone to being “uprooted” during the storms such as the one which transpired on the evening of yore).
Despite the minor carnage that the storm had caused, classes managed to continue on schedule (to my surprise, as the usually is an absence of student on even the least provocation of hindrance) and I managed to finish up the Verb exercises with the students.
The afternoon was nice and cool (a sort of aftereffect of the storm), and without really intending to, I ended up falling asleep during my readings (which reminds me, I don’t think I have mentioned which book I have started reading in lue of “The Missionary Call”. It is actually a book containing the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe, I had checked it out of the library some time ago, and had forgotten about it until I “discovered” it about a week ago. I have always been a fan of Poe’s work, but have only ever managed to finish but a handful of his literary contributions, so I am keenly taking dvantage of this opportunity to acquaint myself with the rest). I ended up napping till around 5:30, at which point I commenced my readings.
After supper, I received a rather unexpected but highly anticipated call from my folks back home. It seems like ages since I last heard their voices, and I actually ended up spending nearly 50 minutes talking to them! I still miss them dearly, and I really can’t wait to see them again in August, but the call went a long way in helping to ease the homesickness which seems to hang on me some days.
Once I had finished the call, I went to obtain another bottle of water (I tend to go though H20 like a fish), when I discovered that Abba Larcher had been disturbed from his slumber by my joyful conversation (apparently my vocal inflection of delight was several octaves to high) and was seeking refuge in the rec-room. After apologizing most profusely (to which replied {with a grin} that it was no problem, but next time maybe I could take my call in the rec-room?) he went off to seek an evening’s slumber, while I stayed behind in the rec-room, with my attention firmly attuned to the TV program that he had been observing.
It was about Ethiopia, more specifically, about the huge amount of diversity in Ethiopia, culturally, as well as geologically and biologically. I learned about the Afar people, who lived in a migratory fashion and made a living raising livestock and venturing into the scorching salt flats of the region (who’s temperature I hear far exceed that of Gambella) and harvest that most precious sodium deposit for sale in the other towns of Ethiopia. I also learned about the Volcano (who’s Amharic name means the mountain that smokes) as well as the hot springs that dominate a section of Ethiopia that is known for its geological peculiarities (The place in question is where several tectonic plates meet, creating a kind of depression. I wish I could remember the exact name of the place, the “something depression” I am pretty sure it’s is called. I recken’ a Google search should reveal the proper name, as well as a much more interesting decription to those who are interested). I learned more about the city of Harar (some of which I had already heard about from Marie, in Addis, who had gone there during a school break), which was unique in that both Muslims and Christians have been living there for over a thousand years (It’s also well known for its marketplaces, as well as the Hyenas, which are actually fed by hand from a man who had been passed the skill from his father, and his father before him, etc). I learned about some of the interesting animal life (23 species of which can be found in no other country, 9 of which are birds, of which there are nearly 700 species!), and I even learned about some of the eastern villages (some of which are near Gambella) that have still never encountered a representative of the western world. Ethiopia is indeed a marvelous place, and I hope I get to see some of the places of interest before I leave, in particular I wish to see Lalibella, Axum, Gondor, and Afar.
For those of you that are interested, the documentary was directed by an Anders Erickson, perhaps an internet search will reveal the film for viewing? (I warn all those interested that the film does contain a bit of tribal nudity, so be forewarned)
I stayed up later then I had wanted to, and subsequently had little trouble falling asleep, but I suspect it will take its toll on me tomorrow
Day 223, Mar 22nd, Tue, N/A,
My assumptions yesterday about my state of being upon my waking this morning were quite correct, and I was quite fatigued, but I managed to get to the Sisters compound on time for class. The classes was decent, every time the teacher who is supposed to be helping me leaves (which happens frequently) the kids work themselves into a fervor, and all attempts of education are basically moot. Thankfully sister stopped by occasionally and restored order.
Tsion (not Cion, finally got the right spelling) stopped by with Okello in the afternoon, and we gave her a tour of the compound. When we stopped by the library, she became very excited, and after requested if it would be possible to barrow a book. I didn’t see any problem with it, so I checked one out for her(A Harry Potter book, lol, last place in the world where you would expect to find one), and after being informed by the librarian to return it in a week, she happily hurried homewards, as the sky was quickly starting to darken with the threat of a rainy evening. It ended up not raining though, but the evening was a bit muggy.
I would like to add a quick word about the increase of flies. They have increased…A LOT! Due to the rains, the larva have been hatching, and so they are literally swarming over each other in certain place here. The flies seem especially attracted to the youths in the area, swarming en mass about them and covering their heads and eyes (I don’t know how they stand it!). I think it says something about the personal hygiene of the area, lol. But really I think it’s sweat the flies are attracted to because after walking to church in the blistering sun they seem to attracted to me as well. The worst thing is dinner time; the flies are constantly buzzing around and being a general nuisance of themselves. It actually kinda freaks me out, and I am constantly waving them away from the food (Back home we only have fruit flies, and I don’t mind them as much, but for all I know the flies that are land on my potatoes and wot could have been scooting around on one of the copious piles of dung that one can find in nearly every corner of the town… Blech!).
Day 224, Mar 23rd, Wed, 98°F @ 3:00pm,
During English class this morning, I tried to teach the students about Adverbs & Prepositions, but their understanding of the concept was nil, so I decided to quickly switch to the dictionary vocab exercise (which went well). I am at a bit of a loss as to how I can get them to understand something so simple as Adverbs, let alone Paragraphs… I really wish that they had taught us some teaching methodology back in the Salesian training.
After English class, I very quickly printed out some simple pictures (with plain black lines, nothing fancy and hurried to the primary school, where I had my first day of “Art” class. It was really as simple as handing out the print’s I had made, and having them copy the image onto their note books. Mark-John helped me to pass out all the papers, as well as translating what I said, and helping to make sure they weren’t simply tracing the pictures. The printed images for today were a basket ball, a kind of puzzle piece clipart, and a kind of cartoonish racecar (those were the only ones that I could find in the computer that were simple enough for them to copy with little difficulty), but I intend to search the Internet for more usable samples tomorrow.
Day 225, Mar 24th, Thu, 97°F @ 3:00pm,
Class at the Sisters compound was a veritable nightmare of chaos and destruction! Okay, maybe it wasn’t THAT bad, but still, it was pretty bad. I didn’t have any teachers helping me, and Sister was busy taking care of several of the compounds tenants, so I was left entirely to myself to maintain order. The class started okay, but quickly dissolved into the usual primordial din, with the cacophony of havoc reigning supreme over all! I had been trying several different things (in terms of “punishing”) to keep order, the first was to separate the antagonist and have him/her go to the front of the class and stand with their head between their knees. At first this seemed to work, and I suspect it will work better with smaller groups of miscreants, but in my case there was literally a row of the trouble makers, with more leaping out of their chairs to join their comrades simply for the “fun” of it?!?! The other, and far more successful tool of justice, is that of banishment, which I have been reserving for more serious cases (for instance, when their joking turns to physical blows with each other), but this particular tool is of limited use. Well, today, every attempt to “punish” the main perpetrators was met merely with peals of laughter, and there was literally no way to carry on with the teaching, so I decided to try a different tactic (born somewhat out of frustration). Without a word I marched out of the class, and met every call after me with a wave of the hand and the word “no” in Amharic. I sauntered around the gate for awhile until I located Mulu, the gate keeper, and asked him to come back with me and translate what I said. I basically told the kids that if they were going to misbehave like that, I wouldn’t bother to come anymore, as I had plenty of other things that I could be helping other than wasting my time, and that it was only because they wanted me here that I was here. I then left the compound early, in the hopes that they would think about what I said.
However, once I got back to the Salesian compound, I was in for a bit of a surprise, apparently Br. Endalkachew had re-scheduled the primary school art class, so now I will be working with them all morning on Thu and Fri, which I won’t be able to help out at the kindergarten on Thu anymore… but perhaps that’s for the best? The new schedule cuts even more time out of my blog writing time, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it all play out.
This evening I started my assignment to locate and print out new pictures for the art class, and ended up spending many hours working on it, and as a result I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep.
Today’s Haiku is about one of my favorite pastimes, which should seem readily apparent to most people. (10 points to whoever guesses which specific three “BLANK” I’m mentioning in the Haiku, lol)
8-bit
Grab the rings and coins,
Pick the plants and shoot the bots,
Hey, an extra life!
~ じょしゅわ
Day 226, Mar 25th, Fri, 96°F @ 4:00pm,
I think I only ended up sleeping about 1½ hours, maybe 2, and was absolutely exhausted, but I had managed to finish the project and had located more then 500+ pictures that the students could use, from animals and people, to car, plane and plants (although I was running around like a decapitated chicken trying to make sure I had enough copies for everyone in the classes). Despite how sleepy I was, I made sure to send a portion of the blog to my folks, cause I know they tend to worry if I don’t post for long periods, and it’s been awhile since my last one I think.
I was very thankful for having Mark-John help me during today’s class, with how tired I was, I think it would have been a real chore to do on my own. The new pictures that I had assembled were received with much enthusiasm (even Mark-John acknowledged the usefulness of the collection, which really made me feel that all the hard work I had put into it was worth it), and the classes went as smooth as silk.
After class I tried to take a short nap, but only managed to get another hour or so under my belt before Abba Tulio showed up with Abba Deselgn to take me to Itang for the weekend. And really, the lack of sleep was counteracted by the excitement of being able to go somewhere else, so I was wide awake and chatting with the two Abba’s as we drove towards our destination. The conditions of the road we were traveling on had been vastly improved since my last visit. Whereas last time it took us nearly an hour and a half, this time it took us barely 45 minutes. The reason for this decreased travel time was the addition of the the newly laid “Black top”, which covered a good 2/3’s of our route now, so the miles (I mean Kilometers, lol) literally flew by and before I knew it we were in Itang.
Since there was nothing really on our itinerary for the afternoon/evening until evening prayers and mass at 7:00pm, I decided to finish the nap that I had started earlier (as some of the excitement had worn off upon reaching the destination). Sleep eluded me though, and I settled for reading a bit, and then wondering about the compound and meeting some of the tennents (a few of which I had recognized from my last visit and greeted warmly).
Before I knew it, evening had arrived, and after Stations of the Cross, confession, and mass, it was time for dinner, which was a simple fare of vegetables and soup (it being a Friday during lent and all). After dinner I decided to get to sleep early today (or at least try to) in order to face the day refreshed tomorrow, so after excusing myself, I retreated to my bed chamber, were I faced the prospect of sleep with much trepidation. I say trepidation, because my barrowed bed had no bug net, and while the dry season was plenty far enough along to ensure that there were no rogue malaria filled bimby (Mosquitoes) seeking my destruction, I still felt incredibly naked laying there uncovered by that thin gauze which had become so normal and commonplace in Gambella (It didn’t help also that Abba still had a bat problem, and although there were no longer worms being produced in the guano and working their way through the ceiling, the thought still loomed in my mind. {Also, the thought that a cobra [which have been OCCASIONALLY spotted in the area. As I think I have mentioned before, Abba has had an encounter with one] would somehow [impossibly] make its way into my room and sink it’s fangs into me didn’t help either, lol, gotta love irrational fears}
Day 227, Mar 26th, Sat, 98°F @ 3:30pm,
I woke up surprisingly refreshed at 7:15am this morning (despite all my phobias I had passed the night unscathed), and after a breakfast with Abba Tulio and Abba Deselgn (consisting of an omelet and tomatoes, with toasted sesame bread with REAL jam and peanut butter, lol) I eagerly accompanied them to the church, where we prayed the Rosary with a group of parishioners, which surprisingly {and delightfully} consisted almost entirely of young adults and youths. I am always surprised when I come to Itang by the commitment of the church goers. Although it’s somewhat of a small group, when compared with other churches in the area, I think they more than make up, in faith, what they lack in numbers, and I am sure it has to do with Abba Tulio being an exemplary presence here.
After the Rosary, I talked at length with several of the young men on topics ranging from the condition of the weather in Gambella, the differences here in Ethiopia when compared with my home, to the future plans we had for our lives. Despite the language and culture barrio, it was really nice to be able just to talk with them without entering into either an argument about some topic, and without them asking me for something, which seems to be the majority of conversations lately.
I think our discourse lasted several hours, and before I knew it, it was tea time (10:00am), and I accompanied the youths to the hostel, where Abba and some helpers administered cups of tea and biscuits to all those present. I learned at the repast that several of the youths had been busy repairing Abba’s fence, which had become damaged in a storm and was in need of replacing. Again, it’s nice to see the youths taking such integral role in helping to support Abba in his ministry here.
Once we had finished our snack, I accompanied Abba Tulio and met with some of the elders, whom he was administering medicines/vitamins to. Whereas the youths can definitely be considered a support of Abba’s role here, there can be no denying that the elderly, in particular, elderly woman, make up another strong pillar of the church, not just here, but in the Catholic church in general (In my humble opinion). They were the first ones who started attending Abba’s bible sharing meetings, and have since become an integral factor of support, both spiritually, and physically (visiting the sick, the poor, etc). The parishioners of the church here have definitely become what I would call an ideal Christian community.
At 11:15pm, I volunteered to help Abba Tulio with lunch, and quickly busied myself with concocting a batch of rice pilaf (with garlic, onions and white pepper). Ah, how nice it is to be cooking again. It definitely feels like I’ve become rusty, and I have to think twice when I try to remember how to do things, but it feels just like riding a bike, ya never really forget, and the pilaf turned out a-ok.
After lunch the Abbas went to take a nap. I briefly considered taking a bit of rest, but decided to read my book instead (to make falling asleep tonight easier, hehe). Once Abba Tulio had finished his nap, he joined me in the rec-room for some reading, but eventually a conversation was started concerning the difficulties facing those working in the mission field, specifically the respective personal challenges that face us. It was really nice to get the problems that I face off my chest to someone in person, and Abba really helped me to affirm my place here as a volunteer, doing what I could with what I had been given. Our conversation wasn’t all about difficulties, at one point, after I think I mentioned how much how I don’t mind watching foreign subtitled movies (particularly Japanese), Abba mentioned how he had been flying to New York some years past, and he was trying to find and in flight movie to watch. I wasn’t feeling like watching an American shoot em’ up, and so he was browsing the international movie section when he came across a subtitled Japanese movie about a noodle maker who faced the challenge of competing with a noodle factory, as well as the challenge of getting his sons to follow in his footsteps in the changing times. Abba couldn’t remember what the name of the movie was, but remembered that it was the name after the particular noodle that the chef made in the movie, so I started naming off various Japanese noodles until I got to Udon, at which point Abba said that was the name of the film. The story then continued, with Abba telling me that when he had landed, the priest who met him, asked him if there was a particular kind of food that he would like to eat (Italian, Chinese, Indian), and Abba informed him about the movie he had just seen, and asked if it was possible to locate a place that served the same dish. They had managed to find one, and Abba enjoyed very much the soup. At this point I expounded upon the virtues of Japanese food, but I won’t bore you with the details, suffice to say, it was wonderful to talk about a topic that I have a particular passion about.
Dinnertime rolled around, and I had crafted a kind of mushroom tuna casserole/stew with potatoes (quite tasty). During our dinner conversation, Abba Deselgn filled us in with what he had been up to for most of the day (A quick word about his role here. Since Fr. Tulio will be leaving in May, Fr. Deselgn will be replacing him as parish priest, so Fr. Deselgn has been spending several weekends in Itang, learning the ropes). He had gone with several of the parishioners to see the local health clinic (where he talked with some of the administration) as well as a guided tour of the town, where he was introduced to several people of importance. It’s really nice to see Abba Deselegn adapting so well to Itang (although he is going to have to learn how to cook, as he has little experience in doing so).
After our evening repast, I watched some home movies of the parish (masses, choir practice, feast days) which Abba Tulio has been showing Abba Deselegn to help get him acquainted with the faces and people of the church (Abba Tulio frequently paused to explain who a certain person was and any other specifics that would be important for Abba Deselgn to know). At 10:00pm, the power had to be shut off to conserve energy (the only power the church in Itang gets is from a generator, although Abba Tulio stated that the local government might possibly be doing something to correct this in the coming months *fingers crossed*), so after a quick shower, it was off to bed, which was a little less phobic, but still difficult mentally. Let’s just say that I’ll be happy to sleep in “my” own bed tomorrow night, lol.
Day 228, Mar 27th, Sun, 97.7°F @ 5:24pm,
This morning I woke up to the Orthodox Church blasting out some kind of chant on a speakerphone at 4:00am in the morning. Good God people, if the Lord wanted man to wake up that early, He would have created humans with a rooster graphed to their backs! I tried to get back to sleep, but was only able to sleep in fits and starts, and when the local mosque joined in with their loudspeaker, I gave up all hope of getting anymore decent sleep, lol.
At 7:05 I joined Abba Tulio in the dining room, and once Abba Deselegn joined us, we went about consuming our breakfast, all the while swapping stories about how we weren’t able to sleep. I mentioned to them that I remembered the Sunday morning chant during my last visit, but I don’t remember them being this loud, to which Abba Tulio responded that the other church had re-positioned their speaker, which now blasted in our general direction, lol.
Breakfast was followed by the Rosary at 7:30, and mass at 8:00. During the mass (which, as I mentioned during my last stay here, is a mixture of Nuer, Annuak, and Amharic as well as English), a mentally challenged youth joined us for service. He didn’t cause much of a stir (even though he was flitting from one corner of the church to the other, and at one point was sitting in one of the Abba’s chairs, [to which he had to be gently coaxed out of}) and I was very grateful to the community for how they received him with patience and love. It seems to me (through observance) that many Ethiopians in Gambella treat people who have a mental handicap with suspicion, and even fear, so it was nice to see the opposite of that for a change.
After mass I took several pictures of the youths, young adults, and elders of the church, specifically because I had no idea if this would be my last visit. Lunch was a meal of beef stew with carrots cabbage and tomatoes over potatoes (Mmmm, probably the last western meal I’ll eat for the next three months), after which we all relaxed until 4:00, when it was time to go back to Gambella. So, after some quick goodbyes to several of te youths that I had become friends with, climbed into Abba Tulio’s waiting car, and we started back towards “home”.
It was a strangely surreal journey back to our compound as I thought to myself that this could be the last time that I see the Itang countryside.
We made it to the Salesian compound in record time, and after inviting Abba Tulio to a quick tea n’ biscuit, I bid him goodbye (he mentioned that he would be in Gambella this Wed, so he would stop by then as well) and he was on his way back to Itang.
The first thing I did was attend Oratory, which was just ending. While I was there, I met an Abba Carlo, who had been one of the founders of the Salesian compound here in Gambella (I have seen him in several pictures of the early stages of the compound and had been wondering who he was). He is currently retired (He is 87 years old and only speaks Italian now) and is visiting all the sites that he helped start (which I hear are many).
After Oratory, Br. Legesse informed me that a package had come for me with Abba Filipo on his return from Addis, and upon my acquisition of said package, I found out that it had been sent from Jayne, and it contained many items of an educational or spiritual nature, as well as a couple movies (who’s legal origins I suspect, lol). I tried calling her to thank here, but I received no reply, so I’ll have to try again later.
I also found out that Br. Endalkachew had left for another meeting in Addis yesterday, the lucky dog. I think that I shall have to ask if it would be alright if I could accompany him on his next trip to Addis, as I very much miss my fellow volunteers and wouldn’t mind meeting up with them for a day or two.
The rest of the evening passed without any major altercation, save one. When I tried to take a shower before going to bed, I was greeted by a foul smell as I turned on the water, which was soon followed by black “stuff” that was coming out with the water… Blurgh! Unfortunately there was nothing much I could do other then take of the shower nozzle and let the water run its course, hoping that whatever was stuck in the pipe would be pushed through. Thankfully, that’s exactly what happened, eventually the water was running crystal clear and there was not accompaniment of odd smells. I am pretty sure that some plant matter (leaves perhaps) had gotten stuck in the pipes, as the gunk had a specific decomposed earthy smell to it, but I can’t help but wonder how it managed to find its way into the pipes… again, Blargh!
Day 229, Mar 28th, Mon, 97.4°F @ 5:00pm,
I kept class simple this morning, and decided to stick with the dictionary vocabulary lessons until I figure out how to properly breach the more “advanced” topics. After class I spent some time perusing the library, of which I have only ever really explored the English Fiction/Literature section. There were a few books that I stumbled across that were of particular interest. The first had to do with photography and journalism of the American Old West. I had recently become somewhat fascinated with that particular period of American expansion, and the book only served to enhance my interest. The second book was entitled “Man’s greatest adventure” and dealt with the various Apollo mission to the moon. I had forgotten how many missions there were, and after I had finished flipping through it, I had to wonder when would be the next mission to the moon (It is my opinion that humanity has been long overdue on establishing a moon base, however, I may just get my wish of seeing a moon landing, as there is talk that NASA is considering putting an Observatory of the moon… Sweet!). The last book/s was a collecting of books that chronicled the changes (both in subject and portrayal) of Literature. The tomes were quite large, and it took my several hours just to skip through them (pausing now and then over particular topic of interest), and I have come to the conclusion that after I have finished “Poe”, I shall be taking up a few of the stories that were featured in the collection (in particular, the “Odyssey” and “Macbeth”).
After my educational foray into the depths of the library, I paused by the office on my way back my residence and entertained a brief conversation with me mates Surafle and Bayu. This time it had to do with a kind of mathematic cipher that Bayu had come up with.
Once I made it to my compound, I sat outside on the porch in a plastic chair and started a Rosary, which turned into a kind of half conscious prayerful nap (quite peaceful) which probably would have continued for some time if it hadn’t been interrupted by Tsion, whose presence I had not even noticed until she announced her presence, lol (A good thing she did interrupt me too, otherwise I would have never gotten to sleep tonight). She had stopped by to drop of the book she had barrowed, she hadn’t finished it in time, so she asked if she might barrow it some other week, which I am pretty sure would be no problem. The Library had already closed today, so I wasn’t able to return it tonight, which was somewhat advantageous, because out of curiosity I started reading the book, and I actually ended up finishing the book before going to bed. I had always wondered what all the hype was about concerning the Harry Potter books, it was a pleasant read by all means, but it certainly wasn’t a C.S. Lewis, but decent none the less.
Day 230, Mar 29th, Tue, 106°F @ 3:00pm,
So, kindergarten class, it was rather interesting. For help, one of the tenants of the sisters, who had been subject to a mental disability but was now taking medication and displaying uncanny signs of intelligence, assisted me in maintaining order. The extra hand in administering to the students was exceedingly helpful (he also speaks three languages, Amharic, Nuer, and English, so in matters of translation he is a God-send as well), and I shall be looking forward to working with him (If I remember correctly, his name was Oto).
In the afternoon I stumbled across a packet of messages from all the friends I had made during the training back in New York, and I started to feel extremely nostalgic about the time I spent there. To say that I missed them would be an understatement, as the time I spent with all them had been honestly one of the happiest moments of my life. We were all about the same age, and all of us had the same feeling towards the mission, we had a common goal, and a common faith. In the words of the great poet Tennyson (in his poem “Ulysses”): “That which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak, by time and fate, but strong by will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” I wish I could follow what they have been doing, but I have a somewhat limited amount of time to spend on the internet, and most of it is used in contacting and keeping in touch with my family, or the fellow missionaries who are stationed in Ethiopia (Jayne, Marie, Theresa, Marie, Becky, Stephen, Van). One of the things that I am greatly looking forward to when I reach stateside is to be able to finish reading about all the things that everyone else has been up to. I think that’s one of the things that makes me feel so lonely out here, I feel so isolated away from everything and everybody at times. Well, they are constantly in my prayers, and knowing how small this world really is, hopefully I will meet some of them again, if not in this life, then definitely in the next.
Day 231, Mar 30th, Wed, 102.7° @ 2:46pm,
This morning I was awoken by the military practicing mortar drills in the mountains… how come everything has to happen in the morning? Why couldn’t they practice in the afternoon, lol. I think this is only the second time that I have heared them practicing during my stay here, so at least they aren’t consistently noisy.
I was too busy with trying to write up various assignments that I have been given or taken on(still working on the Gambella report, as well as a kind of missions report that I have been given by Adam Rudin, and there was also Abba Tulio’s visit this morning) so I decided to let the english composition students have the day off from normal studies and told them to spend the time in the library instead, which they were quite joyful and eager to do. As I mentioned, Abba Tulio stopped by this morning, and I transferred the photo’s that had taken in Itang to his computer (it took awhile as I had not yet transferred them from my camera to my own computer, lol). After the media swap, Abba had to hurry to the bank to catch it while it was still open, so I continued on my assignments.
It was really hot today, I didn’t know quite how hot until I had marched to the church from our compound (to meet Abba Thomas to go to Baro-mado). At our compound, it was 102° in the shade, and during the 10 minute walk to the church, the temperature increased to 113°! When I arrived at the church, I stayed in the shade and read a book while I waited for Abba to finish his work, which thankfully wasn’t a long wait. When we arrived at the Baro-mado site, some of the people were just arriving, so it was only a little wait for everyone (or at least most) to show up. Once enough had arrived, we started the Stations of the Cross, and thankfully this time I had remembered to wear long pants instead of shorts, so kneeling in on the quartz pebbles wasn’t quite as painful, lol. After we had finished, Abba asked me to give a quick talk (which he had informed me about earlier to give me time to think about what to say), and so I consented and talked a little bit about the seven last words Jesus said on the cross (“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” “Mother behold thy son, son, behold thy Mother” “This day you will be with me in paradise” “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” “I thirst” “It is finished” “Father, into your hands I commend My spirit”) and what they mean to me. I made sure to explain them as simply as possible so that they could understand, sometimes I have a habit of continually expounding upon something to point that everyone but myself loses interest, lol. I though it went okay though, and our prayer session ended with cheerful faces and uplifted spirits.
In the evening I was going to go teach to the seminarians again, but Mulugeta hadn’t returned the projector that he had borrowed from me, so I had to postpone it till next week.
Day 232, Mar 31st, Thu, 99.6°F @ 4:30pm,
Art class with the primary kids was not quite as enjoyable as it had been in the previous sessions. Mark-John had quite (inconsolable conflicts with the children or something like that) and left me entirely on my own (why is it that I always end up teaching by myself?!?!). I did the best I could, and I think things went pretty well, except that for some reason the kids were hell bent on tracing the pictures, and attempted so whenever they thought I wasn’t looking, so I’ve had to grow eyeballs on the back of my head to catch them (I know understand how parents obtained the power, lol). Catching them wasn’t the hard part; it was trying to get them to stop. I swear, right after I catch them doing it and tell them not to, as soon as I turn my back they start doing it again! I was literally walking from one end of the room to the other correcting them (Lol, I think I’ve gotten quite good at sneaking up on the unsuspecting transgressors and either flicking them in the head {which usually elects a sheepish grin) or getting real close and saying Salamno (Hello), which usually causes them to physically jump in surprise, hehe). The later grades (six and five) learned after a while to stop tracing (or at least become sneakier about it) but the earlier classes kept doing it over and over again. I am thinking about changing tomorrows exercise, to show them why it is so important to learn without tracing.
During the afternoon I fell asleep as I was saying the Rosary… again, lol, I hope this docent become a habit (I think it’s because whenever I pray the Rosary I become very peaceful, and when that is combined with the drowsiness which results from the heat of the day, it naturally creates that unique atmosphere know as “Siesta time”, lol). A positive result from my little nap was that I didn’t become sleepy during Adoration (Get so many people into a stuffy sweltering church and you’ve got the recipe for instances of head nodding).
After Adoration we headed back for dinner, but when we arrived there, we discovered that there was no power from town tonight and that our generator battery had died, so dinner was a “torchlight” affair (Have I already mentioned that people call flashlights torches here?). After supper I accompanied Abba Thomas back to his office at the vicariate and transferred some pictures to a USB for him (The bishop’s generator was running fine). Afterwards there was naught to do but attempt to go to sleep, and I say attempt because it’s been getting very hot/muggy again lately.
And now, I shall give zee weekly Haiku, no?
Belonging
Where is mans place here?
Here amidst the stars of night,
While dawn stands waiting.
~ じょしゅわ
Day 234, Apr 1st, Fri, 102.9°F @ 4:20pm,
So, I mentioned yesterday that I was thinking of changing up today’s Art class lesson with the primary students, and I decided this morning to affirm that course of action. After acquiring the translational help of Mark-John (He still works at the school, just not as a teacher any more, he prepare banners, posters, announcements, etc), I formed up all the students of my first class (Grade 6) into a single file and marched them outside of the classroom and into the grounds, where I halted them in front of several hedges of flowers, at which point I pointed out the said flowers, and after pointing out some of the unique features of these Ababa (flower), asked them to sketch them as accurately as they could. The kids, who were quite delighted at being granted the opportunity for a kind of mini-fieldtrip, quickly became immersed in the task. I strode up and down the line pointing out mistakes and making suggestions as to the shape of the plant, but for the most part they did rather well. As they worked, I also explained to them that this is why it was important not to trace when we are doing our other exercise, because really it is just practice to develop an eye for lines and shapes, so that when we go out into real-world environments (like the one today) they will be able to easily replicate what they see.
The classes ended well, and after locating another translator (Mark-John had a project to finish), I proceeded in a similar fashion with the next class. The classes responded in much the same way as the first, save for one interesting detail. The younger I seemed to go, the more they tried to cheat. How is it possible to cheat, you say? Well, whenever they thought I wasn’t looking (ah, mistaken presumption, how sweet thou art) they were picking the actual flowers and, (you guessed it) tracing the outline, lol, and I’m afraid that after I had finished with all the classes for the day, the flower hedges were looking a little worse for wear (I have decided to do this mini-fieldtrip every Friday, so next time I am going to have to make sure it is something they can’t destroy).
Surafle is heading to Addis today and he asked me if I needed anything from the city. After joking that I could use a one way ticket (out of here, lol), I put forth some serious thought concerning anything that I was lacking. I was really only able to come up with one item for Surafle to grant me, and it wasn’t so much giving as it was taking. I asked him to deliver a letter to my fellow Lay Missioner, Marie, I had been trying to contact her (as well as several of the other Volunteers: Theresa and Jayne) to find out how she was doing, and to make plans concerning a possible future group Volunteer activity, but all of my phone calls have gone unanswered, as well as my emails, so I figured sending an actual letter would be the best way to get through.
Nothing much transpired through the evening tonight except writing mah blog, so I figure I include another mini Bio, this one about Abba Tulio, since I spent this past weekend with him.
Abba Tulio was born in a small town in the country of Columbia, to an average sized (I had forgotten to ask how many siblings, although I think I recall that he had mention at one point that he had 3-4?) family. At the age of 17, he entered the seminary and spent the next 10 years finishing his novitiate. A couple months after he had finished his training and been ordained, he was flown of to Kenya to work as a parish priest for 7 years (He has very fond memories of his time there and he has mentioned that it was probably his favorite site out of the three he has been stationed at). After Kenya, he went to New York, where he spent 6 years working with the Latino community in the Bronx, at “Our Savior” parish. After New York, it was back to Africa, specifically, to Itang, where he has spent the last 9 years laboring in the small parish. As I have mentioned already in a previous post, his service here is drawing to an end, and he will be heading back to New York to be the Parish priest of “Our Savior” parish again. He will be in NY for a a few months to possibly a couple years, after which he will be heading to his home town in Columbia for a bit of a rest, and depending on how he feels his physical condition is after that, he was thinking he might like to return to his site in Kenya. Abba is a very hard worker, and is very conscious and respectful about all the multi cultural aspects of missions, especially of the site in Itang, and I am quite sure that the administration couldn’t have picked a more able priest to fill the role.
Day 235, Apr 2nd, Sat, 103.6°F @ 4:17pm,
I really powered through my blog writings today (which took up the entirety of the morning, as well as a bit of the afternoon), so now I am almost up to date… now if I could only keep it that way.
This afternoon I accompanied Abba Thomas to the Newland site for Stations of the Cross with the Nuer parishioners. The feel of the prayer session at the Newland was a remarkable contrast to the Baro-mado site (whose inhabitants are primarily Annuak). Whereas the Baro-mado group is rather boisterous, with lots of clapping and ululations (not sure if that’s the proper word for it), the Newland group is much quieter, their songs are more rhythmic and melodious. Once the prayers had finished, we tarried a bit and talked to some of the parishioners, in particular, we talked (or rather, Abba and myself listened) about the Samaritan purse debacle. The organization clashed with a certain group of people in Ethiopia (who, unfortunately, must remain anonymous at this time) and decided to pull all their personal out of the country. Well, they left the job of paying all their workers to some of the local administrators, however, as soon as the bigwigs left the country, the administrators absconded with all the money, and none of the workers have received a even a penny for more than a month! Several of our parishioners work at the local branch of the organization, and needless to say, many of them were understandably upset. Hopefully the organization will somehow correct the problem.
There was more bad news this evening before prayers. Abba Larcher informed us that a cousin of one of the primary school teachers had committed suicide, so we dedicated a rosary, as well as our evening prayers and tomorrows service, to them. The general mood of the evening was somewhat depressive, and so I was mighty glad when Abba Filipo visited us for a bit, and informed me that Jayne had finished her tenure in Dilla, and had left for the states a few days ago (that would explain why all my phone calls to thank her for the gift packet she had sent me have gone unanswered). I hope she adjust to life back in the U.S. with little problem (I myself am looking forward, as well as dreading, the actual adjusting process, I’ve heard that it can be very shocking and difficult to go from living the volunteer/missionary life to trying to live the way you used to, it’s a kind of reverse culture shock).
I wish that was all that had transpired today, but alas, there was one tragedy that yet happened to me before sleeping. I had gone to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, but there was none in the storeroom, so I grabbed one from the refrigerator (without scrutinizing the actual bottle). I wasn’t until I had gotten back to my room and had downed a good 2-3 gulps that I realized, with a kind of surreal abstract sense of horror, that the water didn’t taste right, and upon close inspection of the container in which the water was held, my dismay became full fledged terror as the realization that I had just downed sever mouthfuls of “tainted” (unfiltered) water. The staff, who suffer no ills from drinking the normal tap water, also store there refilled bottles of water in the fridge, and it was only to late I had noticed that there was no seal signifying it as safe to drink. It was now with much trepidation that I went to sleep, for I knew (from previous experiences) that in about 12 hours that water was going to go through me like a bullet (and probably just as painfully)! Woe is me!
Day 236, Apr 3rd, Sun, 103.6°F @ 4:55pm,
Nine O-clock Sunday morning… doomsday! The tainted water I had downed last night had gradually been gathering steam for it’s all out assault upon my bowels, unfortunately, it checked it’s advances until I had arrived at the church for mass, at which point it let loose the hounds of war and marched in-exhausterably through my large and small intestine (Oh Joy!). Seeking refuge and respite from the coming horror, I fled (quite literally) to the bathroom at the church hall, where the door of the toilet stall I entered closed with an ominous click, as if in prophesy of things to come (little did I know). After much battle with that arduous fiend, I managed to expel him from the vicinity of my realm (hopefully nary to return). Unfortunately, my celebrations were cut short by the ignominious fact that as I tried to exit the room I discovered that the door had somehow become locked… fate, it seems, has conspired against me yet again and I have found myself locked for the second time in discomfiting location (the first, if you remember, was the office of the technical institute). After several (unsuccessful) attempts to unscrew the bolts that held the doorjamb together with the only tool that were available to me, the keys to my domicile, I finally caught a streak of luck, apparently the furious manner in which I had been attempting to escape the premises had attracted the attention of the cleaning staff, who thankfully had been in the general vicinity. Luck, however, is not without a sense of humor, as neither of them spoke a word of English, and I know absolutely no Amharic that would be particularly useful in this situation. Also, it seemed that the door itself had not become so much as locked, as it had become jammed, as it seemed no amount of the their key twistings could elect the lock to release its hold upon my condemned presence. I had almost giving up all hope and consigned myself to the fact that I would probably spend the entirety of the day in the tiny confines of my “prison”, when, which a loud and glorious *Click* the door popped ajar, and I eagerly escaped into freedom. After my escapade, I gratefully lavished upon my rescuers my undying gratifications, and it was only after much hand shaking had transpired (of course I had remembered wash my hands, mind you) that I hurried back to mass, hoping I had not missed too much. Thankfully I arrived at the church just in time to hear the Gospel; although the building had become so crowded that I had to sit outside on the veranda in the shade of one of the entrance pillars (the sun was already quite scorching, even so early).
After mass, Abba Thomas left for a meeting in Addis, so its going to be just Abba Larcher, Br. Legesse, and myself here for about a week. Compared with the “excitement” of the morning, the rest of the day seemed almost boring in comparison (to which I am heavily grateful for, lol), aside from dodging searing sun beams as if they were Martian death rays, I engaged in my normal Sunday pastimes of reading, computering, etc.
