Good Morning Everyone!!!!
I want to begin this post by saying that Man U was victorious yesterday and in tremendous fashion. This was my first Saturday watching the Premiere League in Gondar. In the States, the games typically come on very early Saturday or Sunday morning, which is fine for me because I'm an early riser. However it's typically inappropriate to go to a bar and have a beer for the game at say 8am.....although my friends and I have done it plenty of times (don't you judge me!!!). I watched the game in a movie theater full of about 300 Ethiopian soccer fans. It was an amazing experience. The games come on here around 5pm so we could go get a beer and watch.
I do have to mention that the fans here are about half for Arsenal half for Man U. We had to run around a bit in the rain to find a bar playing the United game. But once we found one, it was on. United stomped Wigan 4-0. It was glorious.
But enough about the game......
After celebrating the Ethiopian New Year in Addis, Liz and I visited the Blue Nile Gorge. I honestly can't explain its beauty in words. I will just drop a couple of pictures here for you to drool over....
Ok now that we've got that out of our system let's move on. When we got back to Gondar we had another meeting at school. I believe we are slated to start in about week. We have another meeting on Monday and will hopefully be able to meet the head English teacher if this person is assigned.
Some history about the school: Fasiledes is one of the largest secondary schools in Gondar. The primary school is just around the corner. Most of the buildings were constructed during the Italian occupation almost 80 years ago. Some of the school buildings are in bad shape. More recently, two of the classrooms are no longer operable which is why class sizes have risen to about 65 students per class. Adding to this, the number of students registering at Fasiledes has also grown. There is a huge need here for both teachers and material. Liz and I can't wait to get started and hopefully make a very positive impact.
On a different note, the Muslim world erupted after this video of the Prophet Mohammed was released. I have't seen the movie nor do I plan on watching it. Over the last few days whenever we watch TV I've been locked in to the growing global unrest. Every day it seems to get worse. Now I don't really want to touch this topic with a ten foot pole but what I will say is that I was taken aback when I saw yesterday that the German and UK Embassies were attacked in Khartoum, Sudan. Khartoum is bout 750km northwest of us from Gondar, which is relatively close. Ethiopia has a large Muslim population. I keep wondering if this unrest will soon touch us in Addis Ababa.
I will wrap this post up by talking about an incredible restaurant that we went to yesterday. Four Sisters is an absolute gem located behind the Taye Hotel in the Piazza. The best well-done kitfo I have had thus far. We sat outside while the afternoon rain did its thing. It was beautiful. In Ethiopia there is a honey mead that people drink called tej. We tried it in Addis and I thought it was terrible. Everyone kept insisting that I try it again in Gondar. The Amhara region, and specifically Gondar, is known for its high quality honey. As I mentioned tej is made with honey, therefore the better quality honey you have the better the tej will taste. Of course this depends on the maker but Momma's tej treated me right yesterday. It was absolutely delicious.
I want to wish everyone Shana Tova and a great Rosh Hashana spent with friends and family. I hope everyone is well and healthy.
I want to begin this post by saying that Man U was victorious yesterday and in tremendous fashion. This was my first Saturday watching the Premiere League in Gondar. In the States, the games typically come on very early Saturday or Sunday morning, which is fine for me because I'm an early riser. However it's typically inappropriate to go to a bar and have a beer for the game at say 8am.....although my friends and I have done it plenty of times (don't you judge me!!!). I watched the game in a movie theater full of about 300 Ethiopian soccer fans. It was an amazing experience. The games come on here around 5pm so we could go get a beer and watch.
I do have to mention that the fans here are about half for Arsenal half for Man U. We had to run around a bit in the rain to find a bar playing the United game. But once we found one, it was on. United stomped Wigan 4-0. It was glorious.
But enough about the game......
After celebrating the Ethiopian New Year in Addis, Liz and I visited the Blue Nile Gorge. I honestly can't explain its beauty in words. I will just drop a couple of pictures here for you to drool over....
Ok now that we've got that out of our system let's move on. When we got back to Gondar we had another meeting at school. I believe we are slated to start in about week. We have another meeting on Monday and will hopefully be able to meet the head English teacher if this person is assigned.
Some history about the school: Fasiledes is one of the largest secondary schools in Gondar. The primary school is just around the corner. Most of the buildings were constructed during the Italian occupation almost 80 years ago. Some of the school buildings are in bad shape. More recently, two of the classrooms are no longer operable which is why class sizes have risen to about 65 students per class. Adding to this, the number of students registering at Fasiledes has also grown. There is a huge need here for both teachers and material. Liz and I can't wait to get started and hopefully make a very positive impact.
On a different note, the Muslim world erupted after this video of the Prophet Mohammed was released. I have't seen the movie nor do I plan on watching it. Over the last few days whenever we watch TV I've been locked in to the growing global unrest. Every day it seems to get worse. Now I don't really want to touch this topic with a ten foot pole but what I will say is that I was taken aback when I saw yesterday that the German and UK Embassies were attacked in Khartoum, Sudan. Khartoum is bout 750km northwest of us from Gondar, which is relatively close. Ethiopia has a large Muslim population. I keep wondering if this unrest will soon touch us in Addis Ababa.
I will wrap this post up by talking about an incredible restaurant that we went to yesterday. Four Sisters is an absolute gem located behind the Taye Hotel in the Piazza. The best well-done kitfo I have had thus far. We sat outside while the afternoon rain did its thing. It was beautiful. In Ethiopia there is a honey mead that people drink called tej. We tried it in Addis and I thought it was terrible. Everyone kept insisting that I try it again in Gondar. The Amhara region, and specifically Gondar, is known for its high quality honey. As I mentioned tej is made with honey, therefore the better quality honey you have the better the tej will taste. Of course this depends on the maker but Momma's tej treated me right yesterday. It was absolutely delicious.
I want to wish everyone Shana Tova and a great Rosh Hashana spent with friends and family. I hope everyone is well and healthy.
Max,
ReplyDeleteThose pictures are awesome. Arsenal won 6-1. Hope you and Liz are well.
- Fitchko
love the pictures
ReplyDelete