June 28, 2006

Today I had my first teaching experience. Everything went really well. It turns out the English language has to be one of the hardest languages in the world. It seems that there are more exceptions to the rule than not. My greatest challenge is learning the names of my students. There are 12 students in class. Their names are very different than ours. Most names mean something. For example, Abdi-issi means “Hope in Jesus.” I can’t remember any of the other names right now, but I am working on it. There are two men in my class whose names sound almost exactly the same (to me). But they are not slow to let me know when I mispronounce them! All of this students are required to take this class to help them improve their English so that they can continue their studies at ETC. Most of them are from other parts of Ethiopia, many from quite a distance. One man has left his wife and children back home so that he could come and study. Most are single, and I have one woman in class. The students range in age from 25 to 38.

Every day at 10:30 we take a break for coffee (buna). Coffee is a big deal in Ethiopia, and I can tell you now that Starbucks doesn’t even come close! There are different ways to drink the coffee: black, machiato, or with milk (there may be more, but I haven’t discovered them yet). The black and machiato are served in what looks like a shot glass. It is so strong, that is all you need. The machiato has a bit of syrup and a bit of milk added, however, it is still served in a shot glass. The coffee with milk is in a larger glass and consists mostly of milk, with a small amount of coffee. Ethiopians normally drink the ‘hard stuff’ after a meal, and take coffee with milk during the coffee break. Many also drink tea (shai) during the morning break.