JWorld Teacher’s DayJ
[Creativity]
October 04 2013 Remember when you were a kid in primary school and you received gold
stars for being such a wonderful student? Well, that my thought when I came up
with the theme for WTD.
This is the first year WTD has ever been
organized at Sandford School and I was appointed as main leader so I had to do
a good job!
Before thinking of what to give to the
teachers, I thought about what they’ve given me, and the gold stars came to
mind. I thought of using that idea as a theme for today’s event.
I gathered a committee and we worked hard and
day-after-day to make the day a huge success. Our aim was to bestow our
appreciation and our gratitude to our beloved teachers, in any way we can. We
painted over 50 stars – some in gold, but we ran out of spray paint really
early in the process so we had to use yellow cardboard. We divided the tasks…
some people did painting, some wrote the names, some cut the cards, some
gathered the materials and so forth.
We also made a huge banner which said ‘Happy
World Teachers Day!’ This was displayed in front of the staff room so all the
teachers could see it. We also displayed some balloons outside the staff room.
Completing all the stars was the difficult job. We didn’t finish the day
before, so on the day, I came to school at 6:30 am with my sister and we
finished off displaying all the stars. We displayed them on all the teachers’
doors.
They liked it a lot. The school looked vivid
and teachers felt appreciated. At break, the WTD committee brought in a few
snacks for the teachers, and we put them in the staff room.
J Poetry JamJ
[Creativity]
April 12 2014 I absolutely loved today! At first, the
thought of standing in front of my whole school and reciting a poem I wrote
months ago, made me shudder. Turns out it’s not so scary. I signed up for
poetry jam 2 weeks before; I wanted to sing a poem that I wrote for my parents.
I practiced the night before and I also edited the poem any opportunity I got.
An hour
before the event, I was conducting my blogging club so I didn’t have time to
really practice. I was monitoring a club and simultaneously editing my club blog.
At 4:15pm, I left the club to go the event. I had the printed copy of the poem
with me. I thought it began because I saw the MC on stage but the main
organizer, Ms Selam, told me that the performances have not yet commenced. This
was a huge relief. I went to the back of the crowd and rehearsed the poem.
I was the 4th
performer. During the 3rd performance, my sister and her friends, my
teachers and my classmates walked in so that made me a little nervous. I rushed
to the front of the hall where all the performers stood in a queue. The 3rd
performer, Rebecca, sang a song by Rihanna and she sounded like a professional
singer! Her performance was mind-blowing. Normally, the crowd isn’t supposed to
clap – they’re supposed to snap their fingers.
But in her case, everyone clapped, people whistled and her friends
situated at the back even stood up for her! How can I follow such an act?
With
butterflies in my stomach and quivering hands, I went up to the centre of the
stage. I looked at the crowd and saw a lot of familiar faces. At the front were
a bunch of parents and teachers with cameras.
I began by
introducing my poem, ‘The greatest gift of life’. Surprisingly I wasn’t nervous
as I thought I would be. In fact, after the first verse, I was loud, clear and
confident. The crowd was silent and soon, it even seemed as if they weren’t
there. I felt the room dim and the spotlight shine on me.
‘Not only
did you give me the gift of life… but life gave me the gift of you’ I ended.
Everyone clapped. It made me smile. My sister and my friends at the back
cheered for me. Mr Mason (dance teacher) gave me thumbs up from across the
stage and said ‘That was really good!’
I felt
appreciated walking down the stage and past the audience. Outside, students
from other grades congratulated me on the poem. I wish my parents were there. I
truly meant every word I said about how I appreciate what they’ve done for me. This
was a great experience. It definitely helped me develop my public speaking
skills.
J MUN Conference – Representing Brazil
J
[Creativity and Service]
March 30
2014 This is the 1st official Model United Nations Conference at
Sandford School so to be part of it, was both an honour and a privilege. We had
a rehearsal for today’s conference 2 days ago but unfortunately I was ill so I
couldn’t make it.
The day before the conference, I
went to the Brazilian Embassy to acquire more information [Planned and initiated
activities].
It was one of my objectives ‘to be able to talk in front of many
people’. The night before, I rewrote my speech. I was really nervous. Practice makes
perfect!
At 3:00pm sharp, all the delegates gathered outside the main hall.
All the delegates looked dapper and excited. It took some 10-15 minutes for the
executive board to sort out the main hall for our conference.
Before 3pm, I had enough time to quickly change my clothes. I
rushed to the main hall with the resolution and my research (highlighted,
underlined and stapled). It’s always helps to stay organized! I was proud to be
representing Brazil for this conference. I was informed 2 days before that I
had 2 others delegates also representing Brazil. Today I had to locate them in
a crowd of more than 60 students all talking and moving around at the same
time. I had their names on a sheet, so I made an attempt to look for them.
Shortly, we found each other. They were Mariam – Grade 9 (from Egypt) and Imaan
– Grade 7 (from India/England). We stood by the hall and began our discussion.
They hadn’t even seen the resolution before; in fact, they had no idea what the
debate was going to be about! They had tonnes of research on Brazilian
agriculture but only a small portion of it would have been relevant for the conference.
I explained the fundamentals of the resolution and I shared Brazil’s
contribution to food security in Sub-Saharan countries [Showing perseverance and commitment].
Shortly after, the advisory board assembled outside and called for all the
delegates.
During the conference I got the
chance to work close with my fellow delegates, discuss economical matters and
share information [Working collaboratively with others].
The debate was about maintaining food security in Somalia. I learnt that food
security is indeed a huge global issue and for that reason, is very important
that economically rich countries like Brazil have an active contribution [Engaged
with issues of global importance]. When we had to
speak in favour of the resolution, I raised my placard and spoke. My opening speech was around 2-3
minutes long “Honourable chair, esteemed delegates and distinguished guests….”
I began.
I read it out loud and surprisingly...I wasn’t
nervous. I actually grew more confider by speaking aloud – and I’m proud of
myself for that! [Increased
awareness of strengths and areas for growth] It was quite long and informative but it was
certainly relevant. I’ve been to several official MUN conferences before this,
but I’ve never spoke in front of the crowd, I’ve always been too afraid.
Overall, I think the conference
was good. I honestly can’t believe I spoke – I’m usually very shy but this time
I just broke out of my shell. I managed to talk confidently in front of
nearly 70 pupils without fretting even a little bit [Undertaking
new challenges].
The Chair (Brook and Hermon) did a remarkable job of conducting the
conference in a formal and diplomatic manner. The advisory board deserve a huge
pat on the back for organizing this conference. I applaud everyone who took part in this conference – you
did a great job!
The resolution passed which really made me happy. It was nice – I
also met new students who are part of the MUN Club.
‘Thank you for promoting Brazil in Ethiopia!’ – Brazilian Ambassador, Ethiopia,
J Peace Day J
[Creativity and Service]
20 September 2013 Peace day was
commemorated on the 20th of September 2013 at Sandford International
School and it was a wonderful day.
Peace Day is actually the day after (21st of September 2013)
but it’s a Saturday so instead it’s celebrated today! Yay! My horoscope told me
this morning to ‘Have fun and let loose’ and that’s exactly what I did. I had many exciting activities planned for
this day.
One of it was for all IB students to hold a banner that reads ‘WE STAND
FOR PEACE’. There’s nothing better than promoting the goodness of Sandford
students. In the morning, I got 8 IB Students to help me paint this banner. It
was fun because I got to work
collaboratively with my classmates, some of which are new students. The
letters P, E, A, C and E had to be multicolored, the rest had to be black – so
PEACE could stand out. Two of my friends Hermon and Vineet designed peace signs
to go with the banner – it was a spontaneous decision but it looked good in the
end. I was in charge so I had to return
all the paint, paintbrushes and containers to the art room. Also, I had to
clean the IB Common Room and leave it the way I found it. I managed to do all
this.
When we finished painting the banner we waited a few minutes for it to
dry… meanwhile we were cleaning the table. When it dried, I decided it would be
smart to display it on the big blue board near the common room so the whole
school could see it. And to remind all Sandford students how important peace is
to us. So before all the students came out for break, I got a few students to
help me post the letters on the board. It looked really nice.
In the morning, my friend Etsub and I went to a 7th grade
class to teach the students how to make paper cranes. To be honest, I learnt it
a few days ago, and on YouTube, so I was no expert at but I still managed to
learn it and was able to teach it to a class of 15 kids. I developed a new skill. Cranes are the Japanese sign of peace.
During break, the students wrote what peace means to them or what comes
to mind when they think of peace on the car park (floor) with a chalk. At the
end, with everyone’s input, the car park looked amazing. During this time I was
selling peace day bracelets to students (at the same having fun with friends
and enjoying myself – isn’t that what peace is all about?) I’ve never sold
bracelets before in school – I undertook
a new challenge. At first I thought no one would purchase my bracelets but
I was completely wrong. I got loads of students come to me at break and lunch
asking me for my bracelets. I spent all
night making 40 of them. They all sold successfully and in fact, since
people wanted more, I quickly printed a list where they could all order and I’d
make some more for tomorrow. This was a commitment
I chose to make (even though I had lots of work to do that day).
At the end of the day, I gathered as many IB students as I could and we
all stood outside the common room holding the banner we painted earlier that
day. We posed holding the banner and we took many pictures. I’m the girl sitting
holding the peace sign, sitting down. The source of my inspiration came from a
picture I found on the internet a few days before Peace Day. The picture is
also posted on this blog.
JBrownie Badge NightJ
[Service]
December 05
2013 Brownie Badge Night was a lot of fun! The name of the event is quite
self-explanatory – we were handing out badges to brownie kids at our school. I
volunteered to help out for an hour after school. I was never a brownie as a
kid, and I’ve never had any experience with the club but I got to see what it
was like and I really enjoyed it.
At 3pm
sharp, I waited outside the primary hall with the other IB volunteers. Miss
Berry, who coordinates the club and who invited us, showed us inside and told
us what we do. We basically had to sit with a brownie kid, discuss what they’ve
been doing so far and sign their books if they’ve completed their tasks. They
choose tasks from a variety of categories e.g. design, art, dance, singing and
so on. I sat with a few girls who designed bracelets and showed that they are
capable of singing a whole song. It was really nice to the potential of young
Sandford students. At the end, all the brownie children gathered together,
formed a circle and sang a lullaby. After that, the coordinators called out
specific brownies to the stage to accept their badge. They then thanked all the
volunteers and all the parents for coming.
The
children were extremely welcoming and sweet. They love the club and they are
passionate about what they do. It’s great to see so many kids with so much love
and devotion all huddled up. I can say they are disciplined and well-mannered.
It was a great experience!
J Hamlin
Fistula Hospital J
April 3 2014 Dr.
Catherine Hamlin set up a hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, years ago to
repair fistula injuries in women.
Catherine Hamlin, an Australian gynaecologist who has
spent most of her life in Ethiopia, is a 21st-century Mother Teresa and… I
guess, one of my hero’s. She has revolutionized care of a childbirth injury
called obstetric fistula, which occurs when the baby gets stuck in the birth
canal and there is no doctor to perform a caesarean section. According to the NY Times, as
many as two million women (and often young teenage girls) worldwide
suffer from fistulas. The babies die, and the woman is left incontinent with urine
and sometimes faeces trickling through her vagina. Dr. Hamlin and her late
husband, Reg, set up a fistula hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and their
work proves that it is possible to repair the injuries cheaply. This hospital
has trained generations of doctors to repair fistulas.
I read on the newspaper once that her
son, Richard, referring to the patients she has helped, declared: “Catherine
has one son and 35,000 daughters.”
This was my first time visiting a hospital treating
women’s injuries. In fact, I remember when I was young my sister heard about
this hospital on Oprah and she told me all about it. Visiting the hospital was a memorable day for
all of us – we all enjoyed it, we all learnt something valuable. We were all
guided by a doctor from the hospital. She was very friendly and welcoming. The
compound was spectacular – so clean and beautiful. The wards were very clean,
and there were many. Most of us took notes of what the doctor was saying.
This visit really gave me insight to the medical issues
that are often overlooked in Ethiopia. I got a chance to interact with the
wonderful members of the Fistula Hospital. I was also lucky enough to talk to
the doctors and to be aware of the condition and situation that these patients
are going through.
The hospital was provided with the good
equipment and facilities for the patients. They have highly skilled and
professional doctors – nevertheless, they could always use more
fistula-experienced doctors. I observed the high responsibility that the
surgeons and doctors have. Their work is honestly amazing, and impressive. It
was a motivating experience. Women who have fistula are stigmatized and ashamed. Or at
least that’s what the media says, my visit proved otherwise. That’s the beauty
of the hospital … it acts as a rehabilitation centre – many of them are happy,
joyful and hopeful.
Ethiopia this month nominated
Dr. Hamlin for the Nobel Peace Prize, and she deserves it. I hope she gets it
along with other extraordinary leaders in women’s health such as Dr. Denis
Mukwege of Congo, Dr. Hawa Abdi of
Somalia, and Edna Adan of Somaliland. One of the most striking features of Dr.
Hamlin’s work is the way she empowers recovering fistula patients to help in
the treatment of others. As President of the
Interact Club of SIS, I will make it my obligation to help the women struggling
with fistula, as well as assisting the hospital staff in any way possible.
J BORN FREE ZOO J
[Action and Service]
"Now that's what I call a
lion!"
January 05 2013 Today
I had the privilege of travelling outside the city with my Somali kids! The
Somali school organized a field trip for the children to the Born Free wildlife
rescue. I had no idea Born Free was an international organization until I
researched it a few days ago. In Ethiopia, they have a few branches. We visited
the one outside the city.
I usually volunteer with Hannah
and Adey on Sundays but they didn't feel like coming to the trip so I decided
to go by myself. When I was near the Somali school, Aida (who is also a
volunteer at Somali School) called me and told me she would like to come. Aida
lives really close to the Somali School so she insisted I go to her house and
we go together.
At first I agreed because I
didn't see any problem but little did I know it would make us 30 minutes late.
At first, Aida called me and told me to meet her at the Rwandan Embassy. It
took me a long time to find the embassy (especially because I'm really bad with
directions). I got lost many times and had to ask around 8 people. Eventually I
found it... then Aida told me to walk straight down from the embassy until I
see a huge building called 'TZ Hotel'. I walked down and stood by he hotel for
over 10 minutes waited for her to come. When Aida came I was a little upset
because Roel (Somali School manager) had already called me twice asking me if I
was coming.
Then together we walked through
the busy streets of Bole Michael, until we found the Somali school. We went
inside and we saw Roel and a few other volunteers standing in a semi-circle
outside the classrooms. Finally, Ibrahim did a final check of all the students
and we were ready to go. There were 2 minivans available for transport.
Aida and I jumped into the
first one we saw. Another German volunteer came in and sat in front of us - we
were the youngest volunteers. At around 10:15 - we left the school.
The zoo was about an hour west
of Addis Ababa. I was in the bus with the somewhat mischievous group of kids:
Dahir, Faysal, Abdifatah and Nuurdin. They were screaming and chanting the
whole way so it was hard to observe the scenery outside the window, or even
think. I don't speak somalian so it was hard for me to understand what they
were saying. As we drove through the serene urban-rural fringe, I shut my eyes
and absorbed myself in the tranquility and stillness of the moment. It was
perfectly green and vastly- you don't really get to see this part of Ethiopia
on TV or on the newspapers.
One of the volunteers, and my
good friend Sarah, led the way. She was driving with her daughter Emma. When we
reached there, the kids on the bus started cheering and when we opened the
door, they ran out yelling to the other kids on the other bus. An escort came
to us and kindly greeted us. He said there are only 3 very SIMPLE rules
everyone must follow:
1. No
littering
2. No
running around
3. No
yelling/screaming around the animals
Then... we started our journey.
The first animal we saw was the cheetah (baby). The escort did not indicate
whether or not it was a girl/boy, nor did he say how old the cheetah was. He
said they found it on the border of Somalia and Ethiopia (like most of the
other animals). They called it 'Shiba' (Amharic
à
English translation: useless) because one of its foot is useless. We saw many
cheetahs... around 6 or 7. We also saw many turtles. The escort taught me many
interesting things about wildlife here in Ethiopia that I didn't know. For
instance, in Ethiopia in total there are 25 types of endemic birds and 14 of
them are at BORN FREE!! Most of the animals they capture are smuggled through
the border or found on the streets. We saw baboons, lions (really big and scary
ones), hyenas, caracals, monkeys and many birds. The monkeys were all named
after the town they were found from. For example, they were called Kazanchis,
Piassa, Murcato and so forth (these are very popular towns in Addis Ababa). And
the best part, the monkeys have adapted to their names.
My favorite animal was the
lion. We saw 3 lions in total (but 1 of them was sleeping) - his name was
'general' because he came from the military. The kids were yelling
'Commander!', 'General!' but he didn't seem to wake up. Around 1, we all had
lunch. It was a lot of fun! The children sang lullabies that Sarah taught them.
After we had lunch, the children played hide and seek. Aida and I were laying
on the grass because we were really exhausted. Then the children started racing
and playing tag. Overall, it was a lot of fun! I enjoyed my time with the kids
and I believe this experience further enhanced my relationship with the kids.
J Blogging Club J
[Creativity and Service]
“Blogging
has and always will be my passion” – Eden Tadesse
November 2013 – June 2014 I started blogging
(3 years ago) when I was 14 years old. I started a blog about school life and
posted some poems/scripts I wrote. I am currently 17 years old and I have 8
blogs with more than 900 hits monthly in total.
For many people, blogging
is just a way to pass the time but for me it has always been something much
more. Blogging is the platform that I chose to use to express and develop my
ideas. This automatically made me a better person; I was more open-minded, more
intuitive. Back then, no one taught me how to blog and no one that I knew did
it. I inspired myself to blog; I convinced myself that my ideas had to be
shared with the rest of the world. I’m the type of person who is very
open-minded about things and can say a lot about different things. Writing is
my passion and so is ICT so blogging was my passport to exclusivity. It’s not
only a great way to express your thoughts and ideas but also a great way to
communicate with the rest of the world and also great exercise!
A few weeks ago, I had the
idea of starting my own blogging club in school. I wasn’t sure if people would join
since it’s not so popular here in Ethiopia. Most of my friends had no idea what
a blog was, they knew about my blogs but just assumed they were all websites. A
blog is more personal, more informal than a website. I didn’t spend too much
contemplating whether or not I should start my own lclub, I was confident that
I was doing a good thing and I believed people would come so I wrote a proposal
form and gave it to my CAS Coordinator. In a day, she and my principal Mr.
Lothschutz granted my proposal. I was extremely happy.
I designed posters for
advertisements and I also told people about it. I decided to cater to students
from grade 7 – 10. On my first session, the ‘introductory’ session, I had over
13 members show up. They were all very keen and enthusiastic kids. I taught
them what a blog is, what a blog IS NOT, how it’s useful to them, different
types of blogs and just some general stuff about the club. I engaged with the
students, asking them questions, finding out about their dreams and passions.
Actually, we had so much fun we lost track of time and stayed half an hour
more.
J BAR CAMP ETHIOPIA
J
Open community | Open culture | Open
future
November 12 2013 Bar Camp is an open event organized worldwide and administered not
by a company, but by an open community of interested individuals. It has no
pre-structured program – instead everyone posts ideas and participate actively
through collaboration. Bar Camp is the biggest tech event in Ethiopia so to be
part of it was both an honor and a privilege.
When Arnold invited me to be junior speaker at Bar
Camp… I was speechless! I was sure from the beginning what I would talk about,
of course, my one and only passion: ICT. But I realized being the biggest tech
event and all, everyone is probably going to talk about IT so I thought of ways
to make my speech unique (so that it’s memorable). I wanted people to leave my
session inspired and more knowledgeable. I planned what I was going to say 2 days
before and sure, I had lots of great ideas and stories to tell but was I brave
enough to share them?
The night before I made an oath to myself: “If I can
start my own ICT Club, debate in front of hundreds of delegates, talk in front
of the whole school… then I can and I will stand in front of whomever and teach
IT through innovation and inspiration”. Your voice is a powerful tool, but you
will never know the true meaning of this until you use it.
Steven, Yanet and I arrived at Bar Camp at 9:00 sharp.
We waited for Mubarak and Ezekiel to show up but they took a long time so we
went inside. The host introduced himself and talked a little bit about Bar
Camp. Later, everyone started writing their sessions on the white board. Yanet
and Steven said “Eden! Go write your talk before it’s too late!’ I made my way
through the busy crowd; I chose a random slot and wrote ‘THE ART OF BLOGGING,
WEB-DEVELOPMENT, IMPACTS OF THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION AND LESSONS LIFE THROWS AT
YOU’. I had PowerPoint presentations ready on all these topics, and I could already
see myself talking for hours on all of them.
There was a short coffee break, after which everyone
went to their desired sessions. Mubarak and Ezekiel joined us shortly. The
sessions we found interesting were: ‘The World of Hacking’, ‘Physic powers’,
‘Benefits of stupidity + Introduction to AISEC’, ‘Yoga’, ‘Global literacy
program’, ‘Google product opportunities’, ‘How to be really awesome’ and many
others.. Firstly, Steven, Yanet and I attended the ‘Benefits of stupidity +
Introduction to AISEC’ talk. It was fun, we learnt a lot about AISEC. I even
got the privilege to talk to one of the AISECers about her journey in India as
an exchange student. She said she loved everything about her 6-week stay in India;
she was even doing the head wobble when she came back. She taught Basic English
and Math. Unfortunately, I can’t volunteer at AISEC until I’m 18 years old.
‘Physic Powers’ was also another very interesting
session. The main guy (Yof) taught us about the frequencies of the brain,
clairvoyance, different types of laughter and meditation. Every time Yof said
“Hello!” we (the crowd) had to respond by yelling “I’m awesome!”
On another session we attended called ‘How to be
really awesome’; they spoke about an organization called Rotary. It’s an
international organization which has 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs
worldwide. Rotary club members are successful business and professional
volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger,
improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote
peace, and eradicate diseases. Currently in Ethiopia, there are 12 active Rotary
clubs compromising over 600 active volunteers and are looking for more
volunteers who want nothing but fun and professional growth in a good
environment. They’re all about serving the community. After the session I went
to talk to one of the rotary members and got all his contact details, he said
Rotary starts clubs in many private schools and I could be the focal person in
organizing a rotary club at Sandford.
‘You can change the world... one blog at a
time’ – Eden Tadesse Walking inside the
room to present was somewhat suspenseful. I was equipped from the beginning, I
just needed some uplifting and Yanet did a good job of that. As I began setting
up the projector, people started walking in. Finally, a girl walked in and
closed the door behind her. I look up and I see around 30 people, 60 eyes all
looking directly at me. Some people had note paper and a pen in their hand,
this scared me a little bit. I began: “Hello everyone!” I waved and the crowd
waved back. Suddenly I felt a boost of confidence run through me. I didn’t go
blank or stutter, I dived straight into it. I began by asking the audience “Now I’m sure you have this question in your
head so I’m going to go ahead and answer it for you: Why should you listen to
me?” I explained who I am, what I do and what I believe in. The agenda for the session
was split into three parts, and in a way I interlinked them all: ‘Our lives in
the technology-driven world’, ‘the Art of Blogging’ and ‘Lessons we pick up
from the path of life’. I engaged well with the audience, gave them a scrap of
paper and asked them to write 3 things that define them, and then I asked them
to share it with the rest of the group. I began by teaching them about the
digital revolution. Yes, we all know technology is taking over; my mission was
not to tell them something they already know but to further elaborate on the
impact it has on our lives, and our children’s lives.
Also, I explained a technological concept I
came up with a few weeks ago when I was researching about the digital revolution:
“Technology can either
THRILL YOU, KILL you or BILL you” I illustrated using various case studies and
explained how my hypothesis relates to the digital takeover and their lives by
simply telling them: ‘You have all been either thrilled, killed or billed by
technology’. I gave them the link to one of my blogs so they could find out
more about my theory. Next up I talked about blogging, what it is, why it’s
useful and how it’s made me a better person. Also, I clearly explained the
difference between a website and a blog and talked about my experience with
both. I also shared some knowledge on how to set up both. Lastly, I gathered
the top 10 lessons that life has taught me and presented it alluringly in a
PowerPoint presentation. I talked about combating your fears, believing in
yourself, family being #1 (always) and moving towards your goal. At the end, I
left the floor open to any questions and people asked me about various things.
I also offered to give my PowerPoint’s away to anyone who wanted a hard copy of
my work. Near the end, around 6 university students stood by my desk with their
flash disks. The main organizer Ermias (who came to check up on my session at
one point), said my presentation was great! At the end, I realized I spoke for
an hour and I couldn’t believe it... it felt like 15 minutes. A Belgian journalist
stayed behind to give me critical feedback on my presentation. When everybody
left, I sat with him and we discussed everything. He said he was really
impressed and that I have good speaking skills and he also said I should make
my PowerPoint’s less attractive so people don’t lose focus. Students from Addis
Ababa University and Mekele University also said I did really well. I really
wish Nejat and Arnold were there for my presentation.
How do I know I did well? Well first of all, that
they all clapped for me (which gave me a great sense of achievement), I was
able to answer all the questions, I saw smiley faces in the crowd (no blank
faces), some people stayed to congratulate me after the session was over and
others found me outside and told me I did good.
Ezekiel, Mubarak and Steven also had to make speeches.
They all nailed it! I personally believe their speeches revealed a lot about
their character and reflected their goal/aspirations quite well. They spent
practically the whole of lunch practicing their speech, rewriting and
redrafting in the short time they had left. Ezekiel spoke about depression,
dreams and why he believes he’s the least intellectual in his family à it was captivating!
Steven spoke about his ambition (joining doctors without borders), what he
believes of himself and his passion (serving others)à it was inspiring!
Mubarak spoke about technology, his inspirations (‘Jobs’ – movie based on the
life of Steve Jobs) and the life he chose à it was motivating!
Kudos to all 3!
I made 3 really important connections during my time
here at Bar Camp: 1. With the Rotary organizations, a true believer in the
‘Serve before self’ concept. 2. AISEC, I may not be able to volunteer or intern
for another year but I can still help with projects and so on. I met with
Rezene, Salem and Jordan from AISEC. 3. ‘Student Ethiopia’ which is apparently
the biggest student association in Ethiopia has a section for student blogs and
they want me to be the chief editor! I exchanged contact details with affable
members from all 3 organizations. What an experience…!
At the end, we all took a group photo. By the time we
finished it was almost 7PM. There was a concert which we all attended. It was a
lot of fun.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the following
people: Mr. Kumar: I came to you the day before, fretting over
the whole idea of public speaking and you told me 1. I can do it and 2. I will
be alright. Thank you for believing
in me since day 1. Yanet: Thank you for coming with me on this special
day. Your support and encouragement will always mean the world to me. Nejat and Arnold: Thank you for inviting me to such an amazing event! I can honestly say
it was a wonderful and beneficial experience. I have learnt a lot (from people
of different professional backgrounds), educated people (through IT), inspired
and motivated many because of you. Steven,
Mubarak and Ezekiel: thank you guys
for your inspiration! You 3 have made this day more than just an event, you have
made it an incredible memory, one that I will always remember!
One
thing I am also very proud of is having shared my ‘THRILL, KILL OR BILL’
concept with the rest of the world. Having to come up with this concept took a
lot of time and critical thinking. I’m glad it sunk peacefully into everyone’s
minds and I hope they remember this concept whenever they deal with technology.
[Creativity and Service]
October 25 2013 UN day was commemorated on the 25th of October
2013 at Sandford International School and I’m honoured to have been a part of
this phenomenal celebration.
This was my first time helping out with the UN Day
celebration at school so I was feeling a little bit nervous because I didn’t
know what to expect but also excited because I enjoy a good challenge. It ended
up being an amazine. One of the reasons
this activity was significant was because it was combination of both the
Creativity and Service element – I haven’t yet calculated the exact number of hours I earned, but I
presume it’s between 35 – 40 hours.
Before I got involved in any UN Day committee, I knew I
wanted to do one thing: Help org initial
plan. The show has always been the highlight of the day: the fashion show, the
cultural dances and songs performed… it always tends to amaze me. I was also
planning to be a part of the show, if possible. I realised as I took on more
responsibilities that I wouldn’t have the time – but hey there’s always next
year. The IB2’s held a meeting for anyone who wanted to help organize the UN
Day show but I didn’t see the notice, so I missed the meeting. When I found
out, I went to the IB2’s but they told me they already have too many volunteers
who signed up. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer... so I followed them
around school for a while and asked them constantly if any spots opened up and
eventually, one IB2 Organizer said: “I guess we could always use an IB1 student”.
Like that, I got the approval.
The learning
outcomes met through this activity:
Increased awareness of strengths and areas
for growth: After all the countries assembled in the parking lot,
they all came up to the field for the speeches. Before they sat down (so as
they were walking across the field to where they were supposed to be sitting),
my friend Steven and I were supposed to announce the name of each country as
they approached the field. This was actually the funniest part of my day.
Steven and I were by the staff room when we heard the band leading the
different countries onto the field. Luckily, the staff room is close to the
field, so it was easy for us to get to field quickly. However, once we got to
the field, we approached the podium but the microphone wasn’t working so Steven
ran across the field chasing the maintenance people. They came running, plugged
in the speakers but it still wouldn’t work. By this time, the band was already
on the field. I told Steven to go tell the person leading the Band (Mr Seid) to
stop for a moment until we get the speakers working. Then finally, it worked
for us. The band continued on; and the countries followed. Another problem
occurred. The countries that were appearing were not according to the list we
had. Luckily, Steven and I are familiar with many flags and therefore were able
to easily distinguish most of them. Some of them like the Middle Eastern
countries, we had to yell out “What country are you?” and people had to yell
back “Saudi Arabia” or “Yemen!” But I liked how Steven and I were able to work
collaboratively and I believe we did our best. I also proved to myself that I’m
good under pressure, I could have easily given up and left it all but I didn’t.
I was even surprised I was able to make announcements in front of the whole
school, I’m quite shy when it comes to these kinds of things but I realised it
was all in my head. Once I was up at the podium making announcements, I was on
fire. 
Undertaking new challenges: A week before the MUN
Conference I tried researching Brazil’s view on the topic of debate but the
information I found was very limited. Therefore, I did something which I never
thought I would do. I called the Brazilian Embassy; I explained who I was and
why I was calling. The secretary who picked up couldn’t assist me with the
information I required so she forwarded my call to the deputy ambassador. He
was very friendly, his name is Wilson Dominguez. Mr Wilson was kind enough to
schedule a meeting witheography teacher, Ms
Mcgugiggan came with me. The meeting went very smoothly. Mr Wilson really liked
me, he gave me all the information I required. In addition to this, he also
gave me a stack of books on Brazilian culture, travelling information on Rio
and Sao Paulo and sporting events held throughout Brazil. He also kissed me on
the forehead as a way of saying thanks. It was one of the best experiences of
my life where I actually felt like I took initiative and accomplished
something. Mr Wilson has inspired me to become a diplomat someday, he inspired
me though the things he said, the way he said it, the way he elegantly walked
into the room. He asked me what I wanted to become, “Computer engineer or
computer scientist” I said, “I like you, you sound smart” he said. I am now a
big fan of Brazilian culture and considering a career as a diplomat.
Planned and initiated activities: For this special day, I
made UN Day Bracelets, costing 10Birr if they bracelets represent Ethiopia, UK,
USA, India, Swaziland, France, Kenya and Netherlands because these countries
represent the majority of students in our school. If they wanted for example, a
Chinese bracelet, they would only have to pay 5 more Birr. I bought the string
and also, I made lots of them. 60% of the money goes to an NGO that both my
sister and I are volunteering at: Meseret Humanitarian Organization (MHO), 40%
goes into buying the string to make more. I was very successful in making the
bracelets but not so successful in delivering all of them. During UN Day, all
the bracelets were in my bag but I was so occupied, it completely slipped my
mind and I remembered later when most of the kids have left, so I had to
deliver them after the mid-term break. I spent many hours making these
bracelets because we had many orders and it is very time-consuming.
Working collaboratively with others: One of my
favourite activities was helping out with primary (Key stage 1 to be specific).
A week before UN Day, a primary school teacher, Ms Gaskell, asked to meet with
me to discuss whatain sacrifices. Moreover, I’ve seen the show 5 years a row and I
can always see it next year. By sitting and watching the show, I’m not doing
anything productive and I’m the kind of person who likes to be busy all the
time. Helping primary was incredible – Ms Gaskell is very sweet, and the
children were adorable. I got 2 IB1 students who helped me with Key Stage 1 –
there were also other IB Students who volunteered in Key Stage 2 and Nursery.
By the time we got there, the tents were already set up so we each stood at
different tables and served the children. It was nice to see both my friends
interacting with the children and doing their job. We stood beside each other
as assisted one another on virtually anything.
Also, two days before UN Day (Wednesday 23rd
November), during our CAS meeting, Ms Goldspring strongly urged all IB CAS
Students to take part in the UN Day celebrations. Many students weren’t sure
what they were doing so it was my job to go round to all the students who
aren’t do anything and get them in one of the six committees. This was fun for
me because I got the chance to talk to many IB2 Students (and also many IB1
students) and discuss with them what each committee does and why they should
join.
Showing perseverance and commitment: The day before UN Day,
I walked into the IB Common Room and I noticed a sign on the white board. It
read: ‘Leadership is an action, not a position’ (a famous saying by Donald H McGannon). My CAS Coordinatoldspring posted it for all committee leaders, including myself. The quote
really made me think. I was part of the core committee for the UN Day so I had
to bring a dish representing the continent our homeroom was assigned, which was
Africa. Since the majority of the students in my homeroom are African, I
thought they would bring a lot of stuff. However, they did not. On UN Day
morning, during registration, I ran up with cookies and some Ethiopian bread
(also known as ‘ambasha’) in my hand. When I walked inside, there was no one,
only my Homeroom teacher Mr Hunt. I asked him where the rest of the food was
and he said no one else brought food. Of course as you would expect, I was
disappointed that my classmates let me down. But I realised, I couldn’t do
anything about it; I gave Ms Lawrence my food and carried on with my
activities. ‘Leadership is a responsibility,
not a badge of honour’. 
Engaged with issues of global importance: The day before UN Day
(Thursday 24th October 2013), the school held its first official
annual school debate in the Main Hall. I’ve been to 2 official conferences
before this, one at ICS [International Community School, Addis Ababa] and one
at the ECA (African Hall) so I’ve had some experience. The debate was about
maintaining food security in Somalia. I learnt that food security is indeed a
big global issue and for that reason, is very significant. I was representing
Brazil, along with 3 other associates. As a delegate of Brazil, I spoke in favour
of this resolution. My opening speech was around 2-3 minutes long “Honourable
chair, esteemed delegates and distinguished guests….” I began. Overall, I think
the conference was good. I honestly can’t believe I spoke – I’m usually very
shy but this time I just broke out of my shell. I applaud everyone who took
part in this conference.
Consideration of ethical implications: Is it really
ethical of me to deliver the bracelets a week overdue without explaining why?
No. I knew when
I was too late to deliver the bracelets that I had to write some kind of
apology or explanation as to why they weren’t delivered. I was a week late, and
I had already received some of the money, so I had to be ethical and do the right thing.
Developing new skills: 3 days before UN Day, I went to the field to
paint the flags. I had the yellow and blue paint for the most part. I painted a
few flags for about an hour an half. It was a very interesting experience. When
I started painting, Ato Wondwossen was carefully observing me from behind. He
came to me, snatched the brush from my hand and said ‘That’s not how you do it!
Look carefully’ and gently stroked the brush on the wall. After watching him
for a while, I learned how tas before
I would paint heavily on one side and lightly on another. Also, I learnt that
it’s better to press and drag the brush across the borderline rather than
dabbing it. I remember when my brother and sister moved out, I helped them move
their stuff but I purposely slept during the time they were painting because I
know my painting isn’t so good – but now, leave alone avoiding it, I’m eager to
start doing more frequently. Now I can proudly point to the Zambian flag on the
school field and say ‘I painted that!’
Overall, the feeling of school spirit, the leadership
skills and the people I got to know all made this experience perfect for me. I
feel this activity further enhanced my leadership skills and really brought out
the audacious voice within me. What is more, this experience has helped me
fulfil some of the attributes in the learner profile:
Inquirers
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Instead
of reading blocks of text on the internet on how Brazil contributes to Food
Security, I was cur.jpg)
ed to
do a good job in the conference.
Knowledgeable
After
having met with Mr. Wilson, I was
given loads of books of Food in Brazil and he sent me an email with all the
information I needed. Having studied that, I became more informed about food
security in Brazil and was able to form solid judgments during the conference.
Thinkers
When Steven and I were on the field, we
examined all possible solutions to the problem. The people were coming up the
field and so we had to think carefully but also quickly how to approach this
predicament, and together we did it.
Communicators
When going around to a bunch of IB
students, I knew I had to be persuasive and also optimistic. I believe that’s
how I got many of them to join. The people who volunteered for primary à I would link with Ms
Gaskell, the people who volunteered for the food committee à I linked with Ms
Lawrence and the people who volunteered to organize the flags à I linked with Mr.
Timothy.
Principled
Sometimes when things go wrong, the only
thing you can do is move on. When I realized I was too late to deliver the
bracelets, I panicked. I felt really bad. So, I wert home, I packaged all the
bracelets in an envelope and wrote ‘Sorry for the delay’ followed by a brief
explanation. I neatly placed all the bracelets in the envelope and when school
opened a week later, like I promised before, I delivered all the bracelets
personally to the homerooms. I had to take responsibility for my actions.
Reflection on JU Fellowship: ‘Development from within’ – JU90
JU90 is a
non-governmental organization solely run and managed by Sandford Alumni (and my
hero ^^) Nejat Abdella. Established in 2013, JU90 combines projects and
initiatives to build up ones potential and social skills. JU90 believes that you
perceive development from within than from anywhere else. As development is a series
of progression rather than a destination, JU90 contributes to this process by
instilling positive changes. It fosters innovation and entrepreneurial spirit
to youth.
Quite frankly I
contacted Nejat weeks before she came to Sandford (although I’m not quite sure
if she knows it was me). In August, my sister Ethiopis called me in her room
and told me about it. I thought it was a great opportunity for an internship so
I googled it and found the website. After having looked though it, I went
outside the IB common room and called her on her cell phone. She gave me
insight to the fellowship process and also said that she was coming to school
soon. So I waited…
The first meeting was
held on 4th of October in the main hall. Nejat came and spoke about
the fellowship; she said there are 15 slots open to IB1’s and 5 slots for
IB2’s. Besides being able to get CAS hours for it, you get to learn soft
skills, build your resume and get first-hand experience in the workplace. So
you know what my first thought was… I have to apply!
I cannot thank Nejat
enough for kindly offering this great opportunity to us.
I will never ever
forget what she said near the end, “I believe we are all born with a special gift”, I may have heard it on
motivational podcasts, read on it books, seen on websites and movies but I
guess… I guess when she said it just really spoke to me.
The following
information has been extracted from my diary:
Friday October 4th 2013: “Afterschool, I went to a JU Fellowship
meeting (which is an organization that gives out internships to IB students).
The meeting was in the main hall – almost all the IB students came. The main
lady, Nejat (also Sandford alumni) spoke about the internship. She asked me to
tell everyone what I wanted to be in the future, ‘Computer Engineer in India’ I
said, feeling proud ^.^ She spoke fluently of time-management, commitment, personal
development, perseverance and so forth. At the end, we were all given
application forms to fill out. I’m applying… no doubt!”
Reflection on Fellowship training:
“Train tomorrow’s workers… today!”
The training session was…
remarkable!
There were two distinct
parts of the session. The first part of the session was divided into three:
Leadership skills, fundraising skills and communication skills, each 30 minutes
long. The second part was also divided into three parts: Project management,
team management and time management – also 30 minutes each.
The following
information has been extracted from my diary:
Saturday16th November 2013: “Yay! Today was the JU Fellowship Training! I
went to school early around 8am, stayed in my dad’s office until 8:45am when
everyone started arriving. Outside, I found Steven, Josh and Mubarek so we all
walked together to the main hall. Nejat and her team arrived. It was AWESOME!
We began the session with a photo shoot, individual then group ones. Nejat made
an opening speech, followed a radio host Ms Sofia, who gave a speech on ‘Never
giving up’ and ‘unleashing your greatness”.
What an inspiration they both are!
So the training took about 6 hours – but it was worthwhile. We learnt many valuable skills and different
types of leadership. We were put in different scenarios and our skills were
tested. It was a lot of fun! It’s one of
those days that I could replay again and again in head, and it would still seem
awesome. I love how I worked
collaboratively with my friends - I love how I opened up to others about my dreams, my goals, my
ambitions without fearing what they’re going to say. 2 trainers from AISEC came along – Arnold and
Edna. They were simply amazing! It gave a strong sense of motivation as I’m
sure it did to all 22 applicants that were there. After the meeting, I met with an Indian
entrepreneur and we discussed my goals further. But this time, I was more
inspired than ever. I spoke volubly of my ambitions and he was impressed.
Already the training is making positive changes in my life. For that I fully
thank Nejat and the team. ‘What a day…
what an experience!’” 
In school they’ll tell
you the only way you’ll thrive in life is though scoring high on exams and
studying night and day, and although many people follow this principle, it
isn’t entirely true. Like radio host Sofia Abdulkadir said “Even the smartest
people and most famous people in the world were college dropouts!” That’s not
saying that you should drop out of school to become famous, no, your grades
matter, without the knowledge you wouldn’t have the imagination ^^ Schools are
great – however they don’t teach you about happiness, passion, ambition and so
on.
You learn these things
through experience and I believe JU90 will open doors for us that will allow us
to explore these attributes with dignity and self-esteem.
And to Arnold and Edna (a short message for you guys):
“Wow… where to begin? You both were amazing to say the least! I
have learnt way too much from you guys… and together you make the perfect team.
I cannot thank you enough for sharing with us your wisdom and for so kindly taking
the time to teach us all these soft skills. I truly believe your lesson has
made an impact on my life. When I went to the meeting with the entrepreneur
after the training, I was a completely different person. You both gave me a great confidence
boost through your inspirational talk. Arnold: Being my mentor for 6 hours has
made you my role model for life! Man I wish I can stand in front of a crowd of
people and speak the way you did. You’re assertive, funny and well-rounded and
I respect you for that. Edna: There
needs to be more people like you in the world! You stand for everything you
believe in and you’re words of wisdom are engraved in my heart forever. You’re jovial, considerate, knowledgeable and open-minded. You both
astounded me since the beginning of the session and kept me captivated the
whole way. I applaud you both”
- Eden Tadesse
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Peace day was commemorated on the 20th of September 2013 at
Sandford International School and it was a wonderful day.
Peace Day is actually the day after (21st of September 2013) but it’s a Saturday so instead it’s celebrated today! Yay! My horoscope told me this morning to ‘Have fun and let loose’ and that’s exactly what I did. I had many exciting activities planned for this day.
.JPG)
One of it was for all IB students to hold a banner that reads ‘WE STAND
FOR PEACE’. There’s nothing better than promoting the goodness of Sandford
students. In the morning, I got 8 IB Students to help me paint this banner. It
was fun because I got to work
collaboratively with my classmates, some of which are new students. The
letters P, E, A, C and E had to be multicolored, the rest had to be black – so
PEACE could stand out. Two of my friends Hermon and Vineet designed peace signs
to go with the banner – it was a spontaneous decision but it looked good in the
end. I was in charge so I had to return
all the paint, paintbrushes and containers to the art room. Also, I had to
clean the IB Common Room and leave it the way I found it. I managed to do all
this.
When we finished painting the banner we waited a few minutes for it to
dry… meanwhile we were cleaning the table. When it dried, I decided it would be
smart to display it on the big blue board near the common room so the whole
school could see it. And to remind all Sandford students how important peace is
to us. So before all the students came out for break, I got a few students to
help me post the letters on the board. It looked really nice.
In the morning, my friend Etsub and I went to a 7th grade
class to teach the students how to make paper cranes. To be honest, I learnt it
a few days ago, and on YouTube, so I was no expert at but I still managed to
learn it and was able to teach it to a class of 15 kids. I developed a new skill. Cranes are the Japanese sign of peace. 
During break, the students wrote what peace means to them or what comes
to mind when they think of peace on the car park (floor) with a chalk. At the
end, with everyone’s input, the car park looked amazing. During this time I was
selling peace day bracelets to students (at the same having fun with friends
and enjoying myself – isn’t that what peace is all about?) I’ve never sold
bracelets before in school – I undertook
a new challenge. At first I thought no one would purchase my bracelets but
I was completely wrong. I got loads of students come to me at break and lunch
asking me for my bracelets. I spent all
night making 40 of them. They all sold successfully and in fact, since
people wanted more, I quickly printed a list where they could all order and I’d
make some more for tomorrow. This was a commitment
I chose to make (even though I had lots of work to do that day).
At the end of the day, I gathered as many IB students as I could and we all stood outside the common room holding the banner we painted earlier that day. We posed holding the banner and we took many pictures. I’m the girl sitting holding the peace sign, sitting down. The source of my inspiration came from a picture I found on the internet a few days before Peace Day. The picture is also posted on this blog.
Reflection on Somali School:
[Service]
September 2013 – June 2014 Teaching is one of my many
passions. I started teaching when I was 13 years old, at a small educational
centers in my neighborhood, then in a catholic church, then in an orphanage,
then in various private schools and Ngo’s and then in my school! (I teach students
from grade 7 – 10 about blogging). I believe teaching is one of the most
powerful tools out there. I definitely consider Teaching as my future
career.
I began volunteering at
Somali School 2 months ago, with my friends Clara and Hannah. We started out as
3 volunteers but now almost 10 of us volunteer there.
Somali School is located in
Bole, Bole Michael (The Somali region of Bole). I volunteer once a week (on Sundays)
and for an hour a day although I wish it could be longer. The kids are all from
Somalia and they are all amazing. I teach them basic English and Math. Every
volunteer stays for an hour, there are many volunteers who come to Somali
School to teach, there is a 1-hour time-slot for each volunteer.
At Somali School you get to
meet very interesting and kind people. I met a very kind woman from England by
the name of Sarah, who is also a volunteer and an ICS mom. Also Roel and
Ibrahim, the main people of Somali School, are also very helpful and
considerate. This just makes the experience at Somali School a wonderful one.
The children are
incredible! Since they all live in the neighborhood, they all know each other
quite well and love each other and (most of them) are obedient and behave well.
The student’s names are Faysal, Leila, Hamda, Dahir, Abdifatah, Euria, Nuurdin
and so forth.
A few weeks ago, one of the
main supervisors Roel, decided to construct a curriculum for the school so all
volunteers were invited to Ms Catherine’s (who is an expert at curriculum
development) house to discuss it. Sadly, only 2 volunteers showed up and I was
one of them. Catherine’s house was easy to locate as she lives next to my best
friend’s house. We discussed what we liked/disliked about our time there. Ms Catherine
kindly offered us lunch. At the end, we were all given ‘tasks’ to do. My job
was to find subject tests appropriate for the age of 5 – 9 and send it to the
rest of the group. It was a very productive session and I think any volunteer
could have benefited from being there.
Reflection on Blogging Club:
[Creativity and Service]
“Blogging
has and always will be my passion” – Eden Tadesse
I started blogging (3 years
ago) when I was 14 years old. I started a blog about school life and posted
some poems/scripts I wrote. I am currently 17 years old and I have 8 blogs with
more than 900 views monthly in total.
For many people, blogging
is just a way to pass the time but for me it has always been something much
more. Blogging is the platform that I chose to use to express and develop my
ideas. This automatically made me a better person; I was more open-minded, more
intuitive. Back then, no one taught me how to blog and no one that I knew did
it. I inspired myself to blog; I convinced myself that my ideas had to be
shared with the rest of the world. I’m the type of person who is very
open-minded about things and can say a lot about different things. Writing is
my passion and so is ICT so blogging was my passport to exclusivity. It’s not
only a great way to express your thoughts and ideas but also a great way to
communicate with the rest of the world and also great exercise!
A few weeks ago, I had the
idea of starting my own blogging club in school. I wasn’t sure if people would join
since it’s not so popular here in Ethiopia. Most of my friends had no idea what
a blog was, they knew about my blogs but just assumed they were all websites. A
blog is more personal, more informal than a website. I didn’t spend too much
contemplating whether or not I should start my own lclub, I was confident that
I was doing a good thing and I believed people would come so I wrote a proposal
form and gave it to my CAS Coordinator. In a day, she and my principal Mr.
Lothschutz granted my proposal. I was extremely happy.
I designed posters for
advertisements and I also told people about it. I decided to cater to students
from grade 7 – 10. On my first session, the ‘introductory’ session, I had over
13 members show up. They were all very keen and enthusiastic kids. I taught
them what a blog is, what a blog IS NOT, how it’s useful to them, different
types of blogs and just some general stuff about the club. I engaged with the
students, asking them questions, finding out about their dreams and passions.
Actually, we had so much fun we lost track of time and stayed half an hour
more.
BORN FREE ZOO
"Now that's what I call a lion!"
Today I had the privilege of
travelling outside the city with my Somali kids! The Somali school organized a
field trip for the children to the Born Free wildlife rescue. I had no idea
Born Free was an international organization until I researched it a few days
ago. In Ethiopia, they have a few branches. We visited the one outside the
city.
I usually volunteer with Hannah
and Adey on Sundays but they didn't feel like coming to the trip so I decided
to go by myself. When I was near the Somali school, Aida (who is also a
volunteer at Somali School) called me and told me she would like to come. Aida
lives really close to the Somali School so she insisted I go to her house and
we go together.
The zoo was about an hour west
of Addis Ababa. I was in the bus with the somewhat mischievous group of kids:
Dahir, Faysal, Abdifatah and Nuurdin. They were screaming and chanting the
whole way so it was hard to observe the scenery outside the window, or even
think. I don't speak Somalian so it was hard for me to understand what they were
saying. As we drove through the serene urban-rural fringe, I shut my eyes and
absorbed myself in the tranquility and stillness of the moment. It was
perfectly green and vastly- you don't really get to see this part of Ethiopia
on TV or on the newspapers.
Then... we started our journey.
The first animal we saw was the cheetah (baby). The escort did not indicate
whether or not it was a girl/boy, nor did he say how old the cheetah was. He
said they found it on the border of Somalia and Ethiopia (like most of the
other animals). They called it 'Shiba' (Amharic
à
English translation: useless) because one of its foot is useless. We saw many
cheetahs... around 6 or 7. We also saw many turtles. The escort taught me many
interesting things about wildlife here in Ethiopia that I didn't know. For
instance, in Ethiopia in total there are 25 types of endemic birds and 14 of
them are at BORN FREE!! Most of the animals they capture are smuggled through
the border or found on the streets. We saw baboons, lions (really big and scary
ones), hyenas, caracals, monkeys and many birds. The monkeys were all named
after the town they were found from. For example, they were called Kazanchis,
Piassa, Murcato and so forth (these are very popular towns in Addis Ababa). And
the best part, the monkeys have adapted to their names.
My favorite animal was the lion.
We saw 3 lions in total (but 1 of them was sleeping) - his name was 'general'
because he came from the military. The kids were yelling 'Commander!',
'General!' but he didn't seem to wake up. Around 1, we all had lunch. It was a
lot of fun! The children sang lullabies that Sarah taught them. After we had
lunch, the children played hide and seek. Aida and I were laying on the grass
because we were really exhausted. Then the children started racing and playing
tag. Overall, it was a lot of fun! I enjoyed my time with the kids and I
believe this experience further enhanced my relationship with the kids.
Here are some upcoming reflections:BORN FREE ZOO
"Now that's what I call a lion!"
Today I had the privilege of
travelling outside the city with my Somali kids! The Somali school organized a
field trip for the children to the Born Free wildlife rescue. I had no idea
Born Free was an international organization until I researched it a few days
ago. In Ethiopia, they have a few branches. We visited the one outside the
city.I usually volunteer with Hannah
and Adey on Sundays but they didn't feel like coming to the trip so I decided
to go by myself. When I was near the Somali school, Aida (who is also a
volunteer at Somali School) called me and told me she would like to come. Aida
lives really close to the Somali School so she insisted I go to her house and
we go together.
At first I agreed because I
didn't see any problem but little did I know it would make us 30 minutes late.
At first, Aida called me and told me to meet her at the Rwandan Embassy. It
took me a long time to find the embassy (especially because I'm really bad with
directions). I got lost many times and had to ask around 8 people. Eventually I
found it... then Aida told me to walk straight down from the embassy until I
see a huge building called 'TZ Hotel'. I walked down and stood by he hotel for
over 10 minutes waited for her to come. When Aida came I was a little upset
because Roel (Somali School manager) had already called me twice asking me if I
was coming.
Then together we walked through
the busy streets of Bole Michael, until we found the Somali school. We went
inside and we saw Roel and a few other volunteers standing in a semi-circle
outside the classrooms. Finally, Ibrahim did a final check of all the students
and we were ready to go. There were 2 minivans available for transport.
Aida and I jumped into the
first one we saw. Another German volunteer came in and sat in front of us - we
were the youngest volunteers. At around 10:15 - we left the school.
The zoo was about an hour west
of Addis Ababa. I was in the bus with the somewhat mischievous group of kids:
Dahir, Faysal, Abdifatah and Nuurdin. They were screaming and chanting the
whole way so it was hard to observe the scenery outside the window, or even
think. I don't speak Somalian so it was hard for me to understand what they were
saying. As we drove through the serene urban-rural fringe, I shut my eyes and
absorbed myself in the tranquility and stillness of the moment. It was
perfectly green and vastly- you don't really get to see this part of Ethiopia
on TV or on the newspapers.
One of the volunteers, and my
good friend Sarah, led the way. She was driving with her daughter Emma. When we
reached there, the kids on the bus started cheering and when we opened the
door, they ran out yelling to the other kids on the other bus. An escort came
to us and kindly greeted us. He said there are only 3 very SIMPLE rules
everyone must follow:
1. No
littering
2. No
running around
3. No
yelling/screaming around the animals
Then... we started our journey.
The first animal we saw was the cheetah (baby). The escort did not indicate
whether or not it was a girl/boy, nor did he say how old the cheetah was. He
said they found it on the border of Somalia and Ethiopia (like most of the
other animals). They called it 'Shiba' (Amharic
à
English translation: useless) because one of its foot is useless. We saw many
cheetahs... around 6 or 7. We also saw many turtles. The escort taught me many
interesting things about wildlife here in Ethiopia that I didn't know. For
instance, in Ethiopia in total there are 25 types of endemic birds and 14 of
them are at BORN FREE!! Most of the animals they capture are smuggled through
the border or found on the streets. We saw baboons, lions (really big and scary
ones), hyenas, caracals, monkeys and many birds. The monkeys were all named
after the town they were found from. For example, they were called Kazanchis,
Piassa, Murcato and so forth (these are very popular towns in Addis Ababa). And
the best part, the monkeys have adapted to their names.My favorite animal was the lion.
We saw 3 lions in total (but 1 of them was sleeping) - his name was 'general'
because he came from the military. The kids were yelling 'Commander!',
'General!' but he didn't seem to wake up. Around 1, we all had lunch. It was a
lot of fun! The children sang lullabies that Sarah taught them. After we had
lunch, the children played hide and seek. Aida and I were laying on the grass
because we were really exhausted. Then the children started racing and playing
tag. Overall, it was a lot of fun! I enjoyed my time with the kids and I
believe this experience further enhanced my relationship with the kids.> Video Conference with Blogging Expert Abid Beli
> Badminton: Best Sport out there!
> Cheshire Walk: A walk to remember
> Brownie Badge Night
> Bar Camp Ethiopia 2013: Having the time of my life
> Model United Nations (MUN) Club
> Model United Nations (MUN) Conference at Sandford School
> Poetry Jam: ‘The greatest gift of life!’
> World Teacher’s Day
… And many more!
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