life in Ethiopia

Hi! Sorry this has taken me so long to write another blog. We still don’t have internet where we are but are hoping to get some soon so I will be able to post more on here. School has started and I have survived. Oh my I have a class of angels (2nd grade) and then a class of little devils (1rst). Sidenote: I never thought school was going to start and when I thought it was going too I was so nervous and worked up. I then came down with the mumps and couldn’t teach for the week that school was kind of starting and had to stay in bed. Then the next week on Monday it was a holiday and school didn’t happen. I was beginning to think that God didn’t want me to teach and I was beginning to be okay with that. Although I really wanted something to do since the days just drag when I feel like I am not really doing anything to help the kids. So on Tuesday it was finally starting and God gave me a peace. I was still a little nervous but not near as much as last week. I went and shadowed Liv’s class since she had one before me and then I went into it. It was a little choppy and I was fumbling for words at times but God blessed and gave me a class that listened to me. (2nd grade) It was intimidating that they were so quiet but they were really sweet and seemed to like it. I then went into 1rst grade which I thought was going to be a piece of cake. Well how wrong I was! Wow! The kids swarmed me (there’s about 25) and all wanted to touch me. (That’s pretty common here that the kids want to touch your skin. It gets really annoying and you have to tell them to stop or else they will keep doing it over and over). I told them to sit down and then introduced myself. It’s a struggle to keep them sitting down so if you’re a teacher and reading this I’m happy for suggestions, but it’s getting better and God is teaching me to love the kids and be patient. Karen, Liv’s Mom is coming in two days which I am super excited about! Can’t wait! Love getting letters at the Post Office when we go into town. It has become the highlight of my week. It means A LOT since now everyone is so used to instantly typing out an email that it is a 100 times more meaningful when I get a letter because I know the time it took to write it! Hmm…what else is happening? Well Africa is becoming more and more like home and I feel 100 times more comfortable then I did a month ago. Can’t believe that I have been here for almost two months now! It’s so true that the first month is the hardest and that it takes that long to adjust to a new culture. The dry season has come and the weather is beautiful, hotter in the day and cool at night! I also love it that my feet don’t get all muddy and that I can run around without feeling like I’m going to step in a pool of mud. The birds are spectacular here and I am trying to take some pictures to show how vibrant their colors are. Haven’t seen a hyena yet but have heard the dogs barking at them at night! ☺ Hope that you all are doing well! Praying for you! Peace.
PS/Forgive my many grammer mistakes! ☺