Easter in Ethiopia

Well last Wednesday I had quite a surprise when my two friends - Daithi and Eoin who I had planned to meet in Addis on Friday turned up in my house, so I had some nice days with them in Dessie. on the Thursday night we had a great party with Irish and Ethiopian music and dancing - a good night.
Then on Friday headed up to Addis, Daithi and Eoin's bags were the only luggage on the roof until Debre Birhan when the driver strapped a live sheep to Daithi's bag which was very funny as for the next two days everything he wore smelt of sheep!
We hit the town in Addis once again on Friday night, then Saturday did some shopping and had a lovely indian meal before they headed home.
Was little bit sad to see them go and made me feel homesick, so to compund that I headed to a party in the Irish ambassadors house just to mix with other Irish people!! but the Irish were few and far between at the party.
Then had a good day Sunday and monday meeting friends etc, and came back to Dessie on Tuesday. Tuesday evening had dinner in a friend's house, then Wednesday lunch in another teacher's house and Thursday lunch in yet anothers, and on Friday lunch with guests in my house, holidays are long things here, it was Easter last sunday but the celebrations went on for quite a while.
This weekend we had a workshop for high school and preparatory school teachers and next Tuesday a workshop for second cycle teachers and then to Addis on Wednesday for a VSO workshop on clustering then quick back to Dessie for the national workshop on clustering so it is busy busy.
We had a major break through this week when the photcopier we requested in October finally arrived in our office, this is making our work much easier, up till now to get photocopying done we have to go to the photocopying woman who can't speak English and who doesn't really understand copying machines and it is a nightmare that takes half a day at least, so now we can just copy in our own office.
So not much other news here, I saw an article in the Irish Times on Friday about the famine and drought in the South of Ethiopia but you wouldn't know it here, it is sunny and green here at the moment, but it is a huge country with poor communication systems and really the media only tell you good news stories here, that way everyone keeps more positive!
Anyway take care
Ciao,
Orla