Living

We’ve both been at work for a week now and our time here is starting to seem less like a holiday and more like real life. Living here is a strange combination of being different and yet being the same as everyone else. We obviously look different and aren’t aware of the finer points of the culture and yet because we are being paid on a local pay scale we’re living in the same way as everyone else. We don’t receive any pay for three months but VSO have given us an equipment grant for household items and are willing to give an advance on our wages if we need it, at the moment we’re trying to do without it but we’ll see. Tomatos, oranges ,bananas and sometimes apples are our main fruit. We eat meat if we eat out but haven’t braved a butcher yet to cook it at home. Water is in short supply at the moment as the mains supply is very erratic.
We’re living in an older style house (could date back to when the Italians were here – not sure), the owner lives in Italy and her brother is our landlord. Bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen (and a few cockroaches but I’m trying to persuade them to leave). There’s a sun deck of sorts around the house for those of you who are planning to visit and sit in the sun (I mention no names Rog).No furniture apart from a stove (we were very lucky to get a calor gas stove but as the gas is in short supply we may not be using it for long, most people cook on kerosene) and a bed. I tried to buy some furniture in the market yesterday but even the most rickety table and chairs were too expensive. I’ll try again next weekend.
Actually had a very nice Saturday yesterday. Phil was away for the day on a works picnic (I’ll leave him to describe it –it certainly didn’t have anything to do with cheese sandwiches) and I spent the day in town with a friend wandering round the market, drinking cappuchinos and out for a pizza in the evening. Asmara is so uncrowded and beautiful with faded Italian architecture and palm trees, it was a pleasure. It’s still winter here, t-shirt weather during the day but very chill at night.
My work’s ok, I’m still finding my feet, I’m a bit hampered by the fact that I haven’t worked in a school here but it’s coming together. The gov. is very committed to education and the text books completed so far are very good. The main problem seems to be in the level of teacher education and expertise which is where VSO concentrates a lot of its efforts. Children study at school until grade 11 and then grade 12 is actually a year of military service after which they take their final exams. This results in girls being married early as they then don’t have to do this final year. The trouble is they then don’t have their final exams and so have no qualifications with which to find work. Those who do take the final exam are then allocated to jobs anywhere in the country.
We’ve both got mobiles, paid for by VSO in case they need to contact us quickly. If you want the number drop us an email.

Read about the UN on BBC yesterday. They’re still driving around Asmara. Everything’s continuing the same.

C