Wow has time gone by fast. Its 1 more sleep till I start this journey of a life time. I’m in a bit of shock right now to be honest. This is something other people do and it just doesn’t even seem real yet that I am doing this. My flight leves tomorrow at 6:15pm I will blog every chance I get and I hope you all have fun following me. I just want to take a second to thank EVERYONE who helped out with fundraising and helping me put together a huge suitcase full of amazing things for these children. I’m very greatful for all the love and support.
About Ethiopia
In the Global Volunteer Network Ethiopia program, volunteers will be responsible for teaching the children with a focus on English and mathematics. With the aid of a local translator, volunteers will plan and run lessons for the children.
Additionally, volunteers with musical and computer skills are needed to instruct the children in these areas. After class, volunteers are encouraged to introduce new games and team building ideas, teach the children new songs, languages, involve them in art projects, as well as generally giving them the love and attention they need.
Two days a week volunteers have the opportunity to serve at a local feeding center where meals are provided to the street community; a large percentage of this community are children.
To learn more, please visit the Global Volunteer Network Ethiopia program page.
Recent Ethiopia Journals:
Mar 282011
Nov 272010
Well ………. for the first few weeks I never thought I was gonna last the whole 3 months, but I have, it’s almost over 
It was rough at first, but, then it all turned around very quickly and I’ve had a BRILLIANT time.
Since I last wrote we have taken a trip up North to Lalibela (if you haven’t heard of this place, look it up, it’s amazing). The ride up was SO long and the roads were average/bad. The first drive was 10 hours but it was fine, it was the last 5 hours that hurt the most. Seriously, on such bumpy roads like that, it’s about the only time in my life I was glad I had small boobs. Even THEY hurt, mate if they had of been bigger those puppies would have been sore for WEEKS! 
Anyway ………… we hired a van and a driver for the whole trip which was really cheap and worth every penny as the public transport can be PAINFUL. First we stayed in Bahir Dar for a night which has a HUGE lake, I loved Bahir Dar. Then we did the tough bumpy road trip to Lalibela. It was a shit trip but once we made it there it was incredible. TOTALLY in the middle of nowhere with gorgeous scenery left right centre. We stayed in an AMAZING hotel called Mountain View which had views to die for. All in all we had a great time.
UNTIL! The next day …………Us being the idiots that we are ………….. we went so nuts at the primo hotel, we were like “Oh screw it, lets just go nuts, it’s a hot hotel and we’ll never be back, lets have fun!” So we did …………. but the next day ………… we needed petrol, and …………… we had no money left. AND there were no atm’s within a 500km radius. Now the drivers here seriously earn like $100 a month, if that. WE HAD TO ASK THIS POOR DUDE FOR MONEY! The poor guy, had like $30 on him for his food and accomm for himself for the trip. He had to pay for our hotel. We didn’t eat that night cause we had no money. He didn’t eat either! Fail! So once we got within about 6 hours from Addis we got a transfer through Western Union to save our asses. So funny though, we went from riches to rags within 12 hours…………. idiots.
A surprising thing on the trip was, when we pulled over to have a rest or take photos, the kids usually ask for money or food or some shit ……….. mate, these kids wanted PENS. I was so gutted, I wish I had 1,000 but I only had 2. They wanted to write, write write write, which was cool, but they have no pens or pencils cause they are in the middle of nowhere.
Anyway, it’s Sunday now and I leave on Wednesday, so it’s all coming to an end very quickly. We will spend the whole day with the kids tomorrow and say bye for the last time. It’s going to be SO sad, but just one of those things I guess. Then on Tuesday, no doubt, we’ll be hitting the restaurants and pubs/clubs for the last time too. I can’t believe it’s over!! Back to the real world, but it’s summer in Queenstown, which I LOVE, and I would never complain about going home to that.
I will write one last time as I return home and before I head back to work. Fingers crossed my trip home goes smoothly, and my luggage arrives where it’s meant to. Fingers and TOES crossed. So I’ll write in a week, much love from me to you as always xoxoxoxo
Nov 082010
OK! So, it’s almost been a month since my lazy ass has written. I’ll do my best to fill you in on all the fun stuff.
All has been going really well here, time is going to quickly now. Before I know it, it will be Christmas. The kids are great, the weather is awesome, I’m eating HEAPS more of the local food (which I will miss!). It’s really nice and although I can’t eat it as well as they can (with my hand), I still like eating it. I actually started eating the enjera with a fork one time, I don’t think anyone had actually seen a person do this before and got some strange looks so won’t be doing that again.
So the kids are revising a lot at the moment. Each week that goes by, they learn so much more. We have learnt the ABC’s, my body, days of the week, colours, shapes etc. It’s hard work some days but it’s good fun at the same time. As time gets closer though the more sad I am going to be leaving them. They are GORGEOUS! And they all have such strong personalities, they are all so different. I have heaps of photos of them which I can’t wait for you all to see.
So what’s been happening out of school …………. we have made a few trips away on weekends to see the countryside, which I love! We did an EPIC fail one time though. One weekend we went to Awassa on the hectic bus which was primo, Awassa was great, but we stopped in a place halfway on the bus to get a break. Well ………… this place was SHIT! SO hectic, when we got off the bus we got caned by all these locals pouncing on us to buy shit. So many people surrounding us cause we were foreigners. Then there was this CRAZY lady, bloody yelling and spitting just being crazy at us. A nice cafe guy pulled us into his shop to save us, we sat down and all was sweet. But this crazy lady was argueing outside with other people and then spat in this dudes FACE! She was off her head!!. Anyway! We got help from some nice people back on the bus safely so we didn’t get tramped on. We left there never wanting to go back. To finish the story we went to Lake Ziway the weekend after that to have a wee geez. We were cruising down the street and I stopped and was like “OMFG”, Pilar and Sam were like “What what what!” I said “I think we have been here before, I remember that building” and just as I said that, THE CRAZY LADY WAS IN FRONT OF US!. Well! It was so funny, we all ran. Just ran for our lives, cracking up at how much of a fail that was that we came away for a nice weekend to the shit hole that we never wanted to step foot in again. Too funny.
Ummmmmmmmmm, what else. So I am thinking of taking a few days travel north, to see some old cool stuff before I depart. I’ll hopefully make some bookings next week as I really want to see a few more cultural things before I leave.
We went to the mother teresa home the other day. It’s a great place, run my the sisters, with 320 HIV orphans that live there. They are so SMALL! So cute too, and it’s a HUGE home which is really clean and tidy, and the sisters were so nice just chatting away to us. Such a sad place though, I left feeling slightly blown away. Would love to go back and spend a day there helping out.
So that’s it from me really. Haven’t been doing much else apart from eating and drinking, as per normal. Am actually looking forward to going to the gym when I get home. Yes, those who know me heard that right. I feel REALLY unhealthy and fat.
Oh before I write off I’ll quickly tell you about the movie fail. We went to this big mall to “the town” movie which was all good and fine. More than 3 quarters way through the movie …………. the power went out, which was fine, that happens all the time. I thought the generator would kick in ANY minute. So a minute later the lights come on but no movie. Then the lights went out again and the big screen came up all black with some white blotches on it, then we realised that it was the film……………. burning. WHOOPS! It looked like it was melting or something then it burnt completely so we came to the decision that that was the end of our movie night. TOTAL FAIL! THE FILM BURNING! Especially cause we were almost finished, gutted, but funny at the same time.
OK, I hope this finds you all well and happy and healthy, much love from me to YOU!!! xoxoxoxo
Oct 142010
Well it’s been AGES since I’ve written, so bad I know. I just get so frustrated with sitting at a computer here. Not sure why, I do this 40 hours a week back home, I should be use to it. ANYWAY! I’m doing really well! Rainy season is over, I have sussed the bed bug problem, I’m sleeping better as I’m not itching like a maniac all night, I have a flushing toilet and shower, my stomach is better ……… well, better than it was, and my flu is gone. ALL the crap that was horrible for the first few weeks is all good now and Addis has definitely grown on me. There are SO many new buildings going up, it’s uncomprehendable. I would love to come back in 10 years or so and see the difference, it will be huge. There are also new volunteers and they are all great. We all get along so well which makes the whole experience a lot better. The kids are wonderful, some of them are SO smart. Some are naughty too but they are still cute. We love them and they love us. When they see us it’s all big smiles and big hugs and kisses and they are all willing to learn. We have done the ABC’s, 1-20, my body (head shoulders etc), shapes, days of the week, and now they are learning addition and how to say “hello my name is …. and my favourite colour is …. The head, shoulders things is so funny. They have mastered the stomach, but they say, really loudly, STO MUCK! And so we point to things (which aren’t the stomach) and they say ” Eyes, Ears, STO MUCK. I say “no, that’s not your stomach, that’s your mouth, and they say “Mouth, [click here to read more]
Hello again! Well after my last entry, we got home to 15 little kiddies running up to us with big hugs and kisses. They are all so cute and just today 3 more arrived. So that will be it now for the year, 18. I know the names already which I surprised myself with as some of them are quite different. We started off with the ABC’s and to our surprise some knew it already, which was great. We coloured in the ABC and hung it on the wall. It gave the room a bit more colour which it desperately needed. Most days now we read books (which gets translated for the kids) colour in pictures, d0 some 1-10 math’s games, play more games, revise everything again and again. We have done greetings which is fun. They call me Teacher, and it’s always Teacher Teacher Teacher to try and get your attention. We also taught things like Come, Sit Down, Go, Stand up etc and a gorgeous wee girl called Mahalet said to me “Teacher, sit down!” And pointed to a chair. I cracked up. I said “No Mahalet, for Teacher to Mahalet is OK, is no OK for Mahalet to Teacher”. She just repeated what I said and was giggling away. So cute. I gave them the beanies that were so kindly knitted me to bring by a bunch of ladies from a church in the North Island, NZ. They went down a treat, they wear them every day. Especially cute as two of the boys have pink ones (they don’t care AT ALL of course). Ummm, what else, I just did my own washing! It sucked ……….. and my back hurts. I don’t know how these woman do all this physical labour every day! They carry the most [click here to read more]
Sep 132010
Well I have tried to get to this page to update this about TEN times but with no luck so YAY! I’m back! I have a lot to update on, unfortunately though, none of it is to do with kids or teaching (or the whole reason I came in the first place) as it is the holiday season here. It kind of feels like a wasted couple of weeks as I only saw the last kids for a few days before they left and the new ones are apparently going to filter into the house over the week. I’m looking forward to meeting them. The last kids were soooooooo cute. I only really coloured in with them and sang songs and stuff but they were all so awesome. Funny thing though ………. I was getting some coloured pencils for one of them to colour in a person and I said “what colours do you want”, and she said “black and brown” and pointed to the face and hair. I was like “OH yeah, funny. I was thinking at home they colour the people in like a beige and blonde hair, blue eyes. Classic. Anyway the classroom has been scrubbed and painted and looks great. New year was on September 11th so New Years Eve we went out and saw in the 2003 new year at 6pm. Yes that’s right, September 11, 2003, 6pm. It was a good night as everyone celebrates throughout the city just as we do at home. Woke up the next day feeling a little precious and was having a coffee and looked at a stamp I had on my hand from a bar we went to. It said ………… are you ready for this ……………. URGENT. HA! I totally cracked up. Next club will be [click here to read more]
Sep 062010
Hi al! Well all is going dandy here. Am slowly getting into the swing of things. Addis is a HUGE city with HEAPS of people. It’s a very hectic place and being a white chicky you kinda stand out like a sore thumb. That’s probably the most annoying thing but I have no choice but to get use to it. You also have no choice but to ignore the poverty and avoid giving money as there are just so many! And I would be broke within the hour so I won’t go there too often. So the kids left on Friday to go back to their homes. It was a sad goodbye for all even though I only knew them for 3 days. It didn’t take long to get to know each one and they all had such different personalities. We have been in the city all weekend which was nice as there are some nice relaxing places to go and cruise and get out of the rat race. The food here is really good, a lot of Italian influence so heaps of pizza and pasta which are two of my fave’s! Happy dayz!! The local beer (St George) is also good. The power has cut off a few times and when it does it affects the whole city! That would mean carnage in most cities with millions of people but they are so use to it that it’s no big deal at all. Getting ready for bed last night with no power was such a mission though, fingers crossed it doesn’t happen too often. I also caught a cold last night, which sucks, cause I even got through another Queenstown winter without getting sick so hopefully I get better soon because there is so much dust and pollution from [click here to read more]
Sep 022010
OK! Firstly my posts are gonna as often as I hoped as the internet is SHOCKING. Once you use to broadband you can get very frustrated very quickly at slow computers. Anyway! Onto the more important stories ……………… On my last weekend in Queenstown I got the BEST SURPRISE PARTY EVER (all thanks to my lovely husband). It was a great (messy) night had by all and thanks so much to all you awesome units in Queenstown for a Harrys Close house party to remember. After a hungover Sunday we got me packed and headed out Monday morning. It was a very teary goodbye to say the least. Hate goodbyes. BUT I had no choice but to chugg on and get excited about my hours and hours of crappy travel ahead of me. To start it all off I had too much luggage and didn’t want to pay extra so I sneaked the rest of the books I had onto my hand luggage, then in Sydney and Dubai had to pretend I was asleep when they brought round the portable weigher, too funny. SUCKERS! It worked! Saved myself about $500 bucks! Arrived in Ethiopia and thank god my ride was there. I was stoked. I think I even hugged him! All I wanted to see was “Kate Montgomery” on a sign somewhere so all went according to plan there. I was sooooooooooo shattered from my flight so I got to the house and had a wee nap, then one of the volunteers was leaving for Canada so we went into the city and had a meal and got a hotel (with a hot shower as the plumbing at the childrens home is a little broken at present). Had a few beers and had a pretty good sleep. Went back to [click here to read more]
Aug 262010
Hi all! SO this is the link you need to take to get my updates whilst away. I will hopefully get to a computer a couple of times a week but apparently it’s on dial up and isn’t very reliable but I’ll do my very best to keep you all in the loop. Last day at work today! I must admit, it doesn’t feel likt it. Have just been out for lunch though which was great, and am out for dinner as well. Looks like there’s gonna be a few more as well before my departure on Monday. Oh the joys of going away for 3 months! Everyone wants to take me wining and dining! No arguements there Anyway ………. my next update will be when I am in the thick of it in Ehtiopia. Wish me luck!! Much love xoxoxoxo
I have returned from a month at MMHCH, and hate to leave the 18 wonderful children, and the friendly staff. The real world beckons, and had to return to USA, to snow, cold, and work. I did miss my wife and grandkids, so was happy to be home. For advice to those entering the Ethiopia program, the children need clothes, and the MMHCH needs money. You’ll not need alot of clothes, t-shirts for day, light jacket or sweatshirt for evenings. I enjoyed my stay, as Addis Ababa was always fun to discover new places to sip coffee with friends, after a good morning run.
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