The View From Here

It's been an exhausting and exciting first week of orientation at HMA! The overall theme for our first week together was, "All About Me." And, we've come to the weekend filled with important information about the mission and educational practices at HMA and our roles in the continuing its development as a world class educational institution for Ethiopian students. We've also learned about the history Ethiopia and gained a deeper understanding of the importance of sustainability practices, the processes of Design Thinking and Restorative Justice Practices, and how to engage with our students so that they are owning their own learning.  (Claudia Presents on Sustainability) (Marc presents on Restorative Practices) (An introduction to Design Thinking by Thomas.) Working in the Design Thinking Lab Our First Trip into Debre Birhan for groceries and supplies. Going into Debre involves walking for 20-30 minutes on the muddy road from the school (see previous post) in orde...

 A big part of developing ourselves to be the best teachers and colleagues we can be at HMA is learning to know and trust one another. We do this through the same teaching and learning processes that we will be doing with our students when they arrive. Fortunately, we have an outstanding group of returning faculty who utilize many innovative teaching methods that draw the students into the subjects they are teaching. Claudia, our Dean of Faculty, along with Nebil, our 10th grade dean, take each morning to lead us through a series of learning exercises based on our mission statement. The good news is that not all of our learning takes place in the classroom. Today we met in groups and then went on an adventurous hike through the country around the school and the town of Debre Birhan. k

The new teachers arrived on Monday afternoon after hiking the trail from the roadway. They are in great spirits, even after their 13+ hour flight from Washington D.C.  Of course, we couldn't properly welcome them without the traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. Everyone was tired, but in great spirits as we sat for lunch and enjoyed the ceremony which seemed to perk everyone up a bit. After touring the campus and getting squared away in their rooms, it was time for dinner at the Interim Head's house. Twenty two faculty and staff joined in getting to know one another and Claudia, our Dean of Faculty, did a wonderful job of making everyone feel at home. After a night's sleep, we all gathered and began the orientation to HMA process. We did several ice breakers and came to know and trust each other. And, as if working hard all day wasn't enough, three kind staff came to my house to flip the refrigerator door so that it opened in the proper direction. Kudos to all three f...

The seasonal rains have wiped out the only road to the school, so we needed to navigate the muddy path through the farmlands and homes of the local Ethiopians. There are a mix of Christian and Muslims walking with us, most all dressed in local garb with western influences. I was surprised how many folks were hiking our same trail. But, before we left Debre Birhan, there were eggs to buy and vegetables to purchase at the local market.   The walk was filled with slippery rocks and lots of mud. fortunately, it wasn't raining during our time on the road. The temperatures range from 49 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit this time of year, so it was a comfortable, though sometimes treacherous hike.

 After two days of planning for a month of teacher orientation at the Hilton in Addis, yesterday we headed two-and-a-half hours north and about 85 kilometers to Debre Birhan and the school. The main road from Addis to Debre Birhan is well maintained and we were able to drive at a good rate of speed as we slowly climbed up another two thousand feet to 9,300 feet of elevation. The only slow downs are in the tiny villages where they have installed speedbumps and where police check points are located. Both are easy to manage with an experienced driver.  It's a beautiful drive this time of year because everything is so green. The rainy season in Ethiopia begins in mid to late June and continues through September. The road from the main highway to the school is marginal in the dry season. In the rainy season, it is impassable. So, we had to park at the highway, hire baggage carriers from amongst the locals and make the short 1km walk to the school.  But, before we began our tre...

 Arriving at the Hilton in Addis involves a car search, luggage screening, and the wearing of a mask. The security is tight, but the mask policy seems a bit loose. The rooms are sized to what you might find in the U.S., much larger than those found in Rome. The beds are comfortable and the pillows soft. When the Italians invaded Ethiopia during Mussolini's rise to power in the early 1930's, they occupied the country for several years, leaving behind a considerable influence on the food. Pizza can be found most anywhere, along with pasta and other Italian dishes. I can't say it's as good as the pizza found in Rome, but passable. Not so much for the sauce, but for the dough. The Ethiopians make really good breads! It's one of my favorite things to get here. Today was spent with the administrative team planning out the next four weeks of teacher orientation. They are a terrific group of inspired educators who are passionate about HMA and excited about the coming school...

HMA's Deputy Head of School, Tesfaye Kifle, was on hand to welcome me at the airport when I arrived in Addis Ababa on Thursday morning. We immediately went out for a bit of Ethiopian coffee and a cinnamon bun. Tesfaye is Ethiopian and comes from a family of 13 siblings. All of his family members are farmers living south and east of Addis. But, Tesfaye from a very early age wanted to go to school and learn. Through a tremendous amount of hard work and tenacity he put himself through high school and on through college, afterwards taking on several leadership roles in non-profit organizations. And, today, has about the most important job at HMA managing all of the construction, taking the lead on teacher and student recruitment.   Wow! I'm not in Italy anymore. Leaving Rome, where the temperatures were pushing the mid-nineties, and landing five hours later in Addis Ababa is not only a culture shock, but a temperature one as well.   July - September are the rainy and cold mon...

 After my first good night's sleep, it seems I'm getting used to the time change. Rising at 7:00am, I was out the door by 8:30 following a great complementary breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Hitting Rome early was good idea, as the temperature was considerably more moderate than later in the day. Before I left Greensboro, I downloaded an app called maps.me  and downloaded a map of Rome to my iPhone. It has worked perfectly! There is no need for an internet connection and it works just as well as any of the navigation apps that need to be online. I highly recommend it for travel outside the US. I set my destination for the Spanish Steps and headed  out. For some reason I was getting a very roundabout heading, which I decided not to follow and quickly found myself floundering about in the wrong direction. After several tries of comparing the app map to the one that the hotel had provided, I figured out that I had it on the car driving setting, rather than the walkin...