Chigriyelum

*This picture is of our street. The road was just paved a few monthsago which makes a huge difference especially as it is the rainy seasonnow. We live next to Bole High School so that is why there are nohouses on the other side of the road.*

Our third week in Addis taught us the most important Amharic wordyet: Chigriyelum (though it probably isn't spelled that way).Chigriyelum means "no problem" in Amharic and is now our favorite word. We are quickly learning that Ethiopians are very laid back and really have no problem with what we would interpret as chaos. A few instances that have called for Chigriyelum: "Oh, by the way, Keegan, did anyone tell you that you are the head of the English department?" asks the School Director on Tuesday, four days before school starts. "Also, can you give a presentation on 6-Traits to the department?" Sure, I say, thinking October sounds like a nice time. "How does Friday sound?" My response? "Chigriyelum." During two weeks of lesson planning in advance, Keegan planned out almost a full term. Oddly, nobody else was doing this. Now we know why. On Friday, the last work day before school, the schedule changed. So almost all of the work he did must be adjusted to combine two classes and double another class. "Chigriyelum!" School starts tomorrow, yet there is no official schedule or classroom assignments."Chigriyelum!" We had to get a complete health evaluation for our work permits. It was the typical poking and prodding, blood work, urine sample, chest x-ray, and our first ever stool sample! As if stage fright wasn't enough, the bathroom we were directed to had no toilet paper. (Actually, no public restrooms do; we should not have been surprised). Chigriyelum! While we are adjusting to the laid-back nature, it has been in our favor much of the time. The school continues to be so flexible with Anne's work schedule and work with Compassion—Chigriyelum! Two weeks of orientation and half days have allowed us to rest and build relationships. "Chigriyelum!" And people have been very willing to help us, from providing rides to using something like the black market to make our American phone work here. "Chigriyelum!" With all of this in mind, our first hospital visit was successful and we had plenty of time to get comfortable with the hospital. (Our simple exam took about 7 total hours). And as laid-back as the school is, they are great teachers and on the cutting edge of education. I can learn a ton from them, especially in the "Chigriyelum" sort of way! In three weeks the streets we usually walk have transformed. As we leave our house, we almost always see one of our Frisbee kids in the first block. We have to wait a moment to give knuckles, high-5s, and handshakes. Two blocks down are the usual cardplayers. We learned they are actually security guards for the nearby houses. The next block we always meet the same little boy in purple crocks. He stands in the middle of the road and holds up his arms,wanting a high-5 from each of us at the same time. Then we come to the group of shepherds (seriously, urban shepherds with whips and all!) who often stand, remove a hat or two, and are always friendly.They cheer when we say a new word correctly. So, our walk is becoming a very social and encouraging stroll. We're excited to learn more of the language so we can develop these relationships more. For the time being, we are slowly venturing out with our limited Amharic, and everyone is very understanding when we mess things up. They smile,wave, and respond when we say "good morning, Woman" to a man in the evening. Again, "Chigriyelum!" One highlight of the week was winning our first round of cards with the group of men that always plays, day or night, rain or shine, a few blocks down our street. We played with them for several rounds, waiting to finally win. On the last round, we finally won and prepared to leave happy. It made us even happier when we realized that on that final round they let us win, even though one of them had winning cards for some time.