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3-18-13
On Friday, March 15 Betsie and I
had briefly discussed wanting to go on a hike on Saturday because it would give
us something to do and neither one of us had been to Fanna Falls, the
waterfalls that’re about 1.5-2 hours up the mountain from the compound. At that
point it was just an idea thrown out in passing. Then, I had to go teach 5A
that day during 4th period where we were only going to be reviewing
for our vocabulary quiz that was scheduled for the following Monday. In the
midst of review, the class monitor, Mechal Gossaye, mentioned some of the boys
from the class were going to be going to Fanna on Saturday and asked if I
wanted to go (this was all in extremely broken English of course) and I
excitedly accepted the invitation. We discussed meeting at the compound at 8:30
on Saturday morning. However, most times when you discuss plans with and
Ethiopian they’re either extremely late or someone misunderstand and nothing
ends up coming from it at all. So, that’s kind of what I thought was going to
happen. I told Betsie that they wanted to go and she agreed to go along on the
adventure.
On Saturday morning, Bets asked me
if I had set plans with the boys and I had told her yes but I doubt that it
actually meant anything. So we went to breakfast that Saturday morning and I
was just taking my time drinking my coffee and at about 8:35 Betsie encouraged
me to go see if anyone was there yet. Just about that time, Sachi called me
from outside and said some of my babies were looking for me. When I went out to
meet them, they asked me if I was ready and I told them I needed to finish my
coffee and they said “ok” and as they were walking away Ezedin turned back
around and yelled out “Quickly!” HAHA!! I love that he told me to finish my
coffee quickly. After quickly finishing my coffee and packing my backpack full
of supplies, Betsie and I headed out and found 4 boys waiting patiently for us.
So, we began our journey with only 4 boys and Bets even made the comment of,
“We’re probably going to gain so many more by the time we get up there.” She
called it because we ended up with 13 of my 5th grade boys and one 6th
grade boy. Mechal (the monitor I mentioned before) was pretty much the leader
of the day’s outing. At one point he disappeared for a few minutes and Betsie
and I wanted to wait for him but all of the other boys assured us that he was
coming and we should go ahead because our last two adventurers, Dawit and
Shifa, were waiting for us a little bit up the hill. When Mechal finally
reappeared he was accompanied by a couple of bags of supplies and was set for
the the rest of the journey.
At this point, all had joined the
ranks that would be with us for the day and we were well on our way. With me, I
had brought my camera and iphone to document the day. The best decision I had
made that day was giving my camera to the boys and allowing them to be in
charge of documenting from that point of view. They LOVED it. They were so cute
with it wanting to make sure to capture the scenery and of course a series of
solo shots in addition to chaotic group shots. And they were probably more
careful with it than I would have been. They were all so concerned about
whether or not Betsie and I needed help carrying our backpacks. They simply
would not take no for an answer. After denying the help for a while, I decided
they wouldn’t be satisfied until I relinquished my pride and let one of them
carry the backpack. I made sure to remind them that I’m not old and they all
just laughed. Something tells me they believe something different but I guess
that’s neither here nor there. It was also so sweet to see how worried some of
the boys became if either Betsie or I would fall the slightest bit behind.
Dawit, in particular, would not let either one of us walk behind him. He was
the self-proclaimed caboose in order to make sure everyone was accounted for.
When we finally reached the first
falls, the boys stripped off their outer layers so that only ratty old shorts
remained on their small little bodies and jumped in the water with the biggest
possible smiles on their faces. Keep in mind these kids live in a landlocked
country in an area that’s at least an hour and a half away from the nearest
lake which means they’ve never seen it because they can’t afford to take a trip
even that short of a distance. I say that because the smallest of swimming
holes is like seeing an ocean. While they were “swimming” around, (it was more
like glorified drowning so it was a good thing the water was only thigh high)
they were yelling over and over again “TEACHER MANDY, ONE PHOTO!” They were
literally the happiest kids in the world. I’m convinced of it. It literally
took all self-control not to break down in tears because their happiness was so
contagious. It is my favorite thing ever to see kids being kids. There’s
absolutely nothing better. Nothing.
After we had taken a sufficient
amount of photos of everyone jumping and splashing in the water, it was time
for our picnic lunch. As it had turned out, the reason Mechal went missing at
the beginning was because he had to make sure lunch was taken care of. In his
bags of supplies he had bought a few loaves of bread and a couple bags of kolo
(which is just roasted barley seeds and the closest thing to trail mix as we
were getting.) The boys were ecstatic about their simple lunches and all took
their share of bread and seeds. Betsie and I were delighted to share in such a
feast. These boys were even SO sweet as to share with some of the random
village children who had become part of our troop. Then, just when we thought
it couldn’t get any better… it did. The boys had purchased 2 cokes and
presented one to me and one to Betsie. They were so excited about treating us
to a surprise and were all so proud of themselves. A single coca-cola. The most
thoughtful gift I’ve ever received. We, then, all got to indulge in a single
starburst each (thanks Mom for the candy supply.) It’s so fun to share American
things with them because they think it’s the coolest thing ever.
Following our picnic, the boys
went on to see a second falls and Bets and I hung back to lay in the sun for a
few minutes until they returned. When they did, it was time to navigate our way
back home and as we did some of the boys started saying and repeating “Whew wee
today!” and “Excellent day!” One boy, Ezedin, quietly asked me if I was happy.
Moment number two where it was terribly difficult to hold back my tears. I’m
not sure if they’ll ever understand how truly happy and joyful I really was.
Upon some reflecting, there were
pieces I began to put together. I realized these boys, Mechal, Dawit, Shifa,
Tariku, Adane, Biniyam, Anwar, Welde, Amare, Taju, Nuri, Shumbezza, Ezedin, and
Mulubrehan, had planned this outting together just because they all wanted to
hang out and go to the falls and for some reason they decided to invite me
along. Their teacher. A girl. I don’t get it but I sure am glad they did.
Another thing I realized is that they all had pulled their money together in
order to purchase our lunch and cokes. I figured it out because I asked where
another boy, Toha, was and someone simply replied, “Toha no money.” Initially,
I didn’t understand why Toha would need money for our walk, but after being
treated like queens it occurred to me that if one couldn’t contribute, they
weren’t allowed to join us. Ha it’s a bit harsh, but it is what it is I
suppose.
We concluded the day by all
sitting at a shai bait (tea house) where the boys acted like little men by
sipping hot tea and enjoying more bread. All in all, it was the best Saturday
I’ve ever had. Bold statement? Maybe so, but I’m pretty sure it’s true.
I. Love. These. Kids.
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