I have to go to court on Monday and explain them that the summon hasn’t been delivered. Yep kinda scary plus I miss the first day of work and the reception of a new student in my class but there’s no other way. My collegues, not the board, are so kind: they actually wished me luck which felt so good. I was also invited to a BBQ at my closest colleague’s home.
Also on the brighter side the landline in my flat just started working so from now on you can reach me _ if I’m home_ less expensively on 00251115548779 = Really cool!
And there are only 24 more days to go before I get my first real visit: Nele! (=best vriend from Flanders) and Karen. So the smile on my face has definitely returned!
Ps: Wish me luck with the 1st women Ethiopian run tomorrow!!!
vrijdag 5 maart 2010
donderdag 4 maart 2010
Just a short note in between…
My week off is flying by and sadly enough I’m not really able to enjoy it very much… . After the cleaning was finally finished I found out that Immigration has lost my file and thus I still don’t have a new residence permit which means I cannot go to the police for my stolen camera still which is bad for my insurance company, plus I can’t give the court summon to GYA. I should have given this the latest last Friday, 10 days in advance, seeing as the case is supposed to be on the 8th of March, meaning next Monday but Dr G and me fear GYA may block some paperwork so the case will probably be postponed… What a mess.
In addition my ex landlady is given me trouble, even though most of the furniture is still in the other flat and I have paid until March the 20th or so she refused to let me in the compound the other day which infuriated me so much I caused quite a scene… I’ve decided not to move anything out so she can’t rent it a day sooner just to bug her but still. It’s so frustrating. Where has my luck gone off to???
On top of that there are loads of power-cuts, some Italian company didn’t do a good job with the construction of a new hydro power plant so the tunnel with generators collapsed a mere week after opening. It’s super annoying: For example I went to school to prepare for next week but there was no power when I arrived so I couldn’t do a whole lot... And more of the same.
till I shouldn’t complain: I’m liking the new house, will probably be in a play ( covering for someone which is exciting because it’s been 10 years since I was last on stage), also I’m hosting the boys again now that they’re back, plus am running ( or rather walking) 5 km for women empowerment and have a house-warming party coming up… . So hopefully next update will be less winy =)
In addition my ex landlady is given me trouble, even though most of the furniture is still in the other flat and I have paid until March the 20th or so she refused to let me in the compound the other day which infuriated me so much I caused quite a scene… I’ve decided not to move anything out so she can’t rent it a day sooner just to bug her but still. It’s so frustrating. Where has my luck gone off to???
On top of that there are loads of power-cuts, some Italian company didn’t do a good job with the construction of a new hydro power plant so the tunnel with generators collapsed a mere week after opening. It’s super annoying: For example I went to school to prepare for next week but there was no power when I arrived so I couldn’t do a whole lot... And more of the same.
till I shouldn’t complain: I’m liking the new house, will probably be in a play ( covering for someone which is exciting because it’s been 10 years since I was last on stage), also I’m hosting the boys again now that they’re back, plus am running ( or rather walking) 5 km for women empowerment and have a house-warming party coming up… . So hopefully next update will be less winy =)
maandag 1 maart 2010
Home sweet home...
Things still haven’t really settled down but it is a more enjoyable rhythm then before. My paper process is running at its end. With Dr G driving me up the wall because he felt I should be doing things whereas the school doesn’t allow me to interfere. Due to a meeting in the ministry of education we are behind schedule which won’t be a problem for my visa but does mean I didn’t give the summon to GYA on time so the court may be postponed… .
Last weekend the 20th or something was fun. I hosted couch surfers at my home. 3 crazy guys from about my age: a Welsh one, German and South African. The last did his masters in London and is now returning. The welsh guy is joining him and they’re driving his 4X4 all the way to Capetown. Can you imagine from London to Capetown!?! They have a lot of fun stories to tell and saw some interesting places. They have solar panels on the roof of the jeep and try to raise money for a charity that wants to provide people in desolate regions with solar energy because the lack of electricity tends to intensifies their poverty. If you want to read about their adventures www.overlandandintheSun.com . The German is also involved in charity and is doing the trip from Germany to Capetown by motorbike. He’s currently joining them while his bike is being fixed. His site: www.fernwehge.de .
They were good fun, we had some delicious meals and did a daytrip to the lakes at Debrezeyt. Sadly enough I couldn’t go swimming because the water’s not safe if you’re not being treated against some disease and frankly the leech my feet attracted when I was paddling put me off. Still it was great to eat cheese and guacamole sandwiches at the shore.
In my class and with the colleagues all is well. My students are very adorable and say the funniest things: We were describing people and they said their previous teacher had a green nose. My wage and housing is arranged through the board more specifically through the senior manager, Sisay. He’s Ethiopian and not nice to me, may be because his kids are going to GYA ( not all the staff members are allowed to have their children in the school…). The head of primary, John Lane, was absent so I saw my new flat with him and his assistant and when I pointed out things that should be taken care off I got an inappropriate answer. When I told Mr Lane he apologised and even his assistant told me he felt his boss was out of line. Result: I have moved into my new home but where all the other teachers get a clean house mine is/was really filthy. This because Sisay wanted me to hire a cleaning lady of his choice, probably someone he owed a favour and got angry when I explained I already had someone doing my laundry and that I usually cleaned myself.
The place is starting to get cool though. I rearranged all the furniture yesterday, washed out most cupboards, unpacked and started cleaning the bathroom which was the filthiest. I’ve never missed Mr Proper this much in my life. There are hardly any cleaning products here so your result depends on your effort. Plus I managed to clog the bathroom pipes when I was trying to get rid of dirty water which made me unable to shower after cleaning. So now I’m waiting for the school plumber. It wasn’t exactly the start of my week off I had hoped for but the result _when I finally finish_ should be well worth it. I’m really excited: It’s so enjoyable to have a fridge again (after more then 2 months) and there’s an oven, a table to eat at, space in the cupboard, a good bed/mattress, a sofa, A sink in the kitchen etc. The flat is on the third floor and in the fancy tourist neighbourhood of Addis. It has a pretty big terrace and an extra bedroom with double bed which I’ll use to host people. It will be so nice! There are some things which aren’t exactly stylish such as the curtains which are extremely ugly and the painted kitchen cupboards which no matter how hard I try look dirty but hey I’m willing to put up with it. ( I may go all out shopping for matching scarves to use as curtains. Textile here is rather pretty plus affordable.)
Last weekend the 20th or something was fun. I hosted couch surfers at my home. 3 crazy guys from about my age: a Welsh one, German and South African. The last did his masters in London and is now returning. The welsh guy is joining him and they’re driving his 4X4 all the way to Capetown. Can you imagine from London to Capetown!?! They have a lot of fun stories to tell and saw some interesting places. They have solar panels on the roof of the jeep and try to raise money for a charity that wants to provide people in desolate regions with solar energy because the lack of electricity tends to intensifies their poverty. If you want to read about their adventures www.overlandandintheSun.com . The German is also involved in charity and is doing the trip from Germany to Capetown by motorbike. He’s currently joining them while his bike is being fixed. His site: www.fernwehge.de .
They were good fun, we had some delicious meals and did a daytrip to the lakes at Debrezeyt. Sadly enough I couldn’t go swimming because the water’s not safe if you’re not being treated against some disease and frankly the leech my feet attracted when I was paddling put me off. Still it was great to eat cheese and guacamole sandwiches at the shore.
In my class and with the colleagues all is well. My students are very adorable and say the funniest things: We were describing people and they said their previous teacher had a green nose. My wage and housing is arranged through the board more specifically through the senior manager, Sisay. He’s Ethiopian and not nice to me, may be because his kids are going to GYA ( not all the staff members are allowed to have their children in the school…). The head of primary, John Lane, was absent so I saw my new flat with him and his assistant and when I pointed out things that should be taken care off I got an inappropriate answer. When I told Mr Lane he apologised and even his assistant told me he felt his boss was out of line. Result: I have moved into my new home but where all the other teachers get a clean house mine is/was really filthy. This because Sisay wanted me to hire a cleaning lady of his choice, probably someone he owed a favour and got angry when I explained I already had someone doing my laundry and that I usually cleaned myself.
The place is starting to get cool though. I rearranged all the furniture yesterday, washed out most cupboards, unpacked and started cleaning the bathroom which was the filthiest. I’ve never missed Mr Proper this much in my life. There are hardly any cleaning products here so your result depends on your effort. Plus I managed to clog the bathroom pipes when I was trying to get rid of dirty water which made me unable to shower after cleaning. So now I’m waiting for the school plumber. It wasn’t exactly the start of my week off I had hoped for but the result _when I finally finish_ should be well worth it. I’m really excited: It’s so enjoyable to have a fridge again (after more then 2 months) and there’s an oven, a table to eat at, space in the cupboard, a good bed/mattress, a sofa, A sink in the kitchen etc. The flat is on the third floor and in the fancy tourist neighbourhood of Addis. It has a pretty big terrace and an extra bedroom with double bed which I’ll use to host people. It will be so nice! There are some things which aren’t exactly stylish such as the curtains which are extremely ugly and the painted kitchen cupboards which no matter how hard I try look dirty but hey I’m willing to put up with it. ( I may go all out shopping for matching scarves to use as curtains. Textile here is rather pretty plus affordable.)
zondag 14 februari 2010
A rainy week later...
First of all to all the couples out there: Happy Valentinesday!
The sun may have started shining for me again but I’ve gotten wet feet =)
It’s literally been pouring here. Up to the extend that when I woke up, a bit nervous for my first real day, at 3:00 on Monday morning and it was still raining, much like when I went to bed at 22:00, the courtyard had transformed itself into a mudpool and the kitchen was lower then the water level, thus a pool as well. Not the best start of my day.
Luckily at school things went smooth and they continued to do so the rest of the week. It’s pretty exhausting, especially now I still live rather far, but fun. My 18 super small students are super cute. Fatoumata can’t sit still and is always up to mischief such as pinching, mixing up puzzles, etc; Delina gets too much food and is therefore overweight and doesn’t like moving too much which was funny on sportsday Friday; Bamlak is hilarious when he shouts along to 5 little speckled frogs but has trouble pronouncing the word;… They are all really adorable!
The only setback was when on Friday it turned out that I was told the wrong wage and get less then Belgian minimum wage after all during these first 6 months. But that’s not the end of the world. It’s still more then 3 times what I had before.
In the mean time I’m arranging as much as I can all my papers again. With the new visa I have to go to the whole process of immigration again before I get a new residence permit. Hopefully I get everything arranged before its expiration date. This past week I’ve been running about to translators and doctors after work hours then I went home to do some preparing and by the time this was finished it was bedtime. It wasn’t the most exciting week, I can’t wait for things to slow down, I need just a little more patience. The lazy weekend I’m having which involves loads of sleep, food and eating out; is doing me good and I feel ready for next week plus there’s a holiday coming up the first week of March.
From now on I have an address again:
Sanford International School
Corine Huyghe
PO BOX 30056 MA
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
I now only have a mobile phone with the number: 00251 912488366
School website: http://www.sandfordschool.org/
The sun may have started shining for me again but I’ve gotten wet feet =)
It’s literally been pouring here. Up to the extend that when I woke up, a bit nervous for my first real day, at 3:00 on Monday morning and it was still raining, much like when I went to bed at 22:00, the courtyard had transformed itself into a mudpool and the kitchen was lower then the water level, thus a pool as well. Not the best start of my day.
Luckily at school things went smooth and they continued to do so the rest of the week. It’s pretty exhausting, especially now I still live rather far, but fun. My 18 super small students are super cute. Fatoumata can’t sit still and is always up to mischief such as pinching, mixing up puzzles, etc; Delina gets too much food and is therefore overweight and doesn’t like moving too much which was funny on sportsday Friday; Bamlak is hilarious when he shouts along to 5 little speckled frogs but has trouble pronouncing the word;… They are all really adorable!
The only setback was when on Friday it turned out that I was told the wrong wage and get less then Belgian minimum wage after all during these first 6 months. But that’s not the end of the world. It’s still more then 3 times what I had before.
In the mean time I’m arranging as much as I can all my papers again. With the new visa I have to go to the whole process of immigration again before I get a new residence permit. Hopefully I get everything arranged before its expiration date. This past week I’ve been running about to translators and doctors after work hours then I went home to do some preparing and by the time this was finished it was bedtime. It wasn’t the most exciting week, I can’t wait for things to slow down, I need just a little more patience. The lazy weekend I’m having which involves loads of sleep, food and eating out; is doing me good and I feel ready for next week plus there’s a holiday coming up the first week of March.
From now on I have an address again:
Sanford International School
Corine Huyghe
PO BOX 30056 MA
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
I now only have a mobile phone with the number: 00251 912488366
School website: http://www.sandfordschool.org/
zaterdag 6 februari 2010
All's well that ends well!
On Thursday I don’t go to Aaron again and find myself waiting very nervously. I didn’t sleep well and was absolutely exhausted. The boss arrives and greets me, then several people are called to his office, including Solomon who later seems to be dictating a sort of testimony to the secretary. At 9:30, after the meeting was over, I’m called in and told that if I can bring a letter of the school that wants to hire me that they’ll give me a business visa.
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Went out, called Sanford aka dreamjob, and made an appointment. Shortly after I was introduced to my new classroom, students and the teacher that’s leaving because she has started her own school and needs more time for that. On top of that the teachers were having a potluck and I was invited to join them, cool huh, they do potlucks from time to time ( potluck = everybody prepares something and then there’s a buffet with the different dishes). I was also given the letter which I delivered to immigration after their lunch break. After a mere 3 offices my passport was taken and I was given an appointment to come and collect the visa the next day which I did without difficulty.
Friday I got up very early and took 3 minibuses to get to the dream job on time and observe the current teacher on her last day so I could pick up the class habits. It is really cool! Most afternoons are for preparing ( kids leave at 12), I have 2 happy helpers and only 18 kids most of whom don’t speak English at home. They’re super cute and everybody seems really friendly…. It was really hard to tell Aaron’s dad who was quite disappointed especially by the fact that he didn’t get any notice but I explained nothing had been certain until that very morning and that that’s why he didn’t know sooner. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Aaron or some of the people I worked with yet. The idea is to do so on Monday or Tuesday after work.
I will sort of sign until July 2011. My wage is paid in bir but is a low Belgium wage and it includes local health insurance. On top of that I will be given a furnished house in one of the more elite areas of Addis which is closer to the school once they get everything sorted out. ( good thing I still didn’t buy a fridge).
Sort of sign because after August my status will even improve: then they’ll pay for my flight to Addis after the summer holiday plus I get to ship stuff and I can ask to get paid in a foreign currency to a foreign account. Easy for saving which I’ll do seeing as that low Belgium wage I get every month is more then some people earn in a year! Cost of living is really reasonable.
All of it is a dream come true. I’m now officially in the international school network which looks great on my CV and will allow me to be hired under similar conditions in different countries.
I celebrated yesterday evening with some of the ICS teachers and Alix with a “cranium” session, brilliant game, loads of fun especially in combination with some alcohol and nice snacks… So much fun I’m having a quiet day to recuperate from it ;-) However tonight I’m going out with Holger and some other friends to a traditional restaurant ( the one where we ended up on the dance floor a long time ago when I first met Holger and Mohammed!) so that’ll be fun.
I do still have the court case ahead of me but that shouldn’t be too horrible.
What can I say, life is sweet at the moment and it seems the sun has started shining for me again! After all, all is well that ends well=)
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Went out, called Sanford aka dreamjob, and made an appointment. Shortly after I was introduced to my new classroom, students and the teacher that’s leaving because she has started her own school and needs more time for that. On top of that the teachers were having a potluck and I was invited to join them, cool huh, they do potlucks from time to time ( potluck = everybody prepares something and then there’s a buffet with the different dishes). I was also given the letter which I delivered to immigration after their lunch break. After a mere 3 offices my passport was taken and I was given an appointment to come and collect the visa the next day which I did without difficulty.
Friday I got up very early and took 3 minibuses to get to the dream job on time and observe the current teacher on her last day so I could pick up the class habits. It is really cool! Most afternoons are for preparing ( kids leave at 12), I have 2 happy helpers and only 18 kids most of whom don’t speak English at home. They’re super cute and everybody seems really friendly…. It was really hard to tell Aaron’s dad who was quite disappointed especially by the fact that he didn’t get any notice but I explained nothing had been certain until that very morning and that that’s why he didn’t know sooner. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Aaron or some of the people I worked with yet. The idea is to do so on Monday or Tuesday after work.
I will sort of sign until July 2011. My wage is paid in bir but is a low Belgium wage and it includes local health insurance. On top of that I will be given a furnished house in one of the more elite areas of Addis which is closer to the school once they get everything sorted out. ( good thing I still didn’t buy a fridge).
Sort of sign because after August my status will even improve: then they’ll pay for my flight to Addis after the summer holiday plus I get to ship stuff and I can ask to get paid in a foreign currency to a foreign account. Easy for saving which I’ll do seeing as that low Belgium wage I get every month is more then some people earn in a year! Cost of living is really reasonable.
All of it is a dream come true. I’m now officially in the international school network which looks great on my CV and will allow me to be hired under similar conditions in different countries.
I celebrated yesterday evening with some of the ICS teachers and Alix with a “cranium” session, brilliant game, loads of fun especially in combination with some alcohol and nice snacks… So much fun I’m having a quiet day to recuperate from it ;-) However tonight I’m going out with Holger and some other friends to a traditional restaurant ( the one where we ended up on the dance floor a long time ago when I first met Holger and Mohammed!) so that’ll be fun.
I do still have the court case ahead of me but that shouldn’t be too horrible.
What can I say, life is sweet at the moment and it seems the sun has started shining for me again! After all, all is well that ends well=)
woensdag 3 februari 2010
Tommorow again... When will today catch up?
On Monday after being with Aaron I set course for Labour. It was a promising start, I had to be there at 13:30 which gave me time to eat something in the teacher’s cafeteria before rushing away. Sadly enough the secretary at labour was absent so my clearance letter that required 2 lines more then the standard one could not be typed and I should come back the next day same time. When I called the dream job I felt like an 8-year-old telling the teacher the dog ate his homework and went home to enjoy the afternoon for a change.
I enjoyed the evening even better! There was a cocktail party at the embassy because the Belgian minister of foreign affairs came to Addis for the African Union meeting. Parties there are never without catering and this time they flew in the delicious grey small shrimps typical for the Belgian coast, besides that there was a whole buffet with other goodies including a dessert of fresh chocolate mouse and strawberries! It was a feast! Holger Saskia and me really enjoyed it. Saskia is even considering to become Belgian seeing as the Belgian community is very sociable and friendly;-)
Between you and me ok ambassadors do get a really nice wage but these things are not obligatory and come out of their pocket so it is really nice of them to do this. The ambassador’s wife is Ethiopian by the way and a really friendly stylish host.
To my great relief I was given the letter promptly by Labour on Tuesday and thus set course for immigration. Dr G thought it would be in my benefit if I went there by myself to apply for a business visa. We’re hoping I will receive one seeing as my court date is only on the 8th of March and the 8th of April and I am telling them I do not have the means to stay here without wages until then… ( The dreamjob would be able to hire me if I get this visa).
I went to the not so nice boss,room 105, I talked to the last time. After an hour queuing he took half a minute to tell me I should go to room 77 downstairs and apply for a visa there like any other person. I called Dr G and he referred me to his friend who made me wait, fill out some forms and then also sent me to 77. When I finally got in I explained my case upon which the guy scribbled down something in Amharic and sent me to room 81. There, there is a nice lady ( I’ve been there before and she’s always been sympathetic to my case) who attended me after a while and then scribbled something on my file and sent me to Ato Solomon , room 80, who is only friendly to me off record and with Dr G present. Solomon made me wait for ages, he’s always being a pain and thus very busy, and allowed people to queue me twice before it was my turn. He then asked me silly questions such as where is your residence permit, you need to give it to us, whereas he knows _or at least should know_ I was fired for asking this permit and that GYA kept it. He scribbled down 3 things in Amharic, all the true and thus wrong answers I gave and sent me to room 95. Room 95 seems to be a different director, one that has refused to talk to me twice before and he was now in a meeting and I shouldn’t wait because it was already 17:15 and everything closes at 17:30 ( immigration doesn’t do overtime like Labour). So I should come at 8:30 tomorrow. I went out drained and super disappointed as usual. Luckily the money bar I mentioned in one of my first blogs is near this ministry and they have some excellent fries with ok tasting mayonnaise which helped to cheer me up a bit.
8:30 the next day Wednesday I don’t go to Aaron but set out to immigration. I am kept waiting until 9:15 before I get to see the man behind the secretary in room 95. I explain him my case and he says they will give me a tourist visa upon which I start crying and tell him then I’ll have to go home ( which I mean, I can’t take much more of this) and GYA who’s been mistreating people for the last 10 years will get away with what they did to me and will continue doing this. He gets 2 calls in those mere 10 minutes I’m in there and sends me out twice eventhough it’s clear I don’t understand enough Amharic to make anything out of what he’s sayng. When I come back in the second time he starts calling someone and GYA is named… Then he says: come back tomorrow. No answer, no explanation, nothing.
I rushed to Aaron and had lunch was forced to eat real quickly while he was in recess. After he left I went to court to get the summon for my case. I have to personally give it to the school. Having to go there soon made me call David ( remember ex colleague and first flatmate, the one that got robbed in Merkato) to see what he was up to. Good thing I did because he told me he is eloping tomorrow morning at 8:45 and that the school will be closed until Monday.
We started in September with 8 foreign teachers and 2 American management assistants. Tomorrow a mere 3 out of those 10 continue to work for GYA. 5 of the people who stopped have left/fled the country, the other 2 are me and the witness that saw me get fired who was 1 of the manager assistants, we are still here for the time being.
So here I am waiting for another tomorrow hoping that very soon I can live for today again and be happy.
I enjoyed the evening even better! There was a cocktail party at the embassy because the Belgian minister of foreign affairs came to Addis for the African Union meeting. Parties there are never without catering and this time they flew in the delicious grey small shrimps typical for the Belgian coast, besides that there was a whole buffet with other goodies including a dessert of fresh chocolate mouse and strawberries! It was a feast! Holger Saskia and me really enjoyed it. Saskia is even considering to become Belgian seeing as the Belgian community is very sociable and friendly;-)
Between you and me ok ambassadors do get a really nice wage but these things are not obligatory and come out of their pocket so it is really nice of them to do this. The ambassador’s wife is Ethiopian by the way and a really friendly stylish host.
To my great relief I was given the letter promptly by Labour on Tuesday and thus set course for immigration. Dr G thought it would be in my benefit if I went there by myself to apply for a business visa. We’re hoping I will receive one seeing as my court date is only on the 8th of March and the 8th of April and I am telling them I do not have the means to stay here without wages until then… ( The dreamjob would be able to hire me if I get this visa).
I went to the not so nice boss,room 105, I talked to the last time. After an hour queuing he took half a minute to tell me I should go to room 77 downstairs and apply for a visa there like any other person. I called Dr G and he referred me to his friend who made me wait, fill out some forms and then also sent me to 77. When I finally got in I explained my case upon which the guy scribbled down something in Amharic and sent me to room 81. There, there is a nice lady ( I’ve been there before and she’s always been sympathetic to my case) who attended me after a while and then scribbled something on my file and sent me to Ato Solomon , room 80, who is only friendly to me off record and with Dr G present. Solomon made me wait for ages, he’s always being a pain and thus very busy, and allowed people to queue me twice before it was my turn. He then asked me silly questions such as where is your residence permit, you need to give it to us, whereas he knows _or at least should know_ I was fired for asking this permit and that GYA kept it. He scribbled down 3 things in Amharic, all the true and thus wrong answers I gave and sent me to room 95. Room 95 seems to be a different director, one that has refused to talk to me twice before and he was now in a meeting and I shouldn’t wait because it was already 17:15 and everything closes at 17:30 ( immigration doesn’t do overtime like Labour). So I should come at 8:30 tomorrow. I went out drained and super disappointed as usual. Luckily the money bar I mentioned in one of my first blogs is near this ministry and they have some excellent fries with ok tasting mayonnaise which helped to cheer me up a bit.
8:30 the next day Wednesday I don’t go to Aaron but set out to immigration. I am kept waiting until 9:15 before I get to see the man behind the secretary in room 95. I explain him my case and he says they will give me a tourist visa upon which I start crying and tell him then I’ll have to go home ( which I mean, I can’t take much more of this) and GYA who’s been mistreating people for the last 10 years will get away with what they did to me and will continue doing this. He gets 2 calls in those mere 10 minutes I’m in there and sends me out twice eventhough it’s clear I don’t understand enough Amharic to make anything out of what he’s sayng. When I come back in the second time he starts calling someone and GYA is named… Then he says: come back tomorrow. No answer, no explanation, nothing.
I rushed to Aaron and had lunch was forced to eat real quickly while he was in recess. After he left I went to court to get the summon for my case. I have to personally give it to the school. Having to go there soon made me call David ( remember ex colleague and first flatmate, the one that got robbed in Merkato) to see what he was up to. Good thing I did because he told me he is eloping tomorrow morning at 8:45 and that the school will be closed until Monday.
We started in September with 8 foreign teachers and 2 American management assistants. Tomorrow a mere 3 out of those 10 continue to work for GYA. 5 of the people who stopped have left/fled the country, the other 2 are me and the witness that saw me get fired who was 1 of the manager assistants, we are still here for the time being.
So here I am waiting for another tomorrow hoping that very soon I can live for today again and be happy.
zondag 31 januari 2010
Waiting for the miracle to come...
Well The next Monday before our Wednesday deadline still without an appointment. Dr G took me to immigration with a different client after having been waiting again in his office. Seeing as we were there we might as well go and talk to one of the bosses we hadn’t talked to yet, he was the usual unfriendly and aware of my HRC-case. This guy told us to go to the ministry of Labour and said the Isayas we had been trying to schedule the appointment with most of the previous week was not the right person to talk to after all.
Dr G. tried to stop a German rasta from running away from the office and managed to get his bag stolen in the process. Thus when he realised he needed to return and look for it so I ended up waiting/crying in the car for another 45 minutes by myself. By the time he returned it was 17:00 and all major offices close at 17:30. I had been waiting for Dr G since 11:45 and we had done nothing but encounter another immigration prick that felt I should leave the country.
Probably out of guilt we still headed for the Labour office where we found our way to the boss’s office. He listened to my story and called his colleague director who was also still in his office and received us as well. Labour is said to be very pro employee, there the ones linked to the union so nice and left-wing. They told me they had an important meeting with the Addis council the next day and that they would present my case and give me a call when they figured out a way to help me. I wasn’t called but still went there the next day by myself. The boss had become ill and wasn’t able to attend the meeting. He told me he’d discuss the issue the next day and call me. I’m low on patience so on Wednesday, again by myself, the other boss found me waiting for him after his lunch break and took me to his colleague and they discussed a solution in front of me. They told me to go to immigration again and ask if they would be able to give me a business visa when Labour cancelled my work permit which would allow me to get hired by the dream job. I got Dr G to accompany to the last prick at immigration we had talked to to address this question. Immigration avoided giving a clear answer which is what they do best. They did however tell me that GYA had written to them asking them for my deportation and that they had told GYA that wasn’t their place to decide.
In Dr G ‘s opinion this means there on my side. Anyway so we went back to labour who started the process of cancelling my work permit and told them that immigration wasn’t going to deport me if I were involved in a court case so I’d need a letter from court to prove this. Labour would have my work permit cancelled by the next Thursday and that left us plenty of time to file for court so I had a letter for them immediately after the permit was cancelled.
On Saturday I gave some documents to my Amharic teacher for translation which was Dr G’s idea and after that enjoyed my visit to the ethnological museum which I hadn’t seen yet. Hilarious folktales and inspiring artefacts in a former castle. Really cool! I spent the evening eating with some teachers from the school I’m in with Aaron and afterwards went to one of their houses provided by the school. A ballroom for a living room and an equally big lounge room, 3 bathrooms, etc and she lives there all by herself. This school is crazy. I really get along with the wife of one of the teachers who was my Canadian friend ( Emily)’s host and friend. She’s really very pleasant and open-minded company and loves to cook and play scrabble. I feel that if I get to stay here Alix may become one of my close friends.
Sunday flew by as usual I went for juice with Saskia( the Dutch girl) and some other people and on Monday I found myself rushing to Dr G’s office again to file the case, sadly enough my teacher/translator was sick and didn’t get the documents translated. It took Dr G a long time to decide he’d translate himself and that we should meet the next day to file the case so there was hardly a free afternoon left to enjoy. On top of it all there was a power-cut, the first for ages, and Alix was supposed to come for dinner that night. I ended up reheating the stew on a kerosene fire we borrowed from the landlady which caused it to burn and give my delicious stew a rather bad taste. Alix was nice enough to say it tasted nice anyway but honestly it didn’t. 10 Minutes after starting our meal the electricity came back. What is it with me in this place, I am cursed or something?
Tuesday I was pretty tired because Aaron has a new baby sister and his mum’s back from the states and he’s not dealing with the change extremely well but still I hurried Dr G’s office again only to be kept waiting for ages until I call for the 3rd time and am sent home with the message come tomorrow morning and then we’ll get everything done.
Thus on Wednesday I don’t go to the school and find Dr G translating the paper when I arrive at 9. At 10 he walks out with someone else for just a little while and asks me to await him there. I wait until 15 before we finally get in his car in order to get things done… We needed some stamps on copies and then the case needed to be presented in Amharic so that needed to be written… No need to say by the time that was done it was 17:15 and we weren’t able to file it. I finished the new book I started that day while waiting around for him and felt so depressed.
So we ended up only filing the court case on Thursday and then they told us they couldn’t give us the letters until the next day. I went to labour by myself and the boss was very surprised _ and disappointed?_ that I didn’t have the letter. He emphasized it was important I got this done before the end of the week, as if I didn’t know. On Friday I went with Mika who got instructions of Dr G to the court. When we arrived the judge who had to write these letters had just left for an early lunch s we hung around for 1,5 hours and then went back in. The judge saw the urgency and scribbled the letter I needed in 5 minutes, I just needed to get it typed and printed…which isn’t to difficult when you have 5 secretaries sitting in an office. But I guess I was wrong they were notably too busy playing with their mobile phones to type anything and made us wait a full 1,5 hours!!!!! ( the letter had less then 100 words for goodness sake!). I got really pissed and upon receiving the letter I ran out of there to make it to Labour as soon as possible. I arrived at 15:45 but my appointment with them was at 13:30 so they were in a meeting. The rest of the afternoon was spent waiting for them to come out which they did at 17:15. Then and there I was told it was too late to do anything and that I should be back there on Monday. I felt so extremely frustrated and mentally drained again. I never realised how much I just love our efficiency although I do admit government agencies aren’t the most efficient in Belgium or Spain either. ;-)
So the weekend began rather poorly but that would be solved with the hike I’d take with Holger and Mika. We set out Saturday morning with a scrumptious picnic packed to climb one of the mountains surrounding Addis. The views were nice, just getting out of the smog into nature from time to time is great actually and when we arrived to the top we were surprised to see a tent. We thought those would certainly be farangies but in stead we bumped into the federal police _What were they doing there? No clue whatsoever!_ They told us to go down this way or that way.
Fine, we enjoyed our picnic ( a lot mmmmmm cheese and avocado…) and decided on our route down one of the choices we were given. After a short while and a silly photo session we are called back by one of the agents. We had to return because we shouldn’t have gone that way_ even when it was one of the options they gave us! At the camp our documents were taken ( me my Belgium ID and a photocopy of my passport) and a lot of discussion was done through the radio. Mika told me later that their boss had no idea what to do with us terrorists… Thank you Mr Bush for giving them an example of this ridiculous behaviour.
We were sat down for ages before we were escorted down a very steep path ( I was fine with my little sandals and short shorts but Mika who’s quite a sissy was scared of slipping so I held his hand pretending I was the damsel in distress all the way down). One of the local woman actually discussed with the cop about why they were doing this and told him to leave us and them alone. Upon reaching the village outskirts we were taken in the back of one of their jeeps _I’m convinced that neighbourhood is still gossiping about us now_ to the regular and not federal police station. At this point we all thought it pretty hilarious stupid.
In the police station we were interviewed and I got really scared cause my paper situation is not exactly ideal and I had to tell them I worked for GYA seeing as that’s the only papers I still have at the moment so if they wanted to call the school I was in trouble. They kept us there for a long while until one of the bosses came, everybody avoids taking responsibility here, who was charmed by Holger’s excellent Amharic and let us go. We had done absolutely nothing wrong but we presented an ideal diversion to bored policeman on a mountain. Mika said later that if we had seemed unfriendly to them they had the intention of putting us in jail. I was freezing in my shorts on the way home and had become really pissed off, I hate these limitations of personal freedom just for power display. It’s something I’m finding really hard to deal with.
Dr G. tried to stop a German rasta from running away from the office and managed to get his bag stolen in the process. Thus when he realised he needed to return and look for it so I ended up waiting/crying in the car for another 45 minutes by myself. By the time he returned it was 17:00 and all major offices close at 17:30. I had been waiting for Dr G since 11:45 and we had done nothing but encounter another immigration prick that felt I should leave the country.
Probably out of guilt we still headed for the Labour office where we found our way to the boss’s office. He listened to my story and called his colleague director who was also still in his office and received us as well. Labour is said to be very pro employee, there the ones linked to the union so nice and left-wing. They told me they had an important meeting with the Addis council the next day and that they would present my case and give me a call when they figured out a way to help me. I wasn’t called but still went there the next day by myself. The boss had become ill and wasn’t able to attend the meeting. He told me he’d discuss the issue the next day and call me. I’m low on patience so on Wednesday, again by myself, the other boss found me waiting for him after his lunch break and took me to his colleague and they discussed a solution in front of me. They told me to go to immigration again and ask if they would be able to give me a business visa when Labour cancelled my work permit which would allow me to get hired by the dream job. I got Dr G to accompany to the last prick at immigration we had talked to to address this question. Immigration avoided giving a clear answer which is what they do best. They did however tell me that GYA had written to them asking them for my deportation and that they had told GYA that wasn’t their place to decide.
In Dr G ‘s opinion this means there on my side. Anyway so we went back to labour who started the process of cancelling my work permit and told them that immigration wasn’t going to deport me if I were involved in a court case so I’d need a letter from court to prove this. Labour would have my work permit cancelled by the next Thursday and that left us plenty of time to file for court so I had a letter for them immediately after the permit was cancelled.
On Saturday I gave some documents to my Amharic teacher for translation which was Dr G’s idea and after that enjoyed my visit to the ethnological museum which I hadn’t seen yet. Hilarious folktales and inspiring artefacts in a former castle. Really cool! I spent the evening eating with some teachers from the school I’m in with Aaron and afterwards went to one of their houses provided by the school. A ballroom for a living room and an equally big lounge room, 3 bathrooms, etc and she lives there all by herself. This school is crazy. I really get along with the wife of one of the teachers who was my Canadian friend ( Emily)’s host and friend. She’s really very pleasant and open-minded company and loves to cook and play scrabble. I feel that if I get to stay here Alix may become one of my close friends.
Sunday flew by as usual I went for juice with Saskia( the Dutch girl) and some other people and on Monday I found myself rushing to Dr G’s office again to file the case, sadly enough my teacher/translator was sick and didn’t get the documents translated. It took Dr G a long time to decide he’d translate himself and that we should meet the next day to file the case so there was hardly a free afternoon left to enjoy. On top of it all there was a power-cut, the first for ages, and Alix was supposed to come for dinner that night. I ended up reheating the stew on a kerosene fire we borrowed from the landlady which caused it to burn and give my delicious stew a rather bad taste. Alix was nice enough to say it tasted nice anyway but honestly it didn’t. 10 Minutes after starting our meal the electricity came back. What is it with me in this place, I am cursed or something?
Tuesday I was pretty tired because Aaron has a new baby sister and his mum’s back from the states and he’s not dealing with the change extremely well but still I hurried Dr G’s office again only to be kept waiting for ages until I call for the 3rd time and am sent home with the message come tomorrow morning and then we’ll get everything done.
Thus on Wednesday I don’t go to the school and find Dr G translating the paper when I arrive at 9. At 10 he walks out with someone else for just a little while and asks me to await him there. I wait until 15 before we finally get in his car in order to get things done… We needed some stamps on copies and then the case needed to be presented in Amharic so that needed to be written… No need to say by the time that was done it was 17:15 and we weren’t able to file it. I finished the new book I started that day while waiting around for him and felt so depressed.
So we ended up only filing the court case on Thursday and then they told us they couldn’t give us the letters until the next day. I went to labour by myself and the boss was very surprised _ and disappointed?_ that I didn’t have the letter. He emphasized it was important I got this done before the end of the week, as if I didn’t know. On Friday I went with Mika who got instructions of Dr G to the court. When we arrived the judge who had to write these letters had just left for an early lunch s we hung around for 1,5 hours and then went back in. The judge saw the urgency and scribbled the letter I needed in 5 minutes, I just needed to get it typed and printed…which isn’t to difficult when you have 5 secretaries sitting in an office. But I guess I was wrong they were notably too busy playing with their mobile phones to type anything and made us wait a full 1,5 hours!!!!! ( the letter had less then 100 words for goodness sake!). I got really pissed and upon receiving the letter I ran out of there to make it to Labour as soon as possible. I arrived at 15:45 but my appointment with them was at 13:30 so they were in a meeting. The rest of the afternoon was spent waiting for them to come out which they did at 17:15. Then and there I was told it was too late to do anything and that I should be back there on Monday. I felt so extremely frustrated and mentally drained again. I never realised how much I just love our efficiency although I do admit government agencies aren’t the most efficient in Belgium or Spain either. ;-)
So the weekend began rather poorly but that would be solved with the hike I’d take with Holger and Mika. We set out Saturday morning with a scrumptious picnic packed to climb one of the mountains surrounding Addis. The views were nice, just getting out of the smog into nature from time to time is great actually and when we arrived to the top we were surprised to see a tent. We thought those would certainly be farangies but in stead we bumped into the federal police _What were they doing there? No clue whatsoever!_ They told us to go down this way or that way.
Fine, we enjoyed our picnic ( a lot mmmmmm cheese and avocado…) and decided on our route down one of the choices we were given. After a short while and a silly photo session we are called back by one of the agents. We had to return because we shouldn’t have gone that way_ even when it was one of the options they gave us! At the camp our documents were taken ( me my Belgium ID and a photocopy of my passport) and a lot of discussion was done through the radio. Mika told me later that their boss had no idea what to do with us terrorists… Thank you Mr Bush for giving them an example of this ridiculous behaviour.
We were sat down for ages before we were escorted down a very steep path ( I was fine with my little sandals and short shorts but Mika who’s quite a sissy was scared of slipping so I held his hand pretending I was the damsel in distress all the way down). One of the local woman actually discussed with the cop about why they were doing this and told him to leave us and them alone. Upon reaching the village outskirts we were taken in the back of one of their jeeps _I’m convinced that neighbourhood is still gossiping about us now_ to the regular and not federal police station. At this point we all thought it pretty hilarious stupid.
In the police station we were interviewed and I got really scared cause my paper situation is not exactly ideal and I had to tell them I worked for GYA seeing as that’s the only papers I still have at the moment so if they wanted to call the school I was in trouble. They kept us there for a long while until one of the bosses came, everybody avoids taking responsibility here, who was charmed by Holger’s excellent Amharic and let us go. We had done absolutely nothing wrong but we presented an ideal diversion to bored policeman on a mountain. Mika said later that if we had seemed unfriendly to them they had the intention of putting us in jail. I was freezing in my shorts on the way home and had become really pissed off, I hate these limitations of personal freedom just for power display. It’s something I’m finding really hard to deal with.
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)
