Our telephone line has come back to life after “only” 12 days!

As part of the HDP I interview each candidate to find out more about them. All three candidates I met with this morning, left me feeling humbled and selfish about my own life as usual. One of them wanted to study economics at university in Hosanna, but was “assigned” to a college in Dilla to study to be an Amharic teacher. He enjoys teaching but is fed up with teaching Amharic after only one year of teaching. Describing himself as feeling “a bit depressed” about his subject & college assignment struck me as a stunning understatement. He is already looking around for jobs outside of teaching. What a crazy system in a country desperately short of teachers! It’s no wonder so many teachers quit or are seriously unmotivated.

The mosquitoes have started to appear. The proper rainy season doesn't start until July, but the various puddles from recent thunderstorms are already a good breeding ground. No matter how hard you try to zap the buggers there's always one that escapes and buzzes your ear when you least expect it. The mossies I can handle, the supergiant cockroach I just removed from the house is a different matter. There a loads of tiny wee ones, which can be quite cute in a strange way, but this one tonight was way bigger than a mouse. Perhaps the only good 'roach is a dead 'roach but, to be honest, I was quite happy to turn this one loose outside and make a run for it.