The view from the roof our hospital... Addis is a huge city sprawled over about 30sqkm. High rises mix in with aluminum homes and business  

While hopefully coming to a end soon (mid September).. the rains, thunder and hail still happen daily.. but now when the sun is out it is a bit warmer!!

We headed out with most of our nurses to one of the other nurse's home who had a baby.  Nicole did the coffee ceremony honors

Been doing some volunteer consulting at some new government hospitals.  This is a new hospital that is being built- concentration on ER, ICU, and TB care.  We are not doing much work here but they just wanted us to do a walk through and offer any suggestions on flow while still in the construction phase. (Don't worry looking at the scaffolding..  they had a open ER still in the old building) 

 This was their head nurse.. showing us the residential area of the hospital grounds where the long term TB patients live... do not ask why the trees are painted... I do not know )

That hospital is close to Entoto Mountain so we drove up there to see the view over the city.  Being in the woods was so lovely.. All the trees are eucalyptus trees which were introduced here in Ethiopia in the 1900's as there was no natural forests here for construction and firewood.  

Was part of a full health teaching day in Korah last month. The new senior nurse Mekdes did a presentation on general hygiene, water safety ect. I presented on Trachoma and hand washing (infection in the eye which causes blindness). Jake and Nicole did some teaching on dental hygiene.  

 
IT support.. run the extension cords, make all the wires fit and then pray the power doenst go out

 Rahel always manages the coffee at the Korah events.. here she roasts the beans..

 Ladies waiting for things to start

 Lots of group work and participation

 Coffee Time!!!

 Coffee and Popcorn

 My glass coffee press broke... I now have Oat Can Coffee...

 Parcels from Home have arrived.... taco spice and alfredo sauce for Nicole.. Pictures from the kids, down jacket, dutch soup packs and red thai currey for me!!

 Huge focus of past two work weeks has been health and hygiene and substance abuse teaching at the local SOS village. Over 200 children live on the compound.  This has been so great as it as been mostly about facilitating and capacity building for our local nurses. Nicole and I have prepped the presentations and activities, the nurses have studied the materials and then do all the presenting and leading the activities.. my main job on teaching days is sharpening the pencil crayons!!  Its so good to be able to have teaching in the local language and as well present such good role models for the kids.

I have been working on learning to spell my name 

 

 The kids had my phone to take pics... I know the finger covers most of it.. but I like photo..

 One day when we were at SOS they also had a party for some reason.. I wish I had the video of this half hour. I felt like it was the perfect visual of how I feel a lot of the time here... it was noisy, I had no clue what or who the main event was, I could understand nothing being said, but somehow it was still fun.

Some days when things are going to be hard my fabulous room mate knows how to make things better... this day it was breakfast in bed

 Went out for Korean food for the first time in my life.. not sure how African Korean compares to the real thing.. but it was pretty good!!

 The sunrises are coming back!!!

 The girls in Korah are continuing to work on my Amharic... last Saturday it was endless rounds of Dora Vegetable Matching...

 Just life here a la traffic... this little bajaj is so stuck... it thought it fit past the truck.. it didn't