Hi everyone! Michael and Georgia here! We had a very productive first “official work” day here in Addis Ababa. We visited the Nehemiah Autism Center in the afternoon. Here, we toured the classrooms, met with teachers, and watched their interactions with students. We then met with an administrator to assess the school’s needs, as well as strategize and discuss plans for our subsequent visits (professional development/training for teachers and parents). Finally, we met with the director, who founded the school after her difficult experiences finding education services for her son, who was diagnosed with severe autism when he was 2 years old.
The playground at Nehemiah Autism Center
TC SLPs visiting one of the classrooms at Nehemiah
Our meeting with a Nehemiah school administrator
For lunch, we had a traditional Ethiopian meal at Yod Abyssinia, which was an AMAZING experience! We started with a coffee ceremony, which involves drinking rich Ethiopian coffee poured from a clay teapot and paired with popcorn. Then, a waiter came with a silver ewer to wash our hands with warm water. Why? To prepare us for the main course, which we ate with our hands and injera (bottom left in the picture). Injera is a traditional Ethiopian “bread” made of dark or light teff, is spongy, and tastes a bit sour from its fermentation process. We had an amazing variety of meats, spices, and vegetables on our platter, pictured below.
Ethiopian food of all types. YUM!
Yod Abyssinia dining room
And… in other (but also important) news, Michael got his suitcase! Tomorrow, we’re off early in the morning to Bahir Dar in the north to see Lake Tana. Stay tuned for more!
Am happy to read once again about the Ethiopian Trip. You have always been great wherever you go and am happy for doing it once again in Ethiopia. Keep the good work up Cate and everyone on board.
Happy New Year!!! So great reading that you all began 2015 helping at a very special Autism center!! Also, so relieved Michael found his luggage – phew!! 🙂
Wow! What a fantastic day at the Nehemiah Autism Center!! Sounds like the beginning of an exciting relationship with a very special school. Keep up the great work!
Looks great! Thinking of all of you and the wonderful work you’re doing! Best,
Erika Levy
Sounds like an amazing trip already!
I am so excited to read these posts! Sounds and looks like you are off to a fabulous and delicious start!
What a great sounding first day! Love the pictures, too.