Helen goes back to Kindergarten

 One of the athletes from Team Tesfa led me through the narrow, bustling aisles of the Merkato, a street market known for its chaos and threat of pickpocket. Lonely Planet writes, “Some people say that it's the largest market in Africa, but as its exact boundaries are as shady as its characters, this is a little hard to verify.” Overall, I feel very safe in Addis, however, at the Merkato, the locals' calls to me seemed to turn from friendly interest to aggressive intent. After the intimidating journey, the kindergarten was immediately inviting. We went through a sheet-metal gate, identical to those that flank nearly every dirt road, except for the red and purple Teletubbies that were painted on this one. The children, playing in what seemed to be a fragment of a yard, were delighted to see us; one grabbed my hand and kissed it, another my face to kiss each of my cheeks, and many more lined up behind them to bestow me with more kisses or just to touch my hand.

The classroom was impressive, with the days of the week, months of the year, English alphabet, numbers, and hand-prints decorating the room; compared to a typical Ethiopian public school, these children are leaps ahead of their peers. The kindergarten was begun by the Tesfa Foundation and the hard work of Dana and Menna. The children sang and played (see video) and then I read a picture book to them in English, with their teacher translating. No set of eyes left me for a second—I'm not sure whether they were indeed fascinated with the story or just rapt in seeing a white person. If it wasn't for the unnerving journey to get to the kindergarten, I would be there every day!