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I’m Kate McGrath.
This is my final year studying psychology in University College Dublin. I
have the privilege of being a part of the Vincentian Lay Missionary
Group. One of the activities of this organisation is to send volunteers
to Ethiopia in the hope that we can make a difference to the lives of our
fellow humans in Ethiopia. They endure such suffering and denial of human
rights. This sounds like an undertaking that requires serious
qualifications. But it’s actually frightening how simple it is to help
the Ethiopian people improve their lives.
The way we endeavour to do this is
education. We simply teach what we know. That meant teaching English.
This year was my second time in Ethiopia. The first time I went to the
capital Addis Ababa with a friend. We taught English for a month that
year. This time I went out to Ethiopia and spent two months teaching in
the countryside. I chose to go out on my own because I wanted to discover
more about myself and test my independence. Mossy and Yvonne came out
about three weeks after me and taught in Addis Ababa, eight hours drive
from me.
In Ethiopia I learnt – I couldn’t but
learn.
But first let me set the scene of my tale of learning for you.
Ethiopia, like any country has been infected by the bug to westernize. It
has mass emigration to America and on a personal level you realize the
reality of this when the majority of people you meet tell you that if they
were to emigrate it would of course be to America. It is the place to go,
where dreams are fulfilled. Despite this, Ethiopia is a place that is far
removed from Western countries. In the capital city on the main roads
there are cars and sheep, cows and goats and masses of people weaving in
and out of these objects and animals. The houses have roofs of corrugated
iron and walls are wooden trunks or mud – few are bigger than a small room
in a Western house. Their language curves in smooth swirls on the shop
fronts. The country side is similar except that there are far less cars –
only four cars were present in a church that held a couple of hundred
every Sunday. In the country a taxi is a horse or a donkey drawing a cart
called a gari. The market stalls displaying multicoloured fruits, baskets
of eggs, pouches of cheese, the odd cow pops his head into the scarves
vendor’s stall out of curiousity while his tail swishes in the face of a
bargaining customer. This different environment reveals gems and
tragedies to you at every turn.
" It
took me the first few weeks to realise I was looking at the famine and it
was not like anything I had imagined. "
I knew from the ads on television and
radio that the famine was serious in Ethiopia so I was confused when I
arrived to see little evidence of it. I had assumed being in the
countryside I would become extremely aware of the famine. It took me the
first few weeks to realise I was looking at the famine and it was not like
anything I had imagined. I began to notice that beneath their clothes
peoples’ legs were quite thin, in fact extremely thin and their cheeks
were quite hollow. The reality was they were hungry but they still got up
and did the work. The women carried loads of sticks heavier than
themselves until their backs were permanently bent. The children carried
leaves to sell. They still went to mass every Sunday and sent up long
haunting cries at the prayers of the faithful.
Human dignity is a stoic and
magnificent quality and they possessed it in its purest and most admirable
form. Ethiopia has strengthened my belief that the human spirit is far
stronger than we give it credit for, if we just trust it.
I try to remember I have no problems
that will limit me seriously in life. I aim to keep my problems in
perspective. No, I can’t go to the cinema tonight because I must study
but I have the privilege of education. I can’t eat two boxes of galaxy
chocolate without putting on weight but there is food to eat. At the
moment in Ethiopia if the economy keeps going the way it is going half the
country (35 million people) will rely on international aid. I forgot to
take off my watch before I got into the shower but I can always be sure
there will be water for my shower. And when I have more serious problems
I remember the courage and dignity I have witnessed and that helps me stay
the course till I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
My experiences of Ethiopia has
developed me as a person. I developed a new sense of confidence
altogether. Having been a rather shy individual for a long time now this
was a new venture for me. For the first time in ages I was willing to
chance being confident. I had to take that risk to be effective in the
way I chose to teach the students. I slowly emerged from my shell
surprising the sisters I lived with and myself as well. I still have an
immediate reaction to retreat back into my shell in situations but
hopefully my rewarding experiences in Ethiopia will keep my neck poking
out of the shell so I can fully participate in the wonderful experiences
of life.
My students unknowingly made my
gradual transformation easy for me by their open enthusiasm to learn,
their sense of fun and their love. They openly express their love to you
without any inhibition and I made close, affectionate friends which meant
I danced down to work every day.
The lessons I have learnt, the sights
I have seen, the laughter I have heard, the cheeks I have touched with my
own and the people who have touched my life have left their footprints on
my soul. Hopefully it is with these footprints firmly in mind I continue
my journey in life.
Kate McGrath
27th September 2003
Vincentian Lay Missionaries
Fr. Michael McCullagh, CM
St. Peter’s Church
Phibsboro
Dublin 7
Tel. 8389708
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