Da Boss

My Boss is a 67 year old English cancer sufferer and has spent much of the last two years receiving treatment in the west of England.

She was sole contact with the school during my application, and she came across as old and sick and quite fragile. Despite confused, protracted and convoluted Skype calls, she also appeared to be a sincere visionary.

A very deceptive veil unfortunately. She was cced in my many emails to find out the extent of resources, but did not facilitate the correspondence, let alone tell me there is no inventory because there are no resources. She also informed me withdrawing money out of Ethiopia is easy and it is not. I feel hood-winked and i don't like deceit.

Boss first came to Addis in the early 1970s and taught at Ethiopia’s most prestigious school, Sandford. Originally in the hands of educators, the parents took over the school and she left in disgust. The Derg came in and like most farengis (foreigners) she left the country. She returned with husband Frank in the 1990s and became the Executive Director appointed by founder Ato S of my school. She was his teacher at Sandford.

She has gone on to open her own schools including two early Primary schools in Addis and has just had built (by volunteer friends, Rob and Anna) a third in Bishoftu, some 60 – 80kms out of Addis.

However, this has now given rise to serious conflicts of interests. My fit secretary and two members of teaching staff have been poached to her school, requests made by the Boss’ schools to Ms J to pass over our curriculum mapping, and perhaps most outrageously, i receive emails asking me to send our new students to fill up her Addis schools. I am the Director of my site and i have to act in the best interests of my school, so i totally ignore her requests. Most guiling of all, she informs me that i should send them across to her as her sites are beautiful and she has plenty of resources.

The bottom line is not only is my Boss openly deceitful, she is responsible for the school since it’s inception and has neglected to develop it and move it forward. I'm bloody furious with her and am trying to avoid going head to head. However, i am seen as a “favourite” (she has a few of these – all men), and have received none of her infamous abusive and belittling emails.
 

Since her arrival back into Addis following her recent treatment in UK, with the added hardship of burying her mother, her “interests” have taken her away from my school. She flies back to UK for a further three weeks on the 10^th November and i’m counting the days. As well as keeping a low profile over the half term holiday.

Beach Dreamin'

I must sound like i’m loathing my Ethiopian experience.

Regular visitor to ATCA (and all its previous incarnations) Dr Gloves informs me of a Headship coming up in Mombasa. I’ve never been to Kenya and although i know the people to be “tricky”, a lil spot by the Indian Ocean and a place to sling up my double hammock and chill with my guitar has a lot of appeal. Addis is now windy and dusty during the day and increasingly cold in the evenings and night.

But i love my school, and most especially my kids and i’m committed to see how far i can progress the learning community in my supposedly two year tenure.

Nonetheless, if anyone hears of a Headship in the Seychelles please drop me a line immediately.

Top Ten Cities for 2013

Lonely Planet has released this week their Top Ten cities to visit in 2013. And somewhat surprising Addis Ababa has sneaked in at Number 9.

Here is what is says:-

Best for: culture, food and  value for money

"Like the Ethiopian marathon runners, Addis (often shortened to plain ‘Addis’) is evolving at a fast pace. The fact that the country’s economic growth should reach almost 5% in 2013 helps create a feeling of confidence and stamina. Founded little more than a century ago, Addis Ababa, which in Amharic means ‘New Flower’, is not only the diplomatic capital of Africa and a thriving metropolis, but also a groovy city that takes pride in its multifaceted assets".

The full list is as follows:-

1. San Francisco
2. Amsterdam
3. Hyderabad 
4. Derry
5. Beijing
6. Christchurch
7. Hobart
8. Montreal
9. Addis Ababa
10. Peurto Iguazu

.

Fore

Yesterday was  Eid Al Adeha and Frank (my boss’ husband) has invited Ginger Warrior and myself for a game of golf at the British Embassy. The golf club is known as Old Legation and is one of only two golf courses in the whole country, and was one of the sealing attractions to the signing of my contract.

 Ginger Warrior sorts out his bag outside the club house

Over the summer i bought my first set of golf clubs (some second hand i-3 Pings). I had them extended at the end of my UK visit, and Pa passed them on to Frank last weekend at Heathrow Airport to pass them to me. It’s truly beautiful to be reunited with them again.

The course is little more than a large field in the Embassy compound to members only. Frank has been a member for many years and Ginger Warrior has paid out for a family membership, but i haven’t got round to it yet. 

I am feeling nervous. My golf is variable to say the least, and have never been good enough to record a handicap. Meanwhile Frank plays off 16 – 17 and Ginger Warrior off 13. 

The course is pretty rough and ready, but with a certain hilly character and thoroughly enjoyable. There are a few scattered bunkers which are more like quicksand for the ball sinks deep as does the feet. The greens are as much brown as green and are more like fairways. There are18 tees for 6 holes and we covered 12 of them. Holes vary between 88  up to 204 metres, Best of all it's open every October through to April.

With the ground so dry, the ball bounces and bobbles in a variety of different directions, and it is much down to sheer luck than skill. Which probably explains why i beat my far superior companions. 

one of several tortoises that live on the golf course - the shell is particularly handy

Final Scores of the 12 Holes Played:

1^st – Mountain Man – 51

2^nd – Ginger Warrior – 53

3^rd -  Frank - 58

21st Century School

Coming to the end of October and i still haven’t been given a budget, And there is so much the school needs! Nonetheless General Manager and School Founder Ato S gave me carte blanche to buy resources, and i don’t need to be asked twice.

No more fucking around trying to buy hoops, i want some big shit! A big fuck-off T.V. for a start. The school has a crappy 21’ set that has been commandeered by our bizarre Music Teacher, Ms Enatanesh, and i have earmarked a space downstairs for an AV/Media Room. I have just got to get Ato Ketima (Site Manager) to remove all his crap from there – broken tables and chairs, and even an ancient fridge. My school is finally moving into the 21^st Century.

I fill in the appropriate requisite form, label and highlight it as urgent,  photocopy it for “evidence,” and pass it direct to Ato Yasin, our weaselly Purchasing Officer. Yasin has meant to have been on my site for the last three weeks on orders by HR,, but this is the first time he has made it over. He explains he has “been sick” but when i get to query it with HR, it transpires he does have a medical certificate, but only for a week. When i ask Mr A what was he was doing for the other unexplained two weeks i am reliably informed he has been “very busy at the Ministry of Education.” Well he certainly hasn’t been very busy on my campus, that’s for sure.

Yasin looks at the Requisite Form aghast. Usually i’m trying to get some glue sticks, scissors or crayons. This is a Big One and he knows it. He looks inspired and impressed. He makes a phone-call to his Electronics Man for pricing gets quotes for various sizes. The 40’ isn’t going too crazy and i tell him to go and buy it immediately.

He scurries off, and i don’t see him for five days. He doesn’t call, send a text or pick up his phone to me. I call HR, demanding he calls. Which he does – the following day. He can’t buy it because Dr No won’t sign the cheque. I’m completely seething and decide to have it out with Dr No once and for all. I loathe the nasty reptile with a passion which he continues to ignite. It’s Senior Management meeting the next day and i decide to go early and corner him in his office.

The traffic is diabolical on the way up to the Secondary campus, and with just 10 minutes only before the start of the SMT meeting when i finally arrive, there is no time to go eyeball-to-eyeball with him. Nonetheless it’s one of the better meetings. Boss is back but concedes to my chairing and there are plenty of opportunities to berate Dr No. Again he has not completed any of given tasks and Boss puts in the boot over his fuck-up in withholding payments, increments and bonuses from all staff since the start of the academic year. He explains the refusal to sign the cheque for my telly as he only was been given two of the three required quotes. I just glare at him. I am a complete pacifist and have never hit a person in my life, but my loathing of this worm is so great, i picture myself headbutting him in the face.

I begin to fear the worse. They’ll get me the cheapest  40’ TV they can find – circa 1968 and black and white.

Nine days after the Requisite Form (labelled Urgent) the TV finally arrives and i’m completely over the moon. It’s the dog’s bollocks of 42’ flat-screen plasmas. I can imagine Dr No vomiting at having to sign the cheque for me. And i’m happier still.

 The AV/Media Room still has Ato Ketima’s crap in it so there is no other safe option than to put it in my office. Onlookers presume it is my own – they find it impossible that it is the latest resource to arrive for the school.

It's a fitting end to the first half of term. With the advent of Eid, the holiday will last nine days. I’m desperate to get out of Addis, but i am driven to get a whole bunch more of resource sourcing and collecting around town too. A real dilemma.