A Child’s Life in Yirgalem
During my English classes, the older students have been doing an extended writing project. They started by photographing different aspects of their lives (e.g. family, school, work and hobbies) using a disposable camera. Then, they did some writing to go with their photographs.
In their writing they have described their family life. The majority of them come from large families with up to ten siblings! Most of them are in grades 6 to 12 and are aged between 12 and 18. They all help their families in different ways. This includes: chopping wood, fetching water, cooking, cleaning, sewing, buying groceries from the market and looking after younger brothers and sisters. Some of the boys clean shoes to earn extra money. Others help on the farm or work in shops and cafes.
As well as attending Stride Athletics, they have a variety of other hobbies. This includes: playing football, basketball and table tennis, reading, watching films, swimming in the river and riding their bicycles. Religion is an important part of their lives and all of the students attend church. The majority of them are Christian Orthodox, although some are protestant and catholic.
Below is a copy of the writing produced by one of the girls in my class:
Hi! My name is Tiblet. I am 15 years old. I live in Yirgalem in kebele 06. I have a father, mother, 2 brothers and 1 sister. My brother is called Biruk, he is 12 years old. My other brother’s name is Nati, he is 9 years old. My sister’s name is Berselot, she is younger than all of us. My father is an animal doctor and my mother works for an N.G.O. (Common Vision for Development Association). My father’s name is Ademe and my mother’s name is Shebera.
I train with Stride Athletics Club four days a week. I wake up at 5:30am and go to the stadium. I train for one and a half hours. I am a good middle distance runner, but I am not brilliant. During the training I take some advice from my coach and I start by warming up and running around the field. Then after the training I go to the club house and have breakfast with the other members. I eat pasta, macaroni, ruse [rice] and vegetables.
After training I either go to school or home. I have school in the morning one week and the afternoon the next. My school is called New Horizon Elementary School. I am a grade 8 student, but in September I will go into grade 9. I have 10 lessons. They are English, mathematics, social science, Sidamic, Amharic, chemistry, biology, physics, civics and H.P.E. (Health and Physical Education). My favourite subject is Chemistry. I enjoy school. My ambition is to be an astronomer because I want to see a group of stars. During the summer I have English classes with Stride Athletics.
When I am not in school I have work to do. I help my mother fetch water, clean my house, make coffee, go to the market and buy cooking materials, such as potato, tomato and vegetable. Then I cook food (lunch).
In addition to enjoying running, I have some other hobbies. I like watching films and listening to music. I try dancing and I am good at it. I am an orthodox Christian. I go to church six days a week, except Mondays. When I am at church I sing songs and pray. I go to church with my family. I have a busy life in Yirgalem, but I am happy to be learning in school. This is what my life looks like.
It has been interesting to find out more about the children’s lives and great to see the progress they are making with their written English.
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