Students from my first semester at AAU. That’s Gerum up front and center.
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Students from my first semester at AAU.
That’s Gerum up front and center.
I taught computer science at
Addis Ababa University for three semesters
between 2003 and 2005.
I had taught before briefly in Canada, but I knew this would be different after
an informal poll I took in the second week.
“Who’s heard of the Java programming language?”
As usual no hands.
“Well, who hasn’t heard of Java?
Come on, raise your hands.”
No hands.
But after a while the students got used to me and were a joy to
teach(1), mainly due to their incredible
motivation.
I was repeatedly asked for more homework!
Talk about culture clash.
More students, presenting me in the second shot with traditional Ethiopian
clothes at the end of the semester.
(The nominated giver here was Aemro, who I would later visit in
Bahir Dar.)
Students dressed up for graduation, with my officemate Addisalem.
At Tilaye’s place on graduation day.
Tilaye (Faculty Medal around his neck) is one of the strongest students
I’ve ever taught and he and Tadesse (smiling with Addisalem in the
previous pic) did a kick-ass final project, writing
their own operating system from scratch –
yow!
I was especially impressed by the way they never asked me anything which might
reveal that I had no idea how to do it.
Tilaye is also a jazz lover and we saw some live shows together.
I’m told there’s even a jazz school in Addis somewhere, but I never
tracked it down.
I agreed to give a talk at St Mary’s, a local college, and something like
200 students showed up.
Man, at McGill it used to be a struggle getting 10 people to come.
Lunch with some students after exams at the local Burger Queen.
The 4th-year students organized their own trip out of town and I lent them my
camera.
Yonas (middle pic, center) also took me along once to a chess tournament, a lot
of fun.
It was heartwarming to see that chess players in Ethiopia and back home are
crazy in exactly the same ways.
Special thanks also to Eyoel (first pic, second guy from the right) and friends, for their help in my marathon struggle with the bureaucracy to show Blade Runner to our artificial intelligence class.
Rahel and Addisalem, Master’s students and my officemates.
They’ve now graduated and last I heard Addisalem was preparing to do a
PhD in France, while Rahel had won the
green card
lottery and was in Washington DC.
I always thought the US’s green card (“DV” – diversity
visa) lottery was like a normal lottery, ie, no one you know would ever
possibly win, but not so!
While I was there at least four acquaintances or friends of friends won and
were able to emigrate.
Also, anyone with a high school diploma or a decent job has the same chance,
whereas regular immigration policies (like Canada’s) are carefully
designed to pluck away other countries’ best and brightest.
Why don’t more countries offer diversity visas?
Kudos, USA.
Dereje and Srinivas from the next office, with Srinivas’s kids.
More department faculty members.
 Fana, friend of Addisalem and Rahel, standing in Arat Kilo campus where I taught. There’s some barbed wire to dodge but it’s a lovely site, green and shady and a little wilder than the elaborate floral patterns of Sidist Kilo. I remember the happy surprise of my first walk around the grounds. In a less happy memory, Arat Kilo is also where coworkers of mine huddled behind their locked office doors on June 6th 2005, listening as police beat students on the other side. Meanwhile I, oblivious, was in a taxi on my way to school. Stopped halfway by a police blockade, I finally turned back when a passing youth called me “Carter” in an unhinged tone (Jimmy Carter was widely blamed for giving premature blessing to the fiercely contested election that led to this mess). Over a thousand students were arrested that day including several of mine and at least three of those pictured above. As an admirer in many respects of the EPRDF government that authorized the arrests (though certainly not of its inexcusable crackdown on journalists), I don’t want to trivialize the situation that led to the violence, but it was sure a sad time to leave. |
 I taught for several months before I first came across this guy (gal?) plodding along the campus sidewalk. No one else took the slightest notice and at first I thought I might be out of my mind. |
 The most relaxing corner in downtown Awassa. |
 Hotel Wabe Shebelle #2. Addis has monkeys too, but not many and not these black and white colobus monkeys (gureza). |
This colobus monkey had recently returned from LA.
“It’s a drag.
I had a bit part in Lord of the Rings and Lucas’s people were
interested,” he said, lighting a Rothmans.
“But with the Clones preproduction delays and then the big union
strike, my visa timed out and, well, now I’m back here stealing mangoes
for a living.”
He wouldn’t give his name but offered to sign a publicity still for an
outrageous sum which I refused.
The more common grivet (vervet monkey, tota), with child.
 Garden at Wondo Genet, a popular swimming resort where I finally learned the importance of sunscreen. |
 Nature in Awassa. |
More from Awassa.
Many people brought their families.
Lots of singing on the bus.
Sodere is a popular swimming resort near Nazret.
If you visit the hot springs, do not run your head under the water.
Department head Dawit with his adorable daughter Maki.
In my life I’ve seen few jobs more stressful – or important –
than Dawit’s.
He fought epic battles with the bureaucracy on behalf of students, staff and
more than once myself, and could always muster a joke at the end.
Somebody give this guy an award.
(1) Okay guys, I know it may not have looked like a joy when I was screaming at you. But believe me, all things considered, it was.
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