Virtual Eritrea

 At six  o’clock this morning we went up to be ready so we could catch the bus to Keren. The buses in Eritrea don’t leave at a special time, they leave when the bus is filled with people. We had got a recommendation to be at the bus-station at 7 am. We came a little bit late but anyway we got some seats in the back of the bus. The first thing the bus-driver did when all the people sat in the bus was to fill the bus with petrol. This we thought was quite funny because it would never had happened in Sweden. After about one hour on the bus  we got a puncture. We had to get out of the bus so the driver could fix it. It took about 20 minutes to fix.

We took a lot of photos at the driver and the people standing by the bus. They laughed at the stupid Swedish tourists. The bus went on for another hour or so then the driver got hungry and stopped the bus to get something to eat. Then, once more all the people got out of the bus to have another break. Finally the bus arrived in Keren. Immediately when we got of the bus two Eritreans started a fight about who would take our luggage. The older man won and chased the younger one away. He helped us with our bags (nine huge bags!) and he also helped us to find our hotel. Keren is an amazing town. It lies between steep high mountins and has a strong arabic touch. Many women are covered in bright cloured clothes and the men wear long, white shirts and turbans. In the afternoon we suddenly heard the muezzin calling  from his tower and we saw many men wash and bend in their shops for prayers The name Keren means highlands as it is situated  at 1392 m above the seelevel. But still this is a tousend meters lower so it is much warmer here, over 30 degrees at noon.

Later we went to the Secondary high-school in Keren. The headmaster welcomed us and we felt very well taken care off. That was very good. We sat at his office for an hour and he told us about his school and we discussed what we are going to do at the school and then we left for meeting the teachers.

Even they welcomed us a lot. We sat for a while talking to the teachers and after that we got the opportunity to join a class. Since Mats and Kerstin teach  geography we joined a geography lesson. The teacher was from India and there where ten Indian teachers at the school all together. This is because Eritrea hasn`t got enough educated teachers.

The lesson was interesting to see and hear because it was different from all the lessons we are used to. The teacher talked and the students were all quite the hole lesson. That isn’t too common in Sweden. At five o’clock we left the school.

We got an invitation to come to the school and follow different classes tomorrow.

Greetings from Mats, Kerstin, Ida, Maria, Fredrik and David