PILTE OXNARD YOUTH ACADEMY-st/ PICTURES FROM OXNARD YOUTH ACADEMY

PILTE SODDOST/ PICTURES FROM SODDO

AJORA KOSED/ AJORA FALLS

LÕPUKS SODDOS/ FINALLY IN SODDO

Peale kohtumisi vajalike inimestega sõitsime Soddosse, linna kus Jumala tahtel peaks tulevikus asuma kool mille rajajateks oleks just need, kes armastuse ja hoolimise kaudu tahaksid seda kõike jagada ka Soddo lastega.

Meil on aega Sodos nadal, et korraldada jaanuaris algavaks ehituseks elamine, toitlustamine ja vajalikud paberid.

Harjumuspäraselt järgmiste päevade plaanide ülesmärkimine tundub siin kuidagi naljaks. Teeme seda siiski vanast harjumusest. Ometi selgub juba teisel päeval, et see pole garantii, et need asjad tehtud saavad mida kirja panime. See ei tähenda, et midagi jääb tegemata. Lihtsalt ajalised märkmed ei kehti siin selliselt kui Euroopas. Siin pole vaja ühest kohast teise joosta, sest keegi seal sind iial kokkulepitud ajal ei oota. Selgub, et meie kokkusaamiseid tuleb mitmeid kordi täpsustada ja vajalik seltsimees leitakse meie tungivate helistamiste peale siiski kuskilt lõunalt voi koosolekult. Igal kohtumisel on alati keegi väga innustunud tegelane valmis kõigeks aga kahjuks on selle lubaduse taga meie nahavärv ja lootus saada sellist tasu, mis meilegi tundub õudustäratav. Sellele järgneb alati selgitus, et neil pole loota mingit summat oma töö eest mis neil on riigi poolt juba maksustatud. Oleme küll Aafrikas aga endised ajad Nõukogude päevilt oleks kui tagasipöördunud. Kuid nendest kogemustest on kasu, sest järjekindlus viib sihile ja hirm, et midagi jääb tegemata on asjatu. Kõik kuidagi sujub ja igal päeval on juhusel ääretu võlu. Lõpuks tundub, et see euroopalik planeerimine on täiesti mõttetu, sest Jumal teab täpselt mis paberit ja kohtumist millisel päeval vaja. Iga päeva lõppedes oleme ääretult rahul ja ootame suure huviga oma järgmise päeva spontaansete õnnestumiste järjekorda.

Tänaseks päevaks oleme leidnud elamiseks aiaga majakese Soddo keskuses ja kohalikud töölised vundamendi kaevamiseks. Arutluste tulemusel ehitusinseneri ja projektijuhiga leidsime, et võimalusel kaasame ka kohalikku tööjõudu. Ka ehitusluba mida hetkel veel kohalike valimiste tõttu pole, on poolel teel J

After meeting some people, we went to Soddo, to the city where by the will of God a schoolhouse will be built by  those who through love and care want to share it all with the children of Soddo. We have  a week in Soddo to arrange the accomodation, catering and some important papers for the building.

Here in Africa it seems a bit funny to write down plans for tomorrow in the calendar. We do it from the old habbit. But on the second day we discover that there's no garantee we get done all we have planned. But this doesn't mean something will be left undone. It's just that the Europan time doesn't matter here. Here we have no need to run from one meeting to another, because no one is waiting for you at the exact time anyway! Turns out that we have to replan our meetings for many times and yet we find the needed people from having lunch or being on another meeting. On every meeting there's someone who is very enthusiastic about our plans, but unfortunatelly behind those promises is our skin colour and a hope to get paid an amount of money that seems enourmous even for us. This is always followed by explanations that they have no hope for money from us because they are already paid by goverment for their job!

We are in Africa but sometimes it seems that Soviet Union times have returned. But those experiences are useful, because the persistency takes us to our goal and the fear that something will not be done is useless. All things work out anyway and this has its charm. Finally it seems that the European planning is pointless, because God knows what meeting needs to take place or what paper we need on what day anyway. By the end of every day, we are very pleased and waiting with excitement to see what will happen spontanously the next day.

By today we have found for us a house with a little garden just in the Soddo centre and local workers for digging the hole for the foundation of the schoolhouse. We discussed with the project's leader and an engineer that if possible we would include local workers too. We have not received the permission to start building because of the elections, but it’s on it’s way J

PILTE AWASSAST/ PICTURES FROM AWASSA

REIS AAFRIKASSE/ TRIP TO AFRICA

STOCKHOLM

Meie reis Aafrikasse on alanud väikesese peatusega Stockholmis. Proovime paludes raputada maha kiiruse, tormakuse, kahtlused, kõhklused, hirmu. Meie soov on vahetada need millegi parema vastu, mida saab vaid Jumalalt. See ei tule hetkega, sest Eesti elutempo on kui viljakasse mulda kinnitunud juured mida on raske maapinnast välja sikutada. Sellest vabastamiseks andis Jumal meile juba täna imelise kogemuse  Stockholmi Eesti Nelipühi Kirikus. Kirik asus meie ööbimiskohast kahesaja meetri kaugusel. Läksime sinna tahte sunni, vist selleks, et vabaneda aeglaselt igapäevategemiste survest, otsides Jumala lähedust. Jumala väest ja armu suurusest tunnistasid kaks naist. Need polnud lihtsalt tunnistused mida kuulad ja lahkudes kirikust on hiljem raske meenutada. See oli midagi nii erilist mis tundus, et oleks justkui meile planeeritud. Tundsime mõlemad läbi pisarate kuidas Jumal meid julgustab, armastab, kaitseb ja õpetab. Iga hetkega sai selgemaks, et sammud mida astume on meile ettevalmistatud. Jutlus oli selges eesti keeles ja olime eestlaste keskel keset Stockholmi. Juba enne teenistuse lõppu kutsuti meid koguduse õhtusöögile. Olime koos inimestega keda kohatsime esmakordselt kuid tundsime ennast väga koduselt.

Our trip to Africa has begun with a short stay in Stockholm. By praying, we are trying to leave behind all rushing, speed, hesitation and fear. Our wish is to exchange them into something better, that can be recieved from God only. It doesn't come in a moment, because the speed of Estonia is like roots in a fertile land, so it is hard to get them out. To free us from all that gave God us an experience in the Estonian Pentacostal Church in Stockholm. The church was about 200 m from our lodging place. We wanted to go there to leave behind everyday pressure and look for God's closeness. Two women were witnessing about God's greatness and grace. These were not simple testinomies you hear and cannot remember after the church. It was something so special, like organized just for us. Both in tears, we felt how God is encouraging, loving, protecting and teaching us. By each moment it got more clear to us that the steps we were taking, were prepared for us. The sermon was in Estonian and we were among Estonians in the middle of Stockholm. Already before the end of service, we were also invited for fellowship supper. We were together with people, who we met for the first time and we felt like home.

ISTANBUL

Istanbulis oli meie järgmine peatus. Selline marzuut oli valitud piletite sobiva hinna tõttu. Saatsime oma 70 kg pagasit Stockholmist otse Addis Ababasse ja see muutis meie olemise Istanbulis palju lihtsamaks. Meil oli aega täpselt ööpäev kohaneda „lihtsalt kulgemisega“ maailma 5.suurimas linnas, 12,8 miljoni inimesega.

Hommikune sinise mosee äratus palvega teeb põhjamaise väärtused nii tühiseks, Jumalaga suhtlemise aga nii tähtsaks et endised väärtused ja koormad lihtsalt asenduvad sujuvalt rahuloleku ja tänutundega. Mida lähemale jõuame Aafrikale, seda suuremaks kasvab tänu.

Our next stop was in Istanbul. We chose this route because of the price of the flight tickets. We sent our 70 kg of luggage straight to Addis Ababa and this made our stay in Istanbul much easier. We had 24h to adapt with "go with the flow" in the 5th biggest city in the world with its 12,8 million inhabitants.

The call for the prayer from the blue mosque makes the values of a person who comes from the north so minor, and communicating with God becomes so vital. Old values and burdens are replaced by peace and gratitude. The closer we get to Africa the bigger our gratitude grows.

ADDIS ABABA

Meie esialgne plaan oli veeta Etioopia pealinnas 3-4 päeva. Suhteliselt kallid hotellid, palju sagimist ja liiklust aitasid seda otsust kiirelt muuta. Seal olemise põhjuseks olid mõned kohtumised seoses kooli ehitusega mis aga oktoobri lõppu nihkusid. Sõit ca 300 km kaugusele Awassasse, mis on lõuna-Etioopia pealinn (ja asub samanimelise järve ääres) 80 kg kottidega oli võrdlemisi keerukas. Kotid mida alles mõne päeva eest ise vedasime tundusid Aafrikas palju raskemad. Harjumuspäraselt mõtleva Euroopa naisena ei olnud meil äkki enam vaja mõelda, muretseda, maksta ja korraldada, sest olime jõudnud tõelisesse meestemaailma. Meie jaoks oli mõtlemise ja korraldamise lõpetamine väga keerukas.

Pildid Addis Ababast:

We had a plan to stay in the capital of Ethiopia for 3-4 days. Quite expensive hotels, a lot of noise and traffic changed that plan. The reason to stay there was to have some meetings regarding building the schoolhouse. 300km journey to Awassa( the capital of South-Ethiopia, a city by the side of Awassa lake) with our 80 kg bags was quite difficult. The bags we had carried just a few days ago seemd a lot heavier in Africa. Being typical European women we suddenly did not have to think, worry, pay and organize everything ourselves cause we had arrived to „the male world“. It was quite difficult for us to stop organizing and thinking.

Pictures from Addis Ababa:

MIKS OXNARD ACADEMY? WHY OXNARD YOUTH ACADEMY?

MIKS JUST OXNARD ACADEMY?

Olles veetnud terve kuu lapsi õpetades Data Sana koolis tundus meile et võiksime teha midagi veel peale õpetamise. Saime teada, et juba 2 aastat oli pool kooli sisetöödest lõpetamata. Uurides lähemalt põhjuseid selgus, et vajalikku oskustööjõudu ja ehituse järelvalvet on peaaegu võimatu leida. Vestlesime sellest kooli omanikuga, kes elab Ameerikas.  Ta rõõmustas väga meie kooli ehituse lõpetamise soovi üle. Selgus et ka pool vajalikest materjalidest on juba olemas. Tegime vajalikud kalkulatsioonid ja selgus, et pooleli olevate ruumide: saal, arvutiklass, õpetajate toad, valmis tegemiseks on vaja osta ca 230 EUR-i eest värvi ja töövahendeid. Meil oli  Tallinnast lahkudes vabatahtlike annetajate raha ca 430 EUR-i millest pool olime kasutanud inglise keele õpikute ostmiseks. Otsustasime ülejäänud raha kasutada puuduvate värvide ostuks ja alustada pooleliolevate sisetööde lõpetamisega. Reaalsete arvutuste järel tundus, et max 10 päeva ja kasutada saab tervet koolimaja. Paludes kõiges Jumalal juhtimist jõudsime nädal enne Eestisse tagasitulemist töödega valmis. Koolimaja ehituse lõpetamine oli aeg mis andis meile jõudu ja rahulolu. Saime igal päeval täidetud ja puhkamise asemel külastasime veel teisigi koole. Meil oli soov siia kindlasti tagasi tulla. Soovisime kindlasti siinse hariduse edendamiseks midagi ette võtta. Leidsime Soddo kesklinnast kooli mille õppesüsteemiga tutvudes tundus see väga paljutõotav. Vähemalt oli selles meie kultuurile sarnaseid jooni ja see oli väga õpilasekeskne. Direktor oli selles koolis välja töötanud õppeprogrammi mis kohalikus linnas on väga tunnustatud. Õppetöö käib inglise keeles juba alates esimesest klassist. Kool proovib lapsevanemaid igati kaasata lapse hariduse arengusse, lastes neil täita teste lapse arengu kohta, mis ei ole siinses koolisüsteemis veel tavaline nähtus. Tutvudes kooli direktoriga selgus, et kooli omanik on 29-aastane etiooplane kes oli valitud 2010.aastal Soddo linna parimaks nooreks haridusse investeerijaks.

Lähemalt tutvudes selle noore inimese haridusse panustamisega oli meil selge vastus küsimusele miks just Oxnard Academy?

Kõik see mida Etioopias ühiselt kogesime oli midagi, mis meid sundis ja motiveeris. See oli rahulolu andmisest ühel uskumatult kaunil maal, kus inimesed tunnevad Jumalat ja on väga sõbralikult. Nad suhtuvad lugupidavalt võõrasse kultuuri ja ootavad siira südamega tagasi igat külalist.

WHY OXNARD YOUTH ACADEMY?

After we had spent a month in Data Sana Memorial School teaching children, we thought we could do more than teaching. We found out that the interior works of the administrative part of the building were unfinished for 2 years. Trying to find out the reasons, it turned out that it is almost impossible to find skilled labor and building supervisors. We discussed the situation with the school owner, who lives in US and he was excited about us wanting to finish it. It also came out that half of the needed supplies were already in the storage room. We made the calculations and it turned out that finishing the hall, computer class and the teacher’s office required paint and tools for about 230 EUR. When we left Tallinn we had 430 EUR worth of donations and half of the money we had already used for buying new English textbooks. We decided to use the rest of the money to buy the paint to finish the rooms. Realistic calculations showed that we needed maximum 10 days for the whole school building to be functional. Asking God’s guidance in every step, we finished the work a week before going back to Estonia. That was the time which gave us strength and pleasure. We were filled every day and instead of resting we visited other schools. We had a desire to come back here. We thought of finding a school where we could do something which would give an opportunity to study for more children. From the centre of Soddo we found a school with very promising curriculum. It had similar characteristics to our culture and the school was very student centered. The principal of the school had elaborated a program which is also recognized by the city. The studies are in English already from the 1st grade. The school is also trying to involve the parents in their children’s studies by giving them some tests to fill out, and this is still unusual in this culture. By getting to know the principal we also found out that the school owner is a 29-year old Ethiopian who was noticed by the city to be the best young investor in the education in 2010. Getting to know his work more closely, we knew the answer to why Oxnard Academy?

Everything we experienced in Ethiopia was something that motivated us and made us move. It was the pleasure of giving in an amazingly beautiful country, where people know God and are very friendly. They respect different cultures and sincerely wait back their guests. 

2009 aasta oktoobris oli Andres Ploompuul sooviks minna Aafrikasse vabatahtlikuna inglise keelt õpetama. See oli kutse Jumalalt, mida magistrikraadiõpinguid Inglismaal lõpetades ei saanud kasutamata jätta. Kolme kuu jooksul sai Data Sana Memorial School'i nimeline kool endale Eesti adventistide kokku pandud abist hulgaliselt raamatuid, arvutiklassi, mootorratta, koolikella, printeri, hulgaliselt koopiapaberit, koolilastele kingitusi ning õpetajatele ja töötajatele abi. Andrese tegemistele elasid tema blogi kaudu kaasa paljud. Loe lähemalt www.etioopia.advent.ee

In October 2009 got Andres Ploompuu a desire to go to Africa as a volunteer to teach English. It was a call from God, right after his Master studies in United Kingdom and this could not be rejected. During these three months with the support of the Estonian Seventh Day Adventists received Data Sana Memorial School lot of new books, computer class, motorbike, school bell, printer, piles of copy paper, gifts for the students and help for the teachers. Many were following his work there via www.etioopia.advent.ee (only in Estonian).

Detsembrikuuks 2009 oli selge, et Jumalal oli plaanis saata Soddosse veel 2  huvilist: Merle Voola ja Laura Kangur-i, kes Andrese lahkudes jätkaksid koolis õpetamist. Loe lähemalt www.etioopias.blogspot.com

By December 2009 it was clear that God wanted to send to Soddo 2 more people: Merle Voola ja Laura Kangur, who continued teaching in the school after Andres had left. About their work you can read more from www.etioopias.blogspot.com