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Where we do it > Eritrea - Sandy Biggar
Armed with two years’ Latin teaching experience and a TEFL qualification, Sandy Biggar boarded a plane bound for Eritrea to teach English in Adi N’Amin Junior Secondary School. With classes of up to 70 pupils aged anywhere between 11 and 23, he had his work cut out. Here he describes his work, life outside the school and those infamous Eritrean coffee ceremonies…What made you decide to volunteer?
Having taught for a couple of years straight out of university, I wanted a different challenge. To claim that my decision to volunteer was entirely altruistic would be disingenuous. Yes, I know that some Eritreans benefited from my placement, but the individual who gained the most from the volunteering experience was me, and I knew this would be the case. I had talked to a teaching colleague in the UK before I decided to volunteer and he and his wife had had such a great VSO experience in Rwanda, that I decided to look further into volunteering myself.
How much did you know about Eritrea when you were offered the job?
I knew how to spell it, and I was fairly confident it was in Africa.
How did you feel when you first arrived in Eritrea?
Massively excited. The atmosphere on the plane, with the 15 other volunteers who came out at the same time, was brilliant. Some apprehension, yes, but heavily diluted with positive feelings of enthusiasm. Stepping off the plane was saying goodbye to western comfort and hello to ‘Africa’. With influences from across the Red Sea and from Northern Africa, Eritrea was quite different from my vague expectations. However, having ill-defined expectations meant that I had few pre-judged ideas; I knew everything was going to be new, and that allowed me to be open to every aspect of my new life.
What did your role involve?
I was teaching a full timetable in English. This meant doing a very similar job to teaching in the UK – planning a term, preparing lessons, teaching, setting homework, marking, marking, marking, setting exams, marking, looking after a form and checking attendance. But I also gave gender equality workshops with members of the National Union of Eritrea Women, and was involved in the national radio. Another VSO volunteer was writing teacher-training scripts for the radio, and I was called in to record them. Sometimes I’d be sitting with my colleagues in the village listening to my wind up radio, and my voice would come over the ether.
How did you adapt to life in another country and culture?
Adapting for me was all about embracing this new and exciting country. Throw yourself in and it happens all the more quickly. From the point of view of how welcoming the people are (and no disrespect to my own nation) I’d rather be a Scot going to Eritrea, than an Eritrean coming to Scotland.
What was the food like?
The food was great. It took a bit of getting used to, but I certainly developed a taste for particular dishes. Tomatoes galore, lentils, onions, chillies, potatoes, stews, meat (now and then) all served on a flat slightly bitter bread called injera or taita. There were two ‘delicacies’ which even the thought of made me feel delicate, but since I’ve been back I’ve successfully recreated lots of the meals I became so used to in the village. Great tea, flavoured with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, and probably the best coffee you’ll ever taste – very strong, very sweet.
And the thing many volunteers are concered about before they go – the climate?
Hot, but I was living at 2500m and Asmara (the capital) is a little higher than that, so not at all unbearable. Some of the lowland areas get very hot, and are very dry, but there are lots of volunteer placements in the highlands.
What about your social life?
Most of my socialising was with the Eritreans in the village – the nearest foreigner was 6 hours’ bus ride away. This was great in many ways, as I had no choice but to make friends. The villagers knew this too, so were very welcoming. I had to learn Tigrinya fast, as levels of English are poor - one of the main reasons VSO are there. Coffee ceremonies (where the coffee beans are cooked, ground and brewed in front of you) are a daily occurrence and last for several hours. They offer an ideal opportunity to practise Tigrinya, teach a little colloquial English, learn more about Eritrea and speak about life in the UK. Weddings are another common event to get invited to. They invariably included my awful attempt at the Eritrean shoulder dance. Every month or two I’d go into Asmara and catch up with other VSOs. There was a good crowd of us, and the banter was as fast flowing as the Asmara beer. While it was great to spend time with people from the same culture for a while, it was also refreshing to get back home to the village.
What did you miss most about home?
Friends, and, at first, being able to communicate fluently with people. So, as I learnt Tigrinya, I was able to communicate more freely and develop friendships.
And what didn't you miss about home?
Mobile phones, cars, television, Jade from Big Brother and Stella Artois.
What were your favourite things about Eritrea?
The people: Miheret, Asgodom, Weldemariam, and Medhane to name a few - a massively under-used and under-valued Eritrean resource. The fragrant tea and sweet coffee. My house and its view across the valley. Strolling around the wide palm tree-lined avenues of Asmara. Going to the VSO office to collect my mail.
How far did the reality of volunteering match your expectations?
I purposefully had very few expectations. The whole experience was bigger, better, more moving and more perspective changing than I’d ever expected.
Do you think you made a worthwhile contribution?
Yes. As I said, I think the individual who benefited most was me, but I still think I made a positive impact. Speaking to my Eritrean teaching colleagues, they would tell me about the VSO volunteer who had taught them years before – they remembered their name, their techniques and character, and always spoke warmly of them. There is much to do in Eritrea, which in some ways makes it easy to have a noticeable impact.
What kind of new skills did you bring home with you?
Confidence, resilience, patience and a cast iron stomach.
And what are you doing now?
Like many volunteers, doing VSO made me want to work in development. So I’m now doing a Masters in international relations at Bristol University, and I’m focusing on how conflict impacts on development.
Would you recommend volunteering to other people?
Yes. Simple as that. Even if not everything went smoothly, if there were obstacles and frustrations, tears even – I don’t regret it for a moment, and don’t see how anyone could not benefit from the experience. Do it.
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