Fun-Filled Kiremt!

Students all over the country are now elated to be free to enjoy Kiremt – a whole two months of nothing but fun. We want to congratulate all students for completing their school year and moving on to higher grades! We also acknowledge parents’ and teachers’ input in every child’s success. The saying might as well go like this, “Behind every successful child, there is strong parenting”. But if this year wasn’t as great as you’d hoped it to be, don’t beat yourself so much; just learn from the experience and try better next year.

At the end of the school year, we want to help you with some great ideas of how to spend Kiremt in a productive and memorable way. We’ve classified the Kiremt activities into two categories - DIY (Do-it-Yourself) activities and join-a-program activities.

Join a Program
Check out the various classes and activities listed below to find what suits you.

African Jazz School: Explore music as an option. One of the best music schools in Ethiopia, Africa Jazz School (0116613360 / 0911679446) has renowned teachers such as Abegaz Kibrework and Girum Mezmur. They have limited space in their piano, guitar, bass guitar, drum, violin and saxophone classes.

Swimming: Kiremt is a time when most kids get a chance to learn that essential skill – swimming. Hire a trainer or create some family time by teaching your children to swim. Hilton Hotel (0115170000/0115518400) has a special winter-rate discount for the two months. Sheraton Hotel, Ghion Hotel and Bole Rock are also other options. Call 0115171717, 0115513222 and 0116188171 respectively.

Summer Camp: The annual summer camp by Coach Carlos is also taking place this year for the 5th time. It runs from June 12 to August 9, from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. Activities in the summer camp include dance, football, volleyball, taekwondo, basketball and gymnastics. (0911998000/0911948037)
Ground and Table Tennis: Tennis is a highly enjoyable type of sport that has major annual tournament events around the world. It is also a fun way to get fit. To give it a try, the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) (0112768261) has table tennis classes. They also offer affordable training programs in sport activities such as badminton, weightlifting, basketball and aerobics. Be informed that they are no more in Arat Kilo, the new location is in the Abenet area. Other places for tennis are 17/17 or Shalla Park around Bole Medhanialem, which has two ground tennis courts with trainers and a basketball court. The Hilton Hotel’s winter-rate discount also applies to its ground tennis program, so you might want to check that out.

Brush up on old skills or add new ones to your repertoire. Consider taking short courses on
Modeling or Fashion Designing: Many young people are interested in designing and/or modeling. If you think this is the thing for you, a Kiremt course will give enough of the basics to decide whether you want to pursue it. Check out Next Design Institute (0912142072) in Hayahulet Mazoria. They give short-term, 2-3 month design courses, full days on weekdays and a 6-month modeling courses on weekends only.

Cooking: Whether to take it up as a career or just to improve your skills for your family, cooking can be great fun to learn. Cooking schools we know are is Escafier (0911603091) in Piassa. They give 4-month or 8-month cooking classes. They also have private instructors that can give you an intensive 1-month course.

Beauty Classes: Learn the art of beautifying; if not to get a job, you can use it to your own advantage. Try Niana Beauty School, they give 4-month and 8- month all inclusive beauty classes and a month-long braiding, make-up and styling classes. ( 0114165111/41)

Computer Skills: Computer skills are basic necessity in today’s growing technological world. Learn basic applications such as Windows Office and using the Internet. There are many computer training schools in Addis. We know Sit Computer Centre (0116633383) located in Hayahulet Mazoria.

Massage: You have great power in your hands; get training in massage to utilise it. Anyone can become a masseur or a masseuse. Try massage courses at Aroma Massage School. They have a 6-month and a 40-day massage training, depending on whether you want a one-to-one or group training. (011 1110878)

Driving: To get a driver’s license in Addis, you have to do two weeks of classes and thirty hours of practice. If you are 18 and above, take this break to acquire your license. Go to one of the driving schools in Addis and start your classes. We know Rally (0116463587), Amas (0116628769) in Hayahulet Mazoria and Paragon (0114163649) in Beklo Bet.

DIY
What are the things that you enjoy but never get around to doing enough? Kiremt is the perfect time to focus on what you want to do.

Read & Write: If you want to stay at home this Kiremt, you can commit yourself to do some reading or writing. Think of all the books people have suggested to you, or think of a subject you wanted to read up on, Kiremt is a good time to read and reflect. If you’re into writing, you can also build a portfolio of articles, poems, essays or other prose writing. Practice makes perfect!

Take Up a Project: Kiremt is an ideal time to complete a certain project without being too pressured. Build a wooden bench for your garden; research your family tree; collect stamps; rearrange a room in your house, maybe by organizing your books on a shelf and creating a small ‘library’ space; find and establish a friendship with a pen-friend; knit and make scarves or scrap book; do some house chores like ironing shirts or shining shoes to gain some extra pocket money; or plant and nurture a plant. Be creative!

Online Jobs: Many think online jobs are only for people in the developed countries but the reality is that you can do online jobs from virtually anywhere in the world, including Ethiopia and get your payments wired to your local bank account. There are jobs for people with modest credentials and for highly educated and experienced ones. Getting your first online job might be a bit hard and you might have to lower your rates as you. But once you’re in and you work hard to get good ratings, you’ll get a constant flow of good paying jobs. The online job sites we know are www.odesk.com, www.elance.com and www.guru.com. You can also consider summer part-time or full time jobs.

Visit the Countryside: Most of us have a relative that lives in the countryside. Use this opportunity to go visit your relative who lives in the beautiful countryside of Ethiopia, be it the lush green of Gurage or Tigray with its amazing terrain. You will probably leave feeling more knowledgeable about Ethiopia and have gained new perspectives on different ways of life and culture.

Above all, HAVE FUN!