Aron Tesfa-alem wishes to share some excerpts from his diary, lets see what he wants to share….
28 November 2009
Asmara
Today is Saturday and I am here, in my sweet home, writing. In a few minutes time I have a plan to go to the public library. On my way I want to watch the inauguration/erection ceremony of the statue of the Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin.
Ps: I watched the ceremony from afar. And I felt like I celebrated it as much as the invited guests.
I’ll always remember the white woman, probably a Russian delegate, who during the inauguration made a speech and at last read poetry in Tigrigna. Some three lines of the poem that I could remember run as: ኣብቲ ከርፋሕ መዋእል/ ንናጽነት ኣልዒለ…ዓወት ንዝወደቑ ስውኣት…; (meaning: During the hard times/I set out to fight…victory to the fallen heroes.) And here is how she read them: abti kerfah mevailé/ ninatsenet aliilé… avet nzvedeku seva. She suppressed some words. More so, she couldn’t help but pronounce “W” as “V”. The point is that the way she read in Tigrigna (her accent and all) made me smile. Therefore, for she made me smile I think she deserves a part in my diary.
Wednesday 9 December 2009
Asmara
I am writing this while my Health Science (HST) teacher is teaching.
We all science students had to descend from our classes in the second floor of the Harnet Secondary School and gather ourselves in the library. The library, located to the left of the school building’s gate, is a spacious hall which can handle/accommodate five to six classes together.
When we held our places in that library, then, came this young person who probably is in his early thirties or late twenties. He called himself Michael, and he is an archeologist by profession. So after a brief introduction he started presenting the subject matter i.e. something related to his profession. I didn’t grasp much of what he said but I was fascinated by the way he was presenting. This is not my impression only; I am sure everybody felt the same. Trust me even the most careless pupils were as silent as a grave, all out of awe. There might even be some from the students who would want to shift from science to art stream in order to be like him. He was that much inspiring. Oh! The teacher has already started writing on the black board. I must stop here.
Ps: Are you not surprised why I brought you out in the middle of the class? I was not supposed to divert my focus while the class is going on. Especially not while my SHT teacher is in the class. I mean, he is so kind and I’m struggling with whom I always want to help by being active and by paying attention. I should also be clear that I am writing not because I got bored. But I think I loved the idea of bringing my diary in the middle of the class.
Mon 18 January 2010
10:16 am, Asmara
Dear and sweet diary, I’ve put my faith in you since the very day I received you from a woman to whom my friends and I offered some help. I am talking about two or so years ago.
I can’t forget that woman, her name was Rigaat. She was young, energetic, confident, and married. Most of the women in our neighborhood never liked her because she could be unbearable when she got provoked. It is to this young woman me and my friends helped fetch a truck full of fire-wood from the street – which probably her husband (who is most of the time away from home) sent her. Or I suspect friends of her husband had sent it. For us it didn’t matter from where and how the firewood came. Contrarily our mothers would not hate to know who cut the wood let alone who sent and brought it. Anyhow when we fetched all the firewood and dropped it into her compound she rewarded my friends with money, and sweet candies. Surprisingly she gave me a notebook. I often wonder why. She could’ve given me money or other things similar to my friends’. Instead it was you (my dear and sweet diary) that I had received from her.
She knew I was good at school but did she by any chance think that I would make a diary out of the notebook she gave me? And did I, by myself, had any idea I’d make a faithful friend as you are out of the notebook Mrs. Riggaat gave me?