Out of the City

Our first regional training has ended!  One colleague headed to Obock, another to Tadjourah and I went to Ali Sabieh and Dikhil both, to observe the biannual Training for School Directors that Teach Also Classes.  Around 2 pm, my driver and I loaded up the project vehicle and headed south through the quartiers to collect my colleagues.  The training model, which promotes decentralization, includes training by one Djiboutiville pedagogical advisor (CP) and one regional CP.  With two regions to oversee, our vehicle loaded up two Djiboutiville CPs and we headed 1.5 hours south. 

First, we passed through the Petit Barra, a scruffy low desert plain where yellow grass struggles through the sand.  Then, on through the Grand Barra, a plain of pale dust that clings to skin and clothes and lungs - a geographic void.  Finally, past transnational traffic and under the arch to Dikhil, "The Region of Unity."  Dikhil has an urban border feel, with 18-wheeler roaring through the streets all night, and an active community eating in stands on the street.  We dropped the CP at the Teacher Training Center here (CRP) and continue another hour back along the road to Ali Sabieh. 

This second town is a quiet community of hills and valleys where I passed a still night in the only hotel on the far reaches of town.  Water is rare, and didn't reach my second floor hotel room, though a deep spring on the outskirts brings bottled water to the nation.  The next morning, I watched the first day of training with this group of 9 school directors, who are also one of 2-3 teachers in their schools.  They have numerous other responsibilities in their small communities, including verifying births/deaths.  That evening, I headed back to Dikhil for a second day of training there.  We passed monkeys in the road, with their pink bottoms flashing, ate white beans and bread in their bright-painted restaurant, and passed the night next to the rumbling road.