| Tolera Tafa
Times have been a bit tough for my family. I know that I can make money selling my models, so last year I decided to take a break from school and focus my attention on model making. I save most of the money. I give some to my parents so they can buy food and other necessities. I purchased the materials for the house we recently built. I know my parents appreciate the financial help I have given the family but they are upset about my quitting school and want me to return as soon as possible. I think of ways to improve my life. I have to go back to school. I have completed the ninth grade. I like school. I was third or fourth out of more than sixty students in my class. Since I had to work on these models at the same time I did not have enough time for my studies, otherwise I would have been the best student. My favorite subjects are history, math, and English. If I had a choice, I would skip physics and Amharic classes! As I work I think about the teachings of the Bible and how to implement them by helping others. I also think of the kingdom of God, and of the day we will be living with him. I read the Bible. "Obey your family, and love your enemy," are the teachings I like the best. What do I think of tourists who buy my models-do I think they are foolish? They're not foolish at all! We like modern things, things that are made outside [abroad], we admire these things. For example my sweater is from outside. And so I think you [foreigners] must admire the things that we make. |
I live here in the village of Yehudgebaya with my parents. I am twenty-two years old, the fourth-born of eight children. I have three brothers and four sisters-I am the oldest child still living at home. My father, Tafa Bikila, is a farmer, my mother, Marie Negewo, a housewife. They both work hard. Our small farm is the same one that my grandfather and great-grandfather tilled. We grow sorghum, maize, and chick peas.