EARS, Inc. Blog

Sorry that there have been no posts since we returned to Sana’a in January. We were plunged directly into recruitment and training phases, getting our registration, hiring more staff and clarifying the task ahead. The first phase of the training: Training the Trainers went well. The Yemeni youth we trained are now teaching classes for the new recruits. We are in Week 2 of four weeks of that. We are working on having a first broadcast in April.  The main thing to say as of today is that we are safe. The tragedy yesterday shook us up. Kerry is on his way to Dubai and will be there this next week. Chris and Hal are ensuring things can continue to run even if we are not here. We have lots of pictures to post and will do that soon.

Not only are we doing workshops in distant places, we are also holding a Directors Workshop for Juneau Lyric Opera in late April. We are leading a tour to the Ashland Shakespeare Festival in late May-early June, and we are hosting Neil Freeman workshops in Seattle. Check out Educational Arts Resources, Inc. on Facebook and earsinc on Twitter. Stay up to date with all that we do for you!

We have been running the training of local Yemeni trainers at the World Arts Access offices in Sana’a. Things are going great, we have had a professional local broadcaster teaching classical Arabic pronunciation and grammar, Kerry is teaching radio writing, Chris is teaching production and programming, Hal is teaching Business Administration and Voice acting, Joann is teaching leadership. Class go from 9-1 and 4-6 five days a week. Thursday and Friday are the weekend here. It is exciting as move toward March and these young people we are training will be teaching the new members of Radio ShababNet.  RWB has trained 12 new Vox Pop people who will start work in March. We are headed toward a live broadcast in April.

A very great start with everyone showing up for Joanne’s class in Effective Communication. Chris taught his first class in Foundations. Hal’s Class in Business Administration went smoothly with a nice interest. Meeting to organize some class conflicts. Students seem happy. Now we are waiting for the afternoon class in voice and speech. Should be good.

For the last three weeks Kerry has been working on gathering the faculty, getting approval regarding the curriculum from the Embassy, recruiting new trainings, outfitting classrooms, and throwing an opening party. And now with a complex schedule, Saturday (which is the first day of the week here) is the first day of classes for training the trainers. During February we will train trainers to teach classes to the new recruits. Out of 600 applicants 30 people have been chosen as new recruits and trainees. Radio Shabab is going to go far. Chris Tilzer who worked with us in Pakistan and in Yemen last year is back and ready to go teaching the radio production and technical aspects. Kerry is teaching the writing, Hal voice acting and directing as well as business administration. Sow we have lots going on!!

Kerry is on his way to Sana’a. He will be very busy when he arrives dealing with curriculum reviews, house and office issues, recruitment, and a host of other things that have been left till now.

But the curriculum is the burning issue. And the recruitment and training soon to begin. He has almost two weeks till Hal arrives to help out.

Kerry will be back in Sana’a by the 12th for curriculum meetings and recruitment of new trainees. Chris will join us on the 26th. EARS will be taking the lead in the training sessions with many partners and a host of teachers.

More to come soon.

Stress, altitude, not enough exercise, diet…boy I had a migraine all day on the first.  But that didn’t prevent us from getting things done. More furniture to the office, more water to the house as the cistern was empty because the pump that pumps the water to the tanks of the roof hadn’t stopped all night. They fixed it. Tito cleaning the office, getting. We got our passports back with extend visas till June 1. We will have to get business visas when the registration process is complete. Time slipped away and we didn’t get to Shabab on time for our meeting so Sherine and Mohammed came to the office. We met with Hussein at Yemen Youth General Union at 5pm and that was very productive AND we got memorial Ashtrays from Malaysia where Hussein was made vice president of some international youth organization. After that we went home.

I took some paramedical and a very hot bath. Hussein called to say Mr. Moammar would like us to hold up on the assessment.

On the second, a later morning and I went in to the office. The electricity went off for two hours. This is a regular occurrence here and a reminder I have to get a generator for here and the house. I went to market and got a tea mug, and some biscuits and other things for the office. I can walk from the office to the big supermarket.  I worked on receipts (exciting right) can’t wait till I have a financial officer here. The phone I bought here stopped working so I put the sim card in my blackberry. Much better. I have to get a new US sim card when I get home as I lost mine.  Ghazi called, he had two women cleaning the house and they were hungry would we take them lunch.

I said yes, so when Kerry came in, we went and got Yemeni lunches: rice, chicken (except for Kerry) lamb stew, water and soft drinks for 5 for less than $12. We took it to the house and the cleaners wouldn’t eat with us, but Saeed, Kerry and I sat at our dining room table for the first time and ate, Yemeni style (with our hands, or right hand) because we had no utensils.

Afterward we went back to the office for 2 hours and then came back to the hotel. We will begin to move things to the house tomorrow.

We started the day with Saeed picking us up at the Hotel at 9:30.  We met with Khalid and Taraq regarding the interview questions for the assessment. Great guys, I have confidence in them and their approach.  At noon we returned to the office and Kerry and Saeed went to take a water truck to the house to fill up the cistern.  I met with Mr. A and we signed our sub agreement for RWB. Kerry and Saeed were excited about the furnishings coming into the house. Tito worked on the office yard and walk ways.  At 4pm Fryal and Saeed came by. We should Fryal the office and then all drove to the house. I have included pictures. Then off to Mocha Bunn for a coffee and chat, then we took Fryal home and back to the office to speak with Afghanistan about a potential project. During the call the electricity went out, which reminded us to get a generator.

We returned pretty tired to the hotel around 7pm. Still much to do.

On Sunday we meet with Ghazi, to sign our house lease. We then went to Shababnet and met with Sherinne and Mohammed about getting getting Shababnet up and running for December. We had sent Saeed to get Tito to clean the house for us. They picked us up at Shabab and we dropped Tito to get supplies.  We dropped Kerry at the the hotel and Saeed and myself went and picked Tito up and took him to the  house to get started. Saeed and I then went to the office to receive delivery of some of the furniture.

I went back to the hotel, Kerry and I had a 6:30 meeting with Samer who wants to be a consultant for us. Saeed picked up Tito at 8:30 and took him home…an hour away.

On Monday I went in with Saeed and meet with Khalid and signed the contract with him for the assessment. I then went to the office and worked. Saeed picked up the fridge and water cooler, got Kerry at 1:30 went and got Tito from the house and brought him to start at the office. I met with Mr. A  and Kerry worked in his office. We left around 5:30, went to check the house, which Mr. G had gone to to measure for curtains. Saeed had not locked the front door. Both Mr. G and I let him know not to that again. The house was not clean to the degree Kerry or I would like. So we are going to hire two women to do it. I had already paid Tito….(always inspect prior to pay)…and Tito can do the out side of the house and office.

Exhausted we drove home. oh I was suppose to call Afghanistan at 6pm and missed it.I was particularly cranky. I apologized in the car.  We got back to the hotel and called Afghanistan. It was too late…so we will try tomorrow. Kerry had a headache and I was very tired. We evidently ordered dinner at the same time. It came to my room first. I put a bon appittite card on Kerry’s tray….he called me to say I had misspelled it.

And so … to bed.