In Debre Zeit, besides schools, there were other avenues where students were learning. First of all Debre Zeit is blessed with belemay weather and is surrounded with creator lakes. Especially Lake Hora serves as resort and local well to do and foreign visitors frequent the lake on the weekend and weekdays. This provides opportunity for young people to learn how the reach people leave and try to interact by learning a new language and manner.
Another unique opportunity in Debre Zeit was the establishment of the Ethiopian Air force and Air Born. In addition to providing employment opportunity to the Debre Zeit community, they were also gate way for new ideas. Especially the air force members go out of the country like the U.S, they return with books, house building plans and new ideas. Hence, they serve as a source of new ideas and better way of doing things.
In addition, they providers a much-needed support for students who need support. a number of students, particularly those who come from the countryside and have no support system in the city, the two institutions provide them with food. They help in the kitchen to earn their food. However, they are well provided to continue their education.
Finally, the air force provided recreational and educational facility like a move house. There are very few movie houses outside of the capital Addis Ababa in those days. Once a week on Wednesday, the residents of Debre Zeit are bused to see movies. That was an eye opener for a number of Deber Zeit students. By the way there were those who could afford and regularly watch movies. Below is how the bus look like which took people to the air force move house every Wednesday.
The formal way to get in the air force camp was by using the bus. Once city residents get to the movie house, entrance is by paying two or three birrs. However, for poor students in those days, even 25 cents were hard to get. Hence, considered alternative ways of watching movies. There were few die hard poor movie fans. Taddesse was one of them. For those nonpaying movie goers, here is the story of how they watched movies when they did not have money to get into the movie house.
Generally, there were six young children who goes to the movie regularly. At different times, there were few other who join in. It is free and no problem to get on the bus, since the bus driver thinks all are paying customers. Occasionally if suspected and refused, we run to the movie house and we know how to snick in through a barbed wire fence. It is dangerous if get caught by air force police or wild animals like hyena, however, possible.
The age of those of us who go to the movie without paying varies. The older guys try to boss around the younger ones. Once we get off the bus, we slide to the side and quickly walk into the side of the movie house. That is where the keyhole of the movie house was. Since it is dark, on one will notice. The key tool we use to watch the movie was a coat hanging wire. It is straightened and sharpened at the end to ensure that it can get into the keyhole.
When the movie starts, we insert the wire in the keyhole and slightly open the curtain. We make every effort not to disturb the paying customer inside the move house who is sitting close to the window. We suspect that even if they find it a little bit inconvenient, they do not make a big deal out of because they understand we are making the best of our circumstance.
The viewing arrangement was established based on height. little ones sit down, and the others pile on top of each other according to their height until the tallest one just bends and watches. This continues until the break. Occasionally we get lucky during the break where we blend in with the paying customers and enter into the movie house to see the second half of the movie in the comfort of a warm room and a chair. As there are more chairs than paying customers, there is no problem to find a chair.
In the end what we saw in the movie house is not limited to us. Next day, it will be a top of student talk and discussion. Especially when we see movies like James Bond, we express our fascination about the gadgets we saw and all the glittering things we see and how we wish we had them as well. The positive and negative impact was far reaching. It was an eye opener.