Jennifer Porter
PO Box 58
Dangila, ETHIOPIA
East Africa
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| This is my post office! Send me letters here! |
21 January, 2009
Change of Address
I just got my new Dangila mailing address. Please send me letters to my new home! Don't worry, the mail sent to the old address will be forwarded, but in the future use the Dangila address. Thank you!
Jennifer Porter
PO Box 58
Dangila, ETHIOPIA
East Africa
Jennifer Porter
PO Box 58
Dangila, ETHIOPIA
East Africa
18 January, 2009
Finding My New Home
The adventure began at 2am Saturday when the mini-bus company called to tell us that we were the next stop. We quickly jumped out of bed, changed clothes and zipped our suitcases shut before hurrying down to the hotel lobby where the bus was waiting. Just 48 hours before, I had awoken in the middle of the night with a rather unfriendly illness, which delayed my departure to Dangila by a day. I was in the capital city for three nights attending a counterpart workshop, where I had met the HAPCO representative I will be working with just the day before. On Friday, my counterpart went on to Dangila as planned while I rested up for another day. Luckily, one of the visiting PCVs was headed past Dangila on her way home, so she stayed with me and made sure I arrived in my new town safely.
Saturday, after circling Addis a couple of times to pick up the rest of the mini-bus passengers, we were finally on the road by 4am. The bus that could comfortably fit 12 passengers was holding 14 as we snaked through the mountains outside of Addis. The mixed aroma of gasoline and Ethiopian cologne were circling the small space as the driver's broken window caused me to bundle up tightly in my thin sweatshirt. I dozed off a few times but mostly occupied myself with stargazing into the heavens above. The pitch-black countryside offered my first sighting of the Southern Cross constellation from Africa. Those stars, which often gave me comfort during my time spent in Australia, were shining brightly on the southern horizon reminding me that this foreign land is still part of this small world.
The bus drew tight S-shapes as we followed the twisting road near the Blue Nile Gorge. By this point, a bright pink sunrise came to life behind us allowing the ravine to be seen in all its glory. The Ethiopian woman behind me continued to get sick as a local policeman hopped aboard our bus at the bottom of the gorge just before we crossed over the Blue Nile River. Our fifteenth passenger held an AK-47 tightly in his arms, so, needless to say, I was not upset when he hopped off at the next town up the road. As daylight filled the sky, the rolling hills surrounding us were revealed. The countryside is methodically sectioned into various farms, creating this patchwork appearance across the land.
I was unexplainably calm during most of the ride, but those last 30 minutes brought anxiety as I awaited my arrival in Dangila. Just about nine hours after leaving Addis I was dropped off in my new home. The bus worker unloaded my heavy bag from the top of the vehicle and I said goodbye to my PCV friend as my counterpart walked up to meet me. I felt immediately welcomed as we grabbed a Bajaj (mini-taxi) toward the house where I will be living. The town appeared to be exactly what I had expected, a small rural town in the rolling hills of Ethiopia. "Not too cold and not too hot" I had been told, which seems to be the perfect description. I am still not sure how to describe a small rural town, or how to judge the difference between Dangila and the many other rural towns we passed through, but I think it is fair to say that Dangila is the best.
Just 24-hours after arriving in Dangila I know I am going to like it here. My counterpart has been so helpful, taking me around to buy a mattress and other household necessities. The children here will quietly gather and snicker as I walk by, and the brave ones yell, "What is your name?" in English, but there are only very few who yell, "Feregni! Ferengi!" as I am accustomed to in Ambo. As my counterpart introduced me to people around town and translates portions of the conversation, it seems that people are very excited to have me here.
There are so many positives about Dangila but I cannot hide the reality that has also hit. My "house" is not exactly as I was expecting; it is merely two small rooms on the side of a compound which also houses three other families.
My immediate reaction to panic, that this is not possibly going to suffice as an adequate oasis for two years, had to be muted. And I honestly held back tears when my counterpart informed me that there is no internet in Dangila. My emotions are spiking through these very difficult changes, but a peaceful rest last night has brought some clarity to my situation. I joined the Peace Corps thinking I would not have electricity or running water. The thought of having internet handy was out of the question. I realize that I have built expectations since being in Ethiopia though. All the volunteers currently here have electricity, and some sort of semi-regular running water at least. Ambo, where I have been living for six weeks, has fairly reliable (although painfully slow) internet at over five separate locations. This knowledge, plus some additional "facts" I had heard about Dangila have caused minor disappointment, but I am willing to redefine "normal" once again.
Bi-monthly trips to a nearby town with internet will serve as an adventure I figure, and I will create that oasis I need in the space provided. This whole experience needs to be grounding and uncomfortable; I need to realize my dependence on material items. I also know that I am here for a reason. A timely letter opened last night reminded me of that: "He put you where you need to be and He will protect you, give you strength, and provide the resources you need." For now, that place is Dangila, and I know God will provide me with the rest.
Saturday, after circling Addis a couple of times to pick up the rest of the mini-bus passengers, we were finally on the road by 4am. The bus that could comfortably fit 12 passengers was holding 14 as we snaked through the mountains outside of Addis. The mixed aroma of gasoline and Ethiopian cologne were circling the small space as the driver's broken window caused me to bundle up tightly in my thin sweatshirt. I dozed off a few times but mostly occupied myself with stargazing into the heavens above. The pitch-black countryside offered my first sighting of the Southern Cross constellation from Africa. Those stars, which often gave me comfort during my time spent in Australia, were shining brightly on the southern horizon reminding me that this foreign land is still part of this small world.
The bus drew tight S-shapes as we followed the twisting road near the Blue Nile Gorge. By this point, a bright pink sunrise came to life behind us allowing the ravine to be seen in all its glory. The Ethiopian woman behind me continued to get sick as a local policeman hopped aboard our bus at the bottom of the gorge just before we crossed over the Blue Nile River. Our fifteenth passenger held an AK-47 tightly in his arms, so, needless to say, I was not upset when he hopped off at the next town up the road. As daylight filled the sky, the rolling hills surrounding us were revealed. The countryside is methodically sectioned into various farms, creating this patchwork appearance across the land.
I was unexplainably calm during most of the ride, but those last 30 minutes brought anxiety as I awaited my arrival in Dangila. Just about nine hours after leaving Addis I was dropped off in my new home. The bus worker unloaded my heavy bag from the top of the vehicle and I said goodbye to my PCV friend as my counterpart walked up to meet me. I felt immediately welcomed as we grabbed a Bajaj (mini-taxi) toward the house where I will be living. The town appeared to be exactly what I had expected, a small rural town in the rolling hills of Ethiopia. "Not too cold and not too hot" I had been told, which seems to be the perfect description. I am still not sure how to describe a small rural town, or how to judge the difference between Dangila and the many other rural towns we passed through, but I think it is fair to say that Dangila is the best.
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| My counterpart and supervisor in the HAPCO office. |
My immediate reaction to panic, that this is not possibly going to suffice as an adequate oasis for two years, had to be muted. And I honestly held back tears when my counterpart informed me that there is no internet in Dangila. My emotions are spiking through these very difficult changes, but a peaceful rest last night has brought some clarity to my situation. I joined the Peace Corps thinking I would not have electricity or running water. The thought of having internet handy was out of the question. I realize that I have built expectations since being in Ethiopia though. All the volunteers currently here have electricity, and some sort of semi-regular running water at least. Ambo, where I have been living for six weeks, has fairly reliable (although painfully slow) internet at over five separate locations. This knowledge, plus some additional "facts" I had heard about Dangila have caused minor disappointment, but I am willing to redefine "normal" once again.
Bi-monthly trips to a nearby town with internet will serve as an adventure I figure, and I will create that oasis I need in the space provided. This whole experience needs to be grounding and uncomfortable; I need to realize my dependence on material items. I also know that I am here for a reason. A timely letter opened last night reminded me of that: "He put you where you need to be and He will protect you, give you strength, and provide the resources you need." For now, that place is Dangila, and I know God will provide me with the rest.
11 January, 2009
Site Placement
As I mentally freaked out a little a couple days before finding out my site placement, the weight of this reality bore down on my thoughts. I was about to find out where I would be living for two years. I also felt somewhat nervous as I soaked in the enormity of this unknown; I have never in my life been assigned a place to live for two years. I chose my college, I chose my foreign study location, but this huge decision hangs in the air without my final input. Then I realized that this was the exact same anxiety I was harvesting just six months ago as I awaited that stuffed white Peace Corps envelope in the mail labeled boldly, "INVITATION." I was constantly staring at a map of the entire continent of Africa pondering what my future had in store for me, and now here I am, five weeks into my life in Ethiopia—the simple matter of what town I am placed seems like a minor decision.
I am here in Ethiopia with the Peace Corps; I surrendered major decision-making privileges long ago, which is also exactly what I needed. As a recent college graduate, I could not place that next tack in my bulletin-board map-of-the-world myself. I was in need of a passion and a destination, which is why I joined Peace Corps. For a while, I added countries and cities to my "Must See" list without a cause or reason, and now I can envision a life abroad with meaning and adventure both. I did not choose Ethiopia as my new home, but after living here for just over one month I already love this country. I am filled with purpose just by being here is Ethiopia and yet again I find myself unable to place that next exact location on the map for myself. Peace Corps has once more intervened to guide my footsteps, and I am so grateful for that direction.
My home for the next two years is Dangila, Ethiopia. I am so excited about my placement! Here is pretty much all I know about it so far: It is a smaller town (population of approximately 50,000), it is in the Amhara Region (which means I will continue learning Amharic), it is only a couple hours away from Bahir Dar (a bigger city where I can access some Western amenities). My Ethiopia Bradt tour book mentions my town once when instructing people how to get from Debre Markos to Bahir Dar. "There is plenty of budget accommodation in Dangila in the unlikely event you were to get stuck there overnight." Haha. Despite the negative tone in that small passage, I am very excited to be 'off the map' a little bit. All my site placement requests were met and I am very grateful for that.
My direct counterpart that I will be working with is HAPCO, and I was told today that there is a very motivated Women's Group in the town that wants to work with me as well. I look forward to finally getting my feet wet in this whole process by spending next week in Dangila! The information is still vague, but that again is part of being a PCV. When I do move to site in the middle of February, the town truly is a blank canvas and I anticipate using my creativity to help in any way I can. As for now, my three main goals next week are to open a bank account, set up a PO Box, and buy a bed. I will update when I can from Dangila, which I am told has occasional internet. Wish me luck!
I am here in Ethiopia with the Peace Corps; I surrendered major decision-making privileges long ago, which is also exactly what I needed. As a recent college graduate, I could not place that next tack in my bulletin-board map-of-the-world myself. I was in need of a passion and a destination, which is why I joined Peace Corps. For a while, I added countries and cities to my "Must See" list without a cause or reason, and now I can envision a life abroad with meaning and adventure both. I did not choose Ethiopia as my new home, but after living here for just over one month I already love this country. I am filled with purpose just by being here is Ethiopia and yet again I find myself unable to place that next exact location on the map for myself. Peace Corps has once more intervened to guide my footsteps, and I am so grateful for that direction.
 |
| I just found out my site placement! |
My direct counterpart that I will be working with is HAPCO, and I was told today that there is a very motivated Women's Group in the town that wants to work with me as well. I look forward to finally getting my feet wet in this whole process by spending next week in Dangila! The information is still vague, but that again is part of being a PCV. When I do move to site in the middle of February, the town truly is a blank canvas and I anticipate using my creativity to help in any way I can. As for now, my three main goals next week are to open a bank account, set up a PO Box, and buy a bed. I will update when I can from Dangila, which I am told has occasional internet. Wish me luck!
08 January, 2009
Melkam Genna! Merry Christmas!
A little belated, I know, but Ethiopian Christmas was just celebrated yesterday (January 7). I was very excited to have the day off class, and unsure of what to expect from the much-anticipated holiday. There was not a huge build-up like in America with lights and decorations adorning the streets and houses a month beforehand, in fact little evidence of the holiday was present prior to January 7. My sister's house produced a small Christmas tree the day of Christmas, but it was hardly a part of their celebration. I was actually very puzzled by the lack of happenings on Christmas day.
Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of chickens killed, and several trainee friends helped kill goats at their respective houses in preparation for the big day. But all in all it was, well, very much like an American Christmas in the fact that there was just a whole lot of lazing around! There were no presents exchanged or football on TV, but the mass quantities of food and family gathering felt very normal. I suppose food and family are universal for celebration. After getting the chickens cooking in the morning, we proceeded to watch TV and eat for several hours. I escaped to my friend's host family to see if they were doing anything out of the ordinary, but they too were just hanging out. It really felt like an average Sunday in Ethiopia.
The liveliest festivity of the day was celebrating my host brother's 5th birthday! In the afternoon several relatives and neighbors came over with their children to join the party. We sang several songs, lit-up a big "5" candle, took many pictures, and cheered loudly. Each guest was served a plate with a small slice of cake, a cookie, cholo dabbo bits, and popcorn. The cake, like all cake I have tasted in Ethiopia, is far more delightful to look at than to taste. It is a shame really, that so much sugar is spooned into a single cup of coffee and yet the bakery lacks a drop! The cookie was a decent attempt at a Keebler treat, and the cholo dabbo are these tiny little pieces of cookie about the size of rice. By the end of the day, I was sufficiently stuffed with Ethiopian food!
It was a semi-uneventful day, but through each meal I learned more about the Ethiopian culture. I have been told that several other Christian holidays are the source of larger festivities, such as Easter and locally celebrated Timkat. I look forward to celebrating those holidays with my new town later this year.
That being said, I still do not know where I will be living for the next 2 years! This week feels like it is inching along though because all the trainees are looking forward to Saturday when they tell us our site placements! Last weekend we had our second and final placement interview where they asked us a little about our site preferences. Many people had requests such as a toilet, shower, internet, etc, but I came up with two main requests. I want to work with HIV Prevention mainly, and I want a smaller town (which was later defined as a town the size of Ambo, where I am training or smaller). I also mentioned that I like learning Amharic, but I think everyone mentioned that one. There are several regions we could be placed where a smaller language may be necessary, but we will not know that for sure until after our Site Visit.
This Saturday not only reveals my home for the next two years, but it also brings training to its halfway mark! I cannot believe I have been living in Ambo for five weeks already, and I really cannot believe that I only will be living here for four more weeks. Of the remaining five weeks, one whole week will be spent visiting my new site and meeting with my counterpart organization (during week 7 of my 10 training weeks). I can only imagine how fast the time will fly!
Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of chickens killed, and several trainee friends helped kill goats at their respective houses in preparation for the big day. But all in all it was, well, very much like an American Christmas in the fact that there was just a whole lot of lazing around! There were no presents exchanged or football on TV, but the mass quantities of food and family gathering felt very normal. I suppose food and family are universal for celebration. After getting the chickens cooking in the morning, we proceeded to watch TV and eat for several hours. I escaped to my friend's host family to see if they were doing anything out of the ordinary, but they too were just hanging out. It really felt like an average Sunday in Ethiopia.
The liveliest festivity of the day was celebrating my host brother's 5th birthday! In the afternoon several relatives and neighbors came over with their children to join the party. We sang several songs, lit-up a big "5" candle, took many pictures, and cheered loudly. Each guest was served a plate with a small slice of cake, a cookie, cholo dabbo bits, and popcorn. The cake, like all cake I have tasted in Ethiopia, is far more delightful to look at than to taste. It is a shame really, that so much sugar is spooned into a single cup of coffee and yet the bakery lacks a drop! The cookie was a decent attempt at a Keebler treat, and the cholo dabbo are these tiny little pieces of cookie about the size of rice. By the end of the day, I was sufficiently stuffed with Ethiopian food!
That being said, I still do not know where I will be living for the next 2 years! This week feels like it is inching along though because all the trainees are looking forward to Saturday when they tell us our site placements! Last weekend we had our second and final placement interview where they asked us a little about our site preferences. Many people had requests such as a toilet, shower, internet, etc, but I came up with two main requests. I want to work with HIV Prevention mainly, and I want a smaller town (which was later defined as a town the size of Ambo, where I am training or smaller). I also mentioned that I like learning Amharic, but I think everyone mentioned that one. There are several regions we could be placed where a smaller language may be necessary, but we will not know that for sure until after our Site Visit.
This Saturday not only reveals my home for the next two years, but it also brings training to its halfway mark! I cannot believe I have been living in Ambo for five weeks already, and I really cannot believe that I only will be living here for four more weeks. Of the remaining five weeks, one whole week will be spent visiting my new site and meeting with my counterpart organization (during week 7 of my 10 training weeks). I can only imagine how fast the time will fly!
02 January, 2009
Celebrating the Holidays
For the first time in a long time, I cannot say "Wow! The year has just flown by!" The opposite in fact, as I revisited memories from 2008; I cannot believe I managed to fit so much into one year! I had an amazing last semester of college, travelled Asia for a couple months, spent four wonderful months at home in Atlanta, and to top it all off I can check off month one of 27 in Ethiopia. I cannot believe that I have only been here a month. I am so thankful for all the blessings in my life and all the adventures I was able to have this past year.
In order to properly welcome in 2009 the Peace Corps Trainees were itching for a night away from our host families. And while the 9pm curfew on Christmas was respected for the most part, New Year’s Eve is just not the same if you cannot count backwards from 10 to 1 at midnight. So with some dedicated PCTs and some slightly complicated bi-lingual party-planning, the 40 trainees were able to split the cost of a "meeting room" at the back of the pool area of a local hotel. Even more complicated, I anticipated, was communicating this slumber party plan to my host family, but surprisingly there was no problem.
It was a bizarre feeling being a 22-year-old having to ask permission to spend the night away from home, but it was also incredibly liberating to just feel like an American again for one night. I would not consider anything here "normal" compared to the American equivalent, but packing that overnight bag felt incredibly refreshing. The night turned out to be one of the best New Year's Eve I have ever celebrated; a brief oasis in the middle of the desert. My night of freedom partnered with the delivery of my first package (thanks mom and dad!) made me think for just a moment that things were normal. In these high-stress situations, you need things like that to ground you.
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| Bonfire at our New Years celebration! |
New Year’s Day was also wonderful, having just two hours of class and lunch at the school, and then we were able to enjoy the rest of the beautiful day. Typically, January 1 is not spent at a pool lounging in the hot sun and jumping off rickety diving boards (in America at least), but it was the perfect first day of this much-anticipated new year! I pray that each of you had a wonderful New Year celebration as well, and that 2009 is filled with joy and purpose.
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