Hot Water and Monkeys

Anyone who goes to the resort in Sodere, Ethiopia would surely conclude that there are two defining novelties available: hot water and monkeys.  Upon first arriving I was thinking, “Gosh, I get hot water for ten days in a resort filled with monkeys!” But I soon realized that those simple descriptions do not fully encompass Sodere.  A more detailed description would describe scalding water and mischievous monkeys. 

For the past 10 days I have been at IST (In-Service Training) which Peace Corps held for all 37 volunteers left from my training group in Sodere.  The training was filled with practical advice and good times, but it was definitely different than I expected.  Sodere is located about 2.5 hours southeast from the capital of Ethiopia.  It advertises an Olympic-sized swimming pool with diving boards and lies beside a peaceful river.  I will begin by saying that it was a lovely break from my town and I really enjoyed it, but I also found it funny how many of the anticipated amenities were unappreciated.  When arriving, one of the first things to hit me was the dry heat.  While living in the rolling hills near Bahir Dar I sometimes forget how close to the equator I am here, but winding down into the valley where Sodere is located, I was quickly reminded that I am in Africa.  Ten days ago all the volunteers happily exited the buses while admiring the surrounding mountains and colorful plants.

We climbed the stairs to put our luggage in our respective rooms and soon found that opening the door to the porch meant fending off families of monkeys.  Later we found ourselves with our first break of the training, wanting nothing more than to jump in that Olympic-sized swimming pool.  It didn’t take us long to find out that the hot spring water we anticipated in our showers also filled the swimming pool.  It seems that the only water available in all of Sodere is this scalding hot water, with no cold water faucet to balance it out.  So we found ourselves in one of the hottest towns imaginable surrounded by unlimited scalding water.  We couldn’t even open our doors to let our rooms cool off because the brave monkeys would prance in to steal things!

 
Luckily the air cooled off a little at night, making swimming enjoyable and sleeping bearable.  The monkeys, when they weren't sneaking in your room or chasing you down the open-air hallways, were actually adorable.  The little babies would cling to the mothers’ stomachs and the younger ones would chase each other through the trees like children on a jungle gym.  We also enjoyed daily “ice cream” with lunch, which was quite a treat.  It definitely wasn’t Baskin Robbins, but it was cold!  We started referring to variations by color instead of flavor, because brown may not be chocolate, but rather just sugary with a hint of flavor.  I have to say the pink and yellow combination was my favorite.

Overall a great week with great friends and I even learned a thing or two!