The most-asked question from friends and family back home is “what is your average day like?” Well, average days don’t exist here. Every day is so unique, that trying to summarize what a day looks like is nearly an impossible task. Located in small towns in north western Ethiopia live three difference Peace Corps volunteers who are all fairly similar. Kate, Emily and I all happen to be mid-twenties, red-haired (to varying degrees) and recent college graduates from relatively similar backgrounds.
We’ve started a Wednesday lunch get-together in our towns since we live so close together (furthest north to furthest south is only a one-hour bus) to help with sanity levels – necessary when none of us have people who really understand us around our towns. At one such lunch gathering we were discussing our troubles and frustrations, which always seem to be similar, and we decided to each write about one particular day to see if there were many similarities or differences. Not to say this particular day was “normal,” and not to say anything the three of us do is “normal” but nevertheless, here is a day in the lives of three Ethiopia PCVs:
Kate, Durbete
5:45am – The alarm goes off. It takes 10 minutes to wake up and prepare myself for my 40 minute am run.
6:30am – Home and sweaty. Stretch while the water heats for my shower.
7am – A quick breakfast of fruit and tea followed by a topical clean of the house- dusting away cricket carcasses and dirt accumulated in the previous 24 hours. Listen to itunes on random while I prepare for the day ahead.
9:00am – Go to the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO) via the post office where I work on my Amharic homework and participate in conversation and daily activity within the office.
12:00pm – Am given lunch from a very pregnant friend in town. We watch TV and discuss my upcoming travel plans to Addis Ababa and her very pregnant state.
1pm – Head back to my house. It is hot and I am in the middle of Steig Larson’s, The Girl Who Played with Fire.
2pm – Contemplate going back into town and visiting friends but my book and an episode of season five of The Wire hinders my motivation
4pm – Head to the Durbete High School where I discuss potential ways to obtain high school level books for the library aided by my teacher counterpart.
5pm – Amharic tutoring- learned how to describe my house and prepositions.
6:30pm – Peanut Butter Cabbage Stir Fry is what’s for dinner. Eat in front of the computer TV- THE WIRE.
7pm –Clean up after dinner and do some lunar flow pod cast yoga.
8pm – Coffee ceremony with the landlord’s family. Only one cup or else I can’t sleep!
9pm – Snuggle up in bed with my computer Watch and episode of BBC Planet Earth, Caves, and drift to bed.
Jennifer, Dangila
6am – After trying to avoid my dog’s whines I get out of bed and go for a run with the neighborhood kids.
7:15am – Leisurely make a pot of coffee, feed my dog, listen to music, read my current page-turner I Didn’t Do It For You, and get dressed for the day.
9am – Leave my house to go visit the Anti-Malaria Association (AMA). After hanging out with the girls who work there, I visit counterpart Yibeltal to discuss our project of forming an association for commercial sex workers in town.
10am – Walk to HAPCO to visit my PC-assigned counterpart. Discuss my internet café project to help orphans in town, and print a new project budget.
11:15am – On my walk back to my house I stop to check my mailbox and found a letter from my mom! Then, almost home, I get called into my neighbor’s house for coffee and injera.
12:30pm – Finally back home. I realize my dog escaped the compound, likely to go play with my landlord’s kids across town. I read my book for a while and check email.
3pm – Walk back to AMA to discuss future projects with Yibeltal. Then I ran into the Japanese volunteer organization (jica) staff in town searching for a new house for their volunteer. Since I know the town best, I offer to help them search for a bit.
5pm – Internet café project committee meeting. We establish a plan for the remaining budget.
6pm – Walk home from the meeting and stop by my landlord’s compound to get my dog and walk her home.
7pm – Cook up a fresh zucchini from my garden for dinner. Yum!
8pm – Clean up dishes and read my book some more. Get online and chat with friends in America who are at work. Gotta love PC.
10pm – Finally bedtime. I get in bed and read my book until I fall asleep.
Emily, Kosober/Injibara
5:30am – Morning run time. Keep pace with kids carrying sacks of charcoal on their head.
7am – Download news articles online. Drink too many cups of coffee.
9am – Go to the Orphan Shelter. Attempt to teach English and three-legged race. Take pictures and almost pee my pants laughing so hard.
11am – Make shiro (again) for lunch. Read a few chapters in a book. Contemplate the desire to leave my house again.
2pm – Go to post office. It’s closed. Again. During working hours. Rent a bike and go to high school for meeting about English Conversation Club.
2:30pm – While waiting for meeting to start, I talk to teachers about America (No, I can’t take you back with me) and how, of course, you want to perfect your English, yeah, we will get that arranged soon.
3pm – Teacher finally shows up. Talk in circles. Convince him that my way is the best way while making it seem like it is his idea. Genius.
4pm – Get back home. Landlord calls me into her house. Hands me her kids. Serves me injera with a tongue-burning, eye-watering sauce. Run to my house to drink three glasses of powdered milk and finish a jar of peanut butter I bought yesterday.
5:30pm – Amharic lesson. My teacher has enough patience to sound out every syllable. I would have upturned the table by now. Good guy.
6:30pm – Brush teeth. Wash face. Collect pension check for getting into bed before 7:30 PM. Read book.
8pm – Landlord knocks on my door, reminding me of our fir fir (basically injera with injera) cooking lesson. Now?! She is already setting up shop in my kitchen area. Pretend to take a bite. After she leaves, I put it back in the pot. Breakfast done.
9pm – Bed time was 30 minutes ago. Ear plugs in to block sounds of the zoo in my ceiling. Sweet dreams.
Kate’s blog: does ethiopia make my dijiBOOTIE look big?
We’ve started a Wednesday lunch get-together in our towns since we live so close together (furthest north to furthest south is only a one-hour bus) to help with sanity levels – necessary when none of us have people who really understand us around our towns. At one such lunch gathering we were discussing our troubles and frustrations, which always seem to be similar, and we decided to each write about one particular day to see if there were many similarities or differences. Not to say this particular day was “normal,” and not to say anything the three of us do is “normal” but nevertheless, here is a day in the lives of three Ethiopia PCVs:
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| Me and Kate. |
5:45am – The alarm goes off. It takes 10 minutes to wake up and prepare myself for my 40 minute am run.
6:30am – Home and sweaty. Stretch while the water heats for my shower.
7am – A quick breakfast of fruit and tea followed by a topical clean of the house- dusting away cricket carcasses and dirt accumulated in the previous 24 hours. Listen to itunes on random while I prepare for the day ahead.
9:00am – Go to the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO) via the post office where I work on my Amharic homework and participate in conversation and daily activity within the office.
12:00pm – Am given lunch from a very pregnant friend in town. We watch TV and discuss my upcoming travel plans to Addis Ababa and her very pregnant state.
1pm – Head back to my house. It is hot and I am in the middle of Steig Larson’s, The Girl Who Played with Fire.
2pm – Contemplate going back into town and visiting friends but my book and an episode of season five of The Wire hinders my motivation
4pm – Head to the Durbete High School where I discuss potential ways to obtain high school level books for the library aided by my teacher counterpart.
5pm – Amharic tutoring- learned how to describe my house and prepositions.
6:30pm – Peanut Butter Cabbage Stir Fry is what’s for dinner. Eat in front of the computer TV- THE WIRE.
7pm –Clean up after dinner and do some lunar flow pod cast yoga.
8pm – Coffee ceremony with the landlord’s family. Only one cup or else I can’t sleep!
9pm – Snuggle up in bed with my computer Watch and episode of BBC Planet Earth, Caves, and drift to bed.
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| Kate |
6am – After trying to avoid my dog’s whines I get out of bed and go for a run with the neighborhood kids.
7:15am – Leisurely make a pot of coffee, feed my dog, listen to music, read my current page-turner I Didn’t Do It For You, and get dressed for the day.
9am – Leave my house to go visit the Anti-Malaria Association (AMA). After hanging out with the girls who work there, I visit counterpart Yibeltal to discuss our project of forming an association for commercial sex workers in town.
10am – Walk to HAPCO to visit my PC-assigned counterpart. Discuss my internet café project to help orphans in town, and print a new project budget.
11:15am – On my walk back to my house I stop to check my mailbox and found a letter from my mom! Then, almost home, I get called into my neighbor’s house for coffee and injera.
12:30pm – Finally back home. I realize my dog escaped the compound, likely to go play with my landlord’s kids across town. I read my book for a while and check email.
3pm – Walk back to AMA to discuss future projects with Yibeltal. Then I ran into the Japanese volunteer organization (jica) staff in town searching for a new house for their volunteer. Since I know the town best, I offer to help them search for a bit.
5pm – Internet café project committee meeting. We establish a plan for the remaining budget.
6pm – Walk home from the meeting and stop by my landlord’s compound to get my dog and walk her home.
7pm – Cook up a fresh zucchini from my garden for dinner. Yum!
8pm – Clean up dishes and read my book some more. Get online and chat with friends in America who are at work. Gotta love PC.
10pm – Finally bedtime. I get in bed and read my book until I fall asleep.
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| Emily |
5:30am – Morning run time. Keep pace with kids carrying sacks of charcoal on their head.
7am – Download news articles online. Drink too many cups of coffee.
9am – Go to the Orphan Shelter. Attempt to teach English and three-legged race. Take pictures and almost pee my pants laughing so hard.
11am – Make shiro (again) for lunch. Read a few chapters in a book. Contemplate the desire to leave my house again.
2pm – Go to post office. It’s closed. Again. During working hours. Rent a bike and go to high school for meeting about English Conversation Club.
2:30pm – While waiting for meeting to start, I talk to teachers about America (No, I can’t take you back with me) and how, of course, you want to perfect your English, yeah, we will get that arranged soon.
3pm – Teacher finally shows up. Talk in circles. Convince him that my way is the best way while making it seem like it is his idea. Genius.
4pm – Get back home. Landlord calls me into her house. Hands me her kids. Serves me injera with a tongue-burning, eye-watering sauce. Run to my house to drink three glasses of powdered milk and finish a jar of peanut butter I bought yesterday.
5:30pm – Amharic lesson. My teacher has enough patience to sound out every syllable. I would have upturned the table by now. Good guy.
6:30pm – Brush teeth. Wash face. Collect pension check for getting into bed before 7:30 PM. Read book.
8pm – Landlord knocks on my door, reminding me of our fir fir (basically injera with injera) cooking lesson. Now?! She is already setting up shop in my kitchen area. Pretend to take a bite. After she leaves, I put it back in the pot. Breakfast done.
9pm – Bed time was 30 minutes ago. Ear plugs in to block sounds of the zoo in my ceiling. Sweet dreams.
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| Kate and Emily |
Emily’s blog: Emily’s Ethiopian Experience
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| Me, Kate, and Emily hiking outside Kosober. |
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| Me, Emily and Kate after the Great Ethiopian Run |
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