One Year Later

I can’t believe it is already December 11th. I kind of thought this day would never come! Tomorrow morning I meet my mom, dad, and brother aboard a plane to Tanzania. This also marks the only blog post so far that I have posted myself. A little behind-the-scenes information I don’t think I’ve mentioned- blogger doesn’t work in Ethiopia, so my mom posts all my blogs for me. Since my family is already en route (I actually just received an email from them from Cairo) I am posting this one first hand from the comforts of fast-ish satellite from the Peace Corps office.

Since I last updated, so much has happened. The countryside itself exemplifies the changes around me. It seems like overnight the fields and hillsides of bright green have faded once again to bold yellow, ready for harvesting. Water, which I forgot to mention has been consistently available in Dangila, is now again starting to disappear for a few days at a time. Electricity too, which was reliable for a few months after rainy season, is beginning to have outages across the country. And Peace Corps has finished its seasonal change as well; all PCVs from Group 1 have closed service and in a week Group 3 will swear in.

Just after Thanksgiving I was fortunate enough to be invited by a Muslim neighbor to celebrate the Arafa holiday. As I sat around eating injera, listening to prayers and drinking coffee I wondered if any non-Muslim in Dangila had ever been invited to celebrate with them, and I felt so honored. Then I celebrated World AIDS Day in my town, where HAPCO had organized a field-day of sorts, including a 100m girls’ race. Of course, I had to run in it. My town would have it no other way. I was prepared to get smoked, until the women lined up beside me wearing skirts and some wearing no shoes. I wound up getting second place, and was called a lion in Amharic for the remainder of the day.

Lining up to run the race on World AIDS Day.

The crowd on World AIDS Day in Dangila.

I had been invited to spend this past week in Assela with Group 3 trainees, so I came in a few days early to Addis to prepare for the cooking session my friend Danielle and I were in charge of. I had the privilege during those few days last weekend to say goodbye to my dear friend Jordan, who decided to go home early. It was very bittersweet to see him go, but I completely understand his decision. His presence in Ethiopia will be dearly missed.

I also had to say goodbye to the group of 10 boys in Dangila (mentioned in previous posts). When I return back to town they will have returned to live with their families. I went over the night before leaving town to say goodbye and could barely hold back my tears as they each said goodbye to me. They will still be living in town, but I won’t be able to dependable see all of them every day, and I am going to miss those boys so much. As much as I’ve told them how much I love all of them I think they will never realize how much of an impact the 10 of them have made on me.

This past week I stayed in Assela, and spend the days visiting the trainees in their satellite villages with the technical trainer and two other volunteers. I had a lot of fun with the other PCVs and getting to know the new group. Although I saw them for a brief visit when they were still jetlagged, I really enjoyed getting to know them this week. Just yesterday Danielle and I were able to do a cooking demonstration for them, showing them how to create a stove-top dutch oven, and make some delicious home cooking!

Now I am back in Addis Ababa, and ready as ever to see my family tomorrow! Since I last updated I also passed my one year mark since leaving America. It has been a wonderful year filled with opportunities I could have never imagined a year ago, and I have grown exponentially from them. Thank you to everyone here and in America who has supported me on this adventure. I feel so loved and blessed. I will try to update about my month-long family adventure along the way, as I am sure our reunion abroad the plane tomorrow will be quite a scene!

Small Accomplishments

I suddenly find myself with countless tales and adventures.  I have been living here in Dangila for just one week but already the adventures are adding up.  In a few months, or even just a few weeks I am sure that I will develop a routine and the adventures will become just normal, but for now I appreciate the change of scenery where everything seems new again.

The first couple days I would go to bed feeling accomplished, but as I reviewed my day I could not completely understand why I felt that way.  In America if you wake up, fix breakfast, run errands, swing by work for a bit, eat dinner and go to sleep, it's a sufficient day, but not one to boast about.  Living in Ethiopia I have to reevaluate the way I judge the work I do each day.  Fixing breakfast here is not as easy as grabbing a granola bar, microwaving oatmeal, or driving up to Starbucks.  So when it takes a couple hours to make pancakes (sans a few ingredients) and wash dishes via my bucket system, I don't sweat it, in fact, I feel pretty darn proud.

French toast breakfast!

Each night I now record a bullet-point list of accomplishments from that day in order to adequately acknowledge my small successes.  My first day in Dangila reads:
•       Bought 2 pots, cooking dishes, flour, eggs, roll of bread
•       Picked-up furniture from carpenter
•       Unpacked suitcases into new dresser
•       Checked mail (3 letters, 1 package awaited me!)
•       Melted cheap power cord
•       Ate Peanut Butter sandwich for dinner

Each item contains its own story, and that was just my first half-day here!  My favorite story from that day was picking up my furniture. When I stayed here for a week during "site visit" about a month ago now, I ordered three pieces of furniture from a garage, as they call them.  Imagine a quarter-acre of land with a large shed in the middle and about five workers in jumpsuits hammering away on chairs and tables alike.  I gave the owner a simple sketch I drew of the pieces I wanted made, and we bargained on an appropriate price thereafter. When I went back my first day here I was pleased to find my finished pieces of furniture scattered amongst the skeletons of half-finished sofas and piles of scrap wood.  When the horse-cart waiting outside demanded 30 Birr ($3) to transport the pieces to my house, I was outraged, and luckily, so were a few of the workers.  Two of the men working there agreed to carry it to my house for half that price.

Before I knew it they had hoisted my bed frame over their heads and were striding down the street, taking two steps for my one.  They arrived in half the time it would have taken the horse-cart, and they carried their wooden masterpieces straight into my house!

My list of accomplishments from this past week is surprisingly filled with many culinary undertakings.  My whole PCT class received cookbooks (put together originally by volunteers in Kenya, and then revamped by current Ethiopian PCVs); therefore I cannot take responsibility for the wonderful recipes that are not only possible with limited resources, but delicious!  I am very proud of myself though for putting in the effort to make complex meals here, because at home I tend to stick to boxes with step-by-step instructions, usually having something to do with the microwave.  So far, I have made tortillas from scratch along with guacamole for dinner one night, and an awesome pasta sauce from scratch the next night!

I am enjoying my small accomplishments each day as I take the time to explore my new community and find my place here.