Six Weeks In

It has been 45 days since I left almost everything in Detroit; 42 days since I left Washington DC and arrived in Addis Ababa; and about 30ish days that I have been living in my training site where I teach English, learn Afan Oromo (the language of the Oromia Region) and how to be a “Peace Corps ESL Teacher” in the Ethiopian context… six days a week.

I have a mouthful to say about first impressions, frustrations, and my current inability to connect/communicate my true feelings and experiences with people who don’t need to know.

That being said, let’s talk.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The men, I mean WOW. There is so much beauty in men and women here.

Besides the people’s physical perfection, there seems to be a lot of car pollution, but my many allergy medicines have been holding me up.

It’s cold and rainy everyday… and winter coats are available here….which is saying a lot.

There hasn’t been a food that has made me go crazy that wasn’t “American” like pizza, burgers, and peanut butter.

Also, I apparently look Habesha (Ethiopian)…but we’ll discuss that on a later day.

12 HIGHLIGHTS OF MY TIME SO FAR

1. Falling in the mud (just about once a week) at my training site.
2. Feeling ridiculously happy from…
   • Being two days away from finishing Practicum  (practicing being a teacher)
   • Effectively communicating with my Host Sister, using real verbs instead of actions (I finally studied…but only for my mock proficiency exam)
   • Being able to finally roll my R’s, without all my years of Spanish getting the benefit. (Only unconsciously though, because if I try to focus, it goes out the door)
   • Eating three cones of chips (They use British spelling and terminology so Chips = French Fries, sold in paper-shaped cones) and drinking Pineapple Fanta Pop (Soda)
3.  Getting eaten alive by ants as I fill my 5 gallon water canisters with rain water, and not being embarrassed as my host sister found me half naked picking ants off the insides of my jeans.
4. Hating the food here, almost entirely and being okay with it.
5. Staring aimlessly at the pretty men, because they are too gorgeous for me to be ashamed.
6. Getting sick… from a common cold to a gastro- intestinal infection and continuing about in my daily PC (Peace Corps) life routines as if I didn’t puke and poop all the time.
7. Wearing about 2-3 layers of clothing to bed, including a hat, because it is the rainy season and the weather is basically only cold and wet.
8. Making peace with all the bugs that live with me in my bedroom.
9. Watching the circle of life. From…
   • Things dying
   • People slaughtering animals for food
   • Watching vultures and semi-wild dogs eat roadkill (horses, sheep, and other dogs alike)
   • Me eating meat with a smile
   • And finally, seeing different skeletal parts sinking into the mud all around my town.
10. An evolving relationship with understanding cleanliness, sanitation, and personal hygiene when influenced by a lack of developed resources and how it’s okay; I live in Ethiopia, and it is a developing nation and I happen to live in a rural place. “Werk” what you got.
11. I am illiterate….in the national language, it’s the strangest thing.
12. I fall less… when I don’t panic because I am sliding, which is all the time. ( My feet create their own mud slides.)

 Side note:  I made a new best-friend! her name is Rashida. Please checkout her blog.  [also a highlight ; ) ]

 FRUSTRATIONS

•  Our concept of culture juxtaposes the traditions of Ethiopia. And when I think upon it deeply, “Culture” (or rather differences in culture) is the answer we get when we keep digging, trying to find a link between functionality, American culture, logic, and things we “know” about other cultures.

The word culture, and the implications therein has come to mean a world of difference here; especially because I will be getting intimate with people in the countryside of Ethiopia.

 There is no better way to explain how things are than saying, “it’s the culture.”

• The lines between the female and male sphere are more defined here.

It’s uncomfortable for me because I am here to be a resource for both genders but I function majorly through the male sphere, which is the working in the outside world, while women here are mostly home-based.

• 1st-world problems in a developing country.

It hurts, especially because I am paid to live like a fellow countryman, but then I realize… YOLO ( you only live once), these are my resources.

• An American Schedule on Ethiopian time.

Not pretty… it reminds me of college times and I  never was  “good” at it.

COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE BACK HOME

Talking to people at home is overwhelming. I can’t explain to you how I feel. My experiences and frustrations are great, and wide, and complex, and you all would mostly perceive it as something negative about Ethiopia. I find that unacceptable.

Also, it is very difficult to answer loaded questions such as “How is Ethiopia?” “How is Africa?” (which is a terrible introduction of me having to explain simple facts) I know the question seems simple, but for me it is no longer quite that simple. And frankly, I am unsure if you really want to hear my truth, take it, and really let us have a conversation.

MAIN POINT

I have been suffering, however how I am affected is not unusual.

Lately, this scripture has been giving me strength. It helps me remember that these are normal trials of life:

1 Peter 5:8-10

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.