There is a road, no simple highway

Life makes no sense sometimes. Here especially. People go on living their lives like they know nothing else and that’s because that’s exactly the case. Most people I know back in the states would cringe at the life most people live here, and yetEthiopians carry on with some of the purest smiles in the world.

Some things are the same though, after many summers as a camp counselor, I’ve grown sensitive to the way children act; children are the same here. Always playing, always laughing, always smiling. However I see a connection with the kidshere that I didn’t see in the states. These kids rely on eachother with a capacity for a sort of guarded trust that isn’t even seen in most adults in America let alone the children. They also round up the gang the moment a couple of white guys (myself and my coworker) roll up on the block - fist bumps and high fives are given and a never ending stream of “chow!” And “bye-bye” is heard until we are both out of site.

At the end of the day, it’s this exact interaction that gives me a lot of strength to carry on. Life is hard here and pooping in a hole is just never going to feel normal. I’ve adjusted to that and it’s honestly not so bad. But even if I crash and burn with teaching, I can at least show these kids thatthere is more to life than just waking up, going toschool and coming home and then sleeping or doing whatever chores they have to do. I’m imagining the impact I could make will go on outside the classroom, not within it.

I’m going into my final week of practicum, whichis just ridiculous. The days are so slow here, but the weeks are so fast. Next week I find out my permanent site and then head to Addis to meet my counterpart teacher. Myself and my friends that are also being placed in the Oromia region are under the impression that we will be placed around the city of Metu, but we’ll see if that becomes fact. The next step in this journey is fast approaching! 

Until next time friends,

Marc-E-Marc