A box of rain will ease the pain and love will see you through.

So! Here I am, in Illubabor, at my home for the next waggaa lama (two years). It’s such a beautiful spot; i’m smackdab in the middle of yayo forrest which is a micro climate that is like nothing else I’ve ever seen. There are caves that expose geologic features that are only present here and in Iceland. The land is almost as beautiful people that live on it. This country and the people within it surprise me everyday, my compound family at my site was welcoming me with open arms into their family.

They have given me a home that has two rooms,  that are 4 meters by 4 meters each. That is massive for peace corps standards. I really can’t say enough good things about my living situation. I’m in a compound with many children that were just sitting in the threshold of my home watching me set up everything.

I have concrete floors and nicely painted walls and electricity! Which is a lot more than what can be said about others in my cohort.

I was also able to visit my hub town prior to my arrival to my site. Mettu is the name of my hub town and what a beautiful town it is - there is far less harassment in that city than most hub towns in Ethiopia. Everyone is so welcoming and so interested to know who I am and why I’m  in Ethiopia. I can’t even count how many times I was invited to sit and eat or drink buna (coffee) with total strangers who just wanted to talk to me.

The most eye opening thing is how similar people live to people in America. People are people no matter where you go, but there is such a raw happiness that exsists here that is just not present in America. People are always looking for social interaction and always want to share in your happiness and your sadness regardless of if they have known you for years or minutes. This is something I’ve observed not only in people’s interactions with me but also interactions between Ethiopians. People just care about eachother in a different way here than in America; it’s more wholesome.

People are also far more grateful for small things here in Ethiopia than people in America. I’ve never seen people more excited about rain than my host family and my family at site. My mom was saying how she always has to lug 40 liters of water when it’s not rainy season. 

Reminds me of the lyrics from the Grateful Dead song “box of rain”. “A box of rain will ease the pain and love will see you through.” A box of rain means no carrying water. However, when there is a need to do so, it is the love that is so intertwined into society here that maybe, just maybe, makes it bearable. However, it is so unfair how much work women do here and how little men do in general. I helped my mom get water when I got to site and my dad asked me why, as if it’s not something that ought to be a shared responsibility.

That will be a staple of my service, I think. Trying to push the dialogue about gender equality in a positive direction.

Until next time!