My Journey and Weekly ruminations

“Has it really been that long? Did I count the days wrong?” These are two opening lines to the song “Patience” by Tame Impala, and in classic fashion, Kevin Parker seems to write songs for every emotion I feel. This song describes the passage of time and how you change as time changes. The person you were last year will not be the same person you are in the next, and is not the same person you are today. I have been in Ethiopia for almost 8 months and I can say for certain that I have changed in more ways than I ever thought I would. I have become so much more patient, I have become so much more empathetic, and quieter than I was before I came here. As time goes on, you grow, you learn, you adapt, and you begin to see things differently. It is clearer now that the world is so much bigger than I once before thought. There is so much to see and as Kevin Parker wrote in his song “Yes I’m changing”: “There’s a world out there and it’s calling my name, and it’s calling yours too.” ...

Even though I am living in rural Ethiopia, I am still able to stay relatively up to date with the goings on of the rest of world. There is such a lack of respect in the world right now. I live in a developing country that is being torn at the seams politically along ethnic lines. But within my community l have three major ethnic groups living together in relative harmony. No one cares where you’re from, all they care about is that you’re doing alright. I watched one person who is a known advocate for one major ethnic group go to a counterpart of his who is of a different ethnic group and ask if he could help him carry water to his house. Imagine a known Democrat leader having this interaction with a known republican leader. You can’t, because it would never happen. The people of my community have so many bigger things to worry about than petty political issues. Everyone loves their ethnicity here but at least in my community, it’s community first. The United States is just so divided a...

I’ve had so many people tell me that they’re proud of me, and usually they thank me for my service. It’s such a weird thing to try and respond to because honestly, I’m not a hero. If you have a strong mind and don’t mind lowering your standards of life (to a still livable level) then peace corps is absolutely doable. I was told by one friend that what I am doing is heroic and that this world needs more people like me. I’m just not a hero for doing this, my hero is my director that is trying to pursue equal education for girls, my hero is my female counterpart at my school that goes out of her way to teach the girls at the school to pursue anything they want to do in life because they’re worth it. My hero is my male counterpart teacher that teaches the male students to be respectful to women to respect all people equally until given a valid reason to not do so. My heroes are the teachers and community memebees that come to me asking for advice on how to fix the issues that plague their ...

Right then, now just a couple weeks into class, I’m realizing there is a lot to learn and a lot of work to be done. Today was my instillation where my program mananger, whom we call affectionately, Dr. Dan came to my site and talked to my community. He answered so many of my fellow teachers’ questions and answered many of mine. I was expressing to him how I feel like I walk into the classroom and the students don’t learn a single thing. I mean, I walk into the classroom and I get so many blank stares. However, a couple of times a class I’ll get my students to laugh and to relax. Dan responded by saying “Marc, teaching takes time and you’ve only just begun.” I can always count on this man to calm me down when I’m nervous about my job. He truly believes in me and the peace corps as a whole. Side note, he also gave me a guitar so I owe this man my life. Anyway, if there’s anything I will learn from two years in Ethiopia, it’s to have patience with myself. There is an oromian proverb that ...

Preface: Yes, the title is grateful dead quote.  If these past couple weeks have taught me anything it’s this: life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not. This is a quote made by the character of Uncle Iroh from the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender (a show I highly recommend watching, it has aged so so well).  I was in a state of shock a couple weeks ago when I moved into my site. When I got into the house, I immediately got to work setting up my house and unpacking. After some time to reflect, I did this because I was sick of not feeling settled and I also was so nervous about moving into my new community. But after these couple of weeks those anxieties have melted away to make room for new ones. School starts Monday, I begin my job and I begin my journey of trying to make an impact in Illubabor. I was talking to a very close friend of mine and we were talking about all of our doubts and worries. We came to the conclusion that there was always going to a po...

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 c hildren 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 ...

This last week I was on site visit. I was placed in the Illubabor region within Oromia; my hub town,which is the main city in my Area is Metu. It is truly a beautiful piece of country. My permanent site is atop a mountain in the Yayo Forrest which is a UNESCO site. I was shocked at how beautiful the land was the first time I got up there. There is only one other volunteer in my area and he’s in my Group, I feel super lucky to have him near me because he’s only a couple towns over. However there are 8 of us from Group 21 in the region. My town is a Warreda town which means there are government offices in the town for the Ethiopian equivalent of a county. Therefore my town is fairly large all things considered. I can buy most things I need within my town but Metu is only a relatively quick ride away (about 2 hours). My school is great too and my fellow teachers are very open to having me in their school and apart of their staff. I also met my director who is just the nicest guy and has h...

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 thi...

“Are you married?” Is a question I am prompted with here almost daily - since my training site is so small, you would think word would travel, butalas I am wrong to assume such things. Marriage is another part of this culture that is so different than what I am used to in the states. Romantic relationships are NOT, I repeat, NOT to be publically displayed. Also, pre-marital and extra-martial affairs are so taboo for woman but it is such a common place for men to do both those things. The only comparison I can make that my American friends and family could understand is imaginethe United States in the 1950s. In other news, I started teaching last week and I am coming down to the end of week two. Every morning (there’s a halo hanging from the corner of my girlfriends four post bed) it is a struggle to get up and out the door to class. However, onceI’m there I feel right at home - which is a weird feeling. I was very unsure, and honesty still am, about so many things - but if nothing else...

  7.14.2019               This whole thing is like a roller coaster. Each minute my mood changes; one second, I am perfectly content spending the next two years in Ethiopia and the next I miss home like crazy. I think I am always in a state of missing home, but there are just small moments here that I begin to realize being apart of the Peace Corps is what I am supposed to be doing. Today, I was walking to my language class in the morning a group of kids in my neighborhood followed me to the end of the street saying “hi!” and “Bye”; one little boy even said “I love you!” probably not understanding the significance of that phrase, but I couldn’t help but smile. While not every Ethiopian is thrilled to have me in the country, it is these small moments that reinvigorate my motivation.               Motivation is something that comes and goes like the ...

6/23/19 I moved in with my host family yesterday (6/22). My host father is a 55-year-old carpenter, with 6 children, but only one lives with them full time; a daughter, who is a student. I met only my host-dad. He had the largest smile on his face when we met and gave me a big hug. That has to be the most striking piece of Ethiopian culture; while I get a lot of looks, and a lot of people stare, everyone is so welcoming. Even people that know nothing about me other than the way I look come up to me and say “Welcome” and “Salam-no.” While many of them wear Arsenal football jerseys, their kindness is none the less well received…even when I am representing Manchester United! The first time I met the rest of my host family was about an hour after the first awkward meeting of me and my father. There is a clear language barrier between myself and my family but they are, at every step, patient, kind, and willing to help me learn. My group (G21) found out what language we all had to lear...

Tonight, me and some of my fellow PCV’s were hanging out in the hotel lobby in Addis. I am realizing that I have never been in a group of such like minded people in my entire life. We are so different, but so similar. One of the main questions I was asked by so many people “why are you doing peace corps” or “what lead you to this decision?” Honestly, I was really unable to answer that question; I mean I like helping others and I wanted to travel so I guess this was the right choice. But with these people, I don’t need to explain my motivations, worries or anxieties because we are all sort of on the same boat. I never need to explain the way I am feeling because these people are right there with me. I really can’t explain how connected I feel with this group of people. I have never fallen in love with a group of personalities more than I have than with this group. One of my fellow PCV’s started this business type deal where she develops thought provoking questions in a book and leav...

6/17/2019 We are staying at a hotel in Addis for this week. The information overflow is crazy, but it is all the more exciting. From learning Amharic, to gaining a better understanding of the education system in Ethiopia – I am falling more and more in love with my decision to join the Peace Corps. While this is most likely going to be the most difficult thing I have ever done, I am none the less excited to be here. Today, June 16, was the first full day of training; our first session started at 0800 and was covering safety and security. Of course, there is risk in embarking on a journey like this, but taking the right steps will allow for most of the threats to be mitigated. Mom, Gram, most of the crime that PCV’s encounter is petty theft. Things like getting your wallet stolen, or something like that are the main risks and just take some common sense to prevent. The next session was the medical stuff and while it was just an intro session, all I can say is that I’m glad I am no...

This was posted late, BUT I wrote it on 6/15/19 as we were departing from Dulles to head out to Addis! Currently sitting on the plane about to leave for Addis Ababa. I have so many questions running through my head but for once I’m actually genuinely excited. Obviously, I am so excited for my journey to a different part of the world, but I have only positive emotions at this point! One thing I really can’t wait to do is share my music. Music is such a pivotal piece of my identity and I can not wait to share that aspect of myself with those around me. One question that has haunted me is what am I going to do when things get hard? I have a lot of different solutions in my head but the one that I have constantly come back to is music; I have lived my life partially by the adage “when in doubt, dance it out” and I can’t imagine life in Ethiopia will be any different. While we were in the air port checking our bags, an Ethiopian boy came up to us and asked “are you guys going campin...

It has been months since I have applied and was accepted to the Peace Corps. I have been talking about it, thinking about it, and worrying about it for so long. I have been saying for months that it is time to go! That I've just got to go do it. However, here I am one day out with so many more questions, anxieties, and fears; while simultaneously having feelings of excitement, joy, and wanderlust. It is just such a weird juxtaposition of emotions, and I feel so odd. Regardless of what emotions of fear and uncertainty remain in my thoughts, I can't deny how absolutely excited I am to get to Ethiopia and learn about how an entirely different culture exists and how they live a totally different life than I did in America. Lives so different, though we all exist on the same planet. I am reminded of a Tame Impala Lyric from the song "Apocalypse Dreams" the first line says "This could be the day that we push through, it could be the day that all our dreams come true....

Here I am sitting in my kitchen trying to wrap my head around the decision I have made to leave my beautiful home and comfort of being in America and head out to the other side of the world. I am 5 days out of leaving for staging in D.C. for my service in Ethiopia. I know so little; I know I'll be teaching English in country, but I do not know what age, and I do not know where I will be in country. I have so many questions!!! Where will I be? Will I be good at what I'm doing? How should I define "doing a good job"? How am I suppose to learn the language, Will my host family like me? Unfortunately, so many (if not all) of my questions will not be answered until I get there. What is a guy suppose to do in order to prepare for this journey?! I came to a realization when I graduated a couple weeks ago that the best I can do is pack, try to prepare mentally and do my best to say *see you later* (not goodbye) to friends and family state side. Which, by the way, I definitely...