My Journey and Weekly ruminations

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...