Do I really know where I am going?

Following the excitement of accepting my Peace Corps invitation to go to Ethiopia in February, I found that I was asking myself, "What do I really know about Ethiopia?"  The answer to that question was not a whole lot.  Realizing how little I really know about where I will be in a few months, I found myself beginning to do some research.  First, I found exactly where Ethiopia is located.  Ethiopia is located on the eastern side of Africa and is surrounded by Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, and Somalia.  And on a side-note (which I am excited about because I have been there), I am much closer to Uganda than I had originally realized!

And in case you were wondering about what the national flag looks like...

So a little about Ethiopia's history...

There are more than 80 various ethnic and linguistic communities that live throughout Ethiopia and Ethiopia is one of a handful of African countries that has never been colonized.  Since1855 (Ethiopia's modern period) Ethiopia has gone through a process of recreating a cohesive state.  The primary conflict Ethiopia has faced during this period of time is with neighboring Eritrea, which was a providence of Ethiopia until it broke away from Ethiopia and became its own country in 1991.  

The Ethiopian government is set up in the form of a democracy in which their parliament consists of the House of Federation (upper chamber) and the House of People's Representatives (lower chamber).  All positions in either chamber last for periods of five years.  In way of the economy, the most important agricultural exports of Ethiopia include coffee, various types of hides, sugar, and gold.

Religion is extremely important in Ethiopian society.  Almost half of the people are Ethiopian Orthodox and about another 35 percent of the population is accounted for as Muslim.  There is a small minority of people who are Catholics or Protestants.  There is also a smaller fraction of the population that practice traditional religious beliefs.  The official language at the federal level is Amharic (which I will have the opportunity to begin learning during my first few months in Ethiopia), but each of 80 plus ethnic groups across Ethiopia also have their own distinct languages.

The terrain of Ethiopia is vast and varies a lot.  There is a wide range of altitudes, which leads to extremely varied climatic conditions, including colds mountains, temperate highlands, and hot deserts.  The rainy season of Ethiopia is generally from mid-June to mid-September.  It is usually fairly dry the remainder of the year.  It will be a challenge for me to pack because I have no idea which area of Ethiopia I will end up spending a majority of my time and I won't know until during my training (the first three months I will be in the country)!  Looks like I am in for a major change and may get a head start on learning a new language...