Foods; Cravings, Traditions, Good and Weird

In addition to having to adjust to the culture, language, and life of Ethiopia, another major thing I have had to adjust to is the food.  There are the traditional foods, foods that you can find just about anywhere and foods that are specifically American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, etc (and these foods are mostly found in Addis).  I decided that I wanted to write this post because the food here is so different and has already had an impact on my experience thus far.  Hence, it is only fair to all of you reading my blog to share about said experiences in order for you to learn a little bit more about the Ethiopian culture and to give you a better picture of what it is like for me to live here.

            The first thing you should know is that all of the fruits and vegetables here in Ethiopia are what we Americans would call organic.  It is amazing because you can’t find any of that non-organic stuff and the fruits and vegetables here are all pretty inexpensive because they are all organic.  It is great because that means I get to buy amazing fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price.  Another great discovery I have made are some of the spices and herbs that I can find (some of which are only available in Ethiopia).  One such spice is berberi.  You can get either dried, whole berberi or powdered berberi (I tend to get powdered berberi).  The whole berberi is a pepper that tends to be larger and dark red to deep brown.  They also tend to be mild to hot.  There is another pepper that is called mitmita.  You can also get it as a dried, whole pepper or get powdered mitmita.  It tends to be hotter than berberi.  On the down side, there are spices that cannot be found (or are hard to find) in Ethiopia that one can easily find in the states.

Here are a handful of traditional foods eaten in Ethiopia:  injera (replaces bread and is eaten with most dishes), shiro wat and shiro tagabino, dinnic (the c is pronounced like ch; also is the Amharic word for potato) wat, fuul (I like this dish for breakfast; also called special fuul when eggs are added), duro wat (a dish with chicken), and ch’okla t’ibs (a meat dish).  There are a lot of other traditional dishes, but these are a few that I really like.  On a side note, duro wat is a very popular dish during Easter.  This last Easter was during my pre-service training in Butajira and I ate a lot (and I mean a lot) of duro wat.  My host family gave me duro wat and my friend Holly’s host family gave me some duro wat.  I ate more duro wat for a few days (not only with my host family, but with other host families when I visited a couple of my friends throughout the week.  I think it is safe to say that I ate enough duro wat to last me at least six months…  But it was good!!  One traditional food that my stomach agrees with the least (or at least I would guess so since Peace Corps does not want us to eat this) is kitfo.  Kitfo is a dish with raw meat and a bunch of different spices. 

There are also beverages that are specific to Ethiopia.  Although coffee and tea are not specific to Ethiopia, both are very good here.  Beverages that are specific to Ethiopia include some fermented drinks and alcoholic drinks that I won’t go into any detail about because I really don’t know much about them.

One weird thing that I have become familiar with here is something called the “gorsha.”  If someone is gorshaing you, that means that they are not only offering you food, but they are basically feeding you (and don’t worry, I will be more than happy to demonstrate when I am back in the states)!  I have been gorshaed a handful of times not only by my host family during pre-service training, but by a couple of Peace Corps volunteers as well.  It is a little weird and awkward, but it is an Ethiopian custom that all of us volunteers have or will experience at some point during our two year service (and if there are any Ethiopian volunteers reading this who have not been gorshaed, watch out!  It is coming at some point…).

            The last thing I will mention in the blog post are my cravings.  I am not gonna lie… at times, one of the hardest things for me are the foods that I love that I can only find in the states (some of which can be found in Addis).  I do miss processed foods at times (there is not much here in Ethiopia that is processed).  At times I miss the dishes that I would only get with my family such as dog food (if you want to know the story behind that one, feel free to ask and I share it with you), or my grandma’s cooking.  And do not become alarmed if I suddenly become mad at you for posting food pictures on Facebook.  I am just a little jealous/annoyed by the pictures because the food so often looks amazing and I can’t eat it!!

            So the point of this post is this… yes, I have had to make some adjustments to my diet.  In some ways it is hard, but overall it has been a good change.  I do miss certain things every once in a while, but there are amazing Ethiopian dishes that I have tried and overall my diet is at least a little better than it was in the states.

This is one of the typical dishes I make myself for dinner.

Letters, Pictures, and Walls

Hi all.  Many thanks for the continued support you all have given me even through just reading my blog.  If you are wondering what else you could do to show your support and encouragement, letters and pictures are always welcomed!!  If you would like my mailing address, it is posted in an earlier blog post (or you can send me a message asking for it as well).  It is extremely nice to receive the mail and is very encouraging.  I have began posting up my letters and pictures not only to remind me of home, but to also remind me of all those who are supporting me.  I have one wall dedicated for letters and two walls that are dedicated for pictures.  Below are what I currently have on my walls.  Thank you all so much again for all of the continual support!!

Living at Site

The name of the town I live in is Woliso.  Woliso is located in the Southwest Shoa zone of the Oromia region.  Woliso is located approximately 112 kilometers west of Addis Ababa.  I have been told that the population of Woliso is approximately 50,657, but I think that the population is much closer to100,000.  Oromifa and Amharic are both widely spoken in Woliso.  Amharic is the national language and Oromifa is the regional language and is also the working language of the town.  Ethiopian Orthodox is the dominant religion in Woliso, but Protestantism and Islam are also commonly practiced religions.

In Woliso, there is one big hospital called Lukas Hospital.  There is also a health center and other clinics that provide curative healthcare and other health-related services.  These services are provided for those in the town and the nearby communities.  The primary focus of the health office is disease prevention and health promotion and their primary goal is to improve the health status of the community.  The major health issues affecting the community include intestinal parasites, acute respiratory disease, typhoid fever and other communicable diseases, which result from poor personal and environmental hygiene.  HIV/AIDS is also a major public health problem affecting the community in Woliso.

There are a few Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) located in Woliso.  Two of the NGOs in Woliso are Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) and Marie Stopes International.  FGAE works on sexual and reproductive health services like family planning, safe abortion care, maternal and child health care, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and AIDS and associated opportunistic infection in the town.  Marie Stopes International is working on a family health program, providing family health clinics. 

One of the agricultural cash crops around the community of Woliso is “Teff.”  The second largest flower farm in Ethiopia, owned by the Indian company Surya Blossoms, had its official opening in Woliso on June 22, 2009.  There are also market days in town on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  I can find a variety of vegetables, fruits, and many other things at the market.  Located around Woliso are Negash Lodge and Lake Wenchi (which are tourist areas).

I live in a very nice compound.  Others who live there include the compound family, another Peace Corps volunteer, and one other tenant.  The compound has a large grassy area and the compound family has two cows and a handful of chickens.  There is a working shower that only has cold water.  It is much nicer than the showers that many other volunteers have.  Rather than having a western toilet, most compounds (including mine) have what is called a shint bet.  It is basically a hole in the ground and is in some ways similar to an outhouse.

My house itself is also nice.  It is a concrete one-room home, but it is a large room.  There really is much more room than I need and really is a little nicer than what other volunteers have.  Keep in mind though that the compounds that volunteers live in vary from place to place due to region and the size of the town.  Also, other compounds that volunteers live in may be nice as well, but in different ways.  I have included a couple of pictures of my compound (yard and room) below.

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Wish List 2.0

If you would like to send me care packages, here is a list of things I would love to receive if you are unsure of what to send.

Photos

Tissue paper

Crystal Light/Gatorade packets

Hot Chocolate packets

Easy Mac

Cheese – baby bel, velveta, parmesan, gouda, cheddar (cheeses that don’t need to be refrigerated)

Chocolate

Dried fruit

Nuts

Spices

Granola bars

Chocolate Covered pretzels

Trail mix

Baked goods (sealed in a vacuum packed zip lok bag to keep fresh)

*I know that it can be a little pricey to send packages, so I would encourage collaborating with others who might also want to send me packages.

Barriers

In the past four months being in Ethiopia, what I struggle with most are the language and cultural barriers that separate the host country nationals and myself.  I know enough of the national language (Amharic) to get by.  The struggle though is that the major language spoken in the region I live is Oromifa.  I know next to nothing of Oromifa.  Luckily, I live in a bigger town that is close to Addis and many people also speak Amharic.  Still, despite some people knowing English and my minimal Amharic skills, it can be hard to communicate at times.  Over time, I will learn more Amharic and some Oromifa. 

The cultural barrier is huge because the culture I grew up with is so much different than that of the Ethiopian nationals.  I have learned a great deal about the Ethiopian culture during my three months of pre-service training, but there is still much I do not understand and have to learn.  This cultural barrier sometimes prevents me from understanding why people do certain things that they do and also sometimes prevents me from determining a person’s intentions (primarily when trying to talk with me).

Despite the challenges, I tell myself that I must take it one day at a time.  Some days go extremely well and some not so well.  I will learn more over time and the barriers that challenge me will lessen over time.  As I take one day at a time, I try to remind myself of how much I have already learned over the past four months and that things will become easier as time goes on.

With these challenges come good moments as well when I find myself communicating with another person easily or understanding and appreciating a cultural norm here.  When there are days full of challenges, I do what I can to understand why things are the way they are here in Ethiopia.  I also try to remember the little moments that brighten my day as well as all those in country as well as those in the states who are supporting me through this journey.

Here is one of my awesome language groups from PST!