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!