Communication

There are so many different forms of communication.  There is language (word of mouth, which can take so many different forms), body language, facial expressions, hand gestures, etc.  The list could go on and on.  In some ways, communication has never been more important since moving to Ethiopia for my twenty-seven months of Peace Corps service.  Communication can be difficult when moving to a third world developing country where the host country nationals speak a language you have never heard being spoken before in your life.  It can be hard to communicate with those back in the states due to unreliable Internet and network access.  It can be just as difficult to communicate with Peace Corps staff and other volunteers in country for the same reasons.  It can be hard to communicate with host country nationals purely because of the persistent language barrier.  I have also realized that the difference in culture in some ways has created a barrier in understanding between host country nationals and myself, causing some difficulty in communicating at times.

Since moving to Ethiopia, I have realized how much more important it is between family and friends back in the states and myself.  Yet, it can be harder.  When I was back in the states, it was so easy to send text messages or making calls at any given time without any problems.  Since arriving in Ethiopia, it has been more difficult because it is unrealistic to send text messages and it can be hard to make phone calls because (1) it can be very expensive and (2) the network is not always very good.  I have relied so much more now on using Facebook, sending emails, and writing/sending letters in order to communicate with people.  I have noticed that it is surprisingly more difficult for not only myself but also for everyone in the states to communicate now.  It was just so much easier to make national calls and texts.  The communication between myself and everyone in the states definitely requires a two way street in which there is effort taken on both sides.  Being in a third world developing country can make communication extremely difficult because despite how much I still heavily rely on Internet and phone network, these two services are often extremely unreliable. 

Considering how difficult this is now, I can’t even imagine what it was like for the volunteers who were here in the ‘60s.  Despite having phone network and internet access somewhat regularly (really based on where you live; some people live in areas in which they rarely get either), it can even be hard to communicate with Peace Corps staff as well as other volunteers at times.  Unlike in the states where we have multiple phone services (Verison, AT&T, T-mobile, etc.), Ethiopia has only one phone service.  This is partly why the network can be an issue at times.  Since there is only one phone service, everyone in Ethiopia who has a phone is on the same network.  This can make it hard to get calls out to other people and may at times lead to the network crashing.  I have gone a couple weeks at a time with bad network and have been unable to make a single call.  This can be a potential issue if I ever need to get in contact with Peace Corps staff or Vis versa.

Letters can be a pain to write and send sometimes, but for some reason it can be one of the things that I have looked forward to the most while living in Ethiopia.  It can be so nice to receive mail (expected or unexpected), especially because internet and phone network can be unreliable and it is a nice way to receive people's support.

I have briefly talked about this in my post titled Barriers, but there are definitely communication issues that stem from language barriers between myself and host country nationals.  There are over 90 different languages in Ethiopia.  The national language is Amharic.  Two other major languages are Oromifa and Tigrinian.  There are many different zonal and tribal languages throughout the country as well.  During PST (pre service training; our first three months in country), we are taught Amharic, Oromifa, or Tigrinian based largely on where we will live for our two years of service.  I learned Amharic during this time.  I am in a fairly big town only two or three hours away from Addis Ababa, so many people speak Amharic. 

We used a lot of diagrams and pictures when we were learning language during PST.

But my town is located in Oromia and the regional language is Oromifa.  It seems like there are at least just as many people who speak Oromifa as there are who speak Amharic.  There are also many who know at least some amount of English.  It is difficult for me because I want to focus on Amharic because that is the language I originally learned and it is the one language I can really use almost anywhere in the country.  But many people also think I should learn Oromifa because I live in Oromia and there are also many people who want to practice their English whenever they speak with me.  It can be very difficult having three languages thrown at me.

Sometimes it isn't clear if the kids speak Amharic, Oromifa, or some sort of combination of both... but it is still fun to try to speak with them and take pictures of them.  Side note: for some reason kids love having their pictures taken! 

Communication can be very difficult when living in a third world developing country because it takes a whole lot more effort communicating with people back in the states on both ends.  It is also very difficult communicating with other Peace Corps volunteers and staff because of unreliable communications within country.  It can be difficult communicating with host country nationals because of the language barrier.  But communication is important.  I have learned that it requires some give and take from both parties involved in the process of communication.  It oftentimes requires some level of patience and flexibility. 

I have found communication has been very challenging many times throughout my service thus far.  But I have been challenged to improve my communication skills as well as become more patient flexible, and have the ability to adapt.  I won’t lie, I have been in country for about nine months and communication in all aspects has been very difficult at times.  I am sure that the next 18 months won’t be any easier in regards to communication.  I learn and grow more every day and not only will it make the next 18 months potentially easier in some ways, it hopefully my communication skills will help me later in life when I am back in the states.