The beauty of Peace Corps Service is that it isn’t just
about the projects you do in site (granted, it is a large part of your
service). Goal 1 focuses on the
projects and activities that help to benefit the community you live in. Goal 2 focuses on sharing American
cultures and traditions with the community that I serve in. The focus of goal 3 is to share the
culture and traditions of the community that I serve and live in with friends
and family back in the states.
In this particular post, I will share a bit more goal
3. Since moving to Ethiopia, I
have fulfilled goal 3 by sharing my experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer
through this blog as well as through sharing pictures via blog and Facebook.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been lucky enough to
meet goal 3 by having my parents come to Ethiopia. I met them in Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia) the day
they arrived in country. For this
first week, we were with a tour guide who took us through Addis the first day
and then traveled with us up to Lalibela, Bahir Dar, Gondar, Axum, and back down
to Addis Ababa. From the 18th
of January through the 20st, an Ethiopian holiday called Timkat was
being celebrated through various festivals (next post will be about Timkat and
Ethiopian Christmas).
Parade of People moving the Ark of the Covenant |
Priests blessing the holy water |
It was a very cool thing to experience and to have my
parents experience as well. Each
of the towns we visited each are very unique and had many different things to
offer. In Lalibela, we were able
to see many different churches that are carved into the natural stone in the
area. Fun fact: The churches are actually built from
the top down. We also got to be
immersed in the main Timkat festival in this town.
In Bahir Dar, we took a boat ride onto Lake Tana. The boat took us to an island on Lake
Tana where we were able to walk through a monastery. A cool fact (for anyone really, whether you are religious or
not): It is beginning to be
thought that Jesus spent some time in his youth in this area. My mom had read a book about Jesus in
Ethiopia and shared a bit with me.
We also saw the Blue Nile falls and took a boat ride down the Blue Nile. I can now say that I have been on the
Blue Nile and the White Nile (I was on the While Nile when I visited
Uganda)! We saw a ton of wildlife,
including birds you can only see in Ethiopia and even hippos!!!
In Gondar, we visited another church called Debra Brehan
Selassie Church. There were
breathtaking paintings covering the walls and ceiling of this church. We also visited the area in which the
primary service during Timkat takes place in this town. There is a large pool that is filled up
with water. In the center is a
building in which the ark of the covenant is kept overnight. The next morning, the service takes
place and many people will jump into the pool of water as soon as the service
finishes up (more information on Timkat to follow in my next post).
Ceiling of Debra Brehan Selassie Church in Gondar |
During our brief time in Axum, we first visited the huge
Steles. There are three steles
located in the area that we visited and there are tombs under each. They are actually quite
remarkable. During the time of the
Italian occupation in Ethiopia, one of the steles had fallen over and was taken
back to Italy. It was recovered
and returned to Ethiopia a few years ago.
We then visited a church named after St. Mary. It is said that this was the very first church in
Ethiopia. This church was
destroyed at one point and was rebuilt.
We also were able to visit the Palace of Queen Sheba. She was married to King Solomon (if you
are interested in me writing a post that goes into more detail about Queen
Sheba, King Solomon, and more of the history of Ethiopia, please let me know).
One of the Steles |
A view of the Palace of Queen Sheba |
In our first day in Addis Ababa as well as when we returned
to Ethiopia, we were able to explore the big market located in the city as well
as visit a few museums. We were
able to see the bones of “Lucy” and also got to see the first palace of Emperor
Haile Selassie. I was able to
learn a bit more during this week about the country that I am serving in.
They even got to meet a few of my Peace Crops volunteer
friends at the end of this week when we were back in Addis Ababa. One thing
that I thought was actually kind of funny was when my dad said, “Your friends
are a lot like you.”
This week (and as I am writing this blog post), it is the
second week that my parents are spending in Ethiopia. This week has been spent in the town that I have lived in
for about 9 months now. They were
able to see where I work, live, eat, etc.
They were able to even sit in on the English class that I teach for the
field workers at one of the non-governmental organizations that I work
with. We also went to the market
so that they were able to see where I sometimes go to buy vegetables, fruits,
and other things.
Next week (their third and final week), will be spent
southeast of Addis Ababa near the SNNPR regional capital Hawassa (spelled
Awassa on many maps). We will
actually be spending much of our time during this week in a small village
called Sintaro. The church that my
parents attend sponsors this village.
They have been helping with various things such as medical mission
trips. We will be visiting
families, doing medical assessments, etc.
I am very excited to see how this experience will play out and to see
what it is like for my parents as well as for myself.
There are so many ways that we volunteers can share our
experiences. We can share through
letters, emails, pictures, Facebook, and writing blogs. This is all great, but nothing can beat
having people actually visit us.
There is no way to have a full understanding, or at least a more full
understanding, of what it is like for a Peace Corps volunteer unless you visit
them. No matter how much we can
share with you through the various types of communication available to us,
there is just something different about actually being in the countries in
which we serve. By visiting a
volunteer in the country in which they are serving, you can have a much better
understanding of the culture they live in as well as getting a taste for the
food that they eat. Maybe you will
even be able to pick up a few words of the local language that they speak!
I absolutely love that one third of my service is really
meant to share my experiences in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian culture, etc. with all
of you in the states. And when
thinking about it, what’s the point of living in another country for two years
if I can’t share my experiences with others?
*Side note: If
there are any particular questions or experiences you would like me to share
from my parents trip that I did not share in this post, feel free to let me
know and I will include in another post.
And of course I couldn't let my parents leave Ethiopia without experiencing at least one coffee ceremony. |
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