My New Normal #BloggingAbroad

Blog Challenge Day #12:  My New Normal

Two years ago, I moved to Ethiopia and my “normal” changed.  Over the past two years, what is normal for me has changed a lot.  My appearance has changed, I have adapted (to some extent) to a new culture and language, eat differently, and even live differently than I had before.

My “normal” appearance was different before I first came to Ethiopia compared to how it is now in that I lost a bunch of weight.  The weight loss had a lot to do with a drastic change in diet (no processed foods; primarily organic fruits and veggies), walking EVERYWHERE, and periodic bacterial infections.  The weight loss was needed anyways, so it was a welcome change to my new normal.

When it comes to culture, my “normal” now incorporates some aspects of my own culture as well as well as some aspects of Ethiopian culture.  When it comes to my own culture, I continue to read books, listen to the music that I have from America and I watch American movies and TV shows (and vast amounts of it at times).  Aspects of Ethiopian culture that I have adapted into my norm include taking my time when it comes to getting things done as well as taking multiple coffee breaks throughout the day.  When it comes to language, I have become used to talking to people in broken Amharic.  I also have become used to not always understanding what people around me are saying.

Coffee Breaks in Ethiopia

When once it was normal to eat with utensils, its now more normal to occasionally eat with my hands and injera (a spongy bread-like food).  In America, I ate a lot more processed foods and some sort of meat or fish every day.  Currently while living in Ethiopia, I don’t eat very much processed foods and eat meat only once in a while.  I do eat a lot of organic vegetables.

Lots of veggies!

How I normally live here in Ethiopia is different too in that my housing looks different (refer to my post about my house if you want to know more specifics), how I get around is different, etc.  I walk a lot more now and take public transportation when needed.  When in America, I drove myself everywhere.  I have had to adjust how I live based on what’s available to me and also based on what is culturally appropriate.

It has been interesting for me to reflect upon the past two years of my life in Ethiopia and think about how my “normal” has changed.  In less than two months, I will be leaving Ethiopia to move back to America.  I will go through another transitional phase and I will have a new “normal” again.  I think that my “normal” once going back to America will not completely go back to what it was before I can to Ethiopia.  Due to all that I have experienced here in Ethiopia, there will be a lot that I will take back with me that will influence my new “normal.”  My new “normal” will have a combination of my old “American normal” and “Ethiopian normal.”  This has taught me that despite how normal life can be, things are always changing and there are always new things to be experienced and to be learned from.

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Top 5 Places in Woliso #Blogging Abroad

Blogging Challenge Day #11:  Top 5 Places in Woliso

If you were ever to visit Woliso, Ethiopia (where I have lived for the past two years), these are the top five places/things to go and try:

1)  Visit Negash Lodge

This is the place where most foreigners stay if they are coming through Woliso and spend the night.  You can get traditional Ethiopian food or food thats more American.  You can swim in the pool, get wifi, and see some monkeys.

2)  Go to the tej bet

If you want to try some Ethiopian, local alcohol, stop by the tej bet.

3)  Go to Lewi cafe and try some feteria or special ful

While in Ethiopia, trying feteria and/or special ful is a must.  Lewi cafe is one of my favorite places in Woliso to get both.

4)  Stop by one of the small jebina buna places for some traditionally made coffee

It is also a must to experience a traditional buna ceremony while in Ethiopia.  You can find a place for some traditional buna just about anywhere in town.

5)  Go on a "mini" hike to one of my favorite places to get a pretty view of Woliso

I was exploring the back roads of Woliso one day and ended up going on a small hike.  Found this really peaceful place that overlooks Woliso.  Would recommend this to anyone who wants to get away from all of the children that might follow you.

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So there you go.  There really isn't a whole lot to do in Woliso.  But this is my list of favorite things to do when I actually get out of my house and am not doing programs.  If you ever visit Ethiopia, there are so many "touristy" things to do such as seeing the historical sites in Axum (located in Tigray), and hiking through the Bale mountains.

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Izosh #BloggingAbroad

Blogging Challenge Day #10:  Izosh

There are many, many, many common phrases within the Amharic language in Ethiopia.  One very common phrase that many people tell me all the time is “Izosh.”  Izosh essentially translates into English as “be strong.”  I actually hear this phrase on an almost daily basis.

Situations in which I may have someone say “Izosh” to me:

• When I am doing laundry
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• When I am cooking
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• If I trip and fall over
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• If I almost get run over by a bajaj (local public transportation), cow, donkey, or horse
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• When I am running (for exercise)
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• When I get harassed
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• When I try to communicate with people and they just don’t understand

So, you can see that this might be a phrase that I not only get on a daily basis, but many times throughout every day.  Sometimes I do appreciate when someone says “Izosh” and genuinely seems to care.  But sometimes, I just find the phrase irritating because I hear it so often.  Especially in those most irritating moments, I have to remind myself of what is normal within the cultural context of Ethiopia.  It can be hard at times because Ethiopia is so different from America in way of what is culturally appropriate, etc.  But despite how often I hear the phrase “Izosh,” I really do like the idea of encouraging people to stay strong.  I have some good friends who have served as Peace Corps volunteers over the past two years with me who constantly remind me of how strong I really am as a person.  This two-year Peace Corps experience and these people that I now consider some of my best friends for life have allowed me to grow as a person and become much stronger.

On that note, here is a list of other common phrases:

Izosh – Be strong

Inday? – What?   Or Really?

Ishi beka – Okay, enough…

*If you would like more common phrases, I can continue to add to the list.

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Crazy Moments Living Abroad in Ethiopia #Blogging Abroad

Blogging Challenge Day #9:  Crazy Moments Living Abroad in Ethiopia

Living in Ethiopia, crazy moments happen quite often.  I have found that crazy moments have ranged from things about Ethiopia that are very normal and common for the country to occasional embarrassing moments.  To tell you the truth, it is difficult to go a long amount of time without having a crazy moment.

Normal crazy moments in Ethiopia:

• People not necessarily greeting people other than whom they know, but EVERYONE greeting you (because you are a foreigner).
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• Seeing both cars and carts drawn by horse going down the street.
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• Goats, sheep, and cows constantly roam the streets in such a way that it seems as though they own it.
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• Hoards of children following you (also because you are a foreigner).

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• Constantly having people inviting you into their homes for coffee.

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• Walking around in public wrapped in a big blanket is normal.
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• There are a lot more crazy moments, but far to many more to include as of now.

The Occasional Embarrassing Moments:

• Tripping over curbs.
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• Being lost in translation.
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• Finding a worm in my bowel movement.
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• An evident decline in my English speaking and spelling skills during presentations.
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• And this list could go on and on as well…

It’s interesting how many crazy moments you notice when living abroad in a place so different from what is the norm of the place you are from.  When spending enough time in a new place that is so different that from where you grew up, it is interesting how these crazy and very different things actually start to become part of your norm.  For example, it has become very normal for me to see goats, sheep, and cows to roam the streets wherever I go in Ethiopia.  It may actually feel very strange not to constantly see this when going back to America.  But when having to go through that initial culture shock when moving to a new country, it is unavoidable to go through another one when leaving that country after a long period of time.

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