Ethiopia Photos Post #4 #OutAndAbout #BloggingAbroad

Here are a couple more photos.  Enjoy!

Photo #1:  #SomethingILove

To be completely honest, when living in a third world developing country like Ethiopia for an extended period of time, there are a lot of things that you would either just like or tolerate... and even fewer things that you actually will come to love.  There are certain aspects of the Ethiopian culture that fall maybe a bit closer to like but are somewhere between that and love.  For example, I really do like the concept of a coffee ceremony there.  There are also certain kinds of Ethiopian food that I maybe don't quite love, but really like.

Peace Corps Ethiopia Volunteers Group 10!!  #SomethingILove  

One thing that I have come to love over the two years of my Peace Corps service wasn't really a thing but a group of people.  I have come to really love and appreciate the other volunteers that I was fortunate enough to serve with.  In many ways, the two years in Ethiopia were extremely difficult and the only people who really understand what that experience is like are other volunteers in Ethiopia.  I really appreciate and love my particular group of volunteers in particular.  This group of people all arrived to Ethiopia at the same time (February 2014) and we have left Ethiopia around the same time.  There is a special place in my heart for this particular group of people because there were things that we experienced as a group (trainings, conferences, etc.) and we all had similar timelines of ups and downs due to the same starting and ending dates.  And many of my closest friends have come from this group of people.  If there is anything that I have definitely come to love during my experience in Ethiopia, it is definitely love for other Peace Corps Ethiopia volunteers that have helped and support me through the two years that I was there.

Photo #2:  #Movement

It's amazing to see how much Ethiopian youth love to stay active and play sports.  It's great to see how active they stay and watch how they move as much as they do when it comes to staying active.  It is also interesting to see the interest that youth in Ethiopia have in sport.  When youth think of "sport," if they aren't thinking of running, they are thinking of actual sport such as soccer (futbol) or handball (volleyball), whereas in the states, we also think of doing things such as biking, hiking, or going to the gym as doing things to stay active.

*Side note:  This may or may not surprise you, but gyms can be very hard to come by in Ethiopia.

Basketball!! #Movement

Volleyball!!  #Movement

In the first photo, there are a couple of volunteers playing basketball with some kids.  Basketball isn't as well of a known sport in Ethiopia, so it was a very cool experience to see that my friend had taught the kids another way to stay active and keep moving.  And of course they still like to occasionally go back to handball (volleyball) or futbol (soccer), sports that they are more familiar with.  The concept of staying healthy and active is different in Ethiopia than it is in the states, so I love to see it when there are common interests when it comes to movement and staying active.

#OutAndAbout  #BloggingAbroad  #SomethingILove  #Movement

Ethiopia Photos Post #3 #OutAndAbout #BloggingAbroad

Here is my third post of photos from Ethiopia!

Photo #1:  #Unexpected

Despite what you may go into an experience expecting (or perhaps going in with no expectations at all), there will be unexpected things that happen (and I won't lie: there will be both good and bad unexpected things that happen).  Unexpected things will happen with any new experience.  To be honest, it's unavoidable.  But take it for what it's worth.  If it's a good thing, then great.  You just had an unexpected good experience and it made your overall experience that much better.  If it's a bad thing, then take it as it is given.  Learn from it and grow from it.

Tej, a local Ethiopian alcohol #unexpected

One unexpected thing that came from my two year experience in Ethiopia are the friendships that were formed.  I am extremely grateful for the friends that I have made and the close, long lasting bonds I have made with people.  I consider many of them family and know that I can count on them when I need them.

Photo #2:  #Elegance

Elegance can be hard to come by and difficult to find.  I have also learned that elegance can take many shapes and forms and mean something different to everyone.

A church in Lalibela #Elegance

There is a place in Ethiopia called Lalibela.  This town is full of churches that are built completely from stone.  The builders actually carved the churches out of the stone and rather than building from bottom to top, they began by "sculpting" the churches from the top down.  I can't imagine the elegance of the skill these builders (or sculptors) must have had to have had in order to create these beautiful churches.

Photo #3:  #Peace

With all that comes with comes with the Peace Corps experience (and with being a foreigner living in a country like Ethiopia) peace can be hard to come by at times.  When constantly trying to find work in a place that has such a vastly different work ethic than your own and vastly different culture and style of living (in addition to the daily harassment), sometimes finding peace is not even a possibility. 

#Peace

Sometimes, I have had to find the simple things in life to help remind myself to try to be at peace with myself.  Whether it's taking a day to stay at home and watch television shows all day or taking a walk down an isolated path and experience nature and all that it has to offer, the most important kind of peace that I first need to find in my life is the peace within myself.  I have learned that if I am unable to be at peace with myself, I cannot be happy with myself and how my life is.  Inner peace needs to be found in order for you to be able to have a much greater positive impact on the world around you.

One of the few pools in Ethiopia.  #Peace

And sometimes when all else fails, you just have to find one of the few pools in Ethiopia and take the time you need to relax in order to find that sense of peace that you need.

Photo #4:  #Light

I never really came to appreciate light and what it is until I lived in Ethiopia for two years.  Prior to my life in Ethiopia, I saw light as an every day normal thing.

#Light

Very rarely did I ever experience a black out in the states.   In Ethiopia though, it is common for electricity to go out on a daily basis.  Depending on where you are in Ethiopia, it is common for electricity to go out and not come back on for days (sometimes even weeks).  Due to this, I became so more appreciative of light and the importance that it has in our lives.  Without light, we would not be able to do all that we need to do throughout our days.  Without electricity, we could not (or it would be much more difficult) to do things such as cooking meals and charging our cell phones, laptops, etc.  If we did not even have light that comes from candles and even from the sun, I couldn't imagine how much more difficult life would be in general.  Despite all of the challenges that came from living as a volunteer in Ethiopia for two years, I have learned so much and am so much more grateful and appreciative for all the good things that I have available to me in the states.

#OutAndAbout  #BloggingAbroad  #Unexpected  #Elegance  #Peace  #Light

Ethiopia Photos Post #2 #OutAndAbout #Weather #Spirit #Road #BloggingAbroad

Here is my second post dedicated to getting a few photos up on my blog.

Photo #1:  The Weather

In Ethiopia, there are four major seasons (similar to those anywhere else).  There is a rainy season, dry season, and a couple of season in between.  The rainy season and dry season are opposite of those that we experience in in the states.  So when we get hot weather ranging from May to September, it is cold and rainy in Ethiopia.  November through February or March when we are getting snow and rain in the states, it can get pretty dry and hot in Ethiopia.

Getting some rain clouds overhead.  #weather

Occasionally though, weather in Ethiopia can be somewhat unpredictable.  Sometimes you may get the very hot and humid day during the rainy season or get a day or two of pouring down rain during the dry season.  In some places (if you are high enough up in elevation), you might even see hail.

Photo #2:  Spirit

I have had the opportunity to work with some pretty amazing students during my two years in Ethiopia.  I have seen so much fire and spirit within these kids.  Considering how lax the work culture in Ethiopia can be, it can be absolutely amazing to see how motivated these kids can be when working to reach a goal and when it comes to their willingness to learn new things.

Time for some group work!  #spirit

It also can be so encouraging to see how well they are able to work together in groups and how they are able to help each other learn (and in the correct ways because oftentimes for them, "helping" other students is what we would consider to be cheating in the states).  It is unfortunate though that this spirit I see can only be found really in a small amount of students in Ethiopia because many don't expect to go very far when it comes to their education.  It breaks my heart a little.  But then when you find those few students that have that spirit and that drive to do well in school and have set high goals for themselves, it can be so amazing to see the things that they are able and motivated to do.

Photo #3:  The Roads

It's amazing to experience how different roads are in developing countries in comparison to those in developed countries.  In Ethiopian towns, only major roads are paved.  In most towns throughout the country, the roads are dirt.  Some are paved with stones and even fewer are actually paved.

#roads

For many Peace Corps volunteers, the condition of the roads as a huge impact on traveling.  If a volunteer lives in a town that has only dirt roads and the closest paved road is miles away, it can take that much longer to get where they need to go (and even longer during rainy season because the roads turn into mud).  Even with paved roads, it can take longer than one would expect to get to where they need to go because paved does not always equal good quality.  And of course the type of transportation one takes makes a difference (but only a little).  Peace Corps volunteers generally use public transportation rather than private and the public transportation always takes a little bit longer for some reason... things like this really make me appreciate the things we have in the states!




#OutAndAbout
#BloggingAbroad

Photos taken Abroad in Ethiopia #OutAndAbout

During my two years in Ethiopia, I was only able to share a limited amount of photos due to limited amount of wifi and network.  Now that I have been back in the states, I will share more of them since I have good/fast and reliable wifi.

Here's the first photo:  #Adventure (#OutAndAbout)

The Road Less Traveled

One thing that I have learned about traveling and living abroad is this:  Every day is an adventure, even in the smallest of ways.  Every day is an adventure whether you travel to a new place, learn about a new culture/language/food, and/or learn a little about yourself.  That is what I have loved about being abroad.  It opens you up to try and experience new things.  After living in Ethiopia for two years, I am a huge believer in allowing yourself experience as much as possible, the good and the bad.  If you don't you can never fully allow yourself to grow to your full potential and you will be more likely to limit your willingness to try other new things.  So take the road less traveled and be adventurous.  You never know what you are missing until you take a leap of faith and just do it.