Peace Corps Service ~ Taking a Look at Goal 3

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 18^th of January through the 20^st, 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.

Photos from Thanksgiving 2014 Through December 18th

I was extremely lucky to be able to join a U.S. Embassy family for Thanksgiving this year.

The food was absolutely amazing.

Two volunteers and myself with our gracious host family

I am so lucky to have such amazing friends in Ethiopia

This what we do in Addis, hang out and eat a lot of "ferenji" food.

Sometimes, the best food is what we can get locally.

Such a fantastic group for permaculture design training!

The kids can be so ridiculous!

Sometimes, puppies are just the best...

... even if they might have flees

Bobby and the puppy :)

The Passing of Time

The passing of time can be such an interesting thing.  There are times in which time seems to move extremely slowly and there are other times in which time seems to fly by.  I remember being in middle school and high school and thinking that time seemed to go by so slowly.  Public school September through June and swim team during the summer was my life for the first 18 years of my life.  And then came college.  At first, it seemed to go by slowly.  But as I moved through each year, time seemed to pick up and graduation was there in a heartbeat.

When I think about being in Ethiopia for about 10 months now, it amazes me.  When first arriving in Ethiopia, I had three months of pre-service training.  Every day was a packed day with various trainings.  At the beginning of the three-month training, it felt like it could last forever.  But slowly, time seemed to move faster and I was heading to my site before I knew what had happened.

Living at site is an interesting thing when it comes to the passing of time.  I think it is similar for many volunteers.  There are periods of time when I am extremely busy and the time flies by.  Then there are times in which there is not very much work and the days seem to drag on and on.  This in part is what makes a Peace Corps Volunteer experience make it what it is.  Almost every volunteer goes through slow periods of time and fast periods of time during the two-year service.  How much of a volunteers service is made up of those fast paced periods/slow paced times really makes a difference.

I don’t think any volunteer wants to have a service that is predominantly a slow paced service.  Not to say that every volunteer wants his or her service to end quickly (maybe some do though…).  I think that often times when a volunteer is going through a time of their service that flies by, they are keeping busy and are doing something productive in their communities that may have a successful and sustainable effect on their communities.

I think that most often when a volunteer is going through a slow period, they may be in between projects, etc. and don’t have much going on.  I think though that this doesn’t necessarily mean that a volunteer isn’t making a positive impact on their community during these times of service.  I really think it depends on how the time is used.  When I don’t have much going on related to work, I try to spend my time in other ways.  I try to be out in the community as much as possible.  I spend time in the market, getting coffee, playing with the kids on my street.  I do whatever I can to be present in the community.  I think that even just being present in the community can have an extremely positive impact on the community.

Some days are a struggle while others are amazing.  Some days I am doing a lot in my community and others I am not doing much.  Some days I am traveling and sometimes I have one or two weeklong trainings with other Peace Corps volunteers.  Some days are more fulfilling than others.  When I have days in which I do not have much going on, I take advantage of the free time to either use it as time to relax or try to find ways in which to use it productively.    No matter what I do, there will always be times in which life seems to drag by and times in which it seems to go by in the blink of an eye. 

Despite the slow times and fast times during my service, I think that the two years I spend in Ethiopia will go by very quickly as a whole.  I am learning that now matter how quickly or slowly time passes, that each and every moment is precious and to try to make every moment as worth while as possible.

2014 Holidays in Ethiopia

First of all, I’d like to wish all of you Happy Holidays!

Now, I’d like to share my experience celebrating the holidays for the first time in another country without my immediate family:

Being a Peace Corps volunteer can be difficult and challenging during the holidays.  It can be challenging because you are away from your family, the country you are serving in may not recognize the holiday or celebrate the holiday at a different time, cultural differences, and even weather differences.  I have definitely missed being back home in the states with my family celebrating and there are times I get onto Facebook seeing pictures of Christmas trees and cookies and have different emotions go through me.

Despite missing home, it helps being able to talk with people via phone and video chat when possible.  It has also been great having other volunteers around for not only support but also to hang out and celebrate the holidays with me.

For Thanksgiving, there were about 60 of the 200+ volunteers in Ethiopia who were randomly picked to join U.S. Embassy families for dinner.  I was able to join an extremely nice couple and their two daughters along with two of my friends in my group of volunteers.  The two others volunteers and I were able to also meet some people who work for the Embassy and were able to enjoy a great meal.  The family who hosted us was amazing and it really felt like we were celebrating Thanksgiving back in the states.

Turkey!!!

Desserts!

Our host family was awesome!!

The day after Thanksgiving, my sitemates and I hosted another Thanksgiving where about 20 volunteers came and celebrated together.  I’m not gonna lie, I was a bit stressed and overwhelmed at tines… But it was a ton of fun.  It was a great group of volunteers hanging out together and we had chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, Mac & cheese, among other things.  So good and totally worth it.

For Christmas and New Years, I am not sure what will happen as of yet.  Sometimes as a Peace Corps volunteer, it can be hard and realistic to plan far in advance sometimes.  There are times in which you may do something at the last minute.  All I know is that I will do what I can do to celebrate and spend time with friends (other volunteers) around Christmas.

The downside to the Holiday season when living in another country as a Peace Corps volunteer is this:

You aren’t able to celebrate with your family and friends back in the states, you might get a little homesick, and you might miss decorations, Christmas trees, Christmas/Holiday music, and holiday foods and baked goods. 

The upside to the Holiday season when living in another country as a Peace Corps volunteer is this:

You get to experience celebrating the holidays within the context of a new country and celebrate some new holidays, celebrate with and be supportive of other friends/ Peace Corps volunteers, and create new fun traditions for the holidays.  Also, lots of care packages (maybe)!!!!!

*Also as a side note, if you’d like to send me a care package (especially because it is the holidays), here is my mailing address.  I don’t mind getting holiday care packages after Christmas if you want to send something but can’t get it sent out early enough.  It’s the thought that counts!!

Caitlin Rahn

P.O. Box 304

Woliso

Southwest Shoa Zone

Oromia Region

Ethiopia

Overall, it has been a good experience celebrating the holidays in Ethiopia (despite how much I have missed home at times).  I have been able to celebrate with other volunteers, share my traditions from the states with host country nationals, and learn so much about the culture and traditions of Ethiopia (and in what ways they are similar and different than the culture and traditions of the states).

Up to this point, that has been what the holidays have been like for me here in Ethiopia.  At times, it may be hard to celebrate the holidays here… but I have learned so much and this experience is really helping me to appreciate things in the sates so much more.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Ethiopia!

*If you have any specific questions about holidays, traditions, food, or any other aspects about the Ethiopian culture, please feel free to ask!  I am more than happy to answer any questions you might have.  This is definitely partly what my blog is about in addition to sharing my experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  Also, any questions may help in prompting a future blog post.