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.

Finishing My Peace Corps Service

To be completely honest, finishing my Peace Corps service was very bittersweet.  It’s nice to be at a point where I can say that I have completed two years (almost 27 months) of service in Ethiopia.  And I will not lie when I say that Ethiopia is one of the most challenging and hard Peace Corps posts.  Feel free to ask around if you don’t believe me. 

I am relieved to be done with the constant staring that I got from people with in my community and all of the harassment that I received throughout my whole service (and yet I mention again that this was just in my community through my WHOLE service).  I get that I stand out and look extremely different than majority of people that live in the town I lived in… but still, you’d think that people would get used enough to seeing you around that they could at least be polite enough not to stare 24/7 and call me by name rather than trying to get my name by yelling “foreigner” and/or throwing rocks (and trust me when they should have known my name by the third of fourth month that I was living there).  Among the challenges of living within my community included not having constant electricity and water (although I was lucky and had much more of that then most volunteers in Ethiopia have), and (I hope obvious) limited network and Internet access.  Also, transportation could be an issue at times.  It occasionally can be difficult to catch a bus (this was a particular issue during my last week in my town and I will get more into that in a moment).  When you are able to get onto a bus (which has no more than 12-15 seats for passengers), the driver will try to stuff the bus as much as he possibly can so that he will end up making as much money as he possibly can (this will turn out to be 20-40 passengers depending on the size of the bus and how much extra space that can be made).  I have had to take bus rides that in addition to the bag on my lap, I practically have had another person sitting on me.  Extremely irritating, but something you have to deal with if you want to get anywhere while traveling through Ethiopia using public transportation.

So… with all that being said, my service did end on a bit of a frustrating note (and you could say that poor transportation was the last straw in ending my service when it did).  When I began my service, I actually was not able to move to my town right away because there were riots and protests happening throughout this particular region of Ethiopia that I was supposed to be moving to.  After staying in the capital for an extra week or two, things calmed down and I was able to move to my town.  Last December, riots and protests began again due to similar reasons.  All of the volunteers in the region were brought to Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia) for a period of time.  The volunteers in my particular area were kept in Addis Ababa for a whole month.  Due to certain reasons, the other volunteer living in my town and I were allowed to go back.  But the other two volunteers close to us did not go back to their towns.  My town was “okay” for about two months.  But the other volunteer (direct teaching in one of the schools) was unable to do any work because students refused to go to school.  The last week we were in our town, there was transportation at all (this was a country wide issue because drivers were protesting).  At this point in time, I was supposed to have a month left of service.  Due to safety concerns and the potential of not being able to leave my town if something came up, I was given three days to pack up all of my things and say my goodbyes.  When something like that is sprung on you so suddenly, it can be extremely irritating.  So, as some people already know, I (was not really even given the choice in the matter) left a whole month earlier than I was supposed to.

Okay…. Enough of my rants… if you have any specific questions and/or would like me to go any more detail (which I can) about anything above, please feel free to ask and we can talk about it.  I think that I have talked enough about the bitter parts of my service and how it ended.  On to the “sweet” parts of my service.  And don’t worry, there’s plenty of good that came out of my service.

To start, I was able to learn a new language, immerse myself in a new culture, and eat new foods (that was surprisingly not that bad most of the time; but I’m not a hugely picky eater to begin with…).  Despite the challenges that come with having to adapt to a new (and vastly different) culture, I’ll admit that it might have been good for me.  The greatest challenge with this different culture is how slow everything is in comparison to the culture of the U.S.  It’s hard when you get used to the slow pace of one culture and then come back to the fast pace culture of the states.  But on another hand, it has been good for me because I am much better in adapting to change.  I hope that this will be something that will help me throughout the rest of my life.

Somehow, I also lost a ton of weight during my two years of service (and when I say a ton, I really do mean a lot).  Keep in mind that this wasn’t the case for everyone.  There were others who lost a bunch of weight too, but there are just as many who either maintain their weight or put on a few pounds.  It really was all about changes in diet in daily activity.  For me, I think it was a lot of less processed foods in my diet and a lot more walking (in comparison to driving everywhere).  So this weight loss was one positive of my service.  Now that I’m back in the states, I’m gonna have to find ways to maintain this new weight (even trying to shed a few more lbs).  I know that I got to keep doing what I was doing to some extent, but that also looks a lot different here in the states because life takes on such a different form here.

I do have to acknowledge the positives that I have taken away in regards to the work aspect of my life in Ethiopia.  First, I have gained so much work experience during the two years I spent there.  I gained a lot of experience teaching about various health related topics and doing health prevention programs.  I even got a little experience teaching English.  Despite how different work ethic, etc. is different in Ethiopia, there is a lot that I did learn that will help with future work that I will do later on in my life…. Whatever that may be.

I think that one of the greatest things that I have taken out of my service are the friends that I have made and the positive impact they have had on me.  I am lucky in the sense that some of my best and greatest friends have come into my life during the past two years.  Each of these people are extremely different (from each other and from me) and wouldn’t initially have been people that I would have expected to be friends with.  But having the experience that we had brought us together.  Despite our differences and how often some of us would get irritated with each other, we helped each other get through the two years of service.  I consider them family now and family doesn’t always get along, right?  And I think that our differences as people allowed each of us to learn, grow as people, and hopefully become at least a little bit better.  I know that they have helped me grow a lot as a person and have helped me become a better version of myself.  So to those of you who I consider part of my (Peace Corps) family (and you know who you are), thank you for allowing me to consider you part of my family and for helping me become who I am today.  I really do appreciate you all and am extremely grateful to you!

So with all of that being said, these past two years have been full of ups and downs and lots of challenges.  In some ways, I really did hate the experience.  But in other ways, I am grateful for it.  I’m not one to rant and go on and on about all the negatives… so I’ll just leave it at saying that there were a lot more than I had expected there to be.  If you really want to hear more and have me go into more detail about it, we can sit down and discuss it.  To be honest, what got me through the past two years were my friends who were there with me for the whole experience.  And that is partly why I am so grateful for them.

There is one question that came to mind that I have been asked multiple times by locals in Ethiopia as well as people who have heard about my experience.  The question is this:  Will you go (come) back to Ethiopia?  To be honest, there are many times when my initial thought is no.  But it really just depends.  If I go back, it will probably be ten years from now.  And if I go back, it will be because I want to see the changes (if any at all) that have happened since I was last there.  There were moments in which I really disliked (I almost want to use the word hate, but have tried to avoid using it as much as possible) the experience, but there were those good moments.  Of course there were good moments, otherwise I wouldn’t have stayed.  But I think that is why I am in no rush to get back to Ethiopia.  I have experienced everything that Ethiopia can offer me and there is nothing in that country that I left behind.  There are so many other places in this world to experience and I want to be able to experience as much as I can.

And with all of that, I will be done.  I know that there is a lot more that I could say, but I have said enough for most who will read this post.  If you want to hear more, please ask.  I am more than happy to share.  I want to end on a positive note and reiterate that the best things that came from the past two years of my life are the friends that I have gained and the ways in which I have changed and have become a better version of myself.  For these reasons, I will never regret serving as a Peace Corps volunteer.  But I have gained all that I can from my experience in Ethiopia and am happy to say that I have finished that experience and am able to move on to whatever life has in store for me next.

PC Ethiopia Group 10.  I love you guys and I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to have served with you!

Hawassa sunset.  If I were to miss any place in Ethiopia, this might be it.

And when you are finishing up your Peace Corps service and need to get rid of everything, of course you have to burn it!

Worms

What are worms?  Worms come in many different shapes and forms.  According to Wikipedia, “worms are many different distantly related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body and no limbs.  Worms vary in size…”

In case you were wondering, this is an earthworm...

When thinking of worms, often most people will think of earthworms (the worms that you find in the ground).  When I think of these types of worms in relation to my Peace Corps service, I think of the agriculture/environment volunteers and their gardening.  Earthworms are often a very important and necessary part of that kind of work.  But the most recent worm that I had to deal with was not this kind of worm…

I found this illustration, and personally though it was somewhat helpful...

I went to the states to visit my family in December for Christmas.  I went back to Ethiopia at the beginning of January and within a couple of days being back in my town, I started feeling a little funky.  After having a bowel movement or two, I discovered why…  worms!!! AKA PARASITE!!  To be honest, there are worse things (much worse things) in this world…. But having a parasite wasn’t fun.  It was actually kind of aweful… I mean, breaking my arm into multiple pieces five years ago was much worse in the long run… but still, I would recommend NEVER EVER EVER getting sick in Ethiopia!  It’s the worst!  I was lucky and with some medication, I was better within a couple of days…

Here is a list of the symptoms that you could potentially experience while there is a parasite in your system:

• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Gas or bloating
• Dysentery (loose stools containing blood and mucus)
• Rash or itching around the rectum or vulva
• Stomach pain or tenderness
• Feeling tired
• Weight loss
• Passing a worm in your stool

All I’ll say is that I did experience some (but not quite all) of these symptoms.  I will spare you all any graphic details and not go into which I did have to deal with.  It’s safe to say that I am extremely glad that I was in my house by myself most of this time.

If you ask any Peace Corps volunteer (or are one reading this post, you would probably agree), they will probably tell you that it is inevitable that you WILL GET SICK during your two years of service.  And when you get sick, it’s one huge ordeal in itself.  It is no fun at all.  The various ailments that you may face will vary a bit depending on which country/continent you are on.  You would definitely not experience the same illnesses in Eastern Europe that you would experience if you were to be in Africa.

Within my Peace Corps experience, I have actually been very lucky.  I have really only experienced bacterial infections and colds (and the one parasite).  But I have gotten sick on an average of about once or twice every three or four months.  And being sick in Ethiopia often means being sick twice as long as you would be if you were suffering from this same sickness in the states.

Common illnesses Ethiopian volunteers experience:

• Common cold
• Flu
• Various bacterial infections
• Various parasites
• Malaria  
  
• Typhoid
• Typhus
• And the list goes on and on

So it is safe to say that if you have a weak immune system and are prone to getting sick, maybe serving as a Peace Corps volunteer is not the best life choice for you (at least in choosing to serve in Africa and maybe Latin America)… you’d maybe be okay in Europe somewhere….

So good luck with any international travel!  Stay safe and healthy!  Don’t get sick!  But just in case, always carry some anti-diarrheal medication (and some cipro wouldn’t hurt either)!

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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