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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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.
•  
  
• 
  
• 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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The sounds of an Ethiopian Morning #BloggingAbroad

Waking up in the morning:

I wake up to sunlight streaming through my windows.  I hear a rooster outside of my house. 

I can hear someone outside crushing coffee beans for morning buna.

I hear people beginning to open their shops for the day.

I hear the local transportation beginning to run.

I can hear the goats, donkeys, and cows outside of my compound.

These are common sounds that I wake up to every morning in Ethiopia and often carry out throughout the entire day.  These sounds generally stay about the same but change in just a slight enough way that you can tell how busy it is outside or how quite and peaceful it might be.  I feel as though how I live here in Ethiopia largely revolves around the noises that I hear outside my house.  Oftentimes, I will base what I do for the day and if I even leave my house based on what I hear.  It’s amazing how I’ve began to rely so much more on my sense of hearing and even smell so much more since coming to Ethiopia.

 

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