Coffee Shop

In Addis, there is apparently a coffee shop that is renown. I did not know this until someone asked, while in Addis, if I wanted to go to said place (this would be easier if I could remember its name). I had to figure, since Ethiopia has the best coffee in the world and this is supposedly the best coffee place in Ethiopia, it had to be incredible. While it was not the best coffee I have had here, it was well worth going because it was a neat shop with great ambiance. Since it is a touristy place, I took full advantage and took a few pictures without getting weird looks. I also really appreciated that when you order coffee, they ask you "strong or normal?" Since I wanted to sleep within the next week, I went with normal. Overall, it was fun place and yet another thing I can cross off my imaginary list of things I should probably do while I am in Ethiopia.

This blog made me realize that I have never done a "coffee blog", which seems like a crime. It is such a huge part of the culture that this is something I have overlooked far too long. Stay tuned (god, I just sounded like a tool)...

AU View

I was in Addis a bit ago and found a coffee shop that has rooftop seating. It was the perfect place to take a book and kill a couple hours of my life. The view was not too shabby either.

This is the area of Addis called Mexico. A lot of areas and streets are named after the embassies residing there. That huge building that does not quite fit in is the African Union building.

Pretty cool and pretty important building!

Peace Corps Challenge!

                      The Rationale!

The month of March is Peace Corps month. That is right, we are important enough to have a week AND month! Now, I know what you are thinking: Laura, are you ever going to stop writing about the Peace Corps and Ethiopia? You are starting to sound like a stupid hipster talking about places, food, and things “you’ve probably never heard of”. The answer in no. And to be honest, I don’t understand why you clicked the link if you are not interested. You should rethink some of the choices you make.

In honor of Peace Corps months, I blatantly plagiarized an idea from a lovely married couple residing Adwa. But, they apparently stole it from someone else so I do not feel guilty about it.

As I have mentioned before, one of the main goals of Peace Corps is to share Ethiopian culture with Americans. And what better way to do so than to walk in someone else’s shoes for a bit. I want to challenge you (yes, you!) to step out of your comfort zone and take the “Laura’s-Ethiopian-Cannot-Think-Of-A-Clever-Name-Challenge”. It will henceforth be refereed to as LECTOACNC. Catchy, right?

Below, are a list of simple (and difficult) activities you can do over the course of the next month to give you a real understanding of not only how I live, but how a majority of the people in the world live. There are prizes for this game and everything! But I would really encourage you to try it out. It may seem silly but doing any of these activities will not only shed light on how other people live in a tangible way, but also (hopefully) give you a bit of an appreciate for some things you may take for granted.

The Challenge!

For your ease, the challenges are listed in order of point value, least to highest (though some lower-point challenges include “For Advanced Players” opportunities):

5 points: Learn the greetings of a language that’s new to you. And then greet people in that language for one week at least 2 times a day.

5 points: For every day that you forego use of your personal vehicle (that’s right SoCal people, say goodbye to your second home) But Laura, you ask, how will I get around, surely you cannot expect me to walk!?! Available options: hitching rides from others (spouses don’t count), bicycle, public transportation, or “ba igru” (foot). Maximum 35 points (7 days) allowed.

10 points: Take a cold bath or shower. Now, we may have different definitions of cold. If it does not take your breath away, it is not cold enough. Turn the hot water faucet off entirely!

10 points: Specialty vegetables are out! Spend one week with your only veggie options being carrots, tomatoes, onions, and potatoes—unless they come from your own garden. Think of it as opportunity to get creative.

10 points: No internet for one week

10 points: Try an Ethiopian Orthodox fast! Currently, there is a 55-day fast going on but I will give you a break and let you abide by the normal Orthodox fasting rules. For 2 weeks, be a vegan every Wednesday and Friday. No animal products whatsoever.

10 points: Do not take a bath or shower for at least three days.  An additional 5 points for each day added. Oh goodness, you only have 10 days left in this competition and are not feeling strong about your point total? It is pretty simple: stop bathing. If you hit my record of 14 days, you get 100 points. And probably the loss of some friendships. Face and feet washing (along with whore’s baths) are allowed and encouraged.

15 points: Spend an entire evening after dark (minimum 5 hours) without electricity. Flashlights are allowed, but it and you are both cooler if you use candles.

15 points: For one week, you are allowed only 3 outfits. You can mix-n-match so people do not judge you as harshly if you like. I would not recommend doing this during your non-shower days. That is a recipe for stink.

15 points: For every day you live on a maximum of $3.25 USD. You are allowed to use the food you already have in the fridge or pantry. To make it easy, I’m just talking what you tangibly spend in one day. Maximum 3 days allowed.

20 points: Wash an entire load of laundry by hand. Additional 5 points: Dry them on a line in your yard. Except your undies. Showing your neighbors your undies acknowledges that you have those parts and that is how rumors spread.

20 points: No television, other than the Spanish channel, for one week.

20 points: No meat, cheese, or canned food for one week (unless someone mails it to you, I suppose)

20 points: Use neither your oven (stove top is okay) nor your dishwasher for one week.

30 points: For one week, you can’t reap the benefits of your refrigerator (or freezer). You may indeed still fill it with groceries, if need be. But under no conditions can you eat or drink anything from its contents. Some tips: store foods/leftovers in a pot on a cold floor. If you want carrots or celery, keep them soaked in water to stay firm

40 points: For every day that you don’t use your indoor tap (no sinks, no washing machines, no shower/bath faucets). This means collecting water in buckets/cans from your outdoor faucet or collecting rainwater. Fine, toilets are acceptable, though it’s a stretch. (Maximum 3 days allowed).

100 points: Do not communicate with another person for an entire day. This includes person-to-person conversations, text massaging, emails, handwritten notes, or anything else I cannot think of. (For your sanity, maximum 1 day allowed)

The Prize!

You can pick one of the following that will be awarded in July when I visit home.

1. Gimash kilo (that is 1.1 pounds!!) of Ethiopian coffee beans hand roasted and ground by your truly. Yum!
2. A John Cena draw string bag (an Ethiopian staple)
3. Local Ethiopian drinks. I cannot be sure that this is legal so let's say you will "NOT" be receiving- A few local beers and some arake (moonshine)
4. Rub kilo (half a pound) of Mit’mit’a. It is a delicious and HOT spice used in a lot of food here. I love it. You could put it on anything to give it a kick, make a spice rub for BBQ, or add it to a marinade.
5. An Ethiopian football team jersey (Ethiopians are a small people, if you need larger than an XL or do not want it to fit tight, I would not recommend this)

The Rules and Regulations!

·      Today is March 20^th. The competition will end April 16^th giving you a whopping 4 weeks to play.

·      PCVs or anyone who lives outside of the US are not allowed to play, sorry.

·      Scores will be accepted based upon the honestly policy. Email me your score at schicklingla@sbcglobal.net

·      Speaking of email, more than your score, let me know what this experience was like. What was hard? What was easy? Did you try anything and fail? This is a fun way for you to see what some aspects of a PCV life is like. Tell me all about it!!!

Final Note

Truth be told, these are not the things that make volunteers go home. No one I have ever talked to has left their post because of luxuries. The real things that make this experience difficult are 1. Being away from family and friends (I cannot create those conditions for you) and 2. The constant harassment (I cannot pay someone to follow you around yelling about your skin color, make sexual advances, teach kids to beg you for money, charge you extra money for everything you buy, throw rocks at you, or spit at you).

I mention this because if you had to live under these conditions, you could. I promise. But you will never have to. And that is awesome. But it doesn’t mean that you should not experience these things to give you an understanding of how most people live. Whether you do one of the activities or ten, there is something to be said about trying new things.

So please, seriously, give something on this list a shot and drop me an email telling me how it went! And if you do enough, you may just win a sweet prize!

All Volunteer Conference

This past weekend was the first conference since 2007 where every Peace Corps Ethiopia Volunteer was in attendance. There were almost 200 people plus the staff who somehow keep this ship afloat. It culminated Sunday evening with a St. Patty's Day party that was enough to make me forget I was in Ethiopia. So, at least until the next group comes in July, here is every PCV in my country.

What do you call a herd of camels? No, wait... Why did the camel cross the road?

There is no punchline, I just literally don't know. There is a herd of camels that graze about 45 minutes away from me. I see them often, but this time I was quick enough to get my camera out. It helped that they were crossing the road (in Ethiopia, camels always have the right of way). I would like to say, camels are the weirdest looking animals in the entire word. So unproportional, so awkward. I like 'em!

I saw these guys about 15 minutes after seeing a hippo! Yeah, a hippo. A wild hippo. A wild hippo in Africa as I was just heading home. Way cooler views here than the murals or flower portraits they put on the side of the freeway back home.

I found the cure to HIV/AIDS. What to do with the next 17 months?

Last weekend, I was in Addis for an English fair held by the Addis Ababa English Teachers Association (I’ll post some picture soon). It was a cool event that enabled me to meet hundreds of English teachers in the capital city. And being in Addis, I ate Mexican food twice and all sorts of other deliciousness. Not too shabby.

On Sunday, I came back to Asella via a three and a half hours mini bus ride. Traveling in Ethiopia, and specifically by mini bus, is a glorious topic that deserves its own blog. I will just say, by the end, you are done. You are hot. You are sweaty and stinky. You have made mortal enemies because you simply wanted to open a window and let some fresh air into the crowded van. As you walk home, all the little things that normally roll off your back are enough to set you off. Cute children are annoying. People who just want to practice English may learn some new, choice words. People shouting “China, Korea, Forenji, You, Anchi, or Ching chong chink choo (yes, people do shout mock Mandarin)” send you into a rage.

On this particular day, the moment I left the bus station, it started. A very persistent, homeless, and perhaps a little “off” man kept yelling for me to wait and that he needed to talk to me. In my head, I was debating whether to start walking faster, or turn around and yell. That is, until he said the magical words, “But wait, I have the cure for HIV/AIDS!” Regardless of how grumpy, dirty, and tired I was, he won at least a minute of my time.

The following is, to the best of my recollection, the next 5 minutes of my life:

Laura (L): Slowly turning around to face him, “Where are you going with this buddy?”

Crazy Guy (CG): “I have the cure for HIV/AIDS. Do you have a time?”

L: “For the cure for HIV/AIDS, yeah I certainly do! This is a very serious matter though, are you taking this seriously?”

CG: “Yes! I have been to the police to tell them the cure but they do not believe me. Will you go with me to the police station? If you are there, they will take me more seriously.”

L: “Well, I don’t know. How do I know you really have the cure to HIV/AIDS? You’re going to need to tell me more.”

CG: “My grandmother told me the secret cure for HIV/AIDS before she died…”

L: Resisting the urge to ask if grandmother died of HIV/AIDS

CG: “… The cure to HIV/AIDS is silicone. In fact, I think it will help people with cancer too”

L: “Silicone, huh? In what form? How does it work?”

CG: “It just does. Silicone. It is the cure for HIV/AIDS. Do not forget!”

L: “How could I possibly forget the cure for HIV/AIDS! This is important stuff. Millions could be saved”

CG: “Good. Say the word, silicone”

L: “Silicone”

CG: “Silicone”

L: “Silicone. It is up here forever man” pointing to my brain.

CG: “Promise me that you will write the cure down in your diary once you get home”

L: “That, friend, is the first thing I am going to do when I get home”

CG: “Good, do you know Williams?”

L: “No, should I? Is he in on this? Can we trust him? Who is he?”

CG: “He is a famous American musician. You must know him!”

L: “Ohhhhhh, Williams! Yeah! All Americans know each other. Of course, Willie!”

CG: “I have sent him many letters telling him I have the cure but he has not responded. I have invited him to be a part of this. If you wrote him a letter, he could help”

L: “Well, the thing is, I am not going to do that. Williams and I had a falling out.”

CG: “But you must write him a letter! He can help us”

L: Fully appreciating that he said “us”, “Ok, because it is important, I will write him a letter.”

CG: “Good. We can cure HIV/AIDS and maybe cancer!”

L: “Dude, this is going to make you so much money! The cure for HIV/AIDS, you’ll be a birronaire!” (birr being the currency of Ethiopia)

CG: “I am not interested in that. I have the chemical formula to end the world, but my dreams are to help the world”

L: “That is noble. What is the chemical formula to end the world?”

CG: “I cannot tell you”

L: "Come on, please."

CG: "No"

L: “Why? We are in this together. Remember silicone and Williams?

CG: “Yes, but no one can know how to end the world but me. I do not know you well”

L: “That seems fair.”

This is about the time we came to a turn and I did not want him to see where I live.

L: “Ok, I am going to walk this way and you’re not going to follow me. When I get home, I’ll write silicone in my diary”

CG: “I cannot walk with you any more?”

L: “Absolutely not”

CG: “Ok, goodbye then”

Just another day in the life of a PCV. In the moment, every part of me just wanted to go home without talking or interacting with anyone. But, fortunately, this man got my attention and I am so glad he did. Had I just scoffed home, I never would have learned the cure to HIV/AIDS and had such an entertaining walk. There is probably a life lesson somewhere in there. Don’t close yourself off? Be open to new experiences? No. Silicone is the cure to HIV/AIDS and probably cancer? YES!!!

Peace Corps Week

As it is National Peace Corps week, I wanted to do something reflecting on Peace Corps. What does this experience mean to me and why is it worthwhile? I hoped for some grandiose depiction of the Peace Corps that leaves everyone with the same sense of pride that I feel for this organization. But truth be told, there is nothing grandiose about this experience. It is tiny moments that you tell/hope/promise yourself will add up and in twenty years, mean something you cannot possible understand.

While some people aspire to be a Peace Corps Volunteer their entire life, I considered it for less than two months before I decided it was the opportunity for me. In one of my application essays, I wrote something to the effect of, “I have never considered myself ordinary and the idea of jumping into a lifelong career of teaching at this early stage in my life gives me pause to say the least”. There was a fire in me for something greater, some adventure that I did not yet know.

I had big ideas of coming to a small village and changing things. I believed that at the end of my two years of service, I would have a made-for-TV-movie-moment where everyone would come together, throw me on their shoulders, and we would march into the sunset. Well, perhaps not that cheesy, but there was a certainty that the work I would be doing would somehow change lives.            

But here is a secret that people who are not volunteers don’t know: it is incredibly unlikely by the end of your two years of service, you will see the worth of your being there. That is a cold hard fact that just about everyone must realize during this journey and is enough to drive people home early. So how is this information supposed to make everyone feel a sense of pride in Peace Corps? Because once you come to terms with this, you are forced to find other reasons to keep you there. You learn things that make the hard days worth it. And those reasons and lessons turn out to mean so much more than simply teaching a class of Ethiopians the English present progressive tense. Through only a quarter of service, there are things I am grateful to have learned, which would have been impossible without Peace Corps.

In America, my sense of self-worth was directly tied to my sense of productivity.

Coming to site, it was impossible to not feel like: I do not do anything; I am useless. It took time to allow everything America had instilled in me to be taken away, to let go of ambitions. As a result, productivity takes on a new meaning. I can find peace in sitting at a café for two hours reading. If I go to the market to simply buy vegetables, that is enough for one day. My American self screams that I am lazy and unproductive and a waste but my Ethiopian self is starting to win. There is a joy in discovering how to be confident enough to find self-worth within, not through activities and accomplishments.

I have gone an entire day without leaving my compound. I have gone an entire day without speaking to a single person. I am perfectly comfortable with this. Spending so much time alone was my greatest fear and one of my greatest struggles upon moving to Asella. It took months to be comfortable by myself- and even enjoy it. In fact, the confidence I have in myself as a result of this experience is something I will always appreciate. Six months ago, the idea of coming home early would have meant letting people, back home, down. That idea motivated me through difficult times. My pride. Yet after spending so much time with only myself to rely on, this perspective has changed. While I do not want to let family/friends down, that would nothing in comparison to letting myself down. I have learned that while everything else can be stripped away from me (family, friends, home, culture, ability to communicate, sense of self-worth, pride, comfort, happiness, etc), I can always rely on myself. No one can take who I am at my core away from me.

In coming into the Peace Corps, I did not know a single person in my group. By the end of 10 days, I had new friends. By the end of 2 1/2 months, I had best friends. Now at 9 months, I have countless brothers and sisters. An extended family that fittingly, like a real family, I never got to pick. I can only imagine what these people will be to me at the end of 27 months. These people support and understand like people I have known my entire life cannot. They are always there to vent, listen, or just drink away troubles. This is not always done gently. A Peace Corps volunteer friend may give me the slap in the face (sometimes literally) I need to get me through a situation. I heard it time and time again from Return Peace Corps Volunteers, but now I understand it: these people will be friends for the rest of my life.

Likewise, the interactions with Ethiopians are something I could have never experienced, if not for the Peace Corps.  I have made friendships where our “Ethiopian” and “American” titles are nonexistent. The fact that our origins are a world apart is never considered or noticed (until someone argues Ethiopia is not landlocked). I have scores of adorable kids running up to me everyday for a fist bomb. I have crazy people sharing the cure to HIV/AIDS with me. If I do not go to my corner shop for two days in a row, people I can hardly communicate with will start to worry. These interactions and experiences are impossible anywhere else in the world. While some days it is exhausting, I would not survive these 27 months without them.

Overall, it comes down to good days and bad days. On the good days, I am proud to be here. I love interacting with children on the street. I can laugh and shrug off things not going my way. I look around my town and think, “I am just living in Africa. A dumb kid from Southern California, surviving in Ethiopia. Wow.” On bad days, there is one guiding principle that gets me through: I want to be able to look back 10 years from now and remember how depressed I was at times. How incredibly lonely I was at times. How miserable I was at times. I want to remember all those moments and know that I was stronger than it all. This is likely the only time in my entire life I will be able to prove myself to myself and I am not willing to let myself down.

There are 3 goals of Peace Corps that have been around since the program's inception in 1961.

            1. Use and share the skills you have to help your community

            2. Share American culture with Ethiopians

            3. Share Ethiopian culture with Americans 

Coming into to this experience, you delude yourself into thinking goal 1 is the most important. In 27 months, your school will be a better place, people will know techniques to avoid HIV/AIDS, the community will drink clean water, etc. But that is not what keeps you here. It is goal 2 and 3 that help you survive. It is making friends and bonds that are impossible to explain or understand. It is becoming such good friends with people who live 9,000 miles away from your birthplace that you forget such a distance ever existed. It is the selfishness of taking two years to live a life and learn things inaccessible to most. In the end, you just tell/hope/promise yourself all this will make sense and be worth the hard days and moments you missed back home.

Despite how I feel in certain moments, I am proud to be a Peace Corps volunteer. It has changed me in ways I do not even understand yet. It has challenged me. It has broken me. It has rebuilt me into a person I am happy to be. As it is National Peace Corps week, I just hope you feel proud, in whatever capacity it may be, to support such a program.