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.
- Gimash kilo (that is 1.1 pounds!!) of Ethiopian coffee beans hand roasted and ground by your truly. Yum!
- A John Cena draw string bag (an Ethiopian staple)
- 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)
- 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.
- 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 20th. The competition will
end April 16th 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!
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