One Year 9,000 Miles From Normal

“The years go fast but the days go slow” – Random Modest Mouse Song Of Which I Do Not Remember The Name

I am very aware that I have been in Ethiopia a long time. My relationships and language skills show it. The dirt impossible to remove shows it. The new wrinkles caused by a harsh Ethiopian sun and lifestyle show it. And picture of nephews and a niece I’ve never met definitely show it. But now that I have reached that unfathomable year mark, it’s as if I just woke up and I am suddenly here. The days have all begun to blur into a haze that somehow add up to this: halfway done with an experience I am still surprised I embarked on.

There will be celebrating with my fellow G7 volunteers; it is what we do best. After all, we deserve it: ten people in our group were unable to make it to this point for various reasons. But no joyous celebrating can match the feeling inside. I made it a year living in a country I had never been to, surround by complete strangers. Yet not only did I make it though, I thrived and somehow managed to enjoy most of it. I am confident I set myself up to succeed in Year 2. I have plans I am excited about, but more importantly, I have confidence that the hard work and time I put in this last year is about to pay off. My role is set and now I just get to follow through.

To commemorate this special time of my service, I give you the top 5 moments of Year 1 (with some other moments I just could not leave out):

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Any time I am alone at my house and “Me Party” from The Muppets soundtrack comes on

• Here are the lyrics http://www.lyricsreg.com/lyrics/the+muppets+ft.+miss+piggy/Me+Party/.  I cannot help but have a solo dance party whenever I hear this song. In fact, if one song could summarize my Peace Corps experience, here it is.

Any time I get a letter or package from home

• Nothing can quickly turn a day around like a letter or package from home. Packages are great because America is awesome and stuff from there is the best. I love candy and bacon product and cheese and magazines and photos and and and everything else. But most days, it is the thoughtful stuff that makes me the happiest. Whether it is a letter, a birthday/Christmas card, or something thoughtful in a package (my Uncle Bill is king of this), those are the little things that remind me of the love and support you fine folks give me. It is impossible to not feel out-of-sight, out-of-mind when I go on Facebook and see that, predictably yet sadly, the world goes on without me. But every letter and package is a boost that shows I am still in people’s mind and I am by no means forgotten.

Any phone conversation with Joe Whelan

• Something unfortunate (or glorious) happens when two people who are both talkative and can BS for hours have to call each other. Joe Whelan and I have had exactly one short conversation during our first year here. And it was followed up with him calling me back to say, “Really, 2 minutes? That was weird.” He doesn’t have a site mate and I’m not used to so much time isolated from anyone whom it is easy to communicate with. The result is long conversations about absolutely nothing. My favorite part about these phones calls is how they end. We always seem to come full circle and even if we have more to say, the call ends there. For example, a few days ago, towards the beginning of the conversation, we started talking about lines. I like them because they mean order and he likes them because even in that order, there can be chaos (seriously, I cannot stress how useless these calls are). An hour later, we started talking about different kinds of triangles (specifically obtuse and equilateral). Boom! Geometric full circle. The call was done and we hung up.

Feeling at home in Asella

• As mentioned in a pervious post, it takes a really long time to feel at home here. It was not until I had lived in Asella for about six months that I started feeling comfortable. But when it happened, it happened rather quickly. I know most of the names of the teachers at my school, and, more importantly, they know me and my role as a Peace Corps volunteer. The people on my compound have finally realized that I am boring. They no longer laugh when I speak the local language or peer into my window as I cook or exercise. When I walk down the street, people call out my name and say hi (in fact, far too many people know my name. I accidentally ignored my site mates until they yelled, SCHICKLING! one time). Children understand that I am not going to give them money and have begun happily settling for a quick conversation and fist bomb. Other volunteers can tell when they enter my “turf” because all the kids run up to them, fist in the air, waiting to blow it up. I truly feel like part of the community, which was one of the main reasons I joined Peace Corps.

When my sook started letting me buy stuff on credit

• Fifteen yards from my house, there is a little shop (or sook) I go to at least once a day. Often multiple times a day. The sooks owner knows me pretty well. We’ve had some times together. I love playing with his daughters. He loves the business the mere sight of me brings to his shop. We’ve made tortilla chips together in his deep fryer. As far as I am concerned, making tortilla chips with someone seals a lifelong bond. Starting a few months ago, if I bought something that was less than 20 birr (or if he was busy), he would tell me to just pay next time. While this may not sound like much, it was a great feeling. In this country, my skin color means that I will be overcharged. For everything. Nearly every time. I have to argue and barter to pay the same price as Ethiopians. It is exhausting and frustrating to say the least. So to have someone who does not abide by “forengi price” (that is an actual term here), and instead treats me like any other person is an unbelievable boost. Plus, it was a nice sign that people are starting to understand that I am here to stay for a while.

TOP FIVE:

5. Worms and all their glory!

• As some of you may know, I had worms in my belly about two and a half months ago. So why on Earth does having worms make the Top 5!?! Because every single aspect of it was hilarious. It all began when I went to dinner with three friends. Nearly two weeks later, I got a call from one of them saying he had worms and I probably do too. Two days later, another of the three called to say the same. Well, that is not exactly right. As I was talking to someone in the room with her, I heard yelling in the background, something to the effect of, “Oh dear god, oh dear god. This is awful, I feel so violated, oh god!” Sure enough, it turned out I had them as well, which led to me sending perhaps the best text message I will ever send in my life, “Laura Schickling, forever unclean! I’ve got company”.  I got the name of the medicine to kill them, went to pharmacy, paid 75 cents for a three day cycle of antibiotics, and that was that. I thought I ought to let my Peace Corps doctor know in case of any complications or side effects. Here is that conversation to the best of my memory:

Me: Hey, I have worms.

Dr: You too?

Me: Yeah, pretty much all of us in Asella have them. I’m taking the medicine though, just thought you should probably know.

Dr: Thanks.

Fast forward through specific medical questions no one wants to hear about

Dr: So, we should figure out where you got them so it will not happen again. Have you consumed any raw or undercooked meat?

Me: Oh yeah!

Dr: What did you eat?

Me: Kitfo (raw ground beef with spices and cheese) and tre siga (raw meat, literally just a chuck of raw meat). But I had both of those multiple times at multiple places.

Dr. (I couldn’t hear it, but I’m confident he chuckled and shook his head at this point). Well, that mystery is solved. I recommend you do not go back to those places.

Me: I’ll try, but it was really good.

Dr. Well, the fasting (time when it is nearly impossible to get meat for religious fasting purposes) just started. I guess you should be safe for at least 55 days. Any side effects from the medicine?

Me: Yeah, severe stomach cramps. Like I need to go fetal when they hit.

Dr: That is cause things are literally dying inside of you. That’s normal.

Me: Seriously?

Dr: Yeah

Me: Haha, oh. Thanks doctor!

Dr: (I think shaking his head again) Stay healthy Laura.

And by the time the three-day cycle of medicine was done, I was all better. But sadly, the fasting period ended. Since then, I have eaten all the same food at all the same places. That is integration, people! Two of the four of us that got worms during that time have since had to take the cycle of medicine again, which probably means I am currently a carrier. But what can I say? It is delicious and easy to cure; I’ve made my choice!

4. Swearing-In

• Pre-Service Training was ten of the most difficult weeks of my Peace Corps service thus far. It is the process of adjusting to a completely foreign life. I ate unfamiliar food. I fell in mud. Often. I lived with strangers whom I could hardly communicate with. I felt sick at least 50% of the time. Access to my family and friends was cut off except for one day a week. Most of my waking hours were spent in technical trainings or languages classes. But two things helped me through PST.  I relied on the friends I had made, and the hope that things would be better once I moved to my permanent site. The difficulty of those ten weeks made swearing-in inexpressibly meaningful. Standing beside 67 people that helped me through one of the most challenging times of my life, raising my right hand to swear an oath to my country and an organization I truly believe in, full of optimism of the adventure the next two years would carry, I joined the ranks as a Peace Corps Volunteer. 

The next two on the countdown were both fantastic holidays and one does not rank above the other. There is a blog entry about Christmas, so if you are interested in more detail, find that post. Logically, it is probably around December or January. They are both good examples of how Ethiopian and American holidays become especially meaningful while away from home.

2b. Christmas Dinner

• There is an 80’s fundraising song called “Do They Know It Is Christmas In Africa” or something to that effect. I would recommend looking up the lyrics; it is an amazingly offensive song. At least in Ethiopia, it was well known that it was forenji Christmas. My boyfriend Eric was in town for the holiday, which made it all the more special. For lunch, we went to one of my favorite Ethiopian eateries where he sampled some injerra and tagabeano. It is always fun to experience this place through a new set of eyes. While he said he liked the food a lot, he did not initiate eating more of it. For Christmas dinner, two Peace Corps Volunteers were sweet enough to host a few local PCVs and Ethiopian friends. The highlights were the eggplant Parmesan and chicken. To this day, it is one of the tastiest meals I have had in country. There were lot of silly moments throughout the night and it was a great evening with some great people. After dinner, we went to a local bar where the festivities continued. In classic Ethiopian form (or maybe just Asella form) the owner was kind enough to give us a case of beer as a Christmas gift. The generosity of some people never ceases to amaze me.

Overall, what made the day so special was the sense of family. Christmas is a time that will always remind me of my family. Even with Eric there, I expected my first Christmas away from home to be difficult. And had it not been for the wonderful people I am surrounded by, it would have been. I know I often hark on the camaraderie and sense of family here, but I cannot speak highly enough of it. There are a lot of tough times where you just want to throw in the towel. If not for the support of fellow volunteers, I would not be here. Christmas dinner exemplified all this.

2a. Fasika (Ethiopian Easter) weekend

• My god, where to start? Fasika is the biggest holiday of the year for a majority of Ethiopians in my area. Leading up to the holiday, there is a 55-day fast where Orthodox Christians do not eat any animal products. As you can imagine, when Fasika hits, it is game on! While Sunday was technically the holiday, it was a weekend long event. Saturday happened to be a friend, Abel’s, birthday. During the morning, I went with him and his brother to buy a goat. The animal market is a big open space and was packed for the holiday. There were easily a few thousand people and far more animals. Goats, sheep, and steer seemed to everywhere I looked. In my mind, I was a natural at selecting the animal. In reality, I just grabbed the goats where my friends grabbed them and said insightful and helpful things like, “this one feels tender” or “that one is cute. We cannot get a cute one”. Eventually, the boys parted from me since the price of a goat went up exponentially once the seller saw me. Occasionally, Abel would come up to me with a goat on a rope and tell me to hold it. I am still pretty sure he was just messing with me, but I held those ropes like a champion (again, in my mind). After a while, the boys found our goat, paid, and we left the market.

Later in the day, I went to their house to watch the slaughter. While I have seen a slaughter before, never in Ethiopia. I feel it is important to watch at least one if you are going to eat meat. The process did give me a respect for the animal. The actual killing was a very quick process. The animals suffered as little as possible (but that’s relative I suppose). The boys then completely skinned and butchered the animal. Both Abel and his brother learned the process from their father. It was impressive to watch and made me appreciate the father/son tradition. There were some silly photo ops with the goat carcass. When I get my computer working, I will most definitely post a bunch of picture of the weekend. I decided to pose with the goatskin (head still attached) and Abel was such a gentlemen, he washed blood off the horns for me. My site mate Kelly pose as casually as possible for a photo- with goat testicles hanging a few inches from her. And while removing the lung, someone had the bright idea of putting a cigarette in the valve. When I put it like that, I guess the respect for the animal kind of stopped when it died. And for dinner, we had the freshest meat possible. It was delicious. A PCV who lives close to Asella, Lisa, made eggplant Parmesan and the two combined for a bizarre yet terrific combination. We sang Happy Birthday to Abel to cap off the night.

On the actual day of Fasika, I was in paradise. I cannot describe how much I love Ethiopian holiday food. I was like a kid on Christmas morning in the days leading up to the holiday. Even among PCVs, this is pretty abnormal. But I cannot help it. The prospect of eating three or four giant delicious meals in one day is thrilling! For breakfast, my site mates Joe, Kelly and I ate at their landlord’s. It was a great start to the day with dorowot (spicy chicken stew), cooked dulet (liver and intestines chopped up like ground meat) and some siga wot (meat stew). Afterwards, we celebrated one of the family’s two daughters birthday. It was quite the event; there was funfetti cake. GREATEST HOLIDAY EVER! And it was only 9:00am at this point.  We rested and digested, then went to round two. Telahun and company, as always, had amazing food. The dorowot and kitfo (see number 5) were spectacular. I ate an embarrassing amount of food, but don’t regret a thing. If Telahun ever opens a café or restaurant, I’ll consider extending for a third year here. His food is that good. There was another round of resting and digesting, and then off to the bar we always end up on holidays. It was a festive atmosphere that made me love the holiday more. We met up with Abel, Lisa, and company there and celebrated the best we could. Afterwards, we all went back to the house we had breakfast at and had another go of it all. It was just as good, if not better, the second time around. With a heavy food coma, I manage to stumble to Joe and Kelly’s spare bedroom and collapse, dreaming of all the glorious food I consumed in the pervious 48 hours. I cannot emphasis how much I love Fasika. It may be my favorite holiday. Ever.

1. Ethiopian scores in African Cup Of Nations game 1 vs. Zambia

• The top spot goes to a quintessential Ethiopia moment. Last year, the African Cup of Nations took place and Ethiopia qualified to play for the first time in over thirty years. They were handed a rough group with Zambia (last tournament’s champion), Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. Burkina Faso and Nigeria would go on to play for the championship, not a good sign for Ethiopia. But before that all happened, Ethiopia played their first game against Zambia. I have never experienced such full community support for a team before. Every person in the country knew their schedule and was talking about their chances. People who never watched a soccer game before were suddenly diehard fans. It seemed like every little boy was wearing his Ethiopia jersey. Every night, the Ethiopian TV station had reports on the team and other aspects of the tournament.

The night of the game, myself and other volunteers went to a local bar (see number 2a and 2b) to watch. The place was so crowded, people started sitting on the floor. There were men, women, and children all brought together to support their country. When the game started, there was a buzz in the room. You could feel thirty years of anticipation as everyone watched their boys play. Ethiopia came out flying in the first half. They were the dominant side against a team who won it all the pervious time around. Whenever Ethiopia had a scoring chance, the whole room lifted to their feet, hoping to see Ethiopia’s first goal. Halfway through the first, there was a foul in the box and Ethiopia received a penalty kick. Everyone stood up in hope that this would be the moment they had been waiting for. The keeper made the save but the room stayed just as lively.  Towards the end of the first half, it finally happened. Ethiopia scored on a beautiful play and the room erupted with thirty years of pent up excitement. Everyone hugged each other, praised the players, and saluted the team with a drink. The atmosphere was like nothing I ever experienced before. While Zambia would tie it up in the second half and the game would end in a draw, all the people watching knew that Ethiopia was the better team. There was optimism about the team and in the following days, the national team was all people talked about. It was a memorable time and something I would never have been able to experience without being here.

I never thought I would say this, but I truly am excited for my second year here. So thanks Ethiopia for the good times! I cannot wait to see what Year 2 will bring.