My mid-service trip back to America came and went. It was a
wonderful time filled with all the things I have missed over the last 14
months. I ate an embarrassing amount of food yet felt no shame about it. I
spent time with family and friends. I met seven kids that have some claim to
call me aunt (or will when they can speak). And I spent countless hours playing
with The Colonel*
But the most important thing I did, in terms of the duration
of my service, was getting my computer fixed. If I may be cheesy for a second, I
would like to give a huge thanks to my parents. I would not have been able to get
my computer working without their help. They are the greatest parents a kid
could ever ask for and while it’s impossible to send a new computer to Ethiopia
because of taxes and such, I feel like had I asked them to, there is a serious
chance they would have flown halfway around the world to hand deliver one.
Anyways, I am thrilled to have the computer back and I have a long list
of topics to write about. I want to finally post pictures from Fasika (aka, the
greatest Peace Corps weekend), show off my new place, recount my adventures in
a strange land call America, and brag about the summer camp nine Peace Corps
Volunteers and myself put on. But for now, I thought I would answer some of the
most commonly asked question during my visit home. So, sorry for the hiatus,
I’ll try to make up for it!
Do you like it there?
Yes, I love it there actually! Annoyingly, about 50% of the
time, my response was followed up with the person asking “Really?” Ethiopia is
an amazing place. It is not the most romantic of destinations in Africa and you
wont see safari animals here. But if you ever get the chance to visit Ethiopia,
take it. I have completely fallen in love with this country. There are things I
disagree with and drive me crazy, but the culture, people, food, landscape, and
history more than make up for it.
How hot is it?
Ethiopia has an extremely diverse climate. A region in the
northeast of the country called Afar averages the hottest year round
temperature in the world. Towns along the mountain ranges can be painfully
cold. I personally have gone to the town of Bekoji, about 45 minutes away from
Asella, slept in four layers of clothes with three blankets and still been
cold*.
But, when people ask me this question, I assume they mean
where I specifically live. Asella has a wonderful “weather condition”.
Throughout the year, the temperature ranges from 60-75 degrees. A majority of
the time, you are looking at cozy cocoa weather. The seasons are opposite from America. The
rainy season is usually June-September (though this year it started in March
and has not quit). October- February is the hottest time where it can get to be
a sweltering 75 degrees. March-May is ordinarily cool with a little rain here
and there.
What is the food
like?
Fantastic. I have made no attempt to hide how much I love
Ethiopian food. You are on the Internet right now reading this blog. Instead of
reading my ramblings, use your favorite search engine to find the nearest
Ethiopian restaurant. Turn off your computer, and go there. Why are you still
reading this?
Welcome back, I hope you enjoyed your meal! Ethiopian
cuisine is perfect for a vegetarian, vegan, or carnivore. There are a lot of
lentils, chickpeas, and veggies cooked for hours with onions, garlic, and
spices. Chicken, goats, sheep, and cows are commonly eaten, especially on
holidays. But if you really want to know about the food, go find some.
What do you do at
your school?
My official Peace Corps title is Primary School Teacher Trainer.
My aim is to work with the teachers at various elementary schools in the area
to develop and improve their English and methodology skills.
What do you actually
do at your school?
I hang out a whole lot. I drink tea with teachers everyday.
There is not a lot of interest in formal trainings, so most of the work I do has
a pretty informal feel. Last year, I was able to accomplish some stuff I am
proud of and hopefully the upcoming year will be the same.
I have a weekly club with teachers at my school where we
practice speaking English in various ways. I also try to sneak some methodology
training in there. For example, we practiced reading aloud to work on reading
skills, pronunciation, and public speaking. I picked sections from the textbook
for them to practice and then successfully bullied them into read aloud to
their classes more often. Through this club, I also set up a Pen Pal program
between teachers in Ethiopia and teachers in America. Both groups seemed to
really enjoy it, so hopefully that will continue.
I observe and co-teach with teachers as often as possible.
While schooling in Ethiopia has come a long way in recent years, there is still
a tendency to have the kids silently work all period. I try to push teachers to
include more active learning techniques in their lessons and support them in
any way possible.
Last year, I had an English club for students, but it was
not very successful. I was not excited or motivated to run the club and I think
the students read that and as a result, they were not excited or motivated. A
teacher from my school and myself were trained on a new program to Ethiopia
called Grassroots Soccer. It uses soccer as a vehicle to teach kids about HIV
and its prevention. I am pretty excited about it and look forward to devoting a
lot of time to an important cause/program.
What is your average
day like?
My average day during the school year starts at 8:30 or
9:00. I wake up, cook/eat/clean up breakfast, and arrive at school a little
before the teachers’ 10:00am tea break. During the tea break, I will set up
whatever I am doing that day. If I am observing a teacher, I will find him or
her. If I am running a club, I will pimp it out to everyone. If I am doing
nothing, I’ll just hang out and guilt the teachers into practicing English.
Once I have finished the day’s task at the school, I will either go home or to
a café for lunch. The post-lunch coffee is a daily requirement at this point.
From there, I will either go back to school to work with another set of
teachers, or do stuff around town. In the evening, I’ll cook dinner, try to
weasel my way into a dinner invitation, or go out with friends. If I am out, I
leave wherever I am by 9:00pm so as to avoid a run in with a hyena.
It is a pretty relaxed schedule but it often changes without
notice. It is not abnormal to get to school to find out I am leading a training I
know nothing about. Or, equally as likely, there is no school that day. Some
days I will not go to school at all, others I will be there from 7:30-4:30. It
took a while to adjust to the inconsistency, but I’ve grown to love the fact
that every day is an adventure.
What is the religion?
Again, Ethiopia is fairly diverse but I will assume people
want to know specifically about my town. The majority of Asella is Ethiopian
Orthodox. There are also many Protestants and Catholics. The number changes
depending on who you ask, but I would guess Asella has a Christian population
of about 65%. The remaining 35% of the population is Muslim. These two groups
coexist in Asella happily. Muslims will go to their neighbor’s house for
Christian holidays and Christians will go their neighbor’s house for Muslim
holidays. Though that is not the case for all people and all towns in Ethiopia,
this has been my experience.
What animals are in
Ethiopia?
I would not recommend coming to Ethiopia for a safari. As
the country has developed, animals like lions and hippos are becoming rare.
Ethiopia has many bird species from what I hear. There is the Ethiopian wolf
that is kind of a big deal. There is some sort of wildcat that lives in the
mountains of Bekoji and I would imagine throughout the region. There are
various types of primates. All over the country there are hyenas and that’s
terrifying. In my time in America, I learned there is a misconception about
hyenas. The Lion King painted a very inaccurate picture. Hyenas are huge. My
head could fit in their jaws. They are the size of donkeys. They will
absolutely kill and eat a person without much trouble. But yeah, Ethiopia
doesn’t exactly have a sexy collection of animals.
Are you glad you went
there?
Completely. A common Peace Corps slogan is “The Hardest Job
You’ll Ever Love”. The past year has been, without question, the hardest of my
life. But the past year has also probably been the best. I have met people,
seen things, and accomplished goals I will forever take pride in. Relationships
with people back home have grown and become stronger. I have been stretched and
change in irreversible ways. Simply put, I am a happier and stronger
person for my time here.
*The Colonel
*In fairness, I am a wussy when it comes to the cold. And
heat. It is a really good thing I ended up in Asella now that I think about it.
