Being an Authority On Everything
Being an American, there is a strange and inaccurate perception that I know everything… Teachers
and people all around town will seek me out to ask me questions I cannot even
begin to answer. More serious questions like, “What is the role of a teacher
within the Ethiopian context?” or “How can Ethiopia pull itself out of poverty
and become a rich country like America?” are not that fun. I have become
skilled at talking for five minutes without actually saying anything of substance.
I can sidestep any question with the inquisitor walking away thinking I was
genuine, thorough, and respectful in my response. But sometimes, being the
authority is awesome. The best example was when my friend Tilahun bought a
refrigerator. His wife tried making ice cream and finally felt she has a great
recipe. She invited myself and one other PCV over because, “we know what good
ice cream tastes like and can give feedback”. Anything to serve my country!
Rain Means No Work
Rainy season goes from April to October. There are some
short breaks during that period and some storms outside those months. When it
rains, the streets become swamps and it’s a hassle to do just about anything.
Because when it rains in Asella, it rains. Perhaps it will rain for 12 straight
hours. Perhaps it will hail. But more often than not, it is just a torrential
downpour like I have never experienced in my life. I remember hustling to my
house one day because I could tell a storm was coming. Soon, I heard this deep
rumble. I had no clue what the sounds was and had never really heard anything
like it before. At that point, everyone on the street started running for
cover. The sound grew louder and louder. It turned out to be the sound of rain
pounding metal roofs and as it became louder, it meant the storm was inching
closer and closer. When this type of thing happens, there is a cultural
understanding that no one leaves where they are, all appointments are
cancelled. I drink cocoa and call it a
day.
Acting A Fool
When I visited America last summer, I needed a haircut. As I
sat in the chair with a woman behind me giving me a trim, a song popped into my
head. Naturally, I just started singing it aloud. It took about five seconds to
realize that A. breaking into song is not normal and B. the lady cutting my
hair was staring at me strangely in the mirror. I have stopped learning how to
censor my weirdness in Ethiopia and I like it. I have learned to embrace
being different from everyone else in my town (probably a little too much).
This means I will sing on the street. Have little conversations with myself.
Say hello to animals. Stutter step around crazy people to confuse them. The
worst is when I see someone I know while walking down the street. I cannot
count how many times I have thought, “Oh no! Did 'blah blah blah’ see me doing
something crazy?”
Zero cares about
cleanliness
Once again, because I am so different, I can get away with
doing anything. I have stopped caring about being clean. And this is not to say
I am a filthy, stinky person. I never allow myself to get too dirty. But being
clean and showering on a regular basis is no longer a priority. Wearing a shirt
for five days in a row is standard. Baby wipes are good enough to pass for a
decent shower. Ethiopians are not a dirty people. I am not modeling their
behavior and my lack of cleanliness has no correlation to the level of cleanliness
of people living here. It’s just me. I have no one to impress. I have embraced that classic Peace Corps
Volunteer stereotype.
Camaraderie and
Uniqueness
It is fun to meet other Volunteers and reminisce about our
different experiences. This can go two ways: 1. Meeting another Volunteer or
expat in Ethiopia. There is an unspoken understanding that allows us to be
friends. We have lived through a lot of the same things. These are the people
that can understand my PC experience better than anyone back home will ever be
able to no matter how much I try to explain. 2. Meeting another PC Volunteer
who served in different country. We can be a world apart but our experiences
are so similar. The issues we face, the way we talk, the acronyms we use all
boil down to a sense of family, even if you’ve only just met him or her. It is
a fun community to be a part of, and actually, only gets better once you leave.
Silly Ridiculous
Stuff
One of the best parts about living in a foreign country is
that it is well, foreign. Things happen that are so out of the ordinary you
cannot help but laugh. When the little girl on my compound yells at a monkey because
it is stealing food scraps, I love this place a little more. When I have to
chase a chicken out of my house, it gets a little harder to leave. The other
day, I was walking down my road. About 30 yards away, I saw a dog happily
walking towards me. He had a little strut going and if a dog can smile, he was
doing it. I watched as he came towards me with a smile on my own face. As he
got closer, I noticed he had something in his mouth. Ah ha! This dog found some
meat; it is a good day for him. As we crossed paths, we looked at each other. He
didn’t exactly have a nice piece of meat in his mouth. It was a hoof. He was
strutting by carrying a hoof in his mouth. That will never happen back in
America, and it makes me a little sad.
Coffee
I have chronicled how much I love Ethiopian coffee. A majority of one of my suitcases will be coffee
when I fly back to America. My goal for the next week is to see how much coffee
the human body can withstand.
Lifestyle
I have mentioned in passing that I have not been able to do
as much work as I would have hoped for due to a variety of reasons. There are
some benefits to that though. I was able to read 50 books during the last two
years. I watched some classic movies and TV shows. I travelled around midweek when there was no work. I sat at cafés for 2 hours on weekdays reading,
simply because I could. I have had time to reflect on myself and my future
plans. I have learned to find self worth in small little tasks. All these
things would not have been possible had I been working a traditional full time
job.
Generosity
I packed up my house 6 days ago. Once I did that, I was no
longer able to cook any food for myself. I have not missed a meal. I have been
invited into to people’s homes and offered as much food and coffee as I desire.
This is just the latest example of two years filled with generosity. During my
first three months, I lived with a host family who treated me better than I
could have hoped. They welcomed me into their home and provided me with
everything I could have needed. Upon moving to Asella, coworkers and strangers
alike where happy to help in any way if it meant I would be more “settled
in”. Friends like Abel and Tilahun have welcomed me into their homes and family
more times than I can count. And truth be told, I am not that unique. Peace
Corps Volunteers are not the only ones who get this generous treatment.
Ethiopians share what they have with family, friends, and neighbors constantly
and without thought.
Friends and family
(Ethiopian and American)
One of the hardest parts of my entire Peace Corps service
has been saying goodbye to so many different people over the last few weeks. For
the Ethiopians here, it is pretty self-explanatory. They are amazing people and
I will miss them. I owe my positive experience to them and they were the
difference between staying and going. And though I am going back to America, in
a weird way, I will miss the unique relationships I’ve had with family and
friends while away. It will be amazing to see them in 8 days, but through the
process of letter writing and monthly Skype calls, I feel like I have gotten to
know a different side of a lot of people. When you are writing a
letter, you have to fill up the space. If you don’t have a topic, you don’t
know what might come out. And let me tell you, really interesting things come
out.
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