Stop and Smell the Roses

Each morning I have been running along the dirt road in Mezezo at 6 am, as the sun is rising as people are beginning to move around the town, wearing gabis (large thick white scarves/blankets with colorful patters on the edges).  For the past three weeks I have had a companion join me, a 15-year-old girl who expressed interest after seeing me running in the mornings.  I am so happy to have a running partner and it has been a great experience! She has shown me new places and taken me to incredible overlooks, where we are surrounded by mountains and rolling hills, with the rising sun as a backdrop.  She speaks no English, and so it has also been a valuable experience of practicing my language skills and trying to avoid miscommunications such as where and when we will meet (especially since the time here is 6 hours later than “ferenji” or American time!).

Hibist and me!

The beautiful mountain and tree backdrop of Mezezo!

One morning we stopped in an open field and picked roses; this was a great reminder of the importance of slowing down and enjoying the small moments and not rushing through. It was also entertaining to try to explain in Amharic that my middle name is rose, especially because people here do not have middle names!  As someone who used to compete in running at the college level, running has been something I tend to be competitive about, focusing on pace and distance.  Running with my new friend has taught me how running is also a way to build relationships, see new sights, and appreciate what is around you. 

On the work front, I experienced a challenging commute, as with my counterpart we walked 70 minutes each direction up and down rocky hills (serious hills), to deliver ringworm medicine and hand washing lessons to students.  I also came to find out that when a pregnant woman is ready to have her baby she is carried on a wooden stretcher that whole distance that we walked, by 4 men, so that she can get a bus to the Health Center. This was very eye opening for me.  The next week I went with my counterpart and two health extension workers to a very rural area as they gave vaccinations to infants and did home visits.  We walked for about seven hours and climbed over rocks and branches, and I was in awe at how hard the work of these health extension workers is.  Note: The healthcare system/foundation in Ethiopia involves health extension workers in each small town, which act as links between the health center and the community.  They know the community members and focus on education and prevention.  It is a very neat system!  The rural houses are extremely far apart, and also extremely far from the health center so the health extension workers go to the homes, carrying vaccinations in a cooler, winding down mountains, crossing streams, and more.  As we arrived back in town at 6 pm we were all very exhausted, but it was a valuable and humbling day.

Where we walked all day, as the HEWs delivered vaccinations!

Two wonderful HEWs with the vaccination cooler which was carried across the mountain!

For the past few weeks I have been working on collecting data for and writing a Community Needs Assessment, which is a comprehensive document that highlights Mezezo, including its resources and assets and also challenges and barriers.  It will help guide the work that I do in Mezezo and help me to identify future projects.  I have learned so much from talking with community members, collecting data, and talking with community elders about the history of Mezezo.  There is no written history of Mezezo, only word of mouth.  I look forward to being able to present this CNA to the community when it is complete!