Speech at the Embassy!

Here is the English version of the speech I gave today: I luckily also have a video of the Amharic version that I know I will enjoy looking back at during or after service to see how my language skills progress!

                 

First of all I want to say congratulations to each of you: together we made it through PST!  Weeks full of technical training, learning how to wash our clothes by hand, giving and receiving gorsha, and of course learning a new language.  We have been faced with a new environment and culture, away from our friends and families back home, and every day there were challenges and experiences that required us to adapt and respond.  I want to share a quote a fellow volunteer shared with me:

“Tis not the strongest of species that survive nor the most intelligent but the most responsive to change.” 

This is an empowering message to keep with us as tomorrow we spread out throughout Ethiopia and each day will adapt and respond to situations and to our environments. 

From talking with you all I think a lot of us, myself included came to Ethiopia thinking we had a lot to offer and teach- and while this is true, I have discovered how much there is to learn from the people of Ethiopia.  Three lessons (of many) that we have learned during our time in PST from the people of Ethiopia: people-to-people connection, hospitality, and patience.  Buna ceremonies, being welcomed into everyone’s homes, and our compound families being patient as we ask their names ten times o day one.  Each of these lessons have made us stronger and better people.

Now I want to take the opportunity to say a few thank you’s: First of all, to the Peace Corps Staff: Thank you for your ongoing support, help and expertise.  To the Language and Cultural Facilitators: You are all incredible teachers, friends, and people, and some of the most patient people we know: A huge thank you for all of your time and hard work!  To each of you in G12: Best of luck at your site! I feel lucky to be a part of this G12 family!  Thank you for everything you have done during PST.

A final word and thought to leave you with: Endurance.  Step by step and little by little we will endure challenges placed in our paths and at the same time we will celebrate the successes (no matter how big or small)! When we are feeling overwhelmed or like we are alone—remember that although we each have our own Peace Corps path, we are all in this together! In the words of Chad, although he said he cannot take credit for the phrase, “Gobez of Go Home!”

                

In 12 hours I leave for the three hour bus ride to my new home in Mezezo.  It will be a hard transition, once again saying goodbye to a family I have made; but I will use the strength gained during PST as well as all the support and love of my family and friends across the world: A sincere thank you to each of you!  Internet will be nonexistent for the next 8 weeks, until I return to Addis on June 8th for more training.  However I will journal and take good note of the happenings so I can fully report afterward!  My address will be changing and will become a permanent PO Box at my new site in about 2 weeks, and so I will post my new address when possible.   Much love to all!!!

Izosh: Stay Strong.

The past three months have flown by.  Full of goodbyes at home, coming to Addis, moving to Butajira and meeting my host family.  Now we are at a turning point in service where we will be sworn in as PCVs on Friday and then move to our sites.

What a whirlwind the past two weeks in Butajira have been.  I am writing this blog in Addis, after a full weekend of finishing technical training, studying, taking the final language exam, savoring every last moment with my host family, and finally a tear-filled and emotional goodbye to my host mom, dad, sister and brothers.

My sister and one of my brothers, on my last night in Butajira.  Savoring every moment and
remembering the wonderful memories we made together!

Our group (G12) was the 4^th and final group to be in Butajira for Pre-Service Training (PST), so saying goodbye was extra hard and emotional for the whole community of Butajira.  I can’t express my feelings thoroughly in Amharic, but even just sitting next to my mom for 20 minutes before the bus left was so powerful and a final hug with tears streaming down our faces expressed how we both felt even though we could not tell each other using words. 

Last weekend, Camp DREAM was a success.  After an evening of biblical rains, which didn’t subside until 6:50 am, prospects were looking a little dreary, but lo and behold we had at the high point of the day 65 kids at our camp.  A highlight of the day was a jeopardy game with WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), nutrition, and prevention topics, where all 65 children were on the edge of their seats eager to answer each question.  They were so excited to be learning and participating!

Camp DREAM Participants making an aspiration puzzle!

My sister and one of her friends, two of the great camp participants!

Speaking of biblical rains, a very memorable evening was when I was in town with some friends and then it began to rain, then it began to REALLY RAIN.  We were a 30-minute walk from home, and after standing under a store awning for 5 minutes debating the best mode of attack, we wrapped ourselves in our scarves, and then made a run/speed walk for it (Jennie: classic walk jog scenario!).  Running through dirt roads with 6 inches of water, while carrying a heavy bag and getting pummeled with a crazy amount of rain was very memorable! As I arrived home and walked through the gate, there was a good foot of water, and the power was out so I wrung out my clothes by headlamp and attempted to dry off. 

I got to experience an Ethiopian birthday celebration, as my brother turned 10 last week.  We had a full spread of biscuits, bananas, bread, and some fasting pastries that I found in town.  In the Ethiopian Orthodox church people fast, meaning that they do not eat any animal products for about 200 days a year, and the longest consecutive fast is the 40 days leading up to Easter.  Therefore luckily the bakeries in town make baked goods that have no animal products!  We sang Happy birthday in Amharic and English, took a lot of photos, gave gifts, and then talked and laughed as we enjoyed the delicious spread of food.

Flashback to the title of this blog: Izosh.  This a phrase frequently said in Ethiopia, and in Amharic it essentially means “stay strong.” It is used in various situations, including if someone trips or falls, or if someone is tired from doing work all day, among many other situations.  As I said my final goodbye to my family, this word (Izo for males, Izosh for females) was said to us, and to remind us to stay strong amidst the distance and that we will always be family no matter how far away.  My last night in Butajira was truly perfect, spent at home eating dinner outside, playing cards, exchanging gifts, and enjoying a buna ceremony and talking until 10:30 PM.  It is truly surreal that PST is over, and by this time next week I will be moved into my new home, in Mezezo. 

My time in Butajira was truly invaluable.  I learned so much from my host family, about Ethiopian culture, how to make Ethiopian food, how to make buna (coffee), and most importantly I gained incredible friendships and a new family.   The relationships and people-to-people connections I made taught me about hospitality, friendship, and patience.  Saying goodbye was so hard, but another volunteer reminded me of a quote that says that when goodbyes are hard it means that there was truly something meaningful and special.

In other news, these are the new foods I’ve tried recently;

• ·      Shankora (Sugar Cane): Imagine something that looks like bamboo but purplish/pinkish on the outside about 1.5 inches in diameter, and on the inside is lots of fibers that you chew on and suck on, and then spit out.  It is messy, but wonderfully sweet and delicious, as well as crisp and refreshing.
• ·      Kocho  (A “bread-like” thing made from false banana leaf): The pulp is scraped out of the big stem and the leaves, and then are buried in the ground for 3 months and then the very fermented mash is pulled out of the ground, and you can make it into a bread or into a porridge, or a powder.  This is a very unique food, with a distinct and it seems to me, acquired flavor.  No offense but I wouldn’t say it is one of my favorite foods.
• ·      Lawz makyato (Peanut butter macchiato): Essentially a creamy peanut butter and espresso concoction that is AMAZING.  Tip: dip a chocolate cookie in it for full effect!

We read an article from the New Yorker called “Slow Ideas.” I would recommend it; it is about the one-on-one, person-to-person method of diffusion/spreading of ideas as it relates to behavior change.  This is essentially the Peace Corps approach, and recent research has shown it to be successful because behavior change requires social norms to change and first there must be a foundation of relationships and trust.  The first three months while I am at site, along with the entire two years, will focus on relationships and getting to know people, in order to person by person try to make a difference.

Spoiler alert: Next up, swear-in ceremony at the US Embassy this Friday, April 3^rd.  We will all go to the US Embassy dressed in our nicest habesha libs (Ethiopian Cultural clothing).  I was selected to give a speech in Amharic at the Embassy, and I will include the English version in my post-swear-in blog!  Well, I suppose I better go practice; it is very humbling to literally be learning how to read again.   As they say here, “Kas ba kas ink’ulal ba igru yihedal,” which s an Amharic proverb that means step by step the egg walks on its own two feet.  The perfect way to describe how I feel about this speech, and about my entire Peace Corps service.

A last look at Butajira: market day. A beautiful day with colorful fruits and vegetables, hundreds of donkey carts, children running around barefoot eating mangoes, against a gorgeous mountain backdrop.

The Final Countdown and Family Photos

It’s hard to believe that a week from Sunday I will be packing up my things, say goodbye to my host family, and be on my way to Addis Ababa for five days, one of which will be the big day: when we will be sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers at the US Embassy (on April 3^rd: PS Happy birthday Brooke!).

There are so many emotions I’m feeling currently: excitement for the adventures that lie ahead at my site, sadness for leaving my host family who I love dearly, feeling anxious about being on my own at my site, far away from all of the great friends I’ve made, and a sense of accomplishment/pride for all that I have learned; (the language, about the culture, related to health, and many other topics) and done during the past ten weeks of PST (pre-service training) in Butajira.  

I had the opportunity to go to church (my host family is Ethiopian Orthodox) with my sister, who is 15, last Sunday.  At 7 am (which is 1 o’clock Ethiopia time) my sister and I, dressed in long skirts and beautiful white net’elas (the traditional thin white scarf, with intricate designs/colored patters on the edges) covering our heads and shoulders, walked along the dirt road to the church.

As we walked, we heard the priest chanting in Ge’ez (the ancient language), because it is amplified on a loud speaker so that people who cannot come to church can still hear.  I live about a five to seven minute walk from Church and while lying in my bed at night at in the morning I can hear the priest chanting.  At church, my sister and I sat on a bench outisde, on the side of the church designated for women.  Each woman was wearing a white net’ela, which covered her head.

My beautiful sister and me in our net’elas, at home, before heading to church.

It was so great to have a cultural exchange with my sister, talking about how my church in Loveland, Colorado both differs and is similar to my sister’s church.  I observed people removing their shoes before entering the church, and children coming out of the church covering their mouths with a scarf, because after receiving comunion children cannot speak until they eat something.  After exiting the church and putting on their shoes, the children would  eat biscuits or dabo (bread) and then they could speak. I also saw women, men, and children bowing before the church, kissing door frames, and one by one, kissing a felt-covered bible (when I saw it was coming toward me, I glanced at my sister, and luckily we know each other so well that just with our eyes communicated that yes I should proceed to do as the others were doing).

Sunday was family photo day, for all the other Peace Corps trainees including myself, because we each were tasked with submitting a family photo to Peace Corps on Monday so it can be framed for our families. Let me preface this by saying that on three of the four walls in the living room, there is a framed 8.5x11 photo of my host family with each of the three previous Peace Corps trainees that they have hosted.  So no pressure, but this picture will be hung on the wall for years to come.

My family wanted to do something different for this photo to make it special and unique, so they decided that we would all wear habesha libs, or the traditional Ethiopian white clothing.   At 9 pm, my sister and I were cooking dinner, because my mom was still at the hair salon, where she had been at for a few hours.  (Come to find out an hour later that because of a power outage, there was a serious backup at the hair salon, so numerous host moms were there until late in the evening waiting their turn); A problem I never even imagined! 

·      Side note: This also affects many/most businesses in town; when the power is out, the photo bet (store) cannot print photos, the juice bet cannot make certain hot beverages, and the printers and other electronics do not function.  When you’re working against unpredictable power outages this gives a whole new meaning to being proactive! However there is something refreshing about going to the photo bet, realizing the power is out so you can’t print photos, and then saying chigger yeullum (no problem) I’ll come back tomorrow and try!

Back at my host home; After a 9:45 pm dinner, the whole family was home and it was time for the infamous family photo. We each put on our nicest habesha libs (My Dad and sister helped me pick out a handmade dress, scarf, and belt that are white with a beautiful, colorful, and intricate Amhara pattern).  This traditional dress is worn on holidays such as Christmas and Easter and also on other special events such as weddings—as you can see the “don’t wear white to a wedding rule does not hold true here!) and gathered in the living room.  The only thing left was to wake up my 10 month old baby brother, and get him into a white shirt to go with the family photo theme.   Ten minutes later, we began our 30-minute photo shoot, with one of my kind neighbors as the photographer. We took many photos in various poses and my family loved taking pictures and eagerly asked to see them after each one was taken.  They were so happy with each photo and seeing the huge smiles on their faces as we did a 10:30 pm family photo shoot in our nicest clothes and my beautiful mom’s hair freshly done, is truly something I’ll never forget. For those of you reading who have family photo stories from back home…  take a moment to walk down memory lane! It was fun to compare this experience to memories I have from family photos 15 years ago when my siblings and I were not exactly thrilled to be taking family photos…maybe some of you can relate..).

My family; they are truly wonderful; I love them!

Making “chili” for my host family was another highlight of the past few weeks.  The “chili” included beans, tomatoes, lentils, cumin, chili powder, potatoes, and garlic and was made in a metal pot on a coal stove, outside.  Culturally in Ethiopia families generally eat off the same plate and do not use utensils, so when I explained that in the States my family has soup often for dinner and we eat out of individual bowls with spoons, this sounded quite strange and foreign, and so we compromised and did one bowl of soup for every two people.  My family was so willing and excited to try this new food/flavor/way of eating and were incredibly gracious.  I should add that the power went out a bit before dinner, and so in the dark, via the light of one candle, we ate our “American chili” and laughed and talked in Amharic.  A fun and memorable evening for sure!

My family before eating “chili” and bread by candlelight!

The Final Countdown in Butajira will (hopefully) include:

• ·      Studying for our final language interview/assessment which is next Sunday
• ·      Laughing and talking in Amharic with my host family, while practicing during buna (coffee) ceremonies
• ·      In a group of seven trainees, finish planning, and then host a day camp for 6^th to 8^th graders, including recruiting students, making a budget, and planning sessions and games
• ·      A birthday party that my mom is having for my 3 siblings and me (doing a combined celebration since my brother’s is next week, mine and my baby brother’s is May 5 and my sister’s is June 5) containing the traditional difo dabo (huge circle loaf of bread that is traditionally made and served for birthdays, candles and all!)
• ·      Fresh mango and avocado juice along with good conversations, with friends

Crater Lake (In Amharic; Haroshetan Hayk) with some of my wonderful fellow trainees: Dash, Jesse, Christine, and Anne! A beautiful and peaceful getaway just a 15 minute bajaj (3 wheeled “car”/means of transportation) outside of town.

Another big thank you to all of my friends and family back home; I miss you and think of you often, and truly would not be here without your love and support!!! I appreciate each of you!