Preparation: A Part of the Family!

Epiphany, called Timket in Amharic, is a very big Orthodox holiday in Ethiopia.  It is in honor of the baptism of Jesus, and it is greatly celebrated.  In Mezezo, on Tuesday night the celebration began as the Orthodox Priests walked from the church to a river (about half a mile total), carrying the Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant, which is adorned in elegant cloth.  Other than Timket, the Tabot rarely leaves the church and so it is a very special procession and event.  The Priests walked the entire distance from the church to the river on 3 carpets; each was rolled out and the Priests walked to the end, and then it was rolled and brought to the front, quite an impressive assembly line! The same thing was done the next afternoon when the priests proceeded back to the church. At the river there was chanting and drumming, and the priests stayed there overnight.  Several hundred of the Mezezo community members, including me, participated in the procession.

Dressed in white for the occasion!

Rolling the carpet for the procession!

The procession

People dress all in white for this beautiful celebration, wearing cultural clothing, and carrying candles as they walk and chant.  I arrived in Ethiopia last year one week before Timket, and experienced Timket in Addis while dealing with culture shock and adjusting to being away from family, and so it was neat to experience it again one year later, now that I have a better understanding of both the culture and the language and am settled in Ethiopia and consider it my second home.

Wednesday was not only Timket holiday, but also the two-year mark after my compound Dad’s wife passed away.  Funeral ceremonies are an important part of Ethiopian culture, and two years after someone passes away is one of the several times after someone passes away that there is a large gathering of family and friends. Meat stews called “wot” and the national food injera were prepared, along with homemade beer, bread, and coffee.

My work space!

Let me back up and say that I am so continually grateful for and blessed by the people I am surrounded with in Ethiopia.  They are always helping and assisting me in every way; inviting me for meals, surprising me with fresh injera at my door, making sure I have water stored in my room in my jerry can, etc..  It was so wonderful to be able to help in even the smallest of ways this time around.  The preparations began Tuesday, as alongside several other women I cut onions for about an hour and a half.  The amount of onions in total that were cut by all the women filled the bucket that I “shower” in, and then some (CRAZY!).

Along with my landlord’s children (who are similar in age to me) who came to Mezezo for the occasion, I helped with various tasks for both the holiday and the funeral gathering.  The quantity of food was incredible; for some perspective, two pots of “wot” aka stew were made. Each pot is about 2 feet deep and 3 feet in diameter, and full to the brim!!! It was all prepared over wood fires! More than 200 injera were made, and two massive barrels of homemade beer were prepared. 

One of the MASSIVE pots, this one is half full of onions!

The women that I worked with had a great system down; our duties in order, were as follows:

• ·      Notice when someone arrives and bring them a mug and fill it with tela (homemade local beer)
• ·      Bring that guest a plate and a tray of injera, and then come back with two pots of the different types of “wot” and serve them
• ·      A few minutes later bring more injera to the guest and insist they add more, and then do the same with the wot
• ·      Continually refill their tela
• ·      When the guest finishes eating, take their plate, and return with soap and a bucket and pitcher and pour the water for them so they can wash their hands
• ·      Repeat 100+ times as guests come, keeping in mind it gets tricky because it is like singing a “round” (think Row, Row, Row Your Boat), because guests arrive at different times and so we had to be very perceptive and aware!
• ·      Outside, two women were washing plates and cups, since there were only about 50 of each, and so this was a continual job

Throughout the night more than 100 people came and ate dinner and drank local beer, and then it was all repeated the next day as people came for breakfast and for dinner. I once again had the opportunity to help out and be a “waitress,” in addition to roasting, grinding, and making coffee for the neighbors.   

It was such a special day and one that I won’t forget, and one thing that my compound Dad said that I will always remember, as I was helping peel potatoes with other women, is “Lije balemuya nat,” which means my daughter is professional! He considers me his daughter and I can’t tell you how much it means to me that I was able to be a part of this very important day.  I truly feel that I am a part of his family and I love them dearly.  I have always felt so welcome here in Ethiopia and in Mezezo, but I can now truly say I am part of a family here.

Part of the beautiful celebration, with a foggy backdrop!

Traveling to Tanzania

I had the opportunity to explore another part of Africa and spent 6 days in Tanzania over Christmas, along with a few fellow Ethiopia Peace Corps Volunteers.  It was the first Christmas I spent away from home, and I got to spend it on the sandy beaches of Bongoyo Island, swimming in the Indian Ocean, and eating fresh prawns and the most delicious mangoes I’ve ever had.  It was an unbelievable experience, seeing wonderful sights and experiencing a new place and culture.

Bongoyo island for Christmas!!

On a three-day safari in Mikumi National ParkI saw lions, giraffes, elephants (including a 2 day old baby!), impala, water buffalo, wart hogs, monkeys, hippos, crocodiles, a variety of birds and zebras, all in their natural environment! I got to watch the sun set behind trees where a lion and lioness were resting; such majestic animals and a picture perfect evening  We also went on a 5 hours hike to a waterfall, where we got to swim in it at the top; a truly unforgettable and amazing experience!  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I shall stop here and let you experience some of the breathtaking sites for yourself.

The entrance to Mikumi National Park, where we saw all of the wonderful animals!

A magnificent sight; a lion roaring at sunset while the cubs sleep under a tree.

The wonderful view from our safari car (ps this photo is untouched!)

Zebras and giraffes mingling together!

2 day old baby elephant!!

I finally got the guts to jump off a tall rock into the water!

The whole group on our hike to the waterfall!

Tanzania is beautiful, the people and the bright colored clothing, as well as the lush green scenery.  It is very different from Ethiopia,. For example, we didn’t see even one donkey our whole time there, because machines and other equipment are used to carry and transport wood, etc.. and do farm work.  In contrast, in Ethiopia I see dozens of donkeys daily, carrying hay, wood, grains, charcoal, water and more on their backs.  They are essential to life in rural Ethiopia. It was really neat and eye opening to see a different African culture and country!  In Tanzania I also noticed more people riding bikes, and the houses were mostly made of brick instead of wood, mud, dung and tin as they are in Ethiopia. 

Some of the beautiful fabric found in Tanzania!

The week of vacation was refreshing and relaxing and one that I’ll never forget.

What a Wonderful Year!

Well, one year into my Peace Corps adventure, I can truly say I’ve fallen in love with Ethiopia.  The people, culture, food, scenery; it is all so beautiful and incredible.  And I think perhaps injera (the national food, a spongy pancake like food you use to pick up different “wots” aka stews, lentils, etc.. and eat them with your right hand) has an addictive quality, as it feels “off” if I don’t eat it for at least one meal a day!  It is made from t’ef, a highly nutritious and TINY grain. After 12 months in Ethiopia, I feel like I truly belong here.

An evening of coffee with my wonderful landlady, Zenebech.

Well, what have I learned this past year? I have learned so much that it is hard to know where to start. It really is nearly impossible to put this experience into words, it has been so powerful, challenging, exciting and rewarding at the same time.

Scenes such as seeing a man carry a sheep on his shoulders, or seeing someone balancing dozens of injera on their head as they walk down the street have become commonplace.  My 4x6 meter room feels like home, and washing clothes by hands has become a rather soothing and meditative activity.

Life here is so beautiful, yet as I look around me life is so very difficult.  Grains are bought at the market, after families in the rural areas spend weeks and months of hard work plowing with oxen, and harvesting by hand.  Then the grains are dried in the sun, sifted and sorted, and then either ground or roasted, based on what the desired product is.  Grass grows very tall during the rainy season (about June-September), and then it is all cut BY HAND using a sickle, and then bundles and sold, to use as animal feed or to cover the dirt floors in houses, or as a decoration during coffee ceremonies. Tree branches, wood, grass, hay, and more, are all carried on people’s backs each morning, as the sun is rising and the fog is settling in Mezezo..  I see this each morning as I run along the dirt road in Mezezo, greeting the people I pass and looking at them in awe and with much respect. Food is prepared using charcoal.  I think a new joke should be how many foreigners does it take to start a charcoal stove? The answer is at least 8; at a Thanksgiving celebration with several volunteers the power was out, and so we prepared all the food using charcoal stoves, and after a good 30 minutes we pushed aside our pride and asked the neighbor, who like a pro graciously started the fire for us.  

Highlights of my time here include the smallest interactions that really make a lasting impact.  Hearing children yelling “Hana, Hana” as I walk down the road (including about a 2 year old baby, which is absolutely priceless), singing the “Hokey Pokey” with the English club that I help lead as we all are smiling and laughing, listening to Adele’s new album with my best friend Hibist and humming along, and evenings spent without power drinking coffee by candlelight with my compound family, making turkey hands with students and having them explain in English what things they are thankful for, explaining to the Health Center staff what a zucchini is (they grew well in the garden)and how to cook them.  These experiences are ones I will never forget, and my family and friends in Mezezo have already had a lasting impact on me and teach me so very much each day.  Running in the Great Ethiopian Run, the largest road race in Africa was another great memory from the past year.

English Club!

Our Thanksgiving dinner, prepared on charcoal stoves; beets and carrots, mashed sweet potatoes and cabbage!

The Great Ethiopian Run start line!

Related to work, one of the most rewarding experiences has been helping to lead Grassroot Soccer, a curriculum designed to teach HIV/AIDS education through sports and games.  At the high school, with groups of 30 students, my counterpart Aman and I teach the students for 1-2 hours a day.  It is incredible to see them come out of their shyness and speak up about the topic, and stay after to play soccer together.  We do team cheers, funny “ice breaker activities”, and if we need comic relief I will show them my attempt at Ethiopian dance (for reference google Ethiopian Amhara Region dancing; it is all about the shoulders..)  HIV/AIDS is such an important topic to discuss, but it can be a difficult topic to address and through Grassroot Soccer, we are able to cross the bridge of stigma and address the difficult topic and hopefully share lasting knowledge to the students.

Using Grassroot Soccer to teach about HIV/AIDS at the primary school.

Teaching Grassroot Soccer with my counterpart, Aman.

Some of the English club members reading a Children's book
(very special for them, because Children's books do not exist here)

I originally was going to write a “Day in the Life” article, but then I realized that would be impossible. Each day here is unpredictable, equal parts challenging and rewarding.  I have learned though that everything always works out, and it is important to not try and ensure that it does, simply let it happen.  Do not panic if you are two minutes late to meet the students, or if you do not have the right materials (the Health Center staff proved this point by making a hand washing station for materials all found in the trash); take a step back, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and it will all work out.

I cannot believe I only have a little over a year left in Mezezo. It feels and is much too short.  I can’t think about leaving my family and friends here, so instead I will focus on the exciting plans ahead; continuing Grassroot Soccer, beginning nutrition classes for mothers at the Health Center, continuing with English Club for primary school students where songs like the “Hokey Pokey” and “Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes” leave us all laughing and smiling as we walk home, spontaneous opportunities to teach students or give health presentations at the Primary School, and last but not least show my friends how to make smores.

Hibist thoroughly enjoyed her first smore!

In Peace Corps there is a phrase that says we plant trees under whose shade we will never sit, meaning we generally won’t see the impact of the work that we do here. But on the other hand everyday I learn so many valuable lessons, meet great people who have ad continue to teach me so much and have wonderful conversations that will be with me forever and have so many memorable experiences that it is beyond worth it.  

My best friend Hibist and her dad Mamo, who is like my Ethiopian father!

My Ethiopian family who Love dearly!