Addis Ababa and a Homestay in Butajira

Here we are, in Peace Corps training in Ethiopia! The first 10 days were spent at a King's Hotel in the capital, Addis Ababa. We had trainings every day we were there, including Saturday. On Sunday, we had a mandatory visit to a museum and a market for half the day and then had the rest of the day off. One half day off in 10 days. Welcome to pre-service training! :) “We own you,” our smiling country director said on our first day in country. Never were truer words spoken.

During our time in Addis, we learned about Peace Corps policies, basic TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) strategies, the things that are going to make us sick and how to prevent that from happening, basic training in the main local language (Amharic), and safety and security. We did a lot of group work, listened to a lot of lectures with power point presentations and were given a break every couple of hours for shy-buna (tea/coffee break) or lunch. We also got a bunch of vaccinations and started taking malaria medication.

training room at King's Hotel

We didn't have a lot of free time in Addis, but we did get to go out for dinner on our own most days and had our guided sight seeing day on Sunday. At the museum we went to on Sunday, we got to see Lucy's bones from over three million years ago, as well as some local art and cultural clothing and tools.

The hotel was nice and I loved having a hot shower every night but we're learning so much more about Ethiopia by actually living with an Ethiopia family in our home stay. We moved in with our host family a week ago today in Butajira (3 hours south of Addis Ababa). I was a bit worried about living with strangers but already, just a week in, I feel like family. Ethiopians are some of the most hospitable, kind, and giving people in the world. I feel so lucky to have landed here.

our road and our compound doors on the left

Our host mom, Etagu, and host dad, Tadesse, are both so wonderful. They are taking such good care of us! Ethiopian food is so good and I'm never hungry. Etagu is always encouraging us to eat more; it's the Ethiopian way to show you care. I've been able to help with some cooking but am not allowed to clean anything but our room. Today, Etagu is going to teach us how to hand wash our laundry.

We have training six days a week, 8-5:30 Monday through Friday and 8-12:30 on Saturday. The days are full and we're learning a lot. I'm really enjoying learning Amharic and can now great people using multiple sayings at any time of the day. Greetings are a huge part of the culture here! 

Before we left for the airport in DC, our staging coordinator told us to fall in love with Ethiopia as fast as we can. I thought it would be hard to love, but I was wrong. I love it here already.     

Staging in Washington DC

Getting ready for the Peace Corps entails an official stop for Staging. Staging is when we got to meet our fellow volunteers in our group for the first time, which was nerve-racking and fun simultaneously. We also got additional information about what we would be doing our first few days in Ethiopia and all the logistical details about actually getting to Ethiopia.

Our staging was held in Washington DC and it was cool to be able to explore the capital a bit. We went to the White House the night we arrived, just in time for the beautiful evening light.

The next day we started at the Capitol building and made our way down to the Lincoln Memorial, stopping at a couple Smithsonian museums, the Washington Monument, and the Vietnam Memorial. Most of the most popular sights are in the same area, which made it really easy to see a lot of stuff in a short time. It was June, so it was hot and humid, but it was worth it to see all the iconic buildings and monuments I've heard so much about throughout my life. I felt so American!!

Julia Child's kitchen

Lincoln's hat

Next stop: Ethiopia!!!

Two Months Until Ethiopia

Photo by Ohnsoon Kim

Blogging has been on the back burner so far in 2014 but it's about to pick up in a big way. In just two (TWO!) months we'll be in Ethiopia! On to a new country we will go. I'll be ready to explore and I'll be sharing all my field notes here, of course. Until then, here are some updates.

Some good news from the Peace Corps: I'm medically cleared! Yahoo! :D I'm so happy. I would hate to bore you with the details, but getting medically cleared took a lot of trips to multiple doctors and lots of money. I'm so glad it's over!

Two months seems so close but in the meantime, if you want to learn more about Ethiopia and the Peace Corps presence there, I would recommend this website. It's run by the Peace Corps staff in Ethiopia and has lots of good information. They really did a nice job on it, don't you think?

I feel like I'm constantly preparing for all the changes coming up. Mentally, I'm ready. I'm so ready to go! But physically, I still have a lot to do! Here's my to-do list:

• Whittle down my wardrobe, once again (I always re-assess my clothes before moving) and possibly adding some new pieces when I get back to California (yay, for cheap American prices!)
• Study Amharic. There are some free lessons online and Peace Corps told us to start if we had time. The alphabet is super daunting with over 200 characters to memorize! I need flashcards. 
• Eating as much western food as I possibly can, mostly Mexican food.
• Hugging my family and friends in California when we go visit in June. Can't wait to see everyone! :)
• Taxes for both the US and Australia. (Ugh) 
• Enjoying Australia as much as possible during this last month. This is such a great place and I'm so happy we took the opportunity to live here. Enjoying Australia also includes our trip to the Great Barrier Reef! I'm so stoked!!
• Of course, the inevitable packing up everything here in Australia, visiting our storage unit in California, packing up things for Ethiopia. Pack, unpack, pack. This is my life. 

P.S. The photo above is from the Peace Corps Ethiopia website. 

Reaction to a Peace Corps Invitation

After we got our official Peace Corps invitation to Ethiopia in January (yay!), I was really focused on all things Peace Corps. I wrote an aspiration statement, all about how I'm going to be a great volunteer and adjust well to a new culture. I took official Peace Corps safety courses online. Spencer and I went to numerous doctor/dentist appointments to prove that we are indeed healthy humans. We visited the American consulate in Sydney to apply for our special Peace Corps passports. We've filled out and uploaded tons of paperwork. I checked out every book even remotely related to Ethiopia from our little, one-room local library (photo above, from my Instagram feed) I read blogs of people currently or formerly serving in Ethiopia. And then, I kind of took a break from it all (besides the doctor appointments...those seem to be never ending).

As I was reading yet another blog post about a Peace Corps Volunteer's frustrations with public transportation in Ethiopia, I realized I've done enough research. I felt like I was learning too much from other people's perspectives. I'm ready to experience it myself. Too much more information and I would be bringing prejudices and preconceived notions. I don't want to do that; I want my mind to be open. I know basics about the country, some history, and I know of a few cool places I'd like to travel to. That's enough for now. All the books went back to the library.

Since then, I'm trying to focus more on the present. We only have a couple months left in Sydney (where did the time go??!) and I want to enjoy it. So I made a commitment to myself to live in the moment as much as I possibly can. I sip leisurely at my coffee at trendy cafes on the weekends. I appreciate the architecture in CBD while I ride by on reliable (for the most part) public transportation. I enjoy the weather when I take the boys I babysit to the park. I wear short skirts, shorts, and sleeveless tops and appreciate that I can. I eat Mexican food and drink margaritas and savor every last mouthful.

It's strange to think that in a few months, I'll be Ethiopia and nearly everything in my day to day life will be different. To avoid the disappointment associated with the phrase "I just didn't expect it to be like this," I'm trying to find balance between being sufficiently prepared and not expecting anything. Instead of thinking about one scenario for what I think life will be like in Ethiopia, I try to think of as many as I can. Or I just don't think of any and go get a coffee. :) I'm trying to live in the present, remember?  

Peace Corps Ethiopia

We have officially received and accepted our invitation to serve in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia!! I can't even begin to describe all the emotions I feel about this. We will be leaving for Ethiopia at the end of June, but have plenty to do until then! Now, we have to get a "Final Medical Clearance" which involves going to doctor's offices to validate our good health and getting immunizations. Also, we need to go to the US Embassy here in Australia to get our Peace Corps passports.  

As to what we will be doing in Ethiopia, our program is called "Promoting English Language Learning in Ethiopia (PELLE)" and our title is "English Language Facilitator". We will be working with Ethiopian English language teachers in high schools or at a teacher's college. We won't know which until we are actually there. 

From early July to mid-September, we'll be in "pre-service training" in Ethiopia where we'll learn about Ethiopian culture, the local language, how to do basic tasks in Ethiopia (like shop for food, hand wash clothing, and take a bucket shower), and receive training on teaching English as a foreign language. During training, we'll be living with an Ethiopian family as part of a homestay. After pre-service training, we'll take a language test and then we will be sworn in as official Peace Corps Volunteers! After the swearing in ceremony, we'll move to our "site" which is where we will be living for the following two years. 

I"m so looking forward to this opportunity and can't wait to learn more about Ethiopia and its people. I've been interested in international aid work and sustainable development for a long time and am excited at the prospect of being able to get some real world experience in this area. I can hardly wait for the adventures to come!  

Where exactly is Ethiopia?? Here you go.

   

Applying to the Peace Corps

The Peace Corps is something I've wanted to do for a long time but things always came up so I waited. Now, there is no more waiting. Spencer and I have applied for the Peace Corps!

The application process is long and currently it's a lot of paperwork and a lot of waiting.

We submitted our applications online and a few weeks later a recruiter contacted us to set up an interview. Our interview was over 3 hours long(!), we did well and received a nomination from our recruiter. Yay!

A nomination basically means we passed the interview and our recruiter (who is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, herself) thinks we would be good volunteers. We filled out more paperwork, got fingerprinted, and are now waiting to hear from a Placement Officer who will (hopefully!) place us in a program somewhere in the world.

It's a very exciting time!! But it's also filled with weeks of no news and lots of waiting time but it's okay because we get to spend the meantime exploring Australia, which is an adventure in itself!