Mid way through PST

            So I’m just now about to hit the mid-way point of PST (Pre Service Training). It has been an interesting time thus far. Two weeks ago we went through Permagarden training which was a blast.

The garden we made was at a local school called Manchiko Millennium Secondary School and it had a campus that reminded me of a small summer camp. Beautiful tree canopy smelling of pine. Though upon entering you would notice thousands of bits of mostly burned paper littering the campus. They don’t have a local trash service nor dump or even recycling so burning is the most common way of dealing with it. Unfortunately all the homework likes to float on the hot air when burned and is scattered everywhere.

            We were all given a pole of wood and a hoe head and told to take them home, whittle and sand it down till the head was snug. I named mine Dilu (victory in Amharic) which happens to be the meaning of Nicole/Nikki, in either Roman or Greek. Can’t really remember which.

            The garden was only 3m² but it took 10 people about 5 hours 6 hr ( 1.5 hr a day) to make. We did a “double dug” style which implies digging a bed up, then digging down a second layer. First clearing the grass them digging four 1ft³ holes in each corner and made a small berm out lining the garden and connecting the holes in order to slow down water and get it to infiltrate the soil. As my teacher explain Ethiopians think they don’t get enough water when in reality they get more than twice as much water than England dose. The problem is it’s all at once and they can’t control it. The garden is designed to catch and store the natural rain instead of letting it hit the hard ground and run off. After that we made a garden bed double dug with space to walk around in order not to compact the soil. The soil was really hard! Even after wetting it down. We dug it down 20 cm which my teacher said saves 6m³ of water. Each time it rains. A garden like this only needs water once or twice a week. Finally we planted seeds, using perennial herbs for the berm and maize and carrots for the beds. Intercropped. The soil was all amended with egg shells coffee grounds, pot ash and coal dust locally found.

            During the week our work brought quite a few local on lookers and I felt that even though the training was for us maybe they could pick it up too!

            At the end of that week we all had a special trip to Lake Langano. A beautiful resort spot on the edge of a crystal brown lake! The lake is the only lake that doesn’t carry Schitsoma (not sure how to spell that) in it due to not being habitable to the snail vector. You might say “it’s so dirty it’s clean”.

            We spent the day relaxing by the lake, getting tan, drinking drinks three times the normal price, wishing we had hamburgers and playing tug of war, water Frisbee and water monkey (tota) in the middle even! An altogether good day, and likely the last time I’ll swim in the next two years.

            This last week we spent learning about tree nursery’s pruning, grafting and propagation. The pruning was especially fun, there’s nothing quite so stress relieving as going out and hacking off limbs! The grafting was a bit nerve wracking though. I was surprised they let up cut up 60 tree seedlings in hopes we did it right. Even a good grafting has a good chance of failing, and we were all new to it. But it’s a good thing to try your hand on, watching is not the same. Later we went to the gorge in kebele 1 to plant tree seeds in a nursery bed we made out of wood poles hay and poly pots (plastic tubes). Again we attracted a crowd this time mostly children. When it came time to planting seedlings they helped us dig the holes which we were very grateful for.

            The gorge itself is a beautiful place that many volunteers go hiking in, the river on the bottom attracts a lot of wild life as a result I saw a bunch of small monkeys (totaoch). This made my day as I had kept hearing about them but hadn’t seen them. I’ve now seen them a few times including my back yard, but they tend to be in the gorge which is a 40 min walk from my house. I intend to go hiking in the gorge eventually, but I’m a bit lazy I guess, I use my weekend for napping and reading.

            Friday was a supper interesting day as we were all sent out to farmer training centers and conducted a 4 hour training. The idea was to get them to do PACA tools, which are tools for assessing community needs. We were supposed to teach what they were than have the farmers do them, and by the end we would decide on a training we would conduct the next time we came in a month from now. I facilitated the yearly calendar (with aid of translator of course) and helped with daily schedule and priority ranking. After we returned to Butijira and was supposed to work of developing a 80 minute class of trees for children which we will also facilitate in a few weeks.

            This Saturday was a bit stressful as we had a mock LPI, which is a language assessment test. I get very nervous on assessments and forget many words that I would normally use easily. However I was surprised I had a 15 minute conversation! Admittedly it consisted of “I like pizza. I like Mexican food” And “I went to the hotel. After I went home. After I ate dinner”. But I was also able to introduce myself occupation age and marital status, followed by those of my family members. All in all I think it’s a good start. I’ll find out how I did later this week. By the end of PST I have to be at intermediate mid. I think I’m only novice high but I might be novice low, not sure.

            The next 2 weeks are highly anticipated. For one we will find out how we did in the LPI test, and will be reassigned language teachers in order to learn different accents and to adjust based on learning speeds. But more exciting is that we get to learn our final site placement on Wednesday! So far I have no idea if I’ll be in Amhara region or SNNPR (which is the Region Butijira is located. The regions are VER different from each other. SNNPR is like a rain forest in most places, has over 40 different dialects and has tribes that still attract national geographic due to their isolation. Amhara is very deforested and mountainous, is influenced more heavily from the western world though still largely rural and agricultural. So this place meant will decide a lot for me. And if learning the site isn’t exciting enough, the following week we will be visiting the sites! I will be there alone, with minimal skills for a week! Not sure I’m ready for this but I’ll have to go there eventually. I’m both excited and nervous.

           

Things I want:

            Mail, I want to hear from people back home.

            Pictures of family.

            Movies and music.

            Macaroni and cheese, hot chocolate packets, cookie mix, pancake mix, cake mix, stuff I just need to add water or milk too. A taste of home.

            A doll or game for my sister (8)

Well that’s all I can think of at the moment… don’t be a stranger!

            

First weeksw in Ethiopia

Ok…. I know it’s been a while since I updated. I’ve been in Ethiopia for three weeks now. I’ve been intending to update everyone, but I have been very busy. As I write this I’m not even sure when I’ll get enough internet to even post this. I’m hopping I’ll have time and access this weekend at the hotel in town.

First let me back track and catch you up. Leaving was very hard. I love my friends and family in San Diego, and saying goodbye brought forth many tears, even now if I sit and think about it, I’ll get a bit misty eyed. Then I’ll shake myself and try to focus on something more immediate and here.

After leaving San Diego I spent all day in the air and ended up in our country capital. Yep Washington DC! It was about 8 pm there, but I was still on west coast time. So I got out and started walking around. In one block I hit a statue of Washington on a horse. Then looking down the street I was stunned at what I saw… it was the White House! SO CLOSE! It was a strange moment, when you see something that you always have seen in pictures and on TV, and then it suddenly becomes real. And I wasn’t even expecting it!

Soon a fellow Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) joined me and we walked over to see the White House in person, and of course once you get there, there is a string of other monuments. I think my favorite was the statue of Lincoln (very reminiscent of a Greek temple to Zeus)! Unfortunately it was too dark to get any pictures. I thought I would go out the next day in day light to get pictures, but I ended up booked till dark.

The next day was orientation starting at noon. But due to time shift I slept late and only just got ready in time. I met all the PCTs, 60 total, and commenced 4 hours of orientation. A few of us went out for dinner and drinks, to celebrate the last night in America. Unfortunately they wanted to stay up late, I only got 2 hours of sleep before getting up at four for the bus to the airport. We were 4 hours early! Then the flight was around 12 hours. I didn’t get much sleep on the plane and when we arrived it was 7 am… and they put us right into classes! We had a full day planned and were told not to sleep till 8 pm. No naps!... so you can guess how tired we were by the end.

We spent 10 days at the hotel in the capital of Addis Ababa (new flower). Every day we had 8 hours of training, though mostly it was orientation to what expectations and attitudes a PCT and PCV should have. We were expected to buy our own dinners and a few lunches. We were given about $2.50 (50 birr) for lunch and $4.00 (80 birr) for dinner… Which is possible, but you have to be conservative. And if you have a hankering for American food, then it is very challenging. I split a small pizza most nights, and splurged on a hamburger my last night in the capital. Most of the time if you order “frenji megeb” (foreigner food) it’s nothing like home. In the capital the food was expensive but decent, in Butijira, where I am now, I don’t even think there was actual meat in the “burger”.

We had a tourist day on the first Saturday and visited the Addis Ababa national Museum. By American standards it was small. But it had one crowning piece that made the visit notable. That is of course “Lucy” the oldest fossil of a bi-pedal hominid, a very well-known archaeological find, which names Ethiopia as the cradle of human kind. They are very proud of this. After we drove up the mountain and finally broke through the smog layer to get a view of the whole city.

The next day was a holiday known as Timket. This religious holiday was met with parades of people dressed in traditional clothes, elaborate braids, chanting church songs and dancing. The white clothes and scarfs are beautiful and I intend to buy a set at my first opportunity, if I can get my hair braided too I’ll be ecstatic. The whole holiday is meant to be a rededication/rebaptism of the arc of the covenant. Ethiopia claims to have the real thing and all the churches should have replicas. Unfortunately I was sick that morning and couldn’t attend the 3 hour church service.

By the end of the second week in Addis we were all assigned our regional language. I was pleased to find out I was assigned Amharic, as was the majority of volunteers. Thou a good portion were assigned Affan Oromo, and a few assigned Tigrinya. What this means is that I’ll have an easier time learning my language as most people in Butijera speak fluent Amharic. Also it means I’ll be placed in either the Amhara Region or the Southern Nations Nationalities and People region (SNNPR). If I’m placed in the later region it is possible that they will mainly speak a regional language, and Amharic as a second language only.

We were all supper excited to get to Butijira because we all got to meet our host families. My family consists of 4 people and one kitty cat. My Father (Abate) is Werku, my Mother (Enate) Almetsey (Alma) my brother (wandime) Kaleb 18, and my sister (ehite) Mekedelawit 8. Both my brother and sister speak English well, though my brother is best. My mother speaks a little English, mostly nouns to get her point across. Though this is good that I can talk to him, unfortunately I’m not relying on Amharic as much as I need to be.

My little sister is basically in charge of babysitting me. It’s her job to keep me company when I’m out of classes. At the moment I still have guest status so I am not allowed to help with any chores, and am always served first and am given the biggest proportion in meals. If I attempt to help with cooking or washing I get brought back to the living room sat down, the TV gets turned on and my sister is brought in. I’ve been watching a lot of cartoons, music videos and sometimes the news. Mekedelewit also is my town tour guide, because kids here roam freely under the belief that an angel protects the young. She’s been helping me learn words and read the special Ethiopian Alphabet (fidel).

It’s very humbling to know that no matter how old you are and that you have a college degree, know how to cook and clean and basically take care of yourself, when you go to a foreign country, you will be treated as a child, as if you know nothing… which in a way I don’t. Everything is different. You will be taught to dance, eat, cook, wash hands, cross streets, drink coffee, take a bath, speak and use the Shint Bet (toilet) the Ethiopian way. Any other form is incorrect. And they will laugh at you while they teach you.

I have just finished my first week in Butijira and got a taste of what training will be like. I wake up at 6am to chanting from the Muslim temple and dogs barking, breakfast is at 7-7:30 am, usually bread and eggs, sometimes avocado, honey or peanut butter. I spend 4 hours a day 6 days a week (mon-sat) in strict language training. This takes up the morning with a break half way through the morning we have a bunna break (coffee). The classes are full immersion and so far we have covered introductions, meals and common questions such as age, marital status, occupation, and place of Origen. On Saturdays we have an oral and written assessment test of our progress. We go home for lunch (usually enjera with spicy sauce) after language and then walk to a hotel (30min walk) in town for further lessons. The lessons are either about cross cultural training, technical training or CORE training or safety and security. We have two, two hour sessions in the afternoon broken up by Shey Bunna (tea and coffee) break, this usually includes snacks. The hotel has minimal internet, but since there are 60 volunteers plus teachers and others at the hotel, the internet gets so bogged down your lucky to get one Facebook post in.

Finally the day is over and I get to walk a half hour home. The kids find you highly amusing and will case after you, call out “hi, how are you”, and insist on shaking your hand and giving you fist bumps as other Americans have taught them to do. Anyone who knows English will try to use it. And those who don’t will stare at you and talk to each other point to you than laugh. When I get home, I watch TV for a bit, eat dinner (which tends to be spicy pasta so far… I think my mom’s trying to make American food, sort of) then I try to get in a bit of HW done. I am so exhausted I go to bed around 8-10 pm, normally at home it was around 12-1:30 am.

Weekends are about chores and cleaning. I was supposed to learn how to wash my cloths in a bucket today but got lazy, maybe next week, I have enough clothes it’s not necessary right away.

I do have a cell Phone and a local number, 251-94-084-594. However calling the states is too expensive, though I can receive calls free. Unfortunately I have not been able to get it to work. Feel free to try it though. The time shift is the biggest problem, 11hr. So when you wake up is when I’m free to talk 7-9 am your time is 6-8 pm. The lack of talking to friends and family back home is hard, even when I have time barley anyone is awake. Writing update for this blog have been hard also because of all that’s been going on. But here it is! My first blog post from in country. Pictures have been posted on Facebook if you’re interested, not sure how to put it in my blog yet. I’m not expecting to get a post in more than once or twice a month. But if you have any questions I would love to answer them, leave me a comment!

Miss you all! Don’t forget me.

P.S Care packages from home are welcome, they will take about 3 weeks to get to me though, so don’t put in perishables. ;)

Suggestions:

Snacks such as: Pringles (Sour cream and onion, pizza, classic), Classic Doritos, Oreos…

Good hair ties (mine are cheap and keep breaking after one or two uses)

Size 10 women’s shoes (running shoes, or comfortable flats that are sturdy)

Toiletry’s such as: razors, deodorant, sun screen, lotion, nail polish remover…
        - these are available just either hard to find, expensive or cheep quality

DVD’s, CDs and books

Games, cards, toys for my sister (small doll) –she likes me painting her nails

**Pictures of America and family accompanied by a letter telling me about how things are at home J

The address should be on the previous po