So this week has been up and down. It is great seeing the other volunteers, and some G7s have been here for their final flights out, some G8s are here for trainings they are facilitating, and some G9s have been in and out. So we have been seeing and being able to spend time with a lot of people. But, on the down side it has been so long, we have not had a full day off unless you count Sunday. We traveled back from Holeta in the early morning, but that meant we didn't get to sleep in or rest. Classes go from eight in the morning, to five thirty at night, we have had every session this week with our counterparts, and it honestly has been a bit frustrating. But, it is good practice and allows them to see how PC volunteers are going to go about projects, so in the end it will be very beneficial. It also has been raining every day, and for some reason I only brought one pair of shoes with me to Addis so I have been walking around in wet shoes for the last week and a half. This afternoon was nice though, Sam, Naveed, Andrew, Charlie, Taylor, and I went to get Lebanese food, which was expensive but good, then went to a place we were told had good cheese cake. Sam and I took a bite of it at the same time and both made happy noises at the same time. It was easily the best desert in Ethiopia. Then we crossed the street to get a line taxi, one pulled up right as we got across, and it had the perfect amount of seats. We are sitting in the taxi when a forenji song comes on, Andrew asked if we would get the driver to turn the music up, we said we didn't know how to ask that, but just as we were saying it he cranked the radio to blaring! We of course all cheer, then start singing. The only spot on the whole trip (which we honestly didn't care about) was that when he turned the music up two of the passengers asked to get off, as he pulled over they said why so he turned the song. But even that song was pretty good. It was honestly just what we needed to make up for the long week so far. I am really glad I went, because I was considering getting Thai food, but this was so much better.
8/9
So today is the second and final day of our beekeeping training. It has been interesting so far, despite the fact that the expert who is teaching the class is not good at lecturing. Devin came in for the training and taught one of the lectures before lunch so that was interesting. We are all tired though, a week of classes, and going out every night will wear you down. On top of that we have class till 8:30pm so we can do a bee transfer from a traditional hive to a transitional. It will be fun, but we won't get back to Addis till some time tomorrow. They did say they are giving us the bee suits after we finish the training. I have also been collecting seeds and cuttings from the plants they have planted here in Holeta, so hopefully when I get back I will be able to start my apiary preparations as soon as I finish training. Then our counterparts are getting into town tomorrow so we will get no rest. On the plus side I will get to stay in Addis for a few days extra because of the GAD committee. There will be a bunch of people I know in Addis still so I am sure we will only be minimally productive.
Another week and I will be heading back to site. I am in some ways anxious to get back, and in other ways I am dreading it. It is going to be rough getting to spend time with all these guys, then go back to only having a few people I talk to.
8/8
So we are almost half done with training. Today we are at Holeta Bee research center learning about beekeeping in Ethiopia. I have been explaining a lot of the things that the master keeper has left out or not explained well. Today we are learning basics and going to do some bee product processing. Tomorrow we will be transferring bees from a traditional hive to a transitional hive. I am excited to be able to ask my questions that I haven't had answered yet, and even more excited to get back to site and get them started. We have been hanging out a lot and saying goodbyes to G7s. We also had elections for the different groups. I was elected to GAD (gender and development) committee! I am excited to get to working on promoting equality in Ethiopia and to help show other volunteers how to make a difference for women rights, and rights of all people.
On Ebola: So far there is nothing to worry about. There have been no instances where any PC volunteers in Ethiopia have come into contact with Ebola, and at this point, the PC staff is monitoring the situation, but does not feel it is a threat for us. As IST comes to a close next week please keep all the volunteers in mind. Going back to site is one of the most difficult time for volunteers service. Leaving our friends and the comforts of Addis is hard, and it is a very common time for volunteers to have difficulties.
