Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my friends, family, and PCVs all across the world.  

I miss all of you very much and think about you frequently.  I hope you enjoy the holiday wherever you may be and whoever you are with.  Even though Thanksgiving is already past please remember to take a moment and think about all the friends, and family who you have in your life, and remember how lucky you are to have them. 

Enjoy the rest of the Holidays, I can't wait to celebrate the next round in America!

(Note: We made the sign from PlayDoh)

Stuck in Hawassa

12/15-

     Well, as many of you know there has been another round of protesting from the New Deal that the government is trying to push through.  I am not able to go into details as anything I write here would be considered journalism and could land me in trouble.  All I can say is that despite some harrowing experiences all of the volunteers have remained safe.  

     Currently many of the volunteers in the problem areas are consolidated. This includes all the people who currently live on the Dodola-Goba road.  We are in Hawassa keeping up with people in our site as best as we can, and monitoring the situation with PC.  Currently the earliest we are expected to go back to site would be Thursday.  Until then it is nice hotels paid for my the PC, per diem, American food, a lake, and plenty of partying.  If you couldn't tell from my last post, the monotony of site was really beginning to get to me.  Being in this city has done a lot to relieve my boredom and stir craziness.  

    For those of you who are interested, there is an interesting article on NewsVice about what is happening.  Please keep our friends and coworkers in mind as they have to navigate this dangerous time where they live.  Truly we are much more worried about them than we could possibly be about ourselves.  

    On a different note it is a bittersweet time for many of us as some fellow PCVs are finishing their service.  The last of the G8 volunteers are on their way out, with one exception, and we wish them all the best.  It is exciting for them to move on and get to the next phase of their life, but they will be missed from our PC family.  

P.S. I want to say to Danny's family, thank you for the Christmas card.  It was so nice of you to think of me, and I am glad you have been reading my blog.  I got it the day before we were removed from site so I have not had a chance to send anything back to you.  But, know I appreciate the thought and I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  

Bored, Bored and More!

12/4
Well, what can I say, I am bored.  I have really had no significant work since I have been back from the States.  There has been a few beekeeping things to do, but really that amounts to two or three afternoons.  It is really annoying how little I have accomplished recently.  I did have a farmer field day where my office took the farmer and development agents around to show them the work they were doing.  I wouldn't really call that work though since I understood none of what they were saying and really just walked around in the demonstration fields.  The other day PC came out here to figure out if they were going to put another volunteer in the area.  They selected one of my rural kabeles and I think it is going to be nice for the new volunteer.  The farmer training center is well cared for and the development agent in charge of it is really smart.  Finally there was thanksgiving; I went to Hawassa where they have opened a new office for us.  It was really nice and the internet was great.  Just being in Hawassa made me regret not extending a little.  It is a beautiful town with wildlife everywhere, the people are used to white people so the harassment isn't too bad, and it is on the lake so just so relaxing.  To celebrate the holiday we had a potluck at the office.  There was mashed potatoes, curry, coleslaw, chicken, desserts, and much more.  It was so delicious, and getting to see so many people I haven't seen in a while was great.  I am really going to miss the friends I have made here.  PCVs are just the best people (myself excluded of course). 
COS (Close of service) is coming up, although now that I am so aware of it it seems time has slowed down.  But, I know sooner rather than later it will come and I will be out of here.  I got a taste of what it is going to be like when I leave the other day;  one of my coworkers got a job elsewhere and there was an office party for him.  We got together at a restaurant for food and drinks, but a good thirty minutes was taken up just with speeches.  I knew Ethiopians like to have their meetings, but apparently they love giving speeches, everyone talked about how they will miss him, and gave advice.  I even was even asked to say something, but I kept it "short and sweet."  They all told me that I was their brother, and that when I leave they will be doing the same thing for me.  It will be interesting to see how they deal with the translation issue, I feel like it is just going to mean a translator so thirty minutes of speech translated will mean an hour.  But, It is nice to know that they will miss me and I know I will miss the friends I have made in my town as well. 
I realize that I only have this month to use my remaining vacation days, so what to do.  I know I should go somewhere new, but I really think I might just go back to Harar.  It was such a good time, and I would love to just have to time in a place I can wear shorts...yes, planning a vacation has come down to picking a place specifically to wear "skimpy clothing."
It is almost time to start applying for jobs.  I am afraid of what that even means for me.  I feel like I am unqualified for anything that I would really want to do (also, I really don't know what I want to do), but I also am totally against going back to school unless I have no alternatives.  What that is going to mean for my future I really have no idea.  I am really hoping that this PC experience will get me farther than I think it will.  Everyone please keep me in mind if you hear about any NGO, conservation, and/or wildlife related jobs. 
But hey, not to fear, I have four and a half months of PC, plus a month vacation in India before I really have to worry to much about any of that!

Happy Thanksgiving

11/23
Happy Thanksgiving, I am really going to miss the holiday this year as I am not going to participate in the Embassy dinner.  It was really nice last year, but all the travel and having to find housing etc. to go this year just didn't seem practical.  I am still going to celebrate his year, but I am going to go to the local(ish) PC office and do it with my fellow volunteers on Saturday.  That way I can spend a few days relaxing and enjoying with them, plus going to the pool is always a plus.  We are doing a potluck so should be lots of good, if not themed, food to stuff my face with.
I have really not had any work for about two weeks now.  To say I am going stir crazy would be an understatement.  Thankfully there has been power relatively consistently which means I have been wasting my days away watching movies.  But, if there had been no power on top of it I would probably have already lost my mind.  My site mate is trying to start up some clubs, but I am letting him do the footwork this time.  After having to take weeks getting them going last time I had no desire to be the one to initiate them.  If they get up and going I have a few ideas that we may try to get the kids interested. 
Bee keeping season is now in swing.  Sadly, there aren't as many flowers as I would like to see, so I am not expecting a huge honey harvest this year.  I have talked to a few people about how we won't get a lot of honey without trees, they seem to understand but not really care.  It is hard to get across conservation ideas here because there really is no such thing as environmental awareness here.  I am saddened when less than a hundred years ago people came to Ethiopia and described it as a beautiful oasis with wildlife and flora abounding.  Now the only flora you really see is Eucalyptus (a non-native) trees, and the animal life is non-existent excluding cattle.  I worry, that one day, this is what the rest of the world will soon look like if we aren't careful. 
I have been told I am going to help with a dairy processing training soon, but I will hold my breath.  If it even happens, it is likely it won't be for several months, just because that is how scheduling goes here.  I did try to do a training for the livestock office on how to do stool sample testing on the cattle and livestock. They seemed a little interested in the beginning, but quickly were distracted  It could be helpful for them here because there is no sort of regular deworming schedule or anything of that sort. To be able to better diagnose problems would be a huge benefit, but I will be surprised if they implement it at all. 
I have started writing my description of service for when I COS.  It is interesting looking back, I had so many ideas, plans, and things I wanted to do while living here.  It actually makes me a little sad just thinking about what I have actually accomplished and not just dreamed of.  I wonder what I could have done differently that would have helped me have a higher project rate, or a better impact.  I wonder what I am leaving behind in just the few short months I have left.  Did I make a difference?  Did I help someone without even knowing it?  Did one of those students decide to use a condom, or did one of the farmers decide that they should do some techniques a little different and improve their livelihood?  I don't really know, and in all likelihood I never will.  So what do I want to take away from service?  Well I guess I have five months left to figure that out!  Then it is off to India, Dubai, and who knows where else! 

Happy Halloween!

10/30
Happy Halloween!!!  Sadly missing another holiday, but I have been invited to a party in Bale Goba in order to celebrate Halloween.  I have also found some pumpkins and been cooking with that.  I am pretty happy how my cooking skills have progressed while being in Ethiopia.  Not only have I learned to make breads and pastries, but I have done it while using a dutch oven to cook.  I can't wait to get back to modern appliances and seeing what I can make.  I have just made some pumpkin pies, while not exactly what you think of when you say pumpkin pie in America, they were rather tasty and incredibly easy to make.  Today I will be making pumpkin bread to take to the party. 
We have really gotten into the rhythm of having a horse, it is rather time consuming and I can image it being hard to deal with in America with such a hectic lifestyle (at least compared to here). Most of the time is really taken by the fact that we have to take him to and from where he stays to my office every day in order to let him graze.  Still, it is a welcome distraction in spite of the fact that it means every day I have to be up and going by eight A.M. rain or shine, week day or weekend.  Spending the time brushing and cleaning him every day gives me something to do even if I have nothing else for the rest of the day.  I also have embarrassed the bareback riding.  It isn't really practical to carry the saddle to him every day, just to ride him the ten minutes to my office so once a day, assuming he isn't wet from the rain, I ride him up to the office without the saddle.  I feel almost more comfortable, not physically of course, riding without the saddle now.  It also doesn't really help that the saddle in Ethiopia are pretty terrible.  Then of course there is the time we ride him just for fun.  It is really relaxing and enjoyable.  Yesterday some friends and I took him up to the reforestation area around the gorge. It was beautiful, and when we got to the end we stopped and drank a bottle of honey wine.  We also got invited to a celebration of one of the bee cooperatives who has their hives in the forest.  They graciously offered us the sheep they were cooking as well as some gin.  Getting into the swing of everything, finding him a house, getting the food and such taken care of may have been a huge headache, but so worth it in the end.
On a less fun note, I can't even believe I complained at my midnight curfew as a teen.  Living in a compound in Ethiopia means you have certain rules.  You have to respect your landlord and their property of course, regardless of if their baby comes into your house, picks up and plays with everything, and occasionally pees on your floor.  You have to get permission for everything, even if that means that you do not get permission for things like making a garden.  But, I think the worst is a curfew.  It is an unspoken rule in Ethiopia that you have to be home at a reasonable time.  If you are not then the landlord will lock the gate and you are out of luck.  This means I have, for the last year and a half, been living with a nine P.M. curfew.  I honestly feel like a child again having to watch the clock and make sure I get home in time.  It is one of the bigger things I am looking forward to being done with. 
Seeing how today was the deadline for submitting the paperwork to extend my stay in Ethiopia, and I did not figure anything out, it looks like I will be leaving Ethiopia in five and a half months.   I am looking forward to starting the next phase of my life despite the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing.  Looks like I have a lot of research to do in order to find my next calling.

Six Months Left

Only six months left!!!  It is hard to believe we have already been here twenty-one months, it has gone by really fast.  I am considering extending in a few places for different reasons.  But, the closer to the deadline the more I am leaning towards finishing my service and moving onto the next stage of my life, whatever that may be.  It is also hard to imagine all the things that are going on in the states.  People getting engaged, having babies, and of course getting really drunk on GOOD alcohol. 
Looking ahead I am trying to prioritize what I need to get done, what I want to get done, and what probably won't get done.  I am still going to play with my bees, but with this little time left and them not doing as well as I would like, due to the lack of trees for food I think, I am not thinking that I will be able to do all the stuff I wanted to.  Still I have learned a LOT since working on them here and I still have plenty to continue learning.  I have been able recently to work more directly with farmers which is one of the things I always wanted.  They seem to be realizing the resource I can be to help them, I just wish it had happened sooner.  Still I have made all the mistakes that they are making now and I am happy to get in there with them and help them avoid making my mistakes. 
I haven't started working with the schools this year.  I should have if I had wanted to but, I can't decide.  In many aspects working with the school was one of the most rewarding things I did, and in others it was by far the most frustrating.  I am happy to say that I met some kids that really were awesome and I was happy to work with and I hope in one way or another I helped them, but trying to get the clubs started, getting kids to attend, getting translators and counterparts, is all very difficult and time consuming.  Not like I have any lack of time on my hands.  Finally camps, as many of you know I just directed a small community camp at my site, I think it went really well but of course could be improved upon.  But I am torn on if I want to try and do one more before the end of my service.  There are two big barriers I see being difficult to overcome.  First is translators, while I can get community members to fascilitate some of the sessions we would need someone there to help us for the sessions we lead, as well as the general instructions etc.  The person that helped us last time just went to university and is one of the students I was so happy to work with.  The second is finances, due to recent rule changes in the way PC Ethiopia does grants it is very hard for us to get small amounts of money, like what I need to pay for snacks, this rule change comes to the dismay of many of us as we are in fact being encouraged to do small community camps by PC but unable to get support.  If I can overcome these two big difficulties though I may very well try to do one more small camp. 
In recent personal news I FINALLY have a horse.  And by I, I mean we.  My site mate and I finally took the plunge to get the horse together.  That way when I leave he will have a home and I don't have to worry about trying to get him to a good home.  I think technically he is actually a pony though, the horses in Ethiopia are really small.  He is about average for the area and still only 13 hands and 276kg (608lbs).  We named him Sargaent Shriver after the first director of PC.  Thankfully he is really patient, while I have ridden a horse a very few times, my site mate had never before he came here so there has been a bit of a learning curve.  But, we are learning, and enjoying having him.  I would be willing to bet he is happy to be with us seeing has he has put on over 25lbs in the week we have had him.  When we first bought him we were unable to buy a saddle since all the materials weren't available at the market.  So for the first week we were riding bareback.  It was the first time in my life riding bareback and I am not sad at all to have a saddle now.  I also am not sure I will ever be able to have children after this...  I also did my first jump on a horse.  It was just a tiny ditch and not much to speak of, the somewhat impressive part was that I did it at a canter, riding bareback, and stayed seated even though I didn't realize Sarge had decided to jump it till mid jump.  It did earn me the applause of the people watching which was pretty funny though.  I don't know if you still read this Donna, but if you do thank you for letting me tag along with you riding, without the stuff I learned from you I probably wouldn't have been able to even get this far. 
The next few months are going to be interesting, I am going to addis this week for a Gender and Development (GAD) committee meeting.  Then there is Halloween, then some good beekeeping time, then  the holidays really get started.  The new volunteers will be incoming, we will have our Close of Service conference, then we will be outbound.  I have to remember to breathe in November, because after that I won't be able to.

America/Camp GLOW

9/15

Well back in Ethiopia!  It was a long trip but I got to see a bit of Miami before I left, and just watched movies and slept the whole trip back.  The flight from Doha to Addis was rough unfortunately, and the Addis Ababa airport is just terrible.  I am convinced that the single best thing that Ethiopia could do to promote tourism right now is to fix that terrible place.

It was awesome being back, I am so glad I got to see all of my family, and I feel like I didn’t get to spend enough time with any of you.  Thank you all so much for everything you did for me.  And to my friends I am sorry I didn’t get to see half of you but such is life.  I can’t wait to get back and have a whole round of visiting and partying!  Thanks especially to Jess for letting me crash with you in Miami and dealing with my even worst indecisive issues.  I am sure I drove you plenty crazy. 

So before I left I had camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) to promote gender equality and sexual health in my community.  For those of you who can actually get through my blog posts you should have seen me preparing and setting things up.  Now I guess I should tell you how it went.  As I have come to expect things went slowly in the start.  The students I had signed up did not come and only one kid showed up anywhere near on time.  So instead of starting at 8:30am like it was scheduled around ten we sent out translators out into the community to bring in whatever kids they could find.  So around 10:30am we finally got started with about thirty kids.  Surprisingly we were able to back on schedule and had a great first day doing lessons and games to promote understanding of gender roles in Ethiopia, and promoting gender equality.  The second day we started out discussing anatomy and puberty.  From there we went on to talking about HIV myths and facts as well as sexual health.  We finished up by doing sexual health Jeopardy for the young students, and condom Olympics for the older participants.    All in all it went well with only a few minor hiccups along the way.  I am thankful for all the help from Ali my site mate, Summer a G11 who came to teach the female students about sensitive topics, Etsegenet a translator and facilitator from the Center for Creative Leadership, and especially to Kedir one of my old club students who both translated and facilitated.  Without him I have no doubt we could not have succeeded. 

Now that I am back I have eight months to get stuff done.  I am hoping that I will be able to get some work done with my bees still, as well as with the new cooperative group in my town.  We have a training coming up to promote home gardening and we may build onto that later.  And the students will be coming back to school soon which means I can get back into clubs and things.  I have no doubt though that these last eight months are going to fly by so I have to make the most of them while I can.

While I was in America I was hearing a lot about how there is potential for a drought to be starting here.  While in some areas it is still raining a small amount, in most areas there is not enough rain even to grow the crops.  Since Ethiopia is based mainly on subsistence farming the government is worried for mass food and water shortages.  Hopefully the rains will start up for real soon, but if not we may be facing serious problems soon.  Keep Ethiopia in your thought and for all of you Floridians, how about sharing a little of that rain with us?

Twenty-Two Days and Counting

7/29
I finally got my blog sent out so I guess it is time to write another one!  Twenty-two days left till I fly home!  I am still confused how this whole flight works.  I am first flying to the UAE from Addis which is about four hours in the wrong direction, then my flight heads to Miami.  That means I am flying a full eight hours round trip extra!  I mean, who comes up with these things?  Anyway, sadly my layover is too short for me to get to explore Doha, I am disappointed that I get to fly in without actually seeing the country at all.  But, since I won't get to leave the airport I guess I will just have to gorge myself of FOOD!  Don't get me wrong, I like Ethiopian food just fine.  But, there is NO diversity, just getting to eat foods that I don't have everyday will be such a treat. 
Things are getting together for my camp.  I have people signed up to do training, and all but one of the slots are already filled.  I should have my grant money by now, and the supplies I need are all easy to come by.  Two weeks from now we will be training sixty kids (assuming I can get them all to show up) on gender equality, leadership, sexual health, and HIV.  It should be a lot of fun and hopefully the students will come ready to learn. 
Life is pretty much the same old every day.  I have been working on my bees and learning from my mistakes.  I am hoping that when I come to the states I might be able to meet some keepers and just get a little experience from them.  I feel pretty confident in what I am doing, but there are some things I would really like to do at least once with a professional.  It is a really fun hobby though and I can't believe that it is so out of fashion in America.  It is so common here that people actually keep bees by their front doors.  That sounds fine and all until you realize that African bees are MEAN.  I was trying to plant some flowers for my bees the other day, I was digging about four meters or so from the hive (13ft) and they started bouncing off my head warning me to stop.  Then as I ran away I ran past the building where I keep my other bees and THEY started going after me too!  So considering that the bees here are so mean and they still keep them around their kids, why when Americans have access to bees that you can literally open the hive and touch the bees without them stinging do we not do it more? 
I am officially out of water.  My landlady has stopped helping me get water, I am not sure why, and I have had to get water from a friend.  Still, all my laundry is dirty, I haven't had a shower in a week and a half, and my socks STINK!  I have had to buy bottled water to drink, and to water my chickens.  It is really not fun not being able to even wash my dishes.  I have got to figure this out and get someone I can trust to fetch me water.  On the bright side the power has been crazy good recently.  It has been on at least 90% of every day and sadly this has led to me watching more movies and reading fewer books.  Honestly I kinda wish it would go out so I would be forced back to books.  Still, you can't get something nice like that without a sacrifice.  The internet cell network has been out for weeks.  I have not been able to check my email since I have been at site so yesterday I got permission to use the governments satellite internet just to check email.  Still, that isn't open to everyone so I am very grateful they let me do it.
This week is all about preparation.  I am getting students signed up, having penis models built for condom Olympics, finishing up the schedule for camp, and finalizing details.  I also will have to go to Robe this week to send out the training materials, schedule, and information to the people helping with the camp.  That sounds like it will keep me busy, sadly that is all less than half a days work every day this week.  (I could probably finish it all in a day, but then what would I do for the rest of the week?)
Obama was here in Ethiopia this week.  I was a little miffed about it when I heard about it for reasons I can't get into on this blog.  But, I was happy to see that he was far from out of the loop on issues here and that he seemed to be heavy handed with dealing with issues that are unbecoming of America's allies. I was very proud of the way he handled some of the questions about certain human rights issues and was not afraid to back down.  Finally, I missed it, but was told that he also spoke proudly about Peace Corps volunteers and I hope that we can all live up to the high expectations laid on us.

Twenty-eight Days and Counting!

7/23

Only twenty-eight days till I fly out!  I am so excited to come home for a visit, I think about the beach (I mean my family...seeing family) every day!  I am also very curious if I put on weight.  My weight, even in Ethiopia, hasn't changed more than two or three pounds in years, not exaggerating, but all my friends that have gone home have ate themselves silly and gained weight.  I am a bit disappointed in myself, I was trying to get to a point where I had enough muscle to feel good about taking my shirt off on South Beach, but I would do well exercising every day, then go to a training and when I got back to site I would take a week or two extra before I started up again.  As you can imagine I still am not beach body ready, but not like that is actually going to stop me.  It is crazy to think I am about to be an UNCLE!  It is going to be a busy, and eventful month for sure!

But, before I even get back to America, I have a ton of work to do.  I still have one bee colony to transfer over to a transitional hive, I also am trying to strengthen the hive I already have, and I am happy to say I just completed another successful transfer.  That brings my number of modern hives to two, with one traditional still waiting to be moved over.  I also have not had any more issues with people disturbing my hives.  The Farmer Training Staff had to go out and talk to all of the farmers in the area, but it did the trick.  I wish it hadn't cost me 250 birr, but at least it is over.  I am really hoping that we get some good rains this year so I can get a good amount of honey.  Since people aren't listening to my training. I want to get a good harvest this year so I can put their faces in it and say "do what I told you and you can have this too!"  I also just got a grant approved by PC (THANK YOU,  JAMIE!) to do a small camp here in Gassera.  I am trying to get sixty students together to learn about gender equality, leadership, and sexual health/HIV prevention.  My site mate and I are also planning a bio-intensive garden training for women with HIV for the day before I leave to go to Addis to catch my flight.  Finally I am supposed to be putting together a training on how to run a proper stool test for the livestock office.  I have to admit, as easy as that is going to be I have been pretty lazy about getting it together.  Still, I feel like even if that is the only thing I do to help animals in this country it will at least be something.  So it is going to be a very interesting 28 days!

I also just finished a training on honey purification for international sale quality.  I think it went really well and I think the people I trained are really going to apply it, I hope.  While I was there I was shown a waterfall and of course I went for a nice dip.  It was amazing just to be swimming again!  Of course, I am still waiting to see what diseases I catch, but as of right now I am going to say TOTALLY worth it.  Don't worry though, when we complete service PC puts us on a regimen of drugs to kill every disease known to man so before I come home. It will be like a factory reset. 

So, for now, I am going to continue my back-breaking pace to get all this stuff done.  I am afraid that I am going to have to decrease my daily coffee breaks down to five or six now!

See you all soon!

Countdown!

7/10
It is hard to believe I only have eight and a half months left in my service!  I feel like time has flown and I have so much left I want to accomplish.  I don't even want to think about when I am going to have to say goodbye to all my friends, both PC and Ethiopian.  Although I will admit to already having started planning my going away party!  It has been an interesting couple of months.  I am glad I get to spend a little time away from Addis after all the time I have spent there recently.  I am excited about some upcoming events I am in the process of getting together.  I am working on getting a small community camp planned to teach students about HIV, and gender issues.  My site mate and I are also trying to get a training together to teach HIV positive women how to create a bio-intensive gardens at their house to help feed them and their families.  Of course, as usual, we will have to keep our fingers crossed that things come together like we are hoping or we even get them to happen at all.
There was an interesting event yesterday, some people were caught stealing from a house in one of the rural kabeles.  They were brought to the police station awaiting...whatever is going to happen to them (no one seemed to know what that would be).  But what really amazed me is that the accused were put on display in the police station compound.  It seemed to me that the whole town came out to see them and I was amazed when all of my coworkers went streaming out of the compound.  I know peoples photos are available after arrests in America, but this was the court of public opinion to the extreme.  I don't know if they were innocent or guilty, but people sure have made up their minds.  Not only that, but the rumors going around town were flabber ghasting.  I was told by my best Ethiopian friend that the accused has used magic to keep the house owners asleep while they stole from them.  Another person told me they blew marijuana in their faces to keep them from waking up.  Just what people would believe was incredible.  I don't know what people would do if they were innocent, but I sure hope they aren't because they are guilty in the eyes of the community. 
On a sadder note, one of my best friend's, in Gasera, sister just died.  I noticed he wasn't acting right, but wasn't sure what was wrong.  Then yesterday I was with some friends and he explained and invited us to come to the mourning.  I have been making sure to avoid any chance of having to go to a mourning since I got here, but of course, as he is a good friend, I felt I had too.  As much as I feel bad saying it, I was thankful to have missed the part where the family and friends wail and cry over the loss.  But I was glad to be there for my friend.  It was interesting seeing the differences and similarities between the cultures.  What I was invited to would most resemble a wake in America, but, the main difference being that here it lasts for about a week.  I arrived and, of course, there were the usual comments about the foreigner coming, then food, snacks, and coffee were served.  That was followed by just general conversation and I was surprised a fair amount of joking and laughing.  I was expecting a more somber mood, but at that point it had turned into just being there with the family for support, but an otherwise normal day.  I felt honored that even though he was going through all of the grief of losing a sister, that my friend still came to my defense when people were calling me a "forenji" and he told them not to call me that and that I was a "habesha" (Ethiopian). 
In Ethiopia we are constantly bombarded with the loss and tragedy, and poverty.  It can be hardening when every month you hear about your coworkers family, or neighbor's child, or friends sister dying.  The constant and multiple homeless people asking for money on the bus, and the homeless children can be overwhelming.  But, I think the worst part is the senselessness of it.  If I remember correctly, the average life span of people in rural areas is around fifty.  I was talking to my site mate yesterday about the horrible problem with blindness in this country.  You constantly see people who have lost their sight over a simple infection.  It is amazing that people still go blind from something so simple.  A tube of the ointment that would cure their infection costs about the price of a cup of coffee here.  That is twenty-five US cents!  I don't know why my friend's sister died, but I can't help but wonder if it was something simple, and easily treatable.  One of the things that has really been brought home to me this last year is the privilege we have in America.  I was brought up in a home where I never wanted.  I had everything I ever needed and most of what I wanted.  On top of that we have so many freedoms and we neglect most of them.  We have the freedom to vote for who we want but many of us never even register to vote much less actually cast a vote.  We have the right to a fair trial in court, the right to say and write what we want, and now the right to marry the person we love.  In many countries all over the world people don't have some, or even any of these rights and we don't give it a second thought.  If nothing else, I hope this is the thing that I keep with me for the rest of my life and remember never to take for granted again.

To Addis and Back and Back again

6/18
Well, I am back at site and re-settled in.  Of course, that will last only two weeks before I am back to Addis.  Still, I have enjoyed all the reasons to go to Addis recently and have accomplished a lot.  The last trip was a planning meeting for GAD (gender and development).  I am interested to see who our new volunteers will be.  As G12 finishes their IST (In Service Training) it is almost time for G13 to arrive.  It will be cool to see all their new, tired, jet lagged, overworked (already), and culture shocked faces.  I can't say I am the best influence on them, but few of the newbies I meet forget who I am! 
As some of you already know I was just in Addis also to help train G12.  I helped facilitate a meeting explaining what GAD is about, and why they should join.  I also helped with a soaps and salve making session.  Then of course there was my favorite, BEEKEEPING!  I helped one of the bee researchers train about the generals of beekeeping and all the uses of it   Then I helped show them how to build a beehive, as well as purifying wax, processing honey, and how to make beeveils from local material.  Not to brag, but I was pretty happy with myself when one of the researchers complimented me.  At first it was translated to me as him having said I was "gobez" or smart.  Well, what he actually said was that you are so knowledgeable you must "eat with the bees."  I also got to sting a couple people.  Some of them weren't sure if they were allergic so I captured a bee with some pliers and had them sting the volunteers.  It was funny seeing how people reacted. For some reason, no one seemed to believe me that African bees sting is worse then the bees in America, well, at least, not till after they got stung.  But the training went really well, I think most of the volunteers were very entertained by it, and I think some of them are already applying the training and getting stuff in motion.
Getting back to site was a mess, I won't go into details because it still upsets me, but I will just say that it made me even more set in working with the Gender and Development Committee to promote gender equality in Ethiopia. 
Then on the bus from Robe to Gasera the bus was way above capacity so I had to stand the whole two hours back home.  It was fine, except the lady next to me sitting down had her young baby.  The baby liked seeing it's first white person and kept grabbing my hand, but his head was in the aisle and I couldn't help but bump it sometimes since the road is really rough.  She kept fussing at me, but since there was a person in front of me, and many behind me, and I was already leaning against the chair on the opposite side I couldn't move at all and she didn't get the fact that if she just turned the baby around that his feet would be the thing sticking out and it wouldn't matter if I bumped those (or even if she held the baby a different way he wouldn't be in the aisle at all).  And speaking of the person behind me, he was sitting on a car part in the aisle behind me and kept falling asleep, which I would have loved to do too, except that since I was standing his head kept falling right onto the middle of my butt.  So, the whole ride I had to deal with an overcrowded, overheated bus, with people fussing at me and falling asleep in very uncomfortable places.
Well, I am supposed to help give a beekeeping training here at site and it is conveniently just across the street from my house.  So until next time.
Trey
P.S. (6/19) So no one turned up for the training where I was expected so I walked halfway through town to the office and asked where they were.  They called the training and found out it was at the gorge.  I managed to get a ride there but we didn't find anyone so we asked if anyone had seen them.  We were then told they were inside the gorge.  Peering over the edge we found out they were a ten minute walk down the side of the gorge.  Regardless, it was an interesting, if very brief, training.  I am hoping that the people will work with me from the start and that maybe we can actually get them doing some modern techniques.  

Back To Addis...again!

6/4-
On my way to Addis again.  I swear I am there more than at site.  It seems like only last week I  was there for mid-service conference.   Now, I am heading in for a GAD meeting and to help do a beekeeping training training for G12, one of the other groups of volunteers.  Since it takes two days for me to get to Addis I decided I would do my overnight in Butajira, my training site and where my host family lives.  I got to spend all  morning with my family.  They were very excited to see me and  greeted me with hugs and kisses on the cheek. As soon as I arrived they were cooking scrambled eggs and tea for me.  When I finished they roasted, ground, and cooked coffee for me.  After that I had Qolo (think granola made of barely and chick peas) and a beer.  It was nice to just sit on the front porch again and chat with my host family.  It seems like forever since I saw them last, I guess it has been a year, and I did get scolded for not calling and visiting enough.  For lunch it was my host mom's home cooked bayanet and another beer then my host dad walked me all the way to the bus station, nearly a two kilometer walk.  It was great getting to see everyone again and I have to make sure to visit again before I leave.

Ethiopian Elections and Bodily Functions

5/25
We survived the election!  But, seriously the Ethiopian national election was yesterday.  PC was on high alert just to be on the safe side.  We were recommended to stay at our own house during the voting to make sure everyone was in a place PC could reach us.  Of course, with the cell network down for the last week I am not sure how they really thought they could reach me at all...  I was not worried about the election since my town is relatively small, and peaceful.  But, I did stay at my house, not because PC recommended it, but because the power was on ALL DAY!  It was the first time in at least six months.  To be honest, I only moved from my bed to go to the bathroom; for the rest of time I was watching the series "Grimm," I even cooked and ate from my bed.  I finished about a season and a half yesterday, my site mate came to my house to make sure I wasn't sick since he hadn't seen me, I then told him how I had to change my lunch plans because I was too lazy to put on real clothes and go the twenty steps out my front door to buy some bread.  All in all I consider it a very successful day!
On Saturday we went to the market just to get some supplies and eat prickly-pear fruit.  I still have the spines(hair-like prickers) from the fruit in my hand, and I am pretty sure one in my lip. From now on I am letting the Habesha peel my fruit for me.  When we finished we went for coffee and we were hanging out in front of Aster's coffee house.  The electronics store next door was playing music and "I'm Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO came on.  Ali, the store keeper, skipped it as he does all forenji music until I went over and fussed at him.  He quickly turned it back and I started singing dancing in front of the coffee house.  About that time one of the large buses loaded down with well over a hundred people drove slowly by. The redats (door men) cheered me on, and the passengers could all be seen with their faces pressed to the windows to watch the white boy dancing.  How is that for spreading understanding of Americans to Ethiopia!
Last fun story for now: I was at MSC (mid service training) in the "Teaching HIV at camps" session.   It was time for Jeopardy and we had to decide who would go first.  In true PC fashion it was decided that the last person to have crapped their pants would be first to go.  Everyone began to try and figure out if they were first, it was settled that someone who had a few months ago would be first to go when I raised my hand.  I said that I was pretty certain I would be first having had a problem about two weeks prior.  I won, and our team went on to dominate! 
Random thought, you learn to love the rain after you do laundry.  At least, those of us who are lazy do.  Doing laundry by hand is the worst.  Ask my mom, I used to hate doing laundry because I don't like to fold clothes.  Well now, doing laundry entails wetting, soaping, scrubbing, rinse scrubbing, rinsing, and THEN folding.  So you can image how I now feel about laundry.  Since my laundry lady stopped doing laundry (I am not sure if she was fired, or decided she doesn't like doing it, or what) I have been doing my own.  No surprise, I am lazy about it, and often skip the second rinse.  That means, that quite often my laundry goes on the line to dry with a little ,or a lot, of soap still on it.  But, that is where the rain comes in.  The Ethiopian second rinse is a well known/loved part of the Ethiopian weather by PCVs. 
Crapping in a hole... when people think of travelling to foreign countries they often dread the hole.  I don't know if it is because we think it is unsanitary, even though our rears never have to touch something that was touched by a thousand other peoples butt cheeks that day; or if we think it will be uncomfortable, you do have to figure out the right position so your legs don't go to sleep but after that it is so much more...linear for things to make their way out.  But I really have come to enjoy them.  Don't get me wrong, a nice porcelain throne can make a day once in a while.  But I really do like the way a shinta bet works.  Now, to be fair there are BAD shinta bets.  Whether it is lack of cleanliness, or the ever dreaded splash back!!!  Imagine squatting over a hole in the ground, doing your business above a lake of filth below, then all of a sudden you hear a splash and feel the drips of a million bowel movements ever so (not)gently hit your buttocks.  The thoughts that go through your mind are hardly repeatable in a blog.  But, horror stories aside I think I am going to miss the squat toilet. 
Hopefully I have entertained, and disgusted a few of you.  The rest, well this is just how my brain is functioning today. I should soon be back to the more orderly, and fulfilling blog posts shortly.  Until next time.