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.
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