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.