Life goes on

So I have been off here for so long I figure no one will read it anymore. I think I am really writing this more for myself than anyone else.

It is so hard for me to even comprehend that I left Ethiopia seven months ago! I have a new place, a new car, a new wardrobe, a new job, new friends (and of course plenty of old ones), once again my life has just completely changed from a few months ago. Don't get me wrong, many of the changes are quite welcome, I honestly am not complaining that I have running water I promise, I would admit I think it's a bit excessive though. I mean who really needs running water 24/7.

For those of you know don't know I wasn't quite ready to give up the whole Peace Corps gig. I became the Peace Corps recruiter in the Tallahassee area. I get to talk to people every day and get paid for it, not a bad job really. I also am working on a project that is based on improving literacy in youth in Nigeria. It can be very tedious work but I am so grateful for it and glad I can help in my indirect way to keep working in the international aid field. It has also been incredible to see all the Returned Peace Corps volunteers in Tally, they are wonderful people and I count myself lucky to be friends with them.

But all that isn't why I am writing this post. I could go on and on about the current state of America and how disappointing some of the things I have been seeing are. How I am having to almost everyday answer questions from my foreign friends on WhatsApp asking about what they are seeing on the news. But I think a blog post is hardly the place for that, at least not this kind of blog. I wanted to write about my re-adjustment. Up until today if you asked me I would have said that I don't usually have adjustment problems. That I traveled so much as a kid thanks to my family who loved seeing new cultures, that I was used to it. I would have a few things here and there that took me a minute, but no-big-deal. That when I came home the only real issue I had was my parents decided to take me to Publix shortly after returning to pick up supplies for a welcome back party. They were walking around getting this and that and told me to go pick out the chips. I am sitting there looking down the chip aisle and look at them. I remember telling them "no, I'm not doing that" and walking away. I don't know if they even realized it but I was mind blown. I mean here is a row of chips with maybe a hundred different options. Coming from a place where the three options you could get were the same in every major city in the country it was more than I could take. I proceeded to wander around the store for the rest of the time not really seeing anything and just trying not to be overwhelmed.

Now don't worry, I wasn't about to have my head explode or anything, I wasn't about to break down in the store, not to trivialize other people's re-integration experience. But I didn't want to be there right then, and I didn't want to handle it.

I say this long rambling story for another reason. (Besides that I think you will never read this if it is too long!) I think that I might have been lying to myself. I was talking to my friend the other day. He had served with me in Ethiopia and I told him that story, that I was doing fine but I didn't think I was socializing enough. That I didn't see my friends enough, I was tired of sitting at home even though I am doing events practically every week. I meet up with people for dinner, I get drinks, I have even been on a pretty good amount of dates. But still, I felt like something was wrong. But today I was reading a blog of a currently serving volunteer and she mentioned having to slow down. Having to get used to the culture and understand that you don't have to be productive every second of every day. That you get used to sitting down and having coffee and tea and just socializing. That's what I think I have been missing. That's what I have been craving, that is why I feel like something is missing. Because we American's have it all wrong!  We think that we have to be working every second, you go home and eat, go to bed and repeat. We have lost that sense of companionship. Of sitting down throughout the day to have coffee with people, of chatting about life and family and each others' experiences. Something so simple as taking a coffee break, something I didn't even know I was missing.

For those of you who read my past blogs, you will know that every day I had coffee at Aster's coffee shop, I spent the evenings with Shimelis for dinner and often went out to have a beer with friends before bed. Every day I was spending hours with others just talking or even just enjoying each other's company in silence. It was culture, it's what you do, it's what everyone in Ethiopia does, and it is really really great.

So what do you do? How do you adapt? How do you fill that gap? Well, I don't know. (I told you I just figured this out today right?) But I have an idea, just something small. My office works on international Ed. We have people from many backgrounds and so many well-traveled people. I'm thinking a coffee hour. Once a week asking everyone to come to the conference room, drink coffee, have snacks, and just socialize. Get to know each other, and find out what each other is doing. I don't know if it will catch on. I know people are "too busy" but hey, it is worth a try.

So here is to all you fellow RPCVs who found out how to slow down. I hope you never lose that and I hope I don't either.

The final journey

Here it is, the last one!

Next stop Udaipur. While I had a rough route in my head, I relied heavily on the ticket collectors to help me pick the best stops to make to get up to Udaipur. I estimated it would be a two and a half to three day trip and I would end up with two days in Udaipur, get a private bus to Delhi (an easy task in Udaipur) and be back in plenty of time for my flight. Well, for some reason I just had the worst time of things. I arrived in Mumbai around 2am the first day, and couldn’t find a single person who spoke English well enough to help me. So I decided to get a hotel and try to move on in the morning. Except all the cheap hotels were full or so much above my price range I was wondering if they were the local equivalent to the Hilton. I finally found a hostel with a room, but it was meant for 7 people and they were asking me 2,500 rupees a night. Compare that to the 350 I paid for most of the other hostels. It was 3 am, I was near crying, exhausted, and sweat dripping down my back. I was so freaked about the thought of having to sleep on the sidewalk with the swarms of rats I had seen every inch of my walk through town I agreed to the exorbitant price. When I went to pay though he handed me a thousand rupee bill back and I couldn’t even bother to correct him and just counted myself lucky. The next day it was onwards again and I braced myself for another long, hot day riding through India in a hot bus. I wasn’t wrong. I arrived in the last stop before Udaipur, waited about an hour and got on my bus. It was about midnight and I found out from the ticket checker we would be arriving about nine am. I am then looking around for a seat and realize there are none. Oh well, the floor it is, and while I am at it I might as well lay down and get some sleep in the middle of the aisle. So that is what I did, or at least what I tried to do. With the rough roads bouncing me several inches in the air every ten minutes or so, only to slam down in a cloud of dust that would coat me every time I hit the floor I decided it wasn’t worth it. Around 2 am I got a seat, but as a passenger got off the bus I caught him giving me a weird look. I watched as he got off the bus, took a few steps, looked back at me and came to my window. He asked me where I was going, and at this point I could feel my stomach drop. I told him Udaipur and he nodded, then he asked if I was going to the Udaipur in Rajastan or in Mumbai. I said Rajastan with a sad note in my voice and he proceeded to tell me I was on the bus to Udaipur…near Mumbai. So all through the night I had been riding on a bus heading back the opposite way I wanted, back to where I had just come from. He tells me to get off the bus. So with no shoes on, my big bag in the front of the bus, my small one in the back, and no idea where I was,  I was yelled at the ticket master to hold the bus. I stepped on ladies sleeping in the aisles and hit people with my bags as I rushed to exit the bus. Once off the bus I sit on the ground,  and attempt to readjust my bags, put my shoes on, and notice how the dirt on me now makess me look black. I realize I don’t have the vaguest idea which city I am in but am happy to realize that my mysterious rescuer has not abandoned me. He introduces himself and asks if I even knew where I was headed on that bus. I told him I didn’t and he said I was going to a town so small that I would never have found an English speaker and would have been out of luck. I find out from him that I am in a town I had been through earlier that day, making me even more frustrated that I had backtracked my exact route, but Parth (his name) is kind enough to tell me about the town and he set me up in a group hostel that conveniently was in the bus station. He also explained how to get to the Udaipur.  The town I was in is called Vadodora  and is a pretty nice town. With only a few days left in the country and not enough time to enjoy Udaipur I decided to just take it easy in Vadodora. I rented a hotel room with wifi and AC, crazy I know,  and took a few nice hot showers then walked around the market area to find gifts for people. I also found a nice pastry shop just around the corner. It was a nice end to my trip, or at least it was supposed to be the end. For my trip back I booked a private bus to take me straight to Delhi, which would leave me  only one city bus or metro ride to the airport.

On the bus

 I got to the travel office where the bus was leaving from early to be safe. When the bus arrived they told me to get on. I gave my ticket to the ticket collector and the driver showed me to my bed so I could sleep the twelvish hours to Delhi. The next day about ten hours before my flight the bus stopped for what I thought was another meal/bathroom break. But as I got off the bus they told me to take my bags. When I asked why they told me it was the last stop, I was obviously not in Delhi so I ask why it was the last stop. They told me the bus was finishing in that town and I had to get off. So pulling out my ticket again I showed them where my bus was supposed to be to Delhi. They then, in broken English, explained that I was again on the wrong bus and I would have to make my way to Delhi from there. Everything worked out in the end with me having to take only one more 5-hour bus ride to Delhi.  So I wasn’t that far off and I ended up at the airport with time to spare.

I wish that this is where my story ended…but it’s not. My last adventure was at the airport. In order to get into the terminal to pick up your ticket you have to have proof of your booking. Not having been told this I was surprised and frustrated as my phone was dead, my computer cord broke early in the trip, and I had no print out of my ticket. I was stuck. So I asked what to do. The attendants told me it was easy, I would just have to call to get the ID number of the booking. Sure, but I had no charge on my phone I told them. They proceeded to tell me to just call the number and I would be fine. Once again I slowly explained I had no charge on my phone, my flight was in a few hours, and I needed to get to the desk to get my ticket which would be my proof that I had a ticket. I was told that all I had to do to get my ticket to prove I had a ticket was call and get the ID number of my booking. Well, this went on for a while. I didn’t keep my cool as much as I would like to say I did, but compared to before I went to Ethiopia I felt I did pretty well with not being too rude to anyone. Still they knew I was not happy. I asked them where I could charge my phone because it was dead, I would then pull up my email and show them. They said there was no charging available inside the terminal but I could find charging outside the terminal. This would have been acceptable except for all the computers plugged into the power outlets, and the attendant's phones plugged into the wall beside them. Finally, I got the ID number written down, along with the flight number and all other numbers I could find. I hand it to the attendant, point to each and explained to them what each was. They pointed to each after I was done and repeated what I had said…in the completely wrong order. (Exasperated) Finally they printed out what I needed and I walked the two steps to the guard to show him so I could enter the airport terminal proper. He then asks me my flight time, as it wasn’t on the ticket they had just printed. I told him, and he told me it had to be on the printout. That was it, I was done, I sat down on the floor in front of him, bags and all, told him to talk to them and refused to move. In the end my phone had enough residual charge on it to pull up the email with alarms going off about the low battery every second. They finally let me through. I wish that was the only frustration at that airport but it wasn’t. I just don’t want to go through them all and make the five pages I am at already longer. All I have left to say is the Indian airport is the worst airport I have even been to in my life, EVER.

So I am at the end of my travels, at least for a little while. I can honestly say it has been amazing and terrible, thrilling and exhausting, hot and hotter. I have met some amazing people, and others I would like to see fall into one of the many piles of cow crap all over India and Ethiopia. But, I have emerged a changed person. I am happy to say that for the most part, all the changes have been good. I am a more patient, well rounded, less judgmental person. I have learned to respect local knowledge, and understand the importance of modern information. I have made some amazing friends, both American and other. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I am glad to be back in America. All of you have made me feel so welcome and missed since being back. I truly want to thank you all for having gone through this with me. I know I wasn’t always positive and I think that is ok. Life isn’t always flowers... sometimes there are thorns. But I hope you a better understanding of the world outside of your everyday lives and have stopped to think about all the privileges and benefits we take for granted in our day to day lives. Remember, no matter what you believe in, helping others is one of the most rewarding things you can ever do.

Love you all and thanks for reading.

Trey

P.S. If you all are interested let me know and as I go through pictures (very slowly) I can continue to      upload them here. Both of Ethiopia and India. If you don't tell me you want then I won't do it.

Beautiful Hampi

Hampi was one of the numerous examples of me getting lost. I once again took the public buses and during my last bus change I ended up getting on the bus to the town that the hostel was licensed under. I didn’t realize until it was too late though that the town the bus was going to was about an hour north east of where the hotel actually was. The bus completely bypassed the little town of Hampi. So upon arriving in the wrong town I decided that instead of having to try and figure out the correct bus, maybe getting lost, and having to walk two kilometers from the main road back to the hostel I would spend the night. It was a night wasted, but onward and forward. The next day I arrived at the hostel in Hampi. During my two hour walk down the side road through the little village I noticed that all the houses had been knocked down. What looked like a once well built, if quaint, village had been destroyed. I quickly ruled out natural disasters, which left me with intentional demolition. This confused me but I figured maybe it had been an old military base or something and the people had moved into the ruins. How wrong I was, but more on that later. Once I arrived I realized why everyone was so caught up in Hampi. I had heard the name Hampi may times on my travels and I don’t blame anyone who brought it up. Just next to my hostel was a rock cliff which I climbed and had a clear view across the little river to the most beautiful temples I had seen in India. There were magnificent multi-story structures intricately carved with stone walls surrounding them and beautiful music playing from them every morning. I quickly decided to take the small boat across the river and explore these temples. I found that not only were there the two main temples, but there was also the old king's residence, his throne room, the queen's baths, more temples than I could count, the elephant stables, and so much more to see. The history and culture just oozed out of this place from the people going to be blessed in the temples, washing their clothes in the holy river, the colors, and foods, and Indian tourists were everywhere. As usual, I spent the day walking, but, this time, I felt rather accomplished. While I did get swindled on one of my rickshaw rides, I quickly figured out the norm and adapted. From then on it was just a matter of getting dropped off and seeing the sites. The royal home was so well preserved, the carvings so beautiful that I couldn’t stop taking pictures. The temple to Ganesh with the towering statue of the deity was awe inspiring, and the hidden temple that can only be found through a single hidden entrance to the underground was completely unlit and I had to use my cell phone to navigate through the corridors to the main worship hall.  In Hampi, I felt like I got my first true taste of how India was hundreds of years ago.

Little did I know that another friend who I had met on the train heading south was in Goa at the same time I was, and thankfully we had exchanged whatsapp contact information so we met up in Hampi. He was a Spaniard, who was also hanging with two Brits and an Aussie and we met that afternoon. We went to a local restaurant and after a few rum and cokes with the owner I learned that the reason for all the destruction was that the government had come and destroyed all the locals houses. The area North of the river is a UNESCO world heritage site so the people weren't allowed to live there. Although the locals had other ideas why the government was kicking them out, it was the third time the people had their houses toppled and their lives destroyed.  It was such a sad thing to think back on all the kids I had seen playing in the rubble with lost toys they had found crushed between what had once been the roof over their heads. Sadly, the government was making no effort to relocate them or help establish a new place for these people. They were simply being told to leave and then, sometimes forcefully, thrown out on their butts.

The next day, despite what we had heard, we decided that since there was nothing we could really do to help we rented mopeds from one of the local businesses and cruised around. It was a great morning followed by an afternoon spent at a reservoir swimming and playing, that is until a local came up and told us it was unwise due to the crocodiles. Then it was time to move on. I was running out of time and wondering if I was even going to make it to Delhi in time for my flight. So I said goodbye to my new friends and set off. It was a two-kilometer hike to the main road to catch a bus that would take me west. My last stop was Udaipur. It was one of the most famous places for tourist to go in India, and one highly recommended to me. I had my hostel planned out, my rough route in my head, and off I went. Little did I know that this would be the most tedious, annoying, and painful trip of my whole adventure.

                                 One of the many rice fields on the North side of Hampi

 

Literally temples everywhere

The Sri Virupaksha Temple probably my favorite that I visited

Worshipers children inside Sri Virupaksha, the showed me around to all the best places

Statue of Ganesh in old Hampi temple

The queens bath

Temple

Hazara Rama Temple

Final post coming soon

Goa

6/11

I know, I know. I haven’t posted in a while and am sorry. I have been in the midst of my sisters wedding, visiting Fort Lauderdale, interviewing in Panama City, more job hunting, prepping for the GRE, and getting caught up with friends. Still, I wanted to finish up on India so I sat down and typed up five pages. After my mother said I was crazy it is now divided up into a few posts that will be posted over the next few days or so. 

In some of these places I took a lot of pictures, in others I took none. I will provide a lot of the good ones when applicable though so I hope you enjoy.

After my trip to Gokarna I was recharged and ready to get on with some exploring. Since the train station was a bit of a trip to get to from the middle of town I decided to take the bus as the station was practically across the street from my hotel. Now this isn’t a nice AC bus. It isn’t a sleeper bus. It is what the rural Indians can afford, a bench row where they often try to squeeze an extra person on, with no AC, and a lot of stops which means no air movement to cool you down. So I get on my first bus and get off at the main bus station for the area. I then ask how to get to Goa, my next stop. Here I was told that I needed to go to the main street and catch it there. Well, I didn’t realize that they were telling me to get on a private bus and I started to freak out when I was told it doesn’t leave anytime except 8pm. As it was hardly 8am at this time I was not happy. After asking around a bit more though I found out, that with a few added stops, I could take a few busses to get to Goa on public transport and so I was off. During the longest leg of my trip that day I was sitting next to a rather interesting local who was more than happy to talk to me. I admit to being a bit unnerved when I noticed his hyper-alertness and the fact that he seemed to be having rather animated conversations with himself, but, in general, he seemed to be a cool guy. At the lunch stop I met another guy closer to my age who was very nice and explained that it would be easier to get to Goa if I went one stop past where I had planned to get off and it would knock off some time on my travels. I was quite happy when I realized that we were actually traveling through a popular, large national park and couldn’t stop staring out the windows as the natural beauty all around me. Finally though I reached Goa proper and had to make my way to the hostel which only meant one more bus ride. But that route took us through back roads and alleys until I was so discombobulated that I was soon lost and would never have found the hostel had it not been for my GPS. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have survived India at all without it.

                Now in Goa I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had heard it name dropped a few times but only as a popular tourist destination. Online there were a few markets and temples recommended but not as much as I would have expected from somewhere that was so popular. But, after only about thirty minutes of being in town I realized what the draw to Goa is. Booze! I can’t remember if I have mentioned this before so I will review. It is hard to get alcohol in most of India. I am not kidding, like you have to find a secret bar in a dark alley or one or two places in town you can buy bottled liquors and take it home. But it isn’t easy to get. In Goa this is not true. It is like the US where every restaurant offers alcohol, there were tall boys, and liquor drinks, and even some imports. It was AWESOME! I didn’t take any pictures in Goa really, I spent a day walking around and finding out only after I visited them that the markets in that town were not open every day, nor were they open the day I went. So most of my time was spent at the beach and in the awesome infinity pool at the hostel. There I met two British travelers and we immediately hit it off spending the days, and nights together and spending way too much on beer. Before I knew it though it was time to hit the road and head to Hampi, one of, if not my favorite stops.

Gokarna

5/16

So for those of you who don't know, almost as soon as I arrived in India the charger for my laptop broke.  Since I had no way of opening my pictures, I had no way of sending in any blog posts.  So for the next little while I am going to try to go through the pictures I took while in India and write up some posts.  I hope you can bear with me while I select and write these up.  I hope you enjoy.

After Varanassi and Thrissur I headed to Gokarna in South Karnataka.  The train ride there was of course long and hot, but it was an overnight train so I got to sleep and arrived in town a few hours after noon.  Gokarna is a beach town that is somewhat famous for tourism both foreign and domestic.  It is a beautiful area with several beaches and a small rural area surrounding. It was nice to see the way the rural people in India live.

I spent just about every day there in the mornings sitting on the beaches, and the afternoons walking around town doing some shopping or walking through the rural regions of town. The beaches there were quite beautiful, most of the people stayed on the main entrance areas to the beach leaving the rest of it nearly pristine.  The second day I made the trip over to Om beach by foot.  I didn't realize that it was five kilometers away when I set out but it was a nice several hour walk.  The rock formations surrounding the beaches were interacting with the surging in the ocean by sending sprays of salt water feet into the air with an unending noise of the surge in the background.  On the main part of the beach there were several small bars. The one I stopped in was run by a French man who was more than happy to keep the beers flowing.  After half a day of drinking, eating great curries, and a Lassi for dessert I head back to town for some shopping. Since it is the off season for foreign tourism I was able to get what I consider some really good deals on gifts and souvenirs. 

The final day in town I decided to take a long walk down the beach.  After about an hour of walking I came across a small fishing village built right on the beach.  As I walked up there were a group of men bringing in one of the large seven person fishing boats out of the water.  As I got close they waved me over and in pantomime told me to start pushing with them. I being the pushover I am went along with it. We pushed and shoved until the boat was close enough for the locally made wooden winch to hook up to it and then helped as the winch slowly pulled it up the beach.  I admit being a little disappointed when I wasn't offered any coconut rum or something for my pleasure but they did ask me to come back in the afternoon to push it back in the water. I am afraid I didn't make it.

I enjoyed my time in Gokarna quite a lot, it was very relaxing and quiet. It was not common to find small places in India to just enjoy but I am glad I made it to Gokarna and its beautiful beaches.

Two forts seen from the train

Walking to the beach in Gokarna

Om beach Gokarna

Sled used during holidays

Gokarna Beach

Temple and holy water

Temple Discrimination and Elephants

Well once again my vacation hasn't gone as planned.  After two days on the train, which went surprising smoothly with mostly just a lot of reading as well as meeting a very nice man who bought me Chai while we talked. I'm in Thrissur right now, a town in the region of Kerala. Kerala is beautiful and green if not humid and scorching hot. Anyway,  while as a white person I am not allowed into the temple I most wanted to go. The Catholic Church has no racially discriminating rules and gladly let me come in and view the beautiful cathedral dedicated to Mary (I think). Of course as always no photos allowed inside so this shot will have to do. I did manage to see am elephant walking across the street. It was AWESOME. But by the time I got around to playing and running after it  had disappeared. Anyway, after walking around and trying to find something worth while to do I finally gave up. Now I'm just eating grapes on my bed, watching a movie and waiting for my midnight train. Next stop, the beach!  I figured,

how can I go wrong with the beach... Crossing my fingers.

Getting Lost, Swindled, and Having Fun

So today was a much better time that I have had since I got here.  The day was hot, but hey it is India in the dry season.  I spent the day lost, but not as lost as before.  I managed to see the Golden temple dedicated to Shiva (no photos allowed), more of the Ghats, as well as the Jantar Mantar (one of the earliest observatories in India).  I also managed to have a Lasi at the famous Blue lasi cafe' (thick milk, with sugar and flavors like pineapple, mango, blue berry, banana, etc).  Finally I also let myself get suckered a little bit.  First I wanted to buy some necklaces from a street vendor.  The guy that got me was very nice and explained everything about the necklace, which god it was dedicated to, he even gave me a wrist band that he infused with his good karma.  Finally we got down to the price.  He started high, I mean REALLY high, and I managed to talk him down to about half his price and what I thought was a fairish foreigner deal.  Turns out I think I paid close to what Indians would pay for them, and I didn't mind the extra because he was nice and made me laugh.  The second guy randomly was going the same direction down a street.  We started talking and he found out I was walking to a place near his shop.  So he had me stop in for some Chai tea and had his friend start the sales pitch.  I ended up walking out with a shirt, three scarves, and a purse for what amounts to about 20 USD.  He also walked me to the monument I wanted to see and never would have found on my own.
So all in all, while I may have paid for too much some times, and gotten lost.  Today at least I did it having fun. 
So here are the pictures I have been promising.  More to come after tomorrows three day train ride.

Lost in India AND in a Maze but Blessed

So today I ended up in Varanasi. If you read my past post you will note I said I was on my way to Jaisalmer, Well getting on a wrong bus, trying to sleep on the floor, and finding out I was literally heading in the wrong  landed me here. It isn't a total loss since I was planning on making this stop anyway. But it is quite annoying that I found out today I have to go BACK to Delhi on order to move on.
Anyway. Since I was here I figured I would get my sight seeing in.  I made my way to the Ghats, holy river water, and watched the people bathe themselves to receive the blessings. I then received an offer to sit down and before I realized what was happening I was being swinddled into receiving a blessing where the Bhrama tried to charge me 500 ruppees for something that at temples is done at no charge. I gave ten, half the cost of a bottle of water, and said thanks. Then I got lost for about two hours walking in what I swear could easily be considered an official maze. I ended up having to use a compass to find my way out.
I have to say, I think my favorite part of this whole trip so far, other than the juice,-which I'm still not sure what they put in it, is the food.  I have not tasted a food I haven't liked. Indian food is probably one of the best cultural foods I have ever tasted.  Plus the diversity is great, I'm trying a new meal each day.
Anyway, this is a picture of me, recently blessed, and lost in the maze. Once I get a bit more time and internet will upload some of the better photos.

Pick Pocket and Trains

So my first day in India was spent getting lost on the metro and seeing the lotus temple. I had planned on seeing a few more but couldn't figure out where they were and instead of being late for my train from trying to find them I decided to head back to get my bag at the hotel and then to the train. Good thing I did because I couldn't remember the name of the metro station where I boarded. So after wasting an hour of back and forth on the train I made it. Getting to the train station was a bit of an ordeal. Standing at the bus stop I felt someone try to pick pocket me. I wasn't sure or I would have blown up at him but then he tried again on the bus this time getting caught by another passenger. But sometime between the guy yelling at the thief and getting off the bus I was successfuly pick pocketed and my note book with all my sites I wanted to see, the names of the hotels I was going to stay at, and other info was taken. Thankfully the only thing I didn't have an extra copy of was the hostels, so no worries.  Considering what else I had in my pockets I got very lucky.
But I finally, with the help of some fellow passengers, got to the bus station just in time...except the train was twenty minutes late so I was plenty early and had no need to rush at all.  This is a picture of the sleeper class car I'm riding in. It is the lowest class available, I.e. cheap, and it is a busy place for sure. People constantly are coming up and down the aisles with stuff to sell, bags, and the like. The bottom bunk during the day acts like a seat, the second bunk is the back to the seat, and only the top is always a bunk.  I managed to get a top so I am free from the over crowded lower seat as long as I don't mind laying down the whole time.  Still, the next train I might spring for a car with air-conditioning.

Hello India! (Yikes!)

Sorry there isn't any pictures. You will see why in a minute.  So I am in India, but lets just say it has been a rough start.  I got to Dubai with no problems, but either the airplane food or the food I bought with the voucher provided to me by the airline gave me food poisoning.  I was very excited to fly Emirates, but I have to say I am NOT impressed.  Well, the food poisoning made it an uncomfortable ride, and as much as I hate to admit it, the poor lady next to me hearing the famous eruptions was probably pretty close to as uncomfortable as I was.  But, the real horror started as I got off the plane.  Having held things through the flight, I just made it to the restroom and...well I will let you image the rest.  Then through customs I was doubled over in pain, receiving more than a few stares as well as a few compassionate nods.  The Emirates official at baggage check didn't have a whole lot to say to me when I told her how sick I was, but did provide me a bottle of water when I asked, and had one of the baggage guys help me get my bags and a taxi.  Then it was on to the couchsurfers house...except not.  I got to the area we were supposed to meet but his phone was turned off or something and I couldn't get in touch with him.  So I had the taxi drive me to a hotel...any hotel so I wouldn't be sick in his cab, but of course it was more expensive that I ever wanted, but since I was about to explode I accepted it and got to the room.  After a few hours rest it was out to get some juice, since I wouldn't be eating anything for awhile, some meds, and a new sim card for my phone.  In the room I watched movies and wondered if I had made a mistake coming here.
Today I am feeling better, and while not 100%, more than what I would have needed in order to get out of the house in Ethiopia.  So after my first real food in India, (stir fried veg. with a black bean sauce) and walking around seeing what India's backstreets looked like, I was feeling much better about my decision to come here.  Then it was off to find a hostel with a more affordable daily rates.  The bus ride to this part of town was quite nice, although it is rather hot here, with people helping me find my stop, and the bus officials finding me without a ticket, I am still unclear where you actually buy them, and am thankful the bus officials helped me get a day pass instead of fining me.  After a quick detour (read getting lost for 10 minutes), I got out my phone and used google maps, and a little luck, to find my way to the hostel. The hostel is stuck at the back of what looks like the creepy alleyways that people get murdered in on television, but once you get past the first 20 meters or so turns into a haven for small hotels, a few shops, and where I am staying tonight. 
Now for the really fun part, dealing with red tape.  That all started when I went to get a train ticket.  Of course it is in a government tourist office that has a ratio of about 50/1 of non-tourists to tourists waiting to be served.  After two hours of waiting I was told my fears, that all the tickets would be sold out as it says online, are NOT true and my waiting was not in vain.  I am now a proud owner of a ticket to my next stop, Jaisalmer.  Then there was the time spent trying to get cash because very few places accept credit cards.  And my debit card expired while I was in Ethiopia. On to the banks, well four banks and a few hours later I am finally convinced that no bank in India will let me do a cash advance on a credit card unless it is at the ATM.  Not having a PIN means this is impossible.  This is where I really want to do a shout out to Capital One credit cards.  Not only do they provide collect calls for international travelers having trouble, and no international fees, but they also helped me out by letting me get a PIN placed on the card right away, something they don't often do.  But they did it all in a short time allowing me to get money out and not starve to death in India. 
So tomorrow will be my first day of exploring the city, since I have not exactly had the opportunity yet, and then tomorrow night I will be on my first train ride in India.  Lets see if I can make it out of the country with nothing stolen now. LOL. 

Goodbye Ethiopia, Hello India!

Last blog post from Ethiopia. I am flying out. In about two hours I will be in the air on to my next adventure. It has been an intense two years and I won't go into it all again now but I am thankful that I got the opportunity to live and work among such amazing people both Ethiopian and foreigners. While I'm not going to miss the lack of water/power/cell network, I am going to miss the people. Thank you for the last two years and all the well wishes as I leave.
Goodbye for now
Trey
P.S. keep following if you want to see my exploits in India!

It's Official! I am a Returned Peace Corp Volunteer.

I am officially an RPCV!  After two years it is hard to believe I am finished with PC Ethiopia.  It has been an incredible two years filled with ups and downs your wouldn't believe.  I can't thank everyone enough for the support and love that has been sent my way.  Now on to India for the next adventure!

Saying Goodbye

Visiting the host family for the last time. The kids are finished with school and getting things ready for tomorrow. On the left they are cleaning the icicle molds, and on the left preparing the food for the restaurant tomorrow. Prep is a long job requiring a lot of chopping, cleaning, and pre-cooking. They get off school, and immediately start serving food, tending the shop, cooking, and cleaning.

Health Center

This is the health center in my town. It is where my site mate works. In Ethiopia there are both local clinics, and health centers or health posts. In the large towns both clinics and centers will have licensed doctors. In smaller towns like mine,

the centers/clinics have either nurses or simply "knowledgeable" people. The health posts are government extensions of the health centers and are usually used simply for getting vaccines etc.

Ethiopia-the Birthplace of Coffee

Making coffee is a pretty intense process. First you sort it, then you wash it, then sort again, then roast it, then you grind it (shown here) and finally you have to make the coffee. Having a buna ceremony is really a common thing here. People invite you to come have coffee, but what you learn quickly is only accept if you have time.

Going Away Party

My office had a small ceremony for me to thank me for coming to Gassera. They all wished me well and told me to come back one day.

Water Lines

As you probably know already we have been having problems with water. To be more precise we have not had water coming out of the faucet in a year. So to supplement the bottled water some of the government offices have started having, water tankers bring in water and each person working for the office can bring three Jerry cans a week to get water. This was actually a slow day, on busy days the line will wrap out of the gate. 

Chat and Getting Arrested

The bus is transporting people, probably to Ghinir, the town I got arrested in.  But if you look on top of the bus you can see it is carrying chat.  In America it is an illegal substance, but in Ethiopia it is completely legal and considered a cash crop. It is mostly chewed exclusively by men, and it can lead to people in your town having a bad opinion of you. While some people choose to chew only in secret, it is still common to see  drivers, and people in similar lines of work chewing. It is supposed to give a euphoric high, with the added benefit of being a stimulant, hense why drivers chew. 
The second picture is a horse gari (cart) commonly used to get around moderate distances. The number seen working varies but is largest during market days when people are being in supplies to sell, or carting away large bags of grains.  There is also a version of gari pulled by donkey, see my previous posts for a donkey gari with a tie.