The Long and Winding Road

When my dad was in Iraq many of our correspondences ended with the current soundtracks of our lives. What songs were playing on our i pods at defining moments, what songs seem to be narrating our stories and what songs have changed in our new contexts. At that point I was about 6 months into my service, and one song that I noted was “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” By Colin Hay. I felt that living in Masha was leading to something bigger, I didn’t realize why I was there yet and didn’t feel like I was living my “real life”. Sometime over the next year and a half that changed. Ethiopia became my life and home, but especially now that I live in Addis and have a “real” job I feel like my ship has come in.

So what is my “real” job? This is something I’ve been asked frequently. I’ll try to explain it, but for the non-Peace Corps person it is a little hard to describe. My title is Peace Corps Volunteer Leader (PCVL). It’s a common position throughout Peace Corps worldwide. Our framework is made up of 6 main goals.

1. Volunteer Support (to help with work and integration within the capital and regional office locations)

2. Agency Relations (coordinate with regional Ethiopian agencies and NGOs to strengthen relationships with PC)

3. Site Identification (Assist staff in the site development process under the coordination and oversight of program managers)

4. Internal Office Capacity & Efficiency

5. PCV Training (support staff in technical and cross-cultural training sessions of PCVs)

6. Committee Work (work with Peer Support Network, Program Action Committee, and Volunteer Advocacy Committee to support their productivity, efficiency and organization with the goal of providing enhanced support to PCVs)

So what does that all mean? In a nutshell, helping PC Ethiopia run better and keeping volunteers happy through support. By putting a volunteer perspective on programming, office culture and protocols, PCVLs can make the program run smoother and reduce the number of PC issues that hinder a volunteer’s experience.

Aside from office work, I’ve done 2 Regional In Service Trainings for the new-ish health group. In the two trainings I worked at (in the Oromia towns of Ambo and Jimma) I did 2 full day trainings on creating Income Generating Activities, Accounting, Savings & Credit Associations and Program Design and Management. The third day I organized for other groups and individuals to come in to teach skills that PCVs wanted to learn. Overall I think they went pretty well, and a good start to this year. I’m keeping busy and I’m feeling quite productive.

That’s the work aspect. Living in Addis has also allowed me to have a “real” life socially as well. For those of you who knew me before junior year of high school you know that I’m actually a very shy person and it takes a lot of push for me to put myself out there in social situations. It’s taken a lot of effort and forcing myself out of my comfort zone to get as far as I have come. The tendency to hole up and enjoy my own company still remains, and I’m trying hard to make myself get out there and make friends in the new city. By saying “yes” to every opportunity I find that now I am too busy, and while I don’t have any new friends that I’d call to hang out with individually, I’ve met a lot of new people that I see regularly. I got a gym membership and I go every day that I’m in town, I joined a salsa dancing class with another volunteer 3 days a week (this may sound strange, but many Ethiopians were sent to Cuba during the Derg days for training and know latino culture), on Thursdays there is an ultimate Frisbee game and then there are occasional weekend trips. Which brings me to this past weekend.

While I was in Jimma doing the regional training another volunteer invited me on a trip that his doctor friends in Gonder were organizing. I was pretty exhausted from 2 weeks of training, but, because I know I need to make friends, I agreed to go. So glad I did. The first night we spent in Hawassa (I’ve mentioned this city in a few previous entries) because the doctors have never been, and it was good for me because one of my closest friends lives there now. The following day we drove to Dinsho, a small town at the base of Bale National Park, where another awesome volunteer lives. After entering the park and making reservations at the lodge we left for a long, winding, dusty journey to Sof Umar Cave. This is a religious place way in the middle of nowhere at the bottom of a valley in the Bale region. The cave system is 15.1km long, the biggest in Ethiopia and arguably the largest in all of Africa. I felt like Indiana Jones, Batman and Willy Wonka all at the same time. After a little argument about prices at the entrance we began our adventure into the cave. The first room has bowls with coals and a pile of animal skins. Our guide told us that people pray there, and if the prayer is answered they must slaughter an animal and leave the skin there. Moving on through the cave there was a “room” with a huge boulder that had fallen in, and a tree trunk on it. The story there is that long ago there was a thief who was killed and put there and turned into the tree trunk. That one may have gotten mucked up in translation. The rest was a maze of rivers, shrinking tunnels, crazy formations and bats. Lots of bats. It was a place unlike I have ever been, and the fact that it is so inaccessible and few tourists make it out there made it that much more romantic. Once we returned to Dinsho from the long drive, the volunteer there led us on a night hike that overlooks the park. On the way there we were startled by charging footfalls. Mother warthog was defending her piglets. It was fine, but the sudden angry sounds scared me a bit. I kept thinking of those wild boar in Lost. The next morning we did a bigger hike into a gorge, climbing trees, scaling boulders, seeing animals, waterfalls, birds and beauty.

And now I’m back at work. Both enjoying the break and trying to decide if I should go camping this weekend or if my yearning to be alone is the need for rest or my anti-social tendencies surfacing. But whether I decide to go or not, I am enjoying my "real life" and happy to be where I am at the moment.

Current Soundtrack: “Lull” by Andrew Bird

Catching Up

I apologize for not updating this blog more often. I honestly assumed people had lost interest and stopped reading, but during my home leave I learned the opposite was true. So! Here is a much delayed update on the last 6 months or so in Ethiopia!
The Milling House
The big project I was working on is FINALLY underway. I received the first grant some time ago, and since then we have completed the construction of the milling house. It is located on the way to the market and looks fantastic. We started by marking off the different rooms with sticks and string (milling room, store room, shop) and digging a ditch around the outside for the foundation. From there we got a shipment of large rocks and filled in the ditches with them (I assume this is to prevent flooding in the rainy season). I (and the other volunteers in Masha…thanks again!) helped out in this process. Several people stood by and watched us and, unfortunately, laughed when we said that they should help. Promotion of Volunteerism Fail. Many people asked us why we were doing manual labor and why not just let the contractors we hired do it. It felt nice to do some hard work, but didn’t feel so good to realize that after 2 years I still can’t get people to volunteer to help people.
Or so I thought. The next day I was stopped on the street by a higher up development officer who said he heard what I was doing and wanted to help out. He volunteered to be the project foreman, set up legal contracts that I could have NEVER done on my own, and take care of things when I moved to Addis. During the construction he and his colleague turned out to be best assets I had. Especially with my dear counterpart out of town (for graduate school…pretty awesome for him…bad timing for me!) I really needed them to help with the bureaucratic red tape and communicating when my Amharic ran out. Recently I learned from the PCV who replaced me in Masha that they had finished construction. Right before I left on home leave the second grant was fully funded so now I’m ready to buy the milling machinery, install and start business! As soon as work here slows down I’ll be headed back to the SW.
Goodbye Masha
The second event worth mentioning was my departure from Masha. On November 1st my time in Masha was up. I had a lot of complicated feelings, sometimes feeling ecstatic to be moving on to the big city, sometimes feeling overwhelmed with sadness leaving the most permanent home I’ve had since I left for college, sometimes scared to leave what was now comfortable to the first city I’ve ever lived in, sometimes just relieved to be done using a pit latrine and showering in a bucket in the middle of my bedroom. I think the only consistent feeling I had was the happiness knowing it would be a good few months before I’d have to get on a bus again.
Leaving was difficult. I always have a hard time with goodbyes. I get very attached to people and places and dealing with change is a struggle. While the farewell process took about a month, I’ll tell you about my last day in Masha. Generally Ethiopians like to plan a big awkward goodbye ceremony for volunteers filled with people who volunteers don’t know or don’t have a good relationship with. I didn’t want this grand empty gesture, so I let people know not to do this, so I could give more personal goodbyes to the people I was closest to. I did my rounds to make sure I said goodbye to everyone that I needed to (everyone I worked with, people who I often interacted with in town, shop keepers, coffee house owners/servers etc…). Most of these included having a cup of coffee. I didn’t sleep well that night. During the day I spent some time with my favorite shop owner. I worked with her for a little while in her tiny square meter shop and had a few cups of coffee. I eventually needed to move on so I could see everyone I wanted to. The second stop was with two of the best people I met in Masha. Woodeh is the first person in Masha to ever speak to me and invite me to her house. She doesn’t speak any English and has been a challenging but very rewarding relationship. In the beginning I went to her house all the time for tea, later we met in town and had tea together relatively frequently. She helped me with everything in town and to integrate. We went to sporting events together, I went to her hair appointments, she helped with my laundry when I started getting lazy and, what I remember most, is she’s the person I went to after that waterfall incident years ago. Roman I know through working with the PLWHA association and also, because I randomly stopped at her tea house one day. We spend a lot of time in her tea house talking about life, her daughter and sometimes just silently enjoying each other’s company. My favorite memory with Roman was the day she found out her daughter was NOT HIV positive, I’ve never seen anyone smile so much. They both put together a Sheka dinner for me. Cabbage, k’och’o and tea. We made dinner together, had a photo shoot with them and the neighbors and sat around for hours laughing and taking pictures. I’m pretty sure Woodeh’s mom had never seen her reflection before, because each picture she looked at she asked me if she was in it, and which one she was. Sometimes she pointed to me and asked if it was her. Different worlds.
The last part of my goodbye was with the family in my compound, which I had become a part of in the two years I was in Masha. I had already had an emotionally draining day, so I thought this was going to put me over the edge. Unfortunately it was a frustrating and disappointing last meal and made me feel very ready to leave. The point of the meal was to see what I would give them, who I would take back to America with me and why I’m taking to Addis things I told them 2 years ago they could have. Then the neighbor tried to trick me into kissing him through some stupid game. But that’s Ethiopia for you, in one day you can have the best moment in country and then minutes later wish you were anywhere else and by the time you fall asleep be happy again.
The next morning I woke up early to catch a bus to Tepi and then to Mizan to visit friends on my way to Addis. The 3 hour bus to Tepi took 8. The bus broke down, we couldn’t fix it, so I was sitting on the side of the road for 5 hours waiting for another car to pass and take me with them. Goodbye Masha.
Egypt
This could be a blog of its own. I went to Egypt for 2 weeks. It was beautiful, fun, interesting and exotic. Then I had to say goodbye to my best friend. I can tell you about it later. This entry is getting long.
Moving to Addis Ababa
Following my vacation I moved on to Addis. The three weeks I was there I wasn’t really working yet, mostly just moving in and showing up at the office to let people know I was there. I moved into my new house, which is wonderful and I’m very happy with. Kitchen sink, toilet, hot shower, couch, dining room table. Far cry from village life, that’s for sure. Those three weeks were filled with visitors, social activity and goodbyes with the rest of my training group as the left Ethiopia and I remained behind.
Home Leave
Another item that could be its own entry. Home leave was great and it was SO wonderful to get everyone in one place again. The month was full of good people, good times and good food. Then as I was ready to go I was put on medical hold. So the second month was full of good people, good times, boring times, good food and dentist appointments.
Back to Ethiopia
I’ve been back in Ethiopia for almost 2 weeks now. Work is great, I really love my new position and working in the office. PC Ethiopia has had a lot of senior staff turnover lately, and while it is sad to see people go, it’s also exciting to get a fresh perspective and see changes happen in the office. I’ve been pretty busy and putting in the first 40 hour standard work weeks in years. It feels good.
And there you have it. I’ll try to update more often now that I know I still have readers.

A Day In The Life

Today was a very typical “Masha” day. Since I tend to write only when something interesting happens (or not at all) I decided that today would make a good blog entry.

I wake up at 7:30am because of a phone call. It’s an Addis number so I answer it, hoping it’s PEPFAR with news about the youth center. It isn’t. It is a very loud, confused and angry Ethiopian. He starts talking to me and I tell him he has the wrong number, and then he wants to know who I am and what number he called and, of course, he was yelling the whole time. I eventually hang up on him since it’s a pointless conversation and a waste of both of our time. Also it’s early. After the phone call I go back to bed, not wanting to wake up annoyed. Sometime around 9:00 I wake up again, put on music and do some strength exercises because I’m pretty weak and for some reason think I can climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in a few months. I tell myself I’ll actually start training next month and instead of exercising I think about exercising. I move on to the kitchen, light up the kerosene stove and put on the kettle to boil some water. While the water is boiling I do last night’s dishes. First I have to refill my jerry can; luckily the spigot in the front yard is working so I don’t have to use the well. Once I have water, I squat over a plastic bucket and pour water from a small pitcher and clean. After the dishes are clean the water is just about boiling. I make oatmeal with a bit of sugar and tea then put the rest of the boiled water in my filter so I can have it later. I lock up the kitchen and move back into my bedroom/living room, take all the meds/vitamins I’m on (I’ve been sick a lot lately) and brush my teeth. It’s around 10:00 and I head out to work.

At the office I meet with the leader of the HIV Positive People’s Assoc and ask him if he has obtained the land certificate and building permit so we can begin construction on the milling house. He gives me a certificate for something else (this is all in Amharic by the way, which makes it funnier). I tell him that’s not what we needed and he admits he hasn’t asked yet and that he’ll do it tomorrow. I remind him that I’m leaving Masha in 6 weeks and that we need to work FAST. He reacts like this is the first time he’s hearing this information and starts freaking out and then promises to get the certificates. Then I ask him to call his contractor and set up a meeting, when would he be available? He answers that it will take a month to build the milling house. I ask again, but when can we have a meeting so we can begin construction? He looks at me like I’m crazy and repeats that it will take a month. Another failed conversation. I try to reword my questions and ask if I can meet with him and the contractor on Monday morning. He finally understands and we set up a meeting. Oh how I wish my counterpart didn’t leave for grad school…I could really use his interpreting skills. I go a few doors down and sit at my desk and start making lists. What do I need to do to pack up my house? What do I want to do when I go to America? Who do I want to see when I go to America? What do I need to bring back from America? Who else can I ask for donations for this milling project? What am I going to make for lunch? How many days until America? Once I run out of questions to ask myself I pull out a magazine and read a few articles. It’s just about lunch time now, so I head out.

On my way home my zero-English-speaking friend calls to me from some random mud hut. She tells me to come have tea with her, I have nothing else to do so I oblige. She’s getting her hair braided by a woman who is now my sister. I had to promise to come back before I leave Masha to get my hair braided, too (ha). After her hair is finished they tell me to go inside the house and we’ll all have tea. Turns out they don’t have anything to make tea with, so they leave me alone, watching some random kid, to go buy tea, sugar and biscuits. I’m playing with the kid and we’re laughing and having a good time, he’s speaking to me in Amharic and I’m speaking to him in English, making no sense to each other. He climbs on my lap, I figure to touch my hair or my freckles (that’s why most kids get close to me) but he had a different agenda. He reaches in my shirt and tries to pull out a breast…this 2 year old kid wants to breast feed. My initial reaction is to throw him off my lap, but then I bust out laughing. It’s kind of funny. Eventually my friends come back. We make tea and have inane conversation about work, the other volunteers that live in Masha, my moving to Addis Ababa and other non-important things. Even after 2 years this is awkward for me. I’m awful at small talk in English, but in Amharic I’m even worse. After what seems like hours I head home.

Walking home I have to stop and greet a handful of people, some are friends, some are people that I vaguely know and some are people that know me but I don’t even recognize. It’s market day so a lot of beggars are out so I need to politely tell them I’m not going to give them money, but God will provide. It’s also still summer vacation so all the children are out chanting my name and ambushing me for handshakes. Eventually I get home. At this point I no longer want lunch because of all the fried biscuits my friend force fed me earlier so I turn on music and lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. You’d be surprised how long I can do this and not get bored. After some time I read a few chapters before I’m hungry again. I go to my kitchen for a snack (crackers and easy cheese from my last care package…thanks ma!) and when I walk in I find myself surrounded by the dreaded flesh eating ants. They are absolutely everywhere. I take some toilet paper and start squishing them and interrupting their marching formations. I do this for about half an hour, the whole time the ants are crawling all over me. My hands are tingling because they are biting me so much…my hands are completely covered. Then I realize they’ve been climbing up my legs and I’m getting bitten everywhere, and it hurts. I finally can’t take it anymore and splash water all over the room, spray the edges of the walls, especially where there are large holes and run. We’ll see later if that helped anymore or if I have to start all over. An hour later I’m still picking them off of me.

I return to my bedroom and turn the music on again and veg out for a while longer making myself a list of things to do when the power comes back on (it has) and things to do if it stops raining (it hasn’t). Writing this blog entry is on the list. For the rest of the day I’ll finish the items on the list, most are work related. I’ll eventually go back into my kitchen to assess the killer ant situation. If it’s under control I’ll make dinner, if not, I’ll ask another volunteer to make me dinner because I can’t stand to be eaten again. After dinner I’ll probably watch an episode or two of How I Met Your Mother (which I’m watching for the second time) and do some crazy exercise video with my site mate. Maybe we’ll play a game of Catan when we finish that. Around 9:00 I’ll get into bed and read for a while and go to bed.

So that’s a typical day in Masha. If it’s not a kid trying to find milk it’s some creeper guy hitting on me. If it’s not ants I’m cleaning up it’s mud. Seems crazy that I’ve been doing this for 2 years, even crazier that I love it. However, it’s definitely time to move on.

Chigger Alla

When I was first applying for the Peace Corps a few years ago a lot of Returned PCVs started coming out of the woodwork and telling me about their experiences overseas. One of these people was a man I worked with at the Agency on Aging who served in Gabon in the 80s. We had a few conversations about the good, the bad, and the ugly of Peace Corps service. For him the worst was the chiggers. Chiggers are these tiny insects that live in high grass and love feet. He told me of one time a chigger bored into his toes, laid eggs under his toe nails, and then hatched causing his toe nails to fall off. That was the first time I questioned whether or not I really wanted to move to Africa. Eventually I decided that it wouldn't happen to me because I'd always wear close toed shoes.

Three days after arriving in Ethiopia I stopped wearing sneakers and, like most Peace Corps volunteers, started rocking the Chacos everyday. The first few months I was very cautious and always checked my toes, then I realized that no one gets chiggers in Ethiopia and totally forgot about it. Well, if you've been following my Peace Corps service at all you know that bad things happen to me pretty regularly. Last week I was running a summer camp with my fellow volunteers in SNNPR and my toe started to hurt. There was a black circle and I thought that it was a planter's wart. Kind of gross but not a big deal. A couple days later it started hurting more so I investigated with tweezers. The little black sphere-ish thing came out relatively easily, and then this gooey white sack started spilling out. The eggs. This being my first chigger removal it was very sloppy and I broke the egg sack, only time will tell if they are about to hatch, but I think i got it all out. Now there is a pretty sizable hole in my toe and the thing I was most scared of coming to Africa has happened. In retrospect I shouldn't have been so worried about it, there are much worse things.

Circles

I feel like my life is repeating itself, but this time I'm ready for it.

A couple of months ago now I attended the environment group's In-Service Training (every volunteer group has this training three months into their service). I was asked to come to give a safety and security presentation because of all the crazy things that happen to me (it's got to be somebody, right?). I had a meeting in Addis a few days later so instead of traveling the 3 days back to Masha only to turn around and travel 3 days to Addis, I stayed to help out with the entire training. While the content was completely different, and my people weren't there, and I wasn't a trainee, a lot of the emotions, insecurities and triumphs were the same. It made me think back to where I was a year before, which if you remember, was not a good time in my life. It was the closest I ever was to coming home early. I was terrified of the crazy guy in my town, I had just watched that poor boy drown, and I was depressed thinking about death and how it was surrounding me. There were a few other things going on at that time, but those were the biggest. Needless to say, I was not a pleasant person to be around during my IST and felt like I was alienating myself from my group by being such a downer. Watching the newer volunteers at that point in their service really reminded me of that time and how far I've come. The questions they had and the anxieties they expressed were all the same things I was worried about at that time, but being a year later I couldn't help but laugh (if you G4 kids are reading, don't be offended, you'll laugh, too, when you realize how little any of those things matter).

A month or so after IST the cycle continued: the Hawassa EveryOne Race. Last year I was adamant about not running. I do not enjoy running for the sake of running…if it's to play a game or sport that's no problem, but at that time 7K did not sound appealing. I still went to Hawassa last year, though, and cheered everyone on and took photos for those who ran. The company of other volunteers was definitely the highlight of that weekend, and it actually is still one of the best weekends in Ethiopia that I can remember. This year, though, I did it…I ran the 7K! I had planned on just walking with a friend, but as we left the starting line with the thousands of other runners we were inspired. We ran most of the way (of course we needed walking breaks…we're not runners!) and it felt great. I wiped out once, which was pretty hilarious, and had some nice bloody gashes to show off at the finish line. We ended up running with an Ethiopian girl (who was really the reason why we ran instead of walked) who was pretty good company. I later found out that she was 14. I wouldn't say that this year's race was a better weekend, but I'm proud of myself for finishing the race. And surprised that the race was actually the highlight of the weekend.

A bit later my life repeated itself again: I went on a waterfall hike. I've been kind of avoiding waterfalls since last year (there are a surprising number in my area). I figured enough time had passed and it was time to get over it, and a few other volunteers were visiting so it seemed like a good time to go see the Sor Waterfall (the second largest in Ethiopia). The hike was about 5 hours shorter this time, and I actually brought water and snacks along this time. I'm also much better at walking through slippery mud (I still fell a few times, but had a better sense of humor about it this time around). I wasn't worrying about breaking a leg the whole time, I was laughing at the harsh conditions and knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to hike to a waterfall. When we were making the final descent to the water I was overcome with memories and emotions, not sure if I wanted to go any further. But I did, and had a good time laughing, getting drenched by the mist and slipping in the mud with all my friends. A far cry from the year before – it was a safe and successful trip.

The next night was another life experience repeat: the annual honey harvest! This time I knew where I was going and what we were doing. Instead of wearing Capri pants I wore long pants, tucked into my socks, a jacket with a hood and better shoes. Instead of getting stung 5 times, I didn't get stung at all. Instead of eating a whole comb at the first basket I paced myself so I didn't have to be rude and refuse to eat any at the second basket. I didn't cringe at the thought of eating the larvae "for strength", instead I asked for a bite. I felt like a pro.

It feels good to be comfortable in this life. I have to admit though, knowing what's coming and being ready kind of takes the fun out of it. The first time around everything was so new and a bit scary. The fascination of watching the men climb trees with nothing but a rope and go head first into a nest of angry bees will never be the same as the first time. Hiking in the muddy, wet, untraveled Ethiopian jungle will always remind me of that first time, but the emotion and sadness that came from that day will never be matched, I've grown numb and less affected by death since being here. I'll never have the optimism and hope that the newer volunteers have just starting their service, full of ideas and ambitions. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's probably a good sign that I'm so comfortable and used to this life, but I do miss the feeling of everything being new and exciting. I hope that in the last 6 months I still have some surprises left. 

Thinking About the Future

As time begins to grow short here in Ethiopia there have been a lot of
conversations regarding what is next. The overall consensus is that
nobody knows what they want to do once our service is over and instead
of leading us to the next step this experience has only opened more
doors than we ever even knew existed. Like my fellow volunteers I also
don't have any immediate plans and the near future is unknown, but in
answering the question as to what I want to do I always say that my
end goal is to start and own a residential hospice in New England. I
have a good idea of where I want to end up, but as to how to get
there, I haven't quite figured it out yet. Which is okay.
One particular conversation I had with a close friend I discussed this
hospice dream and called it my eventual life's work. He then asked me
if I thought it was important to have a life's work. His thought is
that there are a lot of things he would like to accomplish in his
time, all of which are disconnected, and therefore couldn't be called
a life's work. From that conversation I began to think what it is that
I am passionate about and what things I would like to accomplish in my
professional life. The common thread is that in everything I do I aim
to help people live healthier and happier lives. I want people from
all walks of life and from all corners of the globe to be able to
enjoy the right to medical care. Whether it is increasing access to
essential medicines and vaccinations in developing countries or
allowing terminally ill patients to receive palliative care to make
their departure from this world peaceful and painless, I want to
dedicate my life to decreasing the suffering of people in some way.
This, I hope, will be my life's work. While it may not be for
everyone, for me personally, it is important to have this commonality
throughout everything I do. It gives my life a purpose and some sort
of direction. My experience in the Peace Corps, with the ample amount
of free time to really think about my life and what my role in this
world in, has brought me to this conclusion. I didn't have a whole lot
of direction before coming to Ethiopia, just crazy dreams. As I think
about the future I begin to realize how amazing this opportunity has
been and how much I've grown as a person from the experience. I want
to take a moment and thank the US Peace Corps, Masha and all the PCVs
I've served with over the past year and a half. I haven't worked out
my entire life plan yet, and I feel like I have more options than
ever, but I have a much better grasp on what I want out of life and
what I want to give to the world as my life's work and contribution.
My hope is that in these last 7 months or so I can work out what my
next step is.
I apologize that this entry reads a bit like a journal entry. I have a
lot of stories to tell since it has been so long since my last entry.
I've been quite busy traveling and working outside of Masha and
therefore have new adventures to log in. I just have to sort out
what's interesting enough to publish. Check back soon for more
anecdotes and commentary on Ethiopia. But not too soon. Masha is
without power for 6 months. My internet access will be limited this
summer!

Call for Assistance

I think I may have mentioned it before, but my most recent project is
building a milling house with the HIV Positive People's Association in
Masha. The mill house will be an income generating activity to either
provide an income for those unable to find employment or supplement
those who currently have jobs. The proceeds of the mill will be spent
on nutritional support to increase the effectiveness of HIV treatment,
pay for school fees (a handful of the people in the organization are
children) and to implement programs to increase awareness of HIV in
the town. I am funding this project through a Peace Corps Partnership
grant because many of you have asked how you can help/get involved
with my work. I greatly appreciate the offers and really wanted to
give everyone an opportunity to be a part of my Ethiopia experience.
The link below leads to the official PC page for tax deductible
donations. Any donation will make a huge difference.
Thank you so much, and please let your friends and family know too!!

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=663-017