Rat King

So I've been so down about the holiday season I've neglected to look for the subtle hints that Christmas is all around. I've decided that I'm living in The Nutcracker….well, at least the part with the army of rats. When I got back to Masha I was welcomed by a trashed kitchen. They ate through my plastic containers filled with sugar, honey and flour. They didn't eat the flour but it appeared that they rolled around in it than ran all over the place. Every surface was coated with white powder. My Ramen noodles were all eaten and everything not locked up had little nibbles taken out of it. I was kind of amused, I expected something to have happened while I was away. So I laughed it off and cleaned up everything, washed every dish, pot and pan, washed the floors and went shopping. 

The next day every vegetable was eaten and things were thrown all over the place. Not funny anymore. Every morning I woke up to a mess and a few missing items. A few days ago I found the nest, and in it was 6 sponges, 2 dish rags, 2 pot holders a water bottle, my salt shaker, the lid to my oil and mounds of rat droppings. Disgusting. My landlady found a bunch of kittens and gave them to my sitemate and I. They lasted two days before mama cat found them and stole them back. Good thing, too. They were too young to be away from their mother and smaller than my rats. Pretty useless. So a few days later a friend of mine brings over her cat to help us out. This cat (we've named Pooh…not after the lovable character of our youth, but after her horrible flatulence) has been both a blessing and a curse. She has not caught a rat yet, but she cries SO MUCH and SO LOUDLY that the rats are afraid to come near. So we don't have rats, but now we have this crazy, obnoxious cat. She does have her moments that she is sweet and will sleep on our laps, but other times she is so animalistic and wild it's a bit scary. We feed her bull lungs and leftover food. When we come back from the butcher with the bull lung she turns into a wild animal. One she leapt a few feet in the air, grabbed onto the bag and hung onto it until it tore and the meat was free. She drives us and our neighbors insane, but it's nice to have my kitchen back and be able to keep food for more than a day. It's like having to choose the lesser of two evils. I hate how it always has to be one or the other, and things can't ever be perfect, not even for a little while. 

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

I have been back in Ethiopia for about 3 weeks now and haven't had a bad day yet. It's true...the second year is SO much better than the first. The first few days I spent in Addis reuniting with old friends and making new friends with Group 4. I was amazed by how at home I felt. When I landed at Bole International and got on a taxi to head to my hotel it was so familiar and so comfortable (not sure if comfortable is an appropriate word...nothing here is actually comfortable). It made my trip to the States feel like a vacation and, by some cruel twist of fate, Ethiopia is my actual home. The best part was definitely the return to Masha. It's like Cheers...everybody knows my name. It used to drive me crazy when the kids screamed my name incessantly from every direction, but I love it now (for the time being at least). I also have a lot of new neighbors and a site mate now, which makes a world of a difference. My site mate is pretty awesome and a bit dorky...we get along well.

Work has been going well since coming back, too. I haven't heard about the Youth Center grant yet...but the Embassy told me that they are still reviewing. It's not too late! The garden I started was planted while I was away, which was a pleasant surprise. It seems to be doing well...everything has sprouted at least. I also started a new project with the PLWHA Association. We're going to start a mill house for an income generating activity. So far everything is going smoothly. I hope to submit the proposal in February. I kind of want to to a Partnership Grant, which means that you all can get involved by donating! This way you can be a part of my work, too. 

Christmas is in a few days. Just like last year it doesn't feel like Christmas is coming at all. There are no lights on the houses, no tree, no ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas, no Christmas music on every radio station 24/7, no cookies, no family... This weekend we will have a bit of a celebration though. I now have 15 neighbors in my general area so we're all getting together for a pot luck feast, card games and maybe a white elephant gift exchange. Modest, but it will be nice to have the company, our mismatched little Jimma-Loop family. 

So that's about all that's going on. I'll write some stories next time to be a little more interesting. Until then, Happy Holidays! I miss you all!

And.....a wish list!!

Ultimate Frisbee disc

Music

Chocolate

Snacks (granola bars, trail mix, cookies...)

Sauce/Dressing mixes

Cheese (velveeta is fine until opened)

Craft Activities

Flute music

Magazines

Books 

Tomato seeds (I'm starting my own little sack garden)

Surprises! 

Back in the Saddle Again

After months and months of anticipation, my trip home has come and gone in a flash. At the moment I am sitting in the airport waiting to board my flight home (home, being Ethiopia). This time is a bit different than the first, I am less nervous, less sad, less wide-eyed and hopeful and more prepared, more confident and more ready. Last time I was going on a brand new adventure not knowing who I would meet, where I'd end up or what I would do. This time I know exactly where I'm going, what I need to do and who I'm going to reunite with. But there's still that sense of new adventure. First thing I'm going to do is help out at PST and meet all the new kids and my new neighbors. I'm also going to see a few people I've been missing during my absence. I have projects that I am excited to finish and people I am excited to see. I feel like I'm going home, not away.

I am very thankful that I left Masha on a good note. Things were really shaky at the end and I was unsure of whether or not I'd be returning. Being able to go back to my home is a relief and I'm really looking forward to it. I miss Masha, it's where I belong. Being excited to return, though, does not mean I am happy to leave America. This was perhaps one of the best months I can remember. I saw almost everyone I wanted to see (I'm so, so sorry to those I missed...a month goes by quickly!) and ate almost everything I wanted to eat. I made my way across the country from MD to CO to NJ/NY to CT and back to MD again. I did some work (APHA conference and speaking to groups about the Peace Corps) celebrated the holiday with family and had more fun than is good for anyone. Thank you to everyone that went along with my plans, stayed out longer than you would have otherwise and for all the generous giving. Everything was perfect. I already miss you all and eagerly await you letters (especially you, Michael).

I will try to post again when I actually get there, but who knows what the internet/electricity situation will be like. Until next time, thank you and I love you all.

....

I had several requests to post another wish list (yessss!) for care packages. I will do this when I get back to Masha and see what I have and what I need. Thanks!

Just Stay

Since my last post I have done some community mobolizing to make it so I do not have to leave my little town of Masha. I spoke to my buddy Ato Getahun (the mayor), the guys I work with and community members about the issue at hand. They were shocked and quite upset by the news that I would have to leave town if the problem wasn't solved quickly. Immediately they sprang into action and started asking for donations and assistance. It felt so great that my community wants to keep me so badly. Often I wonder if people here like me or realize the work that I'm doing, so the tremendous effort made me feel appreciated. The town fought for me as hard as I fought for the town. It was a GREAT feeling.

So now the problem is resolved and I will not be moving to Arbra Minch. I can remain in my town and continue the work that I started. Of course now the pressure is really on to be successful.

We Can Work it Out

I have spoken to many of you about this, but those of you who have heard second or third hand, here is the story.

There has been an ongoing issue in Masha that Peace Corps has been working on finding a solution to for some time now. The issue itself is a story best told in person, but it is not entirely crucial to the story. Until just a few days ago everyone thought this was an easy problem to solve and it just took talking to the right people. This is why I was so shocked when I got a call at 7am Friday morning saying "Nikki, I think it is best if you leave Masha". I was crushed. My initial reaction was quite strong and I immediately got on a bus to Addis to discuss this decision that had been made without my input. During our discussion I learned that the problem was not that easy to solve, and I realized that the staff really had done everything in their power...there are just too many administrative obstacles. Of course I protested... I'm so invested in this community and the projects I have started. After the waterfall incident and the youth center project just falling into place I was SURE that this was the reason I was sent to Ethiopia. This is my purpose and the meaningful contribution I am meant to make. If I leave my town it's all taken away and in the year I've been here I will have accomplished nothing. I would have to start all over in a new town...by the time I integrate myself into the community, identify projects and get an idea it will be time for me to leave. A year is not enough time to do something big.
The last option we identified is to rally my co-workers, the town administrators, my friends and the community to fight for me. We're going to put the pressure on the right people to take action, to solve the problem once and for all to allow me to stay in the town I've come to adore. We set the deadline at Oct 11th, so that way if I do have to move I can do so before I go home in November. I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that though. I like my town, I like my work, and I really like my (pcv) neighbors. In the city they are planning to move me to I would not be close to any of my friends, I'd be a full day away from anyone and my support system will be reduced to telephone conversations.
I will update when I know what's going on. Until then don't send any mail, I'd hate to miss any letters because I had to change my address.

Before ending this post I do have to say that Peace Corps has been wonderful about the whole situation. They have been calling people every day trying to find a solution that works for everybody. They have seriously looked at all the possibilities and are giving it everything they've got to keep me in Masha. They've let me come to Addis to see friends for stress relief and everytime I call or stop by the office they put down everything to talk with me. I'm in no way upset with the organization or staff members about anything, their hands are tied and if the problem isn't solved I know I have no choice but to move. Everyone has been so helpful and supportive, it's just a tough situation.

I should also mention before signing off that i'm safe and healthy. No worries about me. I'll tell everyone all about it in November.

Kids

About two weeks ago now the volunteers in SNNPR held our regional
summer camp for boys and girls ages 10-14. The camp ran 5 full days,
each with a unique programming theme.

Day 1: Getting to Know You
This day focused on identity, setting goals, discussing heroes etc…
Day 2: Culture
Campers and Counselors had an opportunity to discuss the differences and similarities between Ethiopian and American cultures. The day was full of skits (in my skit I demonstrated a day in the life of a volunteer… I'm sure I am remembered as the girl who didn't know how to use a latrine. Poop jokes are funny to kids in every culture). There was also a cross-cultural scavenger hunt and a pizza party.
Day 3: Health and HIV
Pretty self-explanatory. Programs were focused on HIV/AIDS, dental hygiene and hand washing.
Day 4: Decision Making
The kids (and volunteers) were pretty tired by day 4, so the programming was cut short. I did facilitate a fun activity on "how to say no" that the campers really got a kick out of, though.
Day 5: Adventure
Hippo Tours!!! Carnival!!!

Now for the interesting parts. Unlike the other regional camps, our group chose a very difficult group of kids. They were pretty young (and some towns sent kids that were 6 and made the kids say they were 10), about 7 of the boys were street kids, 2 were HIV positive and there was a great range in social stratification amongst the other campers. During the beginning of the week we had quite a number of behavioral issues, primarily with the street kids. Not their faults though, they have never been in a classroom, have never had to sit still and listen to anyone, they are not afraid of authority and they have never had to live with any structure. You can imagine that they had a difficult time adjusting to scheduled programming. In addition to these issues, there were many fights to break up. By mid-week we were discussing if we should send some kids home because we just couldn't control them. We eventually decided to let them stay, but because that morning one of the richer kids locked himself in his room because he was afraid of the street kids we needed to have a serious talk with them. After that chat they completely turned around. By the end of the week everyone was friends, programs went wonderfully and they earned the last day of fun.

But behavior wasn't the only problem. We had a shocking number of medical issues. The first was one of the kids who were much too young to be attending camp. He was having a hard time keeping up so we were thinking of sending home anyway. He was mildly sick, but we decided this was a legit reason to send him home. A few days later the boy's family called us demanding money for making him sick.
The next problem was a boy who suddenly got very ill. We took him to the clinic but all the usual tests came back normal. The only thing we knew was that his WBC count was high and therefore was fighting an infection. That night, before the meds set in he went into shock. It was scary. He made it through the night and rebounded by the end of camp. The third medical case was a girl who felt very ill. We took her to the clinic (by now they are getting used to us) for tests. She tested positive for malaria, we got her treatment, and she felt better soon. This was surprising to me. Masha is at a high altitude and there are no mosquitoes or malaria. I've never been in a place where malaria is so common.
The last major medical event was, by far, the worst. A few of the boys were horsing around when one of them wiped out. He banged up his knee so badly that the bone was showing…pretty nasty stuff. We took him to the hospital and he needed to have stitches. The boy was a trooper and was showing off the next day. This case worries me because he was one of the street kids. I'm sure he won't get the stitches taken out at the hospital and I doubt he is able to keep the wound clean and change the bandages. On top of these events there was also a lice break out throughout the camp. We couldn't do anything for the kids with lice, but after camp all the volunteers had to get head checks. It was like elementary school all over. Along with lice, the kids also brought bed bugs with them. After the first night the hotel manager showed us all the bugs jumping in the beds. We had to buy the kids clothes to wear so theirs could get washed and pay a large laundry fee. All of these unanticipated expenses were made more serious by a bank issue. The bank's policy prohibited us from withdrawing all of our
camp funds and left of severely short on cash. After visiting a few branches and speaking with many people we finally got our money a day before camp ended. Phew!

Despite all of the setbacks, overall camp was a success. The kids all loved it and the volunteers, much to my surprise, worked so well together. Our region is full of strong personalities and leaders so I
was expecting disaster, but instead we all fell into our roles and were able to provide a great camp. The hardest part, and probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, was to put the street kids back out in the street again. They were given a week of food, shelter, love, attention and support and just as quickly as it came, we had to take it all away. They were scared to go back out there, scared to wonder how to survive again. The next day I ran into two of the kids working their neighborhood. They ran up to me and gave me hugs…much different than the week before when they would have badgered me for money and harass me. One kid with them that wasn't at camp begged us to be a part of the program and pleaded "take me, take me!" Seeing them out there broke my heart. I wish there was something more I could do for them. I think the volunteer in the town where the kids live is looking into scholarships to send the boys to school, or maybe with our left over budget money we can provide them with some kind of tuition.

The camp was a fantastic learning experience for both the campers and counselors. The greatest lesson I learned was from the street kids. There are SO many children in Ethiopia and it is overwhelming. It is
impossible to help all of them or to even give them all attention. Having such a prolonged and close relationship with these kids made me realize that they all have such potential. If I had the time to get to
know them, I could love each and every one. Since then I've been less dismissive of the kids that beg for money and at least acknowledge them. Again I am left feeling guilty for the good fortune I have had
throughout my life. But more than guilty, I am truly thankful. I am thankful that I live in a country where I have the opportunity to be whatever I want to be, I am thankful that I have parents that encourage me to follow my dreams and tell me I can do anything, thankful that I have friends and family that support all my crazy ideas, thankful that I've never had to wonder when my next meal will
be or where I would sleep (except when back packing…right Ellie?). I'm not sure what all of this means, or where it will bring me, but I am sure there's a reason that I'm experiencing these things and that they will eventually lead me to what Dad calls The One Big Thing.

Freedom Hangs Like Heaven

In high school band we played a piece inspired by Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms paintings (which were inspired by a speech given by Roosevelt). Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear and freedom from want. A friend asked me in a letter if the past 10 months have changed my outlook on life, and how. In trying to answer this question I was reminded of these images. These four freedoms are so much a part of our daily lives in America that you don't really ever stop to think about them, it's impossible to understand what they mean when you've never lived without. Ethiopia has taught me just how important these freedoms and to appreciate that we live in a place where we don't realize how spectacular it is because there's never been a reason to think about it.

Freedom of Speech:
As a volunteer I often find that I need to censor myself. I am told not to participate in conversations about politics and not to air many of my opinions. I often feel like I have to hide aspects of my personality for reasons such as cultural sensitivity, language misinterpretation and having to be who Ethiopia wants/needs me to be. No one in my town knows the real Nikki, they see me as a recluse, work-a-holic, serious person... at home I am none of those things. There are many times that I would like to speak up or dissent with people (especially at work) but I am not allowed to do so.

Freedom of Religion:
As a volunteer I am also instructed to stay out of religous conversations. Ethiopia is a deeply religious country, with the majority of people either Christian or Muslim. On a daily basis people ask me my religion and pressure me to attend a church service. To me, religion is something personal, and I've never been one to really discuss it openly. Here I cannot avoid the conversation. At home you'd never ask someone you just met what his or her religion is, but here it is the next question after "how are you?" and "where are you from?".

Freedom from Want:
This one is pretty self-explanatory. While there is, indeed, poverty in America and this freedom is anything but universal, in my life prior to Peace Corps I never truly understood what it meant to really want. The exteme levels of poverty throughout this country are still shocking to me. Just the other day I learned what I previously thought was a chicken coop was actually a home. It's heartbreaking to see families living on the sidewalk in Addis, people whose bodies are disfigured from polio because they did not have access to vaccinations, children who cling on to you asking for a birr or a piece of bread. I often say that I'm hungry here...but I know I've never really been hungry in my life.

Freedom from Fear:
One of the things that I am most afraid of here is the access to medical care. I live in a very remote area, the closest hospital is two bus rides away, and with the waiting at the bus station this can take a whole day. If there is a medical emergency there's no guarantee that people can get medical attention (family and friends, don't panic....if I were seriously injured Peace Corps would find a way to get me out). I could continue listing fears, but the freedom of speech thing does not permit me to express all my thoughts on my blog.

Something Like Human

"Anyone who proposes to do good must not expect people to roll stones out of his way, but must accept his lot calmly if they even roll a few more upon it. A strength which becomes clearer and stronger through its experience of such obstacles is the only strength that can conquer them"
Albert Schweitzer

It is still difficult for me not to be annoyed when the first thing I hear when I walk out of my compound in the morning is "Nikki, give me money!!" I still get frustrated when I'm in a town other than Masha and people yell "farenji! You! You! You!" I still hate when men ask me if I am married, and when I say "no" they say "I should have to find an Ethiopian husband." It still drives me crazy when people seem like they want to have a conversation with me, but by the third line they ask me if I will take him/her to America with me. I want to give these people a piece of my mind, explain that EVERYONE asks me for money and I cannot and will not give money to every person who asks for it. I want to tell them that I am giving up two of the best years of my youth to work for free…isn't that enough? I want to tell them that if they visited my country they wouldn't be harassed or mocked like I am here. I don't yet have the strength that Schweitzer talks about in the above quote. I have a hard time accepting the stones in my path…especially the ones that people roll upon it. Today I was reminded why I shouldn't get frustrated or annoyed with the people who ask for money and go to extremes just to get my attention. After all, I live my life avoiding "what ifs" and taking every opportunity presented to me, and I repeatedly embarrass myself with defeat…because not trying is an even greater failure. You almost can't blame these people for asking for money or a job or a green card every time they see a Westerner. The number of Westerners in Ethiopia is pretty small, so when one comes to a random town such as Masha why shouldn't they ask? It's an opportunity they rarely get, and while I consider it rude, annoying and frustrating…for them it is worth it. The situation that made me think about this today was a particular person in my town. In the past three days he has come to my house, found me in town and followed me to work to ask for money. When he showed up at my office I was angry…this person has no right to be following me, showing up at my home and not respecting me when I say I can't give him money. Today he gave me a note. It read (copied exact)

 "First I want to great you secondaly I want to say some thing about my problem that is I am peashent (i.e. I do't have ability to do work) b/c I do't have family or any helper to get treatment. So that please help me."

I still politely told him I cannot give him anything, because if I do then everyone will give me a note explaining some reason why they need me to give them money. But it did make me stop and consider the other side of the coin. There are a lot of people here that are poor, sick, alone and really can't get to a place where he/she can help him/herself. It does me well to put things into perspective and stop
being so self-righteous. You're not supposed to volunteer and expect people to say "thank you" or to receive anything in return…it's supposed to be a selfless act. Being here doesn't mean that I deserve
respect and that people should be appreciative of my presence, especially if they don't realize that I'm here working and contributing to their lives in a different capacity. On a similar note, this incident made me think about what it means to be human (something I've been thinking about a lot since coming here). As human beings, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to help our fellow man out if we can. It is our duty to help those who are in a rough spot. From childhood we are taught to share, to work as a team, to support each other. There is a sense of pride in standing together in our similarities… Think those "Pride in Putnam 1990" t-shirts we all wore, people have pride in their sports teams, state, region and country. Why isn't there the same camaraderie among human beings? Why does it stop at your own country? Why does the responsibility end there? This particular thought came to mind when I was re-reading the literature on health care for detained immigrants (my APHA presentation topic). In our prisons we often treat criminals convicted of high crimes better than we do detained immigrants (some just seeking asylum!) because they are from our country and therefore
somehow deserving of better treatment. I should probably stop this tirade here, I think I'm getting close to being inappropriately political for a Peace Corps blog (reminder these are my thoughts, not the position of the US government or US Peace Corps). I guess what I was trying to get at, in my moments of moral weakness and in my embarrassing reaction to the people who just want to take advantage of the opportunity to improve their present condition, to remind people that everyone is fighting a battle. Remember to take all things into perspective before judging and reacting negatively. It's a difficult thing to do, but the uncomfortable and frustrating situations are those that give us the strength to accept these obstacles in the future.

Welcome

I have no idea if this entry was successfully posted the first time so I'm going to try again. I apologize if it's a repeat. On my last real post I had a comment from a friend of a new kid coming to Ethiopia in September. For any of you group 4 kids reading my blog please feel free to email me with any questions about Ethiopia, PC, packing etc... A few of you will probably be down in my area and I'm
wicked excited to meet you and finally have some neighbors! Shoot me an email at nltherrien@gmail.com I have dial up internet so I check my email about once a week. Enjoy your last few months at home, eat tons of delicious food, go to happy hour and spend all the time you can with friends and family! See you soon!

Birds of a Feather

Sorry for the lack of updates, blogspot has been blocked for about a month and Andrea has returned to the world of academics and has much better things to do than update her sister's blog. Since my last update it's been the usual amazing highs and depressing lows. I had a week long training on permaculture (sustainable gardening) which was a bit frustrating, but overall pretty useful. On Monday I am meeting with the HIV positive women in my town about starting a garden. It's going to start small for nutritional support, but if things go well we hope to expand the garden so it can be a source of income generation as well. It's a pretty easy project and will boost my feeling of productiveness. In terms of work, I've been quite busy lately with the youth center, seeing as though the grant proposal is due next month. When I came back from the training I was stood up for 3 meetings and was starting to feel like the grant would never get written and the project would be a bust. I was thrilled when this week one of my guys dropped a complete, detailed budget and part of the proposal in front of me. I couldn't believe it....this is actually going to be finished on time! Unfortunately, as I predicted, we are waaaay over budget. I'm working on cutting down the scale of the project while still making it worthwhile. I have a few ideas, but will have to see what my committees think before making any decisions. The last thing I have going on as far as work goes is the summer camp. Things are starting to shape up, next week I'm meeting with another volunteer to work out the budget.

Other than the increased productivity in my work, life has slowed down a bit due to the rainy season. I spend a lot of time at home hiding from the rain/mud reading, watching tv/movies (pathetic, i know) and grant writing. While I was at training someone broke into my kitchen and stole all my food that wasn't locked up so I've been pretty moody as well....probably better that I'm not being overly social.

I don't have a whole lot to report, so I'm going to tell you about my favorite birds in Ethiopia. Sounds really lame, but the birds are crazy here.... it's supposedly one of the most interesting places for bird watching because there are so many endemic species. The first worth mentioning is Toucan Saul (I don't know the real names of the species and no one understands what I'm asking when I try to find out). Toucan Saul is the name Alissa and I gave this giant black bird with a huge white beak (an evil toucan). During consolidation one came in our room and was mocking us.... it was terrifying. This bird is so big that when it flies over my house I can hear its wings flapping and when it lands on my roof it sounds like there's a fight above me. Another crazy species is the stork of Hawassa. These guys gather in large flocks in the trees (it's a gamble to walk underneath). When they stand they are over half my height and have a brigh orange crest and incredibly ugly features. They seriously look prehistoric. Gross, but awesome. The last bird that I'm a fan of is much less bad ass, but still unique. It's super tiny (about the size of a hummingbird) and bright blue. They remind me of neons in a fish tank full of much bigger, meaner fish.

June Hymn

It's been just about 6 months since I moved to Masha and it's finally feeling like home to me. Two weeks ago all the PCVs went to Yirg Alem for a week long training. Without boring you with details I'll just say that it was a great time with friends, old and new, complete with card games, Scrabble, a bonfire, a "beach" trip, volleyball and beer. The training part was alright, too. Two days were summer camp training from Hole in the Wall camps (PC is hosting regional summer camps in the next few months). It was a good example of a small world- the original Hole in the Wall camp is near where I'm from. The person giving the training knows my cousin who is affiliated with the camp, and is currently living in New Haven. I always get a kick out of talking about CT with strangers in Ethiopia. But anyway! Once the week was over I was very bummed to be going back to site...going from social overload to solitude is never easy. The warm welcome from Masha made it a bit easier. Coming home and seeing children and friends excited to see me was very touching. I'm not sure I'd get that in a bigger town, so even though I haven't had electricity since coming back, I am happy with where I live.

 

Upon returning to site I learned that no progress was made on the youth center... people were hesitant to work/make decisions without me. I learned that I need to take on a stronger role in the planning process and guide my chairpersons through it, which is fine. I've had meetings the past two days and made some real progress. The first meeting we decided what types of activities will be included in the center and then prioritized them (we won't have the funds to do everything...for example I don't think we'll be installing a swimming pool). The top three priorities are 1. media room (computers, internet, library, HIV/AIDS resources) 2. lounge (cafe, DSTV) and 3. meeting room (to hold regular HIV/AIDS prevention programs, VCT campaigns, dramas, social programming). Today I met with civil engineers who will make a blue print and tell me approximately how much this will cost. I'm sure we're over budget by a lot, but we needed to start somewhere. I'm always in a good mood after my youth center meetings. I was starting to think this project idea was over-ambitious (which it probably is), but when I meet with these people are they are so willing to do the work and are so optimistic I'm reminded that it's going to be worth the headache. There have been nothing but good signs, it has to work out, right?

On a completely unrelated note, but something I'm really excited about...I'M COMING HOME!! A while back I wrote a policy piece with my grad school mentor on medical care access to detained immigrants. My professor had submitted the absract to the American Public Health Assoc. annual conference a few months ago. Much to my surprise, I got an email the other day inviting us to give an oral presentation on our work! Peace Corps is letting me count the conference as work related (so I don't need to use all my vacation days going to Colorado) so I will be coming to America in early November. After the conference I'll be home for two weeks, however I wont have a phone, car or money, so if you would like to see me it's pretty much up to you. I have a lot going on until then so it may even come quickly!

Here Comes the Rain

Almost a month earlier than I expected the rainy season is here. Every day it POURS for a few hours accompanied by roaring thunder. It starts very suddenly and then stops as soon as it came like it does in the tropics. When the rains come is gets suddenly very, very cold and once it even hailed marble sized pellets. That day I was stuck in the post office for about an hour. The mud is ridiculously slippery and it takes careful planning of steps to avoid wiping out. As bad as the mud and unpredictable weather is, the worst part about the rainy season is the influx of bugs.

I mentioned a few entries ago the flesh eating ants. If you can recall they live in wet mud. You can imagine that now that the whole town is a mud puddle these ants are everywhere. The bee stings hurt less than these ants, once they latch on you need to pry them off...not an easy thing to do when they are in your pants.

Also there are the moths. I like to tell myself they are butterflies, but no, they aren't that pretty. Some days you can't walk outside without getting slapped across the face by wings. They all herd together and sit in clumps. I imagine this is what a plague looks like.

The most obnoxious, but amusing, swarm of the rainy season are these little bugs that look like flying ants. If you are unfortunate enough to walk through a group of them they follow you and stick to everything. By the time you reach your destination you are pulling them out of your hair, off your shirt and still batting at them by your ears. The funny part about these guys is that if you are no where near your destination there is a way to get rid of them. If you bump into another person the swam will leave you alone and start to bother the other person. It reminds me of the lightning cloud item on Mario Kart Wii.

The grossest insects are the flies in the shint bet (bathroom). After it rains the shint bet (a room with dirt floor and tin walls/roof gets very hot and humid. The flies are horrendous. I don't think I need to elaborate. It makes the whole bathroom experience even worse than it was to begin with.

And, finally, the bug infestation that hits closest to home is the spider attack. The spiders are looking for a place to keep dry, and it seems that my bedroom is perfect. I think about John and Andrew during these times when I can look in any corner and see a few making their homes. I could spray and kill them but I don't think its worth it. There are too many, and hey, I don't like being out in the rain either.

And on a totally different note, I've had a few people ask me what I need. Here's my current wishlist:

Food:

Pasta Sides

Suddenly Salad

Meals you can boil

Cheese

Hot Chocolate

Tea (green, white, flavored...)

Cake mix & frosting

Brown Sugar

Mac and Cheese

Parm. Cheese

Books:

The Hobbit

LOTR trilogy

The Silmarlion

John Lennon's Biography

books on meditation

non-fiction

historical fiction

classics that i should have read in high school

Other:

Magazines

New music

Envelopes

Crayola markers

March and April updates

03/20/10

Since my last blog post I have received more mail than ever before. I cannot express how touched I was by the immense amount of love, encouragement and support from home. I really and truly appreciate it. For a while I was contemplating coming home, but for two reasons that wasn't actually an option. 1. I'm really stubborn and prideful and 2. I haven't achieved what I set out to do yet. After a few more discouraging events and a few days of 12 hour naps I decided I needed to shape up. Once I more or less forced myself to get out of my funk and be happy, I had the most fantastic week.

On Monday I met with the mayor to discuss the findings of my community needs assessment. I then went on to say that I was very interested and passionate about starting up a youth recreation center. I explained that the community indicated that this was a priority for them, and that it would discourage kids from vices such as alcohol, drugs and unsafe sex as well as give them a better quality of life. It will also provide leadership opportunities as someone will have to take charge. The mayor was thrilled. He offered to support the project and call together a town meeting to get people interested in helping. In
Ethiopia there is a strict vertical power structure- having the mayor's approval is a huge deal. Even more exciting is that the town has already considered this project, but did not have the resources to
implement it. There is already land set aside for this purpose...one less thing to worry about. I am so excited that this may actually happen. After almost 6 months of training and research it feels GREAT
to actually be doing something and being productive. My motivation is restored and I am once again sure I am where I need to be. Life here is hard, but I've never had a job I love this much. I feel like I'm
actually doing something meaningful. I haven't had water or electricity for 2 weeks, but I've never been this happy here.

After that successful meeting I was inspired. I walked over to the primary school and offered to teach English classes. This is something I wasn't sure if I wanted to do, but I feel like if I want this youth
center to be a success I need more face time with the youth. Once the director made the announcement that I will be teaching the kids all suddenly became my best friend. I couldn't leave my house without someone yelling "teacher!!" at me. I decided to teach 5th grade, because that is when all classes are taught in English. The troubling thing is that I've never met a kid that can speak the language. Makes you wonder how these classes go. So on Tuesday I start teaching 139 children English. I'm terribly nervous...this is a huge group and something I've never done before. I've never been one to hide in my comfort zone though, so I look forward to this new experience.

I'm also trying to be more social these days and leave my house a minimum of twice a day. I know that sounds bad, but trust me, sometimes it's very difficult to get out. It really feels great to be happy again. 27 months doesn't seem so long anymore. I can do this. Also, I have internet in my house now. It's horribly slow and expensive so I will still only send letters, not emails, but now I can post on my blog and catch the news once in a while.

04/10/10

Honey

Last night was the coolest cultural experience I've had yet. I harvested honey!! I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but if anyone at all knows about Masha, they know about the honey. It's kind of like
Putnam, most American's don't know it exists, but if you meet someone that does, chances are he or she will mention antiques. Bee keeping is an old, long standing tradition here. Two baskets are put up into a very tall tree (apparently species is important, the tree needs to be near water and there is some element of luck involved) and one basket eventually becomes inhabited and the other remains empty. The baskets are left in the tree for a whole year for bees to create the honey comb, it is then harvested. We went out at night because there are less bees (I still got stung 4 times...and I was just watching from a distance!), which is a treat for me-I can count on one hand the number of times I have been out after dark (I'm embarrassed by how lame I've become in the last 6 months). My counterpart's dad (the bee keeper) has honey baskets out in the jungle, so we had to walk a small distance into the wilderness. I haven't spent too much time in the jungle, I was surprised by how close to the town the monkeys hang out. They are like rabbits at home, they are pests and destroy crops...personally I think they are hilarious. So once we get out into the jungle I meet the three young men that have been hired to assist,
they are the most bad-ass people I have ever met. They are rural tribesmen, and as my counterpart explained "they don't care about tomorrow, they only worry about today". They are hunters, risk takers
and lead a dangerous lifestyle, they are also among the nicest people I've met here. To retrieve the baskets one of the guy climbs the giant tree, which, by the way, doesn't have branches until the last third of the tree. He does this with bare feet, a knife slung on his back, in the dark, with just a rope. And boy can he climb fast, it was amazing. Once at the top of the tree he cuts the ropes that secure the basket in the tree, ties the basket on the rope he used for climbing and creates a type of pulley system. He lowers the basket to the ground for the other two men to untie. The other men then hold the ends of
the rope and the climber lowers himself down to the ground, it was crazy! Then is the scary part, I was so embarrassed by how nervous I was and reluctant to get close (Andrea, I thought of you and the bees at memeres house. I will never make fun of you again). They take their large knives and whack at the basket to open it up, then the swarm comes. Again, it was dark out, so I couldn't see the bees but I could hear them around me and getting stuck in my hair. Inside the basket is a perfectly crafted comb, layers of oval shaped nest. The first comb was broken up and passed around. Before then I had never ate honey right off the comb, in just a small bit you have a mouthful of sticky, warm, sweet honey. It was delicious. Then they passed around comb without honey in it, but it had bee larva in it. Apparently if you eat it you become strong, so I took a bite. Not something I'd rush to do again, but pretty cool that I can say I did it. This part of the process takes a while, there is a loooot of honey comb. Each piece needs to be brushed off by hand for bees (again, how embarrassing that I didn't want to stand close when these guys were sticking their hands in bees) and then put in a sack. Every time I got stung they tried to convince me that it was like acupuncture. Today's welts beg to differ.
Once that was completed we moved on to the next tree. The process was absolutely fascinating, it made me think of the time we went to a bee farm with 4H club, what a difference! What made the night was the natural beauty of both the honey collecting and the atmosphere. We were the only people in sight, the wild sounds of the jungle filled the air and it was such a clear night you could see absolutely every star in the sky. On nights like that I wonder why I ever have bad days here. Then this morning somebody asked me what was wrong with my skin and then another person told me I was a bad christian because I wouldn't give him money. Then I remembered why.

On a different note, my Youth Center project is underway! I met with the stakeholders this past week and most of the people that were invited came...it was quite a surprise. Everyone really liked the idea
and was excited about it. Even though I can't pay them, they all seem motivated to work, it was wonderful. Then after the meeting one guy stayed back and said to me "I think we are entering a new phase in Masha. This is an important project. Thank you for your efforts". I know you are supposed to do service not expecting anything in return, but I tell you, it felt great to be thanked.

Live like me!

A few weeks ago I recieved a wonderful letter from my good friend Mike Lewis. Towards the end of the letter he relayed a comment that was made about how excessive casino glitz and glamor is and how, especially compared to my life, is completely unnecessary. I want to share with all of you a day without luxury. Here is the challenge:

Choose one day, a weekend will be better because most of you use electricity at your jobs.

You can use only up to 2 hours of electricity throughout the day.

You cannot use the internet, watch tv or use appliances. You may, however, use your laptop but only until the battery runs out. Again, no internet!

You cannot use running water. Fill up some buckets the night before. Not for a shower, not for brushing your teeth, not for cooking, washing clothes or doing dishes. No running water!

You can only drink water from a bottle or if you have boiled it for 3 minutes.

No refridgerator.

You can only use one burner on your stove, and you cannot use the oven.

You may only eat rice, pasta, tomatoes, red onions, garlic (fresh only), mangoes, bananas, potatoes, and carrots. Also, only basic spices. No iodized salt. I have to crush mine with a rock. It sucks.

You can only walk or take public transportation.

You cannot go to the grocery store, walmart or any store like that.

You can only answer your phone if it is someone you have met in the last 5 months or your mother. Or if it is your sibling at a very late hour.

I wish I could think of a way to replicate the harassment, but it's impossible. Just think twice abotu leaving your house.

Have fun and good luck.

The Waterfall/Schweitzer Challenge

The Waterfall

I've gone over a month without Internet, I am so impressed with myself! It has been a very trying first three months here in Masha, I am very happy to be going to in-service training this week. I desperately need the company of friends and a chance to relax a bit. Before I left I said that the first six months would suck, but then it would get better...I sure hope I was right about that. Of all the intense situations I have found myself in, the last one was particularly rough.

One Saturday night I get a text from my counterpart asking if I would like to go on a 3 hour trip to a waterfall with the youth association. Of course I agreed, I could use something to do on weekends and, to be honest, I could use more friends here. He told me to bring money for transportation so I assumed it would be a bus ride followed by a short walk. Fastforward to the next morning. It's pouring outside when I'm supposed to meet the group so I correctly assume that no one would leave their house until the rain stopped so I went back to bed. When I woke up again the rain had ceased and I grabbed a granola bar for the way and left my house. Finally, a group of about 50 people (mostly high school kids) left. After an hour of walking I decided I should probably ask for more details about this trip. I learn that it's actually a hike...and I only brought a liter of water, was wearing sandals, and had a 90 calorie breakfast. Great. After 5 and a half hous of very steep hiking, up and over two mountains, we reach the waterfall. I feel like I should mention that this hike was not on a path, but through the thickets, most slippery mud I've ever walked through. I had to hold on to two people's hands so as not to wipe out, and of course Ethiopians are super-fit and were basically at a running pace, barefoot, and laughing at the fat American who couldn't keep up (for the record I'm not putting myself down...they are just tiny people). For you nerds out there, picture Gimly in Two Towers falling behind as he, Legolas and Aragorn are tracking the army of orcs saying "just keep breathing". That was me. I didn't know what was worse, the exhaustion or dehydration. When we get to the waterfall I am stunned, it was absolutely beautiful. Of all the waterfalls I've seen I would rank it after the Niagra Horseshoe falls and the one in New Zealand where the Forbidden Pool was filmed (wow, Nikki...really? Two LOTR references?). All the boys stripped down and jumped in for a swim, I was quite annoyed that the girls didn't do the same, because I decided that I would only swim if other women did. After a few minutes we hear screaming, suddenly my thirst, hunger and exhaustion don't mean anything. One of the younger boys was sucked in by the current of the largest part of the waterfall. A few guys reached out to him to try to drag him back to the edge, but was unable to save him. There was nothing we could do, we watched him drown. Everyone was crying and screaming, we didn't know what to do next. An hour later when the body still hadn't surfaced the group started the long journey home. We stopped at a farm about an hour from the waterfall to call into town and the the police for an investigation. Everyone was told to wait for questioning. Some time later a guy comes and tells me to go with him and he'd give me a ride back into town because I wouldn't be much help in questioning. As we ride into town everyone is in the street. At this point I am the only person who had come back from the trip, and therefore the only person that knew what happened. The rest of the night is a bit hazy in my memory. People were at my house trying to ask me what happened, who it was and how many people died. I spent some time in silence crying with the kids in my compound because the boy that died was our neighbor and a friend. It was the worst think I have ever experienced. One of the saddest parts about the whole thing is that so many kids witnessed it. These kids rarely have anything exciting to do, and for the first time they were offered this trip. Even something that was supposed to be fun was plagued by tragedy. They can't get a break. All I can think of is how much these kids endure, whereas my childhood was filled with good times, laughter and everything that a kid could ever want. This experience made me decide that I would like to start up a youth recreation center for my major project. I want to give these kids back their childhood, let them play games and fool around. I want them to have options other than drinking and making them prone to risky behavior and growing up too quickly. I know I can't take away all the difficulties of life, but I hope I can make their lives a bit better.

Last night I went to the funeral. Here funerals last over a month and people filter in and out of the "lekso bet" continuously. When you go you are supposed to prepare something to eat/drink. I went with a bunch of neighborhood kids. The experience, for me, was so different from American funerals that instead of getting closure I left more upset. In the lekso bet tons of people were seated ont he floor of a tiny room. The entire time a man in the corner was starting at me, making me very uncomfortable. The kids were all pushing and laughing and nothing was said about the boy. It was like the wedding in Gonde. I was getting way more attention that i should have and it was very awkward. In addition to this, when I left my house wearing the traditional funeral scarf everyone laughed at me. Usually I'm relatively okay with this, I know I'm different than everyone else and, sure, I guess it's funny. But i was just trying to grieve, it was not the time to be laughing at me.

On another note. Today (Feb 24) is day 143. This is officially the longest I've ever been away from home. My Biggest Adventure Yet is nothing like I had anticipated and is much more difficult than I thought it would be. The big romanticized fantasy is not exactly what Ethiopia ended up being, but I'm happy with my decision. As long as I keep reminding myself that I didn't come here to have fun, be comfortable or fool around. This is a job, a sacrifice and my chance to do soemthing for a world that has been so good to me. If I keep this in mind I can see it through to the end. Also, things can only get better. IST is this week, I have a group training in May and then again in June. After that I can do some real work, take a vacation somewhere exciting and then visit home. After my visit I will be getting a fellow volunteer in my town and life will be less lonely. The hard part is over...I hope.

Oh, and just as a final kick in the ass before IST, yesterday I lost a toenail. I'm not really sure how or why, but it was gross.


Schweitzer Challenge

I have just finished re-reading Out of My Life and Thought by my boy Albert Schweitzer. In the epilogue he states "but however concerned I was with the suffering in the world, I never let myself become lost in the brooding over it. I always held firmly to the thought that each one of us can do a little to bring some portion of it to an end." I want to challenge you, my friends, family and random blog readers to, if you haven't already, realize the ethical affirmation of life in everything you do. I understand that life is busy and it is impractical to drop everything and sacrifice precious leisure time, but I ask you to just give some time, maybe even just once a month, to other life in the world, whether it be fellow humans, animals or the environment. "His life will become in every respect more difficult than if he lived for himself, but at the same time it will be richer, more beautiful, and happier. It will become, instead of mere living, a genuine experience of life." Everyone has the power to do good in this world, and even the smallest act of kindness is appreciated. So get out there and end some part of the suffering. I don't mean to sound like a hippie or a do-gooder, but I really believe in this. Write a comment to this entry with what you have done recently and share it with people.

A Trip to Addis

I'm here in Addis for a few days on medical leave so I have Internet for the first time since Christmas. Strangely, other than blogging, I haven't really missed it. Facebook makes me very upset, e-mails are overwhelming and there is just too much to do. Chatting is nice though.

So what has happened since then?

As I mentioned in my last blog entry a kid stole my candy, but they have since made up for it. Two of the kids in my compound organized an adventure with their friends and me (my best friends are children...it's like I have a chance to be 10 years old again!). They wanted to take me to see one of the waterfalls in the jungle. The first leg of the journey was through some of the rural villages outside of Masha. We went through some of the traditional sar bets (thatched roof houses) and I was able to get a glimpse of life in real rural Ethiopia. We then came upon a farm that has not yet been planted for the season, but generally produces corn. On the property there was a kojo bet, where they make the local staple food, enset (aka kojo) from the leaves of the trees. Here we took tons of photos, the kids got a real kick out of my digital camera (which is funny because it is an awful camera I bought in Czech Republic the summer mine was stolen in Berlin....why do I get robbed so much?!). They wanted to take photos with every possible combination of people, it was pretty amusing. We then sat down for our picnic that the kids put together for me as a peace offering for the candy: fresh mangoes, candies, gum and biscuits. It was so sweet, there's no way I could still be mad at them after that. Our adventure continued into the jungle. I'm pretty sure we got lost because the trek there was much longer than the way back, but it was a lot of fun. We had to cross 2 rivers, climb through the dense brush and dodge plants with 3" long prickers. When the waterfall was in sight I began to feel an awful pain all over my feet and legs....ants!!!!. We were knee deep in mud, which is apparently where these ants live (funny enough, I had read Schweitzer's account of these ants the night before and was thinking how lucky I was they weren't in Ethiopia). We ran as fast as we could through the mud and into the river right at the top of the waterfall for relief. I lifted my pant legs and had to pick them off one by one to relieve the pain. I was telling this story to the PCMO later and he told me that when he was living in my region he had a run in with them too....he woke up to find an army of them crawling towards his bed. He also told me that they lost a few chickens to these ants. Once relieved of the ants we had a great time splashing up by the waterfall and, of course, taking more photos. Now my PCMO says I need to be tested for Shisto....but I couldn't resist the water!

The second story worth mentioning is the trip to Addis. My plan was to leave Tuesday after lunch to go to Gore to meet up with another PCV who had an appointment in Addis, leave for Jimma early Wednesday morning and arrive in Addis on Thursday. But that was just a plan. Tuesday ended up being a really busy day at work. I went to a training of commercial sex workers on HIV/AIDS and starting IGAs first thing in the morning. Then I went to ETC to work on getting my phone line installed (I finally had some success after MUCH trial and error). I then discussed with my counterpart meetings and workshops I wanted to set up for when i get back from Addis, as well as create a survey about the people's knowledge about HIV/AIDS. When it was finally lunch time I hiked all the way to the bus station to find that there was no Gore bus that day. All the mad rushing around that morning was for no reason. The next morning at 4:45am I went back to the bus station to get on the early morning bus that leaves every day to Jimma. By 6:30 I realized that the bus was not coming. I took the soonest bus out of town that left around 8. When I got to Gore the Jimma bus had already left, so I went to the next town where there was also no bus leaving for Jimma. At this point I am very frustrated because I need to get to Addis the next day for my dentist appointment (con: my jaw hurts and sometimes it doesnt open. pro: i've lost 10 lbs this month). I wait for a few hours running to each bus as it pulls in only to learn it is not headed to Jimma. In the process many men take my picture on their camera phones, many more come up to me and try to start conversation...at this point I do not want to talk to anyone. What really made me mad was one guy asked me what was wrong with my face and if I had a skin infection. I flipped out, I couldn't hold it in any more. Then, to make things worse, a guy from my town started talking to me and mentioned he was from Masha. I was so embarassed to have made such a scene in front of people from my town!! I eventually give up waiting and go to a hotel/restaurant. Here my day turned around. I asked a person at the hotel if there was any chance that I could get to at least the next city that day so that I could make it to Addis on time. He said that it may be possible and that he would ask a car contracter. He then sat down to have a chat with me. It reminded me of my first month at Quinnipiac. I had gotten a test back and received a C- on it and was really, really devastated (the 18 year old Nikki does not much resemble the 23 year old version...). I was sitting in the hallway looking upset and a professor sat down and asked me what was wrong. I started to cry, there is something about a nice gesture after a bad day that makes me fall apart. Well that's what this guy at the hotel did for me. He was a Kenyan refugee in America and lived there for 20 years. He said that whenever he meets Americans he wants to go out of his way to help them out and repay the kindness Americans showed him while he was there. We talked about the things in Ethiopia that are different than home, and we also discussed which Wendy's meal we missed the most. What had begun as a horrible day ended up being great. He even had the kitchen make me the most American-esque dish they could for lunch. By 4pm I am feeling better, made a friend and even shared a few laughs. Then things got even better, they found me a ride!! I was expecting that I would be jumping in the back of a lorry and spending 6 hours in a flatbed, but that was okay, I was going to Jimma! Much to my surprise I found an actual bus pulled over on the side of the road waiting for me. I made it to Jimma, and then to Addis the next day for my appointment. The ride was actually the most comfortable public bus ride I've taken, too. Just one more example of how the worst day can end up being the best.

So once I got to Addis it was like I was on vacation. We went to the Peace Corps office and it was SO nice to see familiar faces. I chatted with a lot of the staff and recapped what the past few weeks have been like. We then went to the hotel and there was a shower, tv and....the most exciting....a mattress!!! I have been sleeping on foam for the last 3 1/2 months, I actually woke up refreshed and not sore. It was fantastic. The dentist appointment was a bit disappointing though. The advice I got was to chew gum and not to open my mouth very wide. And when my mouth doesn't open at all I'm supposed to massage my jaw. I have a feeling I will be back next month when that doesn't work. The next step will be to take muscle relaxants.

The best part about the weekend was lunch today. We ran into the PCMO at the grocery store and he offered to take us to lunch. First of all he has an awesome house, I am now seriously considering working for Peace Corps when I'm done. The Thai place he took us to for lunch was delicious. The most I've eaten in weeks! We talked about Ethiopia and shared some of our travel stories. He made a comment that he has lived abroad basically his whole life because he never really felt like he belonged in America. When I was telling him about my New Zealand adventures he said that I am one of those people that will be moving across the globe my entire life. I guess we'll see how I feel when I get home...

New Years

Happy New Years!!! Like Christmas, Ethiopians do not celebrate New Years on the same day, so I did not celebrate. In fact, I went to bed at 9pm...just like I do every other night of the week. There's not much to do when it's not advisable to be out past dark and there's no electricity to even read by. The lack of things to do at night just got a little more severe as my AC adapter blew out from the wacky voltage here. I have 4 hours left before my computer doesn't work any more. I was feeling pretty down about that yesterday, so I started re-reading Albert Schweitzer's "The Primeval Forest". I wanted to save my Schweitzer books for when I actually started working, but I needed some inspiration. The kids begging for money, the overly insistent guy asking me to marry him, the crazy lady that follows me absolutely everywhere and the yelling was starting to get to me yesterday, the AC adapter was the last straw. While I read i am copying down quotes that make me feel better about being here for so long. The three I have now are:

"I feel more and more convinced than ever that this land needs to help it men who will never let themselves be discouraged" (p 28)

"Yet what do all these disagreeables count for compared with the joy of being here, working and helping" (p 36)

"I should be sorry not to be able to look back on those wonderful minutes, uncomfortable though the experience seemed at the time" (p 56)

I went to sleep last night feeling much better and work up in a good mood. I spend all day walking through town and in the jungle to orient myself and meet more people, then read some Peace Corps material over tea. When I got home I found all my American candy and cookies stolen. My room was locked, so someone must have broke in. It's not the candy I care about (ok so maybe it is a little) but it's the fact that my room was locked and someone went in. I spoke to my landlady and she was receptive to my requests to reboard up my door, put in window screens and i spoke to the kids. I talked to one of the kids that helps me out and she was so sweet and offered to go buy me Ethiopian candy today. I, of course, said no, but the offer made me love Ethiopia again.

Other than those two instances, I've really enjoyed Masha. The weather is absolutely perfect, never too hot and never cold, the scenery is beautiful, the honey and tej delicious. I know where most things are now and can go shopping by myself (this is a bigger feat than it sounds) and I have even made a few frends. Work is progressing slowly but surely. I have had a few interviews and when information wasn't known or available someone offered to look it up for me. As long as I don't remind myself that I am here for two years, I am very happy here.