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...