Late this morning, the Peace Corps Ethiopia world was rippled with
the news that a member of our family had passed away. Getenesh Tesfaye,
recently promoted to Program Assistant in the Education sector, will be
sorely missed. Prior to her promotion, Getenesh served as a Language and
Culture Facilitator (LCF); in other words, a teacher for PCVs to-be
while in training. It was in her capacity as an LCF that most Volunteers
had the pleasure to know Getenesh. While I did not have the opportunity
to interact extensively with Getenesh, she was one of the first people
to teach me Amharic, back when Ethiopia was new and relatively
overwhelming, and also served as one of the guides for my group when we
toured Addis and perused the National Museum. Those interactions, and
the handful I've been blessed with since, were more than enough to
bestow upon me the same impression of Getenesh Tesfaye that was held of
her program wide - that of a kind, caring, generous, gentle individual
with a passion for helping Americans adapt to life in Ethiopia.
The last time I saw Getenesh in person was in early December, when I was at the Peace Corps headquarters in Addis for my first VAC meeting. I poked my head into the Ed. PA office for a brief chat with Getenesh and Zebib, another fantastic Program Assistant. Getenesh was all smiles, as she was every time we met, which is undoubtedly how I will remember her.
Even had I not been fortunate enough to spend even a small amount of time with Getenesh, I would still have a difficult time digesting the news. The fact is that, in Peace Corps, you really do develop a family mentality with everyone in the program. We all go out of our way to help one another, knowing that we are our best supports. Other Volunteers become brothers and sisters; staff become fathers, mothers, aunts and uncles. We have lost one of our own. And while the work of Getenesh Tesfaye will carry on, with the hope that is her father's name, through the many on which she was able to leave a lasting impact, the Land of 13 Months of Sunshine is a little less bright today.
The last time I saw Getenesh in person was in early December, when I was at the Peace Corps headquarters in Addis for my first VAC meeting. I poked my head into the Ed. PA office for a brief chat with Getenesh and Zebib, another fantastic Program Assistant. Getenesh was all smiles, as she was every time we met, which is undoubtedly how I will remember her.
Even had I not been fortunate enough to spend even a small amount of time with Getenesh, I would still have a difficult time digesting the news. The fact is that, in Peace Corps, you really do develop a family mentality with everyone in the program. We all go out of our way to help one another, knowing that we are our best supports. Other Volunteers become brothers and sisters; staff become fathers, mothers, aunts and uncles. We have lost one of our own. And while the work of Getenesh Tesfaye will carry on, with the hope that is her father's name, through the many on which she was able to leave a lasting impact, the Land of 13 Months of Sunshine is a little less bright today.
Getenesh, far left, on our Guided Tour of Addis
That I, considering everywhere- Her secret meaning in her deeds,
- And finding that of fifty seeds
- She often brings but one to bear,
- I falter where I firmly trod,
- And falling with my weight of cares
- Upon the great world's altar-stairs
- That slope thro' darkness up to God,
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