tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18569419837782646872024-03-18T23:54:31.505-04:00he who knows patience<br>
<br>
my adventures & challenges
<br>
as a Peace Corps Volunteer
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in Ethiopia
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"he who knows patience knows peace" - Chinese proverbJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-5133712407225311632018-05-14T01:38:00.001-04:002018-05-14T01:39:40.000-04:00Peace Corps Week 2018: Home<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">I wrote this in response to the 2018 Peace Corps Week theme of “Home.” Companion photos for this story are available on Instagram:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://instagram.com/learningaboutrice" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">@learningaboutrice</a></span><br />
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On the wall of my childhood home, the one between the dining room and the kitchen, hung a decorative touch of my mother’s. It was a quaint wooden piece, featuring hearts and the familiar expression, Home is Where the Heart Is…</div>
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Something I did not expect as a result of my Peace Corps service was a heart, drawn and quartered, between different corners of the globe. Throughout my first – and so far, only – year back in the States, immediately after my service in Ethiopia, I was overcome with an inextinguishable longing for what I had left back in Bekoji.</div>
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Following a rather tumultuous order of personal life events, I decided to pack my bags and go back, first to Ethiopia for three weeks, then onto Kenya for at least a month, but with a clear schedule and an open heart.</div>
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I was going, in part because I missed it so damn much, but also to <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/worldbaseballproject" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">follow-up on a baseball program</span></a>* that I and my site mate got going in our town, about 6 months before I’d finished my service. I had an open invitation to Kenya to participate in baseball teaching activities there, so I figured I’d take that up and “swing” through Ethiopia on the way.</div>
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I was greeted at the airport by Foad, one of my “host brothers” – the son of the landlord on whose property I lived for two years. He was one of my closest friends throughout my service – a true brother, who spent my final, emotional moments with me in Addis and saw me off to the States in 2014.</div>
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Foad helped me to a cab that whisked me off to <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.forrestcopeland.com/" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Forrest’s</a></span> house, on the other side of town. Forrest and I became friends mostly through working on the Peace Corps Ethiopia website together. He had extended his time by working in an extension position with the Peace Corps office in Addis. He welcomed me into his home in typical Peace Corps fashion and hosts me for the night.</div>
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In Peace Corps, your fellow Volunteers become your brothers and sisters in a way. For in treating each other as family, we foster a network of support for what is often a very challenging two years. Of those challenges, traveling, in and of itself, and doing so in a budget can be incredibly stressful endeavors. Having a friendly floor – or in some lucky cases, an extra bed – to spend the night upon helps make it all a little easier, and pretty much all of us opened our doors to our PC kin.</div>
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In the morning, I wake to the sounds of hand-ground coffee and Orthodox prayers and make my way down to Bekoji. Everything – from the experience of getting on the bus, to the scenery along the way – felt like home. The feeling of calling out my stop, in Amharic, walking down the old dirt road, and opening the sheet-metal front door filled me with a nostalgia so strong it was overwhelming.</div>
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Werknesh, my “host mom” for those two years – though I always thought of her as more of a grandmom – was in the middle of washing clothes when I strode through the gate. She dropped everything, shot up from her “Habesha squat” and wrapped me in a strong hug. For a woman of her age and stature, it was quite impressive.</div>
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We went through extended traditional greetings of alternating cheek touches and reciting the standard salutations. She welcomed me into the home, took my bags, and fixed me a plate of food. In accordance with Ethiopian tradition, guests are always to be offered something to consume when visiting a home. Soon after, Abdella, her husband, returned from town and the warm greetings were repeated in earnest.</div>
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Once we were all caught up, Werknesh excitedly announced, “You go, Josey home” and showed me to one of the two rooms that I had occupied on the compound. I stepped inside, overwhelmed with emotion as I took in a space nearly exactly as I’d left it more than a year ago. It was like a museum of me, preserved and (mostly) unaltered.</div>
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“Josey bet,” as they call it in Amharic, still felt exactly like home.</div>
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A few days later, I made my way back up the road to Sagure, where I lived for the first three months in Ethiopia. In Peace Corps, those initial months are your training period, which accounts for why Peace Corps service is considered a 27-month commitment. During that time, you live <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">inside the home</em> of a local family. You share meals with the family, wash your clothes with the family, and follow the family rules. You are part of the family.</div>
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As you might imagine, this isn’t a smooth experience for everyone. I, however, was incredibly lucky to have landed with Elsa and Tesfaye – close in age to me, but much more advanced in stature. They insisted I think of them as “brother and sister” rather than “mom and dad.” Their three young boys – 3, 5, and 8, at the time – were indeed more like nephews than host brothers.</div>
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The boys, now visibly grown – and with a brand new baby brother in tow – attack me the moment I walk through the gate. “Josey! Josey! Josey!” Their big, giant playground from the other side of the world had returned. Smiles and laughter lit up the cool mountain air.</div>
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Despite a packed house – Elsa’s mother was visiting from Las Vegas – there was no question that they would put me up for the night. I didn’t really have an option. I had to stay!</div>
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It was in that moment that it occurred to me: outside of blood and close ilk, I am one of only two people in the entire world that could show up to this home and be received in such a way; the other being Paul, who had also lived with the family as a trainee. Paul and I often joke that we’re “brothers from the same host mother,” and have indeed forged something of a kinship from our unique, shared connection to our Peace Corps host family.</div>
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I’ve realized in the time since those joyous reunion moments why my longing to return to Ethiopia was so strong. In the absence of a shared language or culture or past, we – myself and the collective lot of Ethiopians and Volunteers with whom I shared my time – had carved out serious, meaningful connections that transcended our place of origin. It showed that, while place of origin is so often synonymous with home, a sense of home does not have to be defined by where one was born and raised.</div>
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We shared our hearts, and that’s what made it feel like home.</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2+ years after that moment, I find myself in Vietnam, just now starting to reflect and recount the space between now and then. Please feel free to follow along here, <a href="http://instagram.com/learningaboutrice" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">on <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Instagram</span></a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTF4hAvBEWoYaBkegft64xg?view_as=public" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">on</a><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTF4hAvBEWoYaBkegft64xg?view_as=public" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"> YouTube</a> </span>to see what I put out to the world.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you’d like to learn more about the baseball development work I’ve done, which includes efforts to continue building on my work in Bekoji, or would like to make a contribution to the start-up stages of my effort to “make this thing official,” please visit the <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/WorldBaseballProject" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">World Baseball Project Go Fund me page here: https://www.GoFundMe.com/WorldBaseballProject</a></span>.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you’re so inclined, a more detailed account of my return to Ethiopia is available in two parts: <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2015/09/coming-home.html" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Part I</span> </a>& <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2016/02/coming-home-part-ii.html" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2390bb; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Part II</a></span></li>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-29984844262737722212015-10-05T16:03:00.000-04:002016-05-04T04:52:24.399-04:00coming home - part II<div class="MsoNormal">
This is part II in a series that will constitute the final punctuation of this blog. In case you missed it and don't feel like scrolling down, <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2015/09/coming-home.html" target="_blank">check out part I here</a>.<br />
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Enjoy!</div>
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I wake to the sounds of mortar & pestle coffee grinding,
of Orthodox incantations, of roosters crowing and dogs barking. Once a pesky inhibitor
of sleep beyond dawn, this familiar tapestry serves as a welcome reminder that
I'm really here, that I’d actually gone through with it – a far cry from the
state of trepidation and uncertainty that marked my first mornings in Addis
Ababa back in 2012. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If the olfactory reminders are not reassurance enough, I'm soon greeted by Nesru, one of my go-to cab drivers, to kick off my journey
down to Bekoji. Smiles, laughter, and fond recollections abound the whole of
our ride out to Kality, the bus station I used to joke translated from Amharic
as “hell on earth.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Something is different this time, however, and it seems beyond the wave
of euphoria I'm riding for having simply made it all the way here. I receive nary a single ounce of unwanted attention, have zero issues locating and
boarding an Asella-bound bus, and encounter zero insistence to pay extra for my large
backpack. It's as though I’m enshrouded in some sort of magic force field.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The bus pulls out of the station and onto the main road. I
call Abdella to let him know I'm on my way, estimating an arrival 5-6 hours
past. Little do I know what I have coming. There are times when Ethiopia has a
way of amplifying Murphy’s Law to exponential degrees, ensuring not only all
that can go wrong will, but that the unimaginable will emerge, suggesting,
perhaps, that you’ve become the subject of some profound cosmic joke. The
universe must know, however, that today is a special day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A couple miles down the road, we cut left toward what is
undoubtedly a highway onramp. Now, try and put yourself in my shoes for a
moment. For the entirety of my two years of Peace Corps service, this highway,
known locally as “<i>addis menged</i>” (new
road), seemed nothing more than an optical illusion. For the longest time, it
appeared to be nearing completion, yet never opened for traffic before my 2014
departure. Imagine my elation, further pronounced by the absence of reaction
from anyone else on the bus. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In what seems like the blink of an eye, we pull into the Asella bus station; indeed, a distance that once required 4-5 hours of
transit evaporated in a mere 2 ½. A handful of station attendants still recognize me and direct me toward the Bekoji buses without any verbal
exchange. In the front passenger seat sits one of Bekoji’s many runners with
whom I’d interacted at some point during my two year tenure. “Josey!” he exclaims, his round
eyes growing instantly wide. We shoulder bump, I hand my bag to the bus
helper, again without any request for payment, and the final and undeniably
most beautiful leg of my journey home is underway. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A few clicks outside of Asella, we're required to pull
over for a standard protocol traffic stop. While the police officer reviews paperwork, a boy with a large, silver butterfly on his shirt appears next to
my window. Anyone close enough to know the details of my last year knows that
“The Butterfly” has been an ever-present symbol, and a guiding force of sorts.
I am immediately overcome with the sense that I am unequivocally on the right
path. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As we pull away from the stop, the opening strings of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOAanFbV9PM" target="_blank">“<i>Konjiye</i>”</a> by Gossaye Tesfaye have me
pinching myself to make sure I’d actually woken up on <a href="https://talesfromthebigcountry.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">Forrest’s</a> floor that
morning. I had mentioned in <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2015/09/coming-home.html" target="_blank">Part I</a> that Foad and I listened to this song
together on my final day in Ethiopia, and that I regard it as the most
beautiful song of Ethiopian origin, but I did not note how I first came to
discover it: On the morning of what was to be my final bus ride from Addis
Ababa to Bekoji, I rose before the sun and rode with Nesru out to Kality. The
mood on that bus was incredibly laid back, much as it was today, and I found
myself in a tranquil, reflective state about my time in Ethiopia. A brilliant
sunrise ignited the mountains outside of Addis, and “<i>Konjiye</i>” came through the speakers, leaving me misty eyed as I
looked around at the faces of a people I had come to admire and respect. It was
the first and only other time I’d heard the song in Ethiopia, apart from my playing
it for Foad, until now. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our driver navigates the Sagure market day livestock herds
with grace and ease. I catch a glimpse of my PST host family as we whiz by
their home on the south end of town, adding a little extra perk to my
permasmile. I will drop in on them in a few days. For now, it’s onto Bekoji. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-road-to-bekoji.html" target="_blank">The road to Bekoji</a> from Sagure winds through lush highland
farms that radiate thousands of shades of green this time of year. Rolling past
streams and eucalyptus groves, it’s not long before you can pick up Gelama, an
11,400 foot mountain overlooking the <a href="https://www.google.com.et/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi9rJmWsJvLAhUE1BoKHZH5B2sQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.townofrunners.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNEImS2xdOdClFYB2jK6RrPPOkvixA" target="_blank">Town of Runners</a>, from whence the sun
emerges each morning. On this day, the distant horizon features a special
guest; the base of a rainbow, bigger, brighter, and more vibrant than any I’ve
ever seen, beams straight down upon Bekoji. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I lean toward the driver. “<i>Melestegnya waraj alle</i>,” I mutter, as I had hundreds of times
before. “<i>Ishi</i>”, he replies, slowing
as we approach the school gate. Hopping off and inhaling the cool mountain
air, I can’t help but notice how much Bekoji had changed in little more than
a year – painted guard rails through the center of the road, more roads paved
with cobblestone, signs advertising a local park, five new multi-story
buildings, <i>bajajes</i> zipping and
zooming every which way, the new and finally finished town hall...it's a lot
to take in, but appearances notwithstanding, it is still undoubtedly my town –
the one I know and love; the one I would close my eyes and get lost in time and
again back in the States. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I hoist my pack over my shoulders, cross the main road,
pass the town hall, and start down the dirt road toward my compound,
smiling and shaking my head in disbelief. A pause in front of the aluminum
gate; a moment or two to soak it all in. I reach up over the top right
corner, flipp up the latch, and pass through. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I walk down the path between the main house and livestock
holds to find Werknesh and her new daughter-in-law, Sophi, stooped over a basin
of laundry. I drop my bags and embrace Werknesh, recalling the sobbing mess
I was when last doing so, and proceed through several rounds of traditional, extra-jubilant Ethiopian greetings. We enter the house, where we're eventually joined by
Abdella and sons, and settle down on the floor mats for great food and even
better coffee, all the while catching up on life and simply elated to once
again share some quality time.<br />
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It’s good to be home. <o:p></o:p></div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-30183251157036185442015-09-30T08:58:00.000-04:002016-05-03T07:02:46.567-04:00coming home - part IEver since completing my Peace Corps service and departing from Ethiopia in June of 2014, I have struggled to find a way to close off this blog. At this point, there's no sense in trying to recount the events leading up to or following my departure. Instead, my sign-off will capture part of something I could not have anticipated at that time - a return to Ethiopia a mere 15 months later. This will be my final post, delivered in multiple parts. I am currently working on starting a new blog to document my experiences, opinions, and whatever else inspires me to write. I will post a link to that site here once it's up and running.<br />
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To everyone who supported me throughout my service, know that my gratitude is unending. With that, I give you, <b>coming home - part I.</b><br />
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ET Flight 503 finalizes its descent through the gray rainy
season morning enshrouding Addis Ababa, prompting a mild cheer throughout the
cabin. I shoot upright and glance over at my new friend, Paul, an Ethiopian
residing in Ottawa. “You made it,” he utters with a smirk, eyebrows raised to
match. I quite literally fell asleep and woke up in Ethiopia. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Stepping out of the plane and making for tarmac, my lungs
welcome the crisp air of 7,600 feet. Shuttling to Bole’s main hall, snaking
through the visa-on-arrival line, and retrieving my bags all flash by with no
real sense of time. I scan the wall of Ethiopian faces as I pass through
customs.<br />
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Nothing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I bank right upon exit, figuring to sit and collect myself
before whatever came next. Just as I make my move, right there, standing in
front of me, my brother – Foad – spotting me long before I had a chance to pick
him out of the crowd. Our embrace tells everyone present all that needs to be
said – we are family, reunited.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Foad and I were last together atop Tomoca Café*, peering
over a pastel sunset sky punctuated by the imposing African Union building, on
my last day in Ethiopia. We listened to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOAanFbV9PM" target="_blank">"Konjiye"</a> a
melodic, accordion-laden love tune by Gosaye Tesfaye, unquestionably the most
beautiful composition I’d encountered in country (and I barely understand a word of it!). I professed to him my
affection for this mysterious, fascinating, and often vexing nation. Tears
streaming down my cheeks stood testament. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My course has been no stranger to tribulation in the space
between that moment and now, but through it all, reminiscence of My Abyssinia has offered regular comfort. Indeed, nary a day passed wherein I didn’t find myself
lost in scenes of Bekoji’s surrounding peaks or drinking coffee with my host
family or absorbing Addis through the lens of a line taxi. Reminiscence gave
way to all-out longing. There could be only one prescription. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Shortly after my return to the States, I happened to read a
bit about <a href="http://baseball4africa.com/Baseball4Africa.com/Home.html" target="_blank">Baseball 4 Africa</a> in a <a href="http://pifb.org/" target="_blank">Pitch in for Baseball</a> newsletter, the
organization that set us up with some baseball gear for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbLDQAEIlVw" target="_blank">Bekoji Baseball</a>. On a
whim I decided to send an email to the founder, Jim Tamarack. Following a few
exchanges, Jim offered an open invite to check out their program in Kenya. Once
a layoff notice came across my desk in May, it was all but set: I would head
for Ethiopia in September and make my way down to Kenya for October baseball. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And now, here I am. Again sitting opposite Foad. Again
sharing macchiatos and affections for Ethiopia. Tomorrow I’ll hop a bus to
Bekoji and <i>waraj</i> at <i>Melestegnya</i>. I’ll walk down my dirt road
for a block and through the aluminum gate, just as I’d done every day for two
years. There will be hugs and smiles and extra helpings of extended Ethiopian
greetings along with Werknesh’s delectable <i>wots</i>.
Can't wait. <o:p></o:p></div>
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*Some of the best coffee you’ll find anywhere in the world.
Please consider supporting <a href="http://www.tomocacoffee.com/" target="_blank">Tomoca</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-77399303791727685082014-05-05T17:16:00.000-04:002014-05-09T05:14:55.683-04:00five pictures of baseball in bekoji that will make you wish you were here to see it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Special thanks to <a href="http://www.pitchinforbaseball.org/html/index.html" target="_blank">Pitch in for Baseball</a> for the helmets, catchers' equipment, a few more gloves, and a batch of balls, all of which were picked up and brought to Ethiopia by my lovely fiancée, Ms. Laura Woolston.<br />
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<br />Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-12869674213347436372014-02-23T05:36:00.000-05:002014-05-05T16:14:41.632-04:00will bailey, rpcv?Anyone who has served in the Peace Corps in the age of the laptop and external hard drives knows the value of a good t.v. series or two. I have been working my way through The West Wing for more than a year. In an episode somewhere around the middle of the 7th and final season, now Press Secretary Will Bailey is having a (flirtatious) conversation with Kate Harper. In the middle of a few quick camera cuts I caught a glimpse of a logo that has become all too familiar in my tenure as a Peace Corps Volunteer... <br />
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The only logical conclusion is that Will Bailey is an RPCV. <br />
<br />Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-45657339208942032082014-02-16T09:40:00.000-05:002015-06-06T00:55:28.258-04:00what's the joedown?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It's been some time since I
made some kind of public update about My Peace Corps Life. I suppose
it's because I've been so incredibly busy living it, I haven't had much
time to write (or even think) about it. Here's a quick rundown...</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><br />
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<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Peace Corps Ethiopia Saves Christmas</b><br />
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<a href="http://800daysinethiopia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Daniel and Danielle Luttrull</a>, Ras Dashen comrades and two of my most favorite
people in Peace Corps, put together a little audio number, styled after <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This American Life</i></a>, juxtaposing
different Volunteer experiences. I am one of the story tellers. The entire
program is a sheer joy, with hand-selected musical accompaniments icing the
deliciously baked <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">injera</i> cake.
Listen/download <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wca720zxb3y1cuc/VMNlQ4IIbB" target="_blank">here</a>.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mom and Meg</b><br />
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After much deliberation and 11<sup>th</sup>-hour decision-making, my Mother and
my sister came to Ethiopia for A Very Bekoji Christmas. It was silly and
delightful. The highlight for me was when we held a Christmas party at the
Students’ English Club. M & M brought M & Ms, candy canes, and Hershey
Kisses, along with a few ornaments; we went to the market the day prior with some
of the students to stock up on local supplies. The morning of, Cam and I
tracked down a Charlie Brown Christmas tree atop a small evergreen
bush/tree/thing. The turnout was fantastic, and our Rudolph and Jingle Bells sing-alongs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>went as smoothly as could be expected (perhaps Rudolph more so). The
event was very much loved by all.</li>
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<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Students’ English Club</b><br />
<br />
The Students’ English Club I started at my assigned school has been a diamond in even the roughest points of my service. It came to fruition
as a result of several failed attempts to launch the Teacher Mentoring Program
and <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2013/03/peace-corps-week-week-that-wasnt.html" target="_blank">a bit of improvisation on Peace Corps Day last year</a> (psst….it’s coming up
again!). I’m hoping it can maintain momentum throughout my final semester at
the school, which starts this week. I hope to pick up where we left off with
read-and-repeat speech practice with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuxicETRQBA" target="_blank">JFK’s inaugural address </a>and to close out
my time with these students on as many positive notes as possible.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br /><br /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Teachers’ English Conversation Club</b><br />
<br />
It felt nice to finally follow my heart and get something started at the Bekoji
High School. Teachers there very much wanted opportunities to practice speaking
English. Thus, the Bekoji High School Teachers’ English Conversation Club was
born. It took a while to get off the ground last semester, allowing us only two
meetings before adjourning for the semester break, so I am very much looking
forward to gaining a bit of continuity this time around. My time there has also
helped make some inroads for the school as a candidate for a Peace Corps
partnership as our program moves toward direct teaching at the high school
level. It’s a school with great potential and a bright future. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Baseball</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
effort to bring baseball to Bekoji continues! </span></span>We’ve been playing some form of baseball just about every week at the Bethany
<a href="http://www.standby.me/" target="_blank">Stand By Me</a> School in Bekoji, making good use of the equipment sent over with
my dad by my uncle Tim and his buddy, Danny Pearson. We are hoping to increase
attendance, hold a couple “technical” classroom sessions, and possibly relocate
to a better playing surface before rainy season creeps in. If we’re lucky, we
might get to host some kind of baseball mini-camp and stage Bekoji’s first ever
full-scale baseball game. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">We just watched <i>The Sandlot</i> with the team, and it was a huge hit! I
am in the process of reaching out to some people who succeeded with baseball in
other Peace Corps places, through which I’m hoping to track down more formal
modules for introducing and replicating the game. If you, the reader, have any suggestions, please let me know!</span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<ul>
<li>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">World Map | Wando</b><br /><br />One of the most popular “out of the box” projects undertaken by Peace Corps Volunteers
is a world map mural, typically set in a school of some kind. Last week, I was
offered the opportunity to participate in the painting portion of a world map
project in Wando Genet. Tatum, a fellow VAC member and Environment Volunteer,
lives and works at Wando Genet University, but also teaches English at a nearby
primary school. Her world map is installed inside of a classroom so that it can
be used as a teaching aid. </li>
</ul>
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<h2>
<u><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Travels</b></span></u></h2>
<ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhotPPioMRy31hXPYLE5GsgyUXkBZCiidg3lHt3OxUuILn-N-CWiBVtEoPtV8SfcQixmvscMfxMsTQkvlWGRUTZTba-4FkLCm3oq2mavXJEpuB1cuTVPTBKgZeUDP6vvtvCM3YnCKUqw/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhotPPioMRy31hXPYLE5GsgyUXkBZCiidg3lHt3OxUuILn-N-CWiBVtEoPtV8SfcQixmvscMfxMsTQkvlWGRUTZTba-4FkLCm3oq2mavXJEpuB1cuTVPTBKgZeUDP6vvtvCM3YnCKUqw/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" width="320" /></a>
<li><b>Gabon</b><br />
<br />
Before Mom and Meg had landed back on American soil, I was on a beach in <a href="http://www.google.com.et/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGabon&ei=f-H5UrHqEar8ywPOuIKQCg&usg=AFQjCNEEWioWL6cNMnmJNi7lU2LafUxm8Q&bvm=bv.61190604,d.bGQ" target="_blank">Gabon</a>. It
was a mini adventure that came out of nowhere, thanks entirely to the
incredible generosity of my goddaughter’s grandmother. I spent time with Marc
and Simone, and got to meet little miss Nalia for the first time. I also ate
giant shrimps. Incredible on so many levels.</li>
</ul>
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<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Ras Dashen</b><br />
<br />
I trekked for 5 days with 5 friends to summit Ras Dashen, the highest peak in Ethiopia. It was epic. Read more <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2014/02/why-do-i-climb-mountain.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wando Genet</b><br />
<br />
As I mentioned, I recently made my way down to Wando Genet to help with a world
map mural project. I would be lying if I didn’t admit to my desire to see that
place as a factor in accepting the project invitation; I had heard nothing but
great things. I’m not sure what I expected, exactly, but Wando absolutely blew
my mind. It was, in a word, magical, and I can’t wait to go back with Laura in
a couple months.
</li>
</ul>
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<h2>
<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jano Band</span></u> </h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.janoband.com/" target="_blank"><b>Jano Band</b></a> is so good that I wouldn't dare try and squeeze them into one of the nice, neat categories above. The day we arrived in Addis for our most recent website meeting, <a href="http://talesfromthebigcountry.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Forrest</a> texted all of us about this concert happening in Addis over the weekend, while we'll all still be in town. The band name did not sound familiar to any of us, but as soon as Forrest cracked open a little <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umKVifpVLZc" target="_blank">Jano Band on YouTube</a>, history was already being written. The website team - which also includes <a href="http://9000milesfromnormal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Schickling</a> and <a href="http://postcardsfromethiopia.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">OhnSoon</a> - would soon adopt the Jano Band tune found in that YouTube video as our official anthem, and experience together an epic four hour musical event that would change their lives forever. OK. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but they did play a pretty killer rendition of "Blurred Lines," along with a couple Bob Marley tunes and a handful of other covers. It was friggin awesome!!!! Seriously, if you have a chance to see these guys (& gals), don't pass it up. No Amharic competency required to have a damn good time!</li>
</ul>
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Ba bampbananana....<br />
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<h2>
<u><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Peace Corps | Ethiopia</b></span></u></h2>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Website</b> <br />
<br />
Helping launch Peace Corps Ethiopia’s first-ever, full-fledged website has been
a goal of mine since the idea first surfaced in early 2013. It’s so close that
I am almost ready to share the URL with you. Almost. Remain tuned.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Volunteer Advisory Council (VAC)</b> <br />
<br />
My time as VAC chair is quickly winding down (in fact, it should be over
already), and it won’t be long before I enter a lame duck phase of committee
service. I’ve greatly enjoyed my time on the VAC, and can only hope I did my
peoples right. Thank you for allowing me to serve you, friends.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">All Volunteer Conference (AVC)<br />
<br />
</b>Speaking of the VAC, the committee hosted and planned last year’s inaugural
AVC. We’re at it again this year, with Emily from G8 leading the charge (and
doing a fantastic job!). </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">G10! G11!</b><br />
<br />
G10 is here (Welcome, ya'll!)! G11 planning is happening! I can’t believe it. In
case you need a refresher, I’m G7!<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Getting Ready to Come Home<br />
<br />
</b>Believe it or not, I’m starting to think seriously about what’s Next. Is it
a Nick Cage movie? I’m not sure. Anyway, I’m thinking I should probably find
myself a job. I’ve been here more than 20 months, which is an undeniably long time, and just enough for me
to admit that the idea of coming home is a bit scary. But it’s scary because
it’s so real and so close. And that’s pretty exciting, too. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
</ul>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09bn24FZuoXSA5XcfeaYRXOGQJ8E_f3VecmQxnCCns2HM631-DrjNt3b4MrHjstp-HQuCdsWDo82UFfpD88Zr2n5sp__OPuhqOnGg6Hacm8h1M8xx-xpwUxAtgNhoErbfuWApmr9B5h4/s1600/2wcm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09bn24FZuoXSA5XcfeaYRXOGQJ8E_f3VecmQxnCCns2HM631-DrjNt3b4MrHjstp-HQuCdsWDo82UFfpD88Zr2n5sp__OPuhqOnGg6Hacm8h1M8xx-xpwUxAtgNhoErbfuWApmr9B5h4/s1600/2wcm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">S</span></span>omewhere toward the beginning of my time in Ethiopia, I
fell into a dream within a dream. During my Demystification trip to Wukro, a
small town 45 minutes north of the Tigray regional capital, I shared a beer
with my pre-departure mentor, <a href="http://benjaminmorsepeacecorpsethiopia.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">RPCV Ben Morse</a>. The beer was called Dashen. It
has since held its own as my favorite (mass produced) beer in Ethiopia. I asked
Ben the meaning and he told me it was a tribute to Ethiopia’s highest mountain,
Ras Dashen. From that moment on, it was absorbed into my being: I must climb
that mountain. </div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Other Mountains</u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Nearly 20 months have passed since that moment, and I have
scaled a handful of peaks throughout Ethiopia. First was <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2013/05/in-daylights-in-sunsets.html" target="_blank">Gelama</a>, named, from
what I understand, after the sunrise to which it plays host every morning. I
made it there, for the first time, a smidge over a year ago, in the company of
my best Ethiopian friend, Daniel, the most badass Ethiopian I know, Zegeye, a
Stand By Me guest from Belfast named Melissa, and Daniel’s coworker Dereje. It
was a pinnacle accomplishment at the time. I felt the way about Gelama when I
arrived in Bekoji as I did about Ras Dashen when I first tasted that beer. And
it only made me want more. </div>
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Throughout the last year, I made it seven times to the top
of Gelama, as well as a trip each to <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2013/12/crosses-and-crosswords-part-ii.html#more" target="_blank">Ashetan Mariam in Lalibela, Mount Soloda in Adwa</a>, and <a href="http://9000milesfromnormal.blogspot.com/2014/01/chilalo-mountain.html" target="_blank">Chilalo in Asella</a>. Add to that a half-day hike back in August with
Laura, through a portion of the Simien Mountains– the family Dashen calls his
own – and it’s easy to see how my desire continued to grow. That our short time
in the Simiens was rendered virtually void of scenery on account of rainy
season fog only managed to stoke my “get to Dashen” fire. There was no mystery
in my mind as to the epic scenery I was missing. If Facebook pictures and tales
told by R/PCVs had taught me anything it was that I had to find a way back to
this area and make real that dream within a dream. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Urgency</u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As my 27-month-tour-of-duty marched on, and year one
barreled into year two, I started to wonder if I might have to let go of the
top item on my “Ethiopia Bucket List.” I was running short on time, low on
funds, and facing the challenge of making the trip align with both the
appropriate season and recent changes to PCE travel policies as they pertain to
Education Volunteers. Somewhere around mid-October, I had one of those moments
so spiritual that there was no way I could refuse what my heart was telling me
to do. I needed to find a way to make this happen, one way or another. </div>
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I sent an inquiry message to a
tour-guide-turned-travel-agent who came highly recommended by PCVs and PCE
Staff alike. I started contacting some of my closest friends who I thought
might be interested in sharing the journey. <a href="http://9000milesfromnormal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Schickling</a> was in if we could work
it into the “free” travel window allotted to Education Volunteers, but before
her parents arrived in Ethiopia. Zach was in if we could schedule it around his
sister’s visit. <a href="http://800daysinethiopia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Luttrulls</a> were in if they could afford it. Mike was in if
everyone else was. And then we all had to get separate approvals for our
planned travel. </div>
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[cue some quote about somebody saying it was easy]</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I was starting to lose hope. Getting our stars to align seemed
implausible. I accepted the fact that I might actually have to let this one go.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Embark to Debark</u></b></div>
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<u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But somehow everything <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i>
work out. I can’t say I’m quite certain how, but I suppose this was one of
those things that was simply “meant to be.” And on January 21<sup>st</sup>, the
six of us were sitting in a hotel room in Gondar, handing over a payment that
looked far more impressive in Ethiopian birr than it would have in dollars, to
Shif of <a href="http://www.simientrek.com/">simientrek.com</a>. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6nxSbZN91_fv5GEhbF7_vtABbBeqXzHplDPgB-14XYNBKxmEaNPC1DeejvSEKeD9FE1MDX2Alz8_4IHDbjlgyV7ihyFeF2es9uMrp8c2kI8vHYrDYC656aYzMzzQoSs5ehAoYFJlsko/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6nxSbZN91_fv5GEhbF7_vtABbBeqXzHplDPgB-14XYNBKxmEaNPC1DeejvSEKeD9FE1MDX2Alz8_4IHDbjlgyV7ihyFeF2es9uMrp8c2kI8vHYrDYC656aYzMzzQoSs5ehAoYFJlsko/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning, we drove two hours to Debark, where the
park office is located. We entered our names into the registry, met our guide
(Dejen), and picked up our scout (Yayu). It was really happening. We were about
to climb Ras Dashen. Well, sort of...we had four days of trekking ahead of us
before that would happen… </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Day 1 – Ethiopian Hustle</u></b></div>
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Our minibus took a right off the main road onto a
Western-esque dirt road that lead all the way to the park entrance. We whizzed
past sweeping mountain views and Gelada Baboon troupes that would have required
stopping for photographs were we not in for much more of the same in the coming
days, en route to Sankabar camp. At Sankabar, all of our gear was unloaded and
weighed to determine how many mules our trek would require. </div>
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The magic number
turned out to be four, but we were off on foot before that number was even
announced, making our way along the escarpment overlooking the iconic “table
top” mountains that define the Simiens. It didn’t take long for the heavy
breathing to start. At one point, I took a look at my GPS watch to find that we
were moving at around 18 minutes per mile – fast for a walk on daily terrain,
downright torrid for a hike that started at 10,750 feet. We later learned that
we’d gotten off to a bit of a late start that day and the high clip was set by
our guide in order to ensure we got to Gich on time. Although we had little
time to fully take them in, the views were spectacular. Seriously – you need to
see this place to believe it. </div>
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We made it to Gich as the sun was starting to set, allowing
us just enough time to change into warm clothes before the near-to-sub-freezing
temps set in; camping on an open plain near 12,000 feet tends to invite a bit
of a chill. Our tents were all pitched and ready for us to prepare our night’s
bed, and a table of snacks to accompany our coffee and tea was waiting upon our
arrival. A dinner of delicious soup, pasta, and vegetables capped off a
successful first day. This would more or less be the scene each evening of the
trek.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSG8nFCYCEjJfwpzfJ6qZqTrgDE_bVKXMDnvMfw_GGoa2LirT9QPqEUbAP8kq3X41SLsaiTkQnkq3NohClUPeXWcvGzNSDHvKXYfO6P884RRyZ2RZkLmSrMubsT1Er-eFaT4m5coP3gs/s1600/simienssunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSG8nFCYCEjJfwpzfJ6qZqTrgDE_bVKXMDnvMfw_GGoa2LirT9QPqEUbAP8kq3X41SLsaiTkQnkq3NohClUPeXWcvGzNSDHvKXYfO6P884RRyZ2RZkLmSrMubsT1Er-eFaT4m5coP3gs/s1600/simienssunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Highlights from the day included Yayu whipping a stone from
a sling like David toward Goliath (and the whirring sound it made as it sailed
out of view), playing the Mr. Potato can bongo with villagers of Gich, and
geeking out over stories featured in <a href="http://selamtamagazine.com/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Selamta</i></a>
when we met the magazine's Managing Editor and Photography Editor around the campfire;
they were staying in the park to do a story for an upcoming issue.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Day 2 – Up &
Down & Up & Down</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJedbaYeUVG0hkKGW5O8T2rMOVivB8-pNiVZ7Qw9J6VzH31_xtYBX6yB1yrhCSFYxk4mu54IzwqFTpShQPxDagf4G6bvi1LxREuG1HS2b_NSqv22OxyzE_d4Ag19NGvcNqMTPwoqow3Do/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJedbaYeUVG0hkKGW5O8T2rMOVivB8-pNiVZ7Qw9J6VzH31_xtYBX6yB1yrhCSFYxk4mu54IzwqFTpShQPxDagf4G6bvi1LxREuG1HS2b_NSqv22OxyzE_d4Ag19NGvcNqMTPwoqow3Do/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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07:30 - Breakfast of scrambled eggs, and we’re off! A bit
outside of the campsite, Yayu scooped up a chunk of ice from a small patch of
stagnant water – no wonder I needed a blanket to cover my face last night! Two
hours and a thousand feet of climb later, we reached the Imet Gogo viewpoint.
At 12,931 feet, this stunning overlook of the Simien lowlands marked a new “highest
we’d ever stood on the planet” for the group – a record we were set to break
later that day, and several times over the course of our trek. </div>
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From Imet Gogo we started our ascent into a valley, spotting
a family of Walia Ibex along the way, in order to climb an even higher mountain
on the other side. We were all secretly wishing someone had built a bridge from
one peak to another, but that was not to be. A bit after noon we reached the
valley floor, and stopped to give Schickling a breather. It had become apparent
that she was battling altitude sickness, and the impending climb was nothing
short of intimidating in the face of such a condition. Lacking proper meds, I
offered Shick a motion sickness people, hoping it would help fend off the
nausea. We gave the meds a little time to absorb before starting our climb to
Innate, where we would break for lunch. Although the motion sickness pill
couldn’t do much for fatigue or shortness of breath, it reportedly did the
trick for nausea.</div>
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Once we passed the 13,000 foot mark, I, too, was starting to
feel the effects of thinner air, but I also had plenty of baboon sightings to
help distract me, and not much longer before we were set to take a break. We sat down just before 14:30 for lunch at 13,350 feet – our
second “highest high” of the day. Not a huge fan of the day’s packed lunch
(tuna & veggie sandwich), I dined on Clif Bars (thanks, someone from America), gummi bears (thanks, Colleen), and a mango,
which did enough to help me recover from the mild fatigue and shortness of
breath I was feeling toward the end of the climb. Oh, and the view was even
sweeter than my dining.*</div>
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Our descent into Chennek at 12,300 feet was “100% downhill”
(minus the 10% that wasn’t). We pulled in at 16:45. Thanks to an earlier
arrival, we were able to take our time settling in for the evening. We signed
off with a round of 20 questions and a whiskey nightcap by the fire. Spirits were
noticeably high upon the completion of our first full day. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Day 3 – Over the
River and Through the Village</u></b></div>
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<br />
7:50 - After a power-charged breakfast of peanut butter, honey,
“nutella,” and bacon (thank you, care packages) wrapped in a crepe, I was
feeling energized and ready to go. The day ahead was long - roughly a half-marathon of hiking that would end at Ambiko, home of Ras Dashen
base camp. As with the previous day, our journey started skyward in pursuit of
yet another “personal high.” By 10:30, we had reached Bwahit Pass at 13,881
feet, again spotting more Gelada Baboons and Walia Ibex along the way. I hadn’t
really noticed we were approaching a point much higher than the lunch spot on
day 2 until I checked my GPS watch. Apparently I’d acclimatized enough not to
feel the effects of a slightly higher elevation. Shickling was still battling
fatigue and shortness of breath, but a preemptive motion sickness pill before
we broke camp appeared to stave off the nausea.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We crossed the pass and began the searing, dusty descent
into the village of Chino Laba; that this leg took us a good three hours to
complete is a testament to just how challenging a downhill portion it was – a
journey we’d have to reverse just two days later. We rolled into town a hair before 13:30,
appearing perhaps our most haggard since starting out from Sankabar,
and took our seats at reserved benches outside of <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/green-land-restaurant-tampa" target="_blank">Greenland Restaurant</a> – we’ re
a pretty big deal, you know. Our camp chef and an assistant cook had prepared
for us a pot of veggies that we washed down with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">korafe</i>, a thicker, darker, and arguably tastier version of the
homemade “beer,” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">t’ella</i>, found
throughout most of the rest of Ethiopia. I had packed away the leftover
breakfast crepes and fashioned myself a nice little dessert by covering them
with raspberry flavored Clif gel, sent to me by Mary Abraham before she COS’d (thanks, homie). </div>
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14:15 - We're on the move, descending still lower
into the valley. Temperatures are noticeably higher. Beads of sweat appeared
on our brows – a sight unfamiliar at the altitudes we’d been trekking. An hour
later, we reached Mesha River, marking our lowest point of the day and the trek
as a whole at 9,240 feet (roughly the elevation at which I pass most of my
Peace Corps time in Bekoji). After a brief stop for some of us to dip our feet
in the river’s cooling waters, we surged on, climbing just over 1,000 feet out
of the valley to reach Ambiko at 17:15. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtdsXD8SXv206012RENUgcyesP3CBmSswmSWdoh4R7FM-0cqcwN2GA6cQjW0mvhfVo_BoYPl5tAJzvg9eNHK_UQKAp71p_7V341TbNT567qXlFrRGWzMty9KGB_gN1EjPvaRdFdva2ek/s1600/IMG_0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtdsXD8SXv206012RENUgcyesP3CBmSswmSWdoh4R7FM-0cqcwN2GA6cQjW0mvhfVo_BoYPl5tAJzvg9eNHK_UQKAp71p_7V341TbNT567qXlFrRGWzMty9KGB_gN1EjPvaRdFdva2ek/s1600/IMG_0191.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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The air was significantly warmer than our previous two
nights’ stays, as Dejen promised us it would be, and the camp was significantly
less populated than the others. And by that I mean we were the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> people staying there. We had been
told that the summit hike was far from the most popular option amongst park
visitors, but it was unclear just how true that was until we reached this
point. Yet, Ambiko actually felt the least isolated of the three camps, as it
was situated directly next to a village. As village residents took a profound interest
in our presence, it came as no surprise that we were implored to ensure all of
our belongings remained in our tents at all times.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvnXs-OhAcHq8lZrQShKT523f636cDegiDWw24GSzqEmjGw2Y4vfVrgLZQEt1h73XvhaOuoEZnNq-3GnRAZXao41zy9dRJOZiKT42USujsNidUrB1BSgvtn0YovXPU8v1J4bhKC3VV1w/s1600/IMG_0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvnXs-OhAcHq8lZrQShKT523f636cDegiDWw24GSzqEmjGw2Y4vfVrgLZQEt1h73XvhaOuoEZnNq-3GnRAZXao41zy9dRJOZiKT42USujsNidUrB1BSgvtn0YovXPU8v1J4bhKC3VV1w/s1600/IMG_0203.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
We shared s’mores and stories around the campfire before an
early “lights out” in anticipation of our pre-dawn departure toward Ras Dashen.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Day 4 – The Roof of Africa</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4:15 - Alarm sounds for the big day – the realization of
a dream that has spanned my entire Peace Corps service. Of course, at that hour, in the wake of 2 ½ days of pretty serious hiking, it was impossible
to consider any sense of profundity. </div>
<br />
5:20 - We start out in total darkness, walking by
headlamp for more than an hour. The only scene I recall from that day, before
reaching the top, was that of the mountains we’d scaled the day before, slowly
coming into light as the sun rose in an opposite sky. For the most part, the
morning felt more like a military march than a hike – we had an objective, and
little else was of any concern.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIwfopJfTF_bPkxpiwfx2EwLiKWwvAhiCrBEbTCk4MXLOBGQbNHCIwZyL2C0mjMQj2wi32DEXh5sc-Z4aJuBQh4pxROEQPSavJL2T8X7bt3qnxhAlCfU3_FnyB_bxUktUYIfP6-iDNpo/s1600/IMG_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIwfopJfTF_bPkxpiwfx2EwLiKWwvAhiCrBEbTCk4MXLOBGQbNHCIwZyL2C0mjMQj2wi32DEXh5sc-Z4aJuBQh4pxROEQPSavJL2T8X7bt3qnxhAlCfU3_FnyB_bxUktUYIfP6-iDNpo/s1600/IMG_0224.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
10:20 - We eclipse 14,000 feet, but there was
no celebration of being “higher than we’d ever been”; there was still more work
to be done. We trudged our way through fields of volcanic rock and dust,
lending the illusion that we’d somehow ended up on Mars, climbing steadily
higher.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGHrhW779aLQwzwuCYMAhQDvISacF-zVxJi1nMkvXY5UnxMR8-qQqoJUhbLDKn_Ky2rzvxRzZqYllDDHdcuBypVvW5Ko1-_rhGuyxAcICxZcp601Ko9aAzpxxwhrA_lTdw6QgKgtukuw/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGHrhW779aLQwzwuCYMAhQDvISacF-zVxJi1nMkvXY5UnxMR8-qQqoJUhbLDKn_Ky2rzvxRzZqYllDDHdcuBypVvW5Ko1-_rhGuyxAcICxZcp601Ko9aAzpxxwhrA_lTdw6QgKgtukuw/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
11:48 - on the 25<sup>th</sup> of January in the year of our Lord
2014, after a short free climb, a group of six Peace Corps Volunteers stood
proud, 14,922 feet above the sea, and, for a moment, were undeniably the
highest people in Ethiopia (with exception of, perhaps, some folks in
Shashamene). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYBcZcOlBrILzDR-t7nl3xfdEN8EEq0zYIJHOYCrqdbc_dXmk406710ZAg979xnqDYfRRYZWGuOAi9fjKMgA85LVJovNY-x5LZlJ8cuRgQrGNU5o5X55ksDzNJ738l196_aZ7alAFl8M/s1600/IMG_0297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYBcZcOlBrILzDR-t7nl3xfdEN8EEq0zYIJHOYCrqdbc_dXmk406710ZAg979xnqDYfRRYZWGuOAi9fjKMgA85LVJovNY-x5LZlJ8cuRgQrGNU5o5X55ksDzNJ738l196_aZ7alAFl8M/s1600/IMG_0297.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the assistant cooks lugged a pot of spaghetti, along
with a set of plates and forks, up to the top, allowing us to lunch in style. We
took a bunch of photos and danced to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU2ftCitvyQ" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shatner of the Mount</i></a> (stay tuned for our forthcoming video rendition) before making our way back down to Ambiko. We were greeted
upon our arrival by the cooks and mule handlers singing, “Welcome! Ras Dashen!”
while handing each of us a bundle of flowers, a small yet unexpected gesture
that brought a smile to each of our worn-out faces.<br />
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<br />
That night, we were treated
to a chicken dinner – a surprise at the end of a mostly vegetarian menu – and a
bottle of Ethiopia’s finest, Guder wine. We again closed out the night with
s’mores, stories, and sips of whiskey around the campfire.<br />
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Day 5 – The Day
That Never Comes</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not really sure where the final day started or ended for
me – or if it ever really started at all. Less than two hours after falling
asleep, I awoke with great urgency and hurried to the outhouse; more of the
same two hours after that. I downed some Pepto in hopes of capping the problem
for our hike, but it was no use. Everything was passing right on through. It’s
worth noting that I may have celebrated a bit harder than would be advised the
night prior, but not to the extent of such a fate, and certainly not more than
my body is able to handle; besides, I could tell for certain that there was
something more at play.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made it through the pre-dawn portion of our
deadline-driven day OK (had to be back to Chennek by 14:00), albeit sluggishly
and in some pain. I even felt like I could carry on at a slower pace as we
climbed from Masha River back to Chino Laba. I sat down again at Greenland
Restaurant and mixed some oral rehydration salts into a bottle of water in
hopes of combating the dehydration I was suffering as a side effect of the
diarrhea, but it was too late. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From that point forward, the wheels were slowly coming off.
As we climbed the steep ascent toward Bwahit Pass, and the sun grew stronger
and the air grew thinner, my condition rapidly declined. I was entering into a
state of severe dehydration. The higher we climbed, the fewer steps I could
take before collapsing. I started to feel genuine concern for my own health and
safety. Dejen suggested that I try and catch a ride back to Chennek, once I
made it to the road. I was in no position to argue. But the road was much
higher above us than I had originally thought. I slugged on in my state of
despair, stumbling and lurching and falling to the ground. In my head,
Metallica’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRitfbhITLM" target="_blank">The Day That Never Comes</a> </i>was
on repeat. There was no way I was going to make it to the road, let alone to
Chennek if no ride came along. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The site of Phil could not have been more welcome. Phil was
the mule that had been carrying Schickling throughout the morning, and he (or
she) was being lead back down the mountain by his handler to retrieve me (good
thing I packed my helmet!). I saddled up and held on tight for what proved to
be quite an exciting way up a mountain. In fact, we later agreed that we all
should have just “muled it” on the last day, given the day’s difficulty, time
crunch, that we had already made summit, and this portion was not new to us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once at the road, Dejen revealed that hopping a ride would
likely cost quite a pretty penny. The typical foreigner in my position was
desperate (I was) and willing to pay just about any price (I was not). He suggested another option:
flag down a mule handler with an empty mule to get me to the top, which wasn’t
all that much further, and I would walk down the other side. This sounded much
more my speed. Before long, I had mounted a ragged mule, whom I named Sammi, for a
steep and treacherous ride to the pass (seriously, the mule almost tipped over
a couple times). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hopped off, handed over what would equate to $3.66USD for
the ride, and joined the rest of the group for the first time since Chino Laba.
We sat awhile before a short climb to Bwahit Pass and slowly winding our way back down
to Chennek. As we approached the camp, and the final steps of our journey, we
locked arm-in-arm, flanked on either side by Dejen and Yayu. We made a circle
in front of the van awaiting our travel back to Gondar, and put our hands in
for a pee wee basketball-style cheer, proclaiming what had become the banner of
our adventure:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
[<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hands in</i>]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why do I climb the
mountain?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
[<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hands up</i>]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Because I’m in
love!!!!!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Concluding
Thoughts</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Getting to the top of Ethiopia’s highest peak was no picnic
(despite our many picnics along the way). In fact, it was quite the contrary.
It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, ranking right up there with
breaking four hours in my second marathon after completely falling apart in the
later stages. But it was also incredible beyond words, on two different levels.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, there was the scenery. While no one in the group had
ever been to the Grand Canyon, we pretty much agreed that the beauty found here
was of similar magnitude (if not surpassing; but we’ll have to wait until we
actually get to that American treasure to judge). For that, the Simien
Mountains National Park is absolutely a must-visit before you die. The good
news is that you do not have to do the summit trek to enjoy the heart of the
park. In fact, the portion typically missed by non-summit-seekers was nowhere
near as beautiful as the other parts we saw. </div>
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Second, this was an experience that was very much about the
journey; a veritable metaphor for the 27 months we are spending in Ethiopia as
Peace Corps Volunteers. We experienced amazing highs and shattering lows, both
collectively and as a group, but we pushed through it all and made it to our
goal. Along the way, we solidified a lifetime bond, and undoubtedly became
stronger as individuals. </div>
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If you found the summit portion a bit anticlimactic, I can’t
fault you. Truth is, there wasn’t much to the summit. It was just a big rock in
the company of other big rocks, some of which have spurred controversy about
which is actually the summit. The view isn’t really much to envy; in fact,
peaks we reached during the earlier portion of the trek were far more
awe-inspiring than those we encountered atop Ras Dashen. As I mentioned, the
same can be said of the portion of the trek that is exclusive to your approach
of base camp – the surrounding scenery simply isn’t as attractive. Add to all
that the fact that locals pronounce the peak <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ras Dejen</i> and take offense to the more widely accepted
pronunciation, and you can start to see why our group came to the consensus
that it did: we’re glad we did the summit trek, and would highly recommend
trekking around Simien Mountains National Park, but would strongly recommend
against this particular itinerary for the average hiker. </div>
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One way or another, I feel a strong sense of closure around
this endeavor. It reminds me a great deal of the baseball roadtrip I took back
in 2008, with one of my all-time best friends, Nick. We still talk about that
adventure with incredible fondness, something I don’t see ending so long as we
walk this earth. I foresee similar fortunes for the five days I spent tackling
the Simiens with five of my closest Peace Corps friends. These are people with
whom I know I’ve made lifelong connections, and I already look forward to all
the reminiscing around this otherworldly adventure. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNRel7uf-GiQXmUGPTGU-mlFFMeT5c_3t1sfs17Xgs6XGAG_5H36XB7X3PptFI50ndhkVl6xYfxc9J3Odz5sWyncA50srVDrO4Vt1hSUlJzDC1WLOF1z8KSvDZ64Bht4XyhszSz4ON0I/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNRel7uf-GiQXmUGPTGU-mlFFMeT5c_3t1sfs17Xgs6XGAG_5H36XB7X3PptFI50ndhkVl6xYfxc9J3Odz5sWyncA50srVDrO4Vt1hSUlJzDC1WLOF1z8KSvDZ64Bht4XyhszSz4ON0I/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Final thought: If you go for a five day hike in Africa, and then have the opportunity to watch The Lion King in the van on the way back to your hotel, do it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVIkU1vCaLRF0v8Xz2Liy7dW4ELtNwz6VSEsQqtyz1cDqYRXEr5cMZ5Ve7rK8VrRDKLILrUdFhPZzGFmSYPSHkdWJmcBigowv-x-Cu26QimOpwrTopB_RRv9aDKnclPOpqjzwiEbh3x4/s1600/IMG_0172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVIkU1vCaLRF0v8Xz2Liy7dW4ELtNwz6VSEsQqtyz1cDqYRXEr5cMZ5Ve7rK8VrRDKLILrUdFhPZzGFmSYPSHkdWJmcBigowv-x-Cu26QimOpwrTopB_RRv9aDKnclPOpqjzwiEbh3x4/s1600/IMG_0172.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-33291567286104502772013-12-05T10:06:00.002-05:002016-05-03T06:05:58.393-04:00northern crosses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lalibela is known for its cluster of rock-hewn
churches, reportedly built with the help of angels, but the surrounding
landscape actually offers more interesting sightseeing options. We obliged our
sense of historical and cultural significance by checking out the churches of
Lalibela on day one, but used the next two days to get out and see more than the
average visitor. Day two saw us renting an old, rugged Land Cruiser and
necessary driver for perhaps the most scenic drive I’ve ever experienced,
before reaching a remote village, some 40km outside of Lalibela. From there it
was 12km of off-roading (what our guide called an “African massage”) in order
to access a church made of marble and cedar wood, located in a cave in the
middle of a mountain. And since we didn’t get quite enough spectacular from
that experience, we set off on a hike to reach a rock hewn church situated atop
a mountain overlooking Lalibela on day three. In both cases, we encountered
only one other set of tourists, which afforded us lots of bragging as we closed
off our time in the town with a night at a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Torpedo</i>,
a popular <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tej</i> house, in the company
of fellow travelers from Canada (see: <a href="http://www.highfiveadventures.com/" target="_blank">highfiveadventures.com</a>), France, and Spain.</div>
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Pilgrim village near Lalibela Churches </div>
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Yemerhanen Christos - Church made of really heavy materials, hundreds of years ago, in a cave in the middle of a mountain. Kind of looks like a dollhouse, no?<br />
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Crypt of mummies behind Yemerhanen Christos </div>
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Pretty much what the whole drive out to Y.C. looked like.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking Lalibela (the cluster of buildings afar on the right)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg35mRyQwlX4wp-B7vOKj51wNR2n3z3dCel3gdNjmzrVOPsl_LixDgmIGLonxpVqyD13QpdczHwe34nND2anKEvd3AzD-MLoEm34FwH-8w7HQ3jhspZc-wcdsyMRN0jIxiVSDjA4ktspY/s1600/lalibela10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg35mRyQwlX4wp-B7vOKj51wNR2n3z3dCel3gdNjmzrVOPsl_LixDgmIGLonxpVqyD13QpdczHwe34nND2anKEvd3AzD-MLoEm34FwH-8w7HQ3jhspZc-wcdsyMRN0jIxiVSDjA4ktspY/s200/lalibela10.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethiopia, Spain, Canada, U.S.A., France</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Valley below Lalibella, toward Y.C.</td></tr>
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We touched down in Axum less than a half an hour after departing
from the Lalibela airport and caught a cab to meet up with Joel, Christine, and
Todd before darting off to Adwa for a few days with the Lutrells. While
historically significant in Ethiopian history, there’s nothing particular to
see or do in Adwa, which is exactly what we were looking for. The majority of
our time with <a href="http://800daysinethiopia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dan and Danielle</a> was spent sharing good food and great laughs.
That’s not to say Adwa was completely uneventful. We set out for a hike that
turned into a scramble up and down Mount Soloda, which probably had us closer
to death or serious injury more times than anyone would openly admit to folks
back home (read: approaching a steep cliff from above and encountering two
scorpions). It was quite an adventure, to say the least, but was certainly well
worth it for the spectacular view high above Tigray.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZ0x7j4hjGUu25IRq2XZIv4Bx49kMIhVMwYURyxv52FxRXfBQNSN9VdKbICHPQgphfli-sqr2eMkA5AFmJm_8rH24nGOlcXDUqv6aTrmq16K8g1MT0Pm5BxedtWJrQgeGi9AnpG_YiCE/s1600/adwa2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZ0x7j4hjGUu25IRq2XZIv4Bx49kMIhVMwYURyxv52FxRXfBQNSN9VdKbICHPQgphfli-sqr2eMkA5AFmJm_8rH24nGOlcXDUqv6aTrmq16K8g1MT0Pm5BxedtWJrQgeGi9AnpG_YiCE/s320/adwa2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boom!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsvfBcHOVeSZPHvy9feYlm9shW5ky9Xnzp6OdplszM40JvPmYOcfEMHuSAN95K-9UlvFFoBxDr7BRDXtwLJZxfRwFdX36quMwGxPtpwdAnfB4hPoCtKW711UpOKo6nIj-m-UTUGST43s/s1600/adwa3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsvfBcHOVeSZPHvy9feYlm9shW5ky9Xnzp6OdplszM40JvPmYOcfEMHuSAN95K-9UlvFFoBxDr7BRDXtwLJZxfRwFdX36quMwGxPtpwdAnfB4hPoCtKW711UpOKo6nIj-m-UTUGST43s/s200/adwa3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindred Spirit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLhm7hfewY2fR13kdJXBSqSnxW-epnEE319450m6c5oc0HcKkMtqfqZ4pmgnJQRkPVs73I1qMDAYtnpX-ASqauBFhIi18tVOGm58NZkHIpD39QpNuBFxaU-OZuqR9ZeRNro0Z64Xpw7U/s1600/adwa5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLhm7hfewY2fR13kdJXBSqSnxW-epnEE319450m6c5oc0HcKkMtqfqZ4pmgnJQRkPVs73I1qMDAYtnpX-ASqauBFhIi18tVOGm58NZkHIpD39QpNuBFxaU-OZuqR9ZeRNro0Z64Xpw7U/s400/adwa5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Soloda Expedition Team</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NeMTuBY_cfLa_mOL76Xmp43oTBC3OlRPZpDdRtZJsvKnkf0ZCupqlpAUFhqiY0ZX1WkaN_-sA3P0dua5cSy-JkUjuSQsc2Q3UFaLRhcwvqg9NuH_kOfqCSRoXoqvkBKkPjumojwojXk/s1600/adwa6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NeMTuBY_cfLa_mOL76Xmp43oTBC3OlRPZpDdRtZJsvKnkf0ZCupqlpAUFhqiY0ZX1WkaN_-sA3P0dua5cSy-JkUjuSQsc2Q3UFaLRhcwvqg9NuH_kOfqCSRoXoqvkBKkPjumojwojXk/s200/adwa6.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inaugural TITTY! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU_5JygO_j5rsG8rXYTXwV9jzKckBZ8AscyZDLtGA1RSJJtstp5H9Ix91TzpOoq91k1ey-bE1oY_27_v_VDFRtZoHKrIGHFcjrPd-tgZ6-_xLeuVnynNcknTvZXdEcrEopTYhmpPqKOQ/s1600/adwa7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU_5JygO_j5rsG8rXYTXwV9jzKckBZ8AscyZDLtGA1RSJJtstp5H9Ix91TzpOoq91k1ey-bE1oY_27_v_VDFRtZoHKrIGHFcjrPd-tgZ6-_xLeuVnynNcknTvZXdEcrEopTYhmpPqKOQ/s320/adwa7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First pizza delivery in Adwa history!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2V5OvQ0EjlN-Auay8hnTWn-SP5RfFfShgFNxy6g_hR_HiPkBgEz2ziJzqNqpVah6xITCPhdGFcB9CxaUUcYVQcGBWIRfqSm7JrjeAhAEMpHGA0OKJlhj4ntBa0Euo8i_vWoCwl_vZY8A/s1600/adwa8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2V5OvQ0EjlN-Auay8hnTWn-SP5RfFfShgFNxy6g_hR_HiPkBgEz2ziJzqNqpVah6xITCPhdGFcB9CxaUUcYVQcGBWIRfqSm7JrjeAhAEMpHGA0OKJlhj4ntBa0Euo8i_vWoCwl_vZY8A/s200/adwa8.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Mount Soloda</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4oXB_d0ICgzlR4sTa2nJ1blGofJ4SQMb9w5gXUBGfnl3zMKeMH7FEngLFeUxhtSFzJ_UL30A8awnUC6vwGe0cs9HCqNMv9TbSmDkyJg7frwin_1bd5jFbb06qB9BYshax-yauP2C9LA/s1600/adwa9.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4oXB_d0ICgzlR4sTa2nJ1blGofJ4SQMb9w5gXUBGfnl3zMKeMH7FEngLFeUxhtSFzJ_UL30A8awnUC6vwGe0cs9HCqNMv9TbSmDkyJg7frwin_1bd5jFbb06qB9BYshax-yauP2C9LA/s320/adwa9.1.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the scorpions that nearly killed us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26xaHa0Bala6T7V_MRv6J7gjcgSnDcQtcVNHTEkCrjPsC5aom3U_orFLSw7x04UZTFVI01tZuBTMMaNqQatIAk2zn6QM_bORlP9HdsIVhNXYCkQ1fH0Trq_YtLxTLs-v-Ok7g1JQsZI4/s1600/adwa10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26xaHa0Bala6T7V_MRv6J7gjcgSnDcQtcVNHTEkCrjPsC5aom3U_orFLSw7x04UZTFVI01tZuBTMMaNqQatIAk2zn6QM_bORlP9HdsIVhNXYCkQ1fH0Trq_YtLxTLs-v-Ok7g1JQsZI4/s200/adwa10.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cliff that nearly killed us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQPt8Y8nVyznamiqjq6roicwf0afzrxfTFNz2xm0J0MY-mtQVqUlRDBwHLNOQYbrNbHkFloS2ZInboHF32gzVc7yVq7Pqze_edE9xtOlDzE9MpPuztTV9Dabo3DSvuEYLwuw6GgZZ-c8/s1600/adwa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQPt8Y8nVyznamiqjq6roicwf0afzrxfTFNz2xm0J0MY-mtQVqUlRDBwHLNOQYbrNbHkFloS2ZInboHF32gzVc7yVq7Pqze_edE9xtOlDzE9MpPuztTV9Dabo3DSvuEYLwuw6GgZZ-c8/s320/adwa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our lovely hosts</td></tr>
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Four days and 20 minutes on a mini-bus later and we were
back in Axum. Word on the street was that Axum is the least impressive of the
three big historical areas in Ethiopia (as it’s currently only about 5%
excavated), so we were preparing ourselves to be underwhelmed. While we had a
blast checking out the obelisks and unearthing tombs, sans guide, it was the
time with spent with Joel and company that really defined our time in Axum. We
were even lucky enough to be on hand for the weekly Wine Day Friday tradition!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfH60CWrdagBdYB2CGFzkmJDipfuM2Fqkt7a7RyeV3pYFNZMHYAnt5INOsCT9HbVubCyDCANJusEnDdX8AGHkpbQRwEb68V0ZZQC4KXu6whbfBbcPNq_96BHWJYCYoY8lNqCoAqZq1jMA/s1600/axum.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfH60CWrdagBdYB2CGFzkmJDipfuM2Fqkt7a7RyeV3pYFNZMHYAnt5INOsCT9HbVubCyDCANJusEnDdX8AGHkpbQRwEb68V0ZZQC4KXu6whbfBbcPNq_96BHWJYCYoY8lNqCoAqZq1jMA/s200/axum.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puttin' that Insanity to work!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ru4SsUDRPeLfV9DnBXwsRg7bRykHy_YMWg6mIvGTXILJj0ZM96vsjk4s3i_TN4NQd7R6xR2DtpaiRgp-GkTiipsMbXgl5lkJSwRRnplu0UWis37fO8CzNdcNkhT66MBH4ZWdxkA1c_4/s1600/axum2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ru4SsUDRPeLfV9DnBXwsRg7bRykHy_YMWg6mIvGTXILJj0ZM96vsjk4s3i_TN4NQd7R6xR2DtpaiRgp-GkTiipsMbXgl5lkJSwRRnplu0UWis37fO8CzNdcNkhT66MBH4ZWdxkA1c_4/s200/axum2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lizard Obelisk!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg798ASmwEfTgnMaCYPsSYw3N4x8mOFTVSBwVTjYF1zg01TL6MTMPgxXFOZQjG_9m7dtRcS7el3diXey_mGTxIrp2Vk6MmmEkeUtWNIRj8pT6-9unTLcgOcktZYAP_O7iTf70WRe3myZew/s1600/axum4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg798ASmwEfTgnMaCYPsSYw3N4x8mOFTVSBwVTjYF1zg01TL6MTMPgxXFOZQjG_9m7dtRcS7el3diXey_mGTxIrp2Vk6MmmEkeUtWNIRj8pT6-9unTLcgOcktZYAP_O7iTf70WRe3myZew/s320/axum4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Kaleb's tomb<br />
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For the final stop on our northern tour, it was off to
Gondar, a one-time national capital. Known for its 17<sup>th</sup> century
castle, Gondar is also home to the Dashen brewery, Debre Birhan Selasie Church,
and is within spitting distance of the Simien Mountains. We were lucky enough
to take in all of these sites, though suffered the misfortune of being
completely enshrouded in cloud during our half day hike in the Simiens, robbing
us of some unreal views. But we did see baboons and met some RPCVs from
Mozambique on their COS tour before returning stateside, so that’s cool. We
also got to spend quite a bit of time with “Mama Heater” Morgan, bringing the
total number of “PCVs with whom I spent my Peace Corps training” visited during
this trip to four (Dan & Danielle and Joel). Can’t imagine a better way to
cap off the Great Northern Expedition!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYU6Oh1T9E1EzdWG3smVRaPO1LkM1XsrDhaubkxf8iXo97oFczAG_D5uKwzfWU-7qsP8I2JHOXEoKRIZ6b7eBT2a8EroPXBjyns_q_TtMWthnb8m1qAis5qGHv6UHP2o4_Yj5ziYAdkU/s1600/gondar2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYU6Oh1T9E1EzdWG3smVRaPO1LkM1XsrDhaubkxf8iXo97oFczAG_D5uKwzfWU-7qsP8I2JHOXEoKRIZ6b7eBT2a8EroPXBjyns_q_TtMWthnb8m1qAis5qGHv6UHP2o4_Yj5ziYAdkU/s320/gondar2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing beers with Moz RPCVs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8RE24hTXayHdTYWiSyYogkeTAUN-XmctGZ820W1t8aS_M0wiYVbMdZpYNx06WWLqoJKTwDgiHbRErmQQnzWhe54d38Sj3VqUGAcjYi7UHYWKt2lN4XC13l-MKHfHPgDoX-l1wspjLTE/s1600/gondar6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8RE24hTXayHdTYWiSyYogkeTAUN-XmctGZ820W1t8aS_M0wiYVbMdZpYNx06WWLqoJKTwDgiHbRErmQQnzWhe54d38Sj3VqUGAcjYi7UHYWKt2lN4XC13l-MKHfHPgDoX-l1wspjLTE/s200/gondar6.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just chillin' in a lion cage. NBD.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Debre Birhan Selassie Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwraKzDJxWDrdws1wVgHezXgJJ5GRzN6QoNSBii_lf4iL0sVkCDzbcYiymhvVAjIkfuTNzGWFGcnWxjSmvzFl7GH7Yk-8yoZgeIld-jVFMAOevvjnTGapf4b4VXSNKBpmDnYvlAd3ccEI/s1600/the-end.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwraKzDJxWDrdws1wVgHezXgJJ5GRzN6QoNSBii_lf4iL0sVkCDzbcYiymhvVAjIkfuTNzGWFGcnWxjSmvzFl7GH7Yk-8yoZgeIld-jVFMAOevvjnTGapf4b4VXSNKBpmDnYvlAd3ccEI/s320/the-end.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceiling of DBS church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baboons</td></tr>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-52322427335562356292013-08-29T15:22:00.002-04:002015-08-26T16:38:58.156-04:00it's been a while<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">M</span>y absence has not gone unnoticed. Were my blog me and anyone who reads it my Ethiopian counterparts, I would undoubtedly get the question, "Tefah?" <i>Where have you been?</i> Any significant lapse of time between encountering a person or people, especially those in your closer circles, might elicit such an inquiry. It's easy to misinterpret the intent. Generally, it's safe to assume a noticeable void existed because of your value to the person or people. For those of you have <i>Tefah'd</i> me over the last couple months, I thank you. I have, as those Ethiopians who <i>Tefah </i>me might say, disappeared. </div>
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I'm still processing the last two months and will share more later. In short, it was stellar: youth summer camp, a wedding, churches carved from solid rock (600 years before America was America), 17th century castles, wild baboons, a mysterious swelling in the neck, a couple sweet sunsets, and the best pizza in the world (just to name a few). For now I figured I'd take a page out of my previous post and quick share a journal entry from exactly one year ago today. I came across it today while writing for the first time since July 31. I've been reflecting quite a bit lately on the distance traveled over the last 14-15 months, and this entry really seemed to illuminate that sense. Without further adieu...</div>
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29 August 2012, Bekoji, 9:09 p.m.</blockquote>
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There's much I could say about the last couple days, but it might just be enough to say that they were flat out exhausting. The simple fact of the matter is that living here takes work. Ordering furniture takes exact measurements and visionary sketches. Then it may take up to a month for your dresser to be ready before you can stop living out of bags. And it may also take quite a bit of money, especially if you're a foreigner. A small load of hand-washing laundry takes me twice as long as it would for the prides of Bek'oji to run a marathon And then three-to-six days for the clothes to dry! Food and the items you need to cook it with must be gathered at the market, held only two days per week. To get to the food, you'll have to swim through a sea of stares and remarks - unwanted attention to the 10th degree. And there's lots of mud. Hopefully the rain won't come swiftly over the mountains while you're there. Once you make it to your vendor of choice, prepare to haggle. Every time. Thanks to the altitude, count on at least an hour to prepare even a simple meal. If you want to follow with a cup of coffee, you better have already roasted the beans or it's gonna be a while. </blockquote>
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And yet, this is barely half of a mile walked in the worn-to-the-bone shoes of the people you will be serving for the next two years. Your ordinary hardships are beyond worth their weight in perspective gained for this resilient people who deserve every ounce of your respect. Suck it up. Izo. </blockquote>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-51868171169871686862013-06-06T08:47:00.001-04:002013-06-06T08:47:33.227-04:00newborn eyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What follows is my very first journal entry from Ethiopia,
entered 7 June 2012 – the morning after our plane touched down at Bole
International Airport in Addis Ababa. It was an insightful read for me while
thumbing through my log, a wonderful gift from my step-mom-to-be before my
departure. Enjoy.</div>
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Today I woke around twenty to six
and wandered down to the lobby of King’s Hotel just as the staff was beginning
to stir and prepare the grounds for the day, as well as our 6:30 group
breakfast. I said good morning to the staff members, not yet in Amharic, and
made my way through the courtyard and out into the gated parking lot that
overlooks a large road that will be bustling within a couple hours. I simply
wanted to watch this part of Addis come to life after the dangers of nightfall.
I watched men and women shuffle by and even saw a couple people running. Seeing
runners was an exciting sight seeing as my conversation with our acting country
director and security advisor indicated that few people run in the capitol. It
really is not a desirable place to run. There are people everywhere, traffic is
out of control, farm animals roam the streets, sidewalks are not well
maintained, and hazards of many other sorts greatly threaten one’s individual
safety. I really was not surprised when the recommendation that came out of the
conversation was to limit running to the early daylight hours, at least for
now, and to only cover a small area with my treks. All fine by me, of course. I
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This morning’s observation was
partly to assess what I might face with an early morning run, but mostly just
to take in some tiny snippet of life that I have yet to see in my twenty-two
hours here. After taking things in out front, I went for a stroll around the
grounds of King’s, where I got a closer look at the staff living quarters – tin
shacks, mostly, that are clustered behind the hotel – an up close showdown (not
really) with one of the crows I’d been checking out yesterday, and a chance to
use my legs for no other purpose than to celebrate that I can. And now I sit on
a bench on the north side of the hotel, with my first real opportunity to
reflect on where I am and how I got here. But even in this state of reflection,
it’s incredibly difficult to process it all, at least in a way that would make
sense in words. I have thought that I feel like a baby must feel when going
about the world. And even though I come here with experience and a knowledge
base that a baby would not have, all of that means relatively little right now.
What I’ve experienced here so far is simply so different from anything else
I’ve ever known that all I can do is approach it with an open heart and as
little judgment as possible – much like a baby (perhaps Sarah?) might do.</div>
</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-33709925767505184782013-05-21T17:09:00.001-04:002016-05-03T06:12:25.913-04:00in daylights, in sunsets <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5djq6mU3YTunM5KgiFtdkv-5A4y5p2uAMDvHbYDqqtW_YPh9TXCGR0vXhb8uMv3A1To4MFaz9d8lVtM8lPLHXFvNFQNdhfyvgfy0O6DyJDtqoCCt6omjElhdG1-V8mmnEjt7gOVWUmk/s1600/DSCF1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5djq6mU3YTunM5KgiFtdkv-5A4y5p2uAMDvHbYDqqtW_YPh9TXCGR0vXhb8uMv3A1To4MFaz9d8lVtM8lPLHXFvNFQNdhfyvgfy0O6DyJDtqoCCt6omjElhdG1-V8mmnEjt7gOVWUmk/s320/DSCF1190.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Six days in, my roommate and budding friend, Michael, lost
his grandfather. We hadn’t even departed Addis for our training towns yet and
already someone had experienced one of those things you hope not to experience
in Peace Corps. The rest of us did what we could, refraining from internet use
during the funeral so Michael could tune in. Four days prior, Michael and I
made a dream catcher for Zack, who had suffered some of the most absurd
nightmares I’ve ever heard recounted at the hands of mefloquine. Four days
after losing his grandfather, Michael would talk me through my first “ultra
distance” spat with my fiancé, a welcome inevitability in the quest to help
each other maintain sanity throughout our separation. We were all, ostensibly,
doing what we could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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IF this story were to have an ending, it would still be a
mystery. I do know that Zack, Michael, and I end up in different parts of the
country and rarely see each other, but that’s life in Peace Corps. Friendships
can seem fluid, fleeting, and a general matter of proximity. To an extent, that
may be true. But there’s more to it than that. A lot more. There’s no way for
me to tell you what that “more” actually is. Join Peace Corps or visit a PCV
for a couple weeks and it won’t take long to figure out. </div>
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A year is a long time. There’s no getting around that.
Babies are born. Teams win championships. Friends get married. People die.
Friends and family get sick. Things you hope not to experience in Peace Corps
happen in Peace Corps. </div>
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But the list of things you hope <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> happen while your in Peace Corps always seems to outnumber the
other. </div>
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Summit breathtaking peaks. Observe wild animals, from dry
land grazers to exotic Rift Valley dwellers, that you’ve only ever previously
seen in zoos. Techawet. Soak in mindblowing sunsets. Impress locals with your
“language skills.” Actually learn some cool phrases in the local language. Techawet.
Meet people from all over the world. Try amazing foods you would have never
encountered otherwise. <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2012/09/handle-with-care-updated-shipping.html" target="_blank">Receive amazing care packages from friends and family</a>. Not
die. Host friends and family who are silly enough to come see you in Ethiopia.
Write letters. Receive letters. Teach some English. Teach some baseball.
Techawet. Watch a local girl win Olympic gold. Min a min a min.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
So where am I going with all this? Nowhere fast. If you’d
like to stick around, I’d be pleased to entertain. Up first, fourteen memorable
moments to mark 14 days until one year in Ethiopia:</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">14. Sugar cane</b> –
He casually interrupted a conversation between <a href="http://9000milesfromnormal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Schickling</a> and I. The sun had
just begun to set over the Rift Valley as our minibus climbed south out of
Adama. Annoyed at first, I let my “walls” come down for a moment only to be
taken by his sense of peace with the landscape, evident the moment he pushed a
thin curtain aside. “Sugar cane,” he uttered, before proceeding to tell me
about the large-scale agricultural project taking place in the area. And then
he was gone. Well, sort of. He hopped off in Eteya, without notice, and we
never saw him again. Shickling dubbed him, fittingly, the “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyser_S%C3%B6ze" target="_blank">Keyser Söze</a>” of Ethiopia.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">13. Three days in
Sagure (and the death of Meles)</b> – Unlike the majority of PCVs in G7, I only
had a short ride down the road to get from my training town to my “home for two
years” town. I had a nice relationship with my host family, which made it
pretty easy to request leaving most of my 200 lbs. in Sagure and pick them up
on my way back down from Addis. Of course, this meant spending a little extra
time with them. For a holiday. With bon fires and whips. Yes please!
Ho-ya-ho-yay and all. After holding tight for a couple days until Peace Corps
came through to start breaking down camp, I finally made my way to Bekoji. My
arrival happened to coincide with the announcement of the death of Ethiopian
Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwKoulxt3ksh2PahuhAtCKJ631fYACrvR_F4Kk3E7Xz-PJTrDAZg4RzvgwN65rF6OhgqmZfY3sDPJVBeM3s5_DoXwKKEDJwYY5ct_6PBxe997kpW7vllI3nRXUlUpeDmDcnfnbZAfl9o/s1600/DSCF1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwKoulxt3ksh2PahuhAtCKJ631fYACrvR_F4Kk3E7Xz-PJTrDAZg4RzvgwN65rF6OhgqmZfY3sDPJVBeM3s5_DoXwKKEDJwYY5ct_6PBxe997kpW7vllI3nRXUlUpeDmDcnfnbZAfl9o/s320/DSCF1124.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gathering bonfire stuffs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>12. First run in
Ethiopia</b> – After several sessions warning us of our safety during our
Ethiopian infancy, I finally decided I’d had enough and got up for a run – 1/10<sup>th</sup>
of a mile laps around the gated & guarded perimeter of the King’s Hotel. Of
course, I had a startled cat scare me half to death, considering our rabies
vaccines had yet to run their full course. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">11. Super Bowl</b> –
There’s truly nothing like staying up all night with your friends, sharing a
“few” drinks, and watching the most American sporting event there is. I highly
recommend it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">10. Phillies Openers</b>
– Speaking of odd hours for the purpose of sport, I am lucky enough to have
internet strong enough to sustain a baseball radio broadcast (and a sugar mama
named Janet Schickling), so I woke up at 2 A.M. and got my Opening Day on. It
was pretty clutch (aside from the Phils totally stinkin' up the joint).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIuYICb8GmAE9XMU-RlW1wQ6e8ab4Xx8c4JoQOb3uGqfFwOQAMKXAbtvUJcFSwxfXvoamOTxpqJkLYf6yRspb0-edgOrog0wJrZn3lI-klB1Qhf_vM4btqIDWvC2nkZwt8yqNFDn47QM/s1600/DSCF0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIuYICb8GmAE9XMU-RlW1wQ6e8ab4Xx8c4JoQOb3uGqfFwOQAMKXAbtvUJcFSwxfXvoamOTxpqJkLYf6yRspb0-edgOrog0wJrZn3lI-klB1Qhf_vM4btqIDWvC2nkZwt8yqNFDn47QM/s320/DSCF0175.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 A.M. baseball wakeup call (ouch)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">9. Boston Marathon</b>
– Where do I even start? This would have made this list, and probably been a
bit higher, had it not been for the horror that unfolded. There’s a part of the
2013 Boston Marathon that none of us will ever forget. The part I hope to
remember most, however, was the moment Lelisa Desisa won it all for Ethiopia. I
wrote a little reflection on that whole experience over on my “running” blog: <a href="http://regularjoerunning.com/post/48114944295/117">http://regularjoerunning.com/post/48114944295/117</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">8. Peace Corps Day</b>
– March 1, 2013 marked 52 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the
executive order that gave Peace Corps its legs. It also marked the first day I
taught a lesson with little-to-no preparation. I “winged it,” so to speak
(though not to be confused with “West Wingin’ it”; thank you, Mark Robinson). This
no doubt set the stage for the Tigil Fire Students’ English Club, which has by
far been my biggest measurable success to date. Here's my blog post about it: <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2013/03/peace-corps-week-week-that-wasnt.html">http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2013/03/peace-corps-week-week-that-wasnt.html</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7. First Run in
Bekoji</b> – A very different setting than my first run in Ethiopia, but no
less intimidating. On my second full morning in Bekoji, I showed up at “the
forest,” on invitation of Malcolm and Biruk, and slogged through the mud and
Eucalyptus roots for a good 15 minutes before feeling like I was about to
collapse under 9,300 feet of less oxygen.While not about my first run, specifically, here's a bit I wrote for The Herald about my experience in Bekoji as it relates to running and the running culture here: <a href="http://eandeherald.com/2012/12/14/pcvs-in-ethiopia-7/" target="_blank">http://eandeherald.com/2012/12/14/pcvs-in-ethiopia-7/ </a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6. Baseball with
Daniel</b> – In case you haven’t noticed, I love baseball. Ethiopians love
baseball, too, but most of them don’t know it yet. My first step in “showing
the way” has been to “teach” the game to one of my closest Ethiopian friends,
with the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>end goal of having him help me
“train trainers.” I’ve never taught anyone baseball from square 1 before, so I
did it the only way I thought made sense – with the Phillies’ 2008 Championship
run. It’s amazing how much of the game you don’t realize when you grow up
watching it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJehkxgWvyfYQTd6ede0IPKDs8EooyVnr9_DVdtromkaZwEy6jHtHi3JDY0qjyp8y5l6QVrMmwJy8cJd9Mq7ElI44RXyKbFb-gbKq5Wp5T8Fe4mVS8bZPXb5LTy-ewR9f_9vLu7QuMuqI/s1600/DSCF0440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJehkxgWvyfYQTd6ede0IPKDs8EooyVnr9_DVdtromkaZwEy6jHtHi3JDY0qjyp8y5l6QVrMmwJy8cJd9Mq7ElI44RXyKbFb-gbKq5Wp5T8Fe4mVS8bZPXb5LTy-ewR9f_9vLu7QuMuqI/s320/DSCF0440.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wait. So how many players are on the field?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8GtCqhjyB5Dm84YmTtLxnSI-f791_qpROCxLOpDTnQijHa9FkNYBaxPkPCDHILP138s6jIJL7aNcx1hsVxRiZN859Up6zmZqajnCEjiW__GXdQ4dfbCInbogv8Dg7X2BFJ0LAYZRL7U/s1600/DSCF0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8GtCqhjyB5Dm84YmTtLxnSI-f791_qpROCxLOpDTnQijHa9FkNYBaxPkPCDHILP138s6jIJL7aNcx1hsVxRiZN859Up6zmZqajnCEjiW__GXdQ4dfbCInbogv8Dg7X2BFJ0LAYZRL7U/s320/DSCF0441.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking notes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5. Stars with
Schickling</b> – In case you haven’t heard of Laura Schickling before (hint:
she was mentioned in number 16), here’s her awesome blog: <a href="http://9000milesfromnormal.blogspot.com/">http://9000milesfromnormal.blogspot.com/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We live a mere 54 kilometers from each other, share a
birthday, and both have a significant other to whom we are deeply committed
back home. Naturally, we’re friends. We went to a party at the house of a
German doctor one night, way on the outskirts of Asella. We were both drawn to
a dark patch of grass in the back yard, beyond the fire pit, where we reclined
to find the most amazing celestial scene to which I have ever borne witness. At
one point, a comet dashed across the entire span of the eastern sky, slashing a
beam through the night sky that didn’t fade for at least seven seconds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4. Summiting Gelama </b>–
To date, the highest I’ve ever stood on this planet: 11,400 feet above the sea.
Paltry by some standards, I know, but for me it was a big deal, and one I hope
is only a stepping stone to higher places. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpDXtEm8caUMLhyphenhyphenNPWbiwLLP5f3xJbGHfczhtDYTCtUE9kjthCq_sZAzsEU-8awwAH3yKQFGdZJVw5_vbOUZcc3DlNJYH-TCPdza-0nLdB22630w-dZECKJ2x6FxU7pn9y84XP_7ITZ0/s1600/Z.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpDXtEm8caUMLhyphenhyphenNPWbiwLLP5f3xJbGHfczhtDYTCtUE9kjthCq_sZAzsEU-8awwAH3yKQFGdZJVw5_vbOUZcc3DlNJYH-TCPdza-0nLdB22630w-dZECKJ2x6FxU7pn9y84XP_7ITZ0/s320/Z.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of the world, yo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3. Swearing In</b> –
None of this would have been possible had I not actually gone through with
becoming a Volunteer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnC9s_yQGlBm5dHBok6AQok0taai8_h9CwwpOC9d0P_O60mgUFcpTERAOLeAGCGPJv_YgPVK_TxaU7NalpWDLKCVOR7M-2v-qTvUazhdkxvo1mBWdJziY8i0uVdM4k-ozD501cAJsq8c/s1600/DSCF1121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnC9s_yQGlBm5dHBok6AQok0taai8_h9CwwpOC9d0P_O60mgUFcpTERAOLeAGCGPJv_YgPVK_TxaU7NalpWDLKCVOR7M-2v-qTvUazhdkxvo1mBWdJziY8i0uVdM4k-ozD501cAJsq8c/s320/DSCF1121.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2. Ethiopia gets
Robinson’d</b> – Nothing says friendship like visiting a Peace Corps Volunteer
in country, especially when it means living life by the same means for the
better part of two weeks. Mark came through on a long-sworn promise to visit me
during service. The bar hath been set, people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaTfYhKfQ_s8PYyqW4JvfZVujKniYRAbAlePysojYWBb9Blo4v0sfkmSudHp7DWwDiqYc89YpLBSrjDJZEwrjyPJxW9ORve88E_Bh1caCK3BY9A6KjvqzUJIDeLTmgMfAuh2BdsTnElA/s1600/DSCN0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaTfYhKfQ_s8PYyqW4JvfZVujKniYRAbAlePysojYWBb9Blo4v0sfkmSudHp7DWwDiqYc89YpLBSrjDJZEwrjyPJxW9ORve88E_Bh1caCK3BY9A6KjvqzUJIDeLTmgMfAuh2BdsTnElA/s320/DSCN0689.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The picture Schlickling and I never took</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1. Dad</b> – I mean,
come on. It’s my dad. He was my first visitor in Ethiopia. Hard to top that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDwk1_ONSYi5JnF5BxxdUHOZarpcYBV12q39nQKuG9NvDiyXM5JorgG4R9b8SAPIajrXAYgwjPEb_Z2nV-487er_wKF56hgzm7zrads71_zj8g5QwUfN3VZ_gM_A5xliPAPzVQdnZoO0/s1600/DSCF0144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDwk1_ONSYi5JnF5BxxdUHOZarpcYBV12q39nQKuG9NvDiyXM5JorgG4R9b8SAPIajrXAYgwjPEb_Z2nV-487er_wKF56hgzm7zrads71_zj8g5QwUfN3VZ_gM_A5xliPAPzVQdnZoO0/s320/DSCF0144.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad, fishing in Lake Hawassa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-68732631893266948442013-05-17T08:34:00.000-04:002013-05-17T12:41:10.209-04:00and on the 345th day, he created a metallica playlist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEotlFx3AY5kOCitlz_7Vf-aKGSL5btkorhLHYmlpwDXYDoYtMjnpqDjrXxVTv1UPA4lcjt00VfmPXT3llD51INcl2kFCaKEG2W3v501a-ZRsAREYVC6SzzZbKUHgzGubhAKbmq6En1U/s1600/serious_face_small_file.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEotlFx3AY5kOCitlz_7Vf-aKGSL5btkorhLHYmlpwDXYDoYtMjnpqDjrXxVTv1UPA4lcjt00VfmPXT3llD51INcl2kFCaKEG2W3v501a-ZRsAREYVC6SzzZbKUHgzGubhAKbmq6En1U/s320/serious_face_small_file.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>o that's me. And I just made a Metallica playlist. It rocks. It's been on my to-do list for a while now, and I've been keeping good notes while rockin' out with that mop on my head. In case your world is lookin' for a little rockin' of its own, here's the list (20 main set songs for 20 days 'til one year in Ethiopia, I s'pose):<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Whiskey in the Jar</li>
<li>Fight Fire With Fire</li>
<li>Ronnie</li>
<li>The Unforgiven</li>
<li>Breadfan</li>
<li>Master of Puppets</li>
<li>The Unnamed Feeling</li>
<li>The Four Horsemen [Live from Paris, found on the Unnamed Feeling EP]</li>
<li>The Unforgiven II</li>
<li>Don't Tread On Me</li>
<li>Harvester of Sorrow</li>
<li>Creeping Death [Mexico City, Live Shit: Binge & Purge, disc 1]</li>
<li>The Memory Remains</li>
<li>Broken, Beat & Scarred</li>
<li>To Live Is To Die </li>
<li>The Unforgiven III</li>
<li>The End Of The Line</li>
<li>Motorbreath</li>
<li>Ain't My Bitch</li>
<li>Battery</li>
</ol>
Encore<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Fixxxer </li>
<li>Damange Inc.</li>
<li>Seek And Destroy [Live from <strike>Camden</strike> Newark; Official recording from the 10th and most recent Metallica show I attended; Super Bowl Sunday 2009; Went with MetallichikK and left with my first ever Lars drumstick]</li>
</ol>
I know. Sick playlist, right? It takes gravitas to start out with Whiskey. And did you hear the way the explosions from Fight parlayed so nicely into Ronnie, or how slam-dunk perfect the first chord of Master rips into the kid's voice at the end of Breadfan? Wicked sick. If you want to give me the best 30th birthday gift ever, convince Metallica to come to Ethiopia and play this list one year from now. <br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
</ol>
<br />
<br /></div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-28845314861990167162013-04-14T12:16:00.001-04:002013-04-14T12:16:44.299-04:00the crazy thing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5Em26JLJcWJVjmZ9p_E78jXPqO8XNYs1ekkAI6IsLTjI7C60-5f-gBHx5PmVQnBXy-FA2Nnm0eRNl8ZZfWeZL7X3tTESgLXaC0jf6JGSzY6hcb_asQtRz4Cu3R6Ut2v9I_Gm2U64ELo/s1600/The_One_Crazy_Thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5Em26JLJcWJVjmZ9p_E78jXPqO8XNYs1ekkAI6IsLTjI7C60-5f-gBHx5PmVQnBXy-FA2Nnm0eRNl8ZZfWeZL7X3tTESgLXaC0jf6JGSzY6hcb_asQtRz4Cu3R6Ut2v9I_Gm2U64ELo/s640/The_One_Crazy_Thing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Absolute Peace Corps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-11975380927983843272013-04-14T04:42:00.000-04:002013-04-14T05:20:52.238-04:00the things i carried<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before I get into it, know that I was not asked to write
about packing suggestions for incoming Volunteers by any committees or staff
members in Peace Corps Ethiopia. I know there is an entire sea of blogs to
navigate, many of which will offer packing suggestions of some sort, as well as
information sent to you directly by Peace Corps. However, I have been keeping a
running list of “the things I’m most thankful for having brought” and have
shared all or some of that information with a couple PCVs-to-be, so I figured I’d
go ahead and make it accessible by all. I’m sure it’s also at least somewhat
insightful for the many friends and family who would frequently ask, “So, how
do you pack for two years” in the months before my departure (to which I would
often respond, “Well, it’s actually 27 months, so…”)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Another factoid to have in mind before perusing my
suggestions is that, out of a group of 70 people, I far and away hauled the
heaviest packing load, coming in right around 200 pounds. There are few things
in that mass that I regret bringing, so narrowing it down to “the most
essential” items was a bit of a challenge. On that note, also know that it was
no big deal for me to exceed the PC-recommended luggage weight limit. I had to
pay for the extra weight, and it was a bit of a hassle moving it around a few
times during training, but it was worth it. So if you think you might be an
overpacker (quite the other end of the spectrum from the “one baggers” in our
midst), be prepared to pony up the fees. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, to give credit where credit is due, I found <a href="http://waidsworld.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/packing-list/" target="_blank">Mike Waidmann’s packing list</a> to be the most helpful during my preparations. Mike
completed his service in the Fall of 2012, and is now back in the magical land
known as America. You’ll notice plenty of similarities between his list and the
one you’re about to ignore. Thanks Mike!</div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Sturdy, durable, waterproof hiking boots –
number one on my list by miles and miles. I shelled out around $300 at REI the
day before departure for a pair of rockin’ Asolos, and I can’t imagine a better
way to spend that money. I wear them every day and would be absolutely
miserable without them. Make sure you get fitted by someone who knows what they’re
doing, and let them know you need the pair to last 2+years. Daily walking, in
many parts of Ethiopia, is much like hiking.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Microfiber towel or towels - also called
"quick dry." I can't possibly express how thankful I am for the two I
have here; one small, one large. I highly recommend the REI brand.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Thermarest sleeping pad - lightweight and great
for traveling and/or hosting guests at your place; also great if you're stuck
with a crappy mattress during training or when you first arrive at site. I get
flack from some of my lighter packing friends for calling this “essential,” but
they seem pretty happy I brought it when they crash at my place.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Laptop - Peace Corps seems to be somewhat
ambiguous and non-committal on their recommendation, but it has definitely
proven necessary here in Ethiopia, for Peace Corps work as well as keeping in touch.
As Mike points out, internet is never a guarantee, but it’s availability is far
more widespread than you might presume. Many of us have a wireless service
transmitted through a USB dongle that you purchase once in country. Some of us
are lucky enough to have enough speed to video chat with loved ones back home. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>A large external hard drive – I would bring at
least a terabyte. I did not, but learned quickly how essential it is and had my
wonderful fiancé bring me one when we met in London for Christmas. I asserted
that I “wouldn’t need movies and t.v. shows and whatever,” but you have free
time in ways you can’t imagine, and there’s plenty of file sharing going on up
in here. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>A medium/large, bright, LED light - I have one
designed for tent camping that hangs on a carabiner clip; clutch for power
outages.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>A quality headlamp - speaking of power outages...I
bought a good, waterproof model; never leave home without it.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Sunglasses – The quality here is not great. One
friend brought 5 pairs. Good call.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>A general variety of footwear – In addition to
the boots, I have a pair of slides I wear around my house, a pair of flipflops
to wear around the compound (a.k.a. “shint bet shoes”), a pair of Tevas, several
pairs of running shoes, etc. Took up more space than desired, but happy to have
‘em. </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Black
socks and black underwear – Just remembered to add this after skimming Mike’s
list again. Don’t ask, just do it.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Sentimental/decorative
items - it's amazing how far a few printed pictures, a poster or two, some
magnets, and a flag can go to bring you some comfort from home in your little
corner of the world. Never have I valued printed pictures so much.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Swedish
Fish - this is just me...but I underestimated how nice it would be to have
American candy and other sweets on hand, especially as you're adjusting.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Trekking/Hiking
Backpack - I brought the biggest one I could find, which is great for bigger
trips, but I wish I had also packed a medium sized hiking pack; not just for
hiking, but super convenient for all the travel you have to do for Peace Corps.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>A
small set of speakers<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- music, aloud, in
your home...nothing like it; capable of running on batteries would be wise, so
you’re home’s not rendered silent by the many power outages you will endure.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Ipod
loaded with tunes - speaking of music...I bought the most spacious ipod I could
find and filled it with my entire collection. Priceless. It has been said that
to set out upon travels on the public buses without music is to do so on “hard”
mode.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Shortwave
Radio - I had no idea how much I would value listening to BBC on a regular
basis. It's great for keeping up with the world, but also for hearing some
English. I found a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/TECSUN-stereo-Receiver-Display-Function/dp/B004H912FC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365928749&sr=8-1&keywords=Tecsun+PL-380" target="_blank">Tecsun PL-380</a> for $45 on Amazon and have been very happy with my
investment.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>A
comfy pillow – My worst nights of sleep over the past 10 months have been with
an Ethiopian pillow under head. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Bungie
chords - might just be me, but I rig up lots of stuff with these things...</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Duct
Tape (and Gorilla Tape) – Speaking of rigging things up…I “repaired” at least
for items for my host family that were still running on Duct Tape last time I
dropped in to visit.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Hooks
- I brought magnetic and the kind you can screw into wood. Very useful for all
sorts of stuff.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>A
French Press - I am not even a big-time coffee drinker, but it's been nice to
be able to prepare my own this way, especially since the local method in
Ethiopia is very different.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>A
set of tupperware - another unexpected essential; great for some many things,
it would take another list to name them all.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Ziplock
bags - the normal sizes, but also the large, heavy duty ones; great for storing
things under beds and whatnot so your items won't get dirty or covered in dead
bugs.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Several
good bags/backpacks - I brought at least 10 different bags; a messenger bag, a
couple drawstrings, two reusable shopping bags, a small backpack, a day
backpack, a small duffle bag, etc. So many uses!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Fitness
items - I am beyond thankful for bringing my resistance bands. There was no
doubt about my running gear, but other packable items to help you stay in shape
go a long way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is certainly a lot more I could recommend and plenty
of other items I have found useful, but the above definitively constitutes the “things
I’m most happy I brought.” I urge you to<a href="http://waidsworld.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/packing-list/" target="_blank"> take a look at Mike’s list</a>, as well as
others out there, and use your best judgment. No one know you better than you,
so if there’s something that will make you comfortable and/or make your life
easier, such as a years’ supply of Doritos, go ahead and pack it up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’re part of the group arriving this July, I look
forward to meeting you (I’m also in the Education sector). The challenges never
go away, but you get much better at handling them. For a lot of us, it took
about 8 months of living in Ethiopia before feeling relatively comfortable. </div>
</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-12922454334225058242013-03-06T12:25:00.001-05:002013-03-06T13:30:55.123-05:00peace corps week: the week that wasn't<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had grand plans for Peace Corps Week. I was going to post
here several times related to the various themes for the week to share with you
all back home. Perhaps it’s apropos, in the ironic sense of how things seem to
go in Peace Corps, that those plans all but crumbled. First, there was the
issue of electricity and internet; the former was intermittent at best and the
latter ran out at the beginning of the week. Then there was the issue of
motivation, which was thoroughly bruised by some personal/emotional speedbumps
and continued frustrations with my assigned school (not uncommon, but amplified
by my personal state). In the end, I did not stick to my Peace Corps Week plan.
But that’s OK. The themes will provide a springboard for future topics. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Equally apropos was how the frustrations and challenges of
the week were all but wiped away with how the week came to a close. I showed up
at the school on Friday with plans to observe one section of grade 8 English,
but the teacher was nowhere to be found. I decided to improvise. Since Friday
was officially “Peace Corps Day,” I figured I’d try and teach the kiddos a
thing or two about the good ole Corps. I wasn’t really prepared, exactly, but I
grabbed my Peace Corps handbook, a bag of colored chalk, a few pieces of
printer paper, and headed toward the class with my “wing it” attitude.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I kept it simple to start, directing students away from the
idea that I was a Peace <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Corpse</i>
Volunteer. I then read aloud the first line and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">core </i>of Peace Corps’ mission:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
The Peace Corps was established in 1961 to promote world
peace and friendship through the service of American Volunteers abroad.</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I lingered, perhaps too long, on defining “established,
“Volunteers,” and “abroad” before failing miserably at having the students
write their own definition of “world peace and friendship” in their notebooks.
So I read the defense, pulled a Peyton Manning, and passed out the printer
paper to groups of students so they could, as a group, come up with a visual
representation of “world peace and friendship.” It was total crickets at first,
but a couple students caught on and it spread like wildfire, spilling well over
into the next teacher’s 40 minutes, though he didn’t seem to mind too much.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPz9Xsqu4OdwptD_4PCM6aqzLZDgqbXv5P2Xfq-tqIMW0b0Z_rhUeXFbXz4gpoJZLOe1OU9YZvRBdSla2bjnaug1_UFx71sT4-HDW15YdVCSrGh5mtz1iDCbVjq3Jxr9sBI2y836ynxvk/s1600/DSCF0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPz9Xsqu4OdwptD_4PCM6aqzLZDgqbXv5P2Xfq-tqIMW0b0Z_rhUeXFbXz4gpoJZLOe1OU9YZvRBdSla2bjnaug1_UFx71sT4-HDW15YdVCSrGh5mtz1iDCbVjq3Jxr9sBI2y836ynxvk/s320/DSCF0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seeing as I hadn’t much else to do, I figured I’d go ahead
and try my hand at the other two sections that the teacher would have been
responsible to teach for the remainder of the day. Armed with examples of
“visual representation,” I decided to cut out the writing portion and save it
for students who might finish early. In short, it was a huge success.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RCsBK_ZcwvbBa9cHpVEs7IY6ZvMSo0xEu8LGftfHYZXa10-j64L2l8U9RDSsq6f1gYY0AGpk6aokm1qnMUk-IdRiSzpEBNwjtt9DD639RQEDNH67_giUbHcojENwvCC121cSAUQAHLw/s1600/DSCF0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RCsBK_ZcwvbBa9cHpVEs7IY6ZvMSo0xEu8LGftfHYZXa10-j64L2l8U9RDSsq6f1gYY0AGpk6aokm1qnMUk-IdRiSzpEBNwjtt9DD639RQEDNH67_giUbHcojENwvCC121cSAUQAHLw/s320/DSCF0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here are
some of my favorites from the three sections:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLD0krXFZOTmSv74umDBxcatEb-WsdH0QhRXlJ9PPD8UkNJ4MPJW1arW8LOltjmL-7a10Q_P-R_Fhljxn_pw-hjxTSTkjjUQi9zJE99w7IwSx0znmCfgcM5BR5qpQqIMhYEagCabkE8XQ/s1600/DSCF0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLD0krXFZOTmSv74umDBxcatEb-WsdH0QhRXlJ9PPD8UkNJ4MPJW1arW8LOltjmL-7a10Q_P-R_Fhljxn_pw-hjxTSTkjjUQi9zJE99w7IwSx0znmCfgcM5BR5qpQqIMhYEagCabkE8XQ/s320/DSCF0047.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elegant and straightforward. Might be my fave.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZ5LBr2CbeXG4FYDkk0Rk9pfqDy0r0L70modHtAHy4RFVN72I-PHq9OizGYnLtJ0KwXBUeli0zIShDZj-6FB1ZVJRh0nj2Iv6JIXDzbC63TBrFMACTC_rCPEdA33sWUGLD2MhKAnC-c4/s1600/DSCF0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZ5LBr2CbeXG4FYDkk0Rk9pfqDy0r0L70modHtAHy4RFVN72I-PHq9OizGYnLtJ0KwXBUeli0zIShDZj-6FB1ZVJRh0nj2Iv6JIXDzbC63TBrFMACTC_rCPEdA33sWUGLD2MhKAnC-c4/s320/DSCF0048.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too abstract not to love.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRoRL3RUCJvjmUvtXCKdE7gIHTxMm_8LtF5jF3wdG3G2kSWEngzzfcHgEAalLYVNtQ2psjwCgRlD_2bGPi_aIaXm0hI1GDKP3ddgc23ngiiC5MO7PqJlXXAzBZVRGNwB3PjFl-kts4BI/s1600/DSCF0049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRoRL3RUCJvjmUvtXCKdE7gIHTxMm_8LtF5jF3wdG3G2kSWEngzzfcHgEAalLYVNtQ2psjwCgRlD_2bGPi_aIaXm0hI1GDKP3ddgc23ngiiC5MO7PqJlXXAzBZVRGNwB3PjFl-kts4BI/s320/DSCF0049.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the Valentine's overlap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WLS4hYy0W5w2iFNUAs4RuxgCqpR-xYxhkdCIlWNJDV9eK5S9WGYqgjrvEY8YRZppOqYO7cy_k8rkDI0SCnIZCMM0wBHeycarCZyIfUFguWhSTu1gFLrCd862sq1AfRtzT2eDzx3QD3g/s1600/DSCF0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WLS4hYy0W5w2iFNUAs4RuxgCqpR-xYxhkdCIlWNJDV9eK5S9WGYqgjrvEY8YRZppOqYO7cy_k8rkDI0SCnIZCMM0wBHeycarCZyIfUFguWhSTu1gFLrCd862sq1AfRtzT2eDzx3QD3g/s320/DSCF0050.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kissing was a big hit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPXzBhATgF38yFyjkwxxvOnTafnNBmyi9-Z2SxFC3YR44bSRuJu893wV3pTS8_1slJ387bXxdxzmArUHZVsy6SvZIx6f1hKK9Kbrr6lILC__rGCLaX04HSqke2GKLBMKy0r_v52jkS6Q/s1600/DSCF0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPXzBhATgF38yFyjkwxxvOnTafnNBmyi9-Z2SxFC3YR44bSRuJu893wV3pTS8_1slJ387bXxdxzmArUHZVsy6SvZIx6f1hKK9Kbrr6lILC__rGCLaX04HSqke2GKLBMKy0r_v52jkS6Q/s320/DSCF0051.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "X" is canceling out war. Works for me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFV6O_BT1_yV1hS4WYlgwZqLxlrsPhB2DdZUY4yrrhvGKOz4R4mq43ifXJOLjzVBLNxvTU_MM6xLo-UxXGpmYYCVhiEB42rjMDzGozh7x-ruzUa5El5ZOC2AF5XM4H2FerWlsqPQ8mXk/s1600/DSCF0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFV6O_BT1_yV1hS4WYlgwZqLxlrsPhB2DdZUY4yrrhvGKOz4R4mq43ifXJOLjzVBLNxvTU_MM6xLo-UxXGpmYYCVhiEB42rjMDzGozh7x-ruzUa5El5ZOC2AF5XM4H2FerWlsqPQ8mXk/s320/DSCF0052.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Birds of a feather flock together" FTW</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqXczoFDzNd4O5poes_LraZ8UFgt0wjfjSa83V7bRSlNuUK4e2dvsr2jh8cwdFjwdOL0L63Rj2vEjtdEKOFjGWCuDS1NqZopv3Fwr1AGgYHGENPMUoMqY2cp02Mnc3I4N5N3wej2PFQE/s1600/DSCF0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqXczoFDzNd4O5poes_LraZ8UFgt0wjfjSa83V7bRSlNuUK4e2dvsr2jh8cwdFjwdOL0L63Rj2vEjtdEKOFjGWCuDS1NqZopv3Fwr1AGgYHGENPMUoMqY2cp02Mnc3I4N5N3wej2PFQE/s320/DSCF0053.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soccer + running + hearts + Ethiopia = World Peace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Vi2WzmWtxvhBQeTcr1yB0X1mKmQAhr14-vCh_554xodgXHhFyLrhecIzYPuPs8QidvMnlEpJGupKztbPbZuOmRsQh5hZ8jfrlg3usprdUklqewa7YK9SGLJPevoVhspYJR7kXjEIp1s/s1600/DSCF0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Vi2WzmWtxvhBQeTcr1yB0X1mKmQAhr14-vCh_554xodgXHhFyLrhecIzYPuPs8QidvMnlEpJGupKztbPbZuOmRsQh5hZ8jfrlg3usprdUklqewa7YK9SGLJPevoVhspYJR7kXjEIp1s/s320/DSCF0054.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently the G-like thing is Amharic, but the bird rocks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a bonus, I logged into my email when I returned home, for
the first time in four days, to find a handful of responses to an email I sent
out to a handful of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) asking them to
respond to Thursday’s theme:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<h3>
Foster Global Citizenship</h3>
Peace Corps Volunteers are global citizens who both know the world
and make a difference at home through civic engagement. Foster global
citizenship in your community by letting others know how the Peace Corps
transformed you and how you are continuing to serve.</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
Here's what a few RPCVs had to say: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“After completing my
Peace Corps service, I moved to New York and started a Master's in Global
Affairs at NYU. During all of my classes, I have kept in mind the small
community where I lived and worked for those two years, thinking about how the
policies and trends we would discuss would impact them and other communities
like theirs throughout the world. My master's thesis is focused on both the
positive and negative impacts of private investment in agriculture in Ethiopia.
I will submit it in April, graduate in May, and hope to bring my the skills and
leadership qualities I gained as a Peace Corps Volunteer to a new challenge.” </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John Schellhase, RPCV
Philippines, 2008-2010</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Personal Note: John
came to Ethiopia for work related to his master’s. While we never had the
opportunity to meet in person, we exchanged several messages on Facebook
related to his visit.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">“My Peace Corps service
confirmed what really mattered to me. I can say without a doubt, the happiest
time I’ve ever been was when I lived in a mud hut far removed from computer
access and a shower head. I learned that family, community and the
relationships within these two were at the core of love and life. If it wasn’t
for this amazing opportunity to see another way of life, without all the
distractions, I wouldn’t have learned this. Each year, I get a chance to lead a
group of students from around the country to visit a Peace Corps Volunteer’s site
by volunteering with an organization called Courts for Kids. It is during these
trips that I get the opportunity to not only volunteer again but to also
witness the transformation in others.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Ciara Johnson, RPCV
Guinea, 2007-2009 </span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">*Personal Note: Ciara was
my Peace Corps recruiter – so essentially my first human contact with Peace
Corps after submitting my application back in January 2011.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>"There is no way that I can tell you everything that has happened to me
because I joined the Peace Corps. The easiest thing to say is this: once
a PCV, always a PCV. Same as the Marines. You never "unjoin" the Peace
Corps. You <i>are </i>the Peace Corps."</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Dan Close, RPCV Ethiopia, 1966-1968</b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>*Personal Note: Dan actually served <b>in Bekoji</b> and reached out to me after coming across this here blog. Pretty awesome. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Finally<i><b>, </b></i>there was one activity I had envisioned for Peace Corps Week that I was unable to bring to life, which would have been to invite students and teachers to come to my classroom and listen to John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, with either copies to hand out, or the whole speech written out on large sheets of paper for everyone to see. While JFK put Peace Corps into motion a little more than a month after the address, you can very much hear the life he's breathing into the organization from day 1. If you've never taken the time to give it a listen, I urge you to do so: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLmiOEk59n8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLmiOEk59n8</a></div>
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There are definitely a couple parts that rub me the wrong way a tad, but it's one of the best all-around speeches I've ever heard. </div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-21894011953657465962013-02-25T07:02:00.000-05:002013-02-25T07:25:01.024-05:00peace corps week: grow your peace corps family tree<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday, February 24th, officially kicked off Peace Corps Week. Utilizing a different theme on each day of the week, the intention is to share specific aspects of what Peace Corps Volunteers do when they serve overseas. The week culminates on Peace Corps Day, March 1st, when President John F. Kennedy signed the executive order to officially establish the Peace Corps in 1961. Fifty-two years later, the agency continues to be "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-plonski/peace-corps-books-for-africa_b_2687183.html?fb_action_ids=10151489597750731&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210151489597750731%22%3A140965929404972%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210151489597750731%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=[]" target="_blank">one of the greatest success stories in U.S. international development.</a>" While the main facilitators of Peace Corps Week tend to be Returned Volunteers hosting an event in their community, I figured I would take the opportunity to use the themes as guides for my writing. You can read more about Peace Corps Week <a href="http://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/returned/thirdgoal/pcweek/" target="_blank">on the official Peace Corps website</a>, but you can also follow along with me this week as I touch on select themes and relate parts of my experience I might otherwise overlook.<br />
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Yesterday's theme, "Grow Your Peace Corps Family Tree," hits on an area that I often find challenging to convey to friends and family back home. From the very beginning, family is a key word in Peace Corps vernacular. During training, a Volunteer's first three month's in country, which is undoubtedly the time when this new place is at its most strange and unusual, are spent with a host family. We, the Peace Corps Volunteers, are welcomed into a local family's home with open arms and open hearts. Mutual strangers at first, barely able to verbally express ourselves to one another, we spend nearly every free moment with one another, sharing meals, photos, and living quarters. By the time our ten weeks together has come to a close, an immutable bond has been formed. Host family children become brothers and sisters, and the Volunteer becomes another son or daughter.<br />
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One would only have needed to witness a recent scene in Bekoji to understand just how deep these new family ties can run. Sitting down to an early evening dinner of roasted meat, and in mid-conversation with a group of Ethiopians from Addis, I spotted the familiar, glowing face of my host mother, Elsa, peering in from the road. I shot up out of my seat so fast I nearly flipped the table, skidded dangerously close to a complete spill on the dust-covered concrete, and sprung out onto the street. The scene of our embrace was similar to what I imagine it will look like when I see my own mother for the first time since I took off from D.C. last June. Naturally, her first question was why I had not visited recently - I am, after all, only 33km down the road - and why I had not called during the recent Ethiopian holidays. I really need to work on being a better son.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIToJpcTYL1PlwoidjtEK2Jw3R1IazvOC4jzPL8nunAwwTyx0cLAaTpn7Hvc2WwGs-nD_xDi1TqYomXqNtlAgLM4j717sX1WSF6y1Wxb3hzvyIk0E6-GKDiF70W3dgV0V9wBBJQhmthY/s1600/DSCF0597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIToJpcTYL1PlwoidjtEK2Jw3R1IazvOC4jzPL8nunAwwTyx0cLAaTpn7Hvc2WwGs-nD_xDi1TqYomXqNtlAgLM4j717sX1WSF6y1Wxb3hzvyIk0E6-GKDiF70W3dgV0V9wBBJQhmthY/s320/DSCF0597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My host family at our home in Sagure</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This sense of family extends beyond training and into our everyday life as PCVs at site. For the most part, PCVs live on a compound with several Ethiopians and, typically, a landlord and their family. At first, this idea did not appeal to me. I thought it would lead to an uncomfortably low level of privacy and attention, leaving me feeling invaded when I need that feeling the least. My six months in Bekoji have been anything but that. In fact, my compound and the people who reside herein have been one of the greatest sources of sanctuary and comfort when the going gets roughest. I often enjoy coffee, bread, and meals with my landlord and his family, and I have very much come to look forward to these experiences. Just the other day, I came home from a long set of classroom observations at the school, feeling completely exhausted and wanting nothing more than to plop down on my bed and call it a day. As I was heading toward my door, one of my landlord's sons and someone I regularly refer to as my "compound brother" (which, I suppose, you could put into literal mathematical terms and come up with something quite profound) called me to come and join the rest of the family for bread and coffee; an invitation I might have resented six months ago that now sounded like a far better option than my bed. Three cups of <i>buna</i>, a few fresh chunks of <i>dabbo</i>, and some great conversation later, I was far more rejuvenated than I would have been than if I would have mustered an hour-or-so of shut-eye. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZX42FthtONp4pDGLEOVWSsUhHn-DNcm8M0gCcjVVq4lhbzEbVHdvgRFwswn7XShZ5_LwerFIbs1VfDUxfDeTgfi5tksJWJbbyS6LKjKPQ9y-kTR1ZQY2h8ov45zeryIYcqOJFKFRnT8w/s1600/DSCF0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZX42FthtONp4pDGLEOVWSsUhHn-DNcm8M0gCcjVVq4lhbzEbVHdvgRFwswn7XShZ5_LwerFIbs1VfDUxfDeTgfi5tksJWJbbyS6LKjKPQ9y-kTR1ZQY2h8ov45zeryIYcqOJFKFRnT8w/s320/DSCF0006.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My landlord and "compound father," Abdella</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMa5cmE_ZeOFsR1UAjjRTiWGXc_JDqHqhoI-jo10L_12q04x7wOBocU0Q7i8NsxOe6R1qxUTx7jbvOgdviMTb6YBf6z-i6DtX2u8iAZVjmHKOEI8R5-m4qg9Au5q4FnhvuaMHG9clWQSM/s1600/DSCF4089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMa5cmE_ZeOFsR1UAjjRTiWGXc_JDqHqhoI-jo10L_12q04x7wOBocU0Q7i8NsxOe6R1qxUTx7jbvOgdviMTb6YBf6z-i6DtX2u8iAZVjmHKOEI8R5-m4qg9Au5q4FnhvuaMHG9clWQSM/s320/DSCF4089.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My "compound brother," Babel, and the family dairy cow, Tractor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Familial concord even extends into the relationships between Peace Corps Volunteers. It is often said that, as Peace Corps Volunteers, we are each others' best resource. Truer words have rarely been uttered in my 8+ months in Ethiopia. When I'm having a rough day or want to share some incredibly, unbelievably amazing thing that just happened, my Peace Corps friends are the first ones I call. These people are not only those with whom you can most easily communicate in intelligible English, they also understand your situation better than anyone else ever will. As compassionate as I consider my many friends and family back home to be, and as much faith as I have in their ability to empathize with my struggles and triumphs, the truth is that they simply cannot put themselves in my hiking boots (nor can they fully appreciate <a href="http://whatshouldpcvscallme.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">funny Peace Corps blogs</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koUWaAr-itY" target="_blank">music videos</a> like my PC friends), and really, I can't expect them to. My fellow PCVs are not <i>like</i> brothers and sisters - they <i>are</i> brothers and sisters.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFe9hdqEjgZvQ8iLUrik1YHrsUQ5UkdE_hHC30mTvVD_oY5hbtU4AKAlMnT_Gq5TbLK8_iCoThKgtYUeuSw4bqhzfxs6VmipG_SuDFgQ4vFhD8Azku8WumpxDFhiL-Ln8LMmtYfFWIUHQ/s1600/Sagure_Ducks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFe9hdqEjgZvQ8iLUrik1YHrsUQ5UkdE_hHC30mTvVD_oY5hbtU4AKAlMnT_Gq5TbLK8_iCoThKgtYUeuSw4bqhzfxs6VmipG_SuDFgQ4vFhD8Azku8WumpxDFhiL-Ln8LMmtYfFWIUHQ/s320/Sagure_Ducks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagure Ducks fly together</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dSkkClgYRiUeunKzxrKHZ1agEJ4zEe5kZPHM45RaEpPXGYQRXplecamL84t0vflHS8Z0WXkC-sfiKkCryu0IMNux4YokLUe8KG3MhQLHPbkaugWPkBC5BxKogl4RYZUUAOVDC-Dqixk/s1600/Family_in_the_Forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dSkkClgYRiUeunKzxrKHZ1agEJ4zEe5kZPHM45RaEpPXGYQRXplecamL84t0vflHS8Z0WXkC-sfiKkCryu0IMNux4YokLUe8KG3MhQLHPbkaugWPkBC5BxKogl4RYZUUAOVDC-Dqixk/s320/Family_in_the_Forest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my Arsi sistas, Laura and Lisa (a.k.a. "The Triangle") in the Bekoji forest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-37366414076360463942013-02-02T10:23:00.000-05:002015-05-30T10:33:48.264-04:00eight fourteen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was 8:14
somewhere. It did not matter where. Her watch was set to some American time
zone and had not been adjusted for Daylight Savings since who knows when. But
at 8:14 somewhere, they were laying in the hull of her aunt’s mustard narrow
boat. They breathed the boat’s musty atmosphere in the dim of another gray
morning. <br />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her aunt’s
life as a canal dweller had always been a distant fascination. Since childhood,
about the time she spent three months’ allowance on the dolphin ring he now
wears on his left hand, this buoyant life beneath the willow tree was the type
of fairy tale you might only unearth in the basement of some ancient library.
It wasn’t real life. And now she was there, at 8:14 somewhere, surrounded by Tolstoy
& de Beauvoir & Chekhov & Sartre. She was there, in the to-and-fro
of gray sunlight, her left ear pressed against the right side of her lover’s
chest. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He arrived six
days prior on an all-nighter after two days of bus travel through post-harvest
Oromia. It was 8:14 somewhere when he touched down, but the sun had yet to touch
West London. He spent the night at an airport Holiday Inn, absorbing on his
lonesome the initial shock of toilet paper in public restrooms, of chicken
wrapped in bacon, of high-pressure hot showers, of abbreviated verbal exchanges.
They had been counting down the days for months, and now it was only a matter
of hours before he’d hop the shuttle back to Terminal 1 and wait anxiously. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That same
afternoon, at 8:14 somewhere, she dashed back to their nook on Pemberton with
the same fervor that overtook her 27 third-graders as Christmas vacation had
finally begun. She scooped up her luggage and met her father downstairs. It
would be her first time ever leaving the country, and she could not imagine a
better excuse. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She touched
down at 8:14 somewhere, thirty minutes ahead of schedule. He hurried down his
last bit of scrambled eggs and hopped the H6. He stood, mostly frozen, as
passengers flooded out, catching periodic glimpses beyond the automatic doors. He
scanned each face with an unfamiliar sense of anticipation. </div>
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She had finally made her way
through the infinity that flowed from gate 23, endured immigration, collected
her bags, and withdrew several hundred of the wrong currency. Her luggage cart
was loaded to the top as she passed through customs. She could barely see
beyond the black suitcase she had stuffed to the brim with supplies to help him
endure Ethiopia. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He spotted
her, unsure at first whether it was actually her standing there, close enough
to catch a baseball. He froze as she surged forward, smiling from ear to ear.
The rest of the world froze as they embraced for the first time in seven
months.</div>
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“I don’t ever wanna let you go,” she said, as tears welled
in two sets of blue eyes.</div>
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“You don’t have to,” he whispered, into her wavy brown hair.</div>
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***********</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the days
that followed – the days that filled the space between that moment and 8:14
somewhere on her aunt’s musty mustard narrow boat – they would stroll along
Southbank, taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of a German
Christmas Market. She would tell him that he was looking at people differently,
almost suspiciously, that he seemed a bit more “rough around the edges” from
his time in Ethiopia. He would simply smile. They would bask in the simple
delights of a nearby arcade. He won most of the air hockey, she won most of the
Connect Four, and they both won at the crane machine when he snagged a giant
yellow PacMan that she would eventually hug for the entire length of the
Atlantic. </div>
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They would sleep-in to their
hearts’ content at their Waterloo rental before running across the London Tower
Bridge and ice skating at Somerset House. She would smile and turn to him at
left, say how nice it was to run alongside him again, and he would respond, “Ditto.”
She would hold onto his coattails on the ice and make airplane sounds as he
towed her around the rink. Minutes later, they would become a Christmas card. The
next morning, they would exchange future family heirlooms of wood & glue
& bottle caps & eucalyptus bark & feathers & photographs &
papier-<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">mâché</span>.</div>
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On Boxing Day, they would venture
into North London. Throughout the ride, they would grow increasingly suspicious
that they would be spending the next three nights anywhere near, let alone on, some
measurable amount of water. They would sigh at the narrow waterway barely
visible through the gated entrance of Wenlock Basin, and gaze unto the canal
with grave uncertainty as their cab disappeared along the windy Islington road.
They would sigh again as her aunt emergred, seemingly out of nowhere, inching
toward them. A motorcycle accident many years prior had left her right leg in relative
disrepair. They would haul their 90 kilos upon the stern of the musty mustard
narrow boat under the willow tree before local English brews, fresh game pie,
mulled cider, fried fish, and hot toddies. </div>
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The next day, they would take their
first double-decker and sit in the back corner of the top deck. They would gaze
out the window with infantile fascination as the big red bus wound its way
through ancient neighborhoods and take pictures of themselves making silly
faces. They would stroll Piccadilly Circus in the ebb & flow of holiday
crowds and take pictures of each other in the glow of Christmas décor. She
would say he looked cute. He would say she looked cuter. Before taking in
dinner and a brief tour of SoHo, they would wander in to a lively pub and order
pints from a snarky bartender. He would assure her that this place was a far
cry from the classic London pubs they yearned to explore. They would later hop
their second double-decker and sit in the front row of the top deck and sip Jack
Daniels from a plastic juice bottle. They would spot a fox roaming Islington
before calling it a night, only to wake up at 8:14 somewhere the next morning. </div>
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Fifty-five feet long and barely
wide enough for him not to touch opposing sides with arms extended, her aunt’s
mustard narrow boat, one of hundreds along Southwark Canal, was itself of a
different age. At one time, it would have spread goods throughout the city,
navigating a catacomb network of canals, pulled along by towpath mules and
propelled through tunnels by men on their backs pressing their feet against the
apex. Now it sat, swaying just enough to trick his brain into thinking he was
still on the boat while he occupied some confined space on dry land, such as a
bathroom or a shower stall. </div>
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He would say something he shouldn’t
have and she would refuse to wait in a forty-five minute line. He would smirk
and simply retort, “Let’s go for a walk.” She would follow him, hesitantly, as
they wound their way into St. John’s Wood. He would joke that they were going
to see a cricket match when she insisted to know their destination. Her
forehead would furrow as they passed The Lord’s Cricket Grounds. </div>
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“See,” he would quip, “I told you
we were going to see a cricket match.” </div>
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She would raise a perplexed eyebrow
as he turned toward the gate that a guard proceeded to open, and again insist
to know where they were headed when he veered just before passing through.
“It’s a surprise,” he would say, “but it’s worth it.” She would squint with
added confusion as they approached a camera clad crowd gathered round a
crosswalk before realizing where they were. They would observe from a distance
before showing the world what John Lennon had been saying all along. </div>
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They would finally part ways before
she passed through security. He would watch through a mist until she collected
her carry-on, blowing kisses. She would disappear to the left and reemerge to
find him still standing in the distance for one last glance. Minutes would pass
before he would take his first steps toward Terminal 3, just in case he might
see her smile one more time. It was 8:14 somewhere, on a cloudy gray morning,
in the confines of a musty mustard North London narrow boat, unseen by the rest
of the world.</div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-84620250595366286122013-01-25T15:43:00.001-05:002015-08-26T16:27:46.362-04:00wanna have a catch?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Were it not for Peace Corps Ethiopia All Star, <a href="http://anthonynavarrete.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Anthony Navarrete</a>, I would have completely forgotten about these videos I uploaded while eating Burger King and drinking Egyptian beer at Cairo International Airport. I was in a total travel daze at the time, scrambling to get these puppies uploaded before my final push back to Addis. That being said, it's no surprise that the vapors of memory absconded from whatever portion of my brain in which they were temporarily stored.<br />
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Without further adieu, I present to you two separate firsts for two separate pairs of Ethiopians. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KFbbD3NxPE" target="_blank">Video #1</a> is that of an Ethiopian couple having a catch with an American football for the first time in their lives. He's 95 and she's 80. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MyGLONYjRc" target="_blank">Video #2</a> is that of two Ethiopian girls tossing a baseball for the first time in their lives. I don't know their exact ages, but they're definitely not 95 and 80. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I'd like to give a shoutout to my dad for sending the football, and to my dad again, as well as Steve DeTurk, and Todd Pollack for sending along some of the baseball supplies. You guys are helping make really cool things happen.<br />
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As many folks know, I do have serious ambitions to share my love of baseball with Ethiopia (football would be way too confusing, since they are all about the real football here). It's going to take a lot of time and effort, but with a little luck, and a little more help from my friends, I think it can actually happen. Another PCV and I have already had preliminary talks about how to move a baseball project forward country-wide, including long-term daydreams of participation in the <a href="http://www.africanbaseballleague.net/index.html" target="_blank">African Baseball League</a> and the <a href="http://www.google.com.et/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CDoQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldbaseballclassic.com%2F&ei=iTL5UPixNNS1hAfT5oDYCg&usg=AFQjCNGgPE4AsbA9J9RDKLIEoYvwLbfVlg&bvm=bv.41248874,d.ZG4" target="_blank">World Baseball Classic</a>. My goal is to get something started in Bekoji before the end of the school year. I currently have 6 gloves (including a catcher's mitt), plenty of baseballs, some field markers to use as bases, and one aluminum bat.<br />
<br />
Three more gloves (and ideally some catcher's gear) would make it possible to at least teach people the flow of the game. I brought four of the gloves to the school last week, and the kids are totally into it. In fact, they're so into it that I had to put the gloves away because a huge crowd gathered and they started fighting to get a turn. I will need to hold the sessions on a Saturday, with a small group at the school, to help avoid the chaos. </div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-7965268496436160362013-01-18T05:48:00.001-05:002016-05-03T06:16:48.693-04:00everything the light touches<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>"Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance.
As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures from the crawling ant
to the leaping antelope." -Mufasa<span class="maintext"><span class="firstword"> </span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="maintext"><span class="firstword"></span></span>"But, dad, don't we eat the antelope?" -Simba</i><br />
<i><span class="maintext"><span class="firstword">"When</span> we die, our
bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass and so, we are
all connected in the great circle of life" -Mufasa, The Lion King</span></i><br />
<i><span class="maintext"><br /></span></i><span class="maintext">The Lion King is hands-down my favorite Disney movie, so it's none too surprising that it was top-of-mind in the midst of a little "Circle of Life" moment yesterday afternoon. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="maintext"> </span><br />
<span class="maintext">After <a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2013/01/in-memoriam-getenesh-tesfaye.html" target="_blank">writing about and contemplating the death of a Peace Corps Ethiopia staff member</a>, I emerged from my home for the first time in the day to a crowd of people from the compound gathered around the cow pen. I eventually moseyed over to find that the compound's dairy cow, whom I call Tractor (a nickname bestowed upon the beast by the PCV who lived on my compound from 2009-2011), had just given birth. I knew Tractor was preggers, and that she was pretty much ready to pop at any time, but it was pretty nice to have a first-hand brush with the miracle of life so soon after the heartbreak of death. I suppose if you switch out "antelope" for "cow" in Mufasa's statement of wisdom to young Simba, it fits the situation perfectly. </span><br />
<span class="maintext"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuoKwPgINMyEe5vfYm3Z0GN2b4C1NhExuiXryJdtWkh5D5hO-KydFljzHfO1KPp7mwB7MocbpsNUIScNPSssKv1LPImV095Uoejjfz5lzTWh9OvXaGUm14Uar50cdhMjQZnVmAfRSqbc/s1600/DSCF0197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuoKwPgINMyEe5vfYm3Z0GN2b4C1NhExuiXryJdtWkh5D5hO-KydFljzHfO1KPp7mwB7MocbpsNUIScNPSssKv1LPImV095Uoejjfz5lzTWh9OvXaGUm14Uar50cdhMjQZnVmAfRSqbc/s320/DSCF0197.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud mama (human) and the new baby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjv4yBscalIVmspW5N4VV-6DMaekOlOOa_cfXD4aS99pjHuX8TEYeKrqSSy4kzb5b0hb9Qyqe_Nxa4_MQeTLEzE6JLbOb0Hp4TAZE41UhkswxIpxfiGw3AULZv8HZrzFwxXOs87dfIPiE/s1600/DSCF0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjv4yBscalIVmspW5N4VV-6DMaekOlOOa_cfXD4aS99pjHuX8TEYeKrqSSy4kzb5b0hb9Qyqe_Nxa4_MQeTLEzE6JLbOb0Hp4TAZE41UhkswxIpxfiGw3AULZv8HZrzFwxXOs87dfIPiE/s320/DSCF0196.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new baby, chillin' on some grains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7ZxDMkOxIHISn6yr4u_hxovXev1XML0usqkZ2Ffbz2Yr0QIxH1xBY0fdj6N5FzSzHD9BbCxZgt8kcFiaDMzMK_QY9p7Ewo0p-Qd9QNiplC6dds-Lqfb3lEulC0Fu0WqvrBGkY6ZPbh0/s1600/DSCF0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7ZxDMkOxIHISn6yr4u_hxovXev1XML0usqkZ2Ffbz2Yr0QIxH1xBY0fdj6N5FzSzHD9BbCxZgt8kcFiaDMzMK_QY9p7Ewo0p-Qd9QNiplC6dds-Lqfb3lEulC0Fu0WqvrBGkY6ZPbh0/s320/DSCF0198.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud mama (cow)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="maintext"><br /></span></div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-70360703757295305812013-01-17T05:42:00.000-05:002016-05-03T06:22:14.627-04:00in memoriam: getenesh tesfaye<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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 <i>hope</i> 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. <br />
<br />
<dl><dd><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgv7PZ5ORIgZpLCU0g5Ry-b3Uhx3H2s1tN9lggoy_mMR66e8C2jACDDdVLPcC00t_cIq-kc5FHRWjc2tc-gyUKrp0WWJ7evSjuJYQpem12uhliivjivFWCoFWfECRwVywX2BwEo0ejP8/s1600/Getenesh_Addis.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgv7PZ5ORIgZpLCU0g5Ry-b3Uhx3H2s1tN9lggoy_mMR66e8C2jACDDdVLPcC00t_cIq-kc5FHRWjc2tc-gyUKrp0WWJ7evSjuJYQpem12uhliivjivFWCoFWfECRwVywX2BwEo0ejP8/s320/Getenesh_Addis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getenesh, far left, on our Guided Tour of Addis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>That I, considering everywhere</i></dd><dd><i>Her secret meaning in her deeds,</i></dd><dd><i>And finding that of fifty seeds</i></dd><dd><i>She often brings but one to bear,</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd><i>I falter where I firmly trod,</i></dd><dd><i>And falling with my weight of cares</i></dd><dd><i>Upon the great world's altar-stairs</i></dd><dd><i>That slope thro' darkness up to God,</i><br />
<br /></dd></dl>
</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-69838005519893884872012-12-13T05:04:00.000-05:002012-12-13T05:04:00.069-05:00i can even make lame jokes in ethiopia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I recently fashioned a screen for my door and window out of
an old mosquito net. My landlord and others on the compound were quite
fascinated by my creation, offering compliments on its practical qualities. I
proudly stated, “It will keep out the bugs, but not the sheep.”</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2aF9xb-pVML5IIBCT58YQrf1VY3rx0tZQAGIf7wcoG1ynL7Hpsvilg32Sthi_HphHgI1gc0n4liWqP2uCO7XxgxW4Ijfa-ZObFRGFLlJt_NlehnGIKTL1LhN_d3m7baD-5-FXmulaqU/s1600/DSCF1138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2aF9xb-pVML5IIBCT58YQrf1VY3rx0tZQAGIf7wcoG1ynL7Hpsvilg32Sthi_HphHgI1gc0n4liWqP2uCO7XxgxW4Ijfa-ZObFRGFLlJt_NlehnGIKTL1LhN_d3m7baD-5-FXmulaqU/s320/DSCF1138.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Amharic word for sheep is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bug</i>.</div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-27105091485102396452012-11-27T11:00:00.000-05:002012-11-27T11:16:26.059-05:00kittens and spiders and baby sheep, oh my!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s been more than a month since I’ve had a chance to put
something together for your reading pleasure. The previous post pretty much
explains why – a 36 page research report and a two-week training conference
effectively zap one’s ability to do anything else. I’ve been so busy that I
didn’t even realize it’d been so long. I’m now back in Bekoji and preparing to
start working on some of the activities put forth in my report. Since I’m still
recovering from the calamity of the last month, traveling on public transport,
and whatever was in the food at our training hotel, I’m going to keep this one
pretty light. Here are some recent highlights of my life in Ethiopia, told
mostly through pictures and a couple video clips.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTNJbkSUysjoHFHP4TSC1Z_tPuvU-MBLzJo-3i9q6Oz08HBFIEeZEdTfopgq06e3nAWE553M_x9eL3I01rjqAyEXendGoz-H_hN2jQGaYOc09kcu10daw_yKH94UM1517WkPiNsaQV4o/s1600/DSCF1467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTNJbkSUysjoHFHP4TSC1Z_tPuvU-MBLzJo-3i9q6Oz08HBFIEeZEdTfopgq06e3nAWE553M_x9eL3I01rjqAyEXendGoz-H_hN2jQGaYOc09kcu10daw_yKH94UM1517WkPiNsaQV4o/s320/DSCF1467.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9i4IYwkFfEaHsDAYuZ863uW7GIk6ecIUajIHx7Z7RQhRIRhWuKP-UUWse9TQ2B5TwQvYNt3TswK8LVI_bv7s6hBEfnU9KBZ2HLuG3k24HM3lQjRpWMm6uInH7an7zI65TyFZh0z-ppI8/s1600/DSCF1468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9i4IYwkFfEaHsDAYuZ863uW7GIk6ecIUajIHx7Z7RQhRIRhWuKP-UUWse9TQ2B5TwQvYNt3TswK8LVI_bv7s6hBEfnU9KBZ2HLuG3k24HM3lQjRpWMm6uInH7an7zI65TyFZh0z-ppI8/s320/DSCF1468.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A kitten was born on the compound. It’s a well-known fact
that I’m not a cat person, but watching this thing wobble around and be all
kitten-like has just been OMGZ adorable. It was born to a stray that had taken
shelter in a haystack behind my room. Knowing that it would either be abandoned
or eaten by the mother cat (not kidding), my landlord’s family pretty much
adopted the little booger, taking it into the house, feeding it fresh milk from
<a href="http://hewhoknowspatience.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-landscaping-crew-hard-at-work.html" target="_blank">Tractor</a>, and basically just letting it frolic around swatting at flies and
stuff. All that being said, I still never, ever want to own a cat. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-o1j_aR6LlB4wb83qu4QjpIlP3DAjxRqTpanI9uHD-s_Ds5Vhlp6lzMVOA2q-puRiyK3hfNpQwjiuuXyPxS-lnAVFDdlxtFrXV3r-dfn5Q3_aOjHCNjmrgT55igR1V7RWZ020We49XYg/s1600/DSCF1469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-o1j_aR6LlB4wb83qu4QjpIlP3DAjxRqTpanI9uHD-s_Ds5Vhlp6lzMVOA2q-puRiyK3hfNpQwjiuuXyPxS-lnAVFDdlxtFrXV3r-dfn5Q3_aOjHCNjmrgT55igR1V7RWZ020We49XYg/s320/DSCF1469.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just 3 PCVs in an
Addis line taxi<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NB0v-BoeEr-1oE3HXALXxB-JooqU8jVg3XxZFpBN-4padfmzlcW3kPJ8s9PYOzBKKo1Xwfwp4DUAB8B7-nFx4BS2dVtZuA9JilWmfQ9k9EC-OlAaHKl35ApFjR1oWc0dsuE4CUVeD1k/s1600/DSCF1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NB0v-BoeEr-1oE3HXALXxB-JooqU8jVg3XxZFpBN-4padfmzlcW3kPJ8s9PYOzBKKo1Xwfwp4DUAB8B7-nFx4BS2dVtZuA9JilWmfQ9k9EC-OlAaHKl35ApFjR1oWc0dsuE4CUVeD1k/s320/DSCF1475.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teambuilding!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hN5t59MS55_FLcAwzDmQb2QFqKK_JF0F6zhqPWmh8oLOuRZzkYb3eGrfhI7Tt5PLLLwlZZOn1m6eM2Q_6zm5VW3bc1b1pPUfNnwhQte4d4arvkvWkABH7VE62GH4ZSrhS8klzDg1gDA/s1600/DSCF1479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hN5t59MS55_FLcAwzDmQb2QFqKK_JF0F6zhqPWmh8oLOuRZzkYb3eGrfhI7Tt5PLLLwlZZOn1m6eM2Q_6zm5VW3bc1b1pPUfNnwhQte4d4arvkvWkABH7VE62GH4ZSrhS8klzDg1gDA/s320/DSCF1479.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More teambuilding!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJciYndysdO9Xoenu_rNV9ndH1_MQGqU_c09hvhap-4v5l60rfWq6s1yTaPc6m4nbc_I48Z80IfG9ERt5y7swGnEKNY2b3aSlC1fE4V-0J6XfqODQ5abspIJOcUyj16umA9neZoNi9qBE/s1600/DSCF1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJciYndysdO9Xoenu_rNV9ndH1_MQGqU_c09hvhap-4v5l60rfWq6s1yTaPc6m4nbc_I48Z80IfG9ERt5y7swGnEKNY2b3aSlC1fE4V-0J6XfqODQ5abspIJOcUyj16umA9neZoNi9qBE/s320/DSCF1480.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one might actually qualify as bodybuilding.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilw5EmGkLOFmaE32V4ZkrbFVrypmwbgTK9Po152QPBc9vYXWyc1REGSnWoN11k5AShJMQB3wGwvw-audnN6wAb0lXN6w_ymaaVWAE48C-8B6zuL6XosvV96boEzgepLNGeitb55LyGANg/s1600/DSCF1509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilw5EmGkLOFmaE32V4ZkrbFVrypmwbgTK9Po152QPBc9vYXWyc1REGSnWoN11k5AShJMQB3wGwvw-audnN6wAb0lXN6w_ymaaVWAE48C-8B6zuL6XosvV96boEzgepLNGeitb55LyGANg/s320/DSCF1509.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sunset view from our room in Ambo was pretty spectacular</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QwdZ-v9d8c4hP1iAJPbzVvlEVhs3yNv7C4E53ucBzmo_3XSrzIbwvyiOTquUWYJPA-MQIzUhe7FmtKZEZ-fKQHML3I0qMlFLuTz50LNkpFh_WeH0vsIi8kYz32ahtRsO7ut8-1C0cOg/s1600/Football_tourney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QwdZ-v9d8c4hP1iAJPbzVvlEVhs3yNv7C4E53ucBzmo_3XSrzIbwvyiOTquUWYJPA-MQIzUhe7FmtKZEZ-fKQHML3I0qMlFLuTz50LNkpFh_WeH0vsIi8kYz32ahtRsO7ut8-1C0cOg/s320/Football_tourney.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paper Football Tourney #2, Championship. I won!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Over a Thanksgiving dinner of enchiladas, quesadillas, and
lasagna (it was amazing), a few of us discussed how being the door guy in a
line taxi is the secret wish of just about every Peace Corps Volunteer in
Ethiopia. Little did we know that later in the very same evening, a one Michael
Quiroz would have his moment in the sun. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw23gPzzQUcD1i0YLYi7CgIUN3VlfFt4dHqY6ZwdMBVioz9S16XSp1l6qkJK18GqB8mlVCfmgeyjKjDrFaFvQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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There’s really no way for me to explain how amazing this
was. The driver didn’t have a “helper,” so we collectively volunteered to the
task, but Michael was the man with the money, making him the star of the show.
All of the Ethiopians on board, and especially the driver, were as enthralled
as the Americans. When the short ride was over, the driver didn’t even count
the money Michael handed him. He just put it in his pocket, along with a
life-long memory and one helluva story to tell all his friends.</div>
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And from the amazing to the downright horrific…</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3u1vgbLJwUIcB4FRxx2WC3t5RkHLVZL3mJOYQqS6-uxF4s4AsKjRdf2rMCTHL_KdIVqvHkb0IKqjmLXfXNmilpq2yCS-q0NU2m4fLduH5Rlii_lPfX8lTcBYSwDFjR7asvXoM6UUw1H0/s1600/DSCF1520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3u1vgbLJwUIcB4FRxx2WC3t5RkHLVZL3mJOYQqS6-uxF4s4AsKjRdf2rMCTHL_KdIVqvHkb0IKqjmLXfXNmilpq2yCS-q0NU2m4fLduH5Rlii_lPfX8lTcBYSwDFjR7asvXoM6UUw1H0/s320/DSCF1520.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just before this picture was taken, the monstrous subject
was ON MY BODY. I let off a round of shrieks and squeals I never before knew I
could produce. The spider is no longer with us. </div>
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Don’t worry. I won’t leave you with a case of the heebie-jeebies.
Prepare for maximum cuteness…</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj787a7uDO9xOlt1pbkixnCWp-pcO8qQL2prfvK4iIQtvJS0Pue3T10xcYwCBNFujm7JlGyTdo9c-NKuL9LsyIKFvY6kK6PlyXtgFvwOgi6TXDpLexRMAsEWhUgUM9OsJn7lFZBE6Eh8tQ/s1600/DSCF1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj787a7uDO9xOlt1pbkixnCWp-pcO8qQL2prfvK4iIQtvJS0Pue3T10xcYwCBNFujm7JlGyTdo9c-NKuL9LsyIKFvY6kK6PlyXtgFvwOgi6TXDpLexRMAsEWhUgUM9OsJn7lFZBE6Eh8tQ/s320/DSCF1516.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTCWR9bM7KWj_9KH5BshORWeek6vcixR5i000SHStMS1PAS5JLHYKao_UPM0zFkBbwEiVZU-2OIvfLamPpzTR6xRGnjiHYDr0kl0CiHiMJvdioLrlyIEvBPaSb7_JC6NKngl4IPoEqvw/s1600/DSCF1521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTCWR9bM7KWj_9KH5BshORWeek6vcixR5i000SHStMS1PAS5JLHYKao_UPM0zFkBbwEiVZU-2OIvfLamPpzTR6xRGnjiHYDr0kl0CiHiMJvdioLrlyIEvBPaSb7_JC6NKngl4IPoEqvw/s320/DSCF1521.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know, right? The sheep on my compound had a baby while I
was away. This sprite little chap is all of a week old. But just wait…</div>
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Wait for it…</div>
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Wait for it…</div>
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Wait for it…</div>
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Baby sheep prancing!!!!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxafAGVSIHBqerwfRvf9rgrrTV7CZcL68fuU0zbJQBZVyJbEaLaVVFNddosSUZwM8WWE9svKqRvP2QMQUTHYg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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As if my quality of life hadn’t already increased enough
with this fabulous new addition, I had two care packages waiting for me at the
post office when I stopped by yesterday. Massive, endless thanks to my dad and
my friend Christopher for their significant contributions to my overall
well-being. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThqWiik5m99e7R4Qvn9N6jsNc366uHg9SQIZq5iEFEmPWVacxg6B8kw7LRtG9dHxYGb_AI8AH5p7yTiEfpfNmtu3d_iN75np8gJkpxh31dK7p85nJnK7scMpgiEoTfGXKfgVjbaEtCeU/s1600/DSCF0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThqWiik5m99e7R4Qvn9N6jsNc366uHg9SQIZq5iEFEmPWVacxg6B8kw7LRtG9dHxYGb_AI8AH5p7yTiEfpfNmtu3d_iN75np8gJkpxh31dK7p85nJnK7scMpgiEoTfGXKfgVjbaEtCeU/s320/DSCF0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A treasure chest of amazing, courtesy of Papa Bear<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NpxZPcQh1CDxbQkx0sTexHs8tuap9fLktceosOmAPf61WjHkF_IO1WL0kVTzQlvIfENfYfKSYcc8xkEeRgdCd-Opl1fOZU_XiR4KnLCBVhCLFL5JkFHP_UrvXEOCRdl0BDVujUrEb8o/s1600/DSCF0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NpxZPcQh1CDxbQkx0sTexHs8tuap9fLktceosOmAPf61WjHkF_IO1WL0kVTzQlvIfENfYfKSYcc8xkEeRgdCd-Opl1fOZU_XiR4KnLCBVhCLFL5JkFHP_UrvXEOCRdl0BDVujUrEb8o/s320/DSCF0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher really ought to teach classes on packing
care packages. Impressive.</td></tr>
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And for the cherry on top, only 25 days ‘til Laura and me and London!!!!!!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZW1q0lufdy1aIGCrh4njQob5KU1Ne-yaZy7wiWtJ5X8fe7ViysykAi0l9-OsqYWntBPHWGotgjuGELtrRgd1orjHlNwtwvzmVkLK8_Yb999OvQgt6ia7dLgfNQPpJiiyqW2uMzW8moA/s1600/Cutest_Laura_Ever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZW1q0lufdy1aIGCrh4njQob5KU1Ne-yaZy7wiWtJ5X8fe7ViysykAi0l9-OsqYWntBPHWGotgjuGELtrRgd1orjHlNwtwvzmVkLK8_Yb999OvQgt6ia7dLgfNQPpJiiyqW2uMzW8moA/s320/Cutest_Laura_Ever.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will never get enough of this picture.</td></tr>
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Yay life!!!</div>
</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-85195508030955383592012-10-25T13:04:00.000-04:002012-10-25T13:07:28.072-04:00just a little update from ethiopia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As the countdown is on to the G7 (my Peace Corps group, the
7<sup>th</sup> in this wave of Ethiopia Volunteers) In-Service Training (IST)
event (more parentheses to confuse you), I have been pretty busy gathering all
of the elements to compile my Community Education Needs Assessment (CENA). The
CENA is a 15-25 page document that will both display the work I have done so
far in Bekoji, as well as lay the foundation for an Action Plan, to be
developed at IST, that will guide my work for the coming nine months. Today was
a milestone day as I finally started putting some of the puzzle pieces together
to get a clear sense of what my CENA might look like. It’s been a while since I’ve
written any sort of research paper, so even getting the started on actually
writing the document is a big step. On top of all that, I just finished writing
the second of two requested pieces of writing. The first was an “alumni”
article for Solutions for Progress, where I worked before joining Peace Corps.
The second was an article about Bekoji for The Herald, a quarterly publication
aimed at returned Peace Corps Volunteers from the Ethiopia/Eritrea region. Keep
an eye on the December 1<sup>st</sup> issue for my handiwork. Expect an
announcement right up on this here blog once it goes to print.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This is all to say I’ve been a bit too busy to keep the
eight or nine people who check here regularly updated on life in Ethiopia. But
since I just finished the article, and officially got started on my CENA, I
figured I’d take a little break and hit up some highlights, told mostly through
pictures. Enjoy.</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Trainees in the Environment sector of G8</b> have been in Bekoji
for almost three weeks now. Seeing as I’m the only foreigner living in town, it’s
been nice to have a few Americans to link up with from time-to-time. It’s also
been nice to hand over the duty of lifting up children. I was starting to get
tired.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Z27Ltz5gU1qd94eS-mqHQUrjqcWjCMwNwDFjY6xuYotx-Uc2EU5d5T4tc7Dvu2h7jEcyHUUVxQxZiUCiAu0nVZ9bWAvl7TagNvrFC6TMoppk5RiajDny1hALG6NZmbTrBjjf3KbaW_o/s1600/DSCF1387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Z27Ltz5gU1qd94eS-mqHQUrjqcWjCMwNwDFjY6xuYotx-Uc2EU5d5T4tc7Dvu2h7jEcyHUUVxQxZiUCiAu0nVZ9bWAvl7TagNvrFC6TMoppk5RiajDny1hALG6NZmbTrBjjf3KbaW_o/s320/DSCF1387.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixahdQYXeb9UURjOXePnkZ44MFssFWNE4z6GDV43CmjuZIMt_xe7EGselNYZYpzF5Bgn-o8mC6SYhd5lpmwnKdohK-4nq-ToNgfGyhO6T9Jlk76J8ufHsomilUg1q8TjjtyEefZaN4q_o/s1600/DSCF1202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixahdQYXeb9UURjOXePnkZ44MFssFWNE4z6GDV43CmjuZIMt_xe7EGselNYZYpzF5Bgn-o8mC6SYhd5lpmwnKdohK-4nq-ToNgfGyhO6T9Jlk76J8ufHsomilUg1q8TjjtyEefZaN4q_o/s320/DSCF1202.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G8 bustin' a move upon arrival to Bekoji</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Last Thursday</b> marked the first in a weekly series of
academic competitions for students at my assigned school, Tigil Fire (pronounced
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Free</i>). I’m still not entirely clear
on how everything was organized and what the exact guidelines are, but it was
cool to see and exciting as a plus mark on the side of the school for fostering
love of learning amongst the students. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqKYjM8y-V3wibapyK6exjwnTIJso8nWKbZsSeKRgRLtuiwTtfY_NS9e6bB6RMdF7eZn4F82HpMtkostNXUDSbvOP4j5mAh0zuRnKPLcd9kxmdLsKPmI-pzFuUL8JGM2v3xg7xJL956A/s1600/DSCF1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqKYjM8y-V3wibapyK6exjwnTIJso8nWKbZsSeKRgRLtuiwTtfY_NS9e6bB6RMdF7eZn4F82HpMtkostNXUDSbvOP4j5mAh0zuRnKPLcd9kxmdLsKPmI-pzFuUL8JGM2v3xg7xJL956A/s320/DSCF1372.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grade 6 Academic Competition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIG_H3q_mVKMsNrgC-teqHZKwd9w8BuqOUrG-HfarqRnkPGo1Ga6GBJnDUUULbbG-hGt7hZDvFGVVffDciDODkF6emEbgQfQpPehrDQmBXa65Tedqyon1QfJixG7D13Jit_hcSIVXNoSo/s1600/DSCF1373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIG_H3q_mVKMsNrgC-teqHZKwd9w8BuqOUrG-HfarqRnkPGo1Ga6GBJnDUUULbbG-hGt7hZDvFGVVffDciDODkF6emEbgQfQpPehrDQmBXa65Tedqyon1QfJixG7D13Jit_hcSIVXNoSo/s320/DSCF1373.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grade 5 Academic Competition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Some of the Environment trainees</b> showed up at the school to
do a presentation about trees. It was a fantastic display of both fundamental
science and active learning for the students. I’m stoked that the teachers got
to see such fine examples of the kinds of approaches I’d like to help instill
in the school. It also made me wish one of the trainees was placed in Bekoji so
the students could see these presentations on a regular basis. Maybe G9…</div>
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<b>Mission: Bring Baseball to Ethiopia</b> is starting to make its
way around the basepaths. I’ve had some great conversations here and there, and
even a few ball-toss and wiffle ball sessions. People are very interested in
learning about the game, and no one has yet to oppose the general idea of
baseball in Bekoji. The real kicker, though, is that I received a message
recently from a Volunteer named Ryan up in Tigray. He’s a huge baseball fan,
and came here with the same mission in mind. Even better is that he used to
work for MLB and has already garnered some support from the industry. I cannot
possibly express how out-of-my-mind excited I am about this recent development.
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<b>I made a burger last week</b>. Actually, I made two, since a quarter-kilo of minced beef goes further than I expected. It was amazing. It was the first
time I ever made a burger from scratch. Ever. Locally harvested and prepared
beef, onions, tomatoes, and bread paired nicely with Velveeta cheese and
pre-cooked bacon, thanks to my buddy Steve’s care package. Unreal.</div>
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I discovered some sort of wild-growing-fluffy-ball-on-a-stick
doubles as a natural bird feeder. Foad and I brought back a couple of said
specimens from our walk to the local waterfall yesterday, pretending that they
were giant microphones the whole way home (I was doing my best Teddy Afro “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Izoooo! Izoooo!</i>”). We casually jammed
our procurement into my window great. This afternoon, two delightful little
birds kept coming back and feeding off of the bulbs, singing to me all the
while. </div>
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<b>You better believe</b> I’ve made a point of rejuvenating the
spirit here and there by taking in some of the amazing scenery this place has
to offer, especially the sunsets. The more I explore Bekoji, the more apparent
its endless beauty. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyodFTRjfFEXJXov_uK_AR8dnEyJif8YOmopVDUbtgd7URHOQFgrvtXDuOicPe_HAr_tAgAjT0fwJu0xH_yPGKZ-mYpixS_Gjil3BV5RxnIYJ_-eDBMwxnQHPyn7hf2YLbzxCYeai_u7o/s1600/DSCF1271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyodFTRjfFEXJXov_uK_AR8dnEyJif8YOmopVDUbtgd7URHOQFgrvtXDuOicPe_HAr_tAgAjT0fwJu0xH_yPGKZ-mYpixS_Gjil3BV5RxnIYJ_-eDBMwxnQHPyn7hf2YLbzxCYeai_u7o/s320/DSCF1271.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Kaka - 2nd Highest Peak in Ethiopia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-50360755222301826002012-10-12T12:03:00.005-04:002015-01-07T12:56:29.212-05:00so a ferenji walks into a bar… <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
If only I knew how to translate the punchline, I’d be more
than happy to share the rest of the joke. This was essentially how the final
hours of my Friday started off. I expected to be writing about how I taught real*
Ethiopian students for the first time today, introducing baseball equipment,
Scrabble, skiing, hide-and-seek, and key phrases such as “Go Phillies!” to four
separate classes of 8<sup>th</sup> grade students (if you’re following closely,
that’s roughly 200 new Phillies <s>fans</s> Phans). While that’s certainly nothing
to snuff, there will be plenty of teaching experiences to come, but what
followed is a bit more unique.
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I have made it a regular occurrence to end each week with a
visit to a great little bar that my compound brother, Babel, introduced me to
when I first arrived in Bekoji. I like it for several reasons: it’s quiet and
laid back, it’s away from the main thoroughfares of commerce, and the serve my
favorite Ethiopian beer, Dashen. I have found it a great way to unwind on a
Friday afternoon. It has become the sole location where I write in my journal,
which has gone from a daily to a weekly practice. After today’s incredible
exhausting-in-a-good-way morning, I was undoubtedly bound for another visit to
what I have dubbed, “Babel Bar.”</div>
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When I turned the corner toward my little hideaway, I
noticed a hum coming from inside. The place has been quiet upon each of my
appearances, so this kind of stopped me in my tracks. Before I came to a
complete halt, I was already visible through the front door, and was motioned
to enter by a man on the other side of the room. I was hesitant, but shuffled
through the crowded house nonetheless. I kept my head down, but could not miss
the rather serious tone of the party. </div>
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I quickly greeted the owners, and made my way into the
second room, making obscure hand motions in an attempt to bridge the
communication gap. It seemed as though room #2 was a spillover of the first
room, so I continued on to room #3, which is usually a part of the
establishment’s typical seating selection. Today, however, there were three or
four men in the company of an older woman in a bed, who appeared to be sick
and/or possibly dying. </div>
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My flight response was in full bloom, but it was too much to
turn around and head toward the front door. Instead, I went for the fourth and
final room, which happens to be the kitchen. It was empty, which made it the “safest”
option I’d encountered thus far. I sat down on a bench and uttered, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chigarellum?”</i> to one of the employees.
He responded with an inviting, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“chigarellum.”</i>
No problem. Great! I’ll just keep my fanny parked right here if ya don’t mind!</div>
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Long story short, by the end of the evening, I was given three traditional
cups of coffee, cookies, some kind of raw bean, a delicious injera dish, and did
not have to pay for a single one of my beers. My flight from the front door to
the kitchen in the back transformed me from a customer into a guest of the
family that ones the establishment. I suppose it’s fitting given that I did
teach one of their sons about baseball today, as he is a student in one of the
8<sup>th</sup> grade classes at my school. Perhaps that makes the punchline, “…and
experiences Ethiopian culture at its finest.”</div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856941983778264687.post-47008512293767117802012-10-09T11:25:00.001-04:002012-10-09T11:25:29.387-04:00the landscaping crew, hard at work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntzp4gHGVai4FpJulMLhBPZl6Erdif43MH3Ic_jd7-CGLES8mnU5qj1f-xYOrdFkK8l_GyUhZFwYVFGZOpACnPbIS755ohWesmOOGMPgYp5VUz-vqEknsmvgFQ2BIE0nGr1duWsSvTYI/s1600/DSCF1216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntzp4gHGVai4FpJulMLhBPZl6Erdif43MH3Ic_jd7-CGLES8mnU5qj1f-xYOrdFkK8l_GyUhZFwYVFGZOpACnPbIS755ohWesmOOGMPgYp5VUz-vqEknsmvgFQ2BIE0nGr1duWsSvTYI/s320/DSCF1216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the nice things about life in Ethiopia is that you don't need to hire a landscaping crew, or even purchase a lawnmower. Just let your livestock take care of the work.<br />
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Pictured here are the sheep, calf, and mama cow that live on my compound. The previous PCV who lived in Bekoji, a Health Volunteer named Jen, called the big cow "Tractor" for how much vegetation she mowed down. That beast sure does some serious nom-nomming.<br />
<br />
This crew as a whole is a primary source of daily entertainment for yours truly.<br />
<br /></div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674146025467869150noreply@blogger.com7