it's been a while

      My absence has not gone unnoticed. Were my blog me and anyone who reads it my Ethiopian counterparts, I would undoubtedly get the question, "Tefah?" Where have you been? 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 Tefah'd me over the last couple months, I thank you. I have, as those Ethiopians who Tefah me might say, disappeared. 

newborn eyes

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.

in daylights, in sunsets

 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. 

and on the 345th day, he created a metallica playlist

         So 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):