Another Thanksgiving Away

As I’ve stated many times before, living away from my family is one of the hardest parts about living abroad. It's especially challenging during the holidays. Most volunteers go through episodes of depression during this time. As Thanksgiving was approaching I felt myself trying my best not to see the date getting closer on my calendar, but it was difficult. So when I found out my name had been drawn to have Thanksgiving dinner with a family working at the American Embassy I did not hesitate to accept the invitation. A few weeks prior, Peace Corps had asked Americans working at the embassy if they would like to host Peace Corps Volunteers at their homes for the holiday. Since not all of us would be able to go because there weren’t enough families to host the over 200 volunteers currently present in country, Peace Corps picked names at random. I found out I’d be going to Addis Ababa just a week before the holiday.

I headed to Addis Thursday morning and met my hosts in the city where they picked me up in their private car and drove me to their beautiful home. As soon as I arrived through the gates, it felt like a completely different world. And I welcomed all the luxury. All I thought as I entered their home was, “enjoy this Helena, it’s only going to last a few hours before you have to get back to your mud house and shint bet.” In the most basic sense I can describe their home, it was America. All these things that are normal to Westerners, a home where you wear no shoes because it's so clean, a full kitchen, a living room with couches and huge rugs, a huge dining room table set for 10, a full bar with actual glasses, a hard wood floor staircase, a bedroom with an actual bed and bed frame and a private bathroom … all the stuff that’s normal, isn’t normal for me anymore. So when I walked in with all these things at my feet I was overjoyed and I had to stop myself from screaming and crying tears of happiness. My hosts led me to the spare bedroom where they said I could sleep the night and told me to take my time getting ready. As I was left alone in the room I just sat on the bed and took it all in. And then of course I immediately hopped into the shower. I got dressed, put on my dress, did my hair and put on some makeup. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be able to feel like a woman. I took these simple acts for granted back home. To be able to get ready in a comfortable home was such a gift. After I had finished pampering myself I headed downstairs to see what I could help with. There was an actual turkey sitting on the kitchen table. Yes… a turkey!!! (Embassy workers put in their turkey order a couple months before the holidays). My host then asked me what I wanted to drink. He gave me an entire list of things I could have. I know all this stuff seems silly to people back home, but this is not what I’m used to anymore. Obviously I was beyond happy. We had our drinks and appetizer/snacks as we waited for the other guests. My white wine actually tasted like what good white wine should taste like. I got to have chips and salsa, hummus and pita bread, mixed vegetables with dip that included broccoli, red peppers, and cucumbers!!!!! I had to control myself so I wouldn’t go crazy over all this food. And those were just the snacks. Cabbage, potatoes, and tomatoes start to get old after a few months of the same repetitive meals, so the variety in vegetables was a welcomed change.

Afterwards, the other guests slowly arrived and I got to meet some really interesting people. Of the group of us there, half of us had done Peace Corps so I was able to relate to quite a few of them. It was amazing to be able to have conversations with Americans. We finally got to sit down and have Thanksgiving. The turkey was delicious which was of course accompanied by every other Thanksgiving dish you can think of. All in all, I stuffed my face and ended the night with a stomach ache that was well worth it. I would do it all over again.

Until Peace Corps I had never really sat back to think of what I’m thankful for in my life. So here’s what I’m thankful for this year. I’m thankful for this wonderful embassy family who agreed to host me. They went above and beyond by letting me stay the night in their home and driving me all the way to the bus station the following day, a.k.a. the place I dread most in the entire world. I’m also thankful for this experience and for Peace Corps. This past year and a half has been a huge learning and growing process. I’m often complaining about it as many of you know, but I honestly am happy I made the decision to come to Ethiopia and I have no regrets. Living abroad has also taught me how important my family is to me. I’m so thankful to be able to have an experience that shows me what I truly value most in life. I don’t think everyone gets that opportunity. And most of all, I’m thankful to be an American. Being a white, middle class American comes with many privileges that I never understood before and didn’t realize I had. I’m so much more aware of my gender, my class, my skin color, my nationality and what all of it means. I can’t imagine what my life would be like today if I hadn’t accepted my invitation to serve in Ethiopia.

I had a great Thanksgiving this year. I hope the same goes for everyone and I cannot wait to be home for the next one!   

The Small Things

I had some pretty incredible encounters yesterday. They may not seem like huge things for some, but for me they made everything worth it and in my book they're going down as successes in my service. My morning started off by going to one of my schools to help facilitate the spelling club an English teacher and I started a few weeks ago. Of course this teacher arrived 20 minutes late, but after overlooking that minor detail everything went especially smoothly. All the students were participating and asking questions. From where I was standing it seemed like they were all interested. I loved every minute of it.

After the club was over, I proceeded to walk over to my regular suk(shop) to buy carrots and green beans (he’s the only one who I have found that has these on a regular basis). As I was getting ready to pay him I realized I had left my wallet at home. I told him never mind on the vegetables and I would come back and buy them another time. He looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to leave without them. He told me not to worry about it, that I could just pay him another time. I told him I could come back later that day and he said not to worry. I could come back the following day or the next week, it was no problem at all, “chigir yellem.” That small act of kindness made the rest of my day great. I can’t think of this ever happening in America. You can’t go to a grocery store and walk out with your items without paying and only your word to the manager that you’ll come back with the money. But here, this man who barely knows me trusts me. No questions asked.

Later in the afternoon my girls club met. I could immediately tell that the girls were more comfortable this meeting than last. The change in some of them from just a week ago was unbelievable. A couple of the girls whose voices I had yet to hear were raising their hands, wanting to participate, and sharing their ideas. It was wonderful to see. But that’s not what added the cherry to my day. After the club was over, my counterpart (the teacher working on the club with me) informed me that the day before, one of the girls had expressed her feelings about this club to her. She said she was so happy to be a part of it and that this wasn’t just important for her now, but also for her future. And this was why she wasn’t going to be absent to any of our meetings and make sure all the girls would come. She found all of the girls the day before to remind them to come to the club. I don’t know how to express how I felt on hearing that. As a volunteer you never know if the work you’re doing is making any kind of difference. I have no idea if I’m helping my students or teaching them anything. Hearing my counterpart tell me this made everything that’s been challenging about this experience worth it. If I leave Ethiopia having only helped that one girl, I’ll know I’ll at least have done one thing.

So those three things, the spelling club meeting, the suk owner trusting me to pay him later, and the student in the girls’ club telling my counterpart how happy she was with the club were small encounters, but these are the instances that make this experience worth all the pain. I’ve lived in Ethiopia about 17 months now and it has been the hardest thing I have ever done. I am constantly questioning myself, sometimes asking what I’m doing here, wondering if it’s really doing anything, but those moments yesterday made it all worth it and made me say, “I’m happy to be here.”

Getting some work done with the students

Not much has changed in the past couple of weeks, but here’s a little update on some of the work I've been doing.  I’ve gotten both my student and teacher programs started. Fortunately, I’m a lot busier than I was my first year. It’s been nice having something to do every day. I’ve even had days where I get a little stressed, so going back to work in the states after working here for two years will surely be a challenge and take some getting used to.

My student programs have been going really well. I love my grade 7 and 8 English club. I have some of the same students that I had last year so my 7th graders have become my 8th graders while some new students have joined. For the last four weeks I’ve averaged 20 students per session, a number that I’m pretty proud of. Seeing them come back every week is a good sign. I’m so much more comfortable with the club this year. I feel so much more relaxed and at ease with the students. I always have a lot of fun with them and I always leave our meetings feeling so happy. This is by far my greatest success. I also have an English club for grades 5 and 6. Getting students registered for this one has been difficult. I have much less students than in my other English club, but I have the same three boys showing up every week on time. So even if it’s just them who come I still have a lesson prepared and they seem to really enjoy it.

At one of my other schools I’ve found a really motivated English teacher who has taken initiative to start English language programs. He’s very enthusiastic about teaching. I get the sense that he truly wants to help his students improve. Last week when he spoke to me, he wanted to start a spelling program that would meet once a week on English day (Wednesday). He asked me if I would participate and assist him in running it. This week we had our first meeting. I prepared a short lesson and taught the group. We’re going to try to continue this every week. This will be a great way for me to get more teaching experience. I teach in my English club but that’s a much more relaxed environment. This program feels more academic since I'm teaching them grammar and spelling. What I’m most excited about is having a teacher to work with. With this program I’m not the one doing all the work and having to pour all my energy into it. And I’m also doing something that the school and the teachers want which seems to work best in the end. The idea for this program came straight from them.

Furthermore, I hope it will please everyone to know that the books are getting plenty of use. During break times (recess), all the desks in my classroom are filled. When I’m not doing anything they’ll practice their reading with me. They share books with their friends and read together. I see them pointing and looking at pictures and laughing. So far the books are a hit.

In a previous post I had mentioned a girls’ club I was starting to pilot a program developed by the organization Girl Hub. That club has proven to be a bit more challenging to run. I was having communication issues with the counterparts (female teachers working with me on the pilot). Last week, Girl Hub came to visit our session. It didn’t go as planned but I think the representatives from the organization were able to clear up any misunderstandings we were having. This curriculum is all in Amharic therefore the counterparts are to act as facilitators while I observe and monitor the sessions and then send Girl Hub my feedback. It hasn’t been going that way so hopefully now that Girl Hub came and helped make our roles more clear, things will run smoothly. I’m not giving up on this club yet. Gender programs are so important in Ethiopia so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will work. I recently read a book on women living under oppression; “Half the Sky” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryll WuDunn. Each chapter had a story of a girl or woman in the developing world living in difficult situations. Several of the stories focused on females in Ethiopia. It was a reminder to me of the conditions that countless women around me face. While I’m living here I can and need to do something. Reading this book was a reminder that my programs are important and I can’t give up on them.

Coexistence, a breath of fresh air

I recently had an encounter with some Americans who are living in Butajira. The topic of our discussion revolved around religion. Our views were quite different to say the least. But everyone is entitled to their opinions and as far as I’m concerned you can believe in whatever makes you happy. We discussed aspects of Ethiopians and how they worship and disagreed on that point as well. When I got home, our conversation left me contemplating my own beliefs. I won’t discuss my personal ideas, but I will say that I came away from that afternoon with a deeper appreciation for Ethiopia.

Before I go on, I'll add a little bit about my site and the religions practiced here. I want to stress that the situation I am speaking of highlights my site only. Not all towns and regions of Ethiopia are like this. I can only speak for my community. In Butajira half of the population is Muslim while most of the rest are either Protestant or Ethiopian Orthodox. There are both mosques and churches that are often frequented. Rather it is a Muslim holiday or a Christian one, schools and other governmental institutions are closed. These religions all coexistent. I’ve never come across any conflicts between them. Christians and Muslims work together, form friendships with one another, they eat together, and celebrate together. People talk about both God and Allah with no problem. They know about one another's beliefs and can tell you what the other accepts as the truth. There exists a mutual respect. Think about that for a minute … that’s beautiful!

Getting back to the realization I came to after my afternoon with the Americans, after living in a place for a while and becoming comfortable in that new environment, you start not noticing everything around you so much. It has become my way of life. Because I’ve adapted to my site, I’ve become used to the different religions and traditions that coexist amongst one another. To me this has become so normal. Because this is so normal to me, I have forgotten how truly amazing it is to have people with different religious views living together. Therefore after discussing religion with my fellow Americans, I was reminded of that coexistence and once in my house, I thought to myself how incredible that is. It’s a beautiful part of Ethiopia. This is one of the things I love about this country. In a time when countries and cultures continue to misunderstand each other with regards to religion in turn leading to countless conflicts, living in an environment that goes against what much of the rest of the world is struggling with is a breath of fresh air. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to see this and live within such coexistence. To me what makes religion so special here isn’t the fact that people are so deeply religious, but the fact that they can all live together. Ethiopians may not all believe in the same God, however they share a common history and a common culture with traditions that go back hundreds of years. They share a past. They continue to find a way to keep their traditions alive while following different faiths.

Homesickness

This week has been great work wise, but emotionally it’s been a rough one. I arrived back to site after MSC (mid-service conference) feeling refreshed and motivated to start working. And that’s exactly what I did. I went to my school the following day and was welcomed with open arms by all of the teachers and administrative staff. I met with the vice director of my school and discussed programs I’d like to get started. To my great surprise, he was on board with everything I wanted to start (English clubs for grades 5 and 6, English club for grades 7 and 8, reading program, and girls’ club) and told me the teachers I needed to talk to and the steps I needed to take to make sure my ideas didn’t just stay ideas. I was able to meet with all the teachers and staff I needed within a few days. One of the English teachers accompanied me to every 7th and 8th grade class so I could announce the English club and the reading program. I also went to the education office and had a meeting with one of the staff members about how we should proceed this year with the English teachers. I was a little bit hesitant about this meeting since my teacher trainings last year did not go very well. We came up with an observation program to start the following week. From my observations I will provide trainings for the teachers on where I see the most improvement needs to happen. The education office told me they would discuss this with all of the teachers and make sure they all come to the trainings. So this week, I started doing observations with the English teachers. The vice director and the supervisor did these with me. After we would watch a teacher, the three of us would meet and discuss what we saw and then we invited the teacher and discussed our observations and comments with him/her. Those have been going better than I could have ever imagined. The teachers like getting the feedback and I think they appreciate the way I present my observations to them. The vice director also told me he was learning from doing the observations with me and learning about how to present feedback in a positive manner. It’s great to see these programs working, but I’m even more excited that I have Ethiopians doing these with me. The work I’m doing feels much more meaningful when I’m with Ethiopians that are excited about it as well. And hopefully this can be sustainable and it continues after I leave.

Another success this week was with the girls’ club. I attended a training right after MSC on starting a girls’ club to pilot Girl Hubs (English organization) Yegna Connections curriculum. Our first meeting was this week. It was just an introductory session, but the girls seemed excited. At first they were all quiet and shy, but by the end they all had smiles on their faces. I’m hoping this energy stays throughout the pilot and I’m even more excited to have a group of girls that I can work with.

The point of all this is to show that I’m finally doing some work that I’m proud of. But even though the past two weeks have been great work wise, emotionally I’ve felt terrible. I’m so homesick. And I was even more upset to be feeling like this while everything is going so well at work. I thought something was wrong with me. I was confused about why I was suddenly feeling this way and I’ve been trying to understand why it seems to have come about randomly. I should be happy and energetic and motivated. But the fact is, Peace Corps doesn’t get easier. No matter how long I’ve been here, it’s always difficult. Throughout this entire experience, I’ve never undergone so much loneliness for such a long period of time. You are always alone here. Yes I have my neighbors and I have my friends, but it’s not like the people I have back home. I miss talking to people and having long conversations about issues that matter. Yesterday morning as I was eating my peanut butter and honey sandwich (peanut butter and honey sandwiches are amazing) and drinking my tea, I was suddenly overwhelmed with misery. I was alone. Again. Like every other morning. Eating breakfast all by myself. It sucks. It’s really hard. I’m realizing that it doesn’t matter how much work I’m doing and how great I feel about it, I still miss my family. I miss being able to pick up the phone and call my parents or send one of my siblings a quick text. Simple things that we don’t think about back home, but that mean so much. When I got back to Butajira I felt optimistic and confident about living here another year and I guess I was just hoping that feeling would last until the end of my service. I was wishing that I had passed that first difficult year and from now on, through the next 11 months, everything would be easier. But I've soon found out that those hopes were premature. I am thankful that things are going well for me at work. But that will never fill the hole I have inside for my family and friends. I’m learning that that can never go away, no matter how meaningful and fulfilling my work is. 

It's been busy on this side of the world

When September arrived I was sure it would be a long and boring month since I had nothing planned until the end of the month. I assumed I would be at the house catching up on a lot of reading. It didn’t turn out that way. My cousin asked if she could come see me and when she asked if the following week would work, I didn’t hesitate to say yes! So my month turned out to be pretty busy. I spent the first week of the month getting my house ready and washing a lot of clothes, just preparing for her visit. The following week I headed up to Addis to meet her and from that day on there was a lot going on, all of which I was excited about.

            I hadn’t seen my cousin in over a year and a half and to be able to spend two weeks with her, visiting southern Ethiopia, and catching up on our lives, talking about our past, present, and future was amazing. I am so thankful that she was able to be here with me and I got to show her my life in Ethiopia. Dropping her off at the airport after our adventure in Ethiopia was hard. My cousin and I may have grown up thousands of miles away from one another yet looking at our lives today we are so close. She’s one of my biggest supporters and an important person in my life. We may not see each other a lot, but when we do we get back to exactly how it was when we left each other. So all in all, getting to be with her for a few days was great.  

            Saying goodbye to my cousin and watching her enter the airport (only passengers are allowed to enter. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know) was difficult. I headed back to the hotel feeling really alone. That’s one of the hardest parts of being here, feeling lonely a lot of times. And of course that feeling of being completely empty is the worst right after you’ve spent time with people. So I went back to my hotel feeling empty and alone and just wanting to crawl into my bed and cry, which is exactly what I did. At this point I’ve felt this way so many times that I’ve learned how to deal with it. I knew it would take a couple of days to feel better again. My Peace Corps service has taught me to be in touch with my emotions so when I feel a certain way, I accept it and just feel it. I’m not down on myself when I want to cry, I just cry and then I feel better.

The guest house we stayed in. A traditional Harari home.

            But on to more happy things. After my cousin left I was only in Addis for a day before my trip to Harar with some other volunteers. Harar is about 10 hours east of Addis and is the fourth holiest Islamic city in the world after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Within this city is the walled city of Jugal. Old Harar has about 90-odd mosques and is said to have one of the largest concentrations of mosques in the world. Everywhere we walked we were met with a different mosque, all of them beautiful. The walled city is also filled with small, cobblestone alleyways that curve into all directions. It’s easy to get lost. Being in Harar didn’t feel like we were in Ethiopia. The city is so different than anywhere else I’ve been to in this country. The guesthouse we stayed in was a traditional Harari home within the wall. It was gorgeous and a great experience to spend a couple of nights there. On our first day we headed straight to the brewery. Harar makes a beer called Hakim Stout. You can see where our priorities are, but hey, we were on vacation. And we tried to visit the brewery, but it was closed, so we just resolved to drinking. After the brewery, we found fabric row and all bought some beautiful fabrics and scarves. We then found camel meat and bought a kilo. A man took us into his family’s home, another traditional Harari house, where his mother cooked the meat for us. It was delicious. That night we also saw hyenas. Harar is famous for hyena feedings which is popular with the tourists. When night fell around 7pm, we went to find the hyena man. After negotiating a price, the hyena man went out of sight and started yelling out, making howling noises for the hyenas to come out. I’m still not sure if it was real or just a show. For all we knew, the hyenas were in a hidden cage and the hyena man was only calling out to them for theatrics. Either way it was pretty cool. The hyenas came out and were right in front of us.

The guest house we stayed in. A traditional Harari home

One of the many mosques in Harar

The square where we bought camel meat

The following day as we were walking around, visiting Harar, a man invited us into a wedding celebration. Of course we accepted the invitation. The women were all dressed in traditional Muslim clothes. They were gorgeous. We also ate traditional Harari food of rice and meat with a delicious lime sauce. Before leaving Harar we absolutely wanted to get henna. We asked around and when we found the woman who did it, she wanted an outrageous amount for it so we left. We were all pretty disappointed and gave up on the idea of henna. As we were walking around the market, I spotted two women on the side of the road doing henna to each other. I approached them and said the designs were beautiful. I then asked them if they could do it on me and they agreed. Sitting on the side of the road on market day definitely brought us a lot of attention. A crowd was gathered around us while all five of us took turns getting tattooed. We chatted and laughed with the women. I felt so relaxed even though there had to be at least twenty people around us. This was by far the highlight of my trip. After the woman from earlier had wanted to charge us a ridiculous amount I had given up on the idea of getting henna and was ready to head back to Addis. But it’s always the unplanned situations that you walk into that are the best and that teach you the most about where you are.   

Henna

            The next day was a full day of travel on a public bus back to Addis. It was awful. It took us 13 hours to get back. I thought we’d never get there. I was so happy when we arrived at the Ghion hotel. The next five days was our group’s (G9) mid-service conference (MSC). These conferences tend to be negative with it being the middle of your service, but I think our group in general surprised the staff. We were all pretty positive. The entire week was full of experience sharing. We discussed what was working at our sites and what wasn’t. We worked together on ideas for next year and gave one another solutions for certain problems and challenges we were having. The conference was a great way to motivate us for our second year. And it was also wonderful to get to see all of G9. We hadn’t been together since our All Volunteer Conference in March.

            That next weekend I participated in a 3-day gender training held by an organization called Girl Hub. Girl Hub and Peace Corps are working on some projects together. This training that I was involved in is to conduct a pilot program at my school. Girl Hub has developed a curriculum to go along with the girl band they created. They would like Peace Corps Volunteers to pilot the program for 6 weeks. Throughout these next weeks, I will be doing this curriculum in a girls’ club made up of 12 adolescent girls and a female counterpart. I will be monitoring the sessions and giving Girl Hub feedback on the program. I’m excited to be a part of the development of this curriculum. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to work with the girls in my community and also a great opportunity for my school and students.

            Finally, my last day in Addis involved a mandatory physical with the Peace Corps doctor and a visit to the dentist’s. So that was my September. It was really busy and a lot of fun but now it’s time to get back to work and complete my last year of service. With it being October there are less than 12 months to go until I’m back in the States. I’m ready to make this year my most productive and successful yet. Let’s see what happens.

Integration

I recently had a conversation with some PCVs about integration and how integrated each one of us feels in our communities. Ever since arriving in Ethiopia over a year ago Peace Corps has stressed the importance of integration in our sites. At meetings, conferences and in surveys we are always asked about our level of integration. It’s difficult to measure. I asked the PCVs what exactly integration means. How do I measure whether or not I’m integrated? It’s really easy to compare yourself to other volunteers. You see their pictures and statuses on Facebook and hear various stories at meetings that make you feel like what you’re doing is nothing compared to everyone else. When I hear about another volunteer’s life in their town, all the people they know and the work they are doing I feel like if that person is integrated, I’m not integrated at all. It’s really hard not to compare yourself to everyone else. But I constantly have to remind myself no to do it.

            So as I was saying, I was discussing integration with some friends and I told them that if I look at how other PCVs are doing, I’m probably not very integrated. Or the level at which Peace Corps wants us to be integrated is not where I’m at. But integration is different for everyone. A big part of it has to do with the size of your town. And after speaking to the PCVs I realized that it’s normal for me not to feel integrated when I’m walking through the middle of town in Butajira. Butajira is big compared to a lot of other PCV sites. If you check online, Butajira’s population is 30,000, but I feel like it’s much closer to 50,000 or 60,000. So it’s impossible for me to know everyone and for everyone in Butajira to know me. I don’t expect everyone in Knoxville to know who I am so why should it be the same here? I think it’s because we are a very small community of PCVs, even if we are the biggest PC country, and so when we are with one another, it’s easy to compare yourself to everyone else. We pretty much all have the same job. So when you meet up with people and you hear about life at their site and how they are doing, you start to look at your own and ask, what am I doing wrong? But that’s not healthy! I shouldn’t do that! Every site is different. Every PCV is different. Integration in my entire town is impossible whereas for a volunteer living in a town of 3,000, it is a much more attainable goal.

            A volunteer explained integration to me as people living around you knowing your name, who you are, where you live, and what you’re doing there. It’s not your entire town. It’s the small circle of people living close to you, people who are going to help you if you need anything. So for me I would consider that to be the people in my compound, my neighbors, people towards the end of my road (because I live on one of the bigger streets in Butajira), and the shop owners around my house. And all these people do know me. When I walk down the street they stop me to say hi and ask my how I’m doing. I’m most comfortable in this area of town, as it should be since this is where I live. So after discussing what exactly was meant by being integrated, I do feel integrated. I’ve had a couple incidents where I felt unsafe. The first time it happened was right when I moved into my home. My host family was a monumental help in solving the problem. They took care of the situation immediately and I felt a million times better. The second incident was about three months ago in my compound. It was nothing serious but it did worry me. My landlady apologized for the incident and called the police the next day to get the man that was bothering me kicked out. So when I remind myself of these situations, I feel like I am a part of the community. I always feel safe and if anything were to happen I know I have people that would drop everything to help me. That’s a really great feeling and it has proven to me that I am integrated. 

Updated Book List

You can still buy books and get them to my students with free shipping.
I've updated the list of books below.
Let me know if you get any so I can lookout for the package and take the books off the list.
For those of you that don't know how it works, just go to the website, betterworldbook.com, pick the books you want to purchase and put in my address for shipping.

Here is the website again:
betterworldbooks.com

And my address:

Helena Chevallier
PO Box 153
Butajira, SNNPR
Ethiopia

Thanks for your help!

There was an Old Lady – Pam Adams

Green – Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book – Dr. Seuss

Bear Has a Story to Tell – Philip Christian Stead

Giraffes Can’t Dance – Gile Andreae

The Ear Book – Al Perkins

If Everybody Did – Jo Ann Stover

The Shape of My Heart – Mark Sperring

The Little Red Hen – J.P. Miller

The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters - Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Would You Rather? - John Burningham

I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato - Lauren Child

Where’s Spot? - Eric Hill

The Tiger Who Came to Tea - Judith Kerr

The Arrival - Shaun Tan

Caps for Sale - Esphyr Slobodkina

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! - Mo Willems

George and Martha - James Marshall

The Lion and the Mouse - Jerry Pickney

Madeline - Ludwig Bemelmans

Olivia - Ian Falconer

Pippi Longstocking - Astrid Lindgren

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs - Jon Scieszka

Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech

My Living Conditions

I’ve been back in Butajira for about three weeks now and I am in a much better place mentally than I was when I first got back from the States. These last two weeks I was kept busy with G11’s (new group of education volunteers) practicum. I acted as a sort of advisor. I helped a group of trainees assigned to the school that I work at on making lesson plans and creating assessments and I observed their teaching and gave them feedback. Other G9 (my group) volunteers were in town doing the same thing I was so I was able to work with them and catch up. Most of them I hadn’t seen since March, so it was nice getting to see some familiar faces. I soon gathered that I wasn’t the only one in a slump. When you reach your one year mark it’s normal to feel a bit depressed. So hearing how my fellow G9ers were also feeling down, talking through it with them I realized that I’m not alone, we’re all in very similar places and in that way I got out of my slump.

 

After looking at this upcoming school year, all the things I have planned, and marking when important conferences and meetings are, I realized that this year is going to fly by. I feel as though almost overnight my mood dramatically changed. I’m happy to be in Ethiopia. I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be for now. I’m so excited for this next year. I’ve realized that there is so much of this country I have yet to see. So I’ve started listing all the places I want to go and have tried to figure out when I’ll be able to do it. I’m ready to start this next year and make it amazing!

In the meantime, as I have no work going on right now I thought I’d put together some pictures of my house and my school. When I was in America I got a lot of questions about my living conditions, my house, and how I go about getting my basic needs. Hope these answer most of your questions. 

I came home to freshly painted walls which I was beyond excited about. I had wanted my red room painted ever since I moved in a year ago. My landlord started doing renovations on my compound before I left and had asked me if I wanted my house painted. I jumped on the opportunity not to have to do the painting myself or have to find someone to do it for me and did not hesitate to say yes, please!!

I’ve also posted some photos below of the ride to Lake Langano that I got to go to a couple of weeks ago. Some G9s and I were able to tag along on G11’s day trip to the lake.

The mattress on the floor acts as a couch.

Don't let those hard wood floors fool you. It's plastic!! I'm trying to stay fancy,

The purple room is my bedroom

My school compound

My school compound

My school compound

One of the classrooms at my school

One of the classrooms at my school.

Afterthoughts on a month in America

I thought I’d be able to write a blog post as soon as I got back to Ethiopia, but it turns out those first three days were too depressing for me to sit down, gather my thoughts, and write about my trip home. I just got back to Ethiopia from having spent a month in America and I feel like leaving my friends and family was harder this time then it was when I first left a year ago. Just thinking about it I have tears in my eyes. I didn’t want the plane to land as we approached Addis. I know this last year went by fast and no doubt the next one will be just the same, however so many things happened in just one year. Many great memories, but also some especially trying moments and experiences. And to think that I have to do it all over again for another year seems impossible.

            About my month in America. I’m so happy I was able to go back and spend some quality time with my family and friends. I ate and drank as much as my stomach could handle which by my last week caused me to lose my appetite. Those hot showers were amazing. Just being able to do my hair, put on some make up and wear a dress was incredible. Those things may not seem like a big deal but I miss feeling like a woman. It felt amazing to see my friends, catch up, and share a few laughs over some good food and a glass of wine. For all of those who made the time to come see me it means so much. I love you and miss you so much. And of course to be with my family again… the people that love you no matter what, even when I’m not the greatest person to be around or I get in a bad mood and in my case, the four people that support me in all that I do, the time I was able to spend with them will be with me throughout this year. I know I’ve said this before, but the support and love that I receive from my family and my friends is what keeps me going. I couldn’t do this without all of you. I’ve learned that my relationships with you are so important to me and I hope they continue once my service is over.

            I did have some difficult moments during my stay however. Living away from everyone for an entire year, in a country so very different than my own left me feeling disconnected. Many of the experiences that I’ve had in Ethiopia are difficult to translate in America. Many times I felt like I couldn’t relate to the conversations that people were having. At times I found myself silent at meals because I had no idea what to say. It’s a very lonely feeling that I know takes time to go away.

            Even so, leaving America was unbearable. I got a taste of America for a month and then I had to leave it. I was reminded of the life I had before I left. I got to have all the freedoms I don’t have here back for a month. As humans we evolve and we adapt. So after a few months in Ethiopia you begin to get used to the way of life here and what was once difficult becomes normal. Before I left for my vacation, I had my routine. But going to America I got to see my life in Ethiopia and it reminded me of how hard and challenging life in Ethiopia is, at least for me. And now to have to get back in that routine and get comfortable with life here again seems too difficult. Last year when I left the States I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn’t know what to expect. This time I knew what was waiting for me when I arrived back in Ethiopia so I think this may be why it was harder to leave. And even though I’ve finished a year in Ethiopia and understand this country a little bit better than I did before, it’s still going to be hard.  

Now I don’t want to give people the idea that Ethiopia is a horrible place and my life here is dreadful. As I was waiting in Chicago for my plane to take off, drinking one last beer of course, I found myself thinking that I needed to make a list of all the things I needed to do when I got “home”. No matter how many obstacles I face in this country, Butajira is my home for now. I have wonderful memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I have met some great people that it will be difficult to say goodbye to when I get ready to leave. I’ve also made friendships with fellow volunteers that I know will last a lifetime. I don’t regret joining the Peace Corps, but it is by far the most difficult thing I have ever done. I am challenged and pushed every day in ways that I know wouldn’t be if I was in America. I’m confronted with situations that I would never have to deal with in America. If there’s anything I’ve learned this past year it’s how much I love my country. And being away from it for so long in a place so completely different is challenging. America has its problems. It’s not perfect and there are many changes that our society needs to make BUT, America is amazing. There are so many things that Americans don’t realize they have that I would also take for granted if I hadn’t had the experience of living in Ethiopia. I understand how lucky I am to have grown up in such a place and I now have a much greater appreciation for where I am from. 

What's Happening in Ethiopia?

Bus ride to Arba Minch

I know I’m way behind on my blog posts so let me try to bring you up to date. The weekend after Easter (so at the end of April) I traveled to Arba Minch with some other volunteers for a friend’s birthday. From Butajira I got on a bus to Hossana (2 hours). Once in Hossana I got on another bus heading to Wolayta Sodo and had the driver drop me off in Areka (1 hour and 15 minutes) where my friend Theresa lives. I spent a couple days with her and then we headed down to Sodo (45 minutes) where we got on a bus to Arba Minch (3 hours). The ride down to Arba Minch was gorgeous. The road on the other hand was pretty bumpy and very dusty. But I got some great photos of the scenery so it was well worth it. And of course getting out of site for a few days is always nice. Arba Minch was extremely hot though. Without ever feeling a breeze I felt exhausted most of the time I was there. It was so hot I couldn’t enjoy the hot shower which is saying a lot seeing as how the only shower I’ve seen in the last few months has come out of a blue bucket. I’m glad I made the trip down though and got to see a part of Ethiopia I hadn’t before.

On a more serious note, the first couple weeks of May were met with some violent protests across the Oromia region. University students along with citizens from the towns in which the students met were protesting a development plan for Addis Ababa. I don’t know all of the details but some people were arrested and some were killed. The volunteers in those areas were evacuated to Addis. They are all safe and as of last week most have returned to site. Because of these events, Peace Corps decided it was best to cancel the EveryOne Campaign Race in Hawassa on May 11^th that many volunteers had signed up for. I think the majority of us were pretty disappointed about this, but it was a necessary decision Peace Corps had to make to ensure all of ours safety.

Bus ride to Arba Minch

Other news:

G10 is out of training and has sworn in as volunteers. This means they have left Butajira and I have the town to myself again. G11 arrives in July and Peace Corps training staff will be back in Butajira to set up in a couple of weeks so I won’t be alone long. Since G11 will be here this summer and they are an education group, I’ll probably be helping out with some of the trainings since school will be out and I won’t have much work.

I still have my weekly English club with my 7^th and 8^th grade students. This is my favorite hour of the week. I have so much fun with the students and they seem to be enjoying the club too. They keep coming back so I’m taking that as a sign that they like club as much as I do. My teacher trainings on the other hand haven’t been going the way I’d like them to. Last week only one teacher showed up. I was pretty frustrated and have decided to stop doing trainings this school year. If the education office wants me to continue trainings we can start up again in the fall, but we will have to go about it a different way because I can’t keep putting energy into helping these teachers if they aren’t giving me anything in return.

I’m still doing the Better World Books drive and am very excited to say that I have over 100 books now. Students come into my class every day to read or just flip through them and look at the pictures (for the ones who can’t read). Most of them have never touched a story book so I’m really thankful to the people who donated. I’ve been putting ideas together for a summer reading program I can do for the students now that I have all of these books.

With the end of the school year approaching students are getting ready to take exams. The national exams are for grades 8, 10, and 12. If students in these grades do not pass their exams they don’t get to move on. So at my school, if grade 8 students don’t pass they can’t move on to the high school. As you can imagine it’s a pretty stressful time. Grades 4 – 7 students also take final exams at the end of the semester so they are preparing for those.

Rainy season is approaching. Walking back from school last week I got caught in a downpour. I was in a t-shirt, skirt, and flip flops and by the time I got to my house I was drenched and my feet and legs were covered in mud. Note to self: start taking your rain jacket with you everywhere.

Even though there will be no school this summer, I’m brainstorming some ideas for some summer programs I can do with some of the students. I’m hoping this will keep me busy. I’ve already mentioned the summer reading program, but I would also like to do a female only program. I’m still working on the details but stay tuned for that.

I have a lot of free time that I fill up by reading. I’ve read so many books! I’m going to use the time I’m home this summer to stock up so if anyone has any they want to get rid of, save them for me when I come home this summer.

And of course the best news of all is that I’ll be in America in less than 6 weeks!!!! I am beyond excited. I’m trying to keep myself busy so I don’t think about it too much. So I think this about brings everyone up to speed on Ethiopia.

View from one of the restaurants we ate at in Arba Minch

View from one of the restaurants we ate at in Arba Minch

 

Updated Wishlist for Better World Books

Here's the website you can purchase books at:

betterworldbooks.com

The best part is that shipping is FREE!!! and if you buy the books used (which is totally acceptable, I'd rather you do that anyways) they are under $10.

Send them to this address:

Helena Chevallier

PO Box 153

Butajira SNNPR

Ethiopia

Better World Books Wish List!

  The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

  Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne

   The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey

   Flat Stanley, Jeff Brown

  The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters, Janet and Allan Ahlberg

   Gorilla, Anthony Browne

   Would You Rather?, John Burningham

   I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato, Lauren Child

   Where’s Spot?, Eric Hill

       The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Judith Kerr

       Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish

        The Arrival, Shaun Tan

       Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo

       The Borrowers, Mary Norton

       Caps for Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina

        Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Bill Martin and John Archambault

        Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Mo Willems

        George and Martha, James Marshall

         The Giver, Lois Lowry

         Jumanji, Chris Van Allsburg

         The Lion and the Mouse, Jerry Pickney

         Madeline, Ludwig Bemelmans

         Olivia, Ian Falconer

          Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren

Rickshaw Girl, Mitali Perkins

                   Strega Nona, Tomie dePaola

                  The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka

                 The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams

                  My Father’s Dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett

                  Stuart Little, E.B. White

                  Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech