In
the afterword of a book that I just finished reading the author writes, “I
realized that the world we live in isn’t defined by a collection of countries
at odds with one another, but by the striking commonalities of the individuals
who compose those countries” (John Shors). These words resonated well with me
and made me ponder my experience here in Ethiopia. On my good days, I couldn’t
agree more with Shors. The great part about this experience is seeing that at
the end of day, humans are very similar. We all laugh and cry. We all feel
happiness and sadness. The bond among family and friends holds the same
strength and importance everywhere. These people exist in America and they
exist in Ethiopia. Coming across such realizations makes all of this worth it. On
my bad days though, when I’m trying to enjoy a hike with fellow volunteers and
kids follow us, yelling at us, taunting us and nothing we do makes them stop,
or when I get verbally and sexually harassed when I’m walking through the
middle of town, or when I bump heads with teachers at my school because they
put all the blame on their students for getting bad scores and can’t seem to
see how the teacher can have a lot to do with it, in those moments I feel very
differently than John Shors and I can’t help thinking that across countries,
humans aren’t always the same.
In
these moments I am reminded that I am different. I can’t help feeling that even
though we may all be human, our cultural differences, the environment we live
in and our own personal experiences set us apart. This can be difficult and exhausting
to deal with. And in those instances where I get so frustrated and I just want
to scream and give up, I have to remind myself of where these differences come
from. For instance with the harassment that I receive, I get it because of my
skin color and because of my gender. I have to remind myself that Ethiopians,
certainly children, are not used to seeing foreigners. I on the other hand,
grew up in a country full of diversity so seeing people of all shades and
colors is normal to me and at times I am left wondering why someone always need
to scream at me when I’m walking down the street. Instead of getting angry, I
have to remind myself that seeing people of a different color is not common, so
I shouldn’t get angry every time it happens. With the sexual harassment, I remind
myself that I am living in a country where men dominate and control everything.
They have the say in everything and most Ethiopian women are to stay quiet and
subservient. America still has work to do when it comes to gender equality, but
I can promise you that we are way ahead of Ethiopia in that department. I have
had to alter so much of my behavior as a woman for my own safety because I
cannot be the way I am in America in Ethiopia and feel safe. And to have to change
an important part of who you are, not because you want to, but so you can feel
safe is difficult and was hard to grasp and understand when I first got here. With
my teachers at school, I have to remind myself that the teaching methods they
use are all they have ever known. This is how they were taught when they were
students, this is how they were told to teach and they are working and living
in a system where hierarchy is everything.
So
what’s the point of this post you might ask? What am I trying to get at? Well
to be honest, I want my readers to see how confusing and lost I feel living
here and to show the constant struggle and debate that is going on in my head. Are
we the same or are we different? I’m trying to understand the people I am
surrounded by. I’m trying to understand who I am and why I am the way I am. Why
do I think this way while the people around me think a different way? And other
times, why do different people respond to something in the same way? Sometimes
I love Ethiopia. Other times I can’t stand being here. There are instances
where I get to see the things that connect all of us humans together,
regardless of our nationalities, and that is beautiful. Other moments though, I
see how big of an impact culture has on every one of us and how different
cultures do set us apart. But no matter how frustrating this whole experience
can be, I think the point of Peace Corps is to show that by understanding one
another’s cultures and what makes us who we are, we can bring peace. Too often
conflicts arise because of cultural differences and people don’t take the time
to understand why a person is the way they are. And if we don’t take the time
to understand one another it is inevitable that we will never get along. But
understanding another person’s culture is a huge challenge. I’m trying to
figure out Ethiopia every day and it’s a constant struggle.
