Camp GLOW, Wondo Genet 2015

I just arrived back from camp GLOW (Guys & Girls Leading Our World) in Wondo Genet. Wondo Genet is about 30 minutes outside of Hawassa. Volunteers set up these summer camps for students in several Peace Corps countries. The camps we put together in Ethiopia are regional. Our camp in the South was made up of 15 PCVs, 10 Ethiopian counterparts and 30 high school students. Since I don't work with the high school in my town I brought my host sister Etsub and my landlord's son Kirubel. I was really happy I brought them. They've both been an important part of my service so it was wonderful getting to spend this quality time with them. Inviting them to camp was also a way for me to show them how much I appreciate the help they've given me while I've been here.

We left Butajira Monday morning and headed to Hawassa where a bus awaited all the camp members to take us to the agriculture campus in Wondo Genet where our camp was held. We took over 2 rooms for our sessions. The sleeping arrangement was dorm style. There were 6 bunks in each room and shared bathrooms for everyone. The bathrooms were pretty awful, but after living here 2 years it's funny the things that become normal and the things that you don't mind so much (such as half rusted doors to holes in the ground you're forced to go to the bathroom in and horrific smells). I wasn't thrilled having to sleep 6 to a room but it actually turned out to be kind of fun. We slept in sleeping bags on pretty uncomfortable and old pillows. It was only 4 nights though and I got to spend that time getting to know volunteers from other groups and of course spending the nights with my favorite G9s.

Camp went from 7am to 10pm for 3 days. Camp sessions were focused on gender equality, sexual health, leadership, and goal-setting. I led the session on goal-setting and was happy with the overall flow of it. The students put effort into the activity I asked them to do and seemed happy with it. 

For our last night at camp we had a candlelight ceremony. We were all standing around the bonfire, each one of us holding a candle. We each went around and said what our favorite part of camp was. One of my favorite parts, and something I also saw at the AGE Summit, was the difference in the students from day one to the last day. In the beginning none of them know each other. They come from all different towns throughout SNNPR. They are quiet and unsure of themselves. By the end of camp though they were all active and had made friends. Some of them cried during the candlelit ceremony and it was hard for them to say goodbye. One of the prizes they received was a notebook from the States. They started using them to write notes to one another to remember one another by. The whole things was pretty cute. Students kept coming up to me asking me to write them a personal note in their books. Personally, I loved getting to spend this last time with the students I brought, but Etsub and Kirubel aren't just students I took to camp. They are my brother and sister. So being with them during camp, seeing them excited to make friends, was a perfect last memory to leave Ethiopia with. Getting to spend time with my fellow PCVs was also wonderful. There are some truly amazing people in the PC. And the great thing about camp is we come together from different groups (G7 - G12) and work together to put on this camp for our kids.

I have 2 weeks left in Ethiopia but it has yet to feel like I'm leaving. Before we headed back to Butajira we stopped in Hawassa for some juice. As I started hugging all the PCVs before heading to the bus station I realized this was the last time I would see any of these people and the last time I would ever be sitting in this café, my favorite  in Hawassa. It was really sad saying goodbye and walking away as all these PCVs were  still there. I finally realized that I was going home and this community that exists among PCVs I will never have again. There's a shared bond between PCVs. We're all very different and we may not always get along, but we have a shared experience that we don't need to explain to one another. We understand each other and I'm starting to understand that this part of my life is almost over and I'm about to leave this beautiful community. As I start to go through my things, cleaning my house, and packing my luggage, I'm getting nervous about saying goodbye to the friends and family I've made in Ethiopia and I'm getting emotional about leaving my house and the home I have created.