Goodbye everyone!

It’s been a full week since returning to Ethiopia and I can safely say I’m ready to go back. Don’t get me wrong, I love the states and I missed my friends and family like crazy, but Ethiopia was breathtaking. I keep looking through the pictures that I took and wish I could just step back into that moment.

Now, there are also moments where I’m happy to be back. For example, water. I tell you, it’s so much easier to not have to worry about drinking tap water. Even now, I sometimes panic a little bit when putting my toothbrush under the faucet. Also, I was really happy to see my family. My sister brought me cupcakes, my parents balloons and flowers, and other loved ones surprised me by just being there.

In most of my other blogs, I commented that I couldn’t wait to share this experience when I got home. I’ve come to understand what Pam (our group leader) meant when she warned us that some people will ask about the trip and your experiences, but not really care. Still, I’ve discovered that there are a lot of people who DO care and couldn’t wait for me to share all of my pictures and favorite memories. For me, it seems that the interested people far outweigh those who ask to be polite.

Being home has been a new experience in itself. I’m glad to be home, but also sad to have left my “Ethiopia group family.” I know that this trip will always be special to me and will encourage me to travel more in the future. I can’t wait for my next adventure. Bye!

Lalibela and Leaving

Wow. The time is coming for our departure and I am so sad to be leaving. I’ve had such an amazing time and wish I could spend another month here. Only a few short days ago, we were at the stone-carved churches of Lalibela. We visited eleven different churches. One of my favorite parts about the churches was the view from the outside. Inside, they were all very standard; however, on the outside, they each had their own significance and beauty. Legend says that several of the churches were made with the assistance of angels. My favorite story was of a queen who built the church in 24 hours to ask forgiveness from her husband, who she suspected of cheating but wasn’t. After visiting the churches, we went to play soccer at a local field. It was so much fun! I made a friend who gave me a handmade necklace. I was sad to leave, but very happy I got to meet all of them.

On our last day in Lalibela, we took a mule ride up a mountain to a monastery. My mule was dark brown (i called him Sammy) and decided to race ahead of the other mules. It was scary to go first because it was very rocky at parts, and I was worried I would fall off. Luckily, I didn’t! All in all, it was a very fun ride.

Since then, all we’ve done is drive back to Addis Ababa. It’s finally hitting me that we’re about to go home. While I excited to see all of the people I miss, I also know that I’m going to miss the new friends I made here. I’m sad that I don’t get to spend new time in Ethiopia, but I’m so glad that I was able to have the experiences that I did. I don’t think a lifetime in Ethiopia would be enough! I can’t wait to share my stories with everyone back home. Until then, ciao!

Dirty Windows

Hey, everyone! It’s been about a week since I last blogged and the days are really starting to fly by! So much has happened, so I’ll only mention the major things.

One REALLY cool thing that we got to do was visited Ajuuja orphanage in Hawasa. I was placed in a room with Amy, Cat, and about 8 babies. It was a lot of fun, even though I’ve never really had to take care of babies before. Cat and Amy were an enormous help to me by showing me what to do. Right before we left, we had a group meeting and Predko told us how low on supplies the orphanage was. We decided to spend the rest of our fundraised money buying formula, rice, and other food supplies. We spent nearly the entire day working with the orphanage and I feel so glad about where the rest of our money went.

After leaving Hawasa, we drove nearly all day to get to get to Addis Ababa. Driving is always pretty fun, even though sometimes you can barely see out the window because it’s so muddy. As we drive through mud, it splatters up until the windows are practically brown. It happens to the back window the most. Anyways, we stayed overnight at the Ras Hotel again, which was a lot of fun to return to. Then, we 1eft the next morning and drove the entire day again. When we arrived at the hotel, we were worried that we were at the wrong hotel because it was so nice. As it turns out, we weren’t. We were all so ecstatic and watched movies that night. We had grilled pineapple for desert and pancakes for breakfast. We watched Bring it On and then documentaries of Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Lawrence. It was a magical stay. Anyways, the next day we finished the drive to Bahir Dar. Our hotel here is also nice. I’m enjoying the stay so far. After finishing our drive, we ate lunch and then went to the market. There were so many different interesting things, like incense, knives, and coffee pots. After that, we walked down the main road and bought samosas. I ate a lentil one and a rice one. They were so delicious! On the way back, we stopped at a juice bar and got smoothies or bowls of fruit. Overall, it was a super fun night. Then, last night, Amy and I watched a weird movie called Passenger. We went to bed really early because we’ve all been so tired.

This morning, we went to the Blue Nile Falls. They were so beautiful and we took a ton of pictures. There was also a bridge that we decided to cross because it was pretty swingy and a lot of fun. Still, it was high up and very scary. This afternoon, we went on a boat ride to a peninsula with a church on it. They sell a lot of incense and coffee, so I was excited for that. Now, we’re blogging and the computers keep crashing, plus the internet doesn’t work very well. It’s pretty frustrating, but we’ll survive. We still haven’t eaten dinner so everyone is hungry and on an emotional rollercoaster. We got back from the peninsula late(ish) so we had to blog before eating. We’ll go eat next.

Sorry about the summary of events with no reflection, but everyone here is pretty frustrated. This is about the third time I’m writing this blog and some of the girls around me are even crying from frustration. The computers keep crashing and the internet doesn’t work well and I’m actually one of the lucky ones because I only lost it twice instead of like four times. Still, we’ve been having a lot of fun (even if that’s not reflected in the frustration of the other girls’ blogs) and are all so happy to be here. I can’t wait to tell you about more of our adventures!

Acheber

It’s been so long since I last blogged! I guess I’ll start with meeting Mulu Solomon, a poet and women’s rights advocate who recently resigned from her position as the President of the Chamber of Commerce. We were able to listen to her tell some of her life story and then ask her questions about some of the stuff she had told us. At the end of the meeting, she read us one of her most famous poems, Women of the World Unite. I feel so lucky to have met such an influential woman in Ethiopian society. After that, we drove to Acheber. One the way, we stopped at a gas station and some people got CRAZY amounts of snacks (YUM!) to eat on the drive. When we finally got there, we had to hike up a mountain to get to the pastor’s guest house, where we would stay. It was really hard because of the elevation, but it got easier as the days went on. The night we arrived, we played soccer and frisbee with some of the village kids. It was a lot of fun, but also really slippery. Then, we had dinner, set up our mosquito nets, and went to bed. Every morning in Acheber, we tutored students at an elementary school. By about 10:30, high school students came, so Skylar, Amy, and I went to help them with English. For the most part, tutoring was easy. We did puzzles, played games, and had the older students write sentences and paragraphs. Still, we were all really tired when it was over. After returning to the pastor’s house and having lunch, we went out to the construction site for a preschool to do more community service. First, we had to carry really heavy boards (planks of wood) up to the site from the contractor’s house. Then, a few of us went out to help with the construction of the latrine. We dug holes for the building posts and then helped saw the branches that would be used as posts. The next day, we returned to fill the holes with small rocks to hold the posts up and then helped move rocks to the floor of the preschool. I know that the construction part probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but that’s kind of how it felt at the time! There were a lot of odd jobs to do around the construction site to help, but they were mostly just small labor projects so that the actual contractors didn’t have to spend time doing them. We ended up not doing construction on the third day (yesterday) because no one was feeling in top shape. We think it was because of the altitude. Instead, most of us went to the town to buy tons of pairs of rain boots for the village kids. We donated all of those shoes and a lot of other stuff we brought (clothes, soccer equipment, etc.) We left all of those supplies to the pastor to give to the people most in need around the village. We also left school supplies at the elementary school we tutored at, which felt good.

There were some really fun (or funny) things that happened in Acheber, too. For example, two days ago and today we had pancakes! They were so delicious (special thanks to Addis, who cooked for us in Acheber) and we all wanted to take some for the road today. Another thing was everyone slipping in mud at least once in these three days. I made it until two days ago, and then tripped on my way back to the bus at the construction site. Overall, I had so much fun in Acheber and was sad to leave.

That was mostly all that happened in Acheber. Now, we’re in Awasa (Hawasa, to some) and our hotel is pretty amazing. It’s styled like separate houses and we’re all in a row. I’m rooming with Jessica, so that should be really fun. I’m excited for some of the fun things we’re going to do here, like Hippo watching and visiting another teacher. But for now, we’re off to dinner! Ciao!

Then came the coffee

The past few days have been so much fun! The last time I blogged, we were about to go to a cultural dinner performance, which ended up being really fun even though we were really tired. First, we ate dinner while listening to the band play. As it got later, dancers started performing, too, which was so cool! The style of dancing was kind of different and it was really interesting to watch and imitate when they asked you to come up and dance with them. When they asked me, I was so nervous! One dancer tried to get me to dance with him in the front and center of this restaurant and crowded room, but practically no one else dancing! I was so embarrassed, but I’m glad I did it. After that, we all went straight to bed because we were so tired! The next day, we didn’t have much planned so we kind of winged it. Amy and Sofia went to get paint supplies for the orphanage while the rest of us went to a museum and then to a little café. For dinner, we went to nearby hotel and I had pizza (it was delicious!). That night (last night), some of us tried to stay up and watch the Brazil vs. Netherland game, which I kind of failed. The game started at 11, and I stayed up until then, but I was only able to watch half an hour or so before beginning to fall asleep in the lobby, giving up, and going to bed. Still, it was fun hanging out with everyone before the game.

This morning, we had to get up at like 5:15 to go to a service at the Trinity Cathedral. It started at 4 am and lasted until 10 am, but we only stayed from 6:30-8 or so, which wasn’t too bad. There were so many cute kids there, too, so it was fun to watch them play during the service. After that, we went back to the hotel for breakfast, and then went to Intoto, where there was a museum, church, and other historical sites. It was really beautiful and fun to see, especially when we came across a wedding procession (Three, actually, but we only focused on one) where they were singing and dancing. It was so interesting to watch the differences and similarities to what I originally knew about weddings to how they acted after a wedding. The music and instruments were different, but there was still great energy. After that, we went to the zoo. At the zoo, we were able to get cotton candy that was larger than our heads! It tasted so good and made the zoo visit better. After the zoo, we went to a coffee ceremony at Yeshi Buna. That was very interesting because I’ve never loved coffee, but even I could admit that it tasted great for coffee. We ate our lunch at a small table while the coffee beans were cooked and prepared behind us. The food was absolutely amazing!!! Then came the coffee. When they served the coffee, I was nervous to try it. Now, I’m glad I did! They also gave up popcorn that was made on the same pan as the coffee beans. It was also very good. If you can’t tell, I was very happy with and am still excited about my lunch today! After the ceremony, we went back to the hotel and then had a meeting. Now, we’re at an internet café! I’m excited to respond to emails and check up on how everyone is doing. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting on my blog!

Tonight, we watch more soccer… Who should I root for?

The first few exciting days…

The past few days since leaving for Ethiopia have been crazy! We’ve done tons of stuff, I don’t even know where to start!

Leaving the airport was really sad. I already miss everyone and it’s only been three days! The flights were VERY long. On the second flight, I watched about 4 movies, and all were very good. The food didn’t taste great, but what can you really expect from airport food? After arriving, we went to our rooms to rest, and then drove around the city and went to the market. It’s was so crowded, and pedestrians are all over. There don’t seem to be many traffic laws, either… Anyways, after that we went out to dinner and it tasted so good! Still, there was so much food. After we ate, our guide, Kelly, gave our leftovers to people on the street, which I thought was really cool. When we returned to the hotel, I just went straight to sleep (everyone was crazy tired.) The next day, we had breakfast, had 2 lectures (on history/culture and Civics) went to a museum (and saw Lucy and Ardi) then went to a beautiful church. We also went out to lunch, where I shared food with Amy, Skylar, and Jack. It was raining on and off all day, so it was beautiful when we ate outside underneath a gazebo. I hope that we can go back to that restaurant when we return to Addis Ababa!

This morning, we went to the African Union, which was amazing. First, we walked around and looked at all of the amazing artwork. Then, we went to the room where they hold the summit meeting once a year. It was incredibly beautiful and I learned so much by Q&A with the tour guide. After that, we listened to a speaker talk about 5 major problems facing Africa. He was a great speaker, and had so many interesting insights about these issues. The last thing we did at the AU was go to a press conference for the director of the legal counsel for the AU. His name was Vincent O. NMehielle. This was probably my favorite part of the trip, so far. The press conference was about a recent law created that gives immunity to major leaders after they leave office. It was so interesting and I was able to hear different arguments. After the conference, we were able to ask him questions about the law and the issues regarding it.

The last thing we did today, before this, was go to an orphanage. It was so big, and had many really interesting additions. For example, they had a store, schools, and sewing equipment to make clothes to sell and for the children to wear. We took a tour of the facility and had a few minutes to spend with the kids. Some of us stayed in a playroom area, while others (including myself) stayed outside with bubbles and slightly older kids. I started to teach them how to play hand games and was able to teach one of them to play slide! It was so much fun and I am so happy to be able to spend more time with them over the next few days!

So far, this has been an amazing experience. Even though I’m homesick, I’m having great experiences that will stay with me forever. For that, I’m so grateful. Until next time!

Growing Comfort

Over this past week, our team has been preparing for our trip. While some of it has been kind of boring, it was also a lot of fun! I’ve heard so many times that you don’t really know someone until you travel with them, but this week has really shown me different (but good) sides of the other group members. Every day at lunch, we would all go out and eat with each other, just talking about random and funny stuff. We know each other so much better now and I know that I’ll feel comfortable around them while we’re out of the country. We also learned the skill sets of each person in the group; for example, Henry is really good at thinking through everything he has to say and making each thought count, while Amy is really good at staying calm when facing a problem.

This week also helped to prove to me that I definitely will not be completely prepared for everything that will be thrown my way over the next month. However, I know that, with the support of my teammates, we can get through nearly anything. It’s going to be hard to be in such constant flux the entire time, but I know it will be totally worth it.

We have also been preparing by having different guest speakers come in to talk to us about different locations, the history of the country, and the language (Amharic). It’s all been really interesting, but it’s also proving to me how much I don’t know. I mean, once I get there, I’ll learn quickly and be able to experience things well, but it makes me nervous to feel so lost in all of this information. Still, I have learned a lot and think that I know enough to get by while in the country.

I’m so excited for my departure in 10 days. Six months ago, this trip seemed like it would never happen, and now it’s here. I almost can’t believe it, but this week has really brought it to the forefront of my mind. I think that it will be very, very hard for me to leave all of my friends and family behind, but it will be so worth it. We would meet every Friday while we were still in school and I am so grateful we did. If we hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been as open to talking to the other people in our group this week. Even seeing them on a consistent basis has allowed me to feel more comfortable around them. At this point, it is definitely safe to say that I couldn’t imagine spending this trip and the next month with anyone but these incredible friends.