Gone ETHIOPIAN

I'm one of the last holdouts, but I've finally succumbed to peer pressure and have had my curly locks braided. My friend Blin (the Ethiopian sister of my PC friend Jolene) graciously volunteered to do my hair. She is quite the artist! Can you believe that she did this in less than an hour and after working a 12-hour shift at the hospital?? I'm not sure that I do this type of hairstyle as much justice as my Ethiopian friends, but it should buy me at least 3 to 4 days before I have to wash my hair and that in its own right is a blessing. When I returned home, my family was quite pleased with my new "do" and gave me the highest of compliments...."ahun habesha nesh!" (translation= You are Ethiopian now). Personally, when I look at the top of my head it looks like a brain or a rat maze! What do you think?

My Ethiopian Family

Just thought you might like to see a picture of me and my Ethiopian family. In case you're having a hard time picking me out, I'm the one with the braided hair! Tonight I staged a photo shoot just for all of you. There is always a lot of excitement when my camera appears. They love the instant gratification that digital technology provides and everyone must have a look. It's cute to hear their expressions as we scroll through the various images…."Conju….ahh, betam conju" (translation: beautiful…ahhh, very beautiful!" They must be talking about me, right?!

Wonchii/Crater Lake Excursion

I have finally traveled outside of the place that I've been calling home! My world has become so small that I have ventured no farther than my feet can carry me for over 4 weeks. Isn't that crazy! The destination, Wonchii/Crater Lake, is approx 35km from our town and we finally reached it after traveling for 1.5 hours by bus. The road condition was rough, but tolerable. The dust, however, was horrendous. I rode in the back seat and when you peered out the back window there was ZERO visibility. I ended up wearing a bandana "bandit style" to help reduce the amount of dust that I was consuming. Yes, I looked ridiculous!!

Our journey took us to the top of the crater (at 10,000 feet) where we proceeded to hike 4km down to the water's edge (a relatively steep descent of over 1100 feet). Along the way we passed terraced fields of geb (wheat), wildflowers, charming thatched roof huts, all with a magnificent view of a deep, midnight blue lake. It is an absolutely stunning place! Once at the water's edge, we rested for a bit and then took tankua's (i.e. it would be generous to call it a canoe…more like a dug out tree) to an island complete with a monastery and a few very plump and happy cows. I don't think my tankua guide was too pleased with me as I almost capsized our craft while trying to snap a "postcard perfect" shot. One would think that I had never been in a "dug out tree" before!

My ascent out of the crater was on horseback. I had intended on walking out, but my lungs and friends convinced me otherwise....a wise choice considering it took us 1.5 hours to descend the slippery slope. The highlight of the ascent was riding up through the middle of a cattle and sheep drive. I was surrounded by no fewer than 100 sheep and cattle (they looked like Brahmas to me…big hump, bigger horns). The air was so thick with dust that you could have sliced it. At one point, curiosity got the best of me and I reached out to touch the hump of one the cows to determine if it was "fatty" or "bony" (I know you're dying to know the answer....it's fatty feeling). Now that I think about it, it probably wasn't one of my smartest moves as the cow could have easily swung its head and nailed me with a horn. I suspect, though, that it was just as weary from the climb as my poor horse!!

In addition to the natural beauty, we also had the opportunity to interact with the children of Wonchii/Crater Lake. Wouldn't it be amazing to call this place home?! When walking around town, we are generally greeted by children chanting in unison their favorite English phrase: "give me money." This was not the case today. As we hiked down to the lake, children would come racing out of their homes only to halt at the gate and shyly wave or call out "selam" (which means "Peace"). One little girl along the way, no older than 6 or 7, had already been given the responsibility of touting around her infant brother on her back! I also met one young boy who hiked alongside of me for the better part of 20 minutes eager to have the opportunity to practice his English. At my journey's end he gifted me with a rose and parted with a wave. These are the moments that make me eager to arrive at site and have the opportunity to build relationships and friendships that go beyond a shy wave or a 20-minute chat

Hey Mr. Bale Gari

Today I feel on top of the world. Well at least on top of this small part of the world in which I am now residing. I've had an Amharic language breakthrough! Success at last. I was actually capable of stringing a miniature conversation together and not sounding like a 2 year old.

In language class today we practiced a dialogue related to transportation. We learned a few key phrases that in theory would enable us to ask for, barter with, and secure a ride on either a "feras gari" ( i.e. horse cart) or bejaj (i.e. motorized 3 wheeler with a bench seat). It's one thing to practice in a controlled environment with a teacher who is following a set dialogue and yet another to converse with a random "bale gari" (horse cart owner) who doesn't have the script.

So my friend Megan and I decided to pull out all the stops and secure ourselves a "feras gari". Here's how it went down (sans crib sheet):

Me: Bale Gari, Bale Gari!
(translation…hey cart owner, cart owner)

BG: Abet?
(yes?)

Me: Wode Technical college mehed ifeligalow. Wagow sint nouw?
(literal translation: to technical college to go I want. Price what is?)

BG: Arat birr
(4 birr)

Me: Arat birr?! Firenji wagow. Kenis. And birr wusedegn.
( 4 birr?! Foreigner price. Reduce it. Take me for 1 birr.)

BG: Ishee. Gibee. Betam turu amarigne astamarie nouw.
(Ok. Get in. Your Amharic teacher is very good.)

Like I said…on top of the world! It is an amazing feeling to be able to ask for something in this language and actually receive what you thought you were asking for! Although feras garis are as common and mundane as a New York City taxi, this is one ride that Megan and I won't soon forget. Learning Amharic can be very frustrating as it is so different and complex, which is why it is so nice to have moments such as this one that give us a glimpse that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We can learn this language!!

Naming the "dimit lij"

My family can attest to the fact that I love to name things…especially pets. In fact, I have my next 10 pet names already lined up. I'll admit that I even have a list of my favorite boy and girl names. At the rate I'm going, however, that is probably a waste of time.

Anyways....my host family has a cat (dimet) and a kitten (dimet lij), neither of which have names. In my very broken Amharic I managed to ask if I could perhaps name them and the answer was "yes". Permission was granted several days ago, but up until last night I was struggling to come up with a suitable moniker for either the cat or kitten. Last night, I had an epiphany. The kitten should be called "George". It just seems to fit especially since it is a very American sounding name and every time I see the little guy he's into trouble and reminds me of "Curious George". Exited that I had finally reached a decision, I shared the kitten's new name with my mom and brother. My Mom was so thrilled with my choice. Her response, "George? Georgie Bush?!?" Considering that I don't have the Amharic vocabulary to explain that that really wasn't my line of thinking, I've just decided to run with it. The momma cat's name: BARBARA.

Staying Healthy...or at least trying.

Peace Corps has been really good about doing everything within their power to keep each of us healthy. In reality this means immunizations, immunizations, and more immunizations! The shots began in Washington D.C and haven't stopped. I have received or will receive: rabies #1,#2,#3, yellow fever, MMR, polio, influenza, Hep A, Hep B series, Meningitis, Tetanus & Diptheria. WOW! They have this down to a science and often hit you from both sides.

I am also in a region of the world with a high incidence of malaria. I've learned that there are 4 types of plasmodium parasites that can be transferred by the Anopheles mosquito. Ethiopia has a high incidence of plasmodium falciparum, which can be the most dangerous of the four. Because of the risk, all volunteers have been placed on malarial prophylaxis. I happen to be taking a drug called Mefloquine and fortunately have not experienced any of the potential side effects. I'm hoping this continues to work for me as it only needs to be taken one time per week!

In addition to the medication, I take a variety of other precautions to help reduce my risk of malaria. I sleep under a promethrin treated net, wear long sleeves/long pants after 6pm, and use a repellent called "buzz off". I'm also always on the lookout for stray "beembeez" (Amharic for mosquito) in the house. My host family also has a heightened awareness of the malarial risk and generally gives me a "once-over" each morning to see if I've survived the night unscathed. One morning my mom was very concerned to find a "mosquito bite" on my cheek. It took quite a bit of effort to assure her that this was no mosquito bite, just a zit!

Home Sweet Home.....

I thought you might enjoy a glimpse of my new home away from home. I consider myself very fortunate to have an indoor shower and toilet and can only hope that my good fortune continues when I'm living somewhere on my own in the Amhara region.

Where's the Maytag man when you need him?

Oh how I miss my washer and dryer!

Last Sunday, my afternoon was spent doing laundry. Fortunately, I've already adopted the Ethiopian dress code - one outfit per week (unless my shirt and pants can stand on their own). It really is a simple process, but just takes a while. We have a stack of 3 old tires which serve as our table. On top of this we place the washing pan. On the ground are 3 to 4 rinse pans. I must not have had quite the "right" technique as my host Mom felt the need to take over half-way through my pile of laundry. I'm sure practice will make perfect!

In terms of drying...the wind quickly takes care of that. The only glitch is that we have to be careful that flies don't lay eggs in the drying clothes as these little eggs love to hatch into your skin and create problems. We've been told to either iron all clothing or let it sit for 4 days as the eggs will die in this period of time. Just to be safe.....I've let my clothing cure for 7 days! I'm not taking any chances!!