tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23886080487838442412024-02-07T02:34:00.552-08:00Same Planet, Different World: Musings of an American in EthiopiaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-62489774762002333372015-08-30T15:53:00.001-07:002015-08-30T15:58:09.125-07:00Katrina remembrance....
I wanted to post this yesterday, since yesterday was the actual anniversary of Katrina, but oddly enough, we had a windstorm and had no power/internet...anyway, I wanted to post my experience of Katrina, to honor the victims and the memory of what happened...I've posted this before, it was written shortly after I got back from doing animal rescue about 3-4 weeks after Katrina hit, andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-19248108427273808782011-06-15T22:41:00.000-07:002011-06-15T22:41:15.103-07:00Wooti Part 3 (yeah, there are going to be a lot of parts...)<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-57116922671641145352011-05-30T23:39:00.001-07:002011-05-30T23:39:53.933-07:00Wooti: Part 2 (still more coming)
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So. Here’s Part 2. It probably won’t make as much sense if you haven’t read Part 1, but that’s a lot of reading, so your call. It’s longer than the first, and I don’t Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-77735068455051656222011-05-29T00:33:00.000-07:002011-05-29T00:38:07.057-07:00Wooti: Part 1 (more coming)
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-32167323373772086972011-01-10T01:00:00.001-08:002011-01-10T01:00:35.007-08:00Thank YouI have always said that the people that I am blessed to call my friends are truly the best people in the world, and right now I am so overwhelmed and humbled by just how true it is. I wish I had a forum that seemed more sincere than a blog or Facebook post to communicate just how appreciative of everyone who has committed time, energy, money, and prayers to trying to get Wooti home to the US Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-62633654232878763902011-01-10T00:59:00.001-08:002011-01-10T00:59:41.955-08:00I am SO beka…!Anyone who is Ethiopia-bound, now or in the future, heed my warning: if you learn only one phrase in Amharic, make it ishii, beka! Literal translation “Ok, enough!” Pragmatic translation “No, seriously, I’m FULL!” Now, you might think a more useful phrase would be something like “Where’s the bathroom?” or “I’m thirsty,” or “I’m sick.” But I went weeks without knowing those phrases, and did Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-32039044933321034052011-01-10T00:58:00.001-08:002011-01-10T00:58:54.621-08:00American GirlAs you’re entering Addis Ababa from Debre Zeyit, there’s one spot where, out of nowhere, the crudely constructed, intermittently paved road rises up into a white concrete spiral overpass intertwined with several other entirely modern paved roads, soaring above a well-maintained green grassy lawn and past a high-rise apartment building. For a tiny split second, a fraction of a turn as the road Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-23741712436756114112010-12-30T01:35:00.000-08:002010-12-30T01:35:11.322-08:00The Wheels on the BusWow…I have SO much to write about, most of it so ginormous that I literally don’t even know how to begin…as my facebook friends know, I’ve been robbed (twice), been in a bus accident and gotten stitches, had my first German Christmas, spent so much time at Immigration I feel like I should be paying them rent, and found a badly injured dog, and was able to get his leg amputated at the veterinary Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-58526866812179461472010-11-19T02:15:00.000-08:002010-11-19T02:15:29.403-08:00Desmond Has a Barrow in the MarketplaceAaaand now Oblidi Oblida is stuck in my head.... (Yeah, three Beatle references in a row…they’re the greatest band ever, what can I say? [Not to be mistaken with my favorite band ever, obviously, Hanson…just to clarify in case there was any doubt as to my allegiance.])
So, this is just a precursor to a possible future blog (I say “possible” because I have yet to determine whether a future blog Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-47617938462354794292010-11-19T02:10:00.001-08:002010-11-19T02:10:12.279-08:00With a Little Help from My Friends (or Complete Strangers)Another quick note, but once again, I want to share a little slice of Ethiopian culture…I seriously freaking LOVE it here…
In Ethiopia (or at least in my fairly large village), perhaps because of the sheer volume of people, or perhaps as a small measure of privacy (privacy is still an almost entirely western concept here, as in many places throughout the world), strangers are not expected to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-47722482697607592502010-11-19T02:05:00.001-08:002010-11-19T02:05:40.902-08:00I Wanna Hold Your HandThis is going to be a quick one—there are just so many aspects of Ethiopian culture that I want to capture and share, even if it means writing in small snippets here and there. So here goes…
Like many countries around the world, Ethiopia is all about the PDA (physical displays of affection). However, unlike America, this PDA is strictly not to be directed towards significant others—in factUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-13891003469581424712010-11-19T02:00:00.001-08:002010-11-19T02:00:52.712-08:00Holes, Lakes, Vets, and My Own Private God (oh, and more coffee) (Also, longest blog EVER--sorry!)I probably should be at least slightly ashamed that today began with me falling in a hole, and nearly concluded with me being locked in a bathroom, but anyone who knows me would probably expect nothing less—I am absurdly clumsy, and I haven’t fallen in public in a few months, so it seems fitting that my fall would be in broad daylight, on the biggest street in Debre Zeyit (and consequently Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-44610019565109120342010-11-19T01:56:00.001-08:002010-11-19T01:56:01.783-08:00The Day of Six CoffeesThat title pretty much says enough to be an entry in and of itself, right? Especially if you’ve ever been around me to see my typical un-caffeinated energy level! But, as those of you who’ve been kind enough to peruse through my Facebook pictures (and you’re reading my blog now—anyone who’s taken the time to do both, you are incredible!! Much, much love!) know, The Day of Six Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-90148027298533572102010-11-05T03:12:00.001-07:002010-11-05T03:12:50.743-07:00My Village...For some reason, when I meander through the sidestreets and dirt roads of my village, Debre Zeyit, in many ways, I feel more like I have traveled in time and have popped out somewhere in Medival Europe—or perhaps I should rephrase that to say it conjures up literary and Hollywood-created images of Medival Europe, considering that I’m not quite old enough to have any basis of comparison to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-56123815269898448562010-11-05T03:11:00.000-07:002010-11-05T03:11:54.076-07:00Funny the Way It IsAhh yes, I’m back to my song-reference titles already! As always, I have a hunch this will seem a bit disjointed—in part because there is too much to say to try to present it in a cohesive fashion and in part because I find myself quite busy, so it’s a little trickier (at the moment at least) to find an occasion when I have the time and energy to hash out a full entry at once. So Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-3951449462540744562010-10-26T07:16:00.001-07:002010-10-26T07:16:56.501-07:00ETHIOPIA!!!!Phew! Well, once again I find myself with so much to say that I almost have no idea where to begin, so I suppose I’ll pick a thesis statement that’s as clear and concise as possible: I LOVE Ethiopia! LOVE it!
Now, many of you may be thinking that I am in no way qualified to make such an emphatic categorical statement, considering that it has been less than 48 hours since I caught myUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-35913277779462269752010-10-26T07:15:00.001-07:002010-10-26T07:15:37.150-07:00Wish List for Ethiopia...To be honest, since my stay here is significantly shorter than my anticipated 26 months in the Peace Corps, since I had a slightly better idea of what to pack, and since the food here actually has nutritional value, there is little that I need for myself.
If you have the inclination to send something, what we could REALLY use is books for the local schools and mobile libraries. BooksUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-47890842554695505922010-09-16T13:27:00.000-07:002010-09-16T14:50:47.427-07:00ET...Phone Home(Yeah, I'm sure everyone who has ET'ed from the PC and has a sense of humor as awesome as mine has made that reference. But that's just because it's an awesome reference.)
As I read over my many failed attempts to capture my experience of going through the actual process of ET-ing, it is becoming clearer why I am having so much difficulty writing about this ever-so-pivotal moment in my Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-14277380029255258362010-09-08T01:55:00.002-07:002010-09-08T01:55:45.475-07:00On Safari in the Kgalagadi (Kalahari)So, I suppose I shouldn’t really talk about this, but at this point, my adherence, or rather lack thereof, to Peace Corps policy is kind of moot, considering that the greatest penalty for violating a PC policy (assuming it’s not also illegal) is being sent home…not an especially powerful threat given that I’m sitting at my mom’s house sipping a latte to the grating sound of some absurd reality Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-54207317047576559752010-09-08T01:55:00.000-07:002010-09-08T01:55:20.860-07:00Movin' OutI must admit to feeling a twinge of “I’ll show them—I’m running away!” teenage-style angst when I first began packing. I hate to say it, but there is definitely something vengefully satisfying about the idea of throwing everything in a suitcase and sneaking away. After all of the work I had done to get there—all of the waiting and training and homesickness—only to be treated the way IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-58047872533222152462010-09-08T01:54:00.001-07:002010-09-08T01:54:33.865-07:00All This, Nothing, and More...You know, when I came up with the title for this blog (Same Planet, Different Worlds) I will admit, I chose it partly for its sensational flair. It does sound rather melodramatic, does it not? Because, you know, traveling to another continent and living in another culture, may not be quite exciting enough, right? Best to add some pizzaz; spice it up a bit. I also assumed Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-42550314989302517942010-08-22T00:29:00.000-07:002010-08-22T00:29:17.735-07:00It's easy, but somehow letting go's the hardest partI do believe that one of the most bizarre and unsettling epiphanies one can have is the realization that continuing to serve in the Peace Corps is taking the easy way out (incidentally it is also an unexpectedly unnerving discovery on the plane ride home when you realize that airplane bathrooms are actually quite luxurious, but more on that later).
During staging (the orientation-type Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-55872469843325735672010-08-04T10:19:00.001-07:002010-08-04T10:19:03.624-07:00Drive My Carn keeping with my recent theme of discussing the little things, the “Few Minor Adjustments,” as one of the Peace Corps training manuals puts it, which Peace Corps Service entails, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of those details that has been plaguing me of late: my car. You may have noticed the growing number of affectionate Prius references in recent blogs, evidence of my Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-14563381711957702712010-08-04T10:16:00.001-07:002010-08-04T10:16:15.611-07:00Rest StopSo often it is the small, unexpected differences, the things that I took entirely for granted and never expected to miss, which have wound up being the source of the most stress and lamentation. Example #1: Public restrooms.
Ahh, everyone always loves a good bathroom story, right? I’ll indulge you in my favorite one from before I left the States. As most of you know, I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388608048783844241.post-19155322626986679502010-08-01T10:37:00.003-07:002010-08-01T10:37:53.163-07:00Make Me Fall Down, Make Me Get UpIt’s a tad alarming just how similar Peace Corps service is to running a marathon. At times, I am absurdly grateful that long-distance running was a hobby of mine before I left for service here in Botswana, because psychological challenges and strategies for success in both are almost the same.
It begins with a goal. Not just any goal, like managing to complete a grocery Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1