I realized today that I haven't posted anything in over a year. A lot has happened in this year and I don't think one post will be able to sum it all up but hopefully I can get across what an amazing year it's been.
Right now I am sitting in an internet cafe/internet bet in Mek'elle, Ethiopia where I and my husband, Scott now live. We are TEFL volunteers in the Peace Corps and we begin working in our respective schools on September 13th or Meskerem 3rd if you follow the Ethiopian (Gregorian) calendar. Our main job is to improve English language speaking and writing skills for the teachers of our schools. My primary cluster head is called Adi Haki while Scott's is called Myweni.
We have now been in Ethiopia for three months and two days. Our first 10 weeks were dedicated to our Pre-Service Training to become volunteers and the majority of training was in the southern Arsi region of Ethiopia. My husband and I experienced a wonderful host family in Bekoji, a town renowned for their Olympic runners. In the 2012 Olympics in London a woman from Bekoji won the gold medal in the Marathon. That day was very special, not only for us because we were there, but obviously for the people of Bekoji. Their pride was something to be marveled and admired. Our family consisted of our host mother, Tigist (meaning "patience") and her husband Ato Solomon, a very successful businessman. We had four host sisters all of which were bright, charming, and energetic girls that we miss very dearly.
Along with our adopted family in Bekoji we have encountered some wonderful and genuine people here that we can now call friends. I have to give a shout out to our self-titled "Bekoji Bosses". Rachel, Nathan, Linda, Brett Chandler, Carlin, Christine, Shauntea, and Nzingha. I know that the connections we made in that small and beautiful town will last a lifetime.
During our time in Bekoji we also experienced ups and downs. Scott was inflicted with Typhoid which he got over fairly well and in a record three days. We have also had to deal with the constant stares of being a foreigner. Some children will harass us for money but most of the time the do not know what they are saying because they think "money" = "foreigner" so patience has become a constant companion. But mostly the people here are generous and hospitable. They want to know about us and why we have come to their country. All are pleasantly surprised when we greet them in the native language of Tigray, which is Tigrinya, and tell them that we are teachers that will serve here for two years.
The training itself was rigorous and full of information. We learned about culture, food, language, safety and security, traveling, history,development, and anything else Peace Corps could jam into our brains. Language classes were sometimes all day with tea breaks in between and then some days we had cultural sessions with our wonderfully brilliant Language and Cultural Facilitators. We had Medical trainings and administrative sessions while getting to know our way around and learning to live a completely different lifestyle. Needless to say but PST is an animal in and of itself. One that I am grateful to have gone through but equally grateful to be done with. (And I did it twice!)
Now we live in a very comfortable and safe neighborhood in the capital of Tigray. We enjoy spending our time cooking and meeting new people and just getting used to life here. So far it has been a good transition after training and we are just trying to process all that we have been through during our first three months. We look forward to school starting and thinking about all that we can accomplish personally and professionally in the two years we will be living here. More to come soon! Miss you America.
Right now I am sitting in an internet cafe/internet bet in Mek'elle, Ethiopia where I and my husband, Scott now live. We are TEFL volunteers in the Peace Corps and we begin working in our respective schools on September 13th or Meskerem 3rd if you follow the Ethiopian (Gregorian) calendar. Our main job is to improve English language speaking and writing skills for the teachers of our schools. My primary cluster head is called Adi Haki while Scott's is called Myweni.
We have now been in Ethiopia for three months and two days. Our first 10 weeks were dedicated to our Pre-Service Training to become volunteers and the majority of training was in the southern Arsi region of Ethiopia. My husband and I experienced a wonderful host family in Bekoji, a town renowned for their Olympic runners. In the 2012 Olympics in London a woman from Bekoji won the gold medal in the Marathon. That day was very special, not only for us because we were there, but obviously for the people of Bekoji. Their pride was something to be marveled and admired. Our family consisted of our host mother, Tigist (meaning "patience") and her husband Ato Solomon, a very successful businessman. We had four host sisters all of which were bright, charming, and energetic girls that we miss very dearly.
Along with our adopted family in Bekoji we have encountered some wonderful and genuine people here that we can now call friends. I have to give a shout out to our self-titled "Bekoji Bosses". Rachel, Nathan, Linda, Brett Chandler, Carlin, Christine, Shauntea, and Nzingha. I know that the connections we made in that small and beautiful town will last a lifetime.
During our time in Bekoji we also experienced ups and downs. Scott was inflicted with Typhoid which he got over fairly well and in a record three days. We have also had to deal with the constant stares of being a foreigner. Some children will harass us for money but most of the time the do not know what they are saying because they think "money" = "foreigner" so patience has become a constant companion. But mostly the people here are generous and hospitable. They want to know about us and why we have come to their country. All are pleasantly surprised when we greet them in the native language of Tigray, which is Tigrinya, and tell them that we are teachers that will serve here for two years.
The training itself was rigorous and full of information. We learned about culture, food, language, safety and security, traveling, history,development, and anything else Peace Corps could jam into our brains. Language classes were sometimes all day with tea breaks in between and then some days we had cultural sessions with our wonderfully brilliant Language and Cultural Facilitators. We had Medical trainings and administrative sessions while getting to know our way around and learning to live a completely different lifestyle. Needless to say but PST is an animal in and of itself. One that I am grateful to have gone through but equally grateful to be done with. (And I did it twice!)
Now we live in a very comfortable and safe neighborhood in the capital of Tigray. We enjoy spending our time cooking and meeting new people and just getting used to life here. So far it has been a good transition after training and we are just trying to process all that we have been through during our first three months. We look forward to school starting and thinking about all that we can accomplish personally and professionally in the two years we will be living here. More to come soon! Miss you America.
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