How do I begin to tell the end, when it doesn't really feel
like its ended just morphed into another very different chapter. In a way
Ethiopia feels worlds away but it is very much entrenched in who I am now.
Actually it is at least a continent away…I now find myself in southern India.
Walking back from dinner just now (a luscious cashew masala with buttery roti
bread), I was reflecting on my life in Ethiopia. I had the thought that right
now being in India feels like the final exam of my past two years. It has many
of the same challenges (being seen as a dollar figure, men staring with creepy
looks, pollution, overpopulation and a completely foreign culture), but I also
find it wonderfully civil in many ways (speaking English, fast internet, organized
tour groups - mostly catering to Indian tourists, and things that just make
sense - like meters for the rickshaws (Bajaj’s)).
Before I jump into describing my newest adventure in India I
want to try to summarize my departure from Ethiopia. My last week in Goba was
bitter sweet. I was ready to go but sad to leave. I really did make some good
friends, like Wynshet and Demanich with whom I celebrated my first Timket
holiday and ate my last doro wat meal with. Who cried when I left and loaded me
down with gifts of a jebana (coffee pot), scarf, and baso (barley powder). Such
dear sweet women. Others I will always remember are Meski and Emabet, my
neighbors; Elias, Gobezie and Hasan, my counterparts who really worked with me
and were dependable; and Kabadich my dear “habasha mother” who always gave me
milk and listened so well. And there are many others that I will always
remember with a smile.
Towards the end I struggled with not getting weighted down
with so many “I should have’s”. It took
a lot of basic acceptance to see that even though I felt like my work was just
getting started I did my best given an array of many different factors. The weeks leading up
to my departure went quicker than expected - a fun backroad adventure into the
Harenna forest and wild coffee lands, the celebration of my PC friend Bre Anne
getting engaged to her Ethiopian boyfriend Atota with his huge Muslim family,
and a mad dash up to Addis to apply for my India visa.
Leaving Goba felt kind of surreal, like a dream that I just
had to follow but was acutely aware of at each moment. I had a nice going away
party/garage sale with all my Bale fereji friends, and the Agriculture office
put on a little buna ceremony for me as well. The weather didn’t help and
instead started pouring the day after I sold my rain boots and umbrella- ha of
course! My last night my walls were bare (exposing all the giant spiders that
had been hiding) but I felt I had completed all my tasks. Except maybe saying
good bye to a few more people (like my friend Megdes who ran the suk shop next
door). With two bags and a market basket full of pottery I was lucky that my
landlord Afork drove me to the bus station at 5am and both he and Gobezie helped to send me off. My
heart felt full and grateful knowing that I had met so many wonderful people
and for having had such a unique experience these past two years.
And now fast forward two weeks and you find me in my little
air conditioned room smelling of sandalwood and
playing with my newly purchased smartphone. India isn’t nearly as crazy
as I expected yet it still is crazy. Mostly due to insane drivers who love to
blast their horns at everything. But today I splurged and hired a guide to take
me to the Bandipore National Park where I saw elephants, spotted deer (aka
tiger food) and all sorts of other cool birds and animals. Nature really is my
sanctuary. Today is my 6th day here and for the most part I have
been taking it easy. Like I said at the beginning I feel like this is my final
exam. I’m doing this adventure solo, without the support of Peace Corps, a 24
hour on call doctor , or my fellow PCV’s. Oddly enough I haven’t met any other
travelers, just seen them in passing like ships in the night. Thankfully I feel
confident in bartering and asking questions to clarify the ambiguous, which
seems to happen when speaking various forms of English. In a way I’m still
waiting for the next chapter to begin, a chapter that I have no idea what the
title is. But in this unsettling limbo time of change I again rely on what I
have learned, how to take it one day at a time without getting too caught up in
worry and to simply be present and open to whatever happens. In keeping this state of mind I have had some
wonderful moments that make me smile both inside and out. And isn’t that what
life is about?
Wishing you many smiles. Thanks for listening.
