Bekoji Camp GLOW - Year 2

Bekoji Camp GLOW year 2- check, finished, baka. Phew. This year was much different from last year’s camp even though it was in the same location, the Agricultural College in Bekoji. The big difference was that I was in a much more positive, confident head space (and not fighting a nasty head cold), and I took a much more active role in teaching. This year I also brought three girls, quiet but the only girls who spoke up during the 8^th grade English class that my new dear friend Tewabech teaches. Camp was also 6 full days with a very packed teaching schedule. Last year at the end of camp all us PCV’s commented at how amazed we were that nothing went majorly wrong. This year was not like that.

Well I take that back, nothing went majorly wrong but we had a lot of little fires to put out- like one of the girls fathers wanting to essentially kid nap her, another girl breaking out in hives from an infection and covering her lips with buna (coffee) grounds as a local “medicine”, no water for 4 days, a very gross shint bet (why do people poop on the ground 2 feet from the hole?), and a useless guide on our hike to a mountain. But despite all the chaos I can say that this was by far one of my most rewarding weeks here in Ethiopia.

Every morning I started out the day by teaching thirty 14-17 year old girls and a handful of female Ethiopia “counterparts” yoga. The first few days we were packed into the dining hall but got through without anyone getting kicked or stepped on. The second day I had to catch a rat that was running around freaking out the girls before the class could continue. But by the end of the week they all knew how to balance in Eagle Pose and loved saying “Namaste” at the end of class. They didn’t get the whole breathing part of yoga but they sure loved it nonetheless. Yay! For my first time teaching yoga it was a lot of fun.

My other big success was teaching salve making. Working with Tewabech who helped translate I talked about the different locally available medicinal herbs and their benefits. Next I showed them how to make salve – melting bees wax with oil and adding rosemary and Eucalyptus oil. It went really well and they hung onto every word!   I am now re-inspired to hopefully teach some women in Goba how to do this so they can start a small business for themselves. It really is a cool, simple way to make good natural medicines, that actually work (way better than buna or butter- the common treatments).

Finally each day for two hours I taught four girls “homeroom”, which was focused on English but soon morphed into doing fun art projects. At first I was terrified- I don’t know how to teach English- but I got creative and with the help of some teaching aids I ended up loving spending that time with the girls. As I got to know them I learned how eager they were to learn and how hard their lives are at home. One girl was the 10^th of 11 children, one was a seratenia (servant for another family), and another girl has only her mother (her Dad works in America). I totally fell in love with them- their innocence and motivation to learn, absorbing every word I said.

For our closing ceremony, a bonfire where each girl held a candle and spoke about what they appreciated, I told them how this had been one of the best, most rewarding and inspiring weeks in my two years of service in Ethiopia. Despite all the struggles I see in the country working with these girls gave me hope. Breaking and opening my heart at the same time.

Now I am back home, enjoying the simple life of washing clothes and drinking tea. Tomorrow I will treat myself to an adventure hike in the national park – its warthog and baboon season! Babies galore!

A few photos of my latest activities...

 Selfie on top of my local view spot with lovely storm clouds in the distance

Classic Peace Corps moment- riding a gari out to the monastery with my doro bet materials

The almost finished doro bet one week after bringing the supplies

Aba Kenfa showing how they make the wooden crosses that every Orthodox Christian wears as a necklace

Posing inside the 2nd portable doro bet with my dear friend Elsabet (who is my exact age but looks 50)

You never know what the day will bring...

(I posted this at the end of April but was advised by Peace Corps to remove it, I think now that things have settled down I will post it, but know that I am not adding more information due to the lack of freedom of speech in this country and for my own safety...)
Phew what a day. And as it ends I am grateful to be alive and in such a beautiful place with so many kind people. Today I ate breakfast with my site mate Nora, who has one month before the end of her service. We shared ambasha (a delicious fresh flat bread) and “special fool” (a spicy bean and egg dish) and drank some bun aba watet (coffee with milk), and loz chai (tea with peanut butter). I then went up to the Ag office and was happily informed that Tenadesta, Salomon and I were scheduled to do a garden training with some local farmers for this Friday. Finally! With enough patience and persistence the Ag office folks are finally realizing I have something to offer them. So next I went around town gathering odd things like used coffee grounds, wood ash and charcoal powder from local shops that will be used for the soil amendments in the training.

After quickly going to the big muddy Wednesday market to buy onions, carrots, chard, and bananas I ate lunch and hopped on a mini bus to go to Robe hoping to use some fast internet. I am trying to take an online Buddhism philosophy class but its turning out to be very frustrating trying to download audio files. (Funny in trying to learn to be more patient through Buddhism I get very frustrated with the computers).

In Robe I said hello to my mini bus driver friend then walked around the corner to get a bajaj (motorcycle taxi) into the main part of town. I realized something was wrong when none of the drivers wanted to go to town. I finally found one that would take me part way and when I got out of the bajaj I saw a lot of people standing around looking down the road towards a huge mass of people about 200 meters away. In that moment I also saw that the internet shop was closed, along with every other shop on the road. A kind man spoke to me saying the university students were protesting and a moment later the mass broke out and started running towards us. That triggered everyone else to run, turning off onto side streets to avoid getting caught up into the mass of people.

 I started running/speed walking down the road back to the bus station when I heard gun shots. At that point I darted off the main road and waited for a moment with my heart racing. During that scary moment when everyone was running several people were very kind to me in inviting me into their shops to hide, or to go down the side street. I could have hid but I wanted to be out of there so I walked as fast as I could away from the crowd to go back to Goba. As I got farther away I still heard gun shots and the women had fear on their faces, while the young men seemed excited. Go figure.  The phone network stopped working (potentially the government blocking it) and I was glad to get a bus out of there quickly. Phew!

Evidently in the last few days there have been country wide protests at many universities about how the government suppresses the Oromo people which account for more than 30% of the population. It goes much deeper than that but people here are very hesitant to talk about it. I’m curious to see the news on TV but am guessing none of this is being reported (the government owns the TV network). Online I read that several people have died- police and students. Two months ago, in Addis Erik and I visited the “Red Terror” Museum telling the story of the military government that controlled Ethiopia in the 70’s and 80’s. Over 500,000 people were killed during that time to a brutally suppressive regime. In my time here I have often reflected on how much that affects the way people behave today.  History can be so very haunting.

Overall the longer I live in Ethiopia the safer I feel but today I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now I’m happily safe in my little cozy home drinking tea and about to prepare for an environment/ English class I will teach tomorrow. Stay tuned for my post on Italy, I’m slowly working on it. Things have been surprisingly busy in Goba since I returned last week.

As always- send emails, letters and love if you have a moment! 

Return of the Doro

Why hello internet world. It’s been a long time! Tafach! (Amharic for “you disappeared”, which I hear often when I haven’t seen someone for a while)

I’ve been trying to think of something to write for a while but I guess I’m having writers block. (Or feel that my life here in Ethiopia is “normal” without much to report). Not anymore because I want to share my day with ya’ll. It is a part II story from my last “doro bet” fiasco. So now 3 months later the chickens are alive (minus two), and starting to lay eggs. Last week I bought a dozen big brown eggs from the monastery. A nice full circle feeling. But I was concerned because they are still in the tiny no air or light room that they were originally placed in. The doro bet I was building lay in the same state it was when I left it two months ago. But two weeks ago I devised a simple design using the remaining money I had from my grant to buy a few basic materials (metal roofing and chicken wire). So I got a gari ride from my friend Masai and delivered the materials and talked with the carpenter monk to explain my plan. I’m pretty darn sure he understood with the picture I had drawn what I had planned and by his smiling positive response. I left feeling up beat and that I hadn’t abandoned the project and that the chickens might just survive.

Last week I went back to check up with my new acquaintance Hasan (a Muslim guy who was happy to help the Orthodox Christian church, which was very nice) works for the Agricultural Office with rural co-op groups. Upon arrival I was happy and dismayed to see that they had done a ton of work- but made it to the original 3 x 6 meter size- huge and with lots more expensive roofing. Just when I think I have something figured out it turns out to be completely different from I you thought. Always. But I couldn’t be too frustrated because it was almost finished, mud walls and everything.

Hasan had been talking about building a simple triangle shaped fence system to keep the chickens in during the day while they foraged on grass and bugs and we decided to come back the next week to try to build it, which leads me to today. My dear friend at the monastery Elsabet (who is my exact age but looks over 50) greeted us and helped us get to work by introducing us to the “doro bet” crew- all women who in all truth are the ones who really do the work at the monastery while the men sit around and have visitors kiss their wooden crosses (slightly cynical tone but the truth).  First we had to find some wood which involved going into the woods and cutting down some pole size Eucalyptus trees. I really enjoyed working in the woods again hauling wood and cutting with my fancy ferengi saw.

The four women that worked with us were all very sweet and quickly warmed up to me and we really enjoyed “talking” and interacting. We worked all day, barely pausing for lunch, which on a funny side note shows the generosity of Ethiopians. I mentioned I was hungry then in the next 30 minutes 3 different people showed up with food and we soon had a little feast (of lots of dabi – a bread similar to injera and shiro- chickpea powder and spices). They served me a new type of tea that was made from roasted barley and was delicious! The day went fast and we actually finished building the project just as the sun was setting (beautiful pink clouds against the green fields and distant mountains). Of course we couldn’t leave until they then served us more food with a “desert” of fresh hot milk and sugar from one of their ten dairy cows.

Today was truly a delightful “Peace Corps” day largely because it was not me trying to convince others to work but another Ethiopian (who at one point was grumbling about the lazy work ethic of Ethiopians- ha so it’s not just me!). Now I also have more projects to look forward to in the future – Hasan wants to duplicate the easy doro bet design and teaching it to families in rural areas and who need a steady source of income. He might just be one of those rare people that are truly motivated to work and help other which is invaluable to making a project work here. Praise Allah! 

The chickens have flown the coop!

This post is to document, reflect and capture the steps and lessons learned from my latest endeavor- the doro bet project. It all started with casually mentioning to my kind Ethiopian friend Dr. an idea I had seen for placing a chicken coop over a fish pond. I wrote about this in a past blog but for my own internal processing will lay out what happened. Thank goodness I decided to go with the simple doro bet once recognizing that the science did not support an integrated chicken/fish pond. Probably one of the biggest things that got this project off kilter was me going on the recommendation and advice of my acquaintances to buy the 15 chickens from the Ag office under their improved breed doro program. The day I asked about buying chickens they said, yes today is the only day to buy the chicken, you must do it now. Usually I have run into the opposite- “oh you are too late, that should have happened a month ago, now you have to wait a year”. So by going off my best information at the moment I paid for 15 chickens out of my own money, 1500 birr.

This triggered my needing to apply for a grant to get reimbursed and I quickly filled out a “mini” grant – the smallest and fastest grant available. My second hindsight mistake (ie. lesson learned), was to take the word of Getachew of the NGO Farm Africa seriously in believing he would help pay for the building materials (like roofing and fencing). I estimated the supplies would cost about 2000 birr and submitted the grant. For a few weeks I had been trying to get a hold of Getachew, calling, stalking his office, leaving text messages but to no avail.

The first day back in Goba after being in Addis to pick up Erik (yay, he’s here for a month!) I went to the Ag office and someone casually said “oh the chickens arrived yesterday, you need to pick them up today”. Thank goodness Gobezie saved the day by helping me go buy chicken feed, get some basic building supplies and with the help of a few monks carry the 15 chickens out to the monastery. It was one of those classic unexpected but it all works out kind of days. At one moment I was feeling the high of feeling competent in successfully buying chicken corn from the market and taking a gari out to the monastery, all negotiated by myself in Amharic.

Upon arrival at the monastery I learned that the chickens could be stored in the small class room made for the few kids living at the monastery, a good “temporary” solution. The next day Erik and I showed up ready to bust out a chicken coop. After waiting for an hour to gather some basic tools we started work along with a carpenter and a slew of kids and bystanders. Several hours later we stopped working after a long discussion that digging post holes 60 cm deep was totally unnecessary. But concluded that if they insisted, then they could do it, and we would return the next day to continue building.

Of course the next day the holes were not finished but since the head carpenter wasn’t feeling well we started placing the poles and frame. Despite the huge language barrier we all managed to have fun and to work pretty well together. The kids were fun and helpful and one barefoot monk was thoroughly enjoying watching the scene and chatting.  After five days of work we were ready to put on the roofing…. which is where the project stalled. I had finally managed to talk to Getachew and even after visiting the monastery he is stalling on buying any materials. Now it is a week later, the chickens are in their dark hole of a house and I am again trying to get a hold of Getachew who is playing the frustrating game of not giving a clear answer and being very elusive.

Today I went to the Ag office, prepared to give a training with the help of their chicken experts to several of the monks at Teklehaymanot. Before walking out there (its about a 30 minute walk), we called to reconfirm the training (which I had arranged with the head monk Aba Kenfe last week, repeatedly confirming that the date and time were suitable). And of course Aba Kenfe said the monks were in church and today was not a good day. Fortunately Tesfaye (my ag expert friend) was understanding and agreed to do the training on Saturday, which I wont be able to attend because I will be trekking in the Bale Mountains with Erik.

Tomorrow Erik and I will go back to the monastery, build a very rudimentary but healthy doro bet with the few supplies we have and call it good. It has been a very frustrating project largely due to the communication/language barrier along with many cultural differences and habits. The cultural habit of being polite and agreeing to things then not coming through got in the way several times. I’m glad I had a taste of trying a project but am now humbled by just how difficult and slow things can be. My biggest lesson learned is to do my best, especially with clear, repeated communication but in the end to accept that so many things are out of my hands and control. It’s not just up to me to make a project “successful”. Fortunately next week I am flying to Italy so it’s a lot easier to see the big picture right now.

Thanks for reading my latest endeavor. Ishi baka (ok, enough)!

Bees n' shoes

Oh Ethiopia how I love you right now. I just got home from an extremely productive two hours. A few weeks ago I met the teacher for the “Environment and Tourism” department at the Technical College (which if you remember the Ethiopian school system is where you go if you fail the grade 10 exam). I ended up teaching a class about sustainable tourism and the value of the Bale Mountains to the 18 students, who probably understood about 15% of what I said but were very kind and enthusiastic. Anyway a few days ago I met with Argo the teacher and he introduced me to Merhetu, a local bee keeping expert who has a very good project idea.

Today I sat down with them and worked out the details of the proposal which is to place 8 modern and 2 transitional bee hives in the Bale Mountains at the site of a fancy new tourist lodge.  The site is ideal for bees because it is in the heart of the Harenna forest, lush, pristine and bursting with flowers. Once the hives are established they will start training surrounding community members how to work with the modern hives. This is important because the current “traditional” hives are inefficient and in the process of harvesting the honey the bees are killed. Also establishing a way to make money by protecting the forest is crucial for the sustainable management of this unique forest.

So basically I am helping them to formulate their plan then present it to Frankfurt Zoological Society who helps to coordinate management projects within the national park. It’s so nice to finally work with motivated people who have an idea and want assistance with it rather than me trying to rally up enthusiasm to do a project.

Which I am still trying to do with my “Doro Bet” project with the Tekyelemot Monastery but in a new version. The other day I finally managed to drag my fatigued and head cold ridden self up to the Agriculture office to talk about my plan. One guy I have worked with in the past played the arrogant “know it all” (a common personality type here) and proceeded to shoot down my plan with glee. But in hindsight he addressed some of the concerns I had been mulling over, and swallowing my pride I thanked him and left.  My next stop was the Farm Africa office (a great NGO), where Getachew confirmed my concerns but really supported the idea to just build a chicken coop, even saying he could purchase all the materials. So for now all systems are still a go!

Now onto the reason I started to write in the first place. Early this morning tragedy struck- the new puppy in my compound chewed up my Chaco, which for those who don’t know is the world’s greatest sandal that I wear daily and have had for 8 years. But due to Ethiopians resourcefulness I was able to take it to my favorite shoe shine boy and he sewed it up to a usable state and didn't even charge me! So here’s a big grateful grinning salute to all those kind, motivated, helpful Ethiopians out there- thank you! And of course a big hug and smile to all my family and friends back home who are there cheering me on. I truly appreciate you all.

Kind Reflections

February 2, 2014

Phew another month gone. Where did it go? Well for starters lots of time spent on the bus going to and from Addis. I’m sure getting good and 9 hour bus rides, and for the most part enjoy them. Sometimes I meet the nicest people. This last time I met an older lady who reminded me of Whoopie Goldburg and Alice Walker because of her grey hair and kind eyes. She is a school teacher in Addis who lives alone and is named Kabenish. (Side thought- have I ever mentioned how difficult some of the names are here? At least I’m starting to recognize some of them like Tesfaye, Siefeden, Karkidan, and Mestaowit). Anyway she gave me her phone number and said the next time I am in Addis I am invited to stay with her at her home. So kind.

Another kind Ethiopian I am starting to work with is nicknamed “Dr.” because he is a veterinarian, thank goodness because his real name Endalkachew is a mouthful! Today was one of those rare wonderful days where I feel really excited for a potential project. We took a gari (hose drawn cart) out to one of my favorite places in Goba- the Teklehaymanot Monastery where about 150 monks and nuns live tucked into the forest and streams. I’m starting to take the steps in building a chicken coop over a fish pond (the chicken poo helps fertilize the pond), a cool integrated system that I saw in another town. Everyone is very supportive and   eager to help work, which is great! Plus the site is beautiful, peaceful and the people so very kind. There are several caves where in the past people have lived in and prayed and even one cave where a man lived in for 7 years. It really feels good to finally be doing something.

The weather continues to be perfect, sunny with a few fluffy breezy clouds. Yesterday we had our first rain shower in over 2 months indicating the start of the “short rainy season” which will go for the next few months, until the transition into the “long rainy season”. A few weeks ago I took advantage of the low river and went exploring up the Tagona. It is such a joy to be able to get out and explore, one of my main activities for staying sane. At one beautiful little canyon spot I stopped and wrote some “Lessons from walking the river” which I will share:

-keep focused on the next step but look up often, and sometimes look back

-take time to pause, look, listen and feel frequently

-a stern looking man with a gun can have the most brilliant smile once you say hi

-shy little kids are adorable

-flowing water sooths and restores

-simply saying hi and being yourself has an influence on others, make it a positive one

-I have a very strong urge to do something to contribute, but an equally strong fear in trying

-Life is living everywhere you look- frog eggs, bird nests, lizards, bugs, cows on cliff edges…

-In nature a sense of self doesn’t matter

-Eucalyptus smell lovely

-There are many paths to choose from, all get you up stream

-Not everyone smiles, but most do

Despite the frustration of not doing much work I feel very thankful that I have so much time for reflection, reading and meditating. My latest motto has been to see this experience as a 2 year retreat, a chance I will never have again. Plus I get to see cute donkeys and beautiful kids on a daily basis. One kid that cracks me up is a little two year old that is absolutely terrified of me up close but as soon as I am walking away at a safe distance he will shout my name and say bye until I am out of site. Ah little joys.