I haven’t written a normal blog post in a while so I figured I should post something about the end of time at site. It really, really snuck up on me. I was walking home yesterday and thinking about when I needed to pay my last rent. Then I realized that the thirtieth was only two days away. Then I calculated that I only had nine days left at site. I literally stopped walking in the middle of the street for a minute while it sank it. So this week I have been legit getting ready to go. I have gone through my things twice already to start giving stuff away. I have closed my post office box, and am making arrangments for my furniture to go to new homes. I even have packed the cloths that I am taking with me to India that way I don’t have to wash many cloths next week. Everyone is still saying how we have to have going away parties, but if they don’t start soon I am going to have to go to three or four parties in one day. With all the speeches they are going to want to do it will be a very long day.
This week I am going to say goodbye to my Phillipino friends in Goba, and try to put the final touches on my India trip. I actually managed to get on FB because we figured out that we could use the Opera Mini app and it would still go through so I have been watching my friends start to leave this week. It makes me sad that I will never get to see all of G10 again in one place. I don’t care what any other group says, there is no doubt in my mind that G10 was the best PC group ever.
I can’t wait to move on, but I am really starting to get to the sad for leaving stage that comes with leaving all the Ethiopian and Peace Corps friends I have made. Now if only Whatsapp would start working again so we can communicate when I leave.
To all my friends, coworkers, and new family I have made. I will miss you, and always have a special place in my heart for you. While I doubt I will even visit Ethiopia again, I will always have a place for you to crash it you ever make it to America.
This is one of the T’ej houses I like to frequent. Tej is the local wine brewed from honey, water, and a fermenting agent called gesho. It is sweet and will get you drunk in a hurry if you aren’t worried. They also sell the local moonshine called arake here, but after a few bad experiences,
I can’t drink that anymore. It is almost impossible to come to one of these places without finding a few of the local shmuglies (old/wise guys) sipping on some arake.
Endala shows off his suk (shop). He sells electronics and building supplies along with renting out rooms at his house and owning buses for public transportation. This is a pretty typical example of how people make money here.
So I finally managed to make it to Dure Sheik Hussein (the fields of Sheik Hussein). Twice a year there is a Muslim pilgrimage to this small mosque and historical home of the Sheik. According to the story he came and built this site nine hundred or so years ago in order to spread the Muslim religion. Now it is used as a site to come and listen to Imam preach, and to drink the lake water which is supposed to be blessed. I arrived on the big celebration day and was able to watch the stadium of worshipers, the dancers, and those who even to the late hours of the night sit outside the walls of the mosque and pray. The sun accommodated me in taking a couple good pictures so I’m hoping I can get a couple of them to send instead of just the one for today. Now I’m just waiting for the bus to leave and hoping the man going around asking for money and “blessing” people by spitting in their faces, (that’s not a typo), doesn’t see me.
Washing laundry was always a hated task for me back in America. I know I will never look at it the same way after living here, and I don’t even do it right here. I hung up some clothes today after “rinsing” …and they
Sorry I was sick yesterday so no picture. Today I wanted to show you part of my friend’s house. The typical way to decorate houses here is with the poster of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. T
he hand made grass woven thing is traditionally used to sort grains and things from impurities. I don’t know why but all the furniture in the rural areas are painted in this weird mottled coloration. Finally, the fake flowers, I don’t really even know what to say about them, but they all love them. Even in the coffee places they have them scattered around.
So you would be surprised at how many Americans ask me about my toilet situation. Well this is my shint bet (pee house). It is actually pretty nice compared to a lot of other volunteers. No splash back happening here. Considering I have not had water in town for a year, it isn’t as clean as it would normally be. But I think that is a little understandable. Regardless,
I have actually come to appreciate the squat toilet. Let’s just say that the positioning works better that way.
Afaf, or as we call it the gorge. Today we sat by it and ate some sugar cane. But I’ve walked down it several times, walking up it will make you hate your life but people still do it every week to sell at the market here in town. The first time I did it, when I got home
I literally collapsed in my bed and didn’t move for twelve hours. I didn’t even have enough energy to get out of my nasty cloths.
Disclaimer: The information presented here is the intellectual property of Eugene Foerster and does not represent the views, opinions or policies of the Peace Corps (peacecorps.gov), United States Government, Duke University, DukeEngage or any other organization in anyway.
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