So I know it’s been a while since my last blog post and for that I apologize deeply. However, there were several reasons, all of which were out of my control. The first reason was that the computer in my fan died for about two weeks. It has since rejuvenated itself a little, but it is still functioning poorly and I have been limiting my use of my computer until I can get the fan replaced (which may not be for a while). In addition to this, I have been pretty busy with a language camp Peace Corps gave us and with working on finishing my CNA report for Peace Corps.
But despite my problems, my time over the past few weeks has been really awesome. As I just mentioned I’ve been super busy working on my report, which has allowed me to get to know lots of other people in the community that I otherwise wouldn’t have known. In addition, I’ve actually been busy! It’s been great to actually have lots of stuff to do and not have long periods of sitting around. Not to say that my current standards for “busy” fit what we would describe as “busy” in the United States, but for me it has been nice regardless.
There are a lot of standards that have changed for me here, especially when it comes to what I define as “dirty”. It’s funny, because some of the first signs that you are adapting as a Peace Corps Volunteer are when your standards begin to change. When I first got here, I had a personal bubble, wanted to take showers every day, and definitely did not eat food fallen on the floor. Today, none of those apply anymore. Personal bubbles do not exist in Ethiopia, and it finally doesn’t bother me when an Ethiopian grabs me by the arm (or even hand!) when we’re walking places or touches me affectionately in a way that would creep most Americans out. It still makes me laugh sometimes to think how I used to stare at things that I see every single day now. Dirt has also become the final ingredient in pretty much every dish I make, because I have yet to make a dish where I haven’t dropped something on the floor, wiped it off, and tossed it back into the pan. Ironically, I haven’t been sick as much since I started cooking… I’m convinced the two are related. And showers? What does that word even mean anymore? The armpit “sniff check” has now become a cough check. When I sniff and it makes me frown, I know I’m still good for a day or two. It’s when I sniff and start to cough that I know I should probably shower soon.
Now that I’ve thoroughly grossed you out, you should know that while I am exaggerating a little bit (I shower twice a week guys, so don’t freak out) I really have warmed up to Ethiopia so much. I love this place and everything about it. Nothing really scares me anymore…. Well except for that one night during language training. I didn’t even tell this story to my parents (because I figured my mom would freak out less reading than hearing this story?) but me and a couple of friends had a bit of a scare during language camp. We had a movie night, and decided we wanted to watch Hotel Rwanda because several of us hadn’t seen it. Well the movie is clearly super intense, but it also made us a little paranoid since we’re so much closer to where this happened than when I watched it at home. As we were walking one of the girls back to her house after the movie, we heard a loud “BANG” coming from the direction of the field in front of her house. We paused to listen more carefully and heard several more bangs followed by loud screaming.
Now we had JUST finished watching Hotel Rwana, so that was all it took for us to turn right around and start scuttling back to the house we had just come from… Well all except for one volunteer who decided he needed to see what was going on. When we realized we were missing one, my friend went to go fetch him back while I stood on the corner keeping an eye on the two guys and the girl knocking on the gate trying to get back in the house. That was when two random Ethiopians decided would be the best time to emerge from the shadows in front of me: with guns. They were coming roughly from the direction of the loud bangs, so I immediately got really scared and started to back away slowly. I must have startled them, however, because they looked up at me surprised and told me to come here. I didn’t think that was such a good idea and kept backing away…. Until one of them kinda sorta pointed their gun AT ME. This is where it got both super scary and super funny, because I start to freak out and in my angst somehow learned to speak Tigrena fluently. I tried to explain to them that I was actually a foreigner and that I had nothing to do with the bangs, but they didn’t seem to believe me because I look Ethiopian and was speaking Tigrena. The girl behind me sees the guns and hears me telling them that I am a foreigner and starts to freak out and bang on the gate, while our friend inside the gate (which is locked from the inside) is also banging on the gate and screaming at the maid to open the door. This dramatic moment passes in a very long few seconds before I finally regain my English and convince the dudes that the danger is elsewhere. Soon after, our guy friends return, the maid opens the gate, and we all scurry to safety.
In the end we weren’t in any real danger. Turns out someone was drunk and shot a gun off in the air a few times to impress their friends inside their compound, scaring all their neighbors. The rest of the dudes with guns were off duty police trying to figure out what happened. I'd like to stress that I wasn't really in danger, and have never before or since ever felt unsafe here in Ethiopia. This did not happen in the town I live in, and I love at how secure and content I feel here: I feel more secure walking the streets at night here than I ever would in the states, even in a small town like Killeen, Texas. Nevertheless, it was a crazy moment for all involved, and it will definitely be a story for me to tell over and over again. I can’t wait to see what news crazy stories I will be able to share in the future!
