Happy 2003!

I’m in Ethiopia and its 2003 by their calendar. I already know 2003 is going to be a great year for me here.

Dance parties are universal. Been playing lots of card/board games and dancing with my fellow PC Trainees.

I’m adjusting to it now, but man was the cityscape a shock when I first arrived. Coming from Niger, I had certain very strong ideas of what countries on the bottom economic tier should look like. These ideas where all shattered immediately. Addis is a bustling, rapidly expanding city with skyscrapers and building projects popping up everywhere. By this time in Niger, I was using a squat latrine, sleeping outside, eating Nigerien streetfood and getting terrified in Hamdallaye’s open air market. In stark contrast, I am in Ethiopia, watching Batman on my flat screen TV in my hotel room and surfing the web. Vegetables exist here, and malls. Malls! I thought I wouldn’t have to see a mall for 27 months. I’ve had to adjust my expectations of what Peace Corps service here will be like. Of course amenities in my town will be much less than in the hotel, but I’ve had to say goodbye to my hopes of having another extremely rural, bush village experience. Peace Corps’ HIV program is centered in areas where the disease is prevalent. This means larger towns, not Po-dunk-no-wheres-ville Ethiopia. Despite some initial disappointment, the more I learn about the health situation here and the potential projects I will have, the more excited I become (and at this exact instant I just happen to be REALLY REALLY EXCITED). Here’s why…

Technical Job Training

This is why I’m here! Its what gives me inspiration and has me jumping up and down- eager to get started. Tech training has been mostly an orientation to the health care system here in Ethiopia, what health problems people in the country have and what our role will be as health volunteers. Its been a rush of information and ideas that I can’t wait to implement! Going to use HIV testing, prevention and treatment as an entry point to address a wide variety of health concerns. So far I’ve learned a lot about STIs (sexually transmitted infections), MTCT (mother to child transmission of HIV), ART (anti-retroviral treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS), maternal and prenatal care, and a slew of other topics as well. The health initiatives happening now in Ethiopia are ambitious and very exciting..

Superfood

Ethiopian food is legit. Super duper healthy. Injera (a flat, spongy, fermented bread that you eat with absolutely everything) is fully of amino acids and iron, its low cal and not processed. Fresh mango, papaya, pineapple and bananas. Wot, oh my goodness wot. So vegetarian diet out the window- I love wot! Wot is stew- beef or goat or lentil stew. Yummers. We’ll see how my diet changes when I move in with my host family.

Experiment: Try to YouTube the song Ishi Ishi Awo Awo. Let me know if you find it- its pretty representative of Ethiopian pop and is really fun to dance to.

OK. Blogspot doesn’t work in Ethiopia (my parents are posting this on my behalf). So I’ll make a new website eventually. Beginning small town Ethiopian life tomorrow. Wish me luck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Am having a good time and thinking about you guys often.

Laura