Back to America

So I am back at home! Good ol' Indiana. I was thinking that last post would be my final post, but me and the other volunteers talked a lot about how it would feel to come home, so I thought I'd write a bit about my first day in America. Throughout the day I noticed things that I was able to do, or things that I haven't done in a long time. So here is my list of things I was aware of on my first day:
1. I had real choices for my clothes! I got excited to pick out what I wanted to wear (of course I ended up in sweatpants... but still nice to have a choice)
2. I thought about what I wanted to eat/was able to cook for myself
3. I drank milk for the first time in 3 months
4. I sat on comfortable chairs/couches
5. I washed my feet and they STAYED CLEAN
6. I drove!
7. I had about 5 pieces of fruit throughout the day. It's definitely a food group I really missed while being away (we had a banana once every few weeks for breakfast, but other than that there was no real fruit). 

There it is. 7 things I have noticed in the last 24 hours that I don't think I ever really thought about before

In London!

I remember my first blog entry, when I was sitting right here in London airport. I remember feeling like there was SOO much to do. It's weird sitting here again with the whole thing being completely over.

Leaving yesterday was really hard. I'm going to miss the kids, the country, the workers at the feeding center, the fellow volunteers and my whole adventure. But I'm excited to get back to cell phones, my own computer and hot showers! It's a weird mix of emotions, but I'm not surprised that I'm torn.

I thought I would share a few lists that Lisa (the other volunteer) suggested I write for myself. It's nice to put some perspective on everything.

Things I'll miss:
THE KIDS
Mini bus rides: such independence and good people watching!
The weather
The volunteers- especially insightful conversations with Lisa
Amarich- our cook/den mother
Feeling helpful
Figuring something out without using any verbal communication
Seeing the monkey eat our compost!
Feeding center conversations
Not being cell phone/internet whipped

There are a few more lists that I want to share, but my time on the internet is about to run out! It's so expensive here...

I will continue with the lists in the United States! Crazy. Also, I am wearing jeans for the first time in 3 months. The other volunteers/workers said I looked very different and couldn't believe I even had them. It's weird to think they've only seen me in skirts, especially since my mom's first reaction when she saw me was "weird! you're wearing a skirt!" Definitely different worlds..

KENYA

Well it is going to be very tough for me to describe this trip. Very tough. I hadn't really thought about it ahead of time because I was so focused on seeing my MOM that I couldn't think about anything else. But I will try to give the trip some justice:
   We were staying in Samburu National Reserve. We stayed in a small "camp" that had 6 tents. Compared to the other lodges around, this is VERY small. We were one of 4 guests for the first few days, and for the last few we were by ourselves! It was really nice to have something so personal. The camp was great, but obviously the REAL highlight were the animals. Everyday we went out in the car and drove to look for different animals. We ended up seeing 25 different types! We also saw all 5 of the species that are only found in that part of Kenya AND we saw all 3 types of cats (leopard, cheetah, lion).
   It definitely felt like a much needed vacation and it was so so nice to catch up with my mom. In order to not bore, I will write our Top 5 Favorite Moments:
  5. Monkeys! They were everywhere at camp and we watched them every morning over breakfast.
  4. Meeting the owners, Oria and Ian. They started the camp (Elephant Watch) to be together with an Elephant research center that Ian works at. They have done some amazing things and we were very lucky to spend some time with them.
  3. Elephants! First, being so close to a HUGE male that we could touch him (terrifying but so cool) and watching them at the waterhole. They're so interesting!
  2. Lions! We got within 3 feet of lions. And then we saw them mating, twice! It was pretty amazing. I felt like I was watching a documentary, but I was close enough to touch the animals...
 1. We saw something that NOBODY at the camp had ever seen before: a badger eating a tortoise. It was over a few days that we saw the attack and the actual eating and it was pretty amazing. Our guide googled this behavior and he couldn't find any research on it! So, we might have seen something groundbreaking...

Alright, so there is the quick summary of my Kenya trip. I will hopefully post some pictures soon onto Facebook. Now, my mom is in Ethiopia until Saturday and she's going to the feeding center with me! I'm really excited to show her around :) Yesterday she met the kids! Amazing to have her here

KIDS

Earlier this month I sat down and wrote a short summary of each kid
here. Given that there are 15 kids, and I wrote a paragraph for each
one, it was a pretty long document. I wanted to post something similar
but not the whole thing, since that is BORING for anyone who doesn’t
know the kids or doesn’t really care. Instead I thought I’d give a
short progress report of where the kids are academically and talk
about the 3 groups we’ve put them in.
   In general, the kids are doing really well with English and Math.
They all know their letters (with the exception of one girl, who I’ll
talk about in a bit) and they know the sounds of every letter. When we
start to sound out a word, they all know which letter it should be. A
few of them have progressed this to short reading. For math, they are
all doing vertical addition (a double digit over another double digit)
and many of them have begun carrying the one. A few have started long
subtraction (with carrying a ten over. Like for 52-25). Overall, we’ve
seen a lot of progress. We also do a lot of vocabulary and the kids
know a lot of animals, foods, clothing, shapes, colors, etc. in
English. We also go over what day of the week it is every teaching
day, so the kids have begun to understand the concept of yesterday,
today, tomorrow.
  When we started in January, we realized how big of a spread the
kids’ abilities were, so we decided to split them up into three groups
for part of the day. Not only does it break up the day for the kids,
but A LOT of learning occurs because it is so individualized. In the
highest group are 5 boys: Aseminow, Tariku, Bakalu, Dawit and Hailie.
These boys work with Peter and have covered a lot. They doing short
“spelling bees” and also have been trying to read. Peter also covers
some more difficult topics, such as geography, with this group.
  The middle group is currently working with Lisa (from New Zealand).
The kids are: Bahilu, Yosef, Sinknesh, Hanna and Danny. Lisa has been
focusing a lot on letter sounds with this group and going over what we
teach in class. She often goes over the days of the week and clothing,
food, etc.
   The lowest group is my group. Included are: Bezawet, Hanok, Arafat
and Sara (and now, Hiwat, which I’ll get to). My group started off a
bit behind and we reviewed the difference between b, d, p, q. They
have gotten that down and we have been reviewing consonant sounds
(which they are good at) and now are doing vowels. Vowels are REALLY
hard but they are starting to understand. We also go over things from
class and spelling. I have tried to get them to sound out and read
3-letter words, but so far not too much success.
  The last girl, Hiwat, was receiving one-on-one with Julie in
February. Now that Julie has left we are pulling Hiwat out during big
group times and doing a one-on-one session and she is in my small
group during that time. Hiwat is very far behind. She’s definitely the
youngest kid (we guess she’s 5 or 6) and is still figuring out her
letters. Without one-on-one we are afraid she’ll just slip through the
cracks. Julie made progress with her and she now knows A-I. Hopefully
we can get her through the whole alphabet and understanding concepts.
   So there is my very short summary of the kids and what they’re
doing. As a group we try to introduce something new every week, and
this week we are tackling questions. They know a few (Where are you
from? How are you? What is your name? etc), but we want them to
understand what a question is and how you ask it. Always a challenge
around here!

End of Second Month Reflections

Well since I wrote a blog marking the end of my first month here, I
thought I would do the same for the end of my second month. February
has FLOWN by. It really feels like just last week the new volunteers
arrived. At the same time, I feel like I’ve known them forever. Isn’t
it weird how that happens? So here are my thoughts about February.
  First, it is VERY different with girls around. When I told my family
I was excited, they asked if it was specifically because there would
be new girls or just new people. It is definitely because there are
new girls. I feel like I have shared my feelings and really talked
about some important things a lot more this month. Not that boys can’t
do this, just that the Peters were much more reserved about most
things. I think Peter has been getting a bit overwhelmed with the
girly stuff, but he’s been a good sport. Last Saturday he walked in on
Julie and Lisa doing their makeup (I, of course, was not
participating… having girls around has reminded me that my girly side
is not very prominent), and he looked at what was happening and
literally turned around and walked out. In general though, he seems to
be doing quite well. Along with the talking and emotional outlets, we
also got our hair braided and have been shopping quite a bit more.
  Second realization: 2 months would not have felt long enough for me.
Part of me feels like I’ve been here forever, but I really want to
make sure I give everything I can, and I think another month will help
me to do that. Unfortunately, I will be saying goodbye to Julie very
soon. I think she’s really sad that she has to leave and she has
expressed that she wishes she had signed up for more than a month.
But, alas, the real world awaits. We aren’t expecting any new
volunteers for March so it will be the Lisas and Peter! I’m very happy
with these volunteers and we get along great, so I’m not sad.
   Third realization: African lice is different that American lice.
Yep, you heard me. This week I was sitting in class when a student
pulled a bug out of my hair, about the size of a small ant. Gross! I
quickly went and showered during the lunch break. But right after I
found several more in my hair and on my hairbrush. They were pretty
big, so I ruled out lice. But I decided to take it to a worker in the
home and she immediately identified it as the lice they get here. She
told me not to worry and just to shower. It was almost a relief (I
would rather have lice in my hair than unidentified gross, big bugs).
So I did the lice shampoo and had Lisa pick out all of the dead
babies. Sorry if this grosses anyone out, but it was quite an
adventure and I feel it was a significant part of my week.
    Alright, so those realizations do not really go together. But
there is my report at the end of February. I have been able to post a
lot of pictures on Facebook, which is really nice. I can’t wait for my
Kenya trip with my mom (March 10th!!!) and to continue teaching for
the next month. I know I’ll be home before I know it, so I’m trying to
make the most of everything.

A New Realization: Acceptance

Serenity Prayer:
      Dear God, please grant me the serenity to accept the things I
cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom
to know the difference.

It has been 2 weeks since the new volunteers have gotten here. It
seems like these 2 weeks have really flown by and I feel really close
the new girls. Oh, and this also marks my half way point… crazy!
   But since the new volunteers have arrived, I have noticed a
valuable thing about attitudes. Let me preface this by saying that
life here isn’t always 100% comfortable. The bathroom takes a bit of
getting used to and there are many small things that are just harder
here. I quickly learned about the dogs that bark almost all night long
and the chanting that comes from nearby churches that can start as
early as 4am. After I figured out how to use the toilet (as described
earlier, by pouring water into the bowl), I realized it was easy and
no big deal. Not to say I didn’t sometimes wish for a hot shower, but
I think I learned to accept my surroundings pretty quickly (not to
toot my own horn, but just being honest).
   Well, it has been a half of a month, and I don’t think my new
roommates have quite accepted the surroundings. I don’t want this to
sound like they aren’t appreciative or they are whiny. I have thought
of it as complaining, but I recently realized that it is simply a
non-acceptance of things. I came to this realization the other morning
when, at breakfast, one of the girls asked me and Peter when we “got
used to” the dogs barking. Peter said, “about a week.” The girls
seemed surprised but didn’t say too much. I thought about it and
realized that I’m not totally “used” to them, and I probably never
will be. But that I have accepted them as part of the surroundings and
my nights/mornings.
    Although this conversation sparked my understanding of my own
acceptance, there have been many other conversations concerning the
annoying bits of life here. For instance, every morning there is a
conversation about the loud dogs and the chanting. Often this is
accompanied by a conversation about the hard beds (small foam
mattresses on wood). When we go out, it is always a wondering about
the toilet situation in the restaurant (flushing? Toilet paper?
Usually neither). Last month we might have commented on the flushing
toilet, but it would not have been a main conversation. I think it has
given me a new perspective about a person’s attitude while doing
something a bit out of their comfort zone. I know these girls love
their time here, but I think if they just accepted the non-flushing
toilet and loud dogs, it could be greatly enhanced. But maybe not.
Maybe for them, this is a comforting conversation, to remind them of
where they are and the differences. I don’t really know.
   I want to again reiterate how much I like these girls and don’t
think they are unappreciative of what is here (they both have said
they assumed it would be worse). There has been more than one
conversation when one of them would say, “I know I shouldn’t complain,
but it’s hard not to compare it to things I’m used to.” Again, this is
a very understandable statement.
   As I was writing this, I remembered the Serenity Prayer, one of the
only prayers I know by heart. I love this prayer and I think this
experience continues to show me why I think it’s so important. I don’t
know if this post is meant as advice for people who are doing new
things or just a place for me to understand my own realization.
Either way, my conclusion is the same: acceptance of uncontrollable
things is a powerful concept.

Looking Out for Each Other

In a book I recently read, it said that Addis is like a large
village; people are often looking out for each other. Being the
“forengie” (the name for foreigner) that I am, most of my day-to-day
experiences with locals are them asking for money or looking to rip me
off. It’s nice when I’m reminded of the generosity of people, and in
the last few days I’ve gotten a couple of examples.
    The first example has been ongoing since I’ve been here. At the
feeding center, it is a common theme to help others. There are many
men who come in and are blind. Sometimes they come with others leading
them, but often they are by themselves. When we are serving, the other
men around them will always help move the bowl up, or make sure the
man knows he’s been served. It is nice to see a huge group of
extremely hungry men taking the few extra seconds to make sure a less
fortunate among them is getting the same treatment. I’m always
impressed at their willingness to help everyone else get served, even
after they have gotten theirs (and could be stuffing their faces).
   The second example is what prompted this entry. I was sitting on
the taxi the other day and a woman walked up with a small child. The
little boy (who was probably 3 or so), got into the taxi first. There
was only one seat and it seemed the boy would be sitting on his
mother’s lap. While the mother was getting into the taxi (she had a
few bags so it was a bit slower), a young woman took the small child
and put him on her lap, no questions asked. Everyone in the taxi began
smiling at the child. When the mother sat down, she did NOT take her
child. The young woman held the child until him and his mother got off
of the taxi.
   These taxis can be brutal to get into and I’m used to shoving my
way so I can have a real seat, so to watch this clear example of just
helpfulness from everyone in the taxi was really great. It did not
seem out of the ordinary that the young woman sat with the boy on her
lap and nobody questioned her integrity or the mother’s abilities. It
was just clear to everyone that the mother literally had her hands
full and it would have been a struggle for her to carry the small boy.
  In a city as crazy as Addis, it is really nice to see locals looking
out for each other. The moments in the feeding center and the taxi
remind me of a small town, where people are just helpful for no
reason. I wish I could obtain this “local” status to take part in
these instances. Unfortunately, I am stuck being a very white
forengie…

Also, I just got my hair braided in corn-rows! Hopefully pictures on
Tuesday on Facebook :)