Home Stay

I have been living with my host family for the past 2 ½ weeks in a town called Sagure.  Prior to meeting our host families, the Peace Corps performed a home-stay skit for all of us volunteers to prepare us for meeting our families.  As with most Peace Corps precautions, I believe that their intent was to scare the crap out of us.  The skit showcased a “typical” Ethiopian family, very nice and accommodating, but a bit overbearing by American standards.  For example, they showed the host family hand-feeding the volunteer (a common practice and sign of affection), they washed her feet, and literally tucked her into bed.  They spoke very fast in Amharic, and the volunteer just looked completely lost and overwhelmed.  As I sat watching this production, the voice inside my head was screaming “No!!! Don’t make me go!”

Fortunately, I have been pleasantly surprised by my host family experience thus far.  They are extremely kind and helpful.  They have hosted 2 volunteers in the past, and I feel very lucky that those girls probably “broke them in” for me.  My host dad is named Melese, my mom is Welela, and they have 4 children.  My sisters, Wodest is 15 years old and Eyerusalem is 14, and my brothers, Dawit is 12 and Hailesilassie is 9.  It took me about a week to get those names down!  And I’m still not confident that I pronounce them correctly!  It is a very odd and awkward feeling to be living in a stranger’s home, but this family has certainly tried to make me feel at home.   My host dad and sisters speak English quite well, so communication has been fairly easy.

 One of the first nights in my new home, as I was sitting in the living room with my family, feeling a bit shy and out of place, my host dad asked me, “Are you scared of you family in America?”   Huh? I was so confused.  Surely I must be missing something.  Does he mean do I miss my family? Am I scared for my family?  I asked him back to clarify, “Am I scared of my family? Afraid?” “Yes.” He replied.  “No, I’m not scared of my family,” I said back.  “Good.” He said. “Then you should not be scared of this family. You are part of our family now.  As long as you are in Ethiopia, you are my daughter.  You are the same to me as Wodest and Eyerusalem.”  Wow! I was so amazed.  What a kind and generous sentiment!  It brought tears to my eyes for sure.

Speaking of tears, every day here is an emotional roller coaster.  I am in either language, cultural, or technical training all day Monday through Friday and half days on Saturday.  At the end of each day, I am mentally and emotionally drained.  I can spontaneously start crying for no apparent reason.  My brain has been working in over-drive trying to absorb as much of this crazy and confusing new language as possible.  Although, I have just switched languages from Amharic to Affan Oromo and so far, it seems a bit easier to understand.  Plus I am the only student in my language class, which definitely forces me to work harder.

So what have the big adjustments been so far???  Well, the food for one is um, interesting.  We eat injera morning, noon, and night at my house.  In case you haven’t had injera, it is a staple in the Ethiopian diet.  The only food I can think of to compare it to is maybe a very thin, spongy, slightly sour pancake.  They use it to put their food on and also to scoop it up and eat with instead of silverware.  It is an acquired taste.  I was choking it down the first week, but now it’s not too bad.  Although, there is a lack of variety in food choices, so I am looking forward to cooking for myself.  I would l kill someone for some gold fever wings right about now!! 

 Another major adjustment is all things bathroom related.  Showering, going to the bathroom, even washing my hands or face takes at least twice as long as it would with running water.  I don’t even want to confess how infrequently I have bathed in the past couple of weeks!  It’s just too much work to get up super early, squat in a bucket, and attempt to get clean with a pitcher of cold water.  Don’t even get me started on the toilet situation, or no toilet situation!  Let’s just say it’s pretty gross and leave it at that.

 

This weekend, I will be traveling to my permanent site where I will live for the next two years after training.  The town is called Ambo, and I will spend one week there, just getting familiarized with things.  I am very excited to check it out and start meeting new people.  Hopefully I will be able to update you all on my adventures in Ambo, depending on internet availability.

Nagaan taa’aa!