I have been living in Ethiopia for 100 days now. Although 100 days is just a modest dent in
the 2+ years I will spend here, it still feels like an achievement that should
be marked by a parade down main street, a fireworks display, or at the very
least-a more practical commemoration- this blog entry. So, what have my last 100 days been
like? I can say without a doubt that
they have been the most challenging 100 days of my life. I have never questioned myself, my abilities,
my motivation, or my goals as frequently as I have in the past 100 days. I have cried myself to sleep some nights. I have woken up in the morning excited about
the day to come. I have been frustrated,
annoyed, and confused by the obstacles of adjusting to life in a developing
country. I have been in awe of the
intricacies of a culture so rich in history and tradition. I have been asked for money and been argued
with when I said that I didn’t have any.
I have seen the generosity of people who have less than I do. I have had rocks thrown at me. I have been welcomed into the homes and into
the lives of strangers. I have been
proud of my accomplishments. I have been
inexplicably humbled by just how much I do not know.
Living here in Ethiopia has been so much more than an
adjustment. It has been a complete
overhaul of anything that could be considered “normal” life in America. I feel pushed to my limits just about every
day. Completing even the simplest tasks
such as buying bread or going to the bank feel like enormous triumphs. Every day I experience something different,
learn something new, and depending on my mood, these things all feel exciting
and satisfying or overwhelming and terrifying.
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| New Year's Eve bonfire |
As some of you may know, Ethiopia celebrated the beginning
of a new year this week. I won’t bore
you with the details of the Ethiopian calendar (you can Google that on your own
time!), but it basically boils down to a few key points. Ethiopia uses the Coptic calendar, which my
sources say is also used in Egypt. The
Coptic calendar is approximately 7 years and 8 months behind the Western
calendar. So on what, in America, has
become as an infamous day of remembrance, September 11, Ethiopia celebrated the
start of a new year filled with hope, promise, and potential. The Ethiopian calendar consists of 13 months-
12 months with 30 days each, and the 13th month with 4-5 days. Local time also follows the Middle Eastern
model of beginning the day at sunrise.
So today, September 13, 2012 at noon (Western time and date) will be the
3rd day of the first month 2005 at 6am Ethiopian time. Does that make sense? Probably not.
It is confusing. I typically look
at my clock, and think about time in 3 ways- what time is now in ferengi
(foreign) time? What time is it in
Ethiopian time? And what time is it at home?
There are a lot of math calculations, which I usually do incorrectly.
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| New Year's meal- the "before" picture |
I spent the New Year holiday with my landlord and his
family. My landlord has been extremely
helpful to me, helping me out around town since I’ve been here in Ambo. His family is also very nice, and unless
they’re really good at faking it, they always seem happy to see me. On New Year’s Eve, I knocked on my landlord’s
door around dinner time hoping that they would feed me, and also hoping to
score an invite to whatever celebrations would be had the following day. Not only did I eat dinner with them, I also
took part in the traditional bonfire and coffee ceremony in the yard. On New Year’s Day, I joined them for lunch
where we ate doro wat (a spicy chicken dish), sheep meat (which 2 days prior
had been peacefully grazing in the front yard), and homemade cheese with injera
(the sour pancake-like bread used to eat with instead of utensils). They also served homemade beer called talla
(which is completely foul), popcorn (very yummy- like kettle corn), and it
wouldn’t be a party without another coffee ceremony!
With the start of 2005, I’ve been thinking about where I was
in my life back in American 2005. I was
graduating from college, leaving friends, moving back home, and beginning a
career. It was a very difficult year of
transitions. I was sad to leave my
college friends, bummed to have to move back in with my parents (sorry, Mom
& Dad!), and I felt so overwhelmed and in over my head at my new job. Eventually though things got to be really
great. I made new friends, finally moved
out to my own apartment, and got the hang of that full-time job thing. I think it’s pretty fitting that it’s 2005 in
Ethiopia, another year of transitions.
Things are tough right now. I need
to make new friends again, and I’m definitely feeling a bit clueless about my
job. The past has taught me that being
open to learn, making mistakes, practice, and persistence leads to confidence,
and I cannot wait for the day that I’ll be able to say I feel confident in
Ethiopia. Good thing I have plenty of
time to get there. Maybe in the next 100
days…
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