Pictures of Ethiopia interrupted

"Staging" in D.C.
January 12th through March 21st. This has been a crazy few months and I’m not going to use a lot of words to describe it as I’m still processing everything with lingering jet lag.  But I have a few pictures

Ready for the flight to Ethiopia


About 40 of us gathered in DC after having put our lives on hold for 27 months and generally packing too much stuff. We were worried and excited, eager and afraid to get the show on the road. After a little training in DC we were on the flight to Ethiopia.

Landed and organizing luggage

On the bus to get the show on the road


We have about 3 months of preservice training (PST) before we can become Peace Corps volunteers. During this time we stay with generous host families to help us experience and understand the culture and the basics of life in our new country.

Homestay family

Religious festival early in training



I came with fellow agriculture volunteers and health volunteers. We attended core training on medical, safety and security, and administration together and we divided for technical training. The ag people learned about double digging gardens (which I’ve been doing that since before most of my comrades were born), bees, and poultry.


Bee hive construction

Chicken coop construction
Language is a big part of the training in many Peace Corps countries. I was selected to go to Tigray in the north of the country and so I would be learning Tigrinia.

Tigray cultural table

Ag Tigrina language group 

I keep doing Peace Corps because I love living and working with people who have a different perspective. I try to teach and demonstrate something useful, but I always receive so much love and insight. Kids are a big part of the experience, particularly early on. Kids are kids around the world – so very wonderful.


Good big brothers



During the first week of March we visited our sites for a week before continuing our training. Everyone loved their site and the people and we were looking forward to completing training and returning to integrate into and serve the community.

The family who were to be my landlords in Tigray

OK, sometimes you are the first white person some people see and it can be a bit scary





 

On the bus with new friends



And then, tragically, abruptly and wisely, Peace Corps made the decision to pull all volunteers around the world. It was/is heart breaking because of the people we are leaving behind, those we had yet to met, yet to serve.

As we had just a little of training left we were able to swear in as volunteers before we departed.
My fourth country pin (after my evacuation from Dominica and transfer to Grenada)

Volunteers from several countries left Ethiopia together

Waiting to board
Older volunteers and those with medical conditions got the business class seating (with the same food)
on the chartered flight

Touch and go at Dublin on the way to DC


Peace Corps strong greeting in DC.  Thanks!

We don’t know if or when we will be able to return. But we are Peace Corps Volunteers. We have a proud tradition of facing hardship with determination, perseverance, and a fair amount of humor. We are Peace Corps strong and we hope America continues to support us as in the future when we put our lives on hold to promote world peace and friendship. This is our service to our country and host countries since 1961. 

 But now we put all of that on hold and see what we can do here in the states. Thanks for reading.

Love always,
John

Comments

  1. JimMarch 28, 2020 at 12:13 PM

    bitter sweet but you'll be back I think. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ginnyMarch 28, 2020 at 12:31 PM

    John, Thank you for your post. I was excited to follow your service in Ethiopia as I find it a very interesting place. I do hope you return. I like how you appreciate other people's perspectives. I've always been that way and am more so now since my service. I hadn't felt I fit in anywhere since arriving back here 4 years ago until I got a seasonal position as a park interpreter at an urban park. I finally felt at home there because of the diversity of the people in the city. I dont work there anymore, but I still visit when I can. I wish you a somewhat smooth transition back here, though, I know the circumstances here are so foreign to us. We've served as Peace Corps Volunteers; we can face anything head on with courage. God bless, Ginny

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pito – brewed millet

Image
Corn, rice, and millet are the common grains grown in my region of Ghana. All three are used food, but millet is also used to produce the local brew – pito, or daa in the local language. “N nyu daa” - in Dagaree means “I drink pito.” There are several varieties of millet grown here – a red and white varieties have loose heads. These are used for pito and other foods. There is also a smaller seed variety with a tight head of seeds that is mainly used for porridge. (Don't have a picture of that variety yet.) In all varieties millet grows on a stalk with the grain head at the top of the stalk. White and red millet in the field Two bundles of while millet to be used for seed next season Converting a grain to alcohol is a common practice in various cultures. It provides a way to capture and digest the nutritional value of the grain. In some places, like Germany and the beer brewing monks, the making a beer was a way to preserve the harvest. In Ghana the millet is
Read more

Yam harvesting

Image
Roger and I went to farm to harvest yam on Saturday morning, September 13, 2014.  In Ghana a yam is a root crop that is different from a sweet potato.  We have sweet potatoes here as well. Yam recently harvested Preparing a yam for boiling The yam has a white flesh – softer than a white potato. In this area the yams are planted between April and June.  Harvest continues into December and January depending on the weather and pigs getting into the field. The plant is a vine – which is grown on stakes rather than allowed the spread out.  The plants are placed on a raised bed about 2 feet high.  The beds are surrounded by flat trenches.  This allows the rains to flow around, but not wipe out the yam crop.  Intercropping seems to be common practice with yams planted in the raised bed, soybeans around the edges, and rice in the trenches.  The occasional corn or okra plant is also among the yams – although the bulk of those crops are in other fields.   Row of ya
Read more

Mid-service Training

Image
This past week was mid-service training (MST). The conference was held on St. Lucia at the Mount of Prayer Coubaril run by the Benedictine Nuns. It was a lovely place with hospitable people as you would expect from Benedictines. A couple of years ago in Ghana I was able to spend a little time at a Benedictine Abby (popular with volunteers) – so it was a nice connection with the two Peace Corps services. I got a little spoiled with the great meals and the WiFi. I intentionally don’t have WiFi at my house so I’m less tempted to stay inside. I do have better data service than Dondometeng in the Upper West - no complaints there and so none here. Their Church Their view Their conference room Getting ready for a meal My room was the only one with a television.  It did work, but I didn't watch anything. My guess is the picture was a little fuzzy because of all the estrogen, but that's just a guy theory with a dirty phone This was actually my firs
Read more