Thursday, May 2, 2013

Goodbye Tan, Hello U. S. of A.

13 countries and 4 continents later I'm finally back in NYC!... at least until September. It feels so good to drink tap water again, be reunited with the majority of my clothes and belonging, not live out of a backpack, as well as have consistent plumbing.  Things are rather odd being back home, but for the most part, I'm very zen right now. I feel very happy, and I feel in a way complete after having achieved something that's been a life goal of mine for 5 years or more.  I've picked up bits of 2 new languages, adopted an Argentine accent to my Spanish, and I've made countless new friends that I hope to be in touch with, if not also visit, for a very long time to come!

Being home shouldn't feel weird, but of course it does. I get plopped back into my old life, after just experiencing some incredible things. Most of all what's difficult is that I'm in such a tranquil place right now, yet I'm surrounded by tense people living tense lives. I feel that now I have a good global perspective on things. When you go away, and you're surrounded by new people, fellow travelers, and foreigners, you tend to sort of help each other, and take care of each other. Part of this is out of necessity, part of this is because you try to show people the best of you since you'll only be with them for a short period of time. There's no time to fight, or to worry what other people are thinking, there's only time to enjoy the present company and enjoy the moment. Why, I ask, can't it be like this at home? Yes, it's difficult with technology, with 12 different people speaking at you at a time through your phone and internet.. but I have made it a point to try to continue this good will, this happy mood if you may so call it, into my time here in NYC, and hopefully beyond. I realize that I've been passing the time being just polite to people, just nice enough to not be considered rude, but why not be actively nice.  Why shouldn't I hold the open button for someone on the elevator? Yes, it's nicer to be alone, but shoot, who cares? It doesn't take much for me to help someone get to their floor faster. This may be a trivial example, but there's loads of ways to just be a little nicer to people, and it feels good.  It's not easy, but I've been working at it since I've been back.  One thing that will help me is something my friend Sheena introduced me to.  It's called Karri Hour.  It's a random act of kindness towards a stranger, preferably for an hour, in honor of one of her close friends who died far before his time. Check out the website karrihour.com . It keeps me looking for ways to be nice to people, and not in a way that benefits myself even, but in honor of Karri.

On a lighter note, some things that I'll miss and perhaps not miss --- Obviously my tan, which is fading way too quickly! I'm glad some of my friends got to see it.  I'll miss traveling in general, and constantly seeing new things, meeting new people, and trying new foods. I'll miss the excuse, sorry I'm not from here. I'll miss talking about people quickly in English so they don't understand me, or cursing at them under my breath when they heckle me, something that I will on the other hand definitely not miss.  I also won't really miss having to seek out a 7/11 for AC refuge, or a hotel for refuge from the somewhat dirty and authentic lifestyle I was in. I'm very happy I don't have to haggle and bargain any more. It was fun at first but I'm ready for the standard price, even if it's overpriced.  I'll certainly miss the Thai police suits, which were by the way voted sexiest police uniforms in the world. They are skin tight, in the hopes that it will prevent them from gaining weight and becoming less active, attentive, and capable in their work.  It was cool that people didn't steal my flip flops, but I'm happy I don't have to leave my shoes outside every time I enter a building. I'll miss speaking with an Argentine accent, the wine there, Toby our Ethiopian dog, the strong Southeast Asian sunshine, and I'll really miss all my friends that I've made everywhere I went.

I can't really say which place was my favorite. They were all special- all incredible experiences. I do have a better idea now what I want to focus on and specialize in in grad school and that is what the goal was anyway. For more info about this you'll just have to come find me and talk to me :)

Now for some important news, related to grad school. While I was in Addis I heard back from grad schools in early February.  I got into all the ones I applied to except for one.. I did get into my first choice however, and in September, it looks like I'll be starting a 2 year MPA (Masters in Public Administration) degree at the London School of Economics!! That is assuming I pass the mandatory calculus class this summer!  I hate to spread it around so publicly, and jinx myself, but I thought it would be good to tell everyone (if anyone reads this anymore), so no one needs ask me...what's next?

This is in all likelihood my last blog, so thank you everyone who read this and kept up with me! You've saved me a lot of talking for when I see you next! :)

Monday, April 22, 2013

Packing Up the Mozzie Net

Today's my last day at the Isara Foundation, and my last day of working during this volunteer adventure.  I cannot believe how quickly it's gone by, while at the same time cannot believe all the incredible things I've seen and amazing people it's brought me to. I never thought I'd be sad to have to pack up a mosquito net!

The last week/ weekend has been really great! I did some last minute things here in Nong Khai.. went to the Aquarium which was pretty funny, and got to see the sand art 'exhibit' they have on the beach here.  I've also had a chance to meet and hang out with some old volunteers who came back to NK for Songkran... They were so great and I'm lucky to have even more friends from this Isara family.

The next few days look to be pretty insane... I have 3 over night trains in the next 4 days. I take an overnight to Bangkok, meet up with Sheena, her sister, and Tiffany.. and then overnight to the full moon party on Ko Phangan.  Then stay there, but overnight train it the following night to hopefully arrive at the airport on time for my flight later that evening!

I'm of course excited to be coming home, yet sad at the same time.. I really hope I stay in touch with everyone I met on the road!  The little kiddies were a bit sad to see me go.. but I know I'm leaving them in good hands!

Food wise it's been challenging to decide what I should be having as my last meal... Pad thai? Fried Rice? Papaya salad? Either way.. I'm sure I'll be back! The days here have gotten a bit colder and cloudier and I feel as though it's preparing me for NYC weather.. I hope it stays a bit cold there by the time I get back!! I realized as well that I haven't really been sleeping well here due to the heat and no A/C.. .but with the temperature dropping all that's changing.. I hope I don't turn into a zombie or sleep for three days once I'm back home!

Will write my final blog after I'm back on Sunday... that is if I survive the tides of the full moon as well as all my train rides!!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Songkran Water Festival in Chiang Mai

Well, after a 12 hour car ride back from Chiang Mai, (and I say car not bus because I was actually in a mini-van) I am more or less recovered from the weekend that was Songkran.

Songkran is the Thai new year, and it is usually celebrated around the 13-15th or so of April, although this year, as is with most years, they start early and end late, adding on a day or two of festivities just for giggles. Sometimes the country side makes it last even longer!  For the new year, people flock to the streets dumping buckets and buckets of water on each other, using all manner of weaponry.  Sometimes it's a water gun, sometimes a water bottle, sometimes a water cannon.. anything you can think of to chuck water on some one else- it's there.  I imagine that traditionally this was meant as an act of cleansing, in preparation for the new year.. but as has happened with all holidays, it has become one gigantic block party water fight that gets the entire city from grannies to babies involved.

This past weekend, James and I met up with Sheena in Chiang Mai, the now undisputed Songkran capital of the world. We arrived super early to find our hostel to be a bit outside the old town, where all the action was happening, but to also be a small oasis paradise, with an insanely big pool, and free breakfast and wifi.  For only 9 bucks a night, I'd call that a catch for sure. That day we got right into it, and the water fighting and festivities didn't stop until three or so days later.

The main airline, AirAsia, had a booth near the main gate to the old city called Taipae Gate.  They had water cannons, foam parties, and a DJ, and everyone sprayed each other and cars which were passing through.  The water fighting was incredibly fun, and a great way to stay cool in the 100+ degree weather. However, the cold water that some people threw, that had literally just melted from a piece of ice was the one thing that was really not welcome.. I mean.. really.. have a little compassion people!  Luckily thanks to the one plastic bag I had with me, my camera and valuables were safe, and I was even able to snag some awesome photos and videos. Some people even put their phones in condoms, which actually worked really well! My camera wouldn't fit unfortunately...

Chiang Mai itself is a super cool city. The old part is surrounded by a well sized moat, and parts of a castle wall, which I assume to be the originals.  People were even swimming in this during the festival, but by the time the festival was more or less over, it had returned to its initial purpose. The food was great, and diverse -- I even got to have some amazing Mexican food!!  The people during that weekend were a mix of foreign and domestic which was a nice change and good introduction to the next Thai event I'll be going to, in addition to my upcoming home coming!

One really special thing I got to do was take a break towards the end of Songkran to go trek and sleep overnight in a longneck village.  They're the ones, as the name denotes who have the golden bands on their necks, similar to the african tribes who do the same. And yes, their necks are crazy long, sometimes scarily so. I was the only American in the group of about 20, and although I did get some slack at first for this, they soon realized I wasn't going to freak out or complain that no one was speaking enough english!  We trekked for about three hours the first day to a camp, and had a traditional dinner next to a fire.  Sleeping on a raised bamboo platform wasn't the most comfortable of situations but it was only for a night, and a pretty cool expereince, and I didn't get too many bug bites luckily! The next day we did everything you could possibly do in the mountains of Thailand pretty much. We rode and washed an elephant, we zip-lined, bamboo rafted, and even white water rafted, which was not so easy to do in the dry season when the river comes up to your shin in some places...

Returning to my hostel, and then eventually Nong Khai afterwards was a welcome rest from the eventful weekend.  I can't believe this is probably going to be one of my last posts!  At the same time I'm pretty much ready to go home at this point.. just the full moon party as a send off to go.  All the cultures have started to blend together.. I find myself saying falang and faringe interchangeably to describe my whiteness, everyones pointy hat with a pom pom on top is not unique to South America, Ethiopia, or Thailand, and I basically only just realized that Thailand drives on the opposite side of the road as the US... its been a long time since I've been home!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Helmet Parade and Holidays

It's just about time for me to get on a van, where I'll be for the next 12 hours, headed to Chiang Mai, but I quickly wanted to recap the week, and say hello and goodbye before I left.

Needless to say I was very sad to see Sheena and Tiffany go... our diversity level went down a few notches, not to mention that they were amazing awesome ladies, and I am now stuck with a bunch of dudes :) haha just kidding. I, and we all, have been managing well in their absence.  It has lead us to switch roles a bit, and I am focusing a bit more on going over reading with the kids, allowing James to take on more of a teaching role.

Teaching has become a bit easier for me and I really enjoy reading with the kids, as now I know them a bit better and know how they like to learn.  While there are some challenges, at the end of the day they're cute kids and since the program is totally free they're here because they really want to be, which is pretty cool.

In addition, this week has been very eventful and special for me. Yesterday I went campaigning all day for motorbike and scooter helmet safety. While the event in Nong Khai was a bit for show, we still got to meet and take photos with the governor here.  After this, I was lucky enough to have to opportunity to go with my bosses to Udon Thani, a larger town near by.  We knew the theme was helmet safety as well, but we didn't know really what to expect.  My role was initially to look pretty, and this was all I knew.  Mind you this is no small feat in 105 degree weather, sweating like a pig!

When we arrived in Udon, we were informed that we would be participating in a parade, and that we had to stand on a parade float shouting safety rules and recommendations to Thais and Falangs alike, especially because of the holiday weekend coming up. Although my boss Kirk was meant to be the only one on the float, me and my other boss Ming chased the parade down and hopped on as well.  Whenever we saw a white man in the street, I would get on the mic with Kirk and shout "Hey Falang! Wear your helmet this Songkran weekend! and remember don't drive drunk!"  Eventually I learned how to say it in Thai, and I got to scold a few Thai people we rode by who were not wearing helmets.

It was certainly a more memorable day that I've had this year, and a wonderful and lucky experience to have had.  It was nice to change it up, and to be working all day rather than just in the afternoon as we normally do for classes.

I think that is all for now... Songkran has started early this year, and I've already seen cars dripping with water and soaked with some power like substance.  I have packed basically all my stuff for Chiang Mai in a plastic bag, and I've just a few more helmets to hand out on the street before James and I head off to meet Sheena and Tiffany.  I don't really think I have to mention how amazing being drenched with water all weekend will feel in this heat... but more than that I hear there's plenty of cool things to do in Chiang Mai.. and I can't wait to share it all with you when I return. The bus company keeps pushing the return trip back, since this holiday has no real fixed dates, but I hope to be back in Nong Khai in about a week! Wish me luck in the van!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Beginning of the End and the Challenge

This month, April, is officially my last month of volunteering abroad.  I have just purchased my one way ticket home on the 27th!  It feels a little good, knowing that I have Chop't salad and Chipotle waiting for me in New York, but of course it also feels a little sad and surreal to actually have these months, this goal I've had for years, finally come to an end.

This week I have been planning my final mini trips and holidays, and will be going to Chiang Mai for Songkran weekend.  This holiday is the Thai new year I believe when everyone gangs up with their friends to form teams and have a massive water fight with everyone.  I will probably be wearing my bathing suit and carry nothing with me the entire time.  Finally, the last hurrah will be the full moon party in Ko Phangan, where I will be meeting up with two other volunteers from Isara and one of their sisters.  I am suuuuper excited for both of these things, needless to say. From Ko Phangan I will be heading directly to the airport, a trip that should take a little under a day via ferry, bus, and train.

But enough of all of that future stuff.  This week, the volunteers at Isara, minus a few decided to go on the 150 baht challenge, where we spend only 150 baht a day for 10 days, today being the last day.  I'm not really sure why we decided to do this, there is no political meaning behind it.  I know I did it as a mini challenge for myself. An exercise in self control, and it certainly reminded me that I actually need very little. To be honest it's really not that hard to live off of about 5 bucks a day here... A delicious pad thai costs a mere 35 baht after all... Tonight we will be celebrating the end of our "ascetic lives" by going to Udon Thani, a larger town about an hour or two away.. where I hear there's things such as sushi! Something I haven't had in ages!... The Mekong probably isn't the greatest place to eat raw fish from...

Besides that the temperature has gone up what seems to be 10 fold if that's possible. I honestly don't think I could be sweating more if I were sitting in a sauna! Sleep is more or less out of the question, and although my one lone fan helps a little bit, I still can't help but wake up in a pool of sweat probably about 4 times a night.  I hear the temperature is about 110/50 degrees, but I am honestly trying to ignore the figures... I don't want to know.  The ants however, seem to thrive in it, and I am also trying to ignore the fact that I think I may have ants in my bed.  I may have killed most of them with this spray but who knows.. they are microscopic... maybe I should just put one of the hundred lizards and geckos in there are let him go to town... Couldn't hurt...

Finally, in regards to teaching, it's been getting better and better. I notice now that I'm really beginning to understand how each kid learns, what they do and don't like, and possibly even communicate with them better.  I am sometimes hard on them, but to be honest I am here to teach, not to be their friend. These volunteer opportunities of mine were meant to be jobs for me, not excuses for vacation, and this is why I act more seriously. Other volunteers feel differently, but that's great! I think a balance in that regard is really important.  In addition, I think I have successfully learned my students names... You would think remembering names like BMW, Boat, Pee, Dream, Fun and Phonelink would be easy.. but honestly it can get quite confusing!  Also something really great that I've come to accept and appreciate is that unlike in Slumdog Millionaire, your shoes will not be stolen when you take them off outside a store or house as is the custom in some places, including Isara.  I have finally stopped worrying about my flip flops disappearing, and have started to enjoy being barefooted with everyone :)

Sadly this week two volunteers who I have been living with will be leaving at the end of this week... Sheena and Tiffany you shall be sorely missed! and I'm not really sure how I'll teach my class without Sheena... She's the good cop, I'm the bad cop.. Still, I look forward to meeting up with you both in Chiang Mai and Ko Phangan, and hopefully when we are all back in North America too!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Winding Roads, Baguettes, and Waterfalls: A Lao Adventure

This weekend (Friday-Tuesday) we were lucky enough to get some coworkers to cover our classes while Sheena and I headed across the Mekong River into Vientiane, Laos.  Sheena rightly so, suggested that we just stay in Luang Prabang... a mere 10-12 hour bus ride to the north of Vientiane, located ultimately in the center of Laos, instead of doing a mini whirl-wind tour of Laos as I probably would have done..

Everything was planned pretty much last minute.. and I think I only told my parents I was leaving the night before.  Bus tickets would apparently have to be purchased on the run.  There are no online sites I'm aware of that allow you to purchase these bus tickets ahead of time... slightly nerve wracking but a good experience for someone who probably has minor travel OCD.

We left mid-day on Friday for the Friendship bridge, which connects Thailand and Laos via Nong Khai and Vientiane.  I was expecting utter chaos, rudeness, and annoying summons from tuk-tuk drivers imploring us to take their ride for a mere 100 Baht.... Why would I spend 100 Baht, or about 3.5 dollars, when I could take a bus for a mere 20 Baht, about 75 cents.. Honestly.  (Yes I realize I'm going to have a shock and a struggle when I get back to the US and realize the actual price differences. Luckily I don't really remember how much things cost in America anymore...)  The cross over couldn't have been easier for me happily, although the currency exchanges for Sheena turned out to be pretty aggravating in terms of red tape.  Still we made it through in no time!

 The first thing that caught my attention was all the soviet flags hanging everywhere! Tons of them! I know you're communist but get your own party flag guys... After crossing over, we went straight to the bus station where we had about 4 hours to kill. We attempted to eat at the restaurant across the street... and managed to get some sort of soup.. mystery meat was determined to be chicken neck... Although Sheena rudely suggested that it was cat meat due to the very large number of cats wandering around the restaurant.  Ironically a chicken escaped from the kitchen as we were served our food and strutted around the restaurant for a bit while we began to eat his relative... I knew this trip was going to be an adventure already!

The bus, supposedly VIP (whatever that means here) turned out to be just a regular crappy bus, without a bathroom! We stopped every once in a while for passengers to relieve themselves.  We didn't realize why we had been stopping before Sheena asked about a bathroom.  Promptly the bus pulled over and let her get our, after which almost the entire bus got out and stood basically in a line next to the bus peeing in unison - Men, women, old ladies.. you name it. A sight to see let me tell you!

The bus ride, which was supposed to be one of the worst in the world wasn't that bad to me.  I even successfully ignored the sounds and smells of other people vomiting as the bus turned 90 -180 degree turns about every minute to 30 seconds for probably around 4 hours.  The bus ride back, on the actual VIP sleeper bus was pretty much the same deal in terms of the vomit, but the ride was a heck of a lot better. There were three rows of bunk beds on the bus, and a toilet on board as well! Needless to say we got a lot more sleep on the ride back!

Arriving Luang Prabang at 6am with 30 minutes of sleep between us was not the greatest of feelings but the Lao Sandwich I ate right away, a baguette with chicken, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, maybe an egg, and some other things I don't know was a lovely welcome to what turned out to be an incredible picturesque and charming town!

We napped for about four hours.. not gonna lie.. and walked around the entire town in pretty much 4 hours.  We checked out the museum, the temples, the river, as well as the yummy restaurants we planned to eat at.  Although it is supposedly best to travel there in rainy season, when the river and waterfalls are at their prime, we did get a chance to see and walk across the bamboo bridge that they take down when the river gets too high.  That night we checked out the night market, ate another baguette, and headed to a really cool place called Utopia (fitting with all the soviet flags) right on the water.  We enjoyed some wine, and caught a free movie across from our hotel/guesthouse.

The next day we had to get up super early in order to feed the monks! Yes this is what it sounds like. We got some rice and other things, and lined up with everyone as 200+ monks passed by, opening their special buckets for us to put food into.. I was wondering how they felt about everyone touching all their rice before they ate it, but how western of me! It was nice to see that the monks also took some of their food and gave it to orphans who were sitting on the side of the road as well.  Right after we hiked up mount Phousi (you may pronounce that however you want) and got a great view of the town and surrounding area.  The next day we went to some temple caves via a boat, stopping by a whiskey village, all the while enjoying French inspired food and failing to really see a difference between Lao and Thai food.

Our last and final day turned out to be one of my favorites so far this year.  We caught a tuk-tuk up to these waterfalls about 30 minutes outside of Luang Prabang.  They were beautiful, falling gently into cool milky blue ponds/lagoons that you could swim in.  There was a bear sanctuary as well, and we hiked up a 100 degree or so (it felt like) path in order to get a good view.  Swimming in the ponds felt fantastic in the heat, and we went back into town to pack and get dinner with a Malaysian film crew who had interviewed us at Isara.

All being said, we were let back in to Thailand, tired but having had a wonderful and yummy weekend! Today we finally got to help out the recycle center and it felt good to do some useful manual labor.  Must say it feels good to be "home," and I'm gearing up for another week of teaching!  My first class on my own is today...!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Nong Khai, What I Actually do Part III, and Ants All Around

I'm just about to finish up my second week at the Isara Foundation in Nong Khai, but it seems like I've been here a month!  I've been having a great time so far exploring the city, tasting awesome street food, and of course learning how to teach English.  My two closest friends here are a Canadian named Sheena, and an Aussie named James.  We often do a ton of things together, such as renting a motorbike  to go visit the sculpture park here (an amazing park where one man made about 50 huge Buddhist/Hindu statues).  We've enjoyed some great meals, gotten some nice Thai massages, and have gone down to the Mekong River for a swim with a couple of other people who live here permanently who James knows after being here himself already for a few months.  The other 3 volunteers with whom we work are great as well and it's always nice when they join us for pizza, korean BBQ, or a swim at one of the hotel pools in town.

Now for what I am doing... For those of you who know me well I've never been a huge fan of the concept that everyone in the world needs to learn English.  I always try to learn as much of the local language as possible, (something that is proving to be quite the challenge here!) and I am almost never surprised or angry if someone can't speak English, especially in a poorer country.  Still, I have found an exception to these rules of mine here at Isara.  The way they teach the children here is geared almost entirely towards reading.  The method/word on the street here is that if they cannot read/ read English then they really won't learn that much. This emphasis on reading in general is something that I really appreciate about the Isara Foundation.  In addition, after traveling thus far, I have realized that while by no means I believe everyone needs to speak English, I have a greater appreciation for the advancements learning English can have on the career of someone living in a third world country, or a place like Thailand, where tourism is probably a top commodity.  The tourism industry in many parts of the world is such a huge business that the individuals involved in it and related industries who really understand and speak English can in fact make a greater impact on their families income and therefore lifestyle.

Sheena and I have been teaching about a class a day, and we are helping with the reading in another couple of classes.  The classes are usually about an hour long and can be a ton of fun, unless the kids are being kids, or have not done their homework.... Then I have to turn into that rude teacher I always hated growing up! Although we teach children, we sometimes are called in to the police station or hospital here (as was the case yesterday) in order to do an English review, vocabulary/situation specific lesson.  The nurses were a lot of fun to work with, and I could tell that they would appreciate knowing the English we taught them when speaking with the tourists who often come in with various ailments.  In addition, Isara has a recent recycling center and a helmet/ motorbike safety campaign that I hope to check out in the coming weeks.  The people who work here take what they do very seriously, and strongly wish to give back to the community in any way that they can.  This is of course a lot different from other English teaching centers around the world.

All of us have been attempting to take some Thai lessons from the interns Isara has here.  It's going a bit slowly, as should be expected, but I'm pretty sure I have all the numbers down which is very exciting!!

The house we live in is quite nice, albeit a bit rustic, which is totally fine :)  The first floor is actually the school, equipped with an office, two class rooms, a small library, and a computer lab.  The second floor is our floor (there is four of us up there, the other 2 volunteers live off the grounds).  There is a kitchen, 3 bedrooms, a living room, and of course a bathroom with a shower.  No house dogs here like in Addis, but there are plenty of geckos, ants, and I hate to say cockroaches to go around!

Since leaving America there are some things I've gotten very good at ---
1) Dealing with and sometimes fixing dodgy plumbing
3) Taking cold showers / Living in a black out
4) Ignoring people talking to me and offering me things on the street
5) Killing mosquitoes and other insects
6) Arranging mosquito nets (or mozzie nets as James would say)
The latter two should by no means convince you that I am not getting bitten by mosquitos and other insects but I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job at keeping numbers of bites down to a minimum!

This weekend, and a bit into next week, Sheena and I are hoping to pop over to the other side of the Mekong to check out Laos, particularly Luang Prabang, although we will be seeing Vientiane for a little bit as well.  Hopefully it will work out well, and my next blog will be about that! Speak soon!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Traveling Southeast Asia

I have finally settled in Nong Khai, the small city on the border of Laos, connected to it's capital Vientiane, that will be my home for about the next month and a half.  Boy does it feel good to unpack my backpack after almost 3 weeks of nonstop travel, not staying in one place for more than 2 nights!

Since my last blog I visited Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Phnom Penh, Phang-Na Bay, and Bangkok with a friend and their sister.  Everyone always asks what was your favorite but as I'm sure you can imagine I would say, they each had something special about them.  Singapore was incredible, so multicultural and modern.  I finally got to go to the top of the hotel there with a huge infinity pool on the roof, about 50 stories high.  Kuala Lumpur was not as fun of a city, but the Batu Caves were incredible, and it was pretty cool seeing the Patronus towers.  Siem Reap was perhaps the best in all.  Not only did it have Angkor Wat, a huge expanse of Buddhist/Hindu temples, but it also had a very international crowd and a fun night life with all kind of things from glow in the dark pubs to fish foot massages!  Phnom Penh was a city in itself and since we arrived during a holiday, many of the attractions were sadly closed.  After arriving in Phuket we went a bit off the beaten track to a quiet resort and enjoyed some pool time before taking about around the bullet islands, finally visiting James Bond Island, featured in Rodger Moore's Man with the Golden Gun.  And finally Bangkok I really enjoyed! There were so many things to do... and so many Buddhas! There was lying down buddha, standing buddha, resting buddha, angry buddha... it was a lot haha.  The palace was unreal, and I couldn't help but think about Anna and the King/ the King and I.

In all the places the weather was hot and humid, and I can't remember consistently sweating like this in my life! Despite that, the street food smells so good that I can't help but try basically everything I see.  Sometimes I have no idea what things are but boy do they always taste good!  A fun thing they do here is drink soda out of bags.  They empty the soda into a plastic bag with ice so as to keep the bottle for recycling and refilling.  Pretty funny looking but I guess that's one way to do it!

I took the night train up to Nong Khai, 14 hours in total.  Luckily I had experience in Russia and already knew what to expect for the most part of sleeping cars.  Surprisingly there were a lot of white people in my car and I sort of helped them figure out how things work out.

So far my job/where I'm living is great! Yes I did finally hear back from the Isara Foundation, and they have provided me with accommodation and so far 3 soon to be 4 awesome roommates! As I'm learning how to teach the kids in our after school program here English, I have been wandering around the week long street fair across the street and have seen already Muay Thai fights and Sepek Takraw which is basically volleyball with your feet.  In the next week I hope to explore this place a bit, and get to know my roommates better, as well as what my job here will really consist of.  We are supposed to also be teaching the police men and nurses here English, and I plan to go to the recycling center Isara also has.  More to come next week!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Post from Nowhere

Disclaimer: Traversing 12 or more time zones in a week has certainly made me feel a little funky to say the least, so appologies if some of the following is not in normal English!

After about 7 successful flights, 2 of which were 14 hours, I have not only entered the UAE to see the tallest building in the world, but more importantly I enjoyed a week with one of my best friends Christine in Peru and Chile. I am currently drinking a coffee at the Auckland airport, enroute to meet another friend in Singapore for a 10-day or so long adventure vacation in Southeast Asia.  Although New Zealand looks close to Australia on the map..  and on the map Australia looks close to Southeast Asia... I in fact still have one more 10 hour flight to go before I finally reach Singapore.. Where am I?!! How do you fly this much and reach somewhere not in the middle of the Pacific ocean that is still so far away from other countries? 
I have thus concluded that although NZ and Australia are awesome and contain great accents they are probably the farthest away countries from anything. Ever.  No wonder locals take 6 month vacations....Let's hope JetStar Airways has some good movies!

Now for a delayed weekly update: I decided to crazily come to South America after Ethiopia, instead of making the much shorter trip in the other direction to Southeast Asia, becasue I felt, rightfully so, that I needed to see a friendly face, and that I deserved a break.  It was incredible to see Christine again, and we had a fantastic time.  She was quite the host, and cooked me all the foods that I had not eaten since being in Addis.  (Guacamole!) After spending a day in Valpariso, which I wanted to visit since I had missed it the last time I was in Chile,  we took a trip to Cusco and Puno, Peru in order to see Machu Picchu and Lake Titikaka respectively.  It was a wonderful change, in scenery, language, and weather, and a wonderful break from working.  Although I have seen both of these landmarks already, it was still great to revisit them, this time with new company, and with a new, and supposedly older mentality.  I guess I sort of know how my Dad feels now after revisiting places with my Mom and I.

Vacationing has been awesome and a lovely break so far, and I am super pumped for the next week and a half of adventures in a region I have not yet had the pleasure to explore.  It has once again made me really grateful for the opportunities I've had this year, and appreciate my life and friends so much.  I must also say that I am glad that I decided to work and travel this year, rather than just travel.  Part of me, of course, misses not only having roots but also having a sure purpose when I wake up in the morning.  I should say "sure purpose" since as a 22 year old I only vaguely know what I'm doing with myself, and only am assuming that these work/travel experiences will actually help me to get a job.  As much as I am excited to continue working, this time in Nong Kai, Thailand, I am also a bit nervous.  I still have not heard back from the Foundation after emailing a confirmation with them about a week ago that I'm on their calendar.  Things still may work out, but even if not, in a way I'm ok with just being there and finding work when I get there, however ridiculously annoying that may be.  As the Ayurvedic Medicinal Healer from New Caladonia (who I met at the airport today) told me--traveling, working, and living abroad not only makes you adapt easily to different situations, but through hard, crazy, fun, and tiring experiences, it also reinforces the idea that everything happens for a reason, and that everything in fact does turn out alright in the end. 

More to come from the road in Southeast Asia soon!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Adventures Continue

I can't believe that my time in Addis is coming to an end. I will be leaving here on Monday, and for about two or three weeks will be taking a break from volunteering in order to meet up with friends and travel everywhere from Dubai, to Macchu Picchu and Singapore, before I wind up in Thailand for my next volunteering stint.

I've emailed the organization that I'm supposed to be with there to double check that I'm still on their schedule, but they haven't gotten back to me. This is pretty disconcerting, but the tickets are purchased, and honestly at this point if that doesn't work out I'm not beyond just trying to find other opportunities in different cities in Thailand. Not exclusively of course, but a main reason as to why it's been a real pleasure to volunteer with the JDC in BsAs and Addis is this disorganization of other organizations. The JDC is a lot more together than others I've dealt with, and they have given me a solid and planned structure that is very nice to have in a foreign country.

This week, I took a one day/one night break, and went to the stone carved churches of Lalibella, in the northern region of Ethiopia. I think I deserved it after last weeks craziness, and I think Dr. Hodes agreed. I wish I could have traveled more while I was here, but I'm so glad I got to see these churches! They are similar to Petra, but some just are dug down into the bedrock, rather than into the side of a rock. If anyone ever travels there, a must go place is a restaurant called Ben Abeba.  It is on the side of a cliff, and looks as though Gaudi may have designed it. It is a perfect way to see the sun set over the mountains.  Still, I'm glad I got to visit Gondar and Lalibella, and I would love to return here sometime in the future (especially with my parents, who I think would love it here) so I'll be sure to get the rest of the country then!

My last days here will be bitter sweet. They will be filled with going to clinic, and the usual must do activities. The only really bad thing about not going home for a bit is that I won't really be able to bring anyone coffee!!  I'm afraid that it will spoil. I'm not sure I'd trust myself to make coffee well without the supervision of an Ethiopian anyway haha. Besides that, I hope to take in my last days of Addis, go watch some more traditional dancing, and eat my last bits of enjira.

Although there's some things I definitely won't miss, like the begging, the "hey you faringe" calls, and at times the bureaucracy... I've loved being here so much, and loved the work I've done.  Being here has certainly helped to remind me of the important things in life, (as I've said before) and has given me a perspective that I hope to keep with me forever (sorry for the repetition there.). Recently I've realized however, that while the detachment from technology has been really good for me in this respect, I think it will be nice to be in more contact with the rest of the world, and with more of my friends in particular, especially with this new perspective in mind.  I will definitely miss my life here, but at the same time I'm excited as the adventure of my year continues, and I look forward to exploring more of the world.

As I will be traveling a lot, I am unsure about the blogging I will be able to do, but I will to my best to stay on my weekly timing! 'Till next time!

Monday, February 11, 2013

All Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

This week has been incredibly long, and incredibly busy... hence the lateness of this post... but seeing 12 of our patients, ranging in ages 4 to 32, headed to India for surgery was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

When I was told on Monday afternoon that I needed to send 13 people, one nurse and 12 heart patients to Cochin, India by Sunday morning, my heart started pounding. When I was also told I needed to get 6 spine patients in Ghana back within 2 days.. I was nearly freaking out. How was I going to pull it off? For the heart patients, how was I going to get the visas, get the yellow fever vaccines, blood work, and get the tickets at a good price by the time the weekend rolled around?  With a couple all-nighters, a ton of help from the local Ethiopians I work with, and eventually Sam once he returned, we were able to send everyone off right on schedule yesterday.

When I think about the week, I really feel that patience is definitely a virtue to have in Ethiopia.  No plan is ever sure, nothing runs on time, and plan B usually wins over plan A.  For example, I had the online visa applications done barely in time on Tuesday, but was told I had to redo them and scan a photo of each person this time - something not very easy to do when some people live 3 hours - 1 day away from Addis.  I had to redo everything, and came back first thing in the morning... The guys at the Indian Embassy said I could get the passports back by the following day... but when I went there, they said that was a mistake and I had to wait an extra hour to have them print everything out. I wasn't going to leave without those visas, and I think it's safe to say that the people at the Indian Embassy won't be missing my presence once I'm gone after nagging them and asking repeatedly why I actually had to scan each person's photo, when it doesn't say to do so on-line.  

Some blood work was incomplete and needed to be redone, and the tickets needed to be paid for by a special check that could only be gotten from the central bank in town, with a special stamp of course, and about an hour long wait.  Luckily I made it to the airlines with just under an hour to spare before the ticket reservations would be lost. 

Through all this I was nervous not only that I would mess something up, but that something out of my control (which is many things in Ethiopia) would happen to prevent these great individuals from getting the surgery they urgently needed.  Patience is all I really needed it seems... Things just sort of happened to work themselves out one way or another.

On Wednesday, welcoming the spine patients back was a beautiful experience, and although I hadn't met any of them yet, I was so excited to see them reunited with their family members after 3-6 months of traction and surgery in Accra, Ghana.

Then, seeing every one leave for India yesterday, especially the four year old who was going alone to India (but kindly taken care of by two other patients) was incredibly moving, and I had to hold back some tears, especially seeing everyone crying as they said goodbye to their family members.  It is scary and exciting, and although I won't be here when they come back, and although the experience was super nerve wracking most of the time, I'm so excited to have had this experience of sending this group, and I can't wait to hear about how they do in India and upon their return to Ethiopia.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Habisha Style

About a week without Menachem and Sam have passed, and I'm still alive! Things have been very busy, but have managed to go more or less smoothly.. or as much as is possible in Ethiopia.  Everyone has offered to help me and some have done so which has been really sweet and great.

Living here for this long, I've started noticing the funny nuances of Ethiopia/Addis life, and felt the need to share some things with you.

As the story goes, G-d created man of clay, and put him in a kiln. When he took him out, he discovered that he had left the clay in too long and thus black people were created.  G-d then put the clay statue of man in the kiln for less time, but the clay was not cooked enough, and so white people were made.  Next G-d put the clay in for just the right amount of time - and out came Ethiopians!

This story although slightly ridiculous does show the listener more or less how Ethiopians view themselves, as well as white people and other Africans. For me, walking down the street isn't always fun or easy. I can't blend in, and standing on the street waiting for a friend is more or less out of the question. The beggars, many of them children - and there are many many more than I expected- will always make a B-line for me and my white skin. They will sometimes touch or grab me, and although I don't like to, I sometimes have to yell at them to go away. I have to watch out for my pockets with them as well!  Being white here of course isn't all bad. Sometimes I just need to stand with an Ethiopian at a hotel or embassy to ensure that he gets service or whatever he needs.  My whiteness apparently ensures that I am an honest and important person.

The funniest thing of all is how white people act towards each other. Menachem told me there was something like an 85-90% chance that white people would see each other yet ignore one another, as if to say.. you poser, I'm living the cool indie life of Africa, stop making it seem like I'm not special for being here! I've started smiling at every white person I see to test this out and I must say it's quite true. Almost none of them smile back at me, much to my own amusement!

Even though I've been here for a while, I still haven't stopped giggling every time I see a cow cross a round about, or leave my house to find a few sheep or a donkey walking by.  It's the capital, a huge city, yet these guys certainly seem out of place!  The coffee here is keeping me going and is really delicious... sadly though even if you order your drinks way ahead of your "m'gib" or food, the drinks always come out way last.

I've really been having fun here, and have been enjoying the food and life... The one thing besides white person heckling that gets to me though is that whatever restaurant you go to.. unless it's a fancy one.. it is almost guaranteed to not have most of the food on the menu.  When you walk into a restaurant, you must first ask for a menu.. then you must ask what food on the menu they actually have.  Most of the time they only have the Ethiopian traditional food, available at all spots from German Beer Gardens, to Italian restaurants.  Besides this you can always get scrambled eggs, another popular choice!  Finally though, the fact that copyright laws don't really exist here is another amusing thing... Restaurants such as Facefood and Tib's Hut, In-n-out, and Kaldi's all bear varying degrees of similarities to Facebook, Pizza Hut, In-n-out, and Starbucks respectively. I always have these signs and many more to brighten my day as I walk down the street and dodge small children and animals!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Half Way Mark

I can't believe I've already been here over a month!  Time has certainly flown since I arrived on Christmas Day. 

I've tried to figure out why this is and I think it has something to do with the enormous amount of errands and organizing we do on a daily basis, learning new and interesting things every single day, but maybe more importantly not being connected to the high speed of western life through my phone.  There's been festivals and holidays, loads of visitors to chat with and show around, and on clinic days a huge number of patients new and old.  I am certainly being kept busy, and I really like it.  Despite that, the culture here is very laid back, so it's surprisingly easy not to stress too much, a great quality since things rarely run on time or according to plan.  A second plan of action is essential.  I find that this atmosphere and a generally smiling and fun group of people that I work and hang out with have helped me have a seriously more positive outlook on life. The fact that I'm realizing more and more that I may in fact be happier and more relaxed without being in constant contact with people is both unsurprising and slightly worrisome.  It's good to have time completely to myself or to live in the moment, without having to actively ignore the buzzing of a cell phone in order to do so. What will happen back in the states!? Hope a serious bout of reverese culture shock is not in order. This is not to say that I don't really miss talking to my friends and family whenever I want of course!!  But it is a nice change that definitely brings new perspective to the way I see things and can live my life.

The big deal this week was that Ethiopia tied with Zambia in the African Football Cup.  People were practically rioting in the streets, jumping on random cars, honking, and waving the flag all over. (This was just a tie mind you... I can't imagine what will happen if they beat Burkina Faso tomorrow!) Although this past week was relatively relaxed besides this, and there's not too much to update on, I know that the coming two weeks for me will be quite full.  Both Menachem and Sam will be out of the country, and only Sam will be returning in early February, while Menachem continues his med school interviews in the states.  He is being super nice and dropping my computer off at my house so that I can maybe have one before I get home in early June.  For now I'm borrowing someone's or using internet cafes...

But enough of electronics and me... I'm both excited and nervous for the coming weeks.  I always say that it takes me about a month to really feel comfortable in the new place I'm living in and that's true here as well.  I'll have a good amount of friends, and people to hang out with and talk to, even without the roomates. I'm definitely going to miss them not just because they are awesome, but also because I'm going to be seriously running around like a chicken without it's head on (some thing I was slightly sad I didn't see when they killed a couple chickens for Ethiopian christmas) making sure I don't totally mess everything up...  we have a trip of heart patients flying to India soon, and maybe another group going to Ghana for spine surgery.  I'll have to help make sure all the documents, passports, vaccines, and scans are in order for all of them, in addition to making sure the scholarship girls at Unity University are practicing their english with me, and that clinic and post clinic runs smoothly without the expertise of the usual pros, Menachem and Sam.  Yikes! Wish me luck until I update you on how things are going by next week!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Group Travels and Holidays

Woo, it has been an exhausting yet incredibly interesting and informative week.  On 10 January, 20 college students from the University of Maryland came on a short-term (10 day) service trip that their Hillel runs with the JDC.

Menahem, Sam, and I, along with their staff/capitan Ellie, and other JDC employees were given the opportunity to show them around Addis Ababa, as well as Gondar, in the north of Ethiopia.  While in Addis they got to check out the clinic where Rick works, as well as do a little bit of sight seeing and shopping.  After they had gotten a feel for Ethiopian culture, food, and people, I accompanied them to Gondar.  There, we went straight to work, helping to construct a building that would soon become a schools library.  In addition, we helped to de-worm over 400 kids from ages 6-16.

For my part, I found my time with the Maryland group very interesting, and my time in Gondar quite eye-opening.  I got to see another side of Ethiopia, and listening to their reactions and answering their questions in short helped me to see new perspectives.  Hearing from the college kids made me understand better what someone at home, for instance, will want to know, and this in turn will assist me in explaining (hopefully) what my experience here has been like... no easy task.

I thought Gondar itself was incredible. The mountains were stunning, the work incredibly meaningful and tangible, and the air just a bit fresher than smoggy Addis.  The only thing that I didn't really enjoy were kids shouting money money money and you you you at our cars. Maybe they're more vocal, or haven't seen any white people, or maybe, I started thinking, all other white people do is actually give them money. Not stick around and actually try to make some long lasting difference.  I still have to think about this, the benefits and cons of bringing in a lot of young foreigners to work, and how to best communicate to both groups of people what is going on, and what it is supposed to mean.

Sadly yesterday I received some tragic news, and in addition my computer seems to be broken.  The start of the weekend hasn't been super easy for me, but being in Ethiopia, and hearing about the passing of a dear friend, really makes me appreciate where I am in the moment. Although I'm really really bummed about my computer, I am happy to say that I think this year has been good to me in that I know now more than ever what is really important in life and to enjoy every day.

On the lighter side, I also got to hang out with the JSC volunteers in Gondar, Max and Liz, who are super sweet and great people.  I am excited for them to visit Addis soon.  Besides this, I am recuperating from 14 hour work days, and am planning to enjoy tomorrow's national holiday Timkat or Ethiopian Epiphany. The people are already out on the street, and the flags are all over, The traffics getting bad and since I'm going to have to walk everywhere because of this,  I better watch where I step because there will be loads of mass re-baptisms going on all day!!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Finally a work overview..

Merry Ethiopian Christmas! Yesterday was Melkam Gena, or Christmas.  We were fortunate enough to have an extra day off for this.  Menachem,Sam and I went to the big church in town, to check out the midnight mass.  The church itself was breath taking, but that compounded with everyone dressed in white, people sleeping in church, chanting in Giza, the old language similar to Hebrew, and even jumping up and down was unlike any other church experience I've had. We were invited over to a friends house to eat the following day, the same one who was kind enough to take us to church with him. Menachem and I stayed up until 3am because he wanted to slaughter a chicken for the feast. Unfortunately this wasn't allowed because Menachem hadn't fasted 40 days prior! Still, I woke up at 9am the next day to watch a specifically Christian butcher slaughter the sheep our friend had bought the day before.  It was kind of gross and sad, but I feel like it was a good thing for me to see.  The women traditionally cook everything, using basically every part of the animals. A special bread, dufo dabo, instead of enjera is made, which was a nice change, and a home made brew called Tela was plentiful. (I like the honey wine Tej a little bit better in all honesty.)  We spent much of, yesterday,  Monday hanging out, eating, and for us Faringes trying to dance like an Ethiopian, much to the amusement of our Abyssinian friends.

I've also been saying that I'd tell you about what it is that I do here, and now that I've been working for a couple of weeks I have somewhat of a better idea of how to explain it.

I've already told you that I live with the two yearlong JSC fellows working in Addis. There's two more who live in Gondar, in the north.  We, Sam, Menachem, and I, live in a two story house, which is situated in a kind of compound. On the ground floor there's a big living room and a bathroom.  Out in the front, is a sort of yard, until you get to the outer door/gate. This is where Toby our dog lives. In the back, there's a separate mini house for the kitchen. Up the stairs is another bathroom and 3 bedrooms.  It's a great place with a bunch of great places to eat around, and is relatively close to a main road so that walking isn't entirely out of the question, although I wouldn't do so by myself late at night.  We have a sort of driver, or constant reliable cab driver who we are close to, so that is a convienient way to get around of course too.  Despite the cars being about 30 or so years old, they work well enough!

Job wise, I've basically been helping Menachem and Sam with what they do, but since there's a lot, I've had plenty going on myself.  On Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, Dr. Rick, the internist/doctor we work for here, who is affiliated with the JDC, the organization I am volunteering for, holds clinic. There's two hospitals in which they are held.  A room is rented out in one on Mondays and Fridays, and another room in the other on Saturdays.   On average when the doctor is in town there's been so far about 35 patients, about 10 of whom are new.  They have various ailments, mostly either spine or cardiac related since this is what Dr. Rick specializes in helping.  I help out in the clinic organizing papers and scans, writting notes for later, or helping to conduct breathing tests for new spine patients.  Since Amharic is not written with latin letters of course, our files are digital. Dr. Rick, or sometimes Menachem, take pictures of everything... Faces, scans, documents, etc., and this sort of constitutes the patients file. It makes sense given the language problems, although it is of course a lot different from what we are used to in the states.

Tuesdays-Thursdays are spent sort of running errands.  We catch up on digitalizing scans or documents, I've run to the postoffice to help Sam with the letters we are sending donors, or we pick up passports, visas, or other scans and documents for patients about to travel abroad to get surgery.  Although there are some facilities here to do that, Dr. Rick refers and organizes groups of our spine patients go to Acra, Ghana to see a spine specialist for surgery, and the cardiac patients are sent to India.  Some other procedures we sometimes refer to foreign doctors in Addis.

Although the system we use here is a lot different from most hospitals or doctors offices, the care and attention is makeshift but not all that different in quality.  It's really quite amazing how much we can do, and how well it is done.

So while it may seem scattered and all over the place, (and believe me sometimes it feels like that for me) I really feel as though I'm helping out, and little by little the doctors and volunteers make great headway and progress. As the Amharic saying goes, "Little by little, an egg will learn to walk." More and more new patients come in, all because of word of mouth. That must mean Dr. Rick and the team are certainly doing something right! Check out his website here: www.rickhodes.org

I hope this summary sort of gave you the gist of what it is that I'm doing. The days are certainly long, but good thing the coffee here is amazing, and coffee ceremonies, consisting of three small cups of freshly roasted, pounded, and cooked coffee beans, are more or less an every day occurance! 

Yet while I get used to this schedule, the JDC alternative break service trip from University of Maryland is coming to town in a few days. The next week or so will mostly be devoted to spending time with them here, as well as accompanying them to Gondar which I am super excited about!!  More to come after that no doubt!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year from Addis!

It's definitely been a few years since I've celebrated New Years outside of the US. What a better place to start than a country which doesn't celebrate it!  I don't mean that Ethiopia doesn't have a New Years Eve, they certainly do - it's just a few months before ours.  This is due to their not switching to the Julian calendar as did the rest of the world, which I mentioned in my previous blog. My experience on New Years Eve day exemplifies more or less how I've found this incredibly unique experience here to be so far.

On New Years Eve day, I accompanied Menachem to develop a couple of pictures.  As we were waiting he told them that it was our New Years that night, to which they replied "Oh wow! Which country celebrates New Years today?"  He broke it to them in Amharic (which he inspiringly speaks quite well) that it was actually the entire world that had New Years that night, and the Ethiopia was a bit of an oddball.  While they were still in a bit of shock, he added that the year for us was 2013, to which their response was utter amazement, as if we had actually just travelled back in time to their year, 2005.  In the afternoon, due to a fire, or just due to the way things are here, (no one really knows) patchy blackouts were occurring around town.  Yet, just when I was resigned to having New Years in the dark, the power miraculously returned.

Despite the fact that much of the country did not really know or care that the rest of the world was celebrating the coming of a new year, we managed to do pretty well for ourselves, going to a couple of expat type places, with midnight being brought in the company of a mix of Ethiopians, Ethio-Americans, and Farinjis (whiteys). 

Since last blogging I have gotten to know Sam, my other roommate a bit better, and have finally met Dr. Rick, who I find to be incredible. (Of course he is after adopting 5 Ethiopian children as well as pioneering a massive pursuit of fixing back and heart deformities in the country.)  Although I am still trying to figure out what my specific tasks will be in the coming weeks, I do know that I will be helping the incoming short-term college trip the JDC has arriving in just over a week. During that time I'll be able to fly with them to Gondar to see some other parts of the country. In addition, I have been helping Menachem out with odds and ends of medical organization, paper work, and clinics. I intend to help Sam with that as well now that he's back. More to come on that next week I hope.

Addis has also gotten smaller to me since I've figured out my way around during the past week, although I must say there are certainly a larger number of beggars than I anticipated. I am also proud to say that I have gotten better at eating with enjira, the pancake that accompanies all foods. (I won't divulge my secret technique unless specifically asked.) I have also definitely learned some more Amharic, and hopefully my vocabulary will pick up a bit from here.

One of the highlights of the past week was watching a traditional Ethiopian band/dance group at a place called Fendika. It is quite hard for me to describe what traditional Ethiopian dancing is like, so please look it up yourself, or check it out here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6QwxL_Ar2g  There's a lot of shoulder type shimmies, and each region has their own variation.  It was incredible and I'm very excited to go back there again!

More to come as I continue to try more foods and attempt to make myself useful!