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!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
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!
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.
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.
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