Updates

November 10, 2007

 Sorry that everything I've posted so far has been composed in such a rush; whenever I'm at the Internet "café" (really more of a shop—there is nothing in the way of food/drink…), there are 3 or 4 other farenjis (foreigners) waiting to use the computer, so I have to hurry to check email, news, and post in a rush. So now I'm borrowing my friend Beth's computer and taking a little time to actually think through some stories that I want to tell you.

 

Things are going well. We finished week five of training (of 10 total) this afternoon. Our midterm language test is on Monday. It's hard to believe both how quickly time is flying, and that we're still only halfway through training. I have a feeling, however, that the next 5 weeks are going to go even faster than the first five. We're going to Addis Ababa on a field trip next Saturday, and then the following week, we take off for site visits to our respective towns (still no more word on where that will be). Then there are only two more weeks left before swearing in on the 15 ^th of December (which sounds like it's going to be kind of a big deal—the Ambassador is holding a couple of events for us, and a number of Peace Corps officials from Washington are flying in).

 

Language learning is frustratingly slow, but when I actually think about it, it's clear that I am indeed making progress. The first time I went to buy laundry soap, I asked for it purely by charades. Yesterday, a couple of us bought some more, and were able not only to ask for it by name, but to bargain a bit as well. It's still going to be something to be thrown into a community on my own. I'm guessing that my workplace counterparts will probably speak fairly good English (secondary education and above is taught primarily in English), but folks I interact with on a daily basis are probably another story. It's definitely going to be a challenge.

 

There are many small adventures and funny stories. Language mistakes are some of the best. My host brother told me that Oromiffa (the regional language which half of us are learning) is a "very dangerous" language (he meant difficult). A friend of the family told me that he had seen the group of Peace Corps volunteers having lunch, and that one girl was "very freaky." When I asked him what he meant, he told me that she was hugging everyone and saying hello. Oh, right. Friendly. In language class we crack our teacher up about once a week by mispronouncing words so egregiously that they turn from innocent new vocab into swear words.

 

It's still slightly surreal that I'm here. I'm writing this right now sitting in a huge carved wooden chair on the patio of the Lodge here in town, which is a fabulous refuge, peaceful and beautiful. I can see monkeys playing in the trees nearby. It's sunny and breezy, and I have no responsibilities until Monday morning. It's hard to believe that *this* is my life right now, that I'm really here and really doing this. I'm sure that there will be many difficulties and challenges ahead (and training certainly hasn't been all sunshine and lollipops. There is a decided lack of lollipops, in fact), but for the moment, I'm feeling really good.

 

Thanks for all your emails and letters. It's amazing to be so far from home and yet so connected. The world really is turning into a smaller place, isn't it? I can't imagine what Peace Corps would have been like 40 years ago. I think, also, that we're a little bit spoiled here during training, with 24 hour electricity and hot springs--and corresponding hot showers--within walking distance! It will be interesting to see how that picture changes with heading out to our own sites…

 

More soon. I'm sending happy, Autumnal thoughts your way. Have some hot apple cider in my honor, if you're in that kind of climate.

 

November 12

I just finished my midterm; it went super smoothly. I have the rest of the day off to poke around town, do laundry, catch up on email and facebook (ha) and play a game or two of scrabble. What a luxury to have some free time! Talk to you soon.