Don't Expect Anything

I've never really found LinkedIn to be a useful social network, until I started looking for something specific - RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers). And lo and behold, I found one who returned from Ethiopia this past Thanksgiving.

Earlier this week, we spent an hour and half talking. She's was so good about answering my questions and telling me about her experiences, but I was a little miffed and what she was telling me to prepare for. I asked about weather, people, culture, diet, to gain an understanding of what to expect and what to pack. But for every related question, the answer was some variation of 'i can't say'.

Thing is, Ethiopia is huge. Weather and diet and culture vary from region to region and town to town. The north is cold, the south is hot. Some places are meat fests, other are mainly vegetarian. Some places have cell phone coverage and paved roads, other don't.

What this means is that every PCV experience is different, even if you're in the same group and only a bus ride apart. My contact said everything she expected she didn't come across, so the best thing is to not expect anything and just go with the flow.

I'll all down for that, but it does make packing difficult. Should I bring rainboots or not? How many long sleeved shirt? How many t-shirts? I feel like I have to pack for for every possible situation, and have it weigh under 80lbs. And with a frying pan and other cooking supplies, not to mention books, included in that, I'll have to really think about what to bring.

After the GMATs, of course.

Laughter

Today I subbed for a special education aide; I would give teachers a break, rotating classes and taking them outside to play on the playground (with parapro help). I wasn't the only one with such ideas, many other teachers brought their kids out for a break, and I found myself enthralled with how the normal kids acted.

The screamed, a lot. I do a lot of special ed subbing, and they can be quite, preferring to point instead of speaking. Of course, there are those who do nothing but scream, but they can't really talk either.

No, these kids did a lot of play screaming. And laughing. They fell so many times, and got right back up and without even taking the time to brush the wood-chips from their pants before running again. I was alarmed at first, watching them fall, they could be hurt!, but the other teachers with me weren't concerned and I relaxed.

The kids on the monkey bars still scared me though. It was low, level with my mid chest. Kids would try to get across, and many fell. Because of the low height, the next kid in line would then proceed to kick them in the face if the didn't move.

It surprised me how many of the kids didn't move. Sure, they didn't always see it coming, but it's just common sense to get out of the way. But when kicked, they would just jolt away, get up, and laugh. So it couldn't have hurt that much, but I still don't see why getting injured is something to laugh about.

Except...laughing is happy. It makes minor things okay. And I expect lots of minor things to happen while I'm away. I've heard from recent RPCV in Ethiopia that working with the government in hairy, that I will make many cultural mistakes without knowing it.

I'll be laughing a lot. Good thing I'm well practiced. I just hope I don't develop laugh lines this early in life.

Preparing

The summer after my freshman year at uni I worked on Mackinac Island. (Lovely place. No cars are allowed, so everyone travels by bike, foot, or horse and the air is so clean!) It didn't hit me until I was on the boat from the main land to the island that I would be living and working on an island 7 hours from home for the entire summer. But then I met my roomies and everything was fine.

When I spent a semester abroad in New Zealand, the idea of it was so odd I didn't quite believe it was happening until I was about to go through the first security check point at the airport. And for the first few weeks while I was essentially roommate-less, I just wandered around Wellington feeling lost. Until I found the library and NaNoWriMo started and I hooked up with local writers.

But, going to Ethiopia is different. It's going to be a long time away from home, and I find myself stressing out about what I need to do here at home before I leave. I'm trying to figure out what grad schools to apply to for my return, I'm taking the GMAT in early May, I'm taking a calc class at a community college and my exam is at the end of this month, I have a story in the hands of three betas and I'm hopefully going to be publishing it before I leave (because I won't have the ability to submit while abroad, most likely).

I haven't really been able to stop and think about learning Amharic, figuring out what to pack, trying to pick up the skills I'll need for my assignment, or that I'll be away from home for 27 months, living in a country that doesn't speak my language, with no guarantee that I'll have even electricity or running water. It's there, in the back of my mind, but not a priority becuase I can deal with that in Ethiopia while I have so much to deal with here at home before I leave.

Not to mention reassuring most of my friends here that yes, I want to do this, and no, I don't think I'll get sick and die. It's hard to be super excited when most people around me are like 'Gwen, this is a bad idea.' (Or plan to kidnap me so I miss my flight, but I know it's just cuz they'll miss me and are worried.)

But I feel like I need to do this. I don't want to pass on this opportunity and regret it later. And ever since my first trip abroad without my parents (school trip to the Galapagos Islands, man that sunburn was awful) I have had a calling to travel. Living with my parents this past year has increased that feeling. I need to stretch out, breathe in fresh air, do something. And teaching in Ethiopia is certainly something.

I can't wait to begin.