Reflecting
I've been in Ethiopia for twelve weeks and find that there is so much nuance to this country. Everyday there is something new or surprising. A different challenge to tackle. A shift in perspective.
It's hard (likely impossible) to find the precise words or photograph the exact moment that would encapsulate what Ethiopia is like, or what I've experienced in the last twelve weeks. It's easy to say that living in Ethiopia has been humbling.
I remember watching an episode of Reading Rainbow when I was a kid that was about Africa, it showed children running around with hoops attached to strings or sticks, chasing them down the road. I remember thinking that it looked like fun, but I was also aware for one of the first times as a child, of poverty. I've seen kids in Ethiopia playing this game, chasing their hoops down village roads. I've wanted to snap a photo, capturing a quintessential moment, but instead I smile and wave hello.
Ethiopia runs on jerrycans. The number of times I've been driving through Ethiopia there are always women or children walking on the side of the road carrying a jerrycan to fill with water. There are trucks flying past, the bed of the truck brimming with the bright yellow empty jugs. Running water is something that I've completely taken for granted, even having grown up in a desert and having been aware of water conservation. Simple tasks like brushing your teeth are so much easier with a sink and running water.
I've been reflecting a lot on perspective. Living or traveling allows you to see the world differently. It's amazing how quickly my perspective has already changed in a relatively short amount of time. How quickly I've adapted to the way of life here. Taking a bucket bath with cold water, eating strange foods with my hands, knowing that the mäbrat (electricity) is out and that it will be for the rest of the day and that's fine.
Living in Ethiopia challenges your expectations. Sometimes it's simply the expectation you had for the day that doesn't go as you had hoped or planned. On a larger scale, it's what my expectations had been for living in Ethiopia for the next two years. It's hard not to be swept up in the romantic idea of what it would be like to live in Africa, but I am trying not to generalize, as Africa is an entire continent and Ethiopia is a very specific country within that.
Time here is relative. Ethiopians are often late and comment that Americans teach them about punctuality and time management. Ethiopians use a different system for telling the time that uses six hour shifts, counting from 1 through six and then starting over. For example 12.00pm is 6.00 Ethiopian time. 6:00am is 12.00 Ethiopian time. There is no am or pm, instead when scheduling a time to meet you specify if it's in the morning or afternoon. Ethiopia is also on the Julian calendar, so the date is several days behind the Gregorian calendar. There are thirteen months in the year, the last month is really about a week in order to make 365 days. The new year will be celebrated this month, it will be 2011!
The last twelve weeks have passed quickly, but at the same time it already feels like I've been here for six months. I'm excited for the next two years (thirteenth month and all) and growing more into this new Ethiopian life.
