Here Comes The Rain Again...

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I think it is about time that I owe everyone another blog. If only I could think of some things to talk about. Well, let’s see new developments. I got internet at my house so I can now check my email a lot more regularly. In fact it isn’t half bad. The days when I do have power, the majority of the town doesn’t so that frees up a lot of the bandwidth.

I get asked a lot if I think I am making a difference and until recently I said I don’t really know. However, the second edition of the newsletter came out this week. It may seem like a small thing. I just sit down for about six hours and pump out a fairly decent looking document. However, in Ethiopia, this is very rare to have a document like this. Anyways, the Forum has been able to create a new position, Project Officer, and purchase a generator with the extra funds my newsletter has brought in. I know what you are all thinking that what I just described is not sustainable but my plan is to help with the next newsletter and answer all questions while the people at the forum put it together. That is my phase out plan.
I started the Resource Mapping Project this week. I know I am just doing this project because the government wants it done and will throw all the money it needs to get it finished. It will be cool to think that organizations that service the 17 million people in my region will all be taking this survey and giving me the results. My brain hasn’t even started calculating how much work I am going to have to do on the back end. La Di Da.

I think I may have come up with an idea for my big project, the one that ends up defining my Peace Corps Experience. I can’t do any of the normal things because my town is so big. For instance, there are six volunteers who are all constructing internet cafés that will be run by different target groups. I can’t do that because there are 300 internet cafes in my town and ones that have wireless and have 12 computers. I cannot compete with that. When thinking about what to do, I wanted something that would be low maintainence, something fun, and something that Ethiopians could wrap their heads around. I came up with Miniature Golf. Now here me out. There is the one channel that most places get here in Awassa, the sports channel. Now I doubt more than 1% of Ethiopians have ever played golf but an overwhelming majority has seen it on tv. I know of a good local community based organization called Fiker behiwot (Love Life). They are focused on providing for orphans and it’s a pretty unique idea. A couple of guys who were orphans growing up started the organization and as kids get older they are offered positions as councilors and such. Then they can use that experience as a platform to get another job. I think it is a pretty smart system and think they possess the kind of mentality that it would take to get a putt-putt course off the ground. I emailed like 12 companies in the states who all design putt putt courses and none of them responded. We will see. I found out how expensive building materials are today. It is 500(46USD) birr for a bag of concrete. What is even worse than that is that because the inflation the country is facing. Projects have to project what the cost will be when the funding comes in. Unbelievable.

Doxycycline. That is the name of my former malaria medicine. About a month ago, I called my medical officer and told them of a stomach pain I had been having. They prescribed me Prilosec and I took that for two weeks. I told them it wasn’t working, so they had me double the dose. Didn’t work. Then I was just supposed to take a double dose when I take my malaria medicine. Then I was asked to complete two stool samples and a blood test. After all that came back negative for parasites, they decided to take me off of doxy. I am not getting switched to Malarone. I shouldn’t have any reactions to that because that is why it so expensive. However, if I do have a reaction to it, odds are I will be going home. There are only three malaria prophylaxis that are allowed and I have had reactions to Meflouquine and Doxycycline. That is the worst case scenario, I would say there is a 4% chance that I will have a reaction to Malarone.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me by sending letters and packages. You have really shown me who I can rely on and I will not ever forget this. My jaw dropped when I opened the package from Kyle Davis. Alan and Shawn are sending out a disc and some more TV shows. Shannon is sending out one of her amazing packages soon. Even Tyler wrote me a letter back, granted it took her 5 months at least she did it. To her defense, she put quite a bit of effort into it and she is super busy. Everyone is really showing me how amazing they are. Oh some people asked what I would want in a care package so I just have a few things for ideas. Parmesan shaker cheese, Processed Brick Cheese, dark chocolate, caramel, hot tamales, orange trident, and sour patch kids. Other volunteers get weird stuff sent out like refried beans, and premade dinners that all you have to do is heat it up. I mean I don’t complain when I am given this stuff from a volunteer named Marina because I surprised her on her birthday.

I am sure that everyone will be happy to know that I am growing my hair back out. Now it is at that weird length that it sticks out of my helmet awkwardly when I am riding my bike. Oh well. I requested for some of those really good hairbands to be sent out. The ones with the rubber strip on the inside so it doesn’t slide down your head.

Another couple of volunteers quit this month. No one I have mentioned. One transferred to the Peace Corps Program in Cambodia. She says it is amazing there. Wow, I cannot believe it is already August. I left the states exactly 9 months and one day ago.

The rainy season has come and it is in full effect. Addis is super wet and cold. Hawassa it rains until 9am then it clears up and sunshines stays until about 4pm when the clouds take over. At around 10pm it will start raining and persist throughout the night. I actually enjoy the rain. I have a tin roof so it has a calming effect in the morning. Oh, question, does anyone know how to remove rats from your ceiling. My house has ceiling tiles that are nailed in and the steps of the rats echoes throughout my house at night. I don’t really have a problem with them up there but I swear if one of those tiles falls in the middle of the night, I WILL FLIP OUT! I can handle most anything except ice and now I know that rats are also on that list. Its not the one or two in my rafters that gives me the creeps. It’s the 1ft hole in my ceiling that these two rats opens up and lets the thousands of their friends falling on to my floor where my bed is. Ok, subject change. My bed is still on my floor. I refuse to pay half of my monthly stipend just so my bed can be exactly one foot higher than it is right now. I do have a sofa. It is two single chairs and a double. They name them by how many cushions fit on them. All the other volunteers have so much furniture in their house that you can barely move but I guess that’s good. When you stand up from the large couch and hit your leg on the coffee table, anywhere you fall odds are you will hit some piece of furniture. Not my style. I keep running over everything and I am leaning towards getting a refrigerator. It would just be so nice to not have to cook individual portions all the time. I could make a giant pot of pasta and not have to gorge to finish it. They are just so expensive. If anyone would like to contribute to the John’s Fridge Fund, please let me know. Hah. Ok well, I don’t have much battery left so I will send this out. I love you all and hope everything is going well for you.

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Comments

[Cheryl]

Hujambo!
I can hardly believe it's been 9 months either. I think you're right in only having a bit of furniture. Better air flow. :) I'll try and get some goodies sent to you later this month. I have to tell you that from Chris's post, Kenya sounds positively cosmopolitan. Seriously, the story about your attack was very disturbing. Please be safe!!