A Typical Day

We wake up sometime after 7. There are four volunteers staying in the house: me, Alicia-a 22 yr.old college student from Oregon, and a couple from Arizona who have been dating for 8 years, Mike and Cheryl, both 28. Yeah, I'm the senior volunteer but I am sufficiently immature to blend in. LOL Just kidding, but we do all get along. We get dressed, grab bottles of water and sometimes make a sandwich before heading out. There is a lot of food in the house which is bought for us-- peanut butter, jelly, bread, cheese, vegetables, fruit (the best bananas you have ever had in your life!), pasta, soda, etc. There is a woman here who cooks us dinner and does our laundry so if I really wanted to budget (which I do, but I suck at it) we could manage to eat each meal with what they provide. Back to the bananas for a minute. They are firm when they are fully ripe. What I hate about the bananas at home is firm ones aren't ripe and ripe ones are too squishy. These are firm and ripe and not too banana-y.


Mmm. Perfect. LOL

Anyhoo~ we pack up our bags and take the walk to work. There are two hills which used to be killers. When I first got here the altitude was a serious adjustment and I was completely out of breath on the hills. We pass some very nice houses mostly hidden behind tall iron gates, lots of people on their way to work and school, several mothers with children on the side of the rode with their hands out - hoping the 'ferengi' (foreigners) will give them some loose change, two fruit stands with mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, etc. and always a man with his herd of goats. He carries a switch and uses it when he wants them to walk. I tried to take a picture of the scene today (we call it 'Goat Corner') but he yelled at me. :(

During the day we teach America class and Activities Class and run Video Class (if there's power~ today we did Billy Blank's DVD) and supervise chores at the end of the day, but the rest of the day is ours to either do as we please or to spend time in other classes (they go to school here) or to spend time with the babies and toddlers. I enjoy spending time with the older girls and the toddlers/babies. The boys spend a lot of time playing soccer. A LOT. They are good. But the girls will sit with me and ask me questions or (try to) teach me Amharic. I have learned a few words and phrases including thank you, coffee, tea, OK, enough, sorry, bye, bill, how much?... It's hard for me and so are the names! I have asked this sweet woman who works with the babies at least a dozen times to repeat her name to me and each time she says, "Laura, it's X" (of course I don't remember!). The other great part of the day is hanging out with the babies and toddlers. They are TOO CUTE!! Oh my goodness, they couldn't be any cuter! They love to be held and talked to and carried and played with.. and for me that never gets old. They don't wear diapers consistently and today I got peed on but she was a cutie, so I didn't mind! :)

After work we either walk home or get a ride from the volunteer coordinator and then head out to dinner. Tonight was the first night we ate at home in fact! We hung out in the living room and chatted about adoption and how several of us are interested in it and how we got led to it, and Ethiopia specifically. Very interesting and so cool to be around other like-minded people who are right here with me in Addis!

Well, it's almost 11pm and my day will start again very early. Tomorrow we have another very busy day. We hope to visit AHOPE, the orphanage for the kids who are HIV-positive.

Ciao!