Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Next Stop: Addis Ababa!

Things have been going really well.  A few days of sightseeing in DC, a few days of training and now we are preparing to fly to Addis Ababa.  Packing has been interesting - we are limited to 2 suitcases of 50lbs each which adds up quickly!  I've downsized a time or two and shifted things around - tired of dealing with luggage already!  It will be interesting to see what I'm actually glad I brought and what I could have left at home.

There are 62 of us volunteers, split between the Health and Environment sectors.  It is really comforting to be with people who share a similar experience.  We can commiserate about the lengthy process of just getting ourselves to this point.  There's a lot of "I know what you mean!" and "me too!"  And I think we all understand the whole spectrum of emotions we might each experience as we move along with the journey. 

We will continue training in Addis for a few weeks while staying at a hotel.  Then we move to a city near Addis to continue training for 3 months, while living with host families.  Training involves language, culture, navigating systems in Ethiopia, and more specifics on our projects.

I am most looking forward to learning the language and using it with some confidence and finally getting to my assigned village and feeling settled!

Ciao for now!

No comments:

Post a Comment