"Demystifying"

For our first weekend in Ethiopia, the Peace Corps planned a field trip! Small groups of us trainees were paired with a current volunteer, who took us to his or her site to show us the ropes and to “demystify” the Peace Corps experience. My group went to Wukro, a town of 30,000 people about an hour north of Mek’ele, the capitol of Tigray. Tigray is an ethnic region of Ethiopia, with its own language, history, and pride. They speak Tigrinya instead of Amharic (though they learn Amharic as a subject in school), and have their own flag, music, and food, among other things.

On Sunday, our guide and the other two current volunteers in Wukro showed us around town. They took us to the market, pointed out the bank and post office, walked us through the main part of town, and patiently answered our millions of questions about what it’s actually like to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. On the second day, we observed about 5 classes at two different schools, to get a feel for what education is like in Wukro and what ways English classes can be improved.

We got to stay with Bailey, our host and guide, at her place. She, like most Ethiopian PCVs, lives in a family compound, with a room to herself. She had made hers very homey, and I took notes on some of her strategies so that I can do the same! Her place was pretty posh by PCV standards, though. She had a separate room for her kitchen stuff, and she had purchased a 3-burner propane stove, so she made us pancakes for breakfast the first morning! I’m so excited to do the same in a few months;  I love pancakes!!!

One of the major differences between Addis and Wukro is the people’s reaction to seeing foreigners. Here in Addis, they’re used to seeing foreigners, and they just want to get us to buy something from them. Out in Wukro, though, we’re a novelty, especially for the kids. They run after us, shouting, “Ferenje!”, which means foreinger in both Amharic and Tigrinya. They want to shake our hands, or do the fist bump with us, which I’m sure is a new cultural adaptation. My favorite was one little girl. She quietly came up beside me and took my hand, and we walked hand in hand for a good ways, smiling at each other. Then she gave me a paper creation that she’d obviously spent a lot of time on (probably in class…), and shyly said, “bye!” before running off down a side street.

It was a very helpful trip, overall. I loved the chance to get a better idea of what volunteers’ lives are like, and to ask them the questions that had been swirling around in my head for so long. This coming week will be full of training sessions here at the hotel in Addis, along with interviews to help them decide where to place each of us for the next two years. It’s a lot to take in and adjust to at once, but this weekend reminded me why it’s worth it. 

Wukro's main road, complete with bajaj!

Side street in Wukro, on our way to Bailey's home.