How is Africa?

Ethiopia= a country.

Africa= a continent.

Africa is to North America

as

Ethiopia is to________.

If you can complete this word problem then you my friend batam gobez ( very clever).

But I'm guessing your confused why I started a blog post with a grammar question.

It goes without fail that when people ask how I'm doing they start with

"How is Africa?"

I live in Ethiopia which yes is on the continent of Africa. 

But asking me "How is Africa?" is like me asking you "How is North America?".

Most people outside of Africa don't realize how diverse the continent really is. I am not claiming to be an expert in anything Africa since I have only been to three countries here, but I have seen enough to realize that answering "Hows Africa" isn't possible. Shoot I couldn't tell you what is happening in the North of Ethiopia half the time let alone Botswana. 

Americans tend to have a perception that Africa is all the same and all facing the same problems but that just isn't the case. One country might be facing civil war while right next door is the fastest developing country in the continent. But like I said I don't claim to be an expert but I just want to encourage people to expand their way of thinking outside of America. Maybe take some time to Google news that will show you problems that are happening outside of your bubble.

In case you didn't know just how big Africa is I'll just leave this here.... 

 

Reading saves lives.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” 

With 9 months left of service in my beautiful village the Child Development Center is finally going to open at the start of September. This is a project that World Vision has been working on for quite some time but has had hangups along the way.
This is the project that I asked you to donate books to before and I am asking again.
First I'm going to throw some statistics your way that will hopefully show you the importance of this project.
Currently in Ethiopia
39% of people can read and write. 
When we break it down by gender it gets rather scary.
49.1% of males are literate while only
28.9% of females are. 
By giving a child the knowledge of literacy you improve their quality of life. 
They are able to advance their education, find a job that pays a livable wage, and help to change the standard of living in their country. 
Most people living in Ethiopia will not get the chance to travel to other parts of the country let alone other countries. Providing students with books gives them a new outlook on the world and allows them to travel to places with each turn of the page.
So please take the time to purchase a book to send my way.


The best way to do this is through Betterworldbooks.com
They provide you with free shipping and cheap books.
I am hoping for mostly childrens books with beautiful pictures but am happy to take anything!

For the shipping address use 
Andrea Spake
PO Box 306 
Woliso, Ethiopia 

Ive got a handful of kolo, you should have a handful of kolo

In Ethiopia food is a big part of culture.

Anytime you go to someones house for the first time you will get feed. Often times way more than you want.

On holidays this is especially true. Everyone wants to celebrate with you which means you are going to get fed about a thousand times. The famous double lunch.

There is a word in Amharic “ inebla” that you use to invite someone to eat with you. This isn’t just used on holidays or at peoples home but often while you are out and about.

If you are on a bus and are eating something it would be considered very rude to not offer those sitting around you part of what you are eating.

My personal favorite example is when you are walking around the market or out in a rural area and a merchant or farmer has a pocket full of kolo ( the only real snack food in ethioipa that is made up of roasted barley, chickpeas, and peanuts). If you greet the merchant or farmer you are going to get offered kolo. And who doesn’t want to take a handful of kolo mixed with dirt and pocket lint? I’m sure as heck not going to say no to free food. Even if that food is mixed with a little dirt.

This is one of my favorite parts of the culture here. It really shows how giving the people of Ethiopia are. They may not be rich in birr but if they have a handful of kolo you are sure to have a handful of kolo.  

Droppin Knowledge: 10 Lessons I have Learned in my First Year of Service

It is official ladies and gentlemen:  One year in the books.

One whole year.

This has been the toughest and most amazing year in the 24 years of my life.

Having this opportunity really allows you to get to know yourself. I feel like I have learned so much about life. By the time this service is over I will pretty much be a Guru. People will write great leather bound books to share all that is in my mind.  To help out these future authors I wanted to share a little knowledge with you today. I have compiled some of my greatest insights for life.  I title this

“10 Lessons I have learned in My First Year of Peace Corps Service”

1. “Always Say Yes”. Even if you aren’t entirely sure what people are asking you. Nod, Smile, and just say yes. Who knows how many old women think I am willing to marry their son or how many times I have told people that I in fact know Barack Obama (PS Barack if your following my blog , I’m still waiting for that care package!)

2. “It’s Okay to Say No”. It really is okay to say no to that second cup of coffee with salt and rancid butter. Unless you really like it, in which case see “Lesson 1”.

3.  “Just Ask”. This really has nothing to do with my service but more so a chance for me to rant about the downfall of humanity. This year I became aware of the newest craze for tourists. The “Selfie Stick”. The “Selfie Stick” is everything that is wrong with the human race. If you want a picture with you in it get off your butt and ask somebody.

4. “ Treat Yo Self”. Ya just gotta treat yo self. Your town just got a new suk with a fridge full of cold soda? Treat yo self. You went to your hub city and they have toilet paper (which you can’t buy in your town!)? Treat yo self.  You have water and electricity at the same time? Treat yo self.

5. “Mamas Know Best”. The first thing you want to do when arriving to site is find yourself a mama. A mama will be there when you need someone to tell off creepy guys, when you are too sick to go to market to buy food for the week, and when you need to day drink local beer. She will be there to tell you that your house is dirty, that it’s a hot day so you should probably shower, and that you need to eat because you have lost too much weight (but then describe you as fat). There is nothing like the love from your site mama.

6. “Take a Deep Breath”. Through your mouth. Breath through your nose as little as possible. Just trust me on this one.

7. “Shit Happens”. And most likely will happen in/on your pants. There is nothing you can do but laugh/cry/vomit possible all at the same time. Then get up and wash your pants.

8. “Let your Freak Flag Fly”. There is a 98.75% chance that as a foreigner people will group you with the crazies. You know there’s the crazy pant less man dancing in the street and the foreign girl. We are practically the same person! I like to use that to my advantage.  Shoot if I could take it as far as not wearing pants I would. But I think that is pushing it.

9. “Sharing is caring”. It’s the law. You got a lovely care package from back home? The only kind thing to do is share. Not sharing is just cruel. Really, really cruel.

10. You can’t triple stamp a double stamp!

Giving of The Thanks

After spending 7 months now in my small Ethiopian village there are many things in my life that have been brought to light. This might be due to all the sunshine I am experiencing or the copious amounts of time I have to think about things.  With Thanksgiving already here I really want to take this time to share with you how truly thankful I am for my education. You don’t realize in the states just how good your education is even if you grow up in not the nicest of neighborhoods.  Comparing the resources that are available to students and teachers in America to what they have in Ethiopia is not even possible. Teachers in the high school earn around 2,500 birr, or 125$ USD, each month.  Class rooms here are made up of desks and a white board. Teachers often time have to bring their own chalk to class. Class sizes range from 60-80 students and some teachers have to teach more than 6 sessions of their class. The school library consists of four bookshelves with books. This library is for all the students in both the high school and primary school. There are no children’s books and very few novels. As someone who reads at least one book a week this is heart breaking.  How can we expect students to do well in school when most of them cannot afford the textbooks they need for class? How do you encourage students to think critically when many of them don’t have food to eat at home?  

So this my friends is where I make a plea for you.  This holiday season while you are online shopping, purchasing that perfect gift for your loved ones can you take a second to think of the children of Chitu, Ethiopia? If you visit Betterworldbooks.com you can purchase a book and have it send anywhere in the world for free shipping and handling. Whats even better is that the books are extremely affordable. Take $5 and send me a book to have donated in your name to our school library. The process is simple. Pick out your favorite book, be it a childrens book or a novel, add it to your shopping card and when you go to check out enter my address as the address to have it sent to.  Can we solve all the world’s problems?  Not in one day. But we can take a small step in helping the education of students. This holiday season spread the love all the way to Ethiopia!

My address:

Andrea Spake

PO Box 306

Woliso, Ethiopia

Peace Corps Baby!

 I have now been in Itiioopyia for 9 months.

That my friend is in fact a Peace Corps Baby.

I have been attempting to think of a name for this beautiful experience thus far.

I think I shale name this Peace Corps baby Patience.

I also feel this is an important time to reveal my analytical, scientific, totally awesome theory on the similarities of Peace Corps service and pregnancy. Have I ever been pregnant? Well no. But I have Wikipedia (when there’s network) and that is a credible source right? So here it is ladies and gentlemen.

A Comparative Analysis of Pregnancy and Peace Corps Service.

Written By the Future Dr. Andrea Spake. Dr. Dre for short.

Peace Corps is described as the toughest job you will ever love. The person who coined this phrase was not lying. Service however is not difficult for some of the reasons you may think. Sure it is difficult to have to wash clothes by hand, and sometimes it would be nice to have electricity. But through this paragraph or so I will attempt to prove that the difficulties in Peace Corps service are similar to those difficulties that are experienced by one half the population of the world; Pregnancy. You are now thinking Dr. Dre how in the world are you going to compare your dirty hippy Peace Corps service to the beautiful gift of bringing life into the world? Also you’ve never been pregnant so how can you speak on its behalf? It’s true they seem very different at the surface level, but the similarities will surprise you. Yes, I have never been pregnant but I have seen pregnant women. Scientists often write about animals they have never been right? Trust me I studied biology. 

The first example in this super scientific paper is strange cravings. This is common knowledge about pregnant women they crave strange food. The same is true for Peace Corps volunteers. The difference is we PCV’s cant always cure this craving. Speaking from experience I even have dreams about food. Really vivid, wake up tasting it, dreams. This is something I never experienced in my life. I find myself having to physically close my eyes while watching TV shows or movies because the sight of food I can’t eat makes the cravings worse.

My second example is the constant mood swings of a Peace Corps Volunteer. I have been around plenty of pregnant women so this one I can say in confidence as well. Pregnant women change their moods just as often as I do. One day you are on cloud nine enjoying life and the next minute you are screaming in your house cursing every person you saw that day.

What other outrageous connections can I think of? Let’s see there is the constant change in weight, both loss and gain depending on the volunteer and the fact you can’t always control your bodily functions.

So to conclude this super dooper scientific paper I just want to say this: don’t judge yo.

#realtalk

The longer I am in service I realize how much we, as PCV’s, contort our journey in social media.   Don’t get me wrong some things that we post really do showcase the work we do. But the honest truth is that our daily thoughts may not be as interesting or profound as we make them out to be. This post is dedicated to the daily thoughts of a PCV.

Just killed three flies #lordoftheflies #killinem

9 months in service and I still haven’t shit my pants #shithappens #nottome

Retract that last status #shitmypants

Missing my one true love #chesseplease

I financially support my town post office with how much mail I send #hoesindifferentareacodes

Two weeks no water? Its cool I didn’t want to shower anyway #whatsthatsmell #ohthatsme

Best advice since arriving in country? Never trust a fart #preachit

Day 3 since I have left my house #doireallyneedit

Today I watched two seasons of Orange Is The New Black #prison #iunderstand

Its been a week since I shit my pants #onedayatatime

I admit it, sometimes I flirt with the fruit suuk guy to get a discount on my oranges #ballinonabudget

I love it when people forget my name so they call me foreigner in the local language #saymyname #saymyname

*For the record I, Andrea Spake, have not yet joined the cool kids club of shitting my pants. But it is a constant fear for many of us PCVs. No one should live a life of fear. I would like to ask you to take a moment of silence for all PCVs who have experienced this tragedy.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now.

If I would have posted a blog last night it wouldn't have looked like this. It would of been angry and not a fair representation of the situation.

Am I hurt that some one broke into my hotel room and stole my laptop, camera, and my friends camera? Of course I am.

Do I wish any harm to the person who did it? No.

After living in an area of extreme poverty for a little over 6 months now I find myself  trying to look at things from both sides. Here in Ethiopia the punishment for theft is pretty hefty. For someone to be willing to risk that punishment for a laptop means to me that they must be pretty desperate. Life here is very difficult. Last night I felt very angry and hurt. Violated even. Upset that a someone from a country that I have grown to love so much would steal from me. And then today at my physical therapy appointment the ladies who help me figured out that I spoke some Amharic and oromifa. The usual clintal of the clinic are wealthy Ethiopians and foreign diplomats. The diplomats usually take a total of zero minutes to learn the language and so the ladies got very excited. They told me over and over agin how much they appreciate me trying to learn their language.

I'm not going to let little things like material possessions get in the way of why I am here. 

I was gonna clean my room but then I got shay.

I was gonna clean my room but then I got shay.

My room is still messed up and I know why. 

Because I got shay, because I got shay, because I got shay.

For those of you who do not and never have lived in Ethiopia then let me explain the concept of shay buna to you. Shay is the Amharic work for tea and buna the Amharic word for coffee. To say that here in Ethiopia shay buna is taken very seriously is an understatment. I don't think a single day has passed  that I have not been invited for shay buna at least once if not multiple times.  Often  while I am on my way to the office someone will stop me and ask me to join them. I will then get derailed spend an hour discussing nothing and end up going somewhere that is not the office.  In Ethiopia all true business is done over shay buna.  You can spend hours in meetings or simply invite people to join you and have something taken care of in a matter of minutes.  I can probably blame most things that I have not completed or done when I wanted to on the fact that I was pulled away from what I was doing ( sometimes quite literally pulled) and made to drink shay or buna. Now don't get me wrong these are usually great experiences. Yes there are times when I really just want to sit at my desk and work on a training or lesson plans but usually I am always up for free coffee. Really who wouldn't be? Especially if you have ever had Ethiopian coffee made in the traditional jibena.

 

On a side note this is my 4 year old friend Koki. I call him Koki monster.

 

For a moment like this, some people wait a lifetime.

This week I experienced a glorious moment. It was as the sun was breaking out of the cloudy cage it had been imprisioned too , electricity was present, and the water was running. 

Now let me just say in my small town that is not an average day.

So I like to think that the stars were aligning for something great. And they did just that. As I was walking to my office that is a total of 5 minutes from my house it happened.

Are you sitting on the edge of your seat yet?

Wondering what could be so amazing that it has an epic build up like this? Well ladies and gentlemen I am here to tell you.  This week on the splendid day described above I Andrea Spake did not get called Ferenji once by a single child who passed by me. Instead I was called Andrea or nothing at all. Now to those of you back home this may not seem like a big deal. Youre like woah Andrea cool story. But seriously this is like me being the captain of a one woman army that has single handedly changed the mind of an army of 100’s. To lay down their weapons and become friends.  Being called ferenji everyday by the majority of the people you walk by starts to wear on you after awhile. But on this particular day during the 5 minute walk that usually has me feeling defeated before my day even begins I won. I was victorious.  I was Andrea. Not the random white girl who lives in their town. Not a source of money (even though I never give children here money). But a friend.

 

 

Sincere Apologies.

Last Sunday I showered for the second time in 6 weeks (baby wipes and bucket washing of hair is not counted in this).

I would like to make a public apology to the Peace Corps Gods. 

Since I showered we have not had water at site. 

I apologize oh wise and mighty ones for my wrong doing. 

Please forgive my sins and bring plentiful water back to the town of Chitu.

I promise to not waste your bounty on such silly things like good hygiene( can it be considered good hygiene at this point?).  

Your loyal and faithful servant,

Andrea  

Hey hey hey goodbye...PST.

Three months,
countless hours of language training,
countless hours of cultural training,
countless rolls of injera,
countless moments spent laughing because you said urinefall instead of waterfall,
and countless conversations awkward conversations with our host families have come to an end.
PST is over.
Last week I swore in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer.
Now after a week of consolidation due to unforeseen issues I am finally going to site.
Living in a town of 2,500 people, where a fridge is not a thing, its a good day if the power is on, and I hope access to water is constant.
Never have I felt more ready to start this chapter of my experience.

My goals going into this:
-improve my language skills
-make true relationships with community members
-make a lasting impression in my community
-learn as much as possible from those around me
-teach one person something that will better their life
-help one person better others lives through shared knowledge

I understand that I am not here to change the world.
But if I can change one persons world, then I have change their world.

Heres the mail it never fails it makes me want to wag my tail.

So I have gotten many questions about care packages and what I would like sent to me.
I would like to start this off by saying I am beyond grateful for anything that is send my way. Letters, packages, love, positive thoughts they are all appreciated.
As far as packages go please include a list of what you put in it. When filling out a customs form being general is not a bad thing. Also dont say that the package is worth a lot of money because it will get searched.

Things that would be great to get:
-cheese...if possible
-mexican food of every kind
-seeds
-spices (spice packages like ranch are also great)
-toms (size 11...ethiopia eats shoes)
-dried fruit
-veggies of anykind that can be send (freeze dried ect)( cough kale chips cough)
-protein powder
- lotions/soaps/shampoo/conditioner that smell good (for my weekly shower... and yes i mean i shower once a week these days)
-soccer balls
-chocolate chips
-Gatorade powder (dehydration happens. daily)
-mixed nuts
-mustard/bbq sauce things of that nature
-new music/ movies on flash drives
-holiday boxes that are themed are always fun


Please please please do not send the following. I can get them in country:
-toilet paper
-dish soap
-peanut butter


If you happen to send me anything even if it is a letter that just says hello I will be responding with a letter. Sending mail is not super expensive here but it will take a while to get to you. I will not have a post office in my town but it will only be 20 minutes away so I can easily receive and send things .

Home is where the heart is...or your backpack.

Are ya ready for this?
My site has been announced this past week. We were told the name of our town and given a little bit of information.
Whats in a name you ask?
Well not a whole lot.
The name of my town is Chitu. Go ahead try to google it.
You will not find a thing.
But thats okay let me tell you a little about it.
It is just over 2 hours west of Addis close to a town called Woliso.
With just around 2,500 people in the town it is one of the smaller sites.
The woreda that it is located in has a lake, hotsprings (can you say hot tub??), waterfalls, and trees.
That is pretty much all I know at this time but I will be visiting next week via our site visit.
Hopefully I will be able to post my new address shortly.

How is Ethiopia you ask?
Well Ethiopia is a roller coaster of greatness.
Even the days that seem down hill are not so bad after a beer or two....but never three...
Each day is full of  new acronyms and the words ferenji and china being yelled as you walk down the street.
When we arent sitting through 10 hour language days or peace corps powerpoints (PCP) we are often sitting around playing MASH, why yes we are 16 years old again, or making sport.

When learning another language your native language happens to greatly decrease within a week or two. I now speak about three paragraphs worth of Oromifa and broken english.

Hopefully while I am in Addis this weekend I will be able to do a post with the pictures I have been trying to upload for a month now.

PS: receiving letters is great... just sayin...

One sleep people.

So I officially leave for Philadelphia for staging tomorrow.
That is one sleep.
Not that I will be sleeping tonight.
If there were a math equation sleep would be an imaginary (i) number between now and the time I leave.

So what whitty and insightful things do I have to say about tomorrow?

Ummm I should start to pack.....

Yes, you guessed it I have yet to pack.
I'm moving to a different country you think I would have my ducks in a line.
I do feel however that any doubts or nervous energy I have, have passed.
I am in the "OMG IM MOVING TO AFRICA" phase again.

Now that the nervous energy is gone I am pushing good juju into the universe.
This has already begun to be one of the best years of my life and I am hoping to continue
the trend.

This is the final countdown

Picture this: 

Rocky, never feeling more on top of his game comes to that final staircase.

The staircase that had defieted him so many times.

He begins to make his way up the stairs and before he knows it he is standing at the top thrusting his fists into the air.

He was ready for the fight of his life.

In my story my suitcase is the stairs. 

With every item I pack I am making my way to the top of the stairs. In just a few short days I will reach the top. With fists thrown in the air I will complete a victory dance that will someday be a vital scene in the movie of my life. I am preparing for the biggest fight of my life, and I too will be victorious. 

T-minus 6 days and counting. 

Wind beneath my wings.

When I offically submitted my application for Peace Corps service one if the first questions that came to mind was how everyone in my life would react.

Would they think I was crazy?

Would they understand?

I can honestly say that from the day I submitted my application I have felt nothing but support and love from everyone in my life. I am less than two weeks from departure now and the amount of comments I receive increases everyday. People who I haven't spoken to in a few years are messaging me telling me I inspire them to follow their dreams. 

Peace corps service is so much bigger than I thought it would be. It really does touch everyone in your life.

Last weekend my friends through me a surprise going away party. Part of the surprise was this video.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JZg0l6KkRSc&feature=youtu.be&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJZg0l6KkRSc%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

If you are considering applying for the Peace Corps just know that it does effect every one in your life. You are not the only person who will change during your experience. 

I am so thankful for this experience and how much closer it has brought me to friends and family already.

I can't wait to see the effects when I return. 

I am because we are.

I should start off with the fact that I am not an attractive cryier . Hollywood can go fuck itself making people think that crying is an art. Well it may be an art but one I have yet to perfect.

This weekend was full of tears. Large, loud, heartfelt tears. Some of joy. Some of pure panic. 

Honestly though how many people can say they had a group if 15-20 friends who showed up to surprise them for any occasion? What did I do to earn these amazing people in my life? I don't understand it. I probably never will. Lord knows I'm not complaining one bit though. 

The suprises started moments after arriving to Portland and continued the whole weekend. It was honestly one of the craziest emotional roller coasters I have ever ridden on. If there was a warning sign posted on this ride it would look a little like this:

Warning: this weekend is not for the faint hearted. Riders will be subjected to extended periods of crying followed by more crying. It is noted that when the rider assumes the ride is close to over a second lap will occur. Panic attacks may occur at any time. 

In all serious though I have never felt so loved in my entire life. Do you know what it's like to be in a room with 20 of your closest friends watchin a video full of even more people who wanted to wish you good luck in life? It's the most overwhelming amazing feeling that anyone could ever experience. I wish I could take that feeling bottle it up and sprinkle it on the world. That is how true peace would be reached. 

These are two of the culprits behind this weekend. If it were not for these two truly amazing people I would never have had the courage or confidence in myself to embark on this journey. I owe it all to them and their love and constant support. They saved me. Plain and simple they are my people. 

To everyone who had a part in this weekend I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all.

I am because we are. Without you I am nothing. 

This is crazy but here's my address, write me maybe?

Something that I have been asked about a thousand times is how can you keep in contact with me while I am off saving the world.

Well if you don't know smoke symbols here are a few simple ways to keep in contact.

First off you can follow this blog which I will be updating. I will warn you this blog is going to be my honest experience. I will be sharing the nitty gritty details about living in Ethiopia. If you can't handle the truth and possible TMI situations then you should probably just email me. I will update the blog as often as I can. So add it to your favorites and check it often. I will be updating Facebook but not nearly as often as this.

Skype: Andrea.louise.spake

I will have access to Internet if not everyday every once in awhile. Add me and if I am on I would love to talk :)

Email: aspake09@gmail.com

I will reply to all the emails that are sent to me.

Address:

Andrea Spake

U.S. Peace Corps Ethiopia

P.O. Box 7788

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 

This will be my address for the first three months of my service. After I am moved to my site I wi have a new address. Any mail that is sent to this address after that time will eventually make it to me. I love getting mail and will respond to any I get. Just a heads up it may take up to a month for me to get something you send. 

I would looove you share my adventures with you and hear about what is happening back in the States.

Resolutions and Revolutions.

This year I will be pushing myself so far out of my comfort zone that one of two things will happen:
1) I will fall flat on my face in a puddle of Ethiopian mud or
2) I will become unstoppable.

So this year I am not making resolutions. I am making revolutions.
and no I am not saying I will be overthrowing a government.

I mean I am overthrowing my life.
I am making a dramatic and wide-reaching change in every possible aspect of my life.

I will be a better person. Not because I feel as though I am a bad person, but because I will be living in a situation so humbling that it leaves me no other option but to grow.

I will love more. Not because I don't currently show those around me how much I care but because I will have more to love.

2014 is a year of growth.
A year of love.
A year of improvement.
A year of friendship.
A year of adventures.
A year of travel.
A year of ups.
A year of downs.
A year of hope.
A year of change.

But isn't that every year?

So here's to revolutions in life this year, not just resolutions.