The Gimbie Chronicles

 So I have just under 8 months left here.  It is hard to believe that I
 am here sometimes though even though I have been here for a month and
 a half.  I wake up and I forget where I am but I figure it out pretty
 fast.  I like it here.  It is a good break from school.  I have had
 some time to observe the culture.  In general the people seem to be
 happy with less.  I wouldn’t say that they are happier than people in
 America but I have learned that happiness is an outlook.  It seems
 like they have a strong sense of community.  Sometimes I can just
 watch people in the Outpatient Department.  People gladly give up
 seats to others, not just me.  People watch me and I usually have a
 group of people around me telling the patient what they need to do.
 For example, when I tell them roll up their sleeve so I can take their
 blood pressure I just make the motion but I usually have people around
 me telling them to do that in Oromifa (the local language).  I still
 get a lot of attention walking though the city.  I think people are
 starting to learn our names.  It doesn’t seem that hard when there are
 less than 15 white people in a town of tens of thousands of
 Ethiopians.

 Last night we were in the city for 5 hours.  It was crazy.  Tsgaye
 told us that they were have a big parade and celebration at the
 stadium for Meskel so Nick, Jay, and I went.  Meskel is an Ethiopian
 Orthodox holiday.  It celebrates “the finding of the cross of Christ”.
 According to the story, Saint Helen was told to burn some incense and
 where ever the smoke landed the cross would be.  The smoke landed by
 this cave where she found 3 crosses.  She got a woman that was old and
 close to dying to touch the three crosses.  She touched the first two
 crosses and nothing happened but when she touched the third cross she
 was healed.  This holiday celebrates the finding of the cross.  We got
 to the stadium and people were starting to show up.  There were
 probably about 100 people when we got there.  There were the stadium
 seats and then across the stadium was ceremonial “pile of sticks” to
 burn.  We walked across the stadium and as we did about 50 kids
 followed us.  We tried to take pictures of just the pile but the kids
 kept getting in the way so we would point the cameras in the other
 direction, the kids would go in front of the camera, then we would
 point our cameras back at the pile really fast and take the picture
 before the kids could get in front.  There was also this old man that
 wanted us to take pictures of him.  We did and then he wanted to
 charge for the pictures.  As the sun went down the crowd grew to more
 than 600 people.  Out of the more than six hundred there were 3 white
 people so it was hard not to draw attention to ourselves.  As the
 program started people paid less attention to us.  In the middle of
 the service one of the priests found us and told us to stand in a
 certain place.  He thought it would be better for pictures.  It turned
 out that it was right in front of the stage where the where having the
 prayers and sermons.  Everyone was in a huge circle around the pile
 and people kept telling us to go in the middle of the circle to take
 pictures.  I told Nick that that was how pictures for National
 Geographic were took, people that really got in the middle of things.
 I went in the middle of the circle with 6 hundred people around me and
 took some pictures or the ceremony, nerve racking.   There were also a
 few Ethiopian photographers and an Ethiopian cameraman.  At times the
 photographers took pictures of specifically us and the cameraman
 filmed us.  Nick did get a picture of an Ethiopian and I side by side
 taking a picture of the same thing.  So much of the time it feels like
 Ethiopians and the “Forangies” are mutually fascinated with each other
 but in this picture it shows a mutual interest.  I really liked that.
 After the sermon and prayers that we couldn’t understand at all the
 lit the fire.  It took a few minutes to fully go up in flames but once
 it did people just when crazy.  There was fire everywhere and people
 were running around it in huge crowds.  I figured that I should be a
 part of the culture to a certain extent and not merely an observer so
 I joined in.  The circle had a lot of energy.  The collective energy
 of the crowd propelled whoever that chose to join around the fire.  I
 took a picture of Nick, Jay, and a bunch of Ethiopians.  The fire is
 behind them and the picture I believe captures the intensity of the
 night.  After we went on our weekly hunt for Sambusas.  Sambusas are
 like Samosas I guess.  I have never had them.  Sambusas are made from
 a flour and water outside with a lentil, onion, garlic inside.  The
 outside is fried in oil.  It is my favorite Ethiopian food.  We ran
 into someone that worked in the hospital and told us that the Sambusas
 weren’t good at night because they were made in the morning and thus
 weren’t fresh.  We had always gotten them at night before and really
 liked them so we went on the hunt anyway.  We found some that sells
 them on only Saturday nights I guess.  During the rest of the week
 they sell exclusively Chat.  Chat is a narcotic that has effects
 similar to Marijuana but is less addictive I guess.  It is like a
 grass that people chew on.  So the Sambusas weren’t good there so we
 went to another place where we were satisfied with the taste.  Overall
 last night was very memorable.

 Everyday here is an adventure and one day in never like the one
 before.  I am getting some more long term things lined up.  On
 Wednesday I started teaching.  I taught 7th and 8th graders.  It was
 laid back because it was the first day.  I just had them describe
 themselves in 5 sentences and I took some pictures for my book also.
 There are 53 students.  I am still trying to figure out ways to teach
 them though.  They all seem to be at different levels.  There is not
 teacher’s book, just a student book that was given to me.  Also I
 don’t know enough of the local language to communicate with them in
 their own language.  I think a lot of gestures and acting things out
 would be good.  If you have any suggestions please let me know.  I am
 continuing to do triage in the Outpatient Department and doing health
 education presentations in the morning in the same place.  We are
 going to try to do presentations at the clinics too when the Outer
 Clinics Director goes.  I am going to start to teach the 3rd year
 nursing students nursing math in October.  Also I am sure I will most
 likely be an assistant to the Business Office, Volunteer Coordinator,
 Outer Clinics Director, and Operations Officer.  I routinely help them
 with projects ranging from helping the Operations Officer move some
 supplies to mailing letters for the Volunteer Coordinator.  Most of
 the time I enjoy not having an official title.  That way I feel like I
 can truly help where I am needed.

 Well I hope you found that interesting.  I am having a lot of fun.  I
 miss everyone back home of course.  Thank you for reading my blog.
 Until next time

 Jeremy