So, some random thoughts, reflections and remembrances that will maybe bring some of it back...
- amazingly generous and kind, gentle people
- dusty, dirty, smoggy, smoky (incense and cigarettes), nasty exhaust fumes everywhere except Adama
- blue donkeys and tons of real donkeys
- even though it's apparently >50% Orthodox Christian, there are so many Muslim and Arab influences - mosques and muezzin calls to prayer, Aljazeera on TV, lots of Saudi channels, etc.
- injera! tibs, firfir, kitfo - pasta, pasta, pasta - and bread!
- the tons of birds everywhere - in Addis, Adama and especially Awassa
- the lovely sound of Amharic being spoken all around, and the almost pre-historic looking way the language is written
- the challenges of an 11 hour time difference when trying to keep in touch with Elliott
- Auntie Deman, the youngest in the group, taking care of us and telling us of course it's OK to eat the fresh fruit and veggies!
- Amir and the party bus with all of our iPod playlists as he took us - always with a smile - places his van was probably never meant to go
- realizing that most gestures and facial expressions truly are universal
- 'Are you fine?' - 'I am fine' - 'It is possible'
- the long, long flights to get there and back
- men and boys holding hands because they are such a friendly, touchy-feely people, and because they aren't ashamed and they know it doesn't mean they are gay
- the disgusting (for the most part) bathrooms and having to carry 'supplies' around everywhere outside of the hotels
- the absolutely inspiring, engaged and passionate students we met and taught
- street kids calling out 'You! You! You! You!'
- the basic health centers we visited with their 1-2 microscopes and not much else, and the huge number of patients they saw every day
- did I mention the dust and pollution?
- our excitement at every new animal we saw
- Amir telling us we need to think like Ethiopians when we are paying for things or tipping - 100 birr isn't $6 to an Ethipian, it's 100 birr
- the tiny drinks at the Maya and the Haile Resort that cost more than a main entree
- worrying about Adrian's sugar levels on our adventure days
- Deman saying 'You GUYS!' all the time
- feeling sick as a dog one night and wishing for my mom
- the entrees at the Maya and especially the Haile Resort where they were more 'gourmet' that cost less than $5 US each
- Debbie photographing everything
- mosquitoes in Adama and sleeping under the mosquito net after spraying the room and my ankles down with bug spray
- our 'is it because we're white?' jokes almost every day ;o)
- Getachew and his stick toothbrush - and the sellers of those stick toothbrushes on the streets of Addis
- every meal that wasn't a buffet (and some that were) taking at least 2 hours
- that yellow lentil stuff from the training site in Adama that was sooo delicious!
- being on Facebook more than usual just to keep in touch - and getting my mom to sign up so she could see all the photos I'd been posting
- the smells - food, people, animals, trash, coffee, incense
- the shoulder-popping dancers at the cultural restaurant in Addis, and on the local channels almost every day - can't say I enjoyed the singing, but the dancing sure looks fun
- trials and tribulations of finding Coca Light
- the golden fields, acacia trees and round traditional dwellings
- Adrian's lab coats made out of flip chart paper
- our various intestinal challenges...
- the fresh squeezed orange juice at the Maya
- stealing ketchup and hot sauce from the hotels to represent blood during the class role plays
- 'Carlton' from the ToT class (aka Adem)
- the relative lack of stray dogs and cats, and the over abundance of goats (and kind of wishing we had a goat for Domino to play with)
- trying to avoid an interview with Isaac
- Joan's laughter
- skipping lunch at the Pinna because it just was't very good
- shopping for scarves and anything/everything else our last 2 days in Addis
- getting whacked with a cane by an old man walking back from class one day
- Thanksgiving at the Sheraton with the over-the-top buffet and the Bellagio-like fountains
- Loving the Haile Resort and Lake Awassa so much that Joan and I came up with a detailed master plan of how we could all just stay there in the space of 15 minutes of texting each other one morning
- the huge size and number of transport trucks on the Addis - Djibouti road at all hours of the day
- this stupid cold that won't let me go
- having Muluken teach Adrian and I to count to 5 and say thank you in Amharic
- making the best actor and actress awards and having the class participate in voting on the winners
- bonding with a great group of people - thank you, Debbie, Joan, Adrian, Deman and Belinda for making this an amazing experience! And to Getachew and Amir for spicing up the group with some local flavor. You guys are all the best - sniff, sniff!
There are probably so many more that I'll think of later so I may come back up and update this post over the next few days as I keep remembering things. I can't believe the 26 days are over.
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