She’s Hot and She’s Cold

Today I decided to make a trip to the market, and spend some time in my kitchen. It’s weird to think this is the only time in my life I’ve ever had my own kitchen. (Ok, so maybe it’s a hallway with a table and a propane tank hooked up to a stove top. But still, it’s mine.) And I have my own bathroom, and my own room. And I can walk around naked if I want. And after living here for more than two years, I’m packing things up and heading into a new unknown adventure.

It’s not the first time I’ve done this. It’s not even the fifth time I’ve done this. In the last 10 years, I’ve been doing nothing BUT packing and moving. In fact, this is the longest I’ve lived in one place since graduating high school. Scary.
What’s really scary, is that no matter how many times I pack up and head into the unknown, it still makes me jittery. I end up laying awake at night, and fretting through the day. I know I’m doing the right thing, things always work out, blah blah blah. I’m still nervous.

What’s next for me… I’ve decided to go to India and do a 6 1/2 week yoga teacher training course. If you know me, you know this is pretty much what I was born to do. I’ve been heading towards this since my first downward-facing dog. The flight from Ethiopia to India is cheaper than I could ever get it from the States, and the flight from India to the States is cheaper than I could ever get it from Ethiopia. So basically, the universe is saying do it. I’m incredibly excited. But also, India is crazy populated and I’m wondering, what the heck am I getting myself into? I’ve spent the last two years getting to know a completely foreign culture, and now I’m about to dive head-first into another completely foreign culture. I’m a little exhausted.

Or maybe not.

Maybe I’ve just been stagnating a little too long, and I’ve forgotten the rush of new sites, sounds, foods and smells. I look at pictures of India and I get an instant smile. Like a dog being tempted with treats, I’m drooling on the inside. This is coming up, this is really happening!

And then.

I start to pack, and it’s like a river of memories from the last two years. I pack all the things in different piles that I’m giving away, and then I picture what it will be like saying goodbye to all of the people and places I’ve made home for the last two years. I have a best friend here who’s been my other half for the last 10 months. Will it be the last time we ever see each other? Maybe. I have a trip planned next week to visit my host family for the last time. It was hard saying goodbye to them the first time. This time.. Oh boy.

One of the great things about moving around and exploring is that you’re always meeting new and amazing people. One of the hard things about moving around and exploring is that you’re always saying goodbye to amazing people. I think this time just might break my heart. I’m hoping to put it back together in India. And what’s next after that you ask? I’m wondering the same thing.

Bump in the Night

When I was preparing for Peace Corps, one of the things I read over and over were about problems with rats. It freaked me out a little. I packed cat treats and hoped for the best. I’ve lived at site now for 18 months, listening with a sympathetic ear to my fellow volunteers who struggle with rats. I thought I lucked out.

Then, after returning from a two-week trip, I had a suspicion something wasn’t right. At night, when I turned out the lights, I heard a scratching, chewing noise. The back of my mind said rats, while the rest insisted it was nothing.

Two nights later, I awoke to a crash. I thought maybe it was my neighbors, but the back of my mind told me again that it was rats. That morning, I found my candle stick laying on the floor. Coincidence? Maybe it just fell.

Then I found hard evidence. A piece of fruit was sitting on my counter with its flesh half-exposed. Little pieces of the skin were laying all around it, and there were trails of dust bunnies on the counter. Closer inspection of the fruit revealed flat-edged teeth marks. The optimistic side of me said it could have been a mouse. The back of my mind said rats. I searched around for more evidence, but found nothing. I tried to forget the incident, hoping that the critter had moved on.

Just around dusk, when it was time to close the doors and windows, I saw a grey body with a distinct snake-like tail float across my floor. No more lies, no more guessing. It was definately a rat. I got the broom and  thought perhaps I could chase it out. Instead, it disappeared thorugh the narrow space between my bed and the floor.

All I could think to do was call my landlord, who lives next door. He came right over with a stick and moved my bed. The rat came scurrying out and headed straight toward my feet. I screamed. Then it darted under another door. Unfortunately it was a locked door to which we didn’t have the key.

The next step, my landlord brought over a trap. He toasted some bread to create an alluring scent. We set up a table and some boxes around to help guide it toward the trap. And I waited. By 7:30 it was dark and I was losing hope. I closed my door and resigned myself to the idea that I’d be spending the night with a rat. 

Around 8:30, a friend called. I was just about to lament my troubles to her, when I heard a loud snap. I hung up the phone and called my landlord. I listened to the painful sounds of struggle, and then silence. My landlord showed up within minutes and inspected. Sure enough, the rat was caught. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and thanked him about a hundred times.

This whole fiasco was over so quickly. I have many Peace Corps friends who have ongoing struggles with rats. They find rat-torn packages, chewed up plastic and entrails everywhere. To them, I salute. Peace Corps is not easy.

The List

As I fervently try to pack for this two-year adventure, I’ve become obsessed with packing lists. What did other volunteers bring? What did they not bring? What do they wish they’d have brought?

For the sake of everyone else who struggles, and those who are curious what I’ll be living with for the next two years, here’s what I’ve got:

Luggage:
North Face Base Camp Duffel (Large)
Kelty Coyote hiking backpack (4500 cu)
Jansport Backpack

Sleep:
Mountain Hardware Switch 20 sleeping bag
Pillow
Earplugs
Unisom
Melatonin

Kitchen:
GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Frypan–8in
Plastic Spatula
Measuring cups/spoons
Peeler
Can opener
Kitchen knife
Oven Mitt/Pot holder
Water bottle

Food:
Herbs&Spices
-Basil
-Black Pepper
-Oregano
-Thyme
-Cinnamon
-Nutmeg
-Stirfry seasoning
-Teriyaki seasoning
-Brown Mustard
Crystal Light flavor packets
Tuna packets
Nature Valley Granola bars
Godiva Dark Chocolate Squares
Stride Sweetmint gum (12packs)

Useful stuff:
Leatherman  knife
Index cards
Duct tape
Brunton Solo Battery Pack (charger) and batteries
Petzl Tikkina 2 Headlamp
Mini-mag Flashlight and bulbs
Scissors

Technology/media:
Dell Inspiron mini netbook
External hard drive (with movies)
Olympus digital camera
8G iPod Nano/armband
Earbuds (4)
Portable Speakers
Currency Converter (220/110v)

Pest Control:
Cat treats
Fly swatter

Health:
Eye drops
Resistance bands
Yoga mat
Enteric-coated peppermint oil

Hygiene:
Sea To Summit Tek Towel-Large (quick dry)
Venus razor/refill cartridges
Shampoo/Conditioner
Hair ties
 Face wash wipes (120) /SPF Face lotion
Deodorant (4)
Bath and Body Works body spray
Pumice/foot scrubber
Nail clippers
Tweezers
Floss/toothpaste/toothbrush
Q-tips/Cotton balls
Wet wipes
Tampons

Host family gifts:
Post cards
Fabric wall flags (2)
America Playing Cards
Suckers
Balloons
Deflated soccer ball

Entertainment:
Notebooks
Pens/Pencils
Crayons
Frisbee
Playing cards
Books
Seeds

Clothing:
Skirts (2)
Dress/Skirt convertible
Dress (hand sewn by my very dear friend)
Dress for staging/swearing-in
Fitted shirts (4)
T-shirts (3)
Linen Pants
Dry-wick Pants
Jeans
Yoga Capris (2)
Long-sleeve zip up (2)
Carhart Zip Hoodie
Underwear (14)
Socks (12)
Bras (2)
Sportsbra (3)

Rainwear:
North Face Resolve Waterproof Jacket
Umbrella

Footwear:
Chacos (ZX/2 Vibram Unaweep)
Chacos (Flip Ecotread)
Keen Pyronese waterproof hiking boots
Trail running shoes
Ballet flat dress shoes

Now.. I haven’t tried to actually pack all of this yet. I’ve got an 80-pound limit here. Some of the food may have to wait, and the kitchen stuff may need to be sent separate, but I’m hoping to spare the $45 mailing fee. Wish me luck!

Let’s Talk

I got a message from the Peace Corps office today, making this adventure all the more real. In addition to training information, there’s a section they wrote up especially for you. Here’s the gist of it:

Letters
The mail service in Ethiopia is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service.  It can take 3-4 weeks for letters from Ethiopia to get to the States.  And if I’m assigned to a small faraway village, it could take 1-2 months to reach you. If you date your letters to me (and number them) I can let you know how long it takes for me to get them.

Packages
These are not guaranteed to reach me, but current volunteers have said they haven’t had a problem. Don’t send anything too expensive. Electronics have extremely high custom taxes, so please don’t send any. Padded envelopes are often taxed less than boxes, if you can opt for those. Care packages will probably be a little piece of heaven, so thanks ahead of time. Here’s the address again:

Katie Olean, PCV
U.S. Peace Corps
P.O. Box 7788
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Also they said cash and checks are not recommended through the mail. (bummer.) If you send a postcard, please put it in an envelope. If you don’t, some postal worker will likely have a new picture for their wall. 

Phone Calls
To get some actual voice conversations, it’s possible to call my cell phone (number to come). However, there’s a part about how difficult it is to get through and you may need to call 5-10 times in a row, even if it says I’m “out of the service area.” There’s always Skype… although I haven’t given it a practice run yet. And who knows how internet will be.

The Fun Stuff
Then there was a little section on my possible “war stories,” by which they mean illness , lack of good food, isolation, etc. They assure you it’s never as bad as it sounds, and we have a doctor and physician’s assistant on staff in Addis Ababa. If it’s really bad, we’ll be medically evacuated to Kenya, South Africa or the United States. (Let’s not hope for that.)

So that’s about it. I love you all forever for reading this and sending me letters when I get there. I promise, I’ll write you all back. Two weeks to go!