G'day all!
It is my last day of a relaxing weekend here at ILRI. This morning, we went to church and Hannah and I was able to give away some items of clothing and shoes to the church so they could distribute them to people who need them. After giving them to the pastor we took our seats to listen and sing. The sermon was about knowing God is real through Jesus. After the service, we headed to the LimeTree cafe and had breakfast. I had super good french toast. As we were driving back to the ILRI campus, Tigist stopped at the mall on the corner and treated Hannah and me to a manicure. It was kinda nice to have a little break like that.
We said our goodbyes to Tigist and Sitota and they promised to be back tomorrow evening to see us off. I went to my room and took a nap then finished packing my bags. I just have the things I need for tomorrow and I'm all set! I don't want to say goodbye to everyone here but I am very ready to come home!
The rest of the evening, I will continue enjoying this Sunday! Hope you all have a great day!
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Day 56: It's the last Saturday!
Happy Weekend!
Can you believe it? I can't believe it. It's the final weekend here in Addis Ababa. I have planned to savor everything that I love about ILRI this weekend.
I woke up with no alarm clock and the weather was soooo nice. I got dressed and immediately went for a walk around the trails on ILRI. I put my headphones on walked for about a half hour. It was nice to really reflect on everything. Man, have I done a lot. Wow.
Some of my favorites:
Can you believe it? I can't believe it. It's the final weekend here in Addis Ababa. I have planned to savor everything that I love about ILRI this weekend.
I woke up with no alarm clock and the weather was soooo nice. I got dressed and immediately went for a walk around the trails on ILRI. I put my headphones on walked for about a half hour. It was nice to really reflect on everything. Man, have I done a lot. Wow.
Some of my favorites:
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Day 53 & 54 & 55: Daily Grind
Hello everyone!
Wednesday:
Hannah and I met around 9:30 this morning, went and got a cappuccino and croissant at Bilo's and simply relaxed in the morning. It was nice to have a break from working hard in the field or rigorously typing my paper. In the afternoon, Hannah needed to take a package to the post office and what an adventure that was. As soon as we got in the car is began downpouring. It rained the whole time while we were out. We ended that little venture at an Italian restaurant where we got some pizza. Really good pizza might I add. We got back to ILRI and it had stopped raining so I went to the gym and just settled into some Netflix for the rest of the evening.
Thursday:
Becuase it's our last few days, we have to savor the wonderful coffee shop that is Bilo's! This time I got a pastry cake. It's one of my absolute favorite sweets here. After that, Hannah and I went to the office and I got working away on my paper. I actually finished before lunch! I am now just awaiting Dr. Jean and Dr. Olivier's feedback.
This evening, Tigist took Hannah and I, to a Chinese restaurant. Tigist has never tried Chinese before so we wanted to make sure she tried! The first restaurant she took us to was a new one that her friends said she should check out to see if it's good. We got seated and saw the menu's and none of knew what any of the food was. Tigist suggested going to a different place that her friends all said was the best. We went and sat down there and immediately felt better. I ordered the orange chicken with beef and noodles. It was super good! It was more 'Americanized' Chinese food but I was happy with it! Tigist even liked it!
Friday:
I woke up this morning to more rain. It's rained every day this week and I don't think it ever plans to let up. I got ready and headed to the office. I worked on some presentation material for home while I waited for Dr. Olivier's feedback. I'll probably just come up with things to do until I need to start working on my paper again.
Good news! Dr. Olivier really enjoyed my paper! He gave me suggestions for more things to include but overall, he loved it! He's even keeping a copy for himself too! Best part, this all happened before lunch! I am so relieved that my paper went over well with him and is complete! Now, just to begin my official packing strategies for the trip home! I'm really looking forward to getting home! I'm so excited to see everyone!
Wednesday:
Hannah and I met around 9:30 this morning, went and got a cappuccino and croissant at Bilo's and simply relaxed in the morning. It was nice to have a break from working hard in the field or rigorously typing my paper. In the afternoon, Hannah needed to take a package to the post office and what an adventure that was. As soon as we got in the car is began downpouring. It rained the whole time while we were out. We ended that little venture at an Italian restaurant where we got some pizza. Really good pizza might I add. We got back to ILRI and it had stopped raining so I went to the gym and just settled into some Netflix for the rest of the evening.
Thursday:
Becuase it's our last few days, we have to savor the wonderful coffee shop that is Bilo's! This time I got a pastry cake. It's one of my absolute favorite sweets here. After that, Hannah and I went to the office and I got working away on my paper. I actually finished before lunch! I am now just awaiting Dr. Jean and Dr. Olivier's feedback.
This evening, Tigist took Hannah and I, to a Chinese restaurant. Tigist has never tried Chinese before so we wanted to make sure she tried! The first restaurant she took us to was a new one that her friends said she should check out to see if it's good. We got seated and saw the menu's and none of knew what any of the food was. Tigist suggested going to a different place that her friends all said was the best. We went and sat down there and immediately felt better. I ordered the orange chicken with beef and noodles. It was super good! It was more 'Americanized' Chinese food but I was happy with it! Tigist even liked it!
Friday:
I woke up this morning to more rain. It's rained every day this week and I don't think it ever plans to let up. I got ready and headed to the office. I worked on some presentation material for home while I waited for Dr. Olivier's feedback. I'll probably just come up with things to do until I need to start working on my paper again.
Good news! Dr. Olivier really enjoyed my paper! He gave me suggestions for more things to include but overall, he loved it! He's even keeping a copy for himself too! Best part, this all happened before lunch! I am so relieved that my paper went over well with him and is complete! Now, just to begin my official packing strategies for the trip home! I'm really looking forward to getting home! I'm so excited to see everyone!
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Day 51 & 52: The last of Debre Zeit
Helloooo!
Monday:
After a confusing morning, Hannah and I were able to square a drive to take us to Debre Zeit for what was supposed to be the last time. Unfortunately, when we made it to the research facility to weigh the chickens, we were unable to. In the end, Hannah was only able to take pictures of the individual chickens for her research. We were told to come back the next day to weigh the chickens in the morning.
Tuesday:
We left this morning at the right time for Hannah to weigh the chickens. She was also able to get some questions answered by the head supervisor in charge. The chickens were weighed and I wrote down the weights. Once we had finished we thanked the workers for the help they'd given the last weeks. We said our goodbyes and headed back to ILRI.
I settled into writing my paper while it continued to rain (so far, it's been all day). If I keep working, which I am a notorious procrastinator, I should finish by the end of the week. I am looking forward to having the paper done though!
Until next time!
Monday:
After a confusing morning, Hannah and I were able to square a drive to take us to Debre Zeit for what was supposed to be the last time. Unfortunately, when we made it to the research facility to weigh the chickens, we were unable to. In the end, Hannah was only able to take pictures of the individual chickens for her research. We were told to come back the next day to weigh the chickens in the morning.
Tuesday:
We left this morning at the right time for Hannah to weigh the chickens. She was also able to get some questions answered by the head supervisor in charge. The chickens were weighed and I wrote down the weights. Once we had finished we thanked the workers for the help they'd given the last weeks. We said our goodbyes and headed back to ILRI.
I settled into writing my paper while it continued to rain (so far, it's been all day). If I keep working, which I am a notorious procrastinator, I should finish by the end of the week. I am looking forward to having the paper done though!
Until next time!
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Day 49 & 50: Shop till you drop
Happy Weekend all!
Saturday:
Today was so much fun! Tigist came to pick Hannah and I up at 10 am. We hopped in the car and set off to some of the most popular markets in Addis. We went traditional dress and souvenir shopping. I was so happy with all of my purchases and I even learned how to bargain with the locals. They'll tell you their highest price and you just pretend you don't want it for that much. Then they'll ask how much you want to pay for it and eventually you'll be able to get 10-50 birr ($1 USD = 23 birr) off of an item. It also depends on the item, if it's quite expensive you may be able to shave off 500 birr. But all in all, I was very happy with the day. I was able to get the gifts that I wanted for people and more!
Sunday:
Have I ever told you how much I love Sundays? Tigist and her oldest daughter, Sitota, picked us up for church at 8 am and we headed off. The sermon was about finding the real Jesus and God in our lives. It's okay to challenge certain things in our lives if it means finding the real Jesus.
After church, we went to the coffee shop Bilo's. It's always super good! We got dropped off at our hostel and a few minutes later, Hannah and I went to the supermarkets. We may only have 1 week left, but I wanted to get some of my favorite things to finish out the trip, things like apple juice and chocolate bars. I also picked up some new tea. It's actually from Kenya but the store employees told me it's really good.
One more week y'all. Can't wait to share all the trip details with you in person!
Saturday:
Today was so much fun! Tigist came to pick Hannah and I up at 10 am. We hopped in the car and set off to some of the most popular markets in Addis. We went traditional dress and souvenir shopping. I was so happy with all of my purchases and I even learned how to bargain with the locals. They'll tell you their highest price and you just pretend you don't want it for that much. Then they'll ask how much you want to pay for it and eventually you'll be able to get 10-50 birr ($1 USD = 23 birr) off of an item. It also depends on the item, if it's quite expensive you may be able to shave off 500 birr. But all in all, I was very happy with the day. I was able to get the gifts that I wanted for people and more!
Sunday:
Have I ever told you how much I love Sundays? Tigist and her oldest daughter, Sitota, picked us up for church at 8 am and we headed off. The sermon was about finding the real Jesus and God in our lives. It's okay to challenge certain things in our lives if it means finding the real Jesus.
After church, we went to the coffee shop Bilo's. It's always super good! We got dropped off at our hostel and a few minutes later, Hannah and I went to the supermarkets. We may only have 1 week left, but I wanted to get some of my favorite things to finish out the trip, things like apple juice and chocolate bars. I also picked up some new tea. It's actually from Kenya but the store employees told me it's really good.
One more week y'all. Can't wait to share all the trip details with you in person!
Friday, August 4, 2017
Day 46 & 47 & 48: Back in the Office
Hello all!
I apologize for not writing daily but for the next week, my days are going to look quite similar until I go home.
Wednesday:
What a glorious day it was to sleep in for the first time since two weeks ago. I woke up at 8 am, got ready and headed to the office. I started to really get down to the detail of my research paper. I've decided to write about each individual farm in terms of the affects on the milk production as well as the profitability. I'm hoping that I will be able to have my paper completed by the end of next week!
Another highlight of the day was reading the genome of a chicken in Spanish for a promotional video that ILRI is doing. It was the whole shebang, lights/camera, etc. I was little worried because they wanted me to do it in Spanish but, I think my Spanish teacher would be proud.
Thursday:
Another delightful morning of sleeping in until 8 am. I continued working on my paper before and after lunch. I was sitting alone at lunch (Hannah made herself rice) and almost as I was finished a lady asked if she could sit with me. Turns out she's a student working on her doctorate from Cornell College. We talked about our backgrounds, comparisons to the United States and some of the things we enjoyed here. It's really nice to meet new people and I'm glad someone came and had lunch with me!
Friday:
Just ten more days until I am on a plane back home! It seems so crazy to me. This morning, Hannah and I could not stand to be in the office for another day so we decided to sit outside the cafeteria. The weather was so beautiful today and it was nice to have the fresh air.
This weekend we plan to go gift shopping with Tigist on Saturday and then go to church on Sunday. I'll probably keep hammering a little bit more on my paper because I am almost done! I'm looking forward to the weekend as well as completing my paper!
I apologize for not writing daily but for the next week, my days are going to look quite similar until I go home.
Wednesday:
What a glorious day it was to sleep in for the first time since two weeks ago. I woke up at 8 am, got ready and headed to the office. I started to really get down to the detail of my research paper. I've decided to write about each individual farm in terms of the affects on the milk production as well as the profitability. I'm hoping that I will be able to have my paper completed by the end of next week!
Another highlight of the day was reading the genome of a chicken in Spanish for a promotional video that ILRI is doing. It was the whole shebang, lights/camera, etc. I was little worried because they wanted me to do it in Spanish but, I think my Spanish teacher would be proud.
Thursday:
Another delightful morning of sleeping in until 8 am. I continued working on my paper before and after lunch. I was sitting alone at lunch (Hannah made herself rice) and almost as I was finished a lady asked if she could sit with me. Turns out she's a student working on her doctorate from Cornell College. We talked about our backgrounds, comparisons to the United States and some of the things we enjoyed here. It's really nice to meet new people and I'm glad someone came and had lunch with me!
Friday:
Just ten more days until I am on a plane back home! It seems so crazy to me. This morning, Hannah and I could not stand to be in the office for another day so we decided to sit outside the cafeteria. The weather was so beautiful today and it was nice to have the fresh air.
This weekend we plan to go gift shopping with Tigist on Saturday and then go to church on Sunday. I'll probably keep hammering a little bit more on my paper because I am almost done! I'm looking forward to the weekend as well as completing my paper!
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Day 45: That's a Wrap - 20 Farms
G'day all!
Today was my last day interviewing farmers. I'm actually quite sad about it, I really love hearing about the different ways these dairy operations are run. Our normal driver Mikhel was unable to take us today so we had a different driver (I didn't catch his name because he spoke so softly).
Our first two stops were at a medium and small farm. The first farm may have had only 10 cows but they were definitely not lacking in the technology area. This man and his family had their own processing equipment to package milk, make cheese and butter and sell it in their two shops they owned in Debre Zeit. I thought that was pretty awesome! Our second stop was at a smallholder farm. The main farmer, the woman, owned a total 5 head along with a few chickens and a few oxen. She was eager to hear advice from Hannah and I on her chickens and cattle. When we went to see the cows, I immediately saw one of the cows had overgrown hooves. I had the enumerator translate that she had to get the hooves trimmed and maintained. The cow was already starting to fall back on to her hock because of her hooves. When translated, she accepted the advice.
Our next two stops were at farms that we had visited previously but I was not able to get all my questions answered. We stopped at Alfa Fodder Dairy Farm. The owner was from Holland and all the cows were purebred Holstein Friesian from Holland. Some of the feed minerals and even the vet services were coming directly from Holland. This is by far the largest farm in maybe all of Ethiopia with 433 total head. This farm is definitely impressive in size and in efficiency. The max milk yield they have ever collected is 57 liters, which is just insane. I also asked about their marketing of the milk and I was told they sell to a company, Holland Dairy, as well as privately. If only every dairy farm was able to have the management that this farm does, there would be no problems with poor production. But, that is why I am here. Working to make the production better! Our last stop was at Genesis Farms. They have a little bit of everything, dairy products, plants/flowers, chickens, vegetables, and even paintings! I got my survey questions answered and then we went to the little market their on the farm. I had remembered a painting that was there from the last time we visited and sure enough it was still there. It is now a gift for my parents (shh, don't tell them.. even though they're reading this).
It was around lunchtime when we had finished up so I invited Mohammed to join us at the Pyramid Hotel restaurant. I bought him his meal as a thank you for all the help the past couple weeks. He was very appreciative. I hope that we get to meet again in the future.
We got back to ILRI and both Hannah and I were so wiped out from the last week so we decided to take a nap. I woke up refreshed and decided to go to the gym. As for the rest of the evening, it will be time to relax. Tomorrow, we will both go and settle back into Sululta and finalize our data. I also plan to keep working on my paper.
12 more days, see you all soon!
Today was my last day interviewing farmers. I'm actually quite sad about it, I really love hearing about the different ways these dairy operations are run. Our normal driver Mikhel was unable to take us today so we had a different driver (I didn't catch his name because he spoke so softly).
Our first two stops were at a medium and small farm. The first farm may have had only 10 cows but they were definitely not lacking in the technology area. This man and his family had their own processing equipment to package milk, make cheese and butter and sell it in their two shops they owned in Debre Zeit. I thought that was pretty awesome! Our second stop was at a smallholder farm. The main farmer, the woman, owned a total 5 head along with a few chickens and a few oxen. She was eager to hear advice from Hannah and I on her chickens and cattle. When we went to see the cows, I immediately saw one of the cows had overgrown hooves. I had the enumerator translate that she had to get the hooves trimmed and maintained. The cow was already starting to fall back on to her hock because of her hooves. When translated, she accepted the advice.
Our next two stops were at farms that we had visited previously but I was not able to get all my questions answered. We stopped at Alfa Fodder Dairy Farm. The owner was from Holland and all the cows were purebred Holstein Friesian from Holland. Some of the feed minerals and even the vet services were coming directly from Holland. This is by far the largest farm in maybe all of Ethiopia with 433 total head. This farm is definitely impressive in size and in efficiency. The max milk yield they have ever collected is 57 liters, which is just insane. I also asked about their marketing of the milk and I was told they sell to a company, Holland Dairy, as well as privately. If only every dairy farm was able to have the management that this farm does, there would be no problems with poor production. But, that is why I am here. Working to make the production better! Our last stop was at Genesis Farms. They have a little bit of everything, dairy products, plants/flowers, chickens, vegetables, and even paintings! I got my survey questions answered and then we went to the little market their on the farm. I had remembered a painting that was there from the last time we visited and sure enough it was still there. It is now a gift for my parents (shh, don't tell them.. even though they're reading this).
It was around lunchtime when we had finished up so I invited Mohammed to join us at the Pyramid Hotel restaurant. I bought him his meal as a thank you for all the help the past couple weeks. He was very appreciative. I hope that we get to meet again in the future.
We got back to ILRI and both Hannah and I were so wiped out from the last week so we decided to take a nap. I woke up refreshed and decided to go to the gym. As for the rest of the evening, it will be time to relax. Tomorrow, we will both go and settle back into Sululta and finalize our data. I also plan to keep working on my paper.
12 more days, see you all soon!
Monday, July 31, 2017
Day 44: Wake up, go
Helloooo!
This morning I woke up got started getting ready and then all of a sudden Hannah was knocking at my door. Opened the door and she started telling me that the LIVES project people were ready to go right now. If you know me personally, I am almost always wearing makeup and this morning I just didn't have time to put any on. But, it was okay! I got dressed and headed out to meet our driver Sintayeo and Dr. Solomon. We got into the Land Cruiser and away we went to the Rift Valley.
When we arrived in the town about two hours southeast of Addis, we stopped for coffee. Hannah and I both tried a cup of traditional coffee. It wasn't bad! It kind of tasted like tea mixed with coffee. After our 'coffee break' we went to the agricultural center in the town and met two experts. One of them was an artificial insemination technician and the other was an expert on dairy cattle. Our first stop was at an urban farm. Hannah asked some questions about their chickens and I asked a few questions about their two dairy cows. To my surprise, these two local dairy cows were producing around 4 liters a day, max.
Our next stop was at a village about 20 minutes from town. We were welcomed to a farm with about four different sets of grandchildren with one set of grandparents. All the children's parents were out working in the field. Hannah asked the main farmer (the woman) about her chickens and I followed up asking about the cattle. They only owned indigenous breeds because they did not have the management system or resources for the exotic breed, Holstein Friesian. The average milk yield for these cows each day was around 1.5-2 liters. They family were the only ones consuming the milk but I was not sure on what to advise the farmer to do to boost production.
Our next stop was actually in a field. The farmer was letting his indigenous cattle graze while his wife was working in the fields. I asked him a few questions and found his answers to be almost the same to last farmer's.
Our final stop for the day was at a family village. Four brothers all married and brought their wives to live and work on the 'family village'. All the men were working in the fields so Hannah was able to ask about the chickens they had while I played with the baby goat. Dr. Solomon and I had stepped back from Hannah's interview and started talking about dairy cattle here. He told me that the AI-conception rates were low, around 25-26% percent. The LIVES project even brought in synchronization tools, heat-detection patches, etc. but because the AI-technicians may be busy or the farmer may not really be sure whether the cow is in heat, they miss the cycle. Another factor may be bad semen. It is stored in liquid nitrogen tanks but improper storage in the tanks or misuse can cause the semen to go bad. The production in these rural areas is very low for several reasons. The breed is probably the number one factor. It's just a fact that Zebu cattle are just not as productive as the exotic breeds. But, the local cattle are more disease resistant and require way-less management. Whereas the higher producing breeds require a lot more management and are more susceptible to disease. So, how do we sort this out? As of right now, it is possible for there to be cross breeding between the local and exotic breeds. I've seen it before at previous farms that I have been to. The big issue that comes next in that is the problem of conception rates with AI.
So, as you see it's a continuing problem. They need more reliable AI services, quality exotic bull semen, and general knowledge. Everything always seems to lead back to knowledge. We know the problem so through several different projects that are currently being worked on can lead to solving those problems.
This morning I woke up got started getting ready and then all of a sudden Hannah was knocking at my door. Opened the door and she started telling me that the LIVES project people were ready to go right now. If you know me personally, I am almost always wearing makeup and this morning I just didn't have time to put any on. But, it was okay! I got dressed and headed out to meet our driver Sintayeo and Dr. Solomon. We got into the Land Cruiser and away we went to the Rift Valley.
When we arrived in the town about two hours southeast of Addis, we stopped for coffee. Hannah and I both tried a cup of traditional coffee. It wasn't bad! It kind of tasted like tea mixed with coffee. After our 'coffee break' we went to the agricultural center in the town and met two experts. One of them was an artificial insemination technician and the other was an expert on dairy cattle. Our first stop was at an urban farm. Hannah asked some questions about their chickens and I asked a few questions about their two dairy cows. To my surprise, these two local dairy cows were producing around 4 liters a day, max.
Our next stop was at a village about 20 minutes from town. We were welcomed to a farm with about four different sets of grandchildren with one set of grandparents. All the children's parents were out working in the field. Hannah asked the main farmer (the woman) about her chickens and I followed up asking about the cattle. They only owned indigenous breeds because they did not have the management system or resources for the exotic breed, Holstein Friesian. The average milk yield for these cows each day was around 1.5-2 liters. They family were the only ones consuming the milk but I was not sure on what to advise the farmer to do to boost production.
Our next stop was actually in a field. The farmer was letting his indigenous cattle graze while his wife was working in the fields. I asked him a few questions and found his answers to be almost the same to last farmer's.
Our final stop for the day was at a family village. Four brothers all married and brought their wives to live and work on the 'family village'. All the men were working in the fields so Hannah was able to ask about the chickens they had while I played with the baby goat. Dr. Solomon and I had stepped back from Hannah's interview and started talking about dairy cattle here. He told me that the AI-conception rates were low, around 25-26% percent. The LIVES project even brought in synchronization tools, heat-detection patches, etc. but because the AI-technicians may be busy or the farmer may not really be sure whether the cow is in heat, they miss the cycle. Another factor may be bad semen. It is stored in liquid nitrogen tanks but improper storage in the tanks or misuse can cause the semen to go bad. The production in these rural areas is very low for several reasons. The breed is probably the number one factor. It's just a fact that Zebu cattle are just not as productive as the exotic breeds. But, the local cattle are more disease resistant and require way-less management. Whereas the higher producing breeds require a lot more management and are more susceptible to disease. So, how do we sort this out? As of right now, it is possible for there to be cross breeding between the local and exotic breeds. I've seen it before at previous farms that I have been to. The big issue that comes next in that is the problem of conception rates with AI.
So, as you see it's a continuing problem. They need more reliable AI services, quality exotic bull semen, and general knowledge. Everything always seems to lead back to knowledge. We know the problem so through several different projects that are currently being worked on can lead to solving those problems.
 |
| Yes, those are windmills! |
 |
| Pretty rooster! |
 |
| Traditional Coffee |
 |
| Corn! |
 |
| This is flooding. |
 |
| The local breed of cattle at the first village we visited. |
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| The family village. |
Tomorrow, we go to Debre Zeit to finish up my surveys! We will visit four farms and I'll be all set with my interviews! After that, I believe I'll be spending most of my time writing my final research paper. Two more weeks and then it'll be time to head home!
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Day 43: Little Things
Hello friends!
Today was such a nice day. Tigist and her two daughters picked us up and we all went to church. The service was very good today. It was all about our blessings that God has given us and the ability to be us and serve in his name. Some lines during the songs really stuck out to me today.
"There is hope in the promise of the cross and this hope is an anchor for my soul."
I know I am so blessed to be here, beginning to really live out God's purpose in my life. All the times that I have been upset or uncomfortable here, was just another challenge that God has placed in my life. God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. Being able to come here and see everything first hand has really opened my eyes. There's so much I want to do but rather than focusing on such a big picture, I want to focus on making someday's life or even just someone's day a little better everyday of my life.
That's just a little something I've begun to realize as my time winds down. A few of the other interns and I were all talking about what we want to do and how the internship has affected that. Well, we may not know exactly what our futures will look like but we now know that the little things can really change someone's life. It truly is the little things.
God blessed me with an Ethiopian mother, Tigist. He has blessed me two wonderful girls Aryia and Stulta, who can laugh at me while I laugh at myself. He has blessed me with such an amazing life and great opportunity for which I will forever be thankful. He also gave me all of you. I know that I am not in this alone. Everyone back home is supporting me and I cannot thank all of you enough. I never take of my best friends, brothers bracelet off. It says 'No one fights alone.' Every little challenge I have faced and will face, I keep that saying in mind because of all of you.
Thank you. Ãmeseginalehu.
Today was such a nice day. Tigist and her two daughters picked us up and we all went to church. The service was very good today. It was all about our blessings that God has given us and the ability to be us and serve in his name. Some lines during the songs really stuck out to me today.
"There is hope in the promise of the cross and this hope is an anchor for my soul."
I know I am so blessed to be here, beginning to really live out God's purpose in my life. All the times that I have been upset or uncomfortable here, was just another challenge that God has placed in my life. God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. Being able to come here and see everything first hand has really opened my eyes. There's so much I want to do but rather than focusing on such a big picture, I want to focus on making someday's life or even just someone's day a little better everyday of my life.
That's just a little something I've begun to realize as my time winds down. A few of the other interns and I were all talking about what we want to do and how the internship has affected that. Well, we may not know exactly what our futures will look like but we now know that the little things can really change someone's life. It truly is the little things.
God blessed me with an Ethiopian mother, Tigist. He has blessed me two wonderful girls Aryia and Stulta, who can laugh at me while I laugh at myself. He has blessed me with such an amazing life and great opportunity for which I will forever be thankful. He also gave me all of you. I know that I am not in this alone. Everyone back home is supporting me and I cannot thank all of you enough. I never take of my best friends, brothers bracelet off. It says 'No one fights alone.' Every little challenge I have faced and will face, I keep that saying in mind because of all of you.
Thank you. Ãmeseginalehu.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Day 42: Saturday
Hi everyone!
I woke up this morning around 8:30 with no alarm clock and it was pretty fantastic. I got ready for my day and went to meet Hannah to see what we wanted to do today. We went and got some groceries. I got some cereal, milk, and a chocolate bar. The chocolate is a really good way to get me through the week! Just have a few pieces every day. For the rest of the day, we will just take it easy. Which will be nice especially after our long week visiting a bunch of different places. Tomorrow, we will go to church with Tigist and possibly lunch, depending on her schedule. I really enjoy these weekends relaxing. I hope you all have a great day!
I woke up this morning around 8:30 with no alarm clock and it was pretty fantastic. I got ready for my day and went to meet Hannah to see what we wanted to do today. We went and got some groceries. I got some cereal, milk, and a chocolate bar. The chocolate is a really good way to get me through the week! Just have a few pieces every day. For the rest of the day, we will just take it easy. Which will be nice especially after our long week visiting a bunch of different places. Tomorrow, we will go to church with Tigist and possibly lunch, depending on her schedule. I really enjoy these weekends relaxing. I hope you all have a great day!
Friday, July 28, 2017
Day 41: I'm on top of the world
Hello!
Today's blog post title is brought to you by 10,000+ ft of elevation and one of my favorite Imagine Dragons song.
Imagine a cold wind on your face, literally driving through the clouds, and waving at the locals as you drive by. I was at complete peace today while driving about an hour and a half north of Debre Berhan. The view was breathtaking and the locals are friendly (and will try to sell you just about anything). We even saw some funky looking monkeys. I'm not sure what kind they are but there were all over the place in the forest area before the town Debre Sina. They sat and waited for us to give them food but we didn't have any for them! We stopped in Debre Sina for Mikhel to get some coffee. We hadn't even gotten out of the truck yet and there were at least three boys on each of side trying to sell us gum and random things. Even if you said no, they still tried to hand you the things they were selling. It made Hannah and I both laugh pretty hard. After our stop, we drove back through the mountains and even stopped at a stream to get pictures. I have to say that the below pictures really do not even do justice! There were times where I just to put down my phone and really admire what was in front of me. We made it back to ILRI around 5:00 pm. Hannah and I decided to just take the evening easy. Tomorrow, we will catch up on sleep and decide what to do when we get to it!
Thank y'all for reading and looking. I hope you were as blown away as I was!
Today's blog post title is brought to you by 10,000+ ft of elevation and one of my favorite Imagine Dragons song.
Imagine a cold wind on your face, literally driving through the clouds, and waving at the locals as you drive by. I was at complete peace today while driving about an hour and a half north of Debre Berhan. The view was breathtaking and the locals are friendly (and will try to sell you just about anything). We even saw some funky looking monkeys. I'm not sure what kind they are but there were all over the place in the forest area before the town Debre Sina. They sat and waited for us to give them food but we didn't have any for them! We stopped in Debre Sina for Mikhel to get some coffee. We hadn't even gotten out of the truck yet and there were at least three boys on each of side trying to sell us gum and random things. Even if you said no, they still tried to hand you the things they were selling. It made Hannah and I both laugh pretty hard. After our stop, we drove back through the mountains and even stopped at a stream to get pictures. I have to say that the below pictures really do not even do justice! There were times where I just to put down my phone and really admire what was in front of me. We made it back to ILRI around 5:00 pm. Hannah and I decided to just take the evening easy. Tomorrow, we will catch up on sleep and decide what to do when we get to it!
Thank y'all for reading and looking. I hope you were as blown away as I was!
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