A Letter to Loved Ones this Holiday Season// Surviving the Holidays Abroad

Dear Friends and Family,

As the holidays approach, being away from friends and family become increasingly more difficult. For those of you who have ever been abroad for ANY holiday, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Holidays bring people together. Maybe old friends from high school we haven’t seen in a few months, or friends from college who have moved to other states to peruse their careers. Or in my case, the crazy friend who decided to uproot her life after university and move to Ethiopia.

No matter where life takes us, holidays always seem to be the time of year that bring everyone together as we ring in the New Year. However, this year is the first time I will not be able to part take in all the celebrations back in America with the traditions my friends and family have created over the years. Thanksgiving was the first hurdle of many emotional nights as the Christmas season begins and the New Year rolls around.

But let’s back up to my Thanksgiving in Addis, shall we? Now I have been away from the people I love for a long period of time before back in 2016, when I lived in Paris to study abroad. Due to that, I knew the emotions would hit me like a ton of bricks and there would the eventual ugly tears. But that was Easter (My family’s faith tradition is mostly Christian with some Jewish holidays thrown in there), where the day is just mainly one or two days off from school or university with not too much fuss. Easter is also a huge holiday in Paris, so I still felt some sense of the holiday spirit to get me through the time.

Obviously, Ethiopia does not celebrate Thanksgiving, so my day was normal with work. It felt like any other day here because the weather doesn’t change from the usual 75 and sunny, not the marking of the festive and winter season Thanksgiving marks in America. My friends here realized that it was Thanksgiving though and they were overly cautious about my emotions throughout the work day. They kept asking me if I was ok or if I missed my family, but since I am 8 hours ahead of the East coast, all my family and friends were still asleep, so the emotions hadn’t hit me yet.

One friend in particular was amazing and decided to take me out to dinner and shared an apple turnover with me after work as part of my mini celebration. Just being around my new family here helped to fill the loneliness of home I felt. But after our little mini celebration, the calls started from America beckoning the tears of sadness. Video chatting with friends who I haven’t seen in the three months since I’ve moved here and talking to my little cousins who are still confused about when I’m coming back home. All of this pulled at my heart and I let the emotions flow as they needed. But as the calls ended and my tears ceased, I thought back to the adventures I’ve had here, and the amazing new family I have built so quickly, and the unwavering support of my loved ones back home who want to hear my stories and read my blogs (every time I get enough internet to publish them). I couldn’t help but feel grateful, like we all do on Thanksgiving.

I know the same feeling will come back with vengeance as December 25^th rolls around, especially because it will be first snowless Christmas and the fact that it is just another work day (Ethiopian Christmas is on January 7^th). I will not have presents to open or a Christmas tree up or get drunk off of vegan eggnog or mimosas with friends, or eat the amazing food my grandmothers prepare, or buy gifts for friends.

But when I think about the adventures I’ve had so far and the friends I’ve made who have become family, I know I will be surrounded by loved ones. The holidays aren’t about the food, the presents, or even snow. It’s about reflecting on the past year and being thankful for our lives each and every day.

2018 has been filled with love and accomplishments: moving into a new apartment, graduating with two degrees and high honors, sharing memories with friends and family, adding Canada to my list of countries been to, moving to Ethiopia, and meeting new friends who are now added to my extended family thousands of miles away from my family in the States.

In other words, although I will be missing everything and everyone back home, I know I have their support and love. Their support and love are one of the many reasons that I’ve been able to live my best life in Addis and experiencing life the way it is supposed to. So, while many travelers might be missing home or become depressed around this season, this time of year is to remind us that we are filled with love and gratitude for all the people in our lives. I know I have that love and gratitude for the people in my life and I know my spirit is with each one of them.

Without moving to Addis, I wouldn’t be able to grow as fast into the woman I feel as though I am going to be. In the end, all the sacrifices and heartache are what is needed in order to push boundaries and see what my life has the potential to be.

So my amazing family and friends back in the States, thank you for the love and support during this holiday season. I hope you know how much I miss you all, but I hope you are comforted by the fact that I am still surrounded by new loved ones in Addis. I will be thinking of you all this time of year and know my heart is with each of you.

Happy Holidays!

So much love,

Cynthia

5 Tips to Making Friends When Moving

“But, do you know anyone in Ethiopia?” “Aren’t you going to be lonely moving where you don’t know anyone?” “How will you make friends?”

Those were only SOME of the questions I would be asked before I left for Addis when the topic of friends came up. Even my friends from home were concerned about how I would meet people or how I would even have a social life once I arrived here. Well needless to say, I’ve met some amazing people over the last 3 months and I’m so thankful to have met them. One thing to note about me, when you become friends with me, I’m your friend for life. Even if we haven’t talked for years, if I receive a call from you, I will always be there for you. Friendship is a virtue and a privilege, and I treat it as such.

 

When I first started college, I was so anxious about making friends and  eager to create a social circle that was similar to my incredible one from back home. I was so fortunate to have a strong friendship group all throughout middle and high school, that I struggled to find the same sense of bond in college. In the end, I ended up with a few amazing people to share the struggles of college life with. I met them through classes, dorm room craziness, and studying abroad in Paris. However, when entering college, I never received questions from friends and family about HOW I would make friends or where I would meet people. It was just assumed I would. The same was to be said for when I moved to Paris to study abroad, even though I did have 2 college friends who joined me in Paris, although they did not attend the same school.

So, when I constantly was asked this question, my simple answer was, “I’ll figure it out”. If you’re thinking about moving abroad, you might be thinking the same thing, “How will I make friends?” Well I’m here to tell you, YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT. Here are five tips to do exactly that.

1. Be open to conversation with everyone and anyone. When someone new enters a workplace or area, people want to know you. I was grateful enough for some of my coworkers ask me out for coffee one day and then another friend asked if I wanted to come to her birthday party where I met lots of other people. Being open also means answering questions that might be awkward, as long as you don’t find them too invasive, because most of the times they are trying to figure you out just like you are them.
2. Smile at everyone, even the ones who are making you feel uncomfortable or those who shout at you on the street. By smiling, more people will approach and start a conversation. This is most important during work, in my opinion, because work is where you spend most hours of your day and if you have a negative energy about you, people will be less willing to get to know you.
3. Joining Facebook Groups is another thing I did before I left America. I went on Facebook to find some groups in the area I would be living. In my case, I found a Facebook group called “What’s happening in Addis Ababa”, where different events around the city are posted. I also joined a group called “Girls LOVE travel”, a group which has connected me to other people who are living/ have visited/ lived in Addis or Ethiopia and have given me some amazing advice on things to see or do during my time here.
4. Say YES to everything and by doing so, you won’t second guess all the things that can go wrong in the process. If I had said no to going to my friends’ birthday party, I never would have created the friendship. This friend in particular has invited me to amazing parties in areas of Addis where I’m normally the only “ferenji” (Amharic for foreigner) and to her family home for a true cultural and loving experience. If you move abroad, you will want to have experiences like that, I promise.
5. Be respectful and mindful of the cultural when talking to others. Even in the US or in your own country, some places have a different culture. For example, the New York/ New Jersey work environments and pace are A LOT different than the more chilled out pace of Seattle or Portland. Even though this should go without saying, I’ve seen many foreigners come into countries and assuming that the local will accommodate to them. Heads up: it doesn’t happen like that. You’re a guest in their country and as foreigners, we should act like it and be grateful we get to create a new life in their home. If you are grateful, it will show, and the locals will want to be more accommodating to you. Especially in Ethiopia, where they would give you the shirt off their backs for you if you needed it.

Although everyone is different, and some people are used to having less friends around than others, everyone needs some type of support system. When you move finding people to be that support system when you’re out of your comfort zone becomes more important. It is easy to feel lonely in a new place, especially if it is a new country with a language, cultural, and social norms that are so vastly different than home (as in my case where I did speak one word of Amharic before boarding my flight, which I do not recommend). By keeping these tips in the back of your head, it can be easier to create friendships. They might not be lifelong friends and maybe they are just people you hang out with on the weekends, but it will make the move feel less lonely. For me, these new-found friends have shown me places I could never find in my Ethiopia guide or share memories of my first time exploring the Ethiopian countryside or showing me how to take public transportation, so I don’t pay 300 Birr every time I want to go out.

 Moving abroad comes with so many challenges and when my family and friends are thousands of miles away in America, it is so comforting to know I have them. If I am missing people from home or having a hard day at work, I know I can just get a cup of coffee and vent to them. Ethiopians are the most kind-hearted people and will always be there for you no matter what. I’m not sure what the future hold for these friendships, and I’m sure there will be ups and downs over the next year, but I’m grateful they are my becoming my family here and I cherish them all.

Stay Wandering,

Cynthia

A Day in the Life: Teaching English In Ethiopia

While I was researching teaching abroad, specifically Ethiopia or African countries, I was surprised to see there was not one blog post or article written on what daily life was like as a foreign teacher. If you’re thinking about teaching abroad here is what your life MIGHT look like because this is certainly my new reality.

Before I left the United States, I would joke with my friends and family about how I was escaping the “real world”. Little did I know, I would indeed be entering adulthood and full-time job life, just not necessarily a typical career job for someone with degrees in psychology and international relations.

Morning

My day starts by hearing my alarm blaring at 5:30am. Yup 5:30 IN THE MORNING. For those who know, I am in no way a morning person I’m pretty miserable that this is my reality Monday- Friday. It just about brings tears to my eyes as I’m writing this because it’s Sunday and the impending 5:30 alarm is coming upon me. I hit the snooze alarm until about 6am, which is about the time I am finally ready to leave the comforts of my uncomfortably hard, but warm bed to make my normal breakfast of oatmeal with jam, as I watch the daily headlines on BBC World.

By 6:30, I am in the car with Zurhan, the driver for the school I work for, Zurhan is one of the most peaceful and happy people I know here in Ethiopia. Each morning I am greeted by his smiling face as we talk about philosophy of life as he teaches me, although he doesn’t know it, how to embrace all aspects of Ethiopian life and to adopt a more positive outlook on life.

The hour and half ride to work is one of the most interesting times of day because every morning, I feel as though I learn something new about religion, between him and my co-worker Joanne, and Ethiopian politics. This is also the time where I anxiously watch as Zurhan decides that the traffic is morning too slow and ends up driving on the side walk where pedestrians avoid the car as if it was a casual as not being run over by a person with a bike. Even though the drive is the same way every morning.

 

It never ceases to amaze me the difference between here and the United States, between seeing goats being herded in the street before being sold for their meat or when drivers decided to move horizontally through traffic, or when cars chose to go up the street into oncoming traffic with their hazards on. Life is always an adventure in Addis.

At roughly 8am, the 3 of us who are now in the car, will pile out of a tiny hatchback like circus clowns. A fellow teacher and I will then journey across the street for my first “bunna” or coffee of the day. This is the last few moments of peace before my dad is filled with “Miss Cynthia!” and “Teacher! Teacher! Teacher!” After my coffee, I sign into work and travel 6 flights of stairs to the staff lounge to get my gown on (which makes me look like a doctor) and to share breakfast of “furfur”, or chopped up injera and shiro eaten with injera, with some coworkers.

My work day officially begins, where my identity of Cynthia is transformed into “Miss Cynthia”, by 8:10am when devotion starts. This is the beginning of the school day where students line up outside by the Ethiopian flag. A teacher will lead devotion by having the kids first sing a song, followed by the teacher giving a short lesson about the theme of the day- honesty, bringing the necessary materials to class, or kindness. Devotion ends at 8:30 with the singing of the Ethiopian national anthem and the students head up to first period.

Depending on the day, sometimes I have some periods at different times of day, but overall, I have 5 classes to teach a day. I teach English II or English literature for grades 1 and 2. This means that I focus mainly on the student’s pronunciation and reading books while highlighting key words the students will learn. I have each class, I have 8 classes, 3 times a week so my week becomes very repetitive because I teach the same material for the whole week. It is sometimes hard for me to keep track of knowing which activity I’ve done with each class but teaching just over a month now, has given me time to get into the grove of it all.

When I don’t have a class, you can find me in the staff room grading countless exercise books filled with classwork and homework. Everything done in class by the students has to be checked and graded by me, so it is easy for my work to pile up. Normally during these break times, the other teachers and I will order “shi”, tea or more coffee to keep us going. The tea reminds me of a very sweet chai tea and the coffee here is nothing like I’ve ever tasted before- it’s going to be rough for when I come back to the States.

Afternoon

            The students and teachers break for lunch at 12pm for an hour lunch. Lunch is when I can really see the cultural difference between American, mainly East coast, and Ethiopian culture. Depending on how lazy I was feeling the night before, I will either eat in the staff room or go out for lunch if I didn’t bring it that day. Either way, all work is put away and conversation is filled with laughter. The best part about lunch time is the sense of community that is felt while we are eating. Due to my friend group that is formed at work, which has carried over into my outside life, we all bring a different dish to share and enjoy together. Since most of my friends here are Ethiopian, they will bring as their normal lunch of injera with furfur or some kind of rice with vegetables on fasting days. I will normally contribute some type of salad or pasta with vegetables. My friends are so sweet, and they will make sure they will bring in at least one meat- free dish, even after my constant protests. If I didn’t bring lunch that day, I will walk across with some other friends and eat together “family style” which is the only style here, and have shire of on fasting days, vegetable baeyentu. The conversation often turns into teaching me a new word in Amharic or making plans for the upcoming weekend.

After we are done eating, we all walk over to the café across the street to get the second, or thirds, bunna of the day. We continue talking and laughing about our lives, Ethiopian’s are consistently laughing and having fun with one another. America should take note.

By 1pm, classes resume, and my lessons continue. After lunch is normally when I’m going into my locker to get “soft” or toilet paper to bring into the bathroom with me. At the school, there is never running water or electricity and, like everywhere else in Ethiopia, you need to bring your own toilet paper with you- including restaurants or clubs. Throughout my day, as I walk to my classes, or more often the bathroom, I am constantly stopped to be asked what grade I teach or my students grabbing at me to bend down so they can kiss my check.

End of the day

My work day officially ends at 4pm but our driver doesn’t normally pick us up until 4:30-5pm. It is in this time frame that I relax from a full day of work at the café across the street and have my 4^th, more than likely 6^th, cup of bunna. As we wait, Nicholas, another foreign English II teacher, will talk my ear off about God knows what. Every day is different, but it normally involves some type of religious, philosophical or spiritual question that makes my head hurts. This conversation will almost ALWAYS carry over into the hour and a half car ride home.

By the time I enter my home, it is almost 6pm and I have to force myself to cook dinner. Sometimes I will watch a movie that is on until 7:30 when I head upstairs to my room to read and prepare for the next day.

Although my days are exhausting, and I feel like an old person going to sleep 8-9pm every night, my days are also filled with so much laughter and community. So even though I found myself in the “real world”, it’s Ethiopian style. This time of my life might not be dedicated to climbing my career latter or helping to secure me financially for the future, I am experiencing and learning about what I want in a job later on.

I don’t know much about adulting still, but one thing I do know is that I’m appreciating the little things in life (like running water and electricity at work) and teaching English in Ethiopia is the right amount of “real world” for me.

Origins in Ethiopia: Religion

Before you start reading this post, I want to preface this post by saying that I personally do not subscribe to one faith tradition and I believe that all religions have different aspects we each can learn from. This is just my person account of religion in Ethiopia based on my own experience living here. I write this to give some insight of the cultural background of Ethiopia with certain religions and how it impacts Ethiopian culture.

One question I get asked almost on a daily basis since moving to Ethiopia is: “Do you believe in God?” Now where I am from in the United States, this question falls under the category of themes not talked about, along with politics and sex. So, when I came here and so many teachers were just casually asking me about my beliefs, at first it took me by surprise. The first time I was asked, I answered, the long version, because in most ways I am an open book. I do not mind telling people my opinions and (I feel) respect other people’s. I think that when people come together with differing views or opinions, you learn and grow as a person. However, since I’ve been asked about 100 times since I’ve been here over the last month I just answer, “I’m spiritual not religious”. At this I get a look that seems to say, “what does that even mean” or “you’re basically going to hell if you don’t believe” or occasionally I’ll get a response like, “ok so you believe- good” even if I said no such thing.

Before coming to Ethiopia, I knew a lot of society is based off of Christianity, specifically Christian Orthodox, due to the large part Ethiopia has played its history. For those of you who might not be familiar, here are some quick facts about the connection between religion and Ethiopia:

1. Christianity and Islam both originated from Ethiopia
2. Ethiopia is mentioned 45 times throughout the Bible
3. The Ark of the Covenant, where the 10 commandments are sealed in, is said to be in Axum, Ethiopia
4. The cross that Jesus died on is said to be found here. On September 26 there is a whole holiday dedicated to this called Meskel, where people will light huge bonfires in the shape of crosses while they sing, dance and play drums around it. It’s truly beautiful to see them all lit up at night and hear the chanting. It was one of the first holidays that took place when I first arrived in Addis.
5. Ethiopia is often highlighted as an example for the world as to how multiple different religions (Christianity and Islam) all coexist happily and without any conflict or competition over territory. For example, on one street 3 different religions may be represented and they all act neighborly without any issues. Truly inspiring.
6. Rastafarianism started in Ethiopia

Some locals on my street celebrating the Meskel holiday

As more people asked, I became more curious about to what extent religion plays in the Ethiopian society, or at least in the capital of Addis Ababa, where I live. The main quality of the culture influenced by Christianity is eating “Yet-som” or fasting food, which is available everywhere on Wednesdays and Fridays. This basically means that rarely a restaurant, that’s not like a fast food chain (yes, they do have Pizza Hut- but strangely not McDonalds), will only serve vegan or meat free food.

So while it’s perfect for me, as a person in transition from changing their lifestyle from vegetarian to vegan, it can be difficult and frustrating for those who enjoy chicken, beef, or, more commonly, goat. During fasting days, it is also unlikely to find food made with animal products such a milk or cheese and even if you ask for it, you’ll probably get a funny look from the waiter who will NOT be serving you these items.

Even if you are not vegan or vegetarian, I would still recommend ordering a vegetable “baeyentu”, a huge plate of injera with different dishes made out of lentils, chick peas, spices, and cabbage (I have it too many times at work).

Vegetarian Baeyentu

So, although it does sometimes get frustrating to be asked my religion constantly, I understand how deep the roots of religion in Ethiopia and find it fascinating. For those who are close to me know that I have had a rocky past with religion and although my past has given me many Christian values, I have a lot of issues with labeling myself to belong to a certain faith tradition. However, having conversations, true and meaningful conversations where both sides are learning from each other, I am beginning to further appreciate the traditions and the way Ethiopian’s view and practice their preferred religion. I do hope to visit the sacred city of Axum at one point in my time here to try to further understand and add to my own views on faith traditions.

Happy travels,

Cynthia

Living Abroad: The First 24 Hours of My New Reality in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

It has been almost three weeks since I’ve landed in my Ethiopia, my new home, 26^th country, and start of a new experience. When I first accepted the job offer to teach in Addis Ababa with School of Tomorrow, I never knew how different it would turn out to be. But let’s back track, shall we?

After saying goodbye after goodbye, I became less and less sure of myself in regard to the decision I made to move 1,000’s of miles away. With the countless goodbyes and multiple parties celebrating my graduation, birthdays, and leaving home, I was becoming more anxious about the unknown in a way I had never experienced before. I was unsure of myself and the decision to do this all on my own. In other words, I lost trust in myself. Despite this, on September 11^th I boarded my first one-way flight, flight 906 to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 19 hours later I landed in the city that I would become my home over the next year. It was almost 10pm when I arrived in an airport that was bustling with livestock and passengers from all over the world. It took a while to find my driver, Hailu, so that he could show me to the house provided for me by School of Tomorrow.

Upon my arrival to the house, I was shocked and overwhelmed by the size of the house. Although not on a compound like I was originally told, it towered the houses on the street and reminded me of a townhouse in Philadelphia (except without the beautiful curb appeal or the paved streets or the clean smell). The housekeeper, Symbata, greeted me with her very limited English as she led me up a marble staircase and into my room. My room features a basic desk, walk through bathroom, and built in closets into the one wall. It has beautiful windows that lets the African sun cast over my bed in the middle of the room. Before I could put my bag down, I was quickly shown the kitchen with my own refrigerator, and basic (and I mean basic) electric stove.

As Symbata gave me a quick tour of the kitchen and showing me how to use the tv in the living room, my housemate and soon to be my lifeline here in Addis, Joanne came down the stairs with her huge personality in toe. Her British accent boomed through the house as she emerged from the staircase with a beautiful smile, but to my surprise she was older than I expected her to be, about my parents age. Symbata had put a kettle on for tea and Joanne sat with me. We chatted for a little bit to get to know one another and so we could both feel a little more comfortable with my presence in the home.

As I sat down, the weight of the flight and the new atmosphere hit me like a freight train and I felt drained. Once I had let my family know I was safe in my new home, I let my head fall on my rock-hard bed as my new reality began to take shape.

The next morning, I was picked up by Hailu around 1pm (even though he said that he would get me at 11:30 but I would soon get used to Ethiopian time) and taken to meet one of the directors of School of Tomorrow for the first time in person, Abnet. It was my first look at not only my neighborhood of Gurd Shola, but also the craziness of Addis roadways. First off, for anyone who thinks that driving in New York City is bad, being here makes driving in NYC a piece of cake. Although there are road dashes to signal where the lanes are supposed to be, they are not followed IN THE SLIGHTEST. There will be four cars fit width wise in an only two-lane space. Cars will cut in front of each of other and swerve to make sure that the car does not get hit. Needless to say, my car anxiety which has been bad over the last few years (much to my family’s annoyance) is now virtually nonexistent after being here for three weeks.

Abnet gave me a quick rundown of how School of Tomorrow runs and gave me a small birr loan so that I could buy the essentials, since I had only eaten 2 granola bars since arriving at the airport the previous day. I was feeling overwhelmed but confident in the work that was to be done and what was expected of me. One thing that was noticeably left out was when I would be shown the school I’d be working in or about training/ orientation. Turns out there would be none of that and soon my confidence dwindled as my anxiety rose at the thought that I would be just thrown into the first day of school within 3 days to teach 5 classes of 2^nd and 1^st graders.

When Hailu dropped me back off, I was feeling overwhelmed and mentally exhausted. As I laid on my bed contemplating how I would create my lesson plans for the following week, my stomach started to scream for food. I quickly enlisted Symbata to show me where the local market is for me to get some food. Over 500 birr later, I had some makings for my first proper meal since I arrived in the city. 500 birr is like the equivalent of 17 USD, but seeing 500 with a currency sign after it still shocks me. But with some comfort food in my stomach and a few more conversations with Joanne, my new home on Yeka street started to feel like home.

Little did I know at the time how much different my new normal was going to become and how quickly I would learn a language spoken halfway across the world.

Side note: My assumptions had been right. I had no orientation or training on how my school day or lessons would go. I would be thrown into class 1E on Tuesday morning to teach the children the words: play, rainbow, mask, and eyes. I hoped for the best and mustered every amount of lessons I had learned from teaching badge-work at a girl scout camp for the last 2 summers.

But that’s all part of the adventure right?

Happy travels,

Cynthia

The Highs and Lows of Living Abroad No One Tells You: Addis Ababa

One aspect of living abroad that is not talked about often, if at all, are the continuous ups and downs that happen on not a weekly or monthly basis, but on a daily basis. So here is my truth of living abroad in Addis Ababa.

Before coming here, I knew there would be some ups and downs due to my experience living abroad in France for seven months in 2017. I was also aware that moving to a third world country like Ethiopia would have a very different set of challenges. However, unexpectedly, the challenges are more different than I could ever imagine. Simple things like, going to get groceries or gaining a social life, became a harder and harder task. To give you some perspective: going to the supermarket for my basic items requires me to go to three different stores about a mile away and the only way to get there reasonably is to walk. Now, the first time I did this, I thought I was going to shit my pants, because although I went with someone the first 2 times, it would be my first time venturing into the city by myself as a white foreigner in Ethiopia. The constant staring and the points with the locals calling “ferenji” or “Hello, how are you” at me every 300 feet, is the most draining part of my daily existence.

The even more annoying part about going to the market and being white, is that all the locals are not aware that it IS possible that I could cross a crazy Addis street by myself. Each time, still 3 weeks later, someone will walk up next to me and hold my hand or motion for me to follow them as they basically walk me across the street. It is just the Ethiopian way to be so amazingly helpful and friendly but the sideways look and laugh as they walk me across the street only adds to the fact that they don’t believe I could walk alone. Little do they know, that after years of going into NYC and maneuvering the way the drivers stop so short in front of the person walking across the street, or may not even stop at all, has only led up to this moment of walking across the street where the Addis drivers will LEGIT take you out without another thought. Each time I handle myself across the street well, I always get one look from someone seeming to say “Wow, I’m impressed”, to which I just nod and laugh to myself.

Then, once I actually cross the street and endure more stares and shouts, I walk the mile to the first supermarket to get long term items like cans of beans, pasta peanut butter, and date bars (my addiction since arriving). Next, I continue to get the stares and shouts until I reach my next destination a little further down, Fresh Corner, which is where I get all my weekly veggies and fruits. For those of you who don’t know, at home I followed a vegetarian lifestyle, but here, I’m following a vegan lifestyle mainly because milk comes in powered forms and the cheese looks like lumpy yogurt, so I steer clear of dairy and eggs here. With that being said, Fresh Corner is where I get a bulk of my items and now my bag is 20 pounds as I walk to my final store about a mile away from home where I get a few basic items like toilet paper (they call it soft here which I find interesting because there is NOTHING soft about it), nuts- which are so expensive I almost always suffer a heart palpitations and have to close my eyes to force myself to spend the money, and chocolate.

With my bag weighting over 30 pounds by this point with the week’s groceries, I walk the mile back to my home with the continuous stares and points until I reach the comforts of my gate.Now some of you may be thinking, “Cynthia that’s so bad since you only do it once a week” and I would agree with you. But when I’ve had a week full of its own ups and downs, it can be draining, and I have to force myself out of the house to have any aspect of a social life.

When I first looked into moving abroad and specifically teaching English, I read blog after blog about how much fun it is to be with the kids, to get to travel on the weekends, to settle roots in a new country, and to go on a different adventure every day. But my reality is nothing like this. My days are filled with getting up at 5:30am (something I’ve never had to do before, up until this point I thought 7am was early), driving an hour to school every morning and arrive at my school in Bole, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to teach 24 classes, YES 24 CLASSES A WEEK, and teach more than 200 students when half of them don’t want to learn. My days are also filled with assistants who do not want to assistant at all what’s so ever in the classroom and correcting the student’s English homework with a star, when the child really deserved an “x”.

On a daily basis, I’m dealing 1^st and 2^nd graders who say their letters using the sounds and saying “Teacher! Teacher! TEACHER, I FINISHED” every five seconds. I’m also constantly surrounded by other teachers speaking only Amharic to one another and who don’t think I realize when they’re talking about me, even when all of a sudden 5 of them will turn in my direction and laugh. These are the lows of my days and weeks of living here so far for 3 weeks.

But when a small group of teachers ask me to share their breakfast and lunch of injera with spices and vegetables; or when I’m asked to join them for coffee; or when a fellow teacher invites me to a charity fashion show; or when one of my first-grade students, Natihan, gives me the biggest hug with the brightest smile and hands me a picture of a multicolored cat and giraffe saying, “it’s your cat Gatsby (a fun fact I told them about myself the first day of classes)” as he pointed to the blue, brown, and white cat, it makes all the downs worth it.

Getting used to living in a new city is not as easy as the blogs or stories I read made it seem. But coming here and experiencing the highest of highs, even when the day before was filled with the lowest of lows, I feel full of love and laughter in my new home on the other side of the world.  I am surrounded by people every day who make me laugh until I cry and who have become my family away from home, and students who come up to give me hugs and kisses all throughout my day at school, and that is what makes living here worth it for me. Those are the moments I hold onto when I feel as though I want to give in the towel and book a ticket home. These are the moments I am going to cherish 20, 30, 50 years from now and remember as some of the best times of my life.

Even though I hope to see more of Ethiopia soon, with all the ups and downs, Addis is becoming home.

So, if you’re thinking about moving abroad, be prepared for all the emotions, because they are going to hit you and the feeling of wanting to pull out of your hair. Not only a weekly basis, but on a daily basis, but I promise you, you’ll love every minute of it.

Happy travels,

Cynthia

Climbing Ancient Temples: Cambodia Part 1

In October of 2016, I got the opportunity to travel to Cambodia to visit a friend of mine, Lea, who was studying abroad there. I never thought about going to south east Asia before this because I didn’t know much about the region or Cambodia until I met Lea through my internship at the time. Little did I know at the time of booking my ticket, that it would be an adventure that would have me zooming through city Phnom Penh on tuk tuks, surviving bus breakdowns, and taking a sunset river cruise in Kampot…but I will get to those stories later.

In pure Cynthia fashion, when Lea mentioned to come visit her in Cambodia during her spring break, I jumped at the chance once I realized how cheap it was to fly there (about $600). I will never forget the looks on my professors faces when I asked for work early because I was taking a week off to travel to Asia. Their reactions were the similar, “Wait what? Cambodia? As in Asia?” and I just smiled and shook my head until they got over their shock. But sure enough, within 2 weeks, I was on a plane flying 8,825 miles (14,201 kilometers) from JFK in New York to Phnom Penh. I remember sitting on the plane and talking to the people sitting next to me telling me about how they were traveling solo through south east Asia for a few months and feeling both amazed and fearful for them. I thought that traveling alone would be scary and unsafe. But now, almost a year and half years later and traveling Europe by mostly by myself for 6 months and preparing to live in Ethiopia for a year, it is something I get to do in the future. After 48 hours, I finally stepped foot in Phnom Penh and into the tuk tuk with Lea.

Now when I say how CRAZY it is riding in a Tuk Tuk in the middle of the city where there seems to be no traffic rules, I mean that I was legit holding my breath for the first 5 minutes preparing for my imminent death. It was a HUGE wakeup call for this part of the world. After zooming throughout traffic without must direction (or so it seemed to me but at this point I was just trying to take in everything), we arrived at this beautiful temple surrounded by gold and gems, Wat Penh Nom. Lea explained the custom of coming here and lighting incents in increments of 3’s or 5’s and lay on the ground to say a prayer. I decided to light 3 incents and prayed to whichever higher power is up there to keep us safe and said how thankful I was to be there. From the Wat we got a traditional lunch of rice noodles with this beef type of stew called lak lak (at this point I was still eating meat). It was spicy but refreshing after not sleeping for almost a day. The thought crossed my mind about how safe the meat was to eat, but I figured I’d take the chance and ordered like a local. From the restaurant by the river, we went to Phom Penh Palace where the king lived. In Cambodia, the Prime Minister has all the power and there has been a power struggle issue. The palace was magnificent with vibrant colors of yellow and orange with statues of Buddha and the King everywhere. This was old my first encounters with not only monkeys who were aggressively trying to steal from the people passing by, but also came to the know the harsh reality of prostitution in Cambodia. While we were walking around the perimeter of the palace, a Monk came up to me and took my hand. I was taken aback at first, but Lea explained how he was saying a prayer over me and he gave me a yellow and red bracelet that was supposed to symbolize good luck throughout life.  The last stop of the day was the National Cambodian Genocide Museum.

You know that feeling when your hair stands on end and you know something is wrong? This is the feeling I experienced as soon as I stepped onto the property. Even after all this time has passed since I’ve been there, I can still vividly remember this feeling and the sights as we walked through the site. The only other time I would feel this way was walking through Auschwitz- Birkenau in Poland to give you some perspective. For those who are reading this and don’t know, from 1975-1979 a communist regime, the Khmer Rouge, under the control of Pol Pot killed approximately 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians or about 25% of the population in the country. The regime forced people into labor camps and the people killed during those times were buried in placed known as the, “Killing Fields”. One of the main stops before going to these camps or the killing fields, was Tuol Sleng Centre which was a mass prison- the place of the National Cambodian Genocide Museum. I got chills as I walked through the rooms with pictures of the way the prisoners were tortured with the intent to die. In many of the rooms you could still see the blood on the walls. I think the most intense aspect of this site was the fact that the prison was a converted school. The guards would use the remains of the school, like the bars where the children would have recess. They would hang prisoners from their nails and put on display until they died in agony. It was so heartbreaking and not something I was prepared for, though thankful that I could pay my respects to those who lost their lives and learn more about the dark side of the culture. Next, we solemnly rode the tuk tuk back to her apartment for the night. It was hard to go to sleep after hearing about such a tragedy.

The next morning, we woke up early to the sound of cooling rain as we jumped on the bus to Kampot. Along the way I continued to try traditional foods like dragon fruit (although I now know I can get it in the States) and stuffed bread with shredded meat inside. The further we traveled into the country side, the more it hit me that I was half way across the world and traveling like a local. There were no other tourists on the bus and it was such an amazing feeling to be immersed in the culture. The bus traveled on the dirt roads mostly with motorbikes whizzing by and rice fields seemed to go on for miles. Once we arrived in Kampot (a 2-hour bus ride magically turned into 5 but welcome to Cambodian travel everyone), Lea and I wanted to explore so we walked around the streets where we saw the South China Ocean Bay. We rented motorbikes but that turned out to be a HUGE failure because it is sooooo much harder than it looks to steer it! WE tried multiple times as the locals in the nearby restaurants stared and laughed at us. Eventually giving up, we rented traditional bikes and rode along Kampot river and throughout the city. It was so freeing to be able to see the city in this way and to feel the cool wind hit my hot face. I remember thinking that biking in Cambodia, DEFINITLY better than class.

We decided to book a river cruise that provided dinner and drinks at stops along the way. I tried another staple that night of Cambodian beer which tasted like a sweeter version of Bud Light The views were breath taking as we floated down the river passing little villages with different colored roods and the mountains in the background. I tried to stay in the moment and just take in all the sights, smells, and sounds of the birds chirping as the sun started to go over the horizon. As the night sky started to appear, lighting bugs danced on the water and I couldn’t tell where the mountains started, and the water began. I felt as peace and harmony with the world around me.

We woke up 6:00am the next morning to start our journey to Siem Reap. Little did we know, it would not be as simple as riding the bus. BUT that’s for another blog post.

xx, Cynthia

Peace Corps Vs. Teaching Abroad: Finding My Path After Graduation

In June 2017, I had just gotten back from an amazing experience of living in Europe for 7 months. First studying abroad in Paris, and then going on a three-week tour through the Scottish Highlands, small UK towns, and the AMAZING Snowdonia National Park in Wales (seriously, go look up pictures- LIFE. CHANGING.). With more than 10 more countries checked off in my Been app, I couldn’t wait to get back out into the world to explore some more. But the logistics of, how to pay for it and when I would have the time to go, settled in. The experience solidified my need for adventure and to live abroad once again after graduation. Determined to do just that, I thought of all the ways to make that possible and the most popular ways are either teaching abroad or volunteering in Peace Corps.

As my college career at Chestnut Hill College (CHC) came quickly to an end, like most graduates, I had been struggling with what I want to do with my degrees in psychology and global affairs. CHC let me expand my leadership skills, both academically and socially, as well as gave me a place to make new friendships, but figuring out the next steps for my life was on my mind 24/7. But let’s back track for a second.

I worked all last summer at a camp where I was able to meet girls from around the world in exchange programs working at other camps in the area. They served as my ticket to the world through their stories and adventures. As the end of the summer approached I was getting more questions by friends and family (though mostly family because they want to know what I am doing at all time) about what I was going to do after I graduate. THAT WAS THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION! All throughout my last year at university, I continuously was asked the same “what are you planning to do after graduation?”. In August of 2017, I started to sit down to really think about this question because I had NO IDEA and if anyone reading this is going through something similar I just want to say that THIS IS COMPLETELY NORMAL! I’d say that if you knew what you wanted to do or know where you wanted to apply for jobs, you’re in the minority and I envy you.

I sat in my room pondering this question with the help of YouTube videos (waaaay too many YouTube videos), books, and talking to my recent graduated friends. I had this dream of serving in Peace Corps, a US government program which sends US citizens to developing countries and work on projects in various fields (environmental, health care, economic development, etc.), ever since I had a teacher in high school who told me all about her experience within the program. I soon realized that after graduation would be the perfect time to do apply due to the long commitment of just over 2 years abroad. I decided to reach out to a recruiter and after many hours at Starbucks and revisions to my resume with his help, I applied to Peace Corps.

I had applied openly, which basically means that they would take my degrees (in my case global affairs and psychology) and place me in any country with any job they saw me as a good fit in. Quick side note: if there is a specific country or region or job you wanted to do within Peace Corps, I wouldn’t recommend this, but I was up for anything and applying this way would allow me to be considered for more placements which meant more of reality that I would be offered an invitation to serve. So, by August 2017 I was applied to Peace Corps and I started the agonizing waiting game the US government LOVES to play (no, but seriously if you taking this route be prepared to not hear back for months at a time). This of course gave me more than enough time to constantly worry and debate of whether I will get an interview which would lead to an invitation, but at least the hard part was over- or so naïve Cynthia thought.

Because I need to have a plan out every aspect of my life (seriously, it’s a problem), I researched other ways I could live abroad after graduation as a backup plan. I looked into nannying, woofing, working in hostels, but one job that stuck out to me was teaching English abroad. So, like everything I do, I turned to google and typed into the search bar “teaching English abroad jobs”. All these sites popped up with schools/ programs all around the world that wanted native English speakers, it was very overwhelming. Some wanted me to have a TEFL certificate (which I do not have), others wanted teaching experience (which I did not have), and others wanted an education degree (which I did not have), and some wanted you to pay to teach (which I was not doing because I am a broke bitch).

I had to narrow down my search to a continent and I chose Africa because it holds a special place in my heart after volunteering in Ghana for a period of time after high school. I once again stared at the search bar under the google logo and searched for African teaching positions and ended up finding a request to teach English in Ethiopia, which is in East Africa. I didn’t need a TEFL certificate and I didn’t need to have a teaching degree- PERFECT. I quickly sent my resume and heard a response back in October of 2017 asking for an interview.

At this point you might be thinking, “wait what about Peace Corps?” Well by the end of the summer I found out I was being considered for a health extension volunteer position in Benin (in West Africa- I had never heard about it before either). I was interviewed by August and then the waiting game started again. I wouldn’t hear back from them again until December, but I will come back to that.

I was offered a position to teach English to third graders by School of Tomorrow in Ethiopia and for something that was supposed to be cause for celebration, it caused a panic for me as the questions came pouring in. Do I turn the position down to wait for Peace Corps? Do I accept the position and continue with Peace Corps if I get in? Do I email Peace Corps and rescind my application??? Needless to say, I was confused. So naturally, I turned to my trusty pros and cons list. In the end I decided to accept the teaching position and not say anything to Peace Corps just in case I didn’t end up getting into Peace Corps.

I decided to relax now about what I was doing after graduation and when people asked me about what I was doing after graduation, I would just say that I had options and that I was definitely moving to Africa. I was content and happy with that answer because my next adventure was starting to come together, and I would soon be leaving the US for at least a year, YAY! However, in December my world would be turned upside down when I finally I saw an email subject like that read, “Invitation to Serve”. Man did I ugly cry! My years of dreaming to serve in Peace Corps was going to be in a reality! I was going to be leaving September 15, 2018 for Benin as a health extension volunteer BUT (AND THIS IS AN ENORMOUS BUT), I had to pass medical and legal clearances. Long story short, with $1,000 spent, countless appointments at government services and EVERY SINGLE doctor imaginable (I needed teeth x-rays! Like what?!) and almost 4 months later, I did not get cleared to leave for Benin due to my past struggle with mental health. So again, more ugly crying occurred. But I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and Ethiopia was now my next destination!

It is now July 2018 and I have officially signed my contract with School of Tomorrow in Ethiopia and will be moving there by September 1. I am now preparing for the move of the lifetime by buying the Lonely Planet Ethiopia book and language book, along with the typical FB announcement, and of course dragging all my friends to Ethiopian restaurants to prepare for this next chapter of my life in Ethiopia.

So, for anyone thinking about what to do after college but know they want to get out to experience the world, look into these options but also the other ones I mentioned. From my experience, you have to be prepared for rejection and countless hours sending out resumes and waiting around for responses if living abroad is something you want to pursue. But the rush when you find out that you’ll be living in another country for a year and traveling as you go, is all worth the stress and uncertainty. I try to remind myself that just because I was brought up to get a conventional 9-5 office job and I have the degrees to potentially do so, does not mean that is what I have to do that anytime soon. There are so many options out there to live abroad and if it’s something you’re personally thinking about, I say GO FOR IT! Travel is the best way to understand and fall in love with yourself on a deeper level.

I don’t know what will happen in Ethiopia or the experiences I will get to have, but I do know that it’ll be an adventure. Life is meant to be experienced and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.

Happy travels, Cynthia

 

Hang Gliding in Interlaken Switzerland

It’s almost like a right of passage for college students studying abroad to travel to Interlaken, Switzerland for a weekend and after I went there I 100% understood why.

After a full day of traveling from Paris to Interlaken, with a few hours in Geneva to explore, my roommate Casie and I found ourselves in the heart of the Swiss Alps. Our hostel was right on the water of Lake Brienz and whenever we looked, everything had a blue glow. The water was so clear that the mountains reflected onto it and there was a sense of peace in the world. It is almost impossible to be unhappy there due to fresh, clean mountain air and the local people smiling everywhere we turned. It was a huge contrast from smelly, depressing Paris we had left behind for the weekend. Although everything was 5x more costly than Paris, the atmosphere made it all worth it.

View from our hostel window

Interlaken is a mountain village is known for its hiking trails and extreme sports like mountain biking, snowboarding, paragliding, hang gliding, and sky diving. Although I was not up for the complete thrill of sky diving (I am just not that daring), Casie and I set up to go hang gliding with a company called Hang Gliding Interlaken. Hang gliding is where you are basically suspended in the air, flying with an airplane type thing- it looked sorta like a paper airplane. Now, if you’re nervous about these types of adventures, as I was, these two Aussie’s are the way to go. The company is owned by “Birdman” Bernie and he is an expert in this territory for knowing exactly where to take off and land. He along with his sidekick Ed, drove us up the side of the mountain to our take off spot. They told us stories and cracked jokes the entire way which give me a chance to forget about my fears about trusting this flying contraption and POSSIBLY running to my death.

At one point they stopped the car about halfway up the mountain and said that we could either jump here or go further up the mountain to get better, longer views.

Casie looked at me since I was the nervous one (she had already gone sky diving and loved roller coasters). I thought about it for a second before I thought, FUCK IT! I would be dying if something happened either way, so I might as well die looking at a better views (for the record: I was COMPLETELY over reacting. I’m a baby). So further we went up the winding trail to the very top with a bunch of other hang gliders and parasailers. The car stopped randomly as the road did, so we had to hike up the rest of the way which proved to be more difficult due to my body being quite out of shape and the air being quite thin due to the high altitude.

Once we reached the top, to my surprise Bernie had me help me prepare the hang glider which I believed was a TERRIBLE idea. But it was a good tactic because it helped me to forget how high we were and it kept me present in the moment instead of freaking out about the jump. Then it was finally time to run off the cliff in the middle of the Swiss Alps mountain range. It was now or never- at this point I wanted it to be never. But we ran right off the mountain and suddenly we were soaring!

The first thing I thought of was the old Disney ride called Soaring (it was replaced by Star tours), because it felt EXACTLY like that. I felt as though I could fly with the wind flowing through my hair and being higher than the clouds. We flew over the mountain tops and with the lake beneath us, it is a sight I will never forget. I felt invincible as we drove through the air with the views of the Swiss Alps all around us with little houses dotting the roads. All the cars looked like ants from thousands of feet in the air. It was incredible to feel so in the moment and present in life. The day before I had woken up in Paris, and now I was soaring high above the Alps in Switzerland, truly incredible.

Before I knew it, it was time for us to return to land and the small objects below grew. Suddenly, we were hovering above the ground until the wheels touched the grass and then we rolled to a stop. I was shaking with adrenaline and immediately wanted to go again (although my wallet said no). I was so proud that I had accomplished a bucket-list activity. Casie and I drank beers as we handed over 300 Swiss Francs (this included the flight, plus many pictures and videos) for the thrill of a lifetime.

I spent the rest of my day traveling farther up the Alps towards a town called Mürren, where I hiked along the panoramic trail. It was amazing to be alone and to spend time with nature in its purest form. I was able to look down on the clouds and the small mountain villages in awe. I would have never thought I would be as lucky as I was just then. I was fully present in the moment without thinking about my future plans or what I wanted to do with my life. It was all about making sure I was taking in the views and being at peace with myself. I had found my balance once again and I felt truly happy. I hope to explore more and experience the natural beauty of Mother Earth. Where are some places on Earth that have natural beauty that you’ve traveled to?

Happy travels, Cynthia

The hostel we stayed at: http://www.lakelodge.ch/

Check out “Birdman” Bernie : http://www.hangglidinginterlaken.com/

Paris Bucket-list

Before I left for Paris I researched both the city and the country to find what to do here. For countless hours I read blogs and watched vlogs on youtube showing places to see and things to do in and around Paris. Here is my list:

1. Climb the Eiffel Tower: I mean seriously? How can I not?

2. Spend and afternoon at Shakespeare and Company: a well known English bookstore that has been visited by  famous authors like, Earnest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. (I may or may not have spent more than one afternoon AND I may or may not have an obsession)

3. Visit the Louvre- This museum has one of the best collections of artworks in the world.

4. Go to the top of the Arc de Triumph: The views are spectacular and one of the view places where you get a view of Paris with the Eiffel Tower

5. Visit the Pablo Picasso Museum: He is one of my favorite Cubist artists and he lived in Paris for most of his life.

6. Go to the top of Sacré- Cœur and wander through Montmartre: The arts district of Paris where Picasso, Monet, and Pizarro used to hang out. In the heart of the district, there is a beautiful basilica with views of the city.

7. Visit Notre Dame and climb to the top: A beautiful gothic church in the center of Paris. (I really just wanted to see if Quasimodo was still there)

8. Visit Sainte- Chapelle Church: The stain glass windows are breathtaking, so made sure you go on a sunny day. 

9. Discover a secret restaurant

10. Visit Musee D’Orsay: A museum with one of best collections of impressionism in the world.

11. Stroll through Tuileries Garden

12. Day Trip to Palace of Versailles: The famous Châteaux that Louis XIV built that has amazing gardens and The Hall of Mirrors.

13. Try escargot: It was sorta slimy but I covered it in butter so I mostly tasted that. But when in France right?

14. Day Trip to Mont Saint Michel: A monastery that is sometimes completely surrounded by water when there is high tides. The place is a holy spot with an Abby at the top of the island.

15. Visit the Catacombs: Who wouldn’t want to hundreds of year old bones and creepy heads under the streets of Paris.

16. Day Trip to go Champagne Tasting

17. Read in Jardin du Luxembourg

18. Walk along Champs- Elysees

19. Try macaroons from Ladurée: It’s a must do for anyone coming to this amazing city

20. Climb the Palais Garnier staircase

21. Spend an afternoon in Le Marais

22. Design my own perfume in Maison Guerlain

23. Eat a crêpe: The Nutella ones have been my favorite, although a “jambon et fromage” (ham and cheese) savory crêpes are good too.

24. Drink the hot chocolate at Angelina: I have gone 4 times and had to stand in line BUT it was sooooo worth it. Best hot chocolate I’ve ever had, try the egg croissant- also amazing.

25. Climb the Montparnasse Tower: Beautiful views of Paris at night.

26. Day trip to Disneyland Paris: I wanted an excuse to be a kid for a day.

27. Visit the love lock bridge

There is my list of everything I hope to accomplish in France before I leave on May 15th!

Happy travels, Cynthia