As a New Year draws in, it also marks the one year anniversary of my volunteer placement and Ethiopian adventure, and wow how time has flown.
Volunteering has given me a really unique opportunity to marry my love for my job with my desire to travel and help others. I gain so much more from my daily working life here than I do at home – I’m exposed to so many different ailments compared to home, and I enjoy the challenge of thinking on my feet and working with my Ethiopian colleagues to solve them. The decision to volunteer is probably the best decision I’ve ever made – I’m certainly getting back just as much, if not more, than I give. Every single day.
My fellow volunteers and I
During my first week in Ethiopia, another volunteer told me that it would be your friends that got you through your placement – how right they were! One of the best things about volunteering has been meeting my fellow volunteers, who have become my Ethiopian family. They’re all just ordinary people, doing extraordinary things and I think they’re all pretty amazing! My good friend Mim has been working tirelessly over the year setting up a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which I’ll talk about in my next update.
My Ethiopian Christmas
Abi Adi at Christmas (the same as the rest of the year, no snow here!)
Ethiopia actually follows the Julian calendar, which means Christmas is celebrated on the 7 January.
Here it is called Genna, which means the freeing of mankind from sin and the coming of the Lord. That’s not all Genna means though; apparently the tradition is to play a hockey-like ball game, as legend has it that when shepherds heard the birth of Christ they rejoiced and started playing the game with their shepherd sticks. It’s certainly going to be a fun experience!
So outside of main towns, the Western traditions of Christmas Day as we all know it on the 25 December could very easily pass you by. Lots of friends from back home in the UK have asked me how I will celebrating. With the weather being so beautiful, it still feels like summer. Whilst I have worked on Christmas Day before, I’ve actually never spent it away from home, so it was another new experience for me!
Luckily, the British Embassy put on a Christmas party mid-December that I was invited to go along to with the other VSO volunteers in the region. We were given an amazing roast – and best of all there was Christmas pudding with brandy butter. This was an incredible treat for all of us who live in the more remote areas, and needless to say we were the last ones partying away at the end of the evening.
The VSO family at the British Embassy (and some Christmas pud!)
On Christmas Day itself, I spent the day with fellow VSO volunteer Jon back in Tigray. My parents had sent some goodies out to me, so I had a stocking and a few small gifts. These brought a tear to my eye and really made me think of home! I was pleased that the internet held up long enough to manage a Skype call with my family.
Christmas lunch
Sadly, the food options weren’t anywhere near as festive as the British Embassy, with ‘full’ for lunch (spicy beans served with bread and yoghurt). Sticking with Vardy tradition, festive tipples were enjoyed, and the evening was finished with the film ‘Elf’. It wasn’t quite Christmas as we know it, but I was surrounded by friends who have become my family in Ethiopia, and it turned out it was fairly merry after all...
A festive thank you
Thank you so very much again for your support and kind messages, knowing you are thinking of me brings me a lot of comfort whilst away from home. Have a wonderful start to 2016, and I look forward to sharing my next update with you soon.
Merry Christmas!
Alexa x
