Jordan

Hey!

Things are going well! I am currently working on
several things here. Firstly, I am working on creating a survey for
the street children of Yirgalem, to find out the reasons they are on
the street, their knowledge of local resources, exposure to risky
behaviors, and such. UNICEF has a pretty good one they used in
Zambia, which I am trying to adapt to our needs here...it's just
taking time. Also, Mola and I are going to begin trying to make Beza
more professional in its presentation. We will write a history of the
organization, and also create some kind of website for NGOs to look
at. (Beza needs some donors for a new facility that the community is
calling for.) I have also been cleaning up the English in our visual
presentations and publications, which helps a lot when dealing with
English speakers.

In the near future I will begin teaching English as well...people are
getting anxious. Today I had a conversation with a group of young
guys, all about 11 probably, who asked about learning to speak
American English, as well as discussing Martin Luther's Reformation
with me (yes, a young African boy actually used the phrase
"justification by faith alone"), the differences between the Ethiopian
Orthodox Church and the Protestant Church (they don't agree with my
denial of Mary as a mediator between God and man...for now...haha),
then about Laura (yes, Laura, I showed them your picture...they said
"konjo not," which means "she is beautiful"), and then, of course,
what the best food is in America. I said cheeseburgers.

Jordan

Hey!

With the help of Laura, it has been decided that my food-poisoning was caused by salmonella. I eat eggs on a regular basis, and I hadn't been cooking them well enough. I got salmonella again the other night, after eating eggs, and that was what pointed me to the eggs instead of tomatoes. But I had medicine still from my previous hospital visit, so I took it and it solved my stomach issues, and I only had to deal with the fever for several hours...no big deal. So since then, I have been cooking my eggs VERY WELL. Even more than I want to sometimes.

When people ask what they can send, drink mixes are always a good thing, because I purify my own water, and without drink mixes, a lot of it has a funny taste...haha.

Laura

Well, I feel like I need to do an update, but I don't feel like I have that much to talk about! Here in Malaysia, it's just the same old, same old!

My mom and Katelyn are coming THIS weekend, which is VERY exciting! Their visit has given me something to look forward to since I came back here after Christmas and I can't believe they're almost here! Time really does fly by! It's been really fun to get everything ready for their visit, plan our days together, and write down everything I want to show them/feed them/take them/etc.

This weekend was really fun. I found some new American friends in my apartment building! I used to be the only American in the building, so it is so exciting to have them closeby. I went to church with them on Sunday, where they introduced me to new friends! I'm always amazed at how exactly when I need it the most, God sends me someone to bring me the exact encouragement I need!

Monday we had the day off from school for Muhammad's birthday. One of my good friends from work, Francis, invited me on a picnic with him, his wife, and their daughter. However, it rained ALL day, so they brought the picnic to my apartment! We ate and then spent the day at the mall. I watched Mary Anne, while Francis and his wife went to the movies. I had so much fun trying to keep up with Mary Anne (she's three years old) and listening to all the funny things she had to say. It was so nice to be able to spend the day with such a wonderful family.



Shieu Ye, Mary Anne, and I at the beach!

Laura

Lizards are the bane of my existance. On any given day, as I walk to school, I might encounter a rat, wild dogs, angry monkeys and/or four-inch cockroaches, but nothing terrifies me like lizards in the house. The first time I saw a lizard here, I was at someone else's house. They moved a picture on the wall and a lizard came running out from behind it. I screamed and then asked "Is that your pet?!" The Malaysians thought that was a pretty dumb question. It wasn't a pet, but it was welcome in the house. The lizards eat mosquitoes, so if you have a few lizards in your house, it's better than the risk of catching Dengue Fever from a mosquito bite. However, since my a apartment is on the 24th floor, mosquitos rarely come this high, so I didn't think I had lizards!

The first time I saw one in the house, I was walking into the kitchen, flipped on the light and a little, green lizard ran across the cabinets and into the silverware drawer! Gah, it still makes me shiver to think about. I went out for dinner and refused to go near the kitchen for the rest of the night. When my roommate got home, I met her at the door. I said, "Kris, I have some terrifying news. . . There was a lizard in the kitchen." She replied "Yeah, I see them in there all the time. There's one that lives under the couch too!" I almost had a heart attack. For a week, every time something fell on to the floor, I would jump a foot in the air. I mean, a crumb from my sandwich would drop and I would scream and jump back. It was bad.

Well, I have learned to live in peace with the lizards. . . kind of. I just stomp really loudly when I go to the kitchen, so that they have time to run and hide before I get there and I can pretend that they're not there. Then I turn on the light and wait for them to make any final arrangements before I walk in. . . I can't bear the thought of one running across my foot. And when I hear ANY noise at night as I'm falling asleep (barking dogs, the elevator, regular night noises, etc.) I think "I wonder if that was a lizard??" The other night, I was in the kitchen and there was one in the corner a few mere inches away from Kris' foot. I took the opportunity to take a few pictures. Of course, I took the pictures standing on top of a kitchen chair while screaming and begging her to do something with it.

Jordan

Things are going great here in Ethiopia. I have two more weeks of
language and technical training in Ambo. Our first volunteer E.T.'d
(early termination) the other day due to some issues at home, and it
was hard for us to take. I think he made the right decision, but it
was still tough. All 40 of us had lasted for almost two months, and
most of us had begun to think that we would all make it to swearing
in, and when one left, it was like a member of the family was lost.

It's hard to lose part of the group. I think of it sort of like the
military. When a group goes through so many changes together, and
find that they need each other for so much support, they develop close
bonds. So it has been a tough week in Ambo, but we are all excited to
finish training and begin our service.

Our swearing-in ceremony will be on February 13 at the U.S. Embassy in
Addis. I think I am as excited to get to the capital so I can buy
some things for my new house as I am to be sworn in and become a PCV
(Peace Corps Volunteer) and move on from PCT (Peace Corps Trainee).

My Amharic language is coming along great and I look forward to
improving more and more as the months go on, and I have also decided
to begin Sidaminya (the language of the Sidamo region of the Southern
Nations) once I settle in at site.

I have a two room house with electricity, and running water in the
main house on the compound, which includes an ice-cold shower! Yay!!!
haha. I bought a bed when I was last there, which is as comfortable
as I need it to be (take what you want from that statement). When I
return, I am going to buy a large oscillating fan in Hawassa, the
large town near me. It will be pretty expensive at 380 birr ($38),
but I live in the jungle and it gets pretty warm. Also I am in the
market for a TV and DVD player.

I am healthy, with the exception of the normal stomach bugs and aches
we all deal with here. Our medical staff and support, including any
medicines we might need, for ANYTHING, are top-notch and readily
available. I feel completely taken care of. They say
our health care is as good as Barack Obama's!

Well, I think that's all for now!

Laura

During my time in Malaysia, I have tried soooo many new foods. Almost everyday someone shoves something in the direction of my face and says "Here, try this!" Sometimes they don't even tell me what it is until I've swallowed it! When I first got here, every time I would go out to eat with people, I would have to try every single person's dish! I wasn't hungry for a month! It's actually quite beneficial for me to try so many things because now, I know what I like and what I want to run away from without looking back. In the first few months, I put about a million new things in my mouth until I perfected a straight face. Even if I wanted to gag, spit it out, or cry, I could keep a straight face, chew, swallow, and say "It's okay. . ." However, now that I know everyone so much better, I'm not afraid to let my reaction show! This post will be dedicated to new foods!

First is Durian. Malaysians call it the "King of Fruits" and they either love it or hate it. It has a bread dough-consistency and such a strong odor, that it's banned from alot of hotels, apartments, and modes of transportation.



Next, is fermented tofu, also known as "stinky tofu." It tasted the way the stockyards smell.



Baby Octopus. I don't think it needs any more explanation.



Even though I had a few scary experiences, I LOVE some Malaysian food! These are a few of my favorites:

Starfruit Juice, Roti Tisu, and Yee Mee Soup


Pau and McDELIVERY!!!

Jordan

I got to talk to Jordan yesterday. Craig and Karen usually call on Sundays, so I try to call on Wednesdays. That way, Jordan gets a phone call every few days. He has been spending this week in the town he will be working in for the rest of his term with the Peace Corps. Part of his job will be working at a youth center in the town. He said the students range in age from around 7 up to 16.

He also has his own small house to stay in. His house is part of a compound that another family lives in. His house has a bedroom and living room and he shares a bathroom and kitchen with the family. This week he bought a mattress, bedding, and curtains. He is waiting for his bed and he is hoping to buy a couch. His house has electricity. He eats most of his meals at a nearby restaurant.

On Friday, he will be leaving to go back to the training site for three more weeks of training. After that, he will move into his new home for good! He said he got to watch President Obama's Inaguration with the locals in his town. He seems to be having a great time and enjoying the adventure of a lifetime!