Sidama Zone

I've now lived for one week at my permanent site in the Sidama Zone / SNNPR Region! I'll live here for two years.

When I first arrived I was overwhelmed with the prospect of learning two languages at once - Sidamic (most people's first language in Sidama) and Amharic (what I've been learning during our three months of training, and most people's second language in Sidama.) However, I was given a great Sidamic language guide developed by previous Peace Corps Volunteers in Sidama and my counterparts introduced me to a language tutor who is also a Science teacher at the secondary school. We agreed to 3 hours of Sidamic tutoring and 2 hours of Amharic tutoring every week.
So far, I've mostly learned the greetings like"Keereho?" ("Peace?") / "Keereholla" ("I am peace"), and other time/gender/subject specific greetings.

I replaced another volunteer and was gifted a lot of her old things, which made moving in much easier - especially receiving her bed, mattress, and propane stove.

It can take a long time to do things like cooking, bathing, and washing clothing. I decided to write down all my daily accomplishments, even things like "filled water filter," to pep myself up.

Here's an example from Thursday:
Thursday, April 19 - Day 4

1. Amharic tutoring: 1/2 conversation practice, 1/2 translating community mapping activity to do with Health Extension Workers
2. Called doctor to discuss on-going diarrhea. Started taking antibiotics and drank oral re-hydration salt with water.
3. Filled out language tutoring registration form with Dora (tutor)
4. Went to Health Post with Tigist (counterpart and Health Extension worker)
5. Planned with Tigist to meet with two families next week for developing relationships and completing household intake forms
6. Tigist introduced me to Kebele Administration
7. Planned to go to other health post with Tigist tomorrow
8. Had coffee with Tigist, Almaz (landlord / host mother), Almaz's daughter and Almaz's sister in law. Taught them a new card game, which we played together.
9. Went to the market with Dora and Tigist and bought: 10 bananas, charcoal stove, 1 kilo tomatoes, 5 apples.
10. Practices Sidama greetings with many people I passed by on the road, especially "keero hositto?"("good afternoon", to a male), "keere hositta?" ("good afternoon", to a female) and "keerella hosoomma" (response to good afternoon, that I say as a female).

I'm still writing letters and love receiving them!
Wish list for care packages (much cheaper to use padded envelopes):
- Thai Kitchen instant rice noodle packets
- dried oregano and basil
- Bragg Organic Sprinkle spice
- dark colored cute socks
- Emergen-C (especially pink lemonade flavor)
- Probiotics that don't need refrigeration (GI issues are fairly common, so I want probiotics for prevention and for after taking antibiotics)
- dehydrated vegetables and dehydrated vegetable soups
- fly strips
- flea/bed bug spray (natural/non-toxic preferred)