Coffee ceremony today with a friend/colleague and her family.

The end is near

I go to my "close of service conference" January 27-30, then staying in Addis until February 4 for close of service medical. At the close of service conference I'll find out if my leave date is March 19 or March 26. Then at least two weeks in Asheville before thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Happy Holidays from Haile Resort

Happy Holidays from Haile Resort in Hawassa! My holiday gift from family was money for two nights in this paradise! After this, I'll go to Addis for "Resource Volunteer" training (serving as a resource for the incoming group of Peace Corps Trainees). Ethiopian Christmas is January 8, so I'll be at site for that celebration.

Grassroots Soccer club graduated

Today our Grassroots Soccer club graduated! For 11 sessions my counterpart and I used soccer to teach about HIV, lifeskills and gender. Today the students role played situations where they resisted risks to HIV, then we had speeches and certificate distribution. We had a lot of fun in this program and the students also learned about and discussed many important things. So proud of them!

sambusas

Tea shop at my site (with owner) where I buy sambusas - delicious fried things with lentils and onion inside.

inset

One step in making food from inset, the false banana plant, is fermenting it in containers made from its leaves and bark. Inset is a staple food in Sidama and in other parts of southern Ethiopia.

Health Post

This is one of the Health Posts at my site, where Health Extension Workers weigh babies, administer vaccinations, counsel about and provide family planning methods, keep family health records, and provide health education on water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition.