A little Breathing Room

Holding a snake charmer's Cobra

 It’s been so long since I’ve written you all probably thought I forgot about this blog.  The truth is, it’s been a bit of a chore to sit down and write on it; not because I have nothing to write, but for the opposite reason; I have put this off so often that now I have several blog topics to write about, and the thought of spending hours and hours getting it all out there sounds tedious and time consuming.  So, to back up a few months, to early March, I might as well start this long catch-up process.

Elephant in Jaipur

Early March I was scrambling to finish up one major project, doing research for another project, and most importantly (I thought at the time), preparing for my first out-of-country vacation since I arrived in Ethiopia 18 months prior.  It may not seem like a big deal, but in Peace Corps time, 18 months in country is a looong time to go without a vacation out.  I was finding myself short with my coworkers and neighbors for their lack of commitment to projects, their ‘demanding’ of my time (you know you need a vacation when someone asks you to have coffee with them and it feels like a chore), and not understanding my slow and sometimes struggling Tigrinya. I was frustrated with the “social norms” (Do I really have to greet you EVERY time I pass you on the street??) of my town, the harassment on the streets felt worse than usual, and I was annoyed because there was no meat in town due to pre-Easter fasting.  To top it off, my compound had recently bought the loudest rooster I have even known.  This rooster goes off at 3 AM every morning for about 15 minutes, again at 5 AM for another 15, and then wakes up for real around 6, to continue his incisive crowing until someone finally opens the compound door and he escapes. Did I mention this thing is loud, like a car alarm? I consider myself a great animal lover, but there were days when I wanted nothing more than to give that Rooster a swift kick at 3 AM.

Sunset over Udaipur

So, being sleep deprived, protein deficient, and angry with everyone, I was ready to jump on that plane to sunny, beautiful India, and not look back.  The way there, stepping away for a moment from the Ethiopian culture, felt like a breath of fresh air; the international terminal felt like a step closer to a familiar culture, I was so excited about “Duty Free”, that I dragged my friend Carla to every shop I could find (only to buy nothing because I was in sticker shock of how much things actually cost outside of Ethiopia), and even the airline food was a delicious and fancy meal.  Off the plane and into Mumbai, in the second highest populated country in the world, even felt like I finally had a little space, a little breathing room, and I began to relax.  As a Peace Corps Volunteer, often I feel restrained by cultural expectations (I can’t really say what I’m thinking as it would be considered inappropriate- for example, “your traditional medicine doesn’t actually work”, “No, the traditional food ‘Ga’at’ is actually really disgusting”, or “you, sir, are a misogynistic, self-centered jerk and I wouldn’t work with you if you were the last person available for the project”… stuff like that.) and stressed to meet the expectations of my community as a volunteer. There is a constant pressure of being productive, bringing that great project into the community, and not to mention being as “great and wonderful” as the last volunteer.  I’ve mentioned it before, but comparing me to the last volunteer is something of a favorite pastime of my neighbors and it gets tedious and frustrating to constantly attempt to live up to the expectations the last volunteer (unknowingly) set.  Either way, those three weeks in India felt like the breathing room I had much needed.

Elephant lining up at the Amber Fort, Jaipur

Starting out in Mumbai, we spent a day in the northern part of the city enjoying a more-so developed-world lifestyle of shopping malls, cute clothes, and (shamefully) fast food. Tell me you wouldn’t be excited to see a Starbucks after 18 months without?  Or jump up and down when you spot a McDonalds…  We ended our Northern Mumbai time with a trip to Sunjay National Park for a little monkey sighting, then hoped a 3^rd Tier AC sleeper train to Udaipur (word of advice, NEVER get the middle berth on a sleeper train… it’s like sleeping in a cubby hole).

Hindu temple in Udaipur

Udaipur was a beautiful city in Rajasthan set beside a series of lakes, dotted with palaces and temples, and already on my list of places I want to live when I am old and pursue my ex-pat lifestyle.  Three days of exploring city palaces, Hindu temples, gardens, and narrow streets of down town Udaipur, we were sad to leave, but excited to see what was down the tracks to Jaipur.  One of our biggest ‘learning moments’ was discovering that booking train tickets in advance is a must… and our 7-hour trip from Udaipur to Jaipur was in the 2^nd Seater car similar to an overcrowded Ethiopian bus (minus the closed windows and smell of rancid butter that usually accompanies Ethiopian transportation).  Being used to this, it really wasn’t too bad, and even fun at times to meet different people and share (somewhat alarming) food.

The town of Udaipur

Compared to Udaipur, Jaipur was a fast-paced, bustling city with packed streets and full of excitement. Known as the “Pink City”, the main down town is made out of pink stucco filled with interesting architecture.  Besides shopping, we spent our 5 days there touring the Palace of the Winds, Jantar Mangar Observatory, and the Amber fort; a highlight of my trip as it included getting up close and personal with the Elephants of Jaipur and riding one up the hill to the fort.  Besides the sites, we also got to watch the traditional dancing of the Holi Festival (which was supposed to be the Elephant festival and something I was looking forward to immensely, but thanks to PETA’s meddling, that portion was eliminated.  I could say quite a bit on my feelings towards PETA, but this blog post is long enough), and celebrated Holi with music, dancing and colors.  Other high moments in Jaipur (besides riding the elephant) was holding an Egyptian Cobra, and winning a carrying-water-on-your-head race during the Holi festival (and getting a cool Elephant trophy).

At the Gateway to India

Leaving Jaipur with stained skin and hair from Holi, we took a 27 hour train back to Mumbai for two days in the southern part of the city.  After an alarming amount of more fast-food (please note that we also enjoyed delicious street food and Indian cuisine as well), we spent the two days walking the old, Victorian streets around Victoria Terminus, got our photos at the Gateway to India, strolled along Chappati beach, watched a Bollywood film, and took a trip to Elephanta Island to view the carvings in a cave temple dedicated to Shiva (definitely a highlight).

To finish our trip, we made our way down to Goa, for 6 wonderfully relaxing days on the beach. When not lounging at the beach, swimming, eating sea food, or enjoying two-for-one cocktail hour, we spent the time with new hostel friends hiking up to the nearby old Portuguese fort and the quaint little fishing village, perusing the flea market at the nearby Anjuna beach, and going out to fancy restaurants and dance clubs.  In spite of delicious sea food and naps on the beach, I was ready to go when it came time to head back to Mumbai (this could have been due to the fact that the temperature was reaching the high 90s, low 100s every day, or to the fact that I was burnt to a crisp and running low on Aloe Vera gel).

Carving done by an anonymous artist on the beach

Relaxing on the beach in Goa

Waiting at the airport and boarding that plane to Ethiopia, all those pressures and expectations slowly put their weight back on me as I began a mental list of things I needed to do when I returned to site.  We boarded the plan, and things didn’t seem so rosy anymore.  The airplane food wasn’t as good, and they even took away my airline blanket before I could stash it in my bag.  As Addis Ababa slowly came into view, I could feel myself slowly returning back to that angry, cynical person I had left, griping about the social and cultural expectations of my service; when the man sitting next to me (I had been asleep for most of the flight before this) eagerly leaned over to get a view of his first visit to Africa.  I couldn’t help smiling at his excitement and reminiscing my first trip to Africa, and then the first time I flew into Ethiopia.  We started talking, and he explained that after a short time in Ethiopia, he was off to Togo to be a mining consultant.  He told me how nervous he was to be in Africa for the first time and immediately I began describing all the wonderful memories and cultures I’ve experienced while living here and in West Africa.  His eagerness brought me back to why I was excited to come here in the first place and slowly, the thought of returning back to my demanding life full of cultural and social pressures didn’t seem so bad.  How many people get this experience?  Come to think of it, I only get this experience and this lifestyle for 8 more months and then never again- it’s frustrating, difficult, and demoralizing at times, but that also comes with moments of joy, accomplishment, and friendship; memories I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

I arrived in my town, late the next afternoon after two days of traveling; tired, and ready to collapse in bed, when I was greeted by choruses of “Welcome Back!!” “Nichole’s back!” “Thanks be to God, you’re home!” and I smiled as I realized there was nowhere else I’d rather be.  

Three weeks later, the rooster is still here, STILL waking me up at 3, 5, and 6 AM, and I smile, because I know that when Ethiopian Easter rolls around next week, I am going to enjoy EVERY BITE of that Dorho Wat...  

Entrance to Elephanta Caves

In front of a carving in the Elephanta Caves

Holi, the festival of Colors!