The 14 year old Maid. and Site Announcements!

   Meet Meheret

 

 This is Meheret, my families seratainya. In Ethiopia it is very common for families to have seratainyas (maids) that do all the cleaning, cooking, and washing in the household. Seratainyas are taught to avoid eye contact, and never look their employers in the eye, especially the men in the family. Sometimes they aren't treated very well, as they are considered "second class citizens". My families seratainya, is treated with kindness, but there are a few things that make me uncomfortable about her situation.

For one, she has the same 3 outfits that she always wears. Her clothes are dirty, worn and tattered. My Ethiopian family isn't very well off, but they all have more clothes than Meheret. She also sleeps in the room with all the animals. It took me awhile to figure out where she was sleeping and living, but when I did, it was hard to ignore. Meherts bed is under the same roof as the chicken coop. The chickens sleep on one side of the room and she sleeps on the other side, the cow also sleeps in the same vicinity. Knowing how kind and loving my family is, it was hard for me to reconcile how they let Meheret live in such conditions, and how most Ethiopians let their Seratainyas live. But I have come to realize that many Seratainyas are saved from much harsher lifes by being taken in and working for other Ethiopian families. Seratainyas are not slaves, they decide to work for their employers and they can quit just as easily. Meheret eats nutritious food, has a roof over her head and is a member of my family here. She is always seen smiling and playing with my other host sister Beselot, and she seems to be very happy. Having Seratainyas is apart of Ethiopian culture and not all Seratainyas are young girls. Many families have grown women with children of their own working for them as the Seratainya. Each case is different and unique, and being a Seratainya is basically the same as being a live in housekeeper.

Meheret is related to my abate in some way. I don't know if she is a niece, or 2nd cousin twice removed. It has not been explained, as I've been told not to pry too much into Meherts history, because it is seen as rude. But I do know that she is family. She grew up in a very rural and poor town and because her family was in poverty and unable to care for her. Their options were to marry her off to an older man, when she was young, or to send her to work as a Seratainya. They of course, did the latter. Meheret is only 14 years old now, or 13.. she is not sure of her age. (Many Ethiopians do not know their exact age) And she has been working for my family for a few years. She is not in school, but she might continue her education in a few years. Seratainyas get paid a meager wage by the family they live and work for, but they are known to save every penny and eventually leave their families to make a life for themselves. Heres to Meheret doing the same :)


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Site Announcements

I am nearing completion of Pre Service Training here in Ethiopia. I’m more than halfway through with this 3 month training and getting closer and closer to my actual Peace Corps Service. With 1 month left to go before I am sent to live on my own in the world, Peace Corps reveals to us trainees where in Ethiopia we will be calling home for the remaining 2 years.

The week was full of anticipation, excitement and worry. The town of Butajira is beautiful, I love the trees, the livestock wondering around and just the feel of the place, but the idea of seeing more of the country is exhilarating.  Will my new town have waterfalls? Elephants or Hippos? Will it be in a rainforest? or atop a snowy mountain?

The possibilities are endless in Ethiopia. Its climate is so varied, its unbelievable.

70 Peace Corps trainees sat in a large conference room of a hotel, just waiting to hear their name be called as our Peace Corps Staff member called out site names and its matching volunteer.

“Remember, that you agreed to serve wherever Peace Corps places you, to be flexible, and understanding. That although many of you told us what you wanted in a site; internet, to be near a certain person, or the size of your city, etc, please know that our first priority in deciding your future placements was finding a job that matched your experience, your needs and vice versa. Remember that you came into Peace Corps Africa to serve, and you promised to do so potentially without Internet, electricity and running water.”

Life is calling. How far will you go?

The Peace Corps slogan ran in my head and a smile slowly spread across my face as I romanticized living my next two years in a mud hut with a thatched roof. Or amongst farmers and their livestock on fertile land. Waterfalls! Elephants! Hippos! A rainforest or snow!! I squealed in anticipation once more.

The names were called and envelops handed out with detailed information about our future sites.

“Amy’s site has a population of ONLY 4,000 people!! She doesn't have running water or internet in her village. Everyone goes to a village well to collect water!”

“Wow, that's going to be an amazing adventure for her! Such a different lifestyle and a true Peace Corps experience.”

“Izzy is living super close to that huge town down south with all the Rastas! Its like a jungle down there, its so green and its where they grow a lot of coffee beans!”

“Izzy is so lucky…but did you hear about Beto? He’s going to be the first Peace Corps volunteer his village has every had! So he might be the first American, his townspeople have ever met and his town has 2,000 people in it, its in the coldest region of Ethiopia on top of a mountain and it snows!!”

These are some of the sites a few of my friends are going to be calling home for the next two years and I was definitely jealous hearing about this entirely new world they would have to grow accustomed too. Their experience is what I imagined my peace corps experience to be like in a way… so when I heard about my future site….

Town:         Welliso
Region:    Oromia
Population:     60k
Nearest city:    Addis Ababa (2-3hr drive)
Site mates:    Yes, 2 site mates
Internet:    Readily available
Cell phone:    Yes
Running water: Yes
Landline:     Yes

Summary:    Been there. Done that. Nothing New. No challenges. No new experiences. Posh    
        corps, not peace corps.

So yeah, I was a little disappointed. My future town is located very close to Addis and Butajira. I knew it couldn't vary much from what I have already experienced in Ethiopia, as far as climate and weather. My dreams of change slowly became uncertain questions. Waterfalls? Elephants? Hippos? Snow?

And I was put in a little bit of a funk. I cried out to my friends in America, and here were their loving responses:

“Girl God, has blessed you! He knows where he wants you to be and I’m sure he knew you couldn't handle that Tarzan lifestyle you’ve been dreaming about.”

“Ashley I understand wanting to experience something different, but you have to remember that you already are! You are earning major street cred with me, I mean you might have internet and everything, but you still have to poop in a hole and wash your clothes by hand out there!”

“Girl, call it all JOY!!”

“If you don't shut up Ashley… oh my goodness I can't believe you’re complaining about having all the amenities that everyone else probably wants!”

“Your dad must have really been praying for you, since you got the hook up!”

and so the comments went. In all honesty they made me laugh, and they did help a bit in there own way. After speaking to a few people I did realize that I was being a huge brat, and I got to really look at all the pros of my future site.

One being:  that when I do want to see what life is like in a REALLY remote part of Ethiopia, Im so close to Addis Ababa, that I'm able to access buses and planes to fly me all over the country anytime I want. :)

SOOO for all those interested.. THIS is the address to my new home!

Ashley Quarles
P.O. Box 79
Oromia Regional State
South - West Shoa Zone
Wolisso Town
Ethiopia


It takes about a month for mail to go through... sometimes longer. (so send things NOW lol) But I'd love to get some letters! or any of these goodies...

 Quaker Oatmeal (HIGH FIBER) I can never have too much of this stuff!! Send as many boxes as you want!                                                     

PowerBars! The Chocolate Peanut Butter kind if you'd be so kind.

 

Justins Hazelnut butter... or Cookie butter. Or Nutella... any will do.

ANY Seasonings

my favorites are:

Garlic salt.

**Italian Seasoning**

Lawrys Seasoning salt

Hot sauce

Soy sauce