Student made film - The Giver by 11th grader Betty E.

Sooo Ive been MIA. Heres why! BOOK DRIVE TAKING OFF!

Vlog #23 PC Pets

photos from Dog walks in town

 

I walk my dog a lot, selazi so  I have many photos.

 

Vlog# 22 A day in my life

Making friends

 

I've found it very difficult to make friends here in Ethiopia. Other than the kids that come around to watch movies, play games and act silly with me, I spend most of my time alone.

Sometimes I wonder if my lack of friendships stem from my behavior and hesitance at "putting myself out there", but most of the time I think its due to these 3 things.

The Language barrier. 

Cultural differences.

And my own skepticism.

  With the language barrier I find myself doubting the ability to build a real solid friendship. If we cant communicate, how can we ever get to know each other? Although I know plenty of volunteers who have managed to make friends, boyfriends, and family, despite the language, its just something I don't think I'm capable of.

Regarding cultural differences,  most women my age are married with children, they do not hang outside of their homes, and its considered inappropriate to befriend and hang out with a man one on one. So this again limits my options.

And with my own skepticism....

There are just TOO many people here who are only interested in "befriending" me, because they want something from me.

I met this fellow female teacher within the first few months that I moved into Wolisso. She was OVERLY kind, always asking me questions, always smiling and very polite. I liked her, but I knew something was off. She invited me to her home several times, and I couldn't make it for various reasons. She started calling me obsessively, getting upset when I told her I couldn't go to her house for dinner and then she started offering to wash my clothes, asking me where I lived and it was just soo weird. At first I thought her behavior was normal for the culture, maybe her desperation to befriend me & offers to wash my clothes and find out where I lived didn't mean anything significant... but after talking to another Ethiopian woman about the situation, I found out that her behavior wasn't normal at all.  I was told to steer clear from her.

This wasnt the first time I had met someone who only wanted to get to know me because of what they thought I could do for them. Other people have come up to me acting nice, offering to help, only to ask for money after or for my help with their American Visas.  I find it so hard to trust adults here, you never know their motives or true intentions. At least with the kids you get it up front because they are yelling out "Money! Money! Money!"

But to SOOO many of the adults here...

This one guy took the cake as he sat me down for 20 minutes to convince me of how he had made the cure for cancer and needed my help to bring it back to America... *sight* just spare me please.

Vlog #21 Ethiopian Culture