Rollerbag Goddess Global Communications

If you’re like I was, you might know very little about this country in northeast Africa. Eight months ago my only concepts of Ethiopia were famine, coffee, and the Queen of Sheba. Now I wake up thinking, “How did I get here?”

The little kids on my street get excited every time they see me. It’s one of my daily joys. Contributed photo.

I’ve had some good jobs in the last 20 years. After college I landed at the Menards corporate office (a Midwest home improvement store chain) working on radio and TV commercials. Then I moved to Minneapolis to work at the Best Buy corporate office. After seven years I started getting restless. I was making good money but a career in Corporate America would never fulfill me. I decided to quit my job and live off of my savings while searching for a job that resonated with me.

After more than a year of searching, I got an opportunity to work with a couple of friends who had just started their own design agency. They needed a writer and I needed a real job. It was the best job I ever had until the seven-year itch struck again. Teaching always fascinated me, and I began volunteering at night as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for immigrants. I enjoyed it and knew that teaching was the right direction. Working with people from different countries and cultures was fulfilling, so I decided to go for an all-out adventure and join the Peace Corps as an English teacher.

Joining the Peace Corps is a process that typically takes 12-18 months. First you fill out a detailed application and then people are selected for a personal interview with a Peace Corps recruiter. If you’re qualified, the recruiter nominates you for a position. Months go by. The final step is the assignment when your recruiter calls to congratulate you on being accepted to the Peace Corps. “Where am I going?” They won’t tell you. Your assignment comes in a UPS envelope. Ah, the anticipation as you wait to discover which developing country you’ll be living in for the next two years!

My assignment arrived within a few days. I tore into the envelope like a kid at Christmas. Earlier in the process I had been nominated to teach English in sub-Saharan Africa, the countries you typically think of as “Africa”…Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi. The nomination is not a guarantee, but a pretty reasonable indication of where you’re headed. I opened the folder fully hoping and expecting to see the word “Kenya” on my assignment document.

Every day in Ethiopia brings some struggle, some adventure, some frustration, and some joy. It’s a different life for sure. I have much to share in words and pictures about the people and culture of this fascinating and ancient country.

I live in a small room of a mud house. When you paint mud a cheerful blue, you can’t even tell it’s mud. Plus it’s a great natural insulator. Contributed photo.

Akkam ooltan (ahk-kahm OHL-tahn). Have a good day everyone!
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Paul Voigt was a corporate communications writer and freelance copywriter in a former life. He gave up pop culture, Midwest winters, and softball to serve for two years as an English teacher with the U.S. Peace Corps in Shambu, Ethiopia.