Day 13 - Rough Start

Today (Thursday - 7/30/15) started out rough. I knew every day here couldn't be a walk in the park, but I still wouldn't want a repeat of today if I could avoid it. :) We had to get up extra early to be at a farm in time for milking. We were able to get breakfast, but we had to eat it realllllly fast. Also, the hotel lost power so I wasn't able to have my usual double macchiato or coffee. No caffeine for any of us (and all of us are coffee drinkers). Not good lol. 

Once we were on our way, we got the farms mixed up, with Sharon and Mulugeta going to the wrong place. That meant Sarah, Dan, and I had no translator. Luckily, Sarah has been here for over a month, so she knows some Amharic and we were able to get the farmer to let us check the TB test on his 2 cows. One thing I forgot to mention: this particular farm was like a 25 minute hike up a mountainside. Needless to say, this much exercise after scarfing down breakfast didn't sit too well with my stomach lol. But we made it! 

We met back up with Sharon and Mulugeta and headed to the next farm. If I never have to set foot on this farm again, I will be eternally grateful! We had to go back to the farm with the crazy poop ground to check the TB tests. I kid you not, the amount of poop had increased. But we pushed through and were able to get milk samples from all the cows and check their TB tests. So a successful trip, even in less than ideal conditions lol. 

All of the "ground" you see in this picture is actually liquidy poop close to 1ft deep. You can kind of make out the poop covered stones we stepped on to get to the barn.

We once again had an entourage of children following us through all of the neighborhoods. They are all smiling and giggling, wanting to shake our hands or practice their English. We did hit a new record with the number of kids following us - 41. :)

These adorable kids would not let go of Dan's hands lol

After we finished visiting farms for the day, a bunch of us decided to go out for a sort of farewell dinner. James is leaving tomorrow and Sarah is leaving on Sunday, so Sharon, Sarah, James, Dan, Elspeth, Dr. Wolfe, Mulugeta, Sadam, Mustofa, and I went to the Four Sisters. It was delicious food, as usual, and the best part is Dr. Wang, who had been here last week, had given Sharon money to buy us all dinner! So nice of her!! So a day that had started out rough turned out to be one of the best yet of the trip. It was bittersweet, however. Our usual breakfast table won't be the same without James and Sarah! 

James and Dan were absurdly fascinated with these glowing, color changing light things on the table lol

Also, as predicted, the list of things I miss has grown:

- Ice cream: I want either a hot fudge sundae or a strawberry milkshake!!
- Cereal: I need a big bowl of Cinnamon LIFE with milk (preferably milk that doesn't have the potential to make me sick lol!!)

Much love,
Joslyn :)

P.S. "The Lord your God is in your midst, a might one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exhult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17. During a day like today, it was great to know that God is always in my midst, saving, rejoicing, loving, and exulting over me. :)

Day 12 - Day off :)

So today we got the day off from working! It was great. :) I got to sleep in until 7:30am!! I also did sink laundry again. We ended up leaving the hotel at 10am and headed to meet up with Sadam, one of the veterinarians we are working with. He was going to take us to Arada, a huge marketplace for shopping. It was nice having a friend along who could speak the language, because he could translate and stop the shopkeepers from over-charging the "foreigners" lol. He was not the only Ethiopian trying to help us, however. When we went to one shop, one of the assistants starting trying to show us around the market. Apparently, if he convinced us to buy something at another shop, he would get a cut of the profit? We amassed probably 3-4 shop assistants "shopping" with us. It was nice that they were trying to be helpful, but there were way too many people with us. Just having Sadam helping would have been fine lol.  

Those are live chickens hanging upside down

The less busy part of the market

After we were done shopping, we decided to eat lunch at the Goha Hotel (the hotel up on the mountain). Sadam called his friend who drives a TukTuk, and off we went with 3 people per TukTuk. Just like the last time Dan, Nicole, Mustofa, and I were there, it started to rain really hard and even hailed a bit. Deja vu lol. Since we all have been in Ethiopia for awhile (some longer than 1 month!), we decided to get non-Ethiopian food for lunch. James could not stop raving about his chicken parmesan lol. I got a creamy mushroom chicken dish. It was SO GOOD. Chicken is apparently considered a delicacy here and thus costs more, so we "splurged" on lunch. A whopping $6.50 for a ton of chicken smothered in garlic, mushrooms, and creamy sauce with rice, stewed spinach, and rolls as the sides. The prices here are insanely cheap. We also decided to take some group pictures up there. Some turned out better than others. :)

I think this picture captures everyone's personality quite well :) lol

Dan, James, Sarah, Me, Sadam, Sharon

Our attempt at a funny picture? 

After eating at the Goha, we wanted to head back to Piazza for some more shopping. Sadam again called his friend who drives a TukTuk. This time there wasn't another one, so 5 of us tried to pile in to at least be driven to the bottom of the mountain where we could hail another TukTuk (Sarah decided to run to the bottom lol). We got about about 2 mins down the mountain and the front wheel goes flat lol. We felt really bad, but he said we didn't cause it. Regardless, we all helped hold up the TukTuk so the driver cold change the tire. His spare tire wasn't in very good shape either, but he told us to all pile in and he'd get us to the bottom of the mountain. Well we made it to the bottom and Dana and James got another TukTuk to head back to the hotel (too much shopping for the guys lol). And we were off to Piazza! But then BOOM the front tire completely blows. It's in shreds lol. We eventually made it to Piazza, but it was quite an ordeal to get there lol.

We got back to the hotel around 4pm and decided to just relax for the rest of the evening. It was a wonderful day off! But tomorrow we have to be up extra early to go to a farm before they finish milking the cows. Oh joy. :)

Much love,
Joslyn :)

P.S. "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations." Deuteronomy 7:9. Faithful and steadfast love. Sounds good to me! :)

Day 11 - A New Record

Today (Tuesday - 7/28/15) was another busy day of visiting farms. It was also a record setting day, with the successful collection of samples from 37 cows. :) That is currently the most in a day, but we're going to try and beat that number in the next few days. In the morning, Sarah, Sharon, Mulugeta, Dan, and I went to 2 farms that had 10 cows each. We actually had a UoG driver to take us to the different Kebele's (neighborhoods), but then we'd have to walk to each of the farms. I've been doing fine with all of the smells and being basically surrounded by poop, but today something really grossed me out and I just can't get over it lol. At the first farm, which was quite clean comparatively, the woman was cleaning up the cow feces with her HANDS. She'd just scrape it into a pile and scoop up as much as possible, then firmly pat down the rest. That is when I realized the floor was probably made of dried feces. But seriously, with her hands? I mean the floor part is a good use of the waste I guess, but I can't get past the hands part lol. But overall, a very productive morning. :)

Cow with weird horns

Calves are so cute!!

Barn 1 (feces floor lol)

Sarah doing the PPD test

Sharon drawing blood from a vein in the tail

Dr. Stevenson got into Gondar this morning, and his son, Scott, and Scott's girlfriend, Kim, traveled with him. Instead of sitting in meetings with Dr. Stevenson, Scott and Kim came with us out to the farms. It was nice having a few extra sets of hands eager to help! We went to one farm in the afternoon, and it was a co-op, meaning about 4 farmers had cows there, for a total of 17. Although we had to walk quite a bit, the views were just beautiful. The Ethiopian countryside is seriously so picturesque! The co-op famr we ended the day at was in a neighborhood that seemed to have an unusually high number of kids. Seriously, they were everywhere. Usually the farmers shoo them away so we can get our work done faster, but not this time. One little girl really wanted to see what I was typing on the iPad, so she kept cuddling up to my side and pulling my arm down so it was where she could see. She was so curious! Once we were finished at the farm, we had to walk back to the main road and hail a TukTuk to get back to the hotel. The same little girl from the farm insisted on holding Dan's hand as we were walking back lol. The kids followed us back through the neighborhood, so I took a few pictures and showed them (they love seeing themselves in pictures). The were so happy and slightly overwhelming lol.

Walking to a farm

Walking back to the main road

A few little boys in the neighborhood

Once we got back, Dr. Stevenson offered to buy us dinner, since we took his son and son's girlfriend to the farms with us. We of course accepted (what college student turns down free food?), so I headed to the Taye Belay Hotel for dinner with Dr. Stevenson, Scott, Kim, Dr. Hoet, Sharon, Dan, Sarah, and Mulugeta. It was a fun end to the day. Our day off is tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to sleeping in until 7:30am. :)

Much love,
Joslyn :)

P.S. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7. I really needed this verse today. God's timing really is amazing. Thank you again Kristina for giving me these slips. God seems to know just what I need to read each day, because I just reach into the bag and randomly pick a slip. :)

Day 10 - Poop :)

Today (Monday - 7/27/15) was quite an adventure! :) I went out to some local farms with Dan and 2 veterinary students who were taking blood and milk samples and doing TB testing on the cows. I got to wear scrubs, which I've missed because they are the most comfortable clothes EVER. Since Dan and I both don't have backgrounds in large animal medicine, we were in charge of data entry on the iPads, prepping syringes/tubes for collection, and photography (mostly Dan, the journalism major). Two Ethiopian veterinarians, Mulugeta and Sadam, are going with us to the farms and they are AMAZING. They both know English and have been invaluable translating our questions and surveys for the farmers. They are both really good at collecting samples, too. 

Sharon getting a blood sample

Using the portable somatic cell count tester and recording the results

Mulugeta performing a PPD test on a cow

We went to several farms, some cleaner than others. In general, there was SO MUCH POOP at all of them lol. At one farm, I thought all of the brown stuff on the ground was just solid dirt, so I started walking towards the barn, not bothering to step on the stones like Sharon was doing. Guess what: it definitely was not all solid dirt. I'm very glad I had my boots. :) It was amazing to see Sharon, Sarah, and the other veterinarians in action, taking blood samples from all of these fidgeting/sometimes aggressive cows. It was definitely a nice change of pace, being outside the classroom. :). There was a lot of hiking to the various farms (my knees were protesting lol), but well worth it. Also, as we were walking between farms, there was always a train of kids following us, wanting to shake our hands or just giggling and pointing at us. It was entertaining. :)

Cute dog "guarding" a farm and some of our train of kids :)

PUPPY!! The only dog I will get near enough to pet in Ethiopia :)

Jackpot! A huge farm that allowed us to test/collect samples from all of their cows!

All in all, a great day! :) Can't wait to go out to the farms again tomorrow. 

Much love,

Joslyn :)

P.S. "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 :) GREAT reminder :)

Day 9 - Simien Mountains

I am in complete and total awe after going to Simien Mountain National Park (on Sunday - 7/26/15). WOW. But let’s start at the beginning: the car/jeep thing pick Dan, Mustofa, and I up at 6:30am. Early morning lol. The kitchen wasn’t even open yet for breakfast or coffee. It took us about 1.5 hours to get to the national park office, where we had to register and pay to drive through the mountains. It didn’t open until 8:30am, so we got breakfast at this little hotel café in some town near the mountains. That is where the paved roads ended. We had another 30min drive to get to the “gate” (which was really only a guy holding a rope across the road). We picked up our guide/guard (this Ethiopian guy in a military looking uniform carry a rifle of some sort) and ventured into the park. I was under the impression (based on what I’d been told) that the guide/guard stays with you the whole time. Well about 5 mins in, we stopped, he got out, and he called for a scout to accompany us the rest of the way. The scout turned out to be a local farmer who actually lived in the Simien Mountains, so that was pretty cool.

The ride was really bumpy, as none of the roads were paved, but the views were well worth it! There were big groups of baboons everywhere. It was insane how close they were to us when we got out to take pictures! Interestingly, the landscape of the mountains changed. The baboons were mostly lower, in the more green, wooded area. Farther up it got rockier, with strange looking trees that reminded me of the trees in Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. That’s were we saw the Ibex. It is a big goat like animal, and the males have these crazy big horns. We got out of the car and hiked, following them as they went across the mountains. Since we were so far up, the air was much thinner and we all had to rest to catch our breath after like 3 steps. It was an experience. ;) But seeing the group of Ibex was well worth it!!

Our scout and some Ibex (right above his head)

We were able to get out of the car quite a bit, which was nice. The driver kept pointing out birds and other wildlife, which was great and slightly concerning because I was hoping he'd keep his eyes on the road lol. But really, the views are indescribable. I don't even think the pictures I took do it justice. The Simien Mountains were just amazing. The following 2 pictures are just a fraction of the pictures I took throughout the day (the internet is too slow to upload more). Enjoy :)

The internet got better today (7/29/15), so here are more pictures:

Baboons!!

We could get so close to the baboons!

The views were just astounding

Some kids living in the mountains

Crazy roads we were driving on

It was cool how part of the mountains were in the clouds. Also, we found a waterfall :)

Much love,

Joslyn :)

P.S. "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15. Peace and being thankful are two things I can relate to right now. :)

Day 8 - Total Relaxation and Bittersweet Closing

SO. The internet has been a bit off lately, hence the lack of blog posts. I'm attempting to catch up, but the internet still isn't the best. Pictures take forever to upload, so they might be absent from these next few blog posts. I'm a few days behind, so here's the news from Saturday:

Day 8 – Total Relaxation and Bittersweet Closing

Today (Saturday – 7/25/15) was amazing! I did basically nothing, and it was so fantastic. I had kind of an early breakfast (7:30am) with Dan and James, but then I went back to my hotel room and relaxed, read, and eventually got ready for the day. It was beautiful and sunny, so I spent as much time outside as possible.  James and Dan ended up playing soccer with a few kids in front of the hotel, and I played iPad games with the kids as well. They were so adorable and eager to learn! Also, whenever they ask me my name, they think I say “Jackson.” It takes a few times of me pronouncing it “Joss-Lynn” for them to get it. But once they do, it almost sounds like they’re saying my name in a French accent and it’s great!

Later this evening, we had a closing dinner for Dr. Gebreyes, Dr. Wang, and Nicole, and the students who took the classes they taught at University of Gondar (UoG). A lot of important people from UoG were at the dinner to pass out certificates to the class participants. It was really cool to see everyone from Nicole’s communication class again! We also found out that UoG named Ohio State “Best Partner of the Year.” Quite an accomplishment! :) The dinner was awesome, but bittersweet because it meant that Nicole, Dr. Wang, and Dr. Gebreyes were leaving Gondar. I’m really excited to work on other projects in Ethiopia, but I’m going to miss those OSU professors! The good news is Dr. Hoet and Dr. Stevenson (2 more OSU professors) arrive in the next day or two. :)

After the dinner, I had some super exciting plans. I did sink laundry. Let me tell you – I have never missed my tiny little washer and dryer more than I did today. Sink laundry is quite fun. :)

Sink Laundry :)

Speaking of things I miss, Sarah and James (2 students who have been here for about a month) have a list of things they miss most from home. I decided to think about my list. Besides the obvious family and friends, my list currently includes:

- Reliable internet

- Washer/dryer

- Vegetables (I could really go for some crinkle-cut cucumbers and buffalo chicken dip,      Allyson!!!)

- Sandwiches

Short list thus far. :) I’m expecting more food items to be added as my time outside the US increases. That’s all for today! The plan is to head to the Simien Mountains tomorrow, so I’m really excited about that!

Much love,

Joslyn :)

P.S. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” John 6:47. Amen to that :) :)

Day 7 - Busy Busy Busy

Today has felt crazy busy for some reason. I slept in until 8:45am (WOO HOO), but it still felt really busy. The morning was relatively relaxing, mostly just prep work for the focus groups in the afternoon. I did, however make a monumentally important discovery: there is such a thing as a double macchiato. It's twice as big as the macchiato's I've been drinking!!! My life is forever changed. :)

DOUBLE MACCHIATO

We finished up the focus groups today, with groups of veterinarians and community health workers. The language barrier was more of a problem today, since our translator couldn't be there and the moderators for the focus groups didn't understand very much English. But we made it through, and I think we'll still have useful info once it's translated. Our motto for the trip (as told by Dr. Gebreyes and Nicole) is, "maximum flexibility, minimum expectations," so there you go. The focus groups went great, all things considered. :)

After the focus groups, we met up with the rest of the OSU group to go on a tour of a local slaughter plant. That was an experience, let me tell you. I have toured slaughter facilities, but never when they were operational. We saw everything, from a live cow walking in all the way to the carcass being prepped for transport to the local butcher shop. I am pleased to report that I did not pass out. :) It was also funny to see how they dump all of the internal organs down this chute, but we couldn't see where it went. When we were in the basement, all of the sudden a ton of internal organs came flying out of this hole in the wall (guess we found out where the chute went lol). That's not something you see every day. :) To all of my public health friends: they don't have anything remotely like HACCP. They straight up said, "We don't have any HACCP plans." I really wish Dr. Habing had been there, as I would have loved to see his reaction to everything. We got to look at their records as well, where they listed all of the live animal shipments they had received and the different problems they found during slaughter. All of the vet students/vets in the group were in awe at the crazy parasites/diseases listed, yet all of that meat was still sent on for consumption. It was a very educational experience. I discovered that even though I didn't really enjoy the HACCP lecture, I really appreciate HACCP now. :)

That's all for today! Tomorrow they are having some sort of closing celebration for the OSU professors who are leaving this weekend, so that should be fun. :) Missing everyone a ton!!

Much love,

Joslyn :)

P.S. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs to it and is safe." Proverbs 18:10. I'm so glad I can turn to the Lord at any time and find strength and safety. :)

Day 6 - Focus Groups and Castles

Last night was an adventure. :) The hotel temporarily lost power, so Dan and I ended up teaching Nicole and Mustofa Euchre by candlelight. When the power came back on, Nicole, Dan, Mustofa, Dr. Gebreyes, Dr. Wang, and I had this crazy 3 course meal. Apparently that was the hotel special for the evening? I had chicken soup, lamb with rosemary and rice, and a strawberry crepe. It was delicious, but so much food!! I always feel bad not finishing all my food, because the server asks "Not good?" and thinks I didn't like it. But the food is always good. :)

Euchre by candlelight. How romantic ;)

This morning we had our first 2 focus groups. Men and women from Gondar came to answer questions about rabies and give us feedback on some messages and posters pertaining to rabies prevention and vaccination promotion. They both seemed to go well! I couldn't understand any of it, as they were all speaking Amharic, but all of the participants were talking and answering the questions, so that bodes well. :) After the focus groups, I had lunch at the hotel with Mustofa and Dan. While we were eating on the patio, 2 huge tour buses pull up and out pours a ton of white people. It was hilarious how surprised both Dan and I were to see them. We really have not seen many white people thus far (as expected lol), so it was pretty funny. :) 

After lunch, we took a mini-bus taxi to the Piazza area where the historic castle grounds were. There were 7 castles total on the grounds. Apparently, each King would build a new castle when their reign began. There was the main palace built by the first King, then each of the new castles built had some special purpose (archives, a library, concert hall, banquet hall, etc.). I took a ton of pictures, but I'm only going to post a few of them here.

Our lil' family in front of the main palace

3 of the 7 castles 

View from the banquet hall

After the castle grounds, we went to the baths built by the one of the Ethiopian Kings. They were about 2.5 kilometers from the castle, and there used to be a stone bridge connecting the two so the King and his family had a private road to travel between the palace and baths/pool. There is a big festival/Ethiopian holiday at this location. It is a celebration for when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. Bishops come and bless the water and hundreds upon hundreds of people dive in the baths. That would be amazing to see!

Front entrance to the baths/pool

The bath! It's bigger than an Olympic size swimming pool

Banyan trees

For dinner tonight, Dr. Gebreyes took the whole group (Nicole, Dan, Sharon, Sarah, Dr.Wang, Mustofa, a veterinarian from Ethiopia, and myself) to this new restaurant at a hotel that was recently built. It was at the top of a hill looking out on the city of Gondar. I had something called fish goulash. It was DELICIOUS. Favorite meal so far. :) Now it's time for bed, and I'm not setting an alarm because the focus groups aren't until 2:00pm tomorrow. :) Goodnight!

Much love,
Joslyn :)

P.S. The verse for today was, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed by day. For this light momentarily affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. I needed this reminder today :) :). I was extra tired lol.