London Bound!

This post has been a while in the making so some of the phrasing no longer makes sense, but I will be leaving it like that.  Also I should provide warning that this post may not be the shortest as it will discuss my entire trip from New Jersey to Ethiopia through three countries and multiple cities.

The last few days have been a whirlwind of wonderful experiences and sleepless nights.  I’ll do my best to remember all that I can and the rest will have to be lost to the past.

Wednesday is where this account will begin because like all stories it has to start somewhere.  Wednesday was my last day at home before the journey to Gambella began.  As anyone who knows me can attest this means that there was still plenty to do.  It turns out that packing for a year in Africa was more difficult than I expected.  I would be allowed two bags and they could not be overweight.  This process of making sure they did not weigh too much was quite the adventure in itself.  Each bag had to weigh less than 23 kg or I would be charged possibly outrageous fees for each flight I took.  Thank you so much to the Olmes who lent us their luggage scale!  Before borrowing it we were using the bathroom scale which was very poorly suited to the job and changed its mind quite often.  Finally with much help from my parents both suitcases were at the proper weight and everything was ready to go. 

I slept very little that night which is not unusual before I travel.  There were so many thoughts going through my mind that sleep was a hard won victory.  It felt like I had barely closed my eyes before Wham! time to go.  I expected it to be difficult to say goodbye to my parents for a year.  This would be different than my year in New Orleans.  There would not always be the opportunity to contact people.  There would not be a trip home for my birthday, Christmas, or my parents’ 25^th wedding anniversary.

I am happy to say that I was able to see my Aunt Kari and Noah before leaving the states.  I also was able to spend some quality time with my grandma and grandpa on my mom’s side.  I was really glad I got to see them and say goodbye before I left.  My grandpa and I were even able to find time for a round of golf before I left which was wonderful.

We left the house early to travel to Newark Airport.  From there I would catch an Amtrak train to Washington, D.C.  This would be the first leg of my journey.  My parents parked in short term parking and went with me to the Amtrak station within the airport.  A very nice Amtrak employee allowed them to wait on the platform with me until the train arrived.  With a couple last hugs and kisses I was off!

My time in DC was wonderful!  I was able to spend time with many of my friends there whom I had not seen in a long while.  A special thanks to Andre for his willing service as a driver.  He picked up Robert from BWI and drove us both to Dulles the following day.  More thanks go to Tim for allowing Robert and I to use his apartment as our temporary home in DC.  My last thank you is for Isaac and his roommates for hosting an impromptu farewell party slash social gathering.  It was wonderful to see so many friends there, many of whom I have not seen for too long and some not since graduation.

I arrived in DC on Thursday morning and departed with Robert and Erin for London on Friday night.  Semhar unfortunately was delayed due to bureaucratic annoyance.  Once we got through security at Dulles we had only to wait a little while and then we would say goodbye to American shores for a year.  This time was nice because it allowed the three of us some time to relax and chat.  Also it allowed us some time to talk to those we cared about before departing.  I was able to say goodbye to my girlfriend until I found internet in Ethiopia.  I was also finally able to catch up with one of my best friends after playing phone tag for what seemed like months.

It was time to board the plane.  We were off to London!

Why go to Africa?

This blog will serve as an account of my time spent as a Salesian Lay Missioner in Gambella, Ethiopia. Gambella is a decent sized town on the western edge of Ethiopia, near the border with South Sudan. There are three groups present in this region: the Anuak, Nuer, and Highlanders. The Anuak and Nuer each speak their own language which bears their name while the Highlanders speak Amharic. Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia. One also encounters a good deal of spoken English especially among adults and older children. As many of the Salesians in this area are Italian it is not out of place to hear Bonjourno! or the like occasionally as well. In addition to that my fellow volunteer Robert speaks fluent French so we have quite the collection of languages present here.

I am living and working in Don Bosco Gambella which is a Salesian compound. We have a primary school which runs up to 9th grade as well as a technical school. True to the Salesian way there are two soccer fields, a volleyball court, a basketball court, and some ping pong tables. Every day around 3 the oratory opens to the children and the compound is full of fun and laughter. School does not start for another week, but the oratory will be open to the youth very soon. I am excited to begin working with the youth and getting to better know the people and the culture of this place.

Reading this one may wonder why I chose to spend a year in a rural corner of Ethiopia. I believe it all began when I travelled to the Philippines with my father as a child to attend the ordination of one of his close friends. It was an eye-opening experience for me especially at that young age. I enjoyed traveling and that trip left me wanting more of these experiences. This was my first time leaving the States and experiencing a different culture. It was also likely one of my first introductions to the plight of the materially poor. I say this because there are many types of poverty in this world of which materially is probably the most easily seen. This was also my first time feeling what it is like to be foreign in a place. I grew up in a small town in northern New Jersey. It’s definitely not the most diverse of places.  It was an eye-opening experience for me especially at that young age. It was my first time leaving the country and I learned a great deal. I enjoyed traveling and that trip left me wanting more of these experiences.

My next international experience came during the spring semester of my senior year in college. I went on a mission trip to Costa Rica that was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I went with a group of people from Catholic University. We stayed at a local seminary in San Jose. Everyone we encountered was gracious and kind. I have limited capability to converse in Spanish which was sometimes a struggle. This however was not as much of an issue as I thought it would be. I remembered more Spanish than I thought I knew and quickly began to pick up more by listening to people. Not all of the seminarians spoke English, but they were incredibly patient with me. I remember one time in particular two of them spent several minutes trying to tell me something. They kept trying different ways to say it in Spanish and with their help I figured out what they were trying to tell me.

The people who we worked with as part of our service were wonderful to me. They had so few worldly possessions, but treated us with such respect and kindness. I felt they were the ones helping us and we were receiving the service. The way they treated us and each other was an important lesson to me.

I had been thinking about undertaking a year of service after college and the time spent in Costa Rica left no doubt in my mind as to what I wanted to do. I found a program that really seemed to fit what I wanted to do. I would be living in a volunteer community with the Irish Christian Brothers in New Orleans. Three Brothers live in a house there and accept three volunteers per year to live in community with them while engaging in a year of service. They suggested several options for my service and I chose United Saints Recovery Project.

For one year I served through Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps at United Saints Recovery Project in New Orleans. United Saints is a small non-profit rebuilding organization founded after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. We worked with volunteer groups, primarily college students, to assist disadvantaged homeowners. I was a Site Supervisor for the Saints. I joke that this job required me to balance being a camp counselor and construction foreman! I say this because I did my best to ensure that the volunteers were having a wonderful experience in New Orleans and enjoying the week. This had to be balanced with making sure they had the tools and knowledge necessary to perform the job safely and effectively.

The experiences discussed above have greatly influenced who I am today. They gave me an opportunity to interact with a culture different than the one in which I was raised.

I see mission work as an opportunity to live out the Gospel. As Christians we are called to serve others especially the needy. Working in the less prosperous neighborhoods of New Orleans has given me an increased appreciation for the life I have been given and a desire to help others. This work has further strengthened my conviction that no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it may sometimes be, every person deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.

I have a profound curiosity about the world. One of my consistent motivations is the desire to learn. I find it fascinating learning how other people live. Learning about someone else’s way of life allows you to begin to see the world through their eyes. This leads to expanding your view of the world. I am excited by the prospect of living and working in a society unfamiliar to me. Learning another language as part of this experience holds great interest for me. I look forward to seeing what good can happen during my time here.

A quote from Mother Teresa comes to mind, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” I think throughout this year it will be important to try to remember that this year is about working for others through God. It is so difficult to truly grasp yet so true that alone we are not strong enough. We must learn to go to God with our struggles and allow Him to work through our lives.