Tomorrow, I’ll head to Addis Ababa.

Next week is my cohort’s Peace Corps “week long” Reconnect session. After 90 days of service, we’re missing teaching, mid semester, to spend a week together, for professional development, to reflect, and to “catch up” with fellow volunteers and Peace Corps staff.

For now, I’m in a hotel, in my Hub Town. I must admit, the shower, last night, was great.

So, here are some of my top memories, of the past 90 days!

When I arrived, at my permanent site, a week late (PC Medical kept me in Addis Ababa, after our swearing in ceremony) teachers from my school met me, at the bus stop, and carried my luggage and bedding to my house.

On the walk, there were horses grazing, in a nearby field.

I love living in a community with horses. I think it’s my favorite thing about my site. I’m a city kid, from Detroit, so black folk on horseback is a big deal for me. According to the Smithsonian, one in four American cowboys were black. You just never heard about them.

Photo: An African-American cowboy sits saddled on his horse in Pocatello, Idaho in 1903. (Corbis).

The above photo is taken from a February 13, 2017, online article, The Lesser Known History of African American Cowboys, by Katie Nodjimbadem, for Smithsonianmag.com

Now, here I am, living the “cowboy” dream, in Ethiopia.

I love arriving at my school to find cows grazing outside of the classrooms. It took me a minute to figure out how to walk around them and how to get out of their way, when they’re ready to leave. City kid, remember.

And, you already know about my love for cow dung piles. They’re everywhere and I’m all about it. I find the way people set up their piles fascinating.

So, that’s pretty much it. Ninety days of horses, cows, and dung. I can’t wait to get back to my site for a big pot of whatever is cooking next.

What more could a Peace Corps volunteer want? Reconnect, here I come. –GGT