You've Got to Come in Right...

In one week from today I'll be probably half way to Ethiopia, sitting in the Amsterdam airport, drinking my last Starbucks for a while and getting ready to board my next plane for the last leg of my journey...

Crazy to think this is the journey I've chosen, or has been chosen for me. An adventure it will be. As I prepare myself to get ready to go this week, and as I board the plane and enter Ethiopia, I need to remember, "to come in right."

I'm reading a book called, Never Give Up:Vignettes from Sub-Sarahan Africa in the Age of Aids and author Kevin Wings talks about entering new countries, specifically ones he's visited in sub-sarahan Africa. I agreed with Wings as I read the words on the page, and it was so well explained. It was thought provoking to read his advice and although I have pure intentions, I need to be clear and intentional as I step from American soil, into the unknown.

I need to set aside pre-conceived notions of what I think it may be like and enter with a clear head and open mind. This seems like a simple task, but when jumping into the unknown it's so much easier to assume what it will be like. You hear stories, read articles in the newspaper, watch a clip online about a country and they cloud my mind and lead me to assumptions. When I am there, and especially as I enter, my goals need to be clear. To observe. To listen. To see. To learn. And then, To serve. In order to do those things and in order to serve with my full ability, I need to "come in right."

I am not some white woman coming in to save the day. I am not there to give simple solutions for complex problems, or complex solutions for simple problems.  I am not there to take our standards of what works in America and assume it will work there. I am going to Ethiopia to serve, to serve teachers and educators in hopes to form a cohesive relationship where we learn from each other. Yes, teachers in Ethiopia have a lot to learn about teaching methods, how to teach English, classroom management etc which is why this organization is in place. BUT, it is NOT about me going to "help these people."

Some words of wisdom that I am going to keep in mind as I enter, (directly from Wings)

* Listen more than you speak

*Ask more than you tell

*Resist the temptation to fix things; you might not have the tools to do so, and the thing might not be broken in the first place

*Cast off your American lens

*Live with your experiences

*If moved to act, ask what is needed. Don't assume you know.

*Be willing to make a leap of faith..

What it boils down to, is that "You've got to come in right..."

<3