1. Out of Ethiopia
Lucy, the oldest human remains ever found, were discovered in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is home of Lake Tana, which gives the Nile 80% of it's water
Coffee comes from Ethiopia

2. Coffee Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, they call it buna
Goat herders noticed their goats started acting hyper after eating the beans, so they tried them too
The coffee ceremony is a large part of Ethiopian culture. During the ceremony, a woman will prepare and serve the coffee by roasting the beans and grinding them with a mortar and pestle, then boiling the grounds and pouring the coffee into small cups
It's the biggest export
Ethiopians only drink coffee in the late afternoon to socialize with each other (not to wake up in the morning)

3. Never Been Conquered
Ethiopia is one of the only African country that was never colonized by Europe (the other is Liberia)
Italy attempted to conquer Ethiopia in 1896 and 1935
In 1935, Italy occupied Addis Ababa
After WWII, Haile Selassie returned to the throne

4. Ethiopian Christianity
Christianity arrived in Ethiopia in the 4th century
Most Ethiopians are Orthodox Christian
The Ethiopian Christian Orthodox Church is called Tewahedo
Ethiopians believe the Arc of the Covenant is in a chapel in Aksum, Ethiopia
Ethiopian Christmas is on January 7th.
The town of Lalibela has churches carved into the stone ground. It is a pilgrimage site for many Christians

5. Muslims and Jews Ethiopia has a small Jewish population
These communities are called Beta Israel, the people are Falasha and they are among the poorest people in the country
Islam is the 2nd most widely practiced religion (34%)
Harar, Ethiopia is the 4th holy city of Islam

6. The Language
Official language is Amharic, a semitic language related to Hebrew and Arabic
Ethiopia is the only African country with it's own alphabet, the Ge'ez script
There are over 300 dialects spoken in Ethiopia
The regions where Peace Corps serves speak Amharic, Tigre (spoken in the north), and Afan Oromo (spoken in the south)

7. Rastafarians
Rastafarains worship Haile (pronounced Highly) Selassie (who ruled from ) as their messiah because his rule followed a prophecy made that a black king would be crowned and he would be the redeemer
Selassie was born Ras Tafari (Prince Tafari)
Rastafarians view Ethiopia as the promise land
Relations between the Rastafari and Ethiopians are difficult
Most Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians and treat the Rastafari as second-class

8. The Famine In the 1980's, Ethiopia experienced a horrible famine
Because of this, many Americans associate Ethiopia with famine and starvation
Some regions still face famine, but because the country's climate is varied, it really depends on the region

9. Peace Corps' TEFL Program
Peace Corps in partnership with USAID, works to improve
the quality of teaching English as a foreign language through
the mentoring of teachers and the introduction of creative and
interactive teaching methods within Ethiopian classrooms.
Ministry of Education has been espousing for some years. The Peace Corps has a critical role within the “Teacher Development Program (TDP),” through which primary school English language teachers’ performance in teaching is to
be improved by various means, including staff professional development activities. One such branch of activity, designed from the highest ministerial levels down to the grassroots level, is working to enhance teachers’ command of the English language. English is the recognized language of international relations, commerce, technology, and communication in Ethiopia.
There are about 45,000 English teachers in both primary and secondary schools in Ethiopia. English proficiency of both these cadres of teachers is very low, with such teachers having very little exposure to native English language speakers. As a result, teachers’ use of effective and skill-based practical methodologies in English language has been practically nonexistent. Peace Corps Volunteers’ role within this context is clear to many actors in the sector and is in very high demand.
Volunteers will be expected to support school teachers to command and teach the language better, as well as assist colleagues in the regional colleges of teacher education by improving and encouraging the utilization of the English Language Improvement Centers and assisting in the implementation the English Language Teachers In-service Program.

10. Geography
Physical
Very mountainous country. Most people live above 6,000 feet and 70% of Africa's mountains are in Ethiopia
It's also home to one of the lowest points in the world: The Danakil Depression at 116 meters below sea level
Climate varies a lot on elevation. Some places are really hot, others freeze
Political
In the Horn of Africa
About 2x the size of Texas
Capital is Addis Ababa, which means New Flower
Land-locked, bordered by: Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan

11. Time and Calendar
The Ethiopian year consists of 365 days, divided into twelve months of thirty days each plus one additional month of five days. Ethiopian New Year's falls on September 11 and ends the following September 10, according to the Gregorian (Western) calendar. From September 11 to December 31, the Ethiopian year runs seven years behind the Gregorian year; thereafter, the difference is eight years. Hence, the Ethiopian year began on September 11, 2004, according to the Gregorian calendar, and ended on September 10, This discrepancy results from differences between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church as to the date of the creation of the world.
Some Ethiopians use a 12-hour clock, with one cycle of 1 to 12 from dawn to dusk, and the other cycle from dusk to dawn. Unlike the convention in most countries, the start of the day is dawn, rather than midnight. Thus, 7:00 AM in East Africa Time corresponds to 1:00 in daylight hours in local Ethiopian time. 12:00 noon EAT is 6:00 in daylight hours, and 6:00 PM EAT is 12:00 in local time.

12. US Peace Corps/Ethiopia
Contact Info
My mailing address during training (until mid-September) will be:
Lisa Morrical/PCT
US Peace Corps/Ethiopia
P.O. Box 7788
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Blog: Ethiopialisa.wordpress.com

13. Timeline June 30th: Fly out of Sacramento at 7am
July 1st: Staging in Philadelphia with the 73 other volunteers in my group
July 2nd: Fly out of New York with all the other volunteers
July 3rd: Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, begin orientation
July 6th: Visit a currently serving volunteer at their site
July 8th: Return to Addis Ababa, begin Amharic (the language) training
July 13th: Go to Butajira to stay with my host family
July 13th-September 20th: Pre-Service Training (PST) while living with a family in Butajira. At this time my title will be Peace Corps Trainee (PCT)
Beginning of August: Site Placement Ceremony- when I found out where I'll be living for two years
September 20th: Swear in as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV
September 21st: Move to my site
September 20, 2015: Close of Service (COS)- When I can come back to the US