I’m Allison and these are things that are nice to know about me but aren’t really all that necessary:
1. I was born and raised in Portland, OR… and honestly, I think it is where I will die. Of course there are many places I’d like to go between now and the end of my life but Portland is really one of those cities people gravitate towards. It’s not huge like New York or LA, but it has a ton of personality. If you’ve ever seen the show Portlandia you have a pretty good idea of what we are about (the show is quite extreme but takes the true Portland spirit and turns it up a notch or two). I strongly believe that being raised in Portland has blessed me with an open mind and heart to all walks of life.
2. I have four degrees – a Bachelor of Science in Advertising Management, Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Associate of Science, and an Associate of Oregon Transfer – Business. These are some of my greatest life achievements in that while earning them I learned a great deal about myself and developed life-altering self-discipline and responsibility. My future career goal is to work for a creative agency that focuses on international and nonprofit sectors.
3. I am a humanitarian at heart. I truly believe in doing good and treating others how you would want to be treated. Artist Ronit Bigal said, “Imagine a world where the words you speak appear on your skin. Would you be more careful of what you say?” I certainly would. I am only human and often do slip up, but that doesn’t mean give up.
4. Currently, the Peace Corps is my biggest passion. My love of helping others drove me to apply, but my need to live outside distractions of my comfort zone lead me to accept my invitation. I am very much looking forward to 27 months of service in Ethiopia and the challenges and rewards that will come from it.
5. And this is me at the end of most days: Charmingly awkward and slightly weird.
Ethiopia Catalog 
HI Allison,
This is Phil and just wanted to say Hi and make sure you will be alright I will miss you.
Hi Phil,
It’s good to hear from you, thanks for checking in. I’m missing you a lot around here, so I guess I will have to make a visit out to your campus soon. I refuse to leave before saying goodbye to one of my favorite people.
I was sent to Ethiopia in 1968 after being evacuated from Midwest Nigeria due to the Biafran war. We communicated by airmail/blue mail instead of occasional e-mails. Looking forward to hearing your story.
Pam
Thank you, Pam! Airmail is still pretty popular with Peace Corps folks – I don’t think receiving a letter ever goes out of style. But I hear Ethiopia is on the rise with their use of technology so it will be interesting to see what internet access looks like.
Hi Allison!,
Hope all is well. My name is Katharine and I live in New York. I too accepted my invitation to Ethiopia as a PCV for 2014-2016. I was googling around and came across your blog. I’m still in the process of completing all of my final paper work. I would love to chat! Feel free to e-mail me at Katfuentes28@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon! Happy Holidays!
Hi Allison,
Daniel’s mom passed away few days ago, so he is flying to Ethiopia tomorrow 10/14/14. I have managed to fit in few things in his luggage for you. I have your Arsi Robe address on the package, but he will drop it in Addis’ Peace Corp Headquarters. He has to figure out where the office is once he gets there.) I will try to call you in the mean time and see if you will be passing through Addis in the next 2 weeks on your way to the training that is coming up. We’ll see.
Keep up the good work. Miss you dearly,
Semhal
Hi Allison,
My name is Elaine. I’m joining Peace Corps in Ethiopia and I’ll be leaving in 2 weeks (I’m part of the G12 group). Your posts and photos are great and I’m happy I stumbled upon your blog — it’s given me a nice snapshot into my future. Hopefully I’ll get to meet you in Ethiopia!
Hi Elaine! Thank you for reading my blog. I wish I could offer more stories but you’ll soon learn how difficult the Internet is in Ethiopia 😉 All of us are excited for G12 to arrive! Are you Health or Ag? I’m in the states for vacation until January 3rd so if you have any questions feel free to contact me! I’m arriving in Addis a week before you so I’ll be sure to warm it up for you 😉
I’m Ag! Is there anything you wish you would’ve know before you started? What do you wish you would’ve brought/didn’t bring? Can I buy rainboots there? What’s a good gift for my host family?
I wish I would have known how much attention would be on me ALL THE TIME, haha. I wish I would have brought more clothes that I like. The style here is very similar to American style and 90% of the time I feel like I’m dressed in rags. I haven’t seen rainboots and I would HIGHLY suggest bringing them. My town has rain for about half the year, which means a ton of mud! If they can’t fit in your luggage I would suggest having some sent. As for host family gifts every host family is different. I brought personal gifts that represented my hometown but I think my family would have preferred something more valuable, unfortunately. I would say bring two small things, something personal and something useful (like cards or an umbrella).