I remember the day clearly — August 17, 2025 — my birthday. It was the day I deployed to my assigned site as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer: Jimma Zone, Kersa Woreda, Balla Wajito Kebele. That morning, the sky wept gently, as if the heavens themselves were preparing me for the emotions ahead. The rain fell in a soft but steady rhythm, painting the earth in shades of brown and green. Fog curled around the hills like whispered prayers, and the air was thick with the scent of wet soil and eucalyptus.
Before the Assignment…….
A few weeks before deployment, I went to church, seeking peace for the road ahead. Surrounded by candlelight and quiet, I asked God for strength and clarity.
On the day of the site announcement, we played games, but I couldn’t focus. My heart was too full of questions. When I opened my envelope and read “Jimma,” I was stunned. A place unknown to me, distant, unfamiliar, and yet, somehow meant to be.
“Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” – African proverb
The Journey to Site……
August 17, my birthday, and the day I left for my site. Rain tapped gently on the bus windows as we climbed into the hills. The road twisted like the questions in my mind: Will I belong? Can I adapt?
The fog thickened as we neared Jimma, cloaking the land in silence — as if it was waiting to reveal itself slowly.
“He who learns, teaches.” – Ethiopian proverb
A Mother’s Welcome…….
And then, I arrived.
The first person I met was my host mother — a woman who changed everything. Though I was a stranger to her, she welcomed me with a radiant smile and a hug so warm it melted away all the cold the rain had left in my bones. There was hesitation in her embrace, no barrier between us.
She placed me among her children as if I were one of them. She cooked for me, offered me a meal , and began to teach me the quiet wisdom of rural life: how to approach people with humility, how to listen more than speak, how to open your heart before you open your mouth.
We shared no language, no religion, no background — except one thing: we were both human.
“Even the best cooking pot will not produce food.” – African proverb
(It takes people — connection — to make life full.)
Her kindness calmed me. Her gentleness gave me strength. For the first time, I felt safe, not just physically, but emotionally. She had never left her community, yet she understood the universal language of love and generosity better than most. I started to wonder: Was this who she had always been? Or had the community shaped her into this gracious soul? Either way, she was a reflection of something good and pure.
A Living Gif…..
She became more than just a host to me. She was a mother gifted to her children, a wife gifted to her husband, a woman gifted to her community — and a birthday gift to me, wrapped not in paper, but in patience, grace, and humility.
“Kindness is like butter — it works best when you spread it.” – African proverb
In her, I saw the heart of the community. And in that heart, I found my place.
She reminded me that while language, religion, and culture may differ, what brings us together is far more powerful than what separates us. It is our shared humanity — the sacred, invisible thread that binds us all.
Final Thoughts……..
Now, whenever I look back on that day — my birthday — I no longer think of the rain, the fog, or the uncertainty.
I think of her.
She was my first guide into a world I didn’t know I needed , and the first answer to a prayer I didn’t know God had already heard.
She was my birthday gift , not wrapped in glitter or ribbon, but in the purest form of love a stranger could offer.
“I am because we are.” – Ubuntu proverb
