One thing I don’t do nearly enough is return to destinations I’ve previously visited. Coming back to Ethiopia was well worth the second time around. Naturally, the familiarity made Addis Ababa feel more like home and less like an intimidating lesser developed metropolis. But do not allow me to fool you. This second time around wasn’t an exact replica to the first which is full of the warmest and fuzziest memories of any trip ever taken and marked with a stamp in my passport to prove it. There were definitely some differences and only a couple challenges worth noting.

For starters I was accompanied by four individuals I’d previously built with and 13 new faces. Meaning aside from Yoseph, there were 16 of us total. This was the largest group I’ve lead on a GV project to-date yet, I didn’t do it alone. The project was Co-Lead by Hannah, who was a volunteer on the project in 2008. Together, I think we did a pretty awesome job. The hard part about Co-Leadership is ensuring that the secondary leader is seen as such by the group and as a Team Leader, making sure I’ve relinquished some of the responsibility to that person. Crazy as it may seem, hoarding the responsibility is something that can easily happen.

Having Hannah around for this trip was good. As much as we are alike in our desire to heal the world (especially Ethiopia) of poverty housing, we are still different people. Our thought processes are different which was great in dealing with issues when they arose. Thankfully, there were very few problems with the group.

The team was diverse. They were mighty and committed and dedicated to the project. For the most part they were all flexible. Not everyone is a fan of Ethiopian food which is understandable given the texture and the abundance of delicious veggies. I’m just so grateful that the families in Debre Markos continue to do such a great job of prepping the food on site that no one gets / got sick on the build.

Because of the timing of the project we were also able to celebrate World Habitat Day in the field. This actually landed on the date of our arrival in Debre Markos so it got mashed up into the welcome ceremony. It was quite the pleasant reception too. Those of us who were returning to the community were met with large banners draped on houses and the break tent with our names in both English and Amharic. The priests were there drumming, the families were clapping and children met us with yellow wild flowers. Personally, I was highly elated.

Back to World Habitat Day though. The theme this year is “BUILD LOUDER”. For 2010 Habitat for Humanity International is looking fo