Just shy of my 27th birthday, I committed to spending six months in Ethiopia. Speaking of birthdays, as I recall, I spent that one intimately acquainted with the "porcelain" as the smell of sewage wafted up from the hole in the bathroom floor. Looking back now, I realize just how young I was when I boarded that plane. I was among one of the first fellows in a new program that sought to build bridges between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and academic medical institutions in both Ethiopia and Seattle.

Over the course of my time in country, I conducted an extensive assessment exploring opportunities for collaboration between faith and health systems. Among our findings was an opportunity to work alongside faith leaders to help reconnect people living with HIV to lifesaving treatment after some had been encouraged to abandon their medications in pursuit of healing through faith and holy water alone.

The work itself was deeply meaningful, but the experience was also profoundly personal. Living in Ethiopia as a young, single woman challenged me in ways I could not have anticipated, and in ways I am choosing not to recount here. I spent my days navigating unfamiliar cultural norms, government bureaucracy, and the humbling process of learning a new language. It was a season of learning, discomfort, and also of  growth—an experience that shaped me far more than I understood at the time.

The fellowship that brought me there has continued to grow and evolve over the years and remains active today. The photographs in this gallery are drawn from that season of my life. They are glimpses of a country and a people who taught me much, challenged me deeply, and left an imprint that remains with me to this day.

Learn more about the fellowship program through SCOPE Health.