It has been quite a while since my last blog post, so this one will be rather packed. Where to start?
Sarah returned to Hawzien with Delphine to work on her last big project of her assignment. She will be spearheading a silkworm project, which will employ farmers from the Millennium Villages in silk production for textiles. Her projected time in the village will be approximately 3 weeks, give or take. She has yet to return to Addis, but will likely only be here for a week before the end of her assignment and the close of her time in Ethiopia. She will be travelling to Tanzania for three weeks of fun for a safari, a week at Zanzibar beach resorts and to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro after her departure from her post here.
Laura returned to Addis Ababa a few weeks ago after her visit to the States to find little change aside from Hiwot's new little one. She quickly returned to the daily regiment of life and so did I. She has been my partner in crime over here, so I was happy to see her return. Back to the daily grind.
Perhaps the biggest news has been the visit of my brother, Joe, along with two of my college friends, Julie and Lindsay. They made their way to Addis Ababa for the week of Thanksgiving. They arrived on Saturday evening, 19 November, and remained here for a week. Their trip, however, was not just of tourism and vacationing. They spent their mornings volunteering at an orphanage with the dozens of toddlers cared for by the Missionaries of Charity here in Addis.
Their afternoons consisted of some sightseeing that I had arranged for them to do around the city and in local surrounding villages. They saw the churches on the top of Entoto Mountain, the women's training centers that Sarah, Laura and I had visited previously, did a bit of horseback riding in the Sululta plains, visited the National Museum where they met Lucy, and checked out the less-than-admirable Lion Zoo. I'm sure that they did more than just those things, but I can't remember everything. It was a rather jam packed week for them.
Some pictures of their outings are below. I stole some from their memory cards before they left so that I could incorporate them into my blog...
They somehow found time to plan a Thanksgiving dinner for the group of us, including Laura of course, before they came to Africa. There is no turkey to be found in Addis Ababa (at least to our knowledge or research), so they brought something that would have to suffice for this year. Turkey Spam. It's not exactly good ol' homecookin', but it was what they could pack and bring over. They brought the "turkey", a couple boxes of StoveTop Stuffing, cans of cranberry sauce, gravy, and miniature pumpkin pies. This was just the food. They also brought some Thanksgiving decorations and some Turkey Day crafts for us to put together. I'm not going to lie; I was thoroughly impressed with their efforts. Wow. I love them so much. I can't express how much I appreciate their travel half way around the world to spend some that time with me.
Thanksgiving was technically on Thursday, but we celebrated on Wednesday, which we called Thanksgiving Eve. Joe fell rather sick that day with a stomach bug. God only knows where he picked that up. He didn't join us for Thanksgiving (Eve) dinner or for craft time since he was resting up and trying to recover. He was feeling a bit better at the end of the night and was miraculously well the next morning. Thank goodness for that!
Some pictures from our celebration that Thanksgiving Eve are here.
On Thursday, all the Americans wished everyone, not only Americans, a very Happy Thanksgiving. We even received a number of Happy Thanksgiving returns from our non-American co-workers and friends. Birkti joined in and wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I'll have her Americanized by the time I leave here whether she likes it or now...
Of course it wasn't the same. We went to work here while most Americans enjoyed a 4-day weekend full of feasting and family time. It was my first Thanksgiving away from America, but with Joe with me that week, I was at least not without my entire family. I'm not so sure how thrilled my mom and dad were to be at a loss of two kids for the holiday, but I know I was happy that he was here with me.
We paid a visit to Hiwot in the afternoon after work and found her with her two little guys. Junior still doesn't have a proper name, so we're he'll continue to be known as such until further notice. Joe and I made blankets for Nathan and Junior but only wrapped Nathan up in his since Junior was already bundled up. Joe played with Nathan so that he would sleep soundly that night. It apparently worked since Hiwot reported back the next day that her oldest son slept like a brick that night.
The actual Thanksgiving Day was a special day even in Ethiopia. First of all, it was Yihenew's birthday. Secondly, it was the day that would prelude the first day of a 40-day fasting period before the Ethiopian Christmas in January. So, Thursday would be the last day that Ethiopian Christians would be eating meat, dairy products or eggs until January. Needless to say, there was a lot of protein to be eaten that evening.
We had a feast on Thanksgiving although it wasn't turkey and pumpkin pie. It was a delicious variety of Ethiopian dishes served together, called bayeanatu. We also ordered some tibbs, or sliced beef roasted with butter and a bit of spice. The two orders fed a total of nine people with some to spare at the end.
It was the first time that our three guests would see the traditional Ethiopian dancing, and Joe was fortunate enough to get a lesson on shoulder dancing. Joe, Lindsay and Julie also had a taste of the honey wine, tej. A great time was had by all before Birkti took myself and our three guests dancing at a traditional Tigrigna dance club. It wasn't an American Thanksgiving, but it was a memorable one to say the least. Our co-workers here have been such great friends to us. They have hosted and welcomed us and have treated us so well. I'll certainly miss them after I depart in a few short weeks.
The three left on Saturday morning for their journey home. They would be stopping in Zurich, Switzerland along the way for a two-day visit with Julie's brother, Adam, who lives in Germany. I already miss them, but will be reunited with them soon.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sarah returned to Hawzien with Delphine to work on her last big project of her assignment. She will be spearheading a silkworm project, which will employ farmers from the Millennium Villages in silk production for textiles. Her projected time in the village will be approximately 3 weeks, give or take. She has yet to return to Addis, but will likely only be here for a week before the end of her assignment and the close of her time in Ethiopia. She will be travelling to Tanzania for three weeks of fun for a safari, a week at Zanzibar beach resorts and to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro after her departure from her post here.
Laura returned to Addis Ababa a few weeks ago after her visit to the States to find little change aside from Hiwot's new little one. She quickly returned to the daily regiment of life and so did I. She has been my partner in crime over here, so I was happy to see her return. Back to the daily grind.
Perhaps the biggest news has been the visit of my brother, Joe, along with two of my college friends, Julie and Lindsay. They made their way to Addis Ababa for the week of Thanksgiving. They arrived on Saturday evening, 19 November, and remained here for a week. Their trip, however, was not just of tourism and vacationing. They spent their mornings volunteering at an orphanage with the dozens of toddlers cared for by the Missionaries of Charity here in Addis.
Their afternoons consisted of some sightseeing that I had arranged for them to do around the city and in local surrounding villages. They saw the churches on the top of Entoto Mountain, the women's training centers that Sarah, Laura and I had visited previously, did a bit of horseback riding in the Sululta plains, visited the National Museum where they met Lucy, and checked out the less-than-admirable Lion Zoo. I'm sure that they did more than just those things, but I can't remember everything. It was a rather jam packed week for them.
Some pictures of their outings are below. I stole some from their memory cards before they left so that I could incorporate them into my blog...
They somehow found time to plan a Thanksgiving dinner for the group of us, including Laura of course, before they came to Africa. There is no turkey to be found in Addis Ababa (at least to our knowledge or research), so they brought something that would have to suffice for this year. Turkey Spam. It's not exactly good ol' homecookin', but it was what they could pack and bring over. They brought the "turkey", a couple boxes of StoveTop Stuffing, cans of cranberry sauce, gravy, and miniature pumpkin pies. This was just the food. They also brought some Thanksgiving decorations and some Turkey Day crafts for us to put together. I'm not going to lie; I was thoroughly impressed with their efforts. Wow. I love them so much. I can't express how much I appreciate their travel half way around the world to spend some that time with me.
Thanksgiving was technically on Thursday, but we celebrated on Wednesday, which we called Thanksgiving Eve. Joe fell rather sick that day with a stomach bug. God only knows where he picked that up. He didn't join us for Thanksgiving (Eve) dinner or for craft time since he was resting up and trying to recover. He was feeling a bit better at the end of the night and was miraculously well the next morning. Thank goodness for that!
Some pictures from our celebration that Thanksgiving Eve are here.
On Thursday, all the Americans wished everyone, not only Americans, a very Happy Thanksgiving. We even received a number of Happy Thanksgiving returns from our non-American co-workers and friends. Birkti joined in and wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I'll have her Americanized by the time I leave here whether she likes it or now...
Of course it wasn't the same. We went to work here while most Americans enjoyed a 4-day weekend full of feasting and family time. It was my first Thanksgiving away from America, but with Joe with me that week, I was at least not without my entire family. I'm not so sure how thrilled my mom and dad were to be at a loss of two kids for the holiday, but I know I was happy that he was here with me.
We paid a visit to Hiwot in the afternoon after work and found her with her two little guys. Junior still doesn't have a proper name, so we're he'll continue to be known as such until further notice. Joe and I made blankets for Nathan and Junior but only wrapped Nathan up in his since Junior was already bundled up. Joe played with Nathan so that he would sleep soundly that night. It apparently worked since Hiwot reported back the next day that her oldest son slept like a brick that night.
The actual Thanksgiving Day was a special day even in Ethiopia. First of all, it was Yihenew's birthday. Secondly, it was the day that would prelude the first day of a 40-day fasting period before the Ethiopian Christmas in January. So, Thursday would be the last day that Ethiopian Christians would be eating meat, dairy products or eggs until January. Needless to say, there was a lot of protein to be eaten that evening.
We had a feast on Thanksgiving although it wasn't turkey and pumpkin pie. It was a delicious variety of Ethiopian dishes served together, called bayeanatu. We also ordered some tibbs, or sliced beef roasted with butter and a bit of spice. The two orders fed a total of nine people with some to spare at the end.
It was the first time that our three guests would see the traditional Ethiopian dancing, and Joe was fortunate enough to get a lesson on shoulder dancing. Joe, Lindsay and Julie also had a taste of the honey wine, tej. A great time was had by all before Birkti took myself and our three guests dancing at a traditional Tigrigna dance club. It wasn't an American Thanksgiving, but it was a memorable one to say the least. Our co-workers here have been such great friends to us. They have hosted and welcomed us and have treated us so well. I'll certainly miss them after I depart in a few short weeks.
The three left on Saturday morning for their journey home. They would be stopping in Zurich, Switzerland along the way for a two-day visit with Julie's brother, Adam, who lives in Germany. I already miss them, but will be reunited with them soon.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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