Here are just a few observations I have made that are new or changed from last year.
Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a highlight of life and hospitality here. We experienced Ethiopian coffee ceremony in a private home of one of the teachers today. We were all invited to test the aroma of the fresh roasted beans by wafting the steam near our noses.
We enjoyed a lovely meal of many dishes made in our honor which were mildly seasoned. The lentils were especially good. We had stuffed hot peppers as a side dish which were intense but tasty. Hot peppers are just very much what you eat here and of course injera.
Yesterday we visited Addis Ababa for shopping. The name means new flower. I don't find Addis that fresh or new looking and I don't see it as a beautiful city. We visited a shop which is somewhat a fair trade shop and a market where you can barter and there are lots of store like shops. There are beggars around. Miss Sherrie says don't make eye contact. It's a sad thing that there are people who will disfigure children to make more money begging. As in America it is most often best to work through a knowledgeable charity.
On the road we saw small tef farms. The tef is always the neatest looking stack even in the most minimal looking households and everyone has a fence. Some are wire, some are corrugated metal and some are sticks and thorn shrubs. I have read of fences like this in fiction but not observed before. They seem pretty effective in appearance to me.
We learned some food customs here as well. We as guests as well as the head of household, teachers father were served first. The men get to eat and the children, the women wait and eat what is left. Teacher Zemen's husband fed her large bites of his food. She said this is customary among couple who love each other very much.
It is common for couples to live apart large amounts of the time. Zemen's husband mostly lives in Addis. He is the head consultant for Prison ministry in this nation. He told us a bit about the prison system. I was pleased to hear that is not common for there to be long unjust imprisonment in this county. Despite living apart at times people here value family and children. I don't think I would find a child here unattended and decide to sit on my lap for a long time. Someone would be watching closer.
We have also been able to see examples of cultural dances. Each tribal group has their own style. Some move the hips, some the shoulders, some have different fluttering hand motions. The PP3 children did a song with bits of cultural dance in it for recitation. It was very very cute.
One more passing observation that is not so much cultural as it is observation of the people. I find the Ethiopian people to be very very attractive. They have I believe what is called a patrician nose and high foreheads. Their skin color varies from very dark to almost a darker tan color but the nose and forehead seem to be a strong trait of the people.
Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a highlight of life and hospitality here. We experienced Ethiopian coffee ceremony in a private home of one of the teachers today. We were all invited to test the aroma of the fresh roasted beans by wafting the steam near our noses.
We enjoyed a lovely meal of many dishes made in our honor which were mildly seasoned. The lentils were especially good. We had stuffed hot peppers as a side dish which were intense but tasty. Hot peppers are just very much what you eat here and of course injera.
Yesterday we visited Addis Ababa for shopping. The name means new flower. I don't find Addis that fresh or new looking and I don't see it as a beautiful city. We visited a shop which is somewhat a fair trade shop and a market where you can barter and there are lots of store like shops. There are beggars around. Miss Sherrie says don't make eye contact. It's a sad thing that there are people who will disfigure children to make more money begging. As in America it is most often best to work through a knowledgeable charity.
On the road we saw small tef farms. The tef is always the neatest looking stack even in the most minimal looking households and everyone has a fence. Some are wire, some are corrugated metal and some are sticks and thorn shrubs. I have read of fences like this in fiction but not observed before. They seem pretty effective in appearance to me.
We learned some food customs here as well. We as guests as well as the head of household, teachers father were served first. The men get to eat and the children, the women wait and eat what is left. Teacher Zemen's husband fed her large bites of his food. She said this is customary among couple who love each other very much.
It is common for couples to live apart large amounts of the time. Zemen's husband mostly lives in Addis. He is the head consultant for Prison ministry in this nation. He told us a bit about the prison system. I was pleased to hear that is not common for there to be long unjust imprisonment in this county. Despite living apart at times people here value family and children. I don't think I would find a child here unattended and decide to sit on my lap for a long time. Someone would be watching closer.
We have also been able to see examples of cultural dances. Each tribal group has their own style. Some move the hips, some the shoulders, some have different fluttering hand motions. The PP3 children did a song with bits of cultural dance in it for recitation. It was very very cute.
One more passing observation that is not so much cultural as it is observation of the people. I find the Ethiopian people to be very very attractive. They have I believe what is called a patrician nose and high foreheads. Their skin color varies from very dark to almost a darker tan color but the nose and forehead seem to be a strong trait of the people.
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