I’m going to keep this post short. I wanted to share with you Christmas pictures if you are interested in taking a glance. The kids were decked out in traditional Garb. Dagi's headdress was craking us up. I hope you enjoy these:
http://gallery.me.com/thedopestethiopian#100020
Cheers.
ps. Gogo and I were swimming partners the following day!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Langano Trip
Sunday morning we set out on our only family trip. We headed to Sabana, a new resort on Lake Langano - sorry, I don’t have a map to show you where it is, but you can look it up. It’s about 200km from Addis Abeba, the city where our house is. Langano is one of the seven lakes that I believe were formed from seismic plate movements that resulted in what’s known as the Ethiopian Rift Valley.
We were supposed to set out on our trip around 7am, but as you all probably know by now, MST (minority standard time) is not as prompt as we would like it to be. With the help of Khalid, our driver, my brother Mikhael loaded up our Toyota ‘mini-bus’ as they call it here, and we hit the road around 8:45. It was a perfect morning. The sun was out, but it was a little windy, hence my scarf, so don’t make fun!
Anywho, once we got outside the city limits, we saw many peasants and farmers sporting their ‘Gary’ (horse and carriage...sometimes donkey and carriage) - it would be really funny to have the name Gary in Ethiopia. We took a pit stop in Zewai. The kids wanted to go on a Gary ride...well ok, the kids and I wanted to go on a Gary ride. Garies are also used to Taxi people around, so we rented one from an old man. He said his horse’s name is Guracha, which means Blackie in Oromomigna - the Oromo people comprise of the majority in Ethiopia, they also are known for having vast farms and gold mines...my mother is Oromo - Gogo kept screaming ‘I can’t believe it...the horsie is going so fast...I’m going to get one for my birthday’ - he was cracking everyone up.
After our little stop off in Zewai, we drove straight to Langano. The view was breathtaking in person, although I fear that the pictures might not do the real thing justice. There are a few other resorts on the river - Bekele Mola, Bishangari, Wabishebele, but I think Sabana is by far the cleanest and best designed resort in the area.
I’m writing this on the way back to Addis in the car, so I best keep it short. We saw some wild dogs chomping on a dead cow. They were surrounded by vultures. I just realized that I forgot to take a video!!!!
We stopped off in a small resort right outside the city on our way back, but apparently it’s for members only. The facility looked absolutely fantastic though. I guess I’ll have to go there on my next trip. There were bunnies and small dear like animals all over the place. I think they were domesticated by the resort folks. The place is called Kuriftu if you want to look it up.
I only have two more days left here in Ethiopia. As much as I’d like to add one more post, I don’t think I’m going to have the time. Well, goodbye for now. I’ll see most of you when I’m on State side. I’ll be putting together a video of my trip when I get back to Portland, so stay tuned!
ps. Most of the shots that you see are a glimpse what rural Ethiopia looks like. For a more complete city and lifestyle view, you should check out Flickr. I don't want you guys to think that Addis, Mekele, and some of the other cities in Ethiopia are like these pictures.
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Here is my link to more shots from our trip: http://gallery.me.com/thedopestethiopian#100008
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Love + Happiness
We were supposed to set out on our trip around 7am, but as you all probably know by now, MST (minority standard time) is not as prompt as we would like it to be. With the help of Khalid, our driver, my brother Mikhael loaded up our Toyota ‘mini-bus’ as they call it here, and we hit the road around 8:45. It was a perfect morning. The sun was out, but it was a little windy, hence my scarf, so don’t make fun!
Anywho, once we got outside the city limits, we saw many peasants and farmers sporting their ‘Gary’ (horse and carriage...sometimes donkey and carriage) - it would be really funny to have the name Gary in Ethiopia. We took a pit stop in Zewai. The kids wanted to go on a Gary ride...well ok, the kids and I wanted to go on a Gary ride. Garies are also used to Taxi people around, so we rented one from an old man. He said his horse’s name is Guracha, which means Blackie in Oromomigna - the Oromo people comprise of the majority in Ethiopia, they also are known for having vast farms and gold mines...my mother is Oromo - Gogo kept screaming ‘I can’t believe it...the horsie is going so fast...I’m going to get one for my birthday’ - he was cracking everyone up.
After our little stop off in Zewai, we drove straight to Langano. The view was breathtaking in person, although I fear that the pictures might not do the real thing justice. There are a few other resorts on the river - Bekele Mola, Bishangari, Wabishebele, but I think Sabana is by far the cleanest and best designed resort in the area.
I’m writing this on the way back to Addis in the car, so I best keep it short. We saw some wild dogs chomping on a dead cow. They were surrounded by vultures. I just realized that I forgot to take a video!!!!
We stopped off in a small resort right outside the city on our way back, but apparently it’s for members only. The facility looked absolutely fantastic though. I guess I’ll have to go there on my next trip. There were bunnies and small dear like animals all over the place. I think they were domesticated by the resort folks. The place is called Kuriftu if you want to look it up.
I only have two more days left here in Ethiopia. As much as I’d like to add one more post, I don’t think I’m going to have the time. Well, goodbye for now. I’ll see most of you when I’m on State side. I’ll be putting together a video of my trip when I get back to Portland, so stay tuned!
ps. Most of the shots that you see are a glimpse what rural Ethiopia looks like. For a more complete city and lifestyle view, you should check out Flickr. I don't want you guys to think that Addis, Mekele, and some of the other cities in Ethiopia are like these pictures.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Here is my link to more shots from our trip: http://gallery.me.com/thedopestethiopian#100008
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Love + Happiness
Friday, January 9, 2009
Lunch Invite
I had the most amazing lunch at a family friend’s place. The coffee was roasted, ground, and brewed right in front of us. Enjoy the pics.
Kiros’, our host, is a childhood friend of my mothers. Her daughter and my sister, Mali, practically grew up as sisters. Kiros introduced us to a boy she is temporarily caring for. His name is Natti. Sadly, he is deaf so the communication between us was a little hard, but he is a loving kid. I believe he is an orphan and used to live in the streets in her neighborhood. Dagi and Gogo, my two nephews were a little reluctant when it came to playing with him...they simply didn’t know how to act towards him or react to him, but being the care free loving kids that they are, it didn’t take long before they gave him one of their toys and started playing with him.
Sorry to keep these posts short. I’ve had very little time to spend on my computer. We are going to Lake Langano on Sunday, so stay tuned for some exciting pictures.
Until then.
Kiros’, our host, is a childhood friend of my mothers. Her daughter and my sister, Mali, practically grew up as sisters. Kiros introduced us to a boy she is temporarily caring for. His name is Natti. Sadly, he is deaf so the communication between us was a little hard, but he is a loving kid. I believe he is an orphan and used to live in the streets in her neighborhood. Dagi and Gogo, my two nephews were a little reluctant when it came to playing with him...they simply didn’t know how to act towards him or react to him, but being the care free loving kids that they are, it didn’t take long before they gave him one of their toys and started playing with him.
Sorry to keep these posts short. I’ve had very little time to spend on my computer. We are going to Lake Langano on Sunday, so stay tuned for some exciting pictures.
Until then.
First Dinner Outing
I just had a really cool dinner at a new spot called Yod Abyssinia. Traditional food, traditional dancing and entertainment, and to top off the evening traditional coffee accompanied with some incense. I also went to a place called the Golf Club with my mom for some one on one time...it’s so hard to get her by herself with all of us being home.
Enjoy the pics.
Enjoy the pics.
A funeral and
Hey folks, I just wrapped up my second week in Ethi and I must say, I’m starting to feel at home. We were invited to my aunt Kiros’ place yesterday for lunch and I tell you it was a feast. Pictures don’t do Ethiopian food justice, so I opted to not take any shots of the food. Anyhow, after stuffing our faces, we had some coffee....my first home made Ethiopian coffee experience in a very long time. You can see from the picture how the setup looks. The coffee is roasted, ground and brewed right in front of you. The aroma that fills the room is simply divine, the taste is amazingly fresh and bold. We attended a funeral last week. He was a family friend. I never met him, but he was very well known and respected here in the country. He was a mayor, then a vis to the prime minister as well as an ambassador to a couple of different countries. He was also kin to royalty - 4th generation to Emperor Yohanes. He started a lot of different programs around the country for the youth and for the under privileged. He had attended Oxford and Exeter College. He was in his 90s when he died in the middle of the night in his sleep. As the priest was reading the eulogy to a crowd of over a five hundred people, he said that he had lived a righteous life and died the death of a righteous man. He was allowed to be buried among royalty. Most churches in Ethiopia have burial grounds right on the church grounds, and this church is one of the oldest and most renowned churches in Ethiopia. It’s called Selasse, which means Trinity....it was my favorite church to visit when I was younger. There is den inside the church that still houses some ancient artifacts from the previous Emperors and Empresses such as crowns and royal robes. I’m hoping I’ll be able to take a tour next week. Coincidentally, this man was buried at the same church that both my brother and father are, but I wasn’t ready to visit them yet. I’ll probably make that trip next week.
I hope you enjoy the pictures and a short movie from the ceremony.
Friday, January 2, 2009
1st Week
Hi Everyone!
This is Margo. Bemnet has had troubles connecting to the internet, as he mentions below. When he was first able to get a good connection, he realized the blog address is blocked for security reasons in Ethiopia. He emailed the post and pictures to me so that I can share it with all of you.
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Wow, I can’t believe I’m home. It’s a little surreal. My two nephew’s are a total hoot! Dagi (6) is the affectionate one. He randomly hugs me and tells me he loves me. He reminds me so much of my brother. He is unlike any other kid! Gogo (4) is the street smart comedian. When you take a picture of him, all you have to do is tell him ‘show me cool’ and he’ll give you the funniest pose. They both have so much of my late brother, Worke’s personality and charm. The older one remembers him. Dagi was 4 when Worke passed away. When he first met me a few days ago, he thought that I was him. He wouldn’t take his eye’s off me. I think he probably thought that his beloved dad came back much skinnier and darker ☺. I think it was partly the longing that he had in his heart for his dad, but also partly because I look a lot like Worke.
My older brother Mikhael picked me up from the airport and brought me home. My mother was the first to greet me. We immediately started mourning my brother. You see, in Ethiopia, if you are coming home and were absent during a loved ones funeral or even the mourning period, you have to first pay your respect by crying and mourn your loss before you move on to conversation and greetings, even with your own mother. My brother was taping this reunion, so I’ll share it with you as soon as I am state side.
The past couple of days have been all about catch-up. My sister Hiwot from LA arrived the day before I did. My other sister Mali will be getting here on Sunday. Our house is just stirring with energy. It’s quite exciting. I haven’t been able to do much other than eat and play with the kids, so hopefully my next post will include pictures from the city and the surroundings.
This morning (Saturday), my brother Mikhael and I woke up around 6 and decided to go out for a walk to a coffee shop a mile away. On our walk back, we decided to take a different route through a small neighborhood. The narrow road, much like most small neighborhoods in Addis, didn’t have a side walk, so the cars and the people along with the occasional sightings of sheep or goats, share the road. Needless to say, it can be a bit dangerous in that some of the cars on the road would come frighteningly close and at alarming speeds too. Anyhow, we started walking right past a very old man. He had a walking stick in his hand, but wasn’t using it. He was walking quite slow and close to the middle of the road. A car was heading directly at us and seemed too close for comfort, so Mikhael pulled the old man closer ‘ababa, be careful’. As the car passed by, the old man responded to my brother ‘Ged yelem yene lij, hulu guzo new’ which means ‘it’s ok my son, it’s all a journey’ - I’m not quite sure what he meant, but I gather he probably meant that even in death there is a road to be traveled - not sure exactly what that means either actually ☺. Anyhow, my brother started a conversation with the old man. We kept walking with him. He told us that he was born in 1910 (western calendar) and that he had seen quite a bit in his life. Apparently he had to flee from his village during the attempted Italian invasion some time ago - I think around early 1930s. As we parted ways my brother gave the old man some change as it is customary to do for the poor in our country, ‘Le shahi’ (for tea) as we say here. My brother asked him which church he was going to, and the old man replied St. Mikhael’s (same saint my brother was named after). Coincidence? I think not. Well, we received our blessing from the old man and headed home. I wish I had my camera on me! Note to self, never leave home without Canon!
Well, I’m watching Kung Fu Panda now with the lil goofball nephews of mine...by the way, you can pretty much buy any dvd in the streets, and I’m talking about what’s out in theaters now...anyhow, my nephews call the movie Kefu Panda...Kefu means ‘mean’ in amharic...they think the movie is called Mean Panda. LOL. They are both so loving. They asked me to sit between the two of them and they both cuddle in with me. I tell you, these kids are really something else. I’m not looking forward to leaving them when I return to the states.
Talk to y’all soon.
ps. Internet access in the country is quite horrid. We just got our home land land line back up and running again, so I’ll be using dial-up to connect every night to check emails. So please keep ‘em coming.
This is Margo. Bemnet has had troubles connecting to the internet, as he mentions below. When he was first able to get a good connection, he realized the blog address is blocked for security reasons in Ethiopia. He emailed the post and pictures to me so that I can share it with all of you.
----------------------------------------------------------
Wow, I can’t believe I’m home. It’s a little surreal. My two nephew’s are a total hoot! Dagi (6) is the affectionate one. He randomly hugs me and tells me he loves me. He reminds me so much of my brother. He is unlike any other kid! Gogo (4) is the street smart comedian. When you take a picture of him, all you have to do is tell him ‘show me cool’ and he’ll give you the funniest pose. They both have so much of my late brother, Worke’s personality and charm. The older one remembers him. Dagi was 4 when Worke passed away. When he first met me a few days ago, he thought that I was him. He wouldn’t take his eye’s off me. I think he probably thought that his beloved dad came back much skinnier and darker ☺. I think it was partly the longing that he had in his heart for his dad, but also partly because I look a lot like Worke.
My older brother Mikhael picked me up from the airport and brought me home. My mother was the first to greet me. We immediately started mourning my brother. You see, in Ethiopia, if you are coming home and were absent during a loved ones funeral or even the mourning period, you have to first pay your respect by crying and mourn your loss before you move on to conversation and greetings, even with your own mother. My brother was taping this reunion, so I’ll share it with you as soon as I am state side.
The past couple of days have been all about catch-up. My sister Hiwot from LA arrived the day before I did. My other sister Mali will be getting here on Sunday. Our house is just stirring with energy. It’s quite exciting. I haven’t been able to do much other than eat and play with the kids, so hopefully my next post will include pictures from the city and the surroundings.
This morning (Saturday), my brother Mikhael and I woke up around 6 and decided to go out for a walk to a coffee shop a mile away. On our walk back, we decided to take a different route through a small neighborhood. The narrow road, much like most small neighborhoods in Addis, didn’t have a side walk, so the cars and the people along with the occasional sightings of sheep or goats, share the road. Needless to say, it can be a bit dangerous in that some of the cars on the road would come frighteningly close and at alarming speeds too. Anyhow, we started walking right past a very old man. He had a walking stick in his hand, but wasn’t using it. He was walking quite slow and close to the middle of the road. A car was heading directly at us and seemed too close for comfort, so Mikhael pulled the old man closer ‘ababa, be careful’. As the car passed by, the old man responded to my brother ‘Ged yelem yene lij, hulu guzo new’ which means ‘it’s ok my son, it’s all a journey’ - I’m not quite sure what he meant, but I gather he probably meant that even in death there is a road to be traveled - not sure exactly what that means either actually ☺. Anyhow, my brother started a conversation with the old man. We kept walking with him. He told us that he was born in 1910 (western calendar) and that he had seen quite a bit in his life. Apparently he had to flee from his village during the attempted Italian invasion some time ago - I think around early 1930s. As we parted ways my brother gave the old man some change as it is customary to do for the poor in our country, ‘Le shahi’ (for tea) as we say here. My brother asked him which church he was going to, and the old man replied St. Mikhael’s (same saint my brother was named after). Coincidence? I think not. Well, we received our blessing from the old man and headed home. I wish I had my camera on me! Note to self, never leave home without Canon!
Well, I’m watching Kung Fu Panda now with the lil goofball nephews of mine...by the way, you can pretty much buy any dvd in the streets, and I’m talking about what’s out in theaters now...anyhow, my nephews call the movie Kefu Panda...Kefu means ‘mean’ in amharic...they think the movie is called Mean Panda. LOL. They are both so loving. They asked me to sit between the two of them and they both cuddle in with me. I tell you, these kids are really something else. I’m not looking forward to leaving them when I return to the states.
Talk to y’all soon.
ps. Internet access in the country is quite horrid. We just got our home land land line back up and running again, so I’ll be using dial-up to connect every night to check emails. So please keep ‘em coming.
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