Ethiopia Travel Post - Part Three

Continuing on from parts one and two...

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July 1, 2011

Well we just performed, with them, the story of Jonah. It was a lot of fun. Kristin, ___,___, two guys, and myself acted as the sailors. Korie led two guys and a girl as the Ninivites. A boy acted as Jonah. Josh was the fish and plant (he is 6'7") and Keren narrated. It went well; we probably looked absolutely ridiculous! It was fun and gave them a good example. =)

Last night, Korie and I were trying to fall asleep and couldn't quite get there so we decided to make up a story. You know, one of the stories in which you say a word, then they do, and so forth. Well we made a story about Albert the frog. He lived in a pond far away from the land (after-note* I'm really not sure how this got in there, but remember that we were running on little sleep and it was about midnight when we were saying all this). He hopped across London and Paris. In Rome, he sang a song about home - and failed. (I don't understand this part either lol.) Then, a big bird swooped down and picked him up and took him back to the pond. The End. It was hilarious! We were laughing so hard!!!

We will head back to Addis this afternoon. Our teaching will be finished up in a little under two hours. I think that today has been the best day of teaching so far. It's been fun! =) I'm not ready to leave (remember that this is the same town that completely freaked me out on my first night there). I want to stay. I love the people. I love the community aspect that penetrates the foundation of the country. I don't like the food (very much), but that

s survivable. I'm not home sick. I love it here. 

It's sunny outside for the first time since we have been in Gedo. It brightens up the town. I need to take more pictures here. I want to be able to fully remember it. It is probably the worst place that I have stayed (ever), but it is worth it. I am no longer afraid of what might happen. I feel safe again. God is here.

Well there was a huge bee/spider/something (yellow in color) that landed on Josh's leg. He screamed, as did I. It was freaky. (Okay, so this thing was insane. It was like a huge bee. No joke. It was at least the size of half of my palm. Seriously. Carolyn, co-founder of Hope in View and a licensed M.D., said that it probably was a form of bee and could have seriously hurt him if it had bitten him.)

July 2, 2011

We partook in some more home visits today. ____ story hit me the hardest. She is twelve and lives in a home near the dump. She lives with her mom, who is HIV positive; her dad has passed away (which is rather an unusual situation. This was the only time that I heard that the dad died, in every other case, the father had simply left. I would say that a majority of the mothers in Ethiopia are single because their husbands have left. Commitment is something that is not really discussed.). Her mom remarried and that man raped her, causing her to become HIV positive as well. Her stepfather went to court and was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. Both she and her mom surrendered to Christ this afternoon. It was a joy to be a part of it!!

We went to a cultural dinner tonight, which was fun.(Basically we went to a place which served Ethiopian food - like most places - and had cultural dancing as well). All of the girls on the team were given Ethiopia names tonight. It was a joy to be brought into the culture in such a way by our dear friends. My name honors me in a way that I do not feel as if I deserve.

July 3, 2011

We are at Safari Lodge in Nazaret. (The purpose of our time in Nazaret was to debrief from the trip, relax, and use the time to unpack what we had experienced.) It is very nice here, and there is even a shower curtain here! (Something that is very unusual. We only had one at the guest house, because Ron and Carolyn own it; in Awassa, there were not any, so it was a joy to have them here. They are just something that are not used commonly in Ethiopia.) Sometimes I think about what will happen when we get home. Will we forget all that we have experienced and just "fit" back into American culture? Will we apply what we have learned to our lives? How do we do this? What are some practical ways to incorporate these experiences into our daily lives? Will we shed it like a coat upon our departure?

July 4, 2011

It's the 4th of July, and I again miss it (at home). I don't really miss it, though the time with friends and family is fun. Right now, I am sitting in a chair in our bungalow waiting to go to breakfast in about fifteen minutes. The windows are open and outside you hear the buzz of people, the birds singing, maybe some monkeys (very likely), and a few cars. It is very peaceful here, very serene. I feel relaxed here. 

July 5, 2011

Our last full day in Ethiopia. I'm sad to leave, but I don't like living out of a suitcase. I really don't know what I feel. I'm not happy to go home, or excited. But at the same time I miss some of the comforts of home. 

We are going shopping today....I'm excited! =)

>>Shopping was a blast. We all had a great time. I bought a couple Bibles (it is a goal of mine to buy a Bible in the language of each country that I visit). I bought two, because I was primarily in the regions which spoke Amharic or Oromiffa. There are over eighty languages, yes, eighty, in Ethiopia. I also bought some scarves, purses, jewelry and a couple wooden animals (I collect wooden elephants)...some for me, but also some for gifts to my friends and family. I have included a couple pictures below to show you what the two languages that I mentioned look like, as well as what the typical food looks like. 

Amharic

                                         

                                                 Oromiffa

Ethiopian food - the bread-like item is called "Injera" and is eaten with every meal of the day.

July 6, 2011

Well, I will land in about forty minutes. It's hard to believe that I am almost home. Our flight to Istanbul was delayed about forty-five minutes, so Korie, Dan, Josh and I played Euchre on the airport floor. We played again in the Istanbul airport. 

I've seen a lot on this trip: 6x6 houses, lots of dead carcasses, an Ethiopian midget (it was awesome!), three dead hyenas, several hippos, devil-cats (seriously, this one cat was freaking us out...), monkeys so close that you could almost took them, and much more. The places are no longer just sections on a map, but real. The people are no linger just nameless faces or named people, but living, breathing humans. What is happening in the Kingdom of God globally is amazing! It is fascinating what you can see when God opens your eyes!

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Well, that concludes my travel memories. What do you think? What questions do you have? Honestly, I would love for you to ask me questions about this because that helps me to know what to talk about, and also to know what you are interested in. In my next post, I will probably include some of the language, so that you can see a bit more of the culture. Anything else I should try to include?

Blessings,

Hannah