It’s 2am, and the Orthodox Church nearby has an excellent
set of speakers. Hopefully I can catch
more shut-eye here soon when the melatonin kicks in.
In the meantime, I have been so blessed to see God’s kindness
towards us on this trip. Our hosts at
the guest house, Ephraim and Yeshi, are believers in Jesus and the fellowship
has been so wonderful. We haven’t talked
extensively with them, but the times that we have are fun and relaxed. They
have true joy in serving others, and their guest house is a comfortable place
to rest. We love their children, Naomi
and Sammy. Naomi (pronounced ‘No-AH-me’
in Amharic) warmed up to me this morning and we sat and popped bubble wrap
together for quite some time. I guess
some things are totally cross cultural!
I was impressed by the dexterity of her two-year-old fingers, and her
ability to communicate without saying a word.
Yeshi and I will probably go get our hair braided at some point. Apparently it’s only about $2 USD. Sweet!
This evening, we met the other couple that is staying here
this week, Jack and Ashley from Ohio. They
are here meeting their 15 month old son, who wailed inconsolably today when
they first met him. It’s refreshing to
run into another couple with a similar background, similar values, and a fellow
belief in Jesus. This is their second
adoption from Ethiopia, and they are great to have around for advice and
ideas. How great to know that there are
other normal (or equally as strange?) people in the world, and we are grateful
God allowed our paths to cross in the middle of Africa!
Can’t beat it: around the dinner table with an Ethiopian
family, a family from “near” home, and us, practicing for Heaven when we will
spend eternity in similar fashion. God
is indeed good!
I am so loving the culture here. Never having been to Ethiopia before, or even
Africa, I only knew what I had read or heard second hand. I had heard that Ethiopians love children. That
is TRUE! Philip and I were talking before lunch today and it seems that in the
States, parents show love to children by giving them stuff and expecting them
to be occupied with their material possessions.
Here, they don’t have an abundance of stuff to give their children. So, they give them the gift of relationships,
which has far greater value. There are
children everywhere, accompanying adults in all activities. They all seem content, not demanding, and are
part of the ebb and flow of daily life here.
It seems that Ethiopians look out for each other. No one is in a hurry. Everything gets done eventually. Along the way, relationships are built and
maintained, children are brought along, and there is a mutual love and respect
for others. It’s easy to get used to
that! It’s super common to see people
hugging in greeting or touching throughout daily activities, showing a bond of
affection. No one cares about appearance
or time or schedule. It’s allllll
relational! I’m thankful for the
training I have had in the past years that has helped prepare me to adapt and
be comfortable here. I have heard fellow
adoptive parents describe Addis as “just a dirty city”. Well, there is dirt here, but if that is all
you see, you miss out on the richness of culture. Americans have MUCH we can
learn from these people! |
| caught a soldier... in blue camo. |
I have never seen such an ingenious culture. They don’t have ready access to gadgets, so
they improvise. Need a bigger
wheelbarrow? Use cardboard! Streets get muddy? Build higher.
Goat won’t be led? Grab its front
feet and make it walk on its hind feet.
Want a sheep? There are hundreds
in the market. In the middle of the
city. Need a place to keep a
donkey? The middle of the road is
acceptable. There are sewing machines on
random corners with people available to mend.
People mend shoes on other street corners. There are cabbages, bananas, fruit, tires,
underwear, bed frames, sunglasses, flatbread, and everything else imaginable
sold almost everywhere.
A few oddities: chanting at 3am. Perhaps over time it
becomes a lullaby? The military wears
camo that is blue. I’m not sure what
they are trying to blend in with. Green,
brown, gray, all understandable.
Blue?? Hopefully I can catch a
picture on the sly and share it with you.
It’s kinda odd.
Ok, let’s try this “sleep” thing again. Ciao for now.
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