Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Things have been moving along as though Tamirat has been here forever. His english is coming along. I have him doing Rosetta Stone English every day after school. He is mostly picking it up everywhere else. I think it is teaching him sentence structure. Rather than using simple words like "He go school" he is learning "He goes to school." He understands main words but it is the other words he needs to make a proper sentence.
Food is still difficult. We haven't been finding anything else new. We are going camping this weekend. Tamirat and Alex have off Friday so we will set up Thursday and stay until Monday. Point Beach is where we will be. His first camping trip. It will be interesting as to what he will eat! I can't do Ethiopian.
Tamirat loves riding a bike! Because we don't live in the city, all he has is our driveway, which is long. I took him out on the country road last night and did three miles. He flew! He has a small bike that we have here for our grandson so he has to pedal twice as much to get somewhere.
Soccer has been a huge hit with him. He has made friends. He has fun. He loves running.
World Soccer 2010 on Playstation is an addiction for him! He loves to sit and play. We have to ask him to get done and do other things.
And then there is Sponge Bob. After English, he watches Sponge Bob.
Things are going very well.
Food is still difficult. We haven't been finding anything else new. We are going camping this weekend. Tamirat and Alex have off Friday so we will set up Thursday and stay until Monday. Point Beach is where we will be. His first camping trip. It will be interesting as to what he will eat! I can't do Ethiopian.
Tamirat loves riding a bike! Because we don't live in the city, all he has is our driveway, which is long. I took him out on the country road last night and did three miles. He flew! He has a small bike that we have here for our grandson so he has to pedal twice as much to get somewhere.
Soccer has been a huge hit with him. He has made friends. He has fun. He loves running.
World Soccer 2010 on Playstation is an addiction for him! He loves to sit and play. We have to ask him to get done and do other things.
And then there is Sponge Bob. After English, he watches Sponge Bob.
Things are going very well.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Day Three
We headed north to Debre Birhan. Located in the Semien Shewa Zone of the Amhara Region, about 120 kilometers (about 74 miles) north east of Addis Ababa, it is on the paved highway to Dessie. Well, Wikipedia says it's paved but it is all under construction. The roads are gravel and full of potholes for two hours of the three hour ride. It was crazy! The only good thing was that all the cattle traffic was on the old road so we didn't have to watch out for cattle. Hmmm...74 miles should've taken a little over an hour. It took us 3 hours!
Local economy
The Debre Berhan Wool Factory, the first wool factory in Ethiopia, started production was 1 January 1965 with 120 spindles and 6 looms, having the capacity to process one metric ton of wool daily. In its first six months, the factory produced 7,065 blankets in a single-shift operation with a labor force of about 200, of whom 45% were women. The Derg government announced 3 February 1975 that the Debre Berhan Wool Factory was among 14 textile enterprises to be fully nationalised.
This is where we bought Tamirat's mother a new blanket. They said Debre Birhan had good blankets, well, now I know why!
Can you get an idea of the road and how muddy it was?
The children at the orphanage were the sweetest kids! Happy hugs for everybody, as opposed to "I have to give you a hug".
These are all the children with Pastor. I had to block their faces but they are so adorable!
Seth had so much fun with the children! Alex was sick and stayed back at the guest house.
This is the handwashing ceremony:
They made us lunch.
Mmmmm, another coffee ceremony!
This is the dishwasher:
How sad to say good-bye. I fell in love with each of these children.
We headed back to Addis, two hours of pot holes. Our destination: Covenant Church prayer service. The children and their families receive prayer before they journey to America and to their new lives. Just as Pochi was telling the story, the electricity went out. We went up on stage in the dark, they prayed over us, we were ushered out the front door, hopped in the van, and headed back to the guest house.
What an awesome day!
Local economy
The Debre Berhan Wool Factory, the first wool factory in Ethiopia, started production was 1 January 1965 with 120 spindles and 6 looms, having the capacity to process one metric ton of wool daily. In its first six months, the factory produced 7,065 blankets in a single-shift operation with a labor force of about 200, of whom 45% were women. The Derg government announced 3 February 1975 that the Debre Berhan Wool Factory was among 14 textile enterprises to be fully nationalised.
This is where we bought Tamirat's mother a new blanket. They said Debre Birhan had good blankets, well, now I know why!
Can you get an idea of the road and how muddy it was?
The children at the orphanage were the sweetest kids! Happy hugs for everybody, as opposed to "I have to give you a hug".
These are all the children with Pastor. I had to block their faces but they are so adorable!
Seth had so much fun with the children! Alex was sick and stayed back at the guest house.
This is the handwashing ceremony:
They made us lunch.
Mmmmm, another coffee ceremony!
This is the dishwasher:
How sad to say good-bye. I fell in love with each of these children.
We headed back to Addis, two hours of pot holes. Our destination: Covenant Church prayer service. The children and their families receive prayer before they journey to America and to their new lives. Just as Pochi was telling the story, the electricity went out. We went up on stage in the dark, they prayed over us, we were ushered out the front door, hopped in the van, and headed back to the guest house.
What an awesome day!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Our Days
Tamirat has settled in so well. For breakfast, he loves pancakes, eggs, and orange juice. His school starts at 8:30. Bill runs Seth and Alex and I take Tamirat later. Everyday for lunch he takes 2 bananas, an orange, peanuts, and either crackers or bread. Water is his beverage of choice. He will not drink milk. I pick him up at 3:30 everyday and ask him if school was good and he always says yes with a smile. He comes home and plays Play Station World Soccer.
Dinner? He hasn't eaten anything American I have made. He will taste it but it is always a firm no. I have found some Ethiopian dishes that are easy to prepare so I guess he does have food to eat.
Tamirat loves sports! He loves NBA, PGA, Soccer, and even baseball. He is on a soccer team. We are still working on his player card so he can play in a game.
We have had regular contact with Amharic speaking Ethiopian/Americans. He has talked twice now with his "big brother" from the orphanage he was at. This boy has learned English using Rosetta Stone so the last conversation they had, Nebeyu, told his mom he asked Tamirat how he is liking it here. He said Tamirat really like it but he doesn't like the food. He and Nebeyu were close at the orphanage and we can call Nebeyu anytime. We also have a phone number for Teffi who is in Green Bay if we need Tamirat to understand something. The Lord has been providing for all our needs!
Dinner? He hasn't eaten anything American I have made. He will taste it but it is always a firm no. I have found some Ethiopian dishes that are easy to prepare so I guess he does have food to eat.
Tamirat loves sports! He loves NBA, PGA, Soccer, and even baseball. He is on a soccer team. We are still working on his player card so he can play in a game.
We have had regular contact with Amharic speaking Ethiopian/Americans. He has talked twice now with his "big brother" from the orphanage he was at. This boy has learned English using Rosetta Stone so the last conversation they had, Nebeyu, told his mom he asked Tamirat how he is liking it here. He said Tamirat really like it but he doesn't like the food. He and Nebeyu were close at the orphanage and we can call Nebeyu anytime. We also have a phone number for Teffi who is in Green Bay if we need Tamirat to understand something. The Lord has been providing for all our needs!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Coffee Ceremony
We had three of these while in Ethiopia. The coffee is so very good! The reason the little cup? Very strong!
This is the set-up:
She is stirring the green coffee beans while they are roasting.
The smoke means they are getting done.
The beans are done and they fill up these coffee pots with water and heat it up:
The beans are ground into powder in this way:
The coffee powder is then put into the water:
And the finished product:
They had also heated up milk over that kerosene burner. They strain it into the coffee so there is no skin.
The reason behind the coffee ceremony is that the Ethiopians are very poor but coffee is very inexpensive. They have lots of time on their hands so they draw out the making of a pot of coffee.
This is the set-up:
She is stirring the green coffee beans while they are roasting.
The smoke means they are getting done.
The beans are done and they fill up these coffee pots with water and heat it up:
The beans are ground into powder in this way:
The coffee powder is then put into the water:
And the finished product:
They had also heated up milk over that kerosene burner. They strain it into the coffee so there is no skin.
The reason behind the coffee ceremony is that the Ethiopians are very poor but coffee is very inexpensive. They have lots of time on their hands so they draw out the making of a pot of coffee.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Saying Good-Bye
So very tearful for all! Alem wailed. Imagine giving up your child you love very much. Imagine knowing you will never see your child again...well, in this life. Alem is a very strong believer so it is comforting to know that they will all be together in heaven for eternity!
When we got to Ambo, school was just getting out and there were mobs of kids walking home. None had a bus to jump on or carpools or cars or mom and dad picking them up.
The only mode of transportation in Ambo:
Alem was so happy to see her son.
A kiss on her cheek.
This is where she lives.
We went in and had a seat. That is her bed. A mattress on the floor and no blanket because someone stole it.
She has a night stand. A candle for the dark. A photo album of her two youngest.
Alem is a very pretty lady!
We had the pastor pray (Amharic)over Tamirat and Alem. We then walked away to leave and Alem wailed. Tamirat cried. I cried. Bill cried. I can't imagine how hard that was for her. She has had a very hard life. Someone is writing a book on her life and I can't wait to read it.
Our driver giving out all the snacks I had in my purse "in case we got hungry". I discovered how easy it is for us in America to eat when we are hungry. How we can carry snacks so easily. Next time, I will carry more food with me.
Take notice of the soccer ball. It was all they had and they came to show us and ask us if we had a soccer ball for them. Dennis and Ben did but back at their guest house. They gave one to Pochi so on her next trip to Ambo, she can deliver it.
On the way home, we stopped to buy onions from this family. The girls are sitting on the side of the road and selling. Once we stopped, the mother, father, and a grandparent came out.
The little girl was so cute! They must be a very poor family, obvious by her clothes and shoes. After taking her picture they wanted me to give her candy. I had just given out all my food! I had nothing for her.
A common scene....cattle all over. Not sure where they keep moving them to, but they are always on the road.
When we got to Ambo, school was just getting out and there were mobs of kids walking home. None had a bus to jump on or carpools or cars or mom and dad picking them up.
The only mode of transportation in Ambo:
Alem was so happy to see her son.
A kiss on her cheek.
This is where she lives.
We went in and had a seat. That is her bed. A mattress on the floor and no blanket because someone stole it.
She has a night stand. A candle for the dark. A photo album of her two youngest.
Alem is a very pretty lady!
We had the pastor pray (Amharic)over Tamirat and Alem. We then walked away to leave and Alem wailed. Tamirat cried. I cried. Bill cried. I can't imagine how hard that was for her. She has had a very hard life. Someone is writing a book on her life and I can't wait to read it.
Our driver giving out all the snacks I had in my purse "in case we got hungry". I discovered how easy it is for us in America to eat when we are hungry. How we can carry snacks so easily. Next time, I will carry more food with me.
Take notice of the soccer ball. It was all they had and they came to show us and ask us if we had a soccer ball for them. Dennis and Ben did but back at their guest house. They gave one to Pochi so on her next trip to Ambo, she can deliver it.
On the way home, we stopped to buy onions from this family. The girls are sitting on the side of the road and selling. Once we stopped, the mother, father, and a grandparent came out.
The little girl was so cute! They must be a very poor family, obvious by her clothes and shoes. After taking her picture they wanted me to give her candy. I had just given out all my food! I had nothing for her.
A common scene....cattle all over. Not sure where they keep moving them to, but they are always on the road.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Second Day-Covenant Orphanage
On Tuesday, April 20th, Pochi came to get us and bring us to Covenant Orphanage and then we were to go on to Ambo for Tamirat to say good-bye to his mother. The van was full! The pastor from Covenant church came, the director of the orphanages, and Ben and Dennis from WI wanting to meet 2 girls Dennis and his wife were looking to adopt. They were in Ethiopia with Josh, son-in-law and step-son, who was picking up his baby. It was the classic "Three Men and a Baby".
We traveled west, up into the hills. This is a typical house outside of the city and in the villages. They use stripped young trees to make the house frame and cover it with mud, which consist of red soil, chaff, and water.
This is a funeral we passed.
Covenant:
A second kitchen out back in a separate building where they can build fires and cook the Ethiopian dishes:
This is the other kitchen:
These are the last of the children in the orphanage. They all have families. One of these girls is from the sister orphanage. They are such beautiful, sweet girls. Good thing for all the paperwork or I would have asked one of them to come home with me.
This is the back part of the living room.
Tamirat ended up with Alex's camera. He loves taking pictures!
The start of the "Coffee Ceremony" and I will put that in a post by itself.
He is a cute boy!
This was a building next to Covenant Orphanage. You can see how they build their houses.
Our driver doing some repairs on the playgound epuipment.
Time to say good-bye and head over to Ambo.
We traveled west, up into the hills. This is a typical house outside of the city and in the villages. They use stripped young trees to make the house frame and cover it with mud, which consist of red soil, chaff, and water.
This is a funeral we passed.
Covenant:
A second kitchen out back in a separate building where they can build fires and cook the Ethiopian dishes:
This is the other kitchen:
These are the last of the children in the orphanage. They all have families. One of these girls is from the sister orphanage. They are such beautiful, sweet girls. Good thing for all the paperwork or I would have asked one of them to come home with me.
This is the back part of the living room.
Tamirat ended up with Alex's camera. He loves taking pictures!
The start of the "Coffee Ceremony" and I will put that in a post by itself.
He is a cute boy!
This was a building next to Covenant Orphanage. You can see how they build their houses.
Our driver doing some repairs on the playgound epuipment.
Time to say good-bye and head over to Ambo.
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