Three "Typical" Days in Ethiopia

On the ride home from Ambo tonight, I was thinking about how the last couple days have felt pretty uneventful (other than the 2 MAJOR things that happened to me today… I’ll get to that later).  But then I started going through my days and realized what “uneventful” meant.

Doesn't it look trendy? 

MONDAY: Make a decision to go on a 1 km hike to a waterfall and leave 10 minutes later.  Carry Isabelle up a mountain, and then have Brooklyn fall asleep on my back on the way down.  See baboons and “lemurs” (they look like lemurs but apparently lemurs are only in Madagascar… the country, not the movie) in their natural habitat.  

Have GREAT conversations with Katie as she champions her way down the mountain (she broke her pelvis in March, and it was her idea to go hiking.  She’s a CHAMPION).  Eat a “biscuit” for lunch that is so big that it makes me never want to eat bread again. Hike for about 3 km and then turn around, deciding that the “1 km hike” to the waterfall was a lie.  Get back to the car and talk to people who tell us the waterfall is actually 5 km away (But really, it was AMAZING to be in the woods and walk around for a while. The kids might have a 2^nd opinion).

We gave up and decided this was the waterfall.
See the water trickling? (you might have to squint) 

TUESDAY: Teach English at Burayu and then hang out until 2:30 with the kids. Learn Ethiopian card games (and have kids steal cards out of my lap when I’m not looking… looks like Americans aren’t the only ones who know how to cheat), master counting to 10 in Amheric and Afonoromo (and then wake up Weds. morning and forget everything), and play hand games with the girls.  Gratefully accept the bread and tea we are offered because it’s the best tea ever, and we’re craving bread (remember how on Monday we decided we were never eating bread again? Never say never).  Get to lunch at 3:05 and have the restaurant re-open (lunch hour ends at 3:00) so that the 4 starving forengies can eat. 

Nayati, Calcitta, and Girum! 

The Burayu hooligans

WEDNESDAY: MAJOR LIFE EVENT #1 – RUN OUT OF GUMMY VITAMINS. Go to Ambo (HALLELULIAH.  It felt so good to be back).  Get my first “run and jump into my arms yelling ‘Marrrrrrnie’” hug.  Get to have a REAL conversation with Brandie over Google chat. Teach women how to use a ruler and how to cut straight.  Help varnish 8 necklaces that one of the guardians made BY HERSELF last week (I was a proud momma).  Play soccer with a bunch of hooligans that I LOVE (Kumsa, Amasisa, Teressa, Hundaol and Yadissa) – they’ve become my “Ambo Crew” ( their Sunday School teacher was the one who called them hooligans.  I just adopted the name because it fit VERY well).   Attempt to teach English and collect “All About Me” forms from the SVO kids… “Utter chaos” is an understatement.  Eat shiro at the Ambo hotel and be relieved because it’s what I’ve been craving for 2 weeks.  Get to talk to Kes Cimidii for the 2 hour ride back to Burayu.  MAJOR LIFE EVENT #2 – HAVE MY FIRST HOT SHOWER IN 3 WEEKS. 

Hundaol and Kumsa

Mulu and Demitu varnishing! 

Every time one team scored a goal, the other team had to do
push-ups

Cow crossing

 After I really thought about it, I realized “uneventful” might not be the best description of the last 3 days.  They’ve been 3 days filled with love, surprises, challenges, frustrations, prayer, friendships, amazing conversations, pure joy, and tears that threaten to come out at the thought of leaving.  They’ve just been 3 "typical" days in Ethiopia.

p.s. sorry if I got your hopes up about major life events.  Eating the last gummy vitamin was a really big deal though.