11/09/2017
The flight was long. Two day of airports and flights to get
here. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy thing however I didn’t realize the reality
of it all until I was about 10 hours into it. I was Exhausted but happy. A really nice 75 year old man named Simu spent
the last stretch of the flight with me. He was super friendly and with a 10+
hour flight we got to know each other.
I am here in Addis now. It’s chilly. My flight being two
hours late Girma waited to pick me up from the airport and bring me back to his
family’s house. Girma is only one of the 10 sisters and brothers Abba Worku
(who took care of me the last time I was here) has.
I reunited with their sister Simay we quickly caught up
before I retired last night. Simay has
two children now! Her youngest is only weeks old. I have gifts of course for
her and the family. Books, candy, Some dry items from home. A few things to
taste and enjoy and a thank you and I missed you all of sorts.
I am not sure what today holds. I am hoping to get a prepay
card for my little ancient Nokia cell phone. I need to make some calls to let
my other friends know I have safely arrived. I also have to get in touch with
Asseged so I can go visit his schools before the weekend. I’d also like to find
internet so I can upload this Journal and let all YOU my friends and family at
home know I am here and I am safe…
…Full day! I went with Girma’s sister Simay and her friend
Salam out to the doctor. Simay recently gave birth and so we took her newborn
to the doctor for a checkup.
Afterwards we came back for a home cooked lunch of shiro and
tibs with injara (Shiro is puréed chickpeas withspices and some oil. Tibs is
usually fried goat with tomatoes,
jalapeños, and onion. Injara is a gray spongy sourdough flat bread that
is high in iron amoung other things and is also used to pick up food in your
right hand. It also replaces the need for silverware.)
Two other sisters
were at the house today and I met mom and dad. I got to also see two more of
the brothers that also live in Addis. Abba Worku lives in Dire Dawa where I will travel to on Sunday.
Gifts, gifts and lots of gifts for this family because
without them I would never had made it this far. Mahlet (one of the sisters) let me paint a pink
and purple butterfly on her face after showing her photos of the work I’ve
done.
Girma came home from work and took me for some buna (coffee
in Amharic) and then to mom and dad’s house for a homecooked dinner of shiro, sheep tibs, and injara.
Also, hosted my first crocheting with plastic grocery bags!
These sisters knew how to crochet already so it was simple to teach them how to
process the plastic grocery bags into PLARN (Plastic Grocery Bag Yarn.)
Now time to sleep. Denah deru (good night.)
