Yes, November 1, 2008 is today’s date here in Ethiopia. Interesting right?
Ethiopia is a very different and unique country. Let me share with you a few things I’ve learned about being here these past couple days
Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never colonized. They have a strong middle eastern influence, and honestly I don’t feel like I’m in Africa at times because it is nothing compared to Uganda and Rwanda.
They go by their own time, date and alphabet; they are 7 years and a few days back on the calendar…so technically I’m in the 8th grade right now! Hypothetically speaking that is. I don’t entirely understand the history or meaning behind that yet. Their time also confuses me as well. I know to add 6 hours to whatever time it is on my watch and when the sun rises it is 12 o’ clock however they dont use AM or PM. When night time hits they just refer to the darkness as the night and don’t add a time to it until the sun rises again.
Coffee originated here and they have “Coffee Ceremony” each day. They sit down and drink three rounds of coffee in the company of others. The cups are very small and the first round starts with a bold dark coffee, the second with a slightly lighter brew and the third the lightest. And don’t forget the heaping mountain of sugar that they add to your tiny coffee cup!
Currency is the Ethiopian Birr. Very colorful bills and 21 Birr is equivalent to 1 U.S Dollar. To give you a perspective of the cost of living here, an income of $300 a month is a good salary.
Some say that it is the fastest growing economy in Africa however the rich keep on getting rich and the poor still stay poor.
Local transportation is called a Bajaj! Picture a little blue smart car on three wheels. It fits 5 people inside and costs 1.50 in Birr to get around per person. So it is equivalent to a few pennies to travel 2 kilometers down the road.
Transportation by taxi or Bajaj never exceeds anything over 10 Birr. How cheap! That’s 50 cents in the states!
I live in a “suburb” of Addis Ababa and near a town called Bolè. The weather is mid 70’s in the day and mid 50’s at night. Mountains surround the city and there are many buildings that are still in construction.
You will see donkeys and sheep all alongside the roads. And then the occasional horse and carriage with a few cows wandering behind.
Second largest military in Africa and the most secure country. Ethiopia is very peaceful and everyone lives by the attitude of “life is hard but move on with each day because it will be okay”.
Language is Amaharic. “Selam no” translates to “Hello” and “There is Peace”.
Main food item in every dish is Injera. Picture a spongey crepe. They use their hands to eat and rip a piece of Injera to grab food.
I believe Ethiopia will be a great month! The environment is so welcoming and we are once again blessed with an incredible host family. Learning about the culture here is very fun and we are running into new things each day.
My journey so far into the race has been stretching and everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I can’t believe that after this month we will be out of Africa! I still have 9 months to go and so many places to be stretched in. Living and transitioning into different cultures brings me complete joy. I never stop learning and I’m always adjusting my perspective and comfort to the people around me. It is absolutely incredible. The world is so big and I’m barely getting a taste of how vast the Lord’s creation is.
By the end of next month I have to fulfill my last fundraising deadline. Thank you to everyone who has supported me on my trip thus far! I have $1,747 left to raise to be fully funded. If you are interested in helping me continue on this journey, I would love for you to partner alongside me bye pushing me to my final goal of $16,267! You can donate at the top of my blog page and all donations are tax deductable 🙂
Please subscribe to my blog to keep up with all my updates as I’m on the field. As they say in Ethiopia, Amasaganalu (Thank you)!
