For a majority of the Race, the work I have done involves sporadic interactions with multiple people in a variety of organizations. This month, we have been able to hang out with one group of teens almost 24/7, so we have formed much deeper relationships. These friendships are so sweet that they’re hard to explain.
Ethiopians are very proud of being the origin of coffee, cornrows, and the first human being, named Lucy. With that added to the fact that there are two characters on a popular television show named Jessica and Erika, introductions cause quite the hubbub.
The boys in our English class are very smart, but they do not like to speak up. Hence, I forced them to do so through demonstration speeches. We started by picking a topic, making a vocabulary list of related words, and writing a rough draft. Then, we each gave instructional speeches. This week, I learned how to bake cookies, roast coffee, skateboard, and make a ring, boat, and snowflake out of paper.
Most of the kids we work with are Orthodox, which is widely practiced throughout Ethiopia. One of the teens named Shoa invited us to go to an Orthodox service. Three of us dressed in floor-length skirts and covered our heads with scarves to follow custom. After a 20-minute walk, we genuflected at the church’s entrance and approached the service which was held outside. We sat on rocks under a tree in the dark and listened to a man speaking in Amharic.
After 10 minutes it started downpouring, so we ran underneath a shelter built for that purpose. Clad in headscarves with rain pounding on the tin roof, we waited for the service to resume. After a few loud rumbles of thunder, the power went out and we were drenched in darkness. Needless to say, we didn’t really get to experience a true Orthodox service, but we hope to in the coming weeks.
The highlight of the week was celebrating 2009, the Ethiopian New Year. Ethiopia is one of the only countries in Africa that hasn’t been successfully colonized. As a result, they have their own 13-month calendar, putting them seven years behind the Western calendar. Their clock hours are also different, but they liken it to the way the United States uses the Imperial system instead of the Metric.
On the Thursday before the holiday, we set up a program for the kids, which was really fun. We decorated, made bracelets, created a photo booth, and played games like flip cup, soda pong, and musical chairs. My teammates and I also reminisced about where we were in 2009.
I shared my testimony to the group, telling them about how I sought to understand the role of tradition in faith. I struggled to choose the Protestant belief over the Catholic belief that I grew up with. Many of the kids would experience isolation and disapproval from their families if they choose a faith other than Orthodox.
Then, they let us in on their traditional celebration. They cooked lamb over an outdoor fire and performed the coffee ceremony. Typically, a group travels from house to house singing and chanting for money or gifts. They put a group together and sang to each of us individually, inserting our names in their chant. We gave them what we could, which was some money, balloons, candy, and a roll of toilet paper.
On New Year’s Eve, a couple of the guys took us out to a traditional restaurant. Dressed in white cloth with red, green, and yellow stripes, dancers and singers performed to traditional music. We shared a huge plate that included raw meat and drank an odd concoction called Tej. They also forced me to dance onstage. Overall, another wonderful week.
I’m still recovering from allergies but feeling better now that I’m sleeping in my own tent. Until next time!
