One Last Time from Addis

Wednesday: Today was the day to lay back and relax, with a bunch of kids running around with their parents running after, trying to figure out what need. OK, not all that relaxing, but at least we didn't have a ton of places to be. Mostly we hung out at the larger guest house and played with the kids. Merete still isn't talking a whole lot, to us. He probably figures there's no point anyway. He's got a few things down, as do we (something like "show-wo" is bathroom, we ask that a lot). I think he's starting to understand "drink", "eat", "sit", and I'm sure he understands "stop", but he's pretending not to ;-) He answers with one nod or one shake, blink and you'll miss it! E is also doing very well, trying to make the switch from center of attention to one of the kids. He is doing a great job sharing and letting Merete take turns, although he does take pride in being the winner of pretty much any game he makes up for he and Merete to play.

After lunch was the hair braiding class. Not that I plan on braiding Merete's hair any time soon, but it was fun to chat with the ladies (as much as we could). Apparently they slather the kids with baby oil every day (probably something my skin could use right about now), including their hair. I'm not sure what we'll do with Merete's hair in the long run, but it's time for a hair cut when we get home! I'd love to learn how to make the little twists but I'd rather wait until he can tell me if he'd like them first.

E and Merete went down for naps (M pretty much falls asleep right away) and I went with one of the other moms to the shopping strip to get a few more things. One was a replacement coffee pot; ours was already broken by a certain Goh. I really hope they make it home though. I got a few more trinkets for Merete, one for each of his birthdays for the next 15 years. I was asking a shop owner if anyone in the area sold music CDs, and she said to ask my driver to take me down the road. Instead he asked another of the shop owners if she had any music, and that started one of the most interesting 15 minutes I've had here sans the kids. She pulled out a stack of ripped CDs and started playing them. Some were modern, techno versions of popular songs. Then she found a more traditional CD, with music similar to what was sung that night at dinner. They asked me to sit and after the 3rd time I realized they just wanted to hang out so I sat. The shop owner was dancing and told me it would be easy for me to learn if I was interested (yeah, right). So I gave it a shot, and they were nice enough not to laugh too much. We then snacked on what I think was something like corn nuts while we listened to more music. After a while I realized my shopping mate was probably wondering where we were, so we had to go, and I ended up buying the CD from the lady for $4. I'll probably never know the names of the songs, but I'm sure we'll all enjoy them anyway!

When we came back the boys were awake and Merete apparently had been looking for me. I got a kiss then he was off to race little broken baby strollers with E. I do wish there was a toy store around here so we could buy some new outdoor toys for the guesthouse. Most of the little ride on cars and bikes are a total mess, although the kids still find a way to play with them. After yet another fine dinner, we played a bit and headed back to our room. We had very low water pressure (which I suppose is an improvement over the previous night when we had no water at all), and at some point lost electricity again. The boys were still able to watch a little Curious George on the Iphone, and suddenly Merete was all chatty. We have no clue what he was saying, but he seemed to enjoy himself! Before bedtime Merete did his little "no" shake when we asked him to go to the bathroom. But having watched him imitate E all day, I thought it was worth a try to get E to go and see if Merete would follow. And sure enough, as soon as E went, Merete followed. Me thinks this will be a double edged sword for sure.

Thursday: So I'm the only one awake now at nap time. We're mostly packed up and huddled in our room for a while. We have to clear out of our rooms by 3:30 so the ladies can clean up and be ready for the next group, who arrive tonight. Last night was our last one sleeping here, and though there are some things I'll miss, the chanting from the church nearby, the dogs barking, and the early sunrise are not among them! I also realize that we need to buy a bed rail for Merete's bed, as that little guy moves all over the bed when he sleeps.

There was more playing and chatting today, but I think most of us are ready to go home. I think some of us are having an easier time than others so far, as some kids are adjusting better than others. We lucked out with our little guy; he seems pretty content most of the time. E is also ready to go and slowly showing signs that he is in fact a 5 year old visiting Ethiopia, although he's still incredibly well behaved and happy. After breakfast we had a cooking class, which involved the ladies trying to describe what they are doing with their limited English, and laughing at our silly questions (like, do you measure anything?). Many of the dishes are those that I've made at home, and for the most part it appears I've gotten them right! Except for the injera, which was a special lesson. Turns out that to make the sour flavor, they simply put water in the teff flour and let it sit for 3-4 days. Then they take part of the mixture and add hot water and more teff, and that makes the batter. They have a very large and heavy looking over/pan that they use to make the injera. They pour the batter in a circle, from the outside in, and then let it bubble a bit before covering it (one mistake I had made was to cover immediately). They then lift the sides to make sure it's not sticking then use the cover of a large straw basket and ease the injera on top to transfer it to the basket, where they just slide it off and stack them. They then use some sort of grain that is oily (actually, I have no clue if it's a grain at all) to clean the top of the pan before making the next injera. Very interesting process! I tried making one, and I think I did an OK job, but making a huge round injera with the right consistency throughout is definitely an art form!

Some of us walked down the street to the local Home Depot, which is definitely an Ethiopian version of Home Depot, except with lots of security. But they had a nice range of small appliances (all the appliances here are smaller than those in the US) and building materials. The linens were basic, but I did find a nice little rug for our living room. We returned to have lunch, followed by a coffee ceremony. All told, I think the ceremony lasts over an hour. They made some pop corn, which as far as I can tell is the only "dessert" they have here and it seems to be a consistent part of the coffee ceremony. They burn what seems like frankincense, roast the coffee, grind the coffee, and then add the grounds to water in a clay pot. Then they serve it in a little cup with lots of sugar. It's hard to imagine taking an hour at least once a day to do this, but most people do. In fact, at the Home Depot, you can take part in their ceremony for free,
every day, from 2:30 to 3:30!

And that is all I have so far for Thursday! We will get the rest of our paperwork for the return trip home later today, and I believe we will be interviewed. We leave for the airport before 7 and take off after 10. Hopefully my next post will be from US soil! I can't wait for you all to meet Merete.

Edit: Thursday afternoon I went to the CHSFS to pick up the rest of our paperwork and Merete's life book and DVD. They are so amazing! Not only does it contain his family's story, but also our first meeting and basic info about Ethiopia and the region he's from. I can only imagine how priceless these will be to him as he grows up wants to learn his story.