Archive for September, 2008
Meskel, Ramadan….So Many Holidays
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
This is Meskel Square--one of the main squares in Addis where the Meskel ceremony took place.
- This is what the street looked like after the final ceremony of Ramadan ended.
All of us at school have had a five day weekend. Saturday was Meskel–a Christian Orthodox holiday celebrating the cross of Christ. C. and I went to the major celebration on Friday at Meskel Square which is the largest central area in the city. It was a 3-4 hour long ceremony but at the end, they lit a huge bonfire and let off fireworks. It kind of felt like a combination between Christmas (the brush looked like a Christmas tree before it was lit) and the 4th of July (with the fireworks). It was neat to sit and observe the ceremony with Ethiopians and get a little taste of their culture!
Tuesday was the end of Ramadan and a major feast day since the Muslims have been fasting during the day for the last month. My friends and I made the unknown mistake of trying to get somewhere when the final Muslim ceremony let out. We were on public transportation and didn’t even make it to our final destination and were forced to walk. The city felt like Time Square on New Year’s Eve, you could hardly move. We did however, meet some nice people who invited us to celebrate with them in their home. We declined since we had other things to do.
All these holidays mean that we have had a 5 day weekend! This is great since we won’t have any more days off until December. I will miss Halloween and Thanksgiving! : (
Going To A Club
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
So, this is something I usually don’t do at home, but my friend C. knew the drummer for a local band and they were playing at a club near our house so we went. I had never done this before in Ethiopia and we learned pretty quickly that if you’re a woman in a club at night, you’re probably a guy’s girlfriend or you’re a prostituted woman. So, this will be the last time I ever go to a club without a guy at the least in the same group as mine. It was very uncomfortable at times!
One of the prostituted women I saw made me so sad. I could see in her eyes that she did not want to be there with a guy. She seemed to be ashamed of what she was doing. She wouldn’t even look me in the eyes. I wish so much that I could just talk to her but my Amharic isn’t good enough yet. I hope that in going out to a club I will eventually be able to talk to women like her. They need so much help and my heart just aches for them. So many of the prostituted women here feel that they have no choice, and that this is their only option. It makes me so sad and yet it continues to grow a desire in me to make a difference in these women’s lives!
Oh, and the band was pretty good, I met some American army guys there and enjoyed myself!
The First Day of School!!!
Monday, September 15th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Today I had my first day of school as an English Conversation teacher for Preparatory Grade level kids (they’re around 5 years old). My first duty was to comfort a 4 year old who didn’t want to be at school and was crying. It was nice to hold a child and get in touch with my maternal instincts.
I’ve decided that every single one of our students is cute!! They are so special and I’m so excited to be teaching them. Some of them speak English very well and some are very shy about speaking at all, but of course it’s only the first day! It was a bit unorganized and chaotic today, but I’m still really excited to be there! I love teaching and I love kids, especially these ones!!!
Melkam Addis Amet (Happy New Year)!!!
Friday, September 12th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Yesterday was New Year’s Day in Ethiopia! Most people did not work and the city slowed down a lot. Unlike the sad significane of September 11th in American culture, September 11th in Ethiopia menas a new year is beginning! So, as an American, it’s nice to now have a happy association with this date!
On New Year’s Eve, people sing songs, go to a concert at the Millenium Hall (this year is considered 2001 according to the Ethiopian calendar), have lots of campfires (it looked like a hazy fog had descended on Addis), and stay up at least until midnight.
On New Year’s Day people wear white (the color of celebration here), sometimes go to church, and usually kill some type of lamb, goat, or chicken for dinner. It is traditional to buy this animal while it is still alive and slaughter it yourself (this duty is usually done by a man at the house-Thank you God!). In fact, yesterday Cindy and I were looking sadly at a lamb who was tied to our neighbor’s shed, crying. I think he knew that it wouldn’t be long before he ended up as someone’s New Year’s dinner. Today, I have seen heads, fur, and other odd body parts of animals on the street. Maybe this is tradition, but I still think it’s grouss! Nonetheless, it’s been fun to see the city celebrate and be a part of it somehow!!
A New Year’s Day Church Service
Friday, September 12th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
On New Year’s Day, I went to a service at my new church. It was all in Amharic, which I knew from the beginning, but I still wanted to go. I learned some new words…
Geta neh–You are God.
Yesus geta(n)–Jesus is Lord (God).
Selame neh–You are my peace.
And thankfully, Hallelujah and Amen mean the same things here so I know what those mean too! : )
The service started at 9:00 a.m. For the first hour to an hour and a half, we worshipped God in song, dance, clapping, swaying, etc. Then there was a wonderful a capella performance by six men (they reminded me of Take 6), traditional dancing by the choir, a play that lasted almost an hour, and then someone came to give a sermon, but at that point I had to leave because I was exhausted from hearing a language that I don’t understand. It had been 3 hours of straight Amharic.
My church is very charismatic. People raise their hands, clap, sway, pray to God outloud, and say “lululu” really fast in a very high pitch to worship God. It’s so neat to see people worship God in this way, but I’m not used to it yet or sure how I fit in yet. I’m sure this will come in time. This is usually not how I do church, but this is the church that God has lead me to and for that I am excited!! Actually, this church kind of reminds me of the church I was raised in until I was 10 years old, so in some ways I feel like I’m getting back in touch with my roots!
My First Bible Study
Friday, September 12th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
These lovely people are also in my HCG. I thought they deserved their own picture!
- This is still my Home Care Group. They’re wonderful. I love them!!!
On New Year’s Eve, I went to my first Bible Study (though I’m not sure if it’s the right one so I could use some prayer with this) and then afterwards most of us went over to someone’s house for a party. Like most thing in Ethiopia, this Bible study lasted longer than I was expecting. It took about 2 1/2 - 3 hours but it was wonderful! The group was about half Ethiopian and half non-Ethiopian (mostly from other countries in Africa like Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Rwanda, Namibia, etc.). It’s a bit of a transient group in the sense that people come and go depending on how long they stay in Addis.
Then we went over to someone’s house, had delicious Ethiopian food (it was better than any restaurant I’ve been to here so far-Yummy!), talked to each other, and sang songs to Jesus in Amharic, Swahili, and English (so cool!). I had fun singing songs in different languages. It’s such a great way to learn new words. And something very very special happens when people sing worship songs in their own language to Jesus. It’s like a fire has been lit inside of them and they become alive in a way that they haven’t before!
What strikes me most about the church services and Bible Study that I’ve been to thus far is that at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the time is spent just praising and thanking God for who He is. This has been a bit convicting for me as I realize that often when I go to a Bible Study or church service I think more about what I can get from God, as opposed to just praising Him for Himself.
I Think I Found My Mission Field
Saturday, September 6th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
For a few months, I wrestled with God as to why it was taking so long for me to get connected with the center for women. I originally thought that when I moved to Ethiopia I would immediately start volunteering there full time or part time. But, the more I see where I am with my new job, neighborhood, etc. the more I see that this is what God had in mind all along at least for this year.
It’s one thing to step out in faith, not knowing what God has in store for you but just trusting that moving to Ethiopia is His Will. It’s another thing to arrive in Ethiopia and see all that God specifically has in store for me. I have some co-workers who I know don’t know God, but they know that I know God. I live very close to my church and future Bible Study. I have met some wonderful missionaries here. For the most part, I really like the weather here. God is a master orchestrator of people, time and places and I am starting to see more and more how God has called me to this place FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS! It is incredibly comforting!
I’m Getting Tired of Being Stared At
Saturday, September 6th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Whenever I walk outside of the compound of my house, I get stared at. Being white is a bit of a novelty here and sometimes I get tired of it. Like most people, I just want to be known and appreciated for who I am, not for the color my skin or the country I’m from (Many people would love to go to America or another Western country and sometimes they see me and think VISA).
Yesterday, I had two different men try to set up a date with me and another man spoke to me in Amharic telling me how beautiful he thought I was (this was translated by his friend who spoke English). It reminds me of that verse in Psalms or Proverbs which says something like “men are in hot pursuit of you” : ) (That’s totally and completely taken out of context. It refers to an army chasing after David or something like that). Sometimes I really feel that way, and at times I want to be rude, ignore it, or try to gracefully back out of the situation. It’s tricky!
I Found My Church!! Yay!!!
Saturday, September 6th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
I joined a church today. I’m really excited about it! It is only a 15 minute walk away from my house. Usually I’m not so impulsive about joining a church, but they only have a membership class every three months and after hearing about the entire philosophy for 3 hours, I really felt lead to join. Yay! I’m so excited that I’ll have a place to connect with other Christians!
The church is international, with services in both English and Amharic so I can switch to Amharic once I feel more confident with the language (I’m starting Amharic lessons on Tuesday!). There is a really strong emphasis on small groups and helping people find the purposes that God has for them. I feel like the church is all about having Jesus be the leader more than anyone else and that is really important to me.
The name of the church means redemption and restoration—two things that I love about God and want to be a part of in ministry. The pastor mentioned how when Jesus went to Samaria, He went to the woman at the well with the worst reputation and when she caught Jesus’ vision/purpose for her, it helped to change her city! I love how Jesus reaches down to the most unexpected people and uses them for His Glory! Go God!
I have a bacterial infection—Please pray for me!
Monday, September 1st, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
I just wanted to ask for some prayer for my physical health. I went to the doctor today and got an antibiotic for a bacterial infection that I’ve had for a few days now. It’s been causing me to not keep food in my system for very long. Not fun!
Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long for the results and my wonderful roommate C. and wonderful maid/Ethiopian mama K. helped me at the hospital! Thank you God for their help!