Archive for November, 2009
A Trip Outside of Ethiopia!
Friday, November 13th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
A crusader castle which was built on top of Roman ruins.
View from the Crusader castle
Kind of looks like Southern California, huh?
Well, I’ve wanted to visit this part of the world for over a year now, and I’m so glad that it finally worked out for me to do so. Just getting the opportunity to go there has been quite difficult. It was wonderful to visit some friends and go to a part of the world that I’d never been too before. It was also so good for me to take a risk and face some of my irrational fears.
Language School
Friday, November 13th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Here I am with my Phase 2 Amharic Class. I love these people!!
I have been in language school for the past two months. It has been a wonderful time of growing in my Amharic Language Skills and getting to know some wonderful people who are motivated to learn this very important Ethiopian languge. I have been learning Amharic for three to four hours a day, five days a week. I will stop intense language school next week and just receive tutoring two times a week. This will allow me to have more time to volunteer with some of the ministries around town that I have been longing to help out with. I will also get more opportunities to practice Amharic I know with habeshaoo sowoch (The Ethiopian People)!!
I have truly enjoyed struggling with this language, and I will continue to. I think everyone in my class has had a pretty good attitude about learning (or teaching) Amharic. We’ve laughed a lot! We’ve learned how to tell our life stories in Amharic. We’ve learned how to ask questions in Amharic when we don’t understand or need more clarification.
The wonderful thing about learning Amharic and speaking it around town, is that people often tell me that I’m doing a great job with my Amharic, even when I only speak a few words or sentences. This encourages me that much more to speak the language with people. When I speak Amharic, I feel like a whole new world opens up to me here in Ethiopia. Learning a language can be so empowering!!
Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge that my teacher H. (sitting to the left of me in the picture) has been great!! She is a wonderful teacher, confidante, and friend. I am so thankful for her!!!
Injera and Wot-The Foundation of Ethiopian Food
Friday, November 13th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
This is how injera is cooked.
This is a large stack of freshly made injera. Yummy!
This actually isn't wot because it doesn't have a sauce. It's Tibs!!! My favorite!!!
Sometimes in language school, we take a break from regular language learning and do something cultural. So a few weeks ago, we learned all about making Ethiopian food and all of the words in Amharic that go with it. Every October my language school does this with its students because after the rainy season (which ends in September) people are usually still tired from being inside so much when it rains. There’s a saying in Amharic that says something like “If you eat meat from the bone, it will give you strength” or something like that.
Some of us practiced bargaining for sheep. Some of us slaughtered the sheep, which is traditionally done by the men of the household (YAY!). And some of us chopped vegetables. I opted for the last one only because I don’t like to be that in touch with my meat before I eat it! We also learned about how to make injera from our wonderful Serataynya (maid) Tsige (which means grace or mercy in Amharic). Then we ate fresh injera, which is soo tasty!! I love it when it’s fresh. We had a good time eating, cooking, talking, and eating some more!
So, a bit of information about Ethiopian food….Ethiopian food is always eaten with injera which is a flat, spongy, sourdough, crepe-like bread. The injera tastes sour, because it ferments for a few days before it is cooked. Injera is made from teft (a very small, fiberous grain) flour, water, and yeast. On top of the injera there are different kinds of wot and or cooked vegetables and or meat. Wot usually consists of meat or sometimes vegetables, with a sauce. My favorite is Tibs–fried lamb(usually), spicy green peppers and onions with spices. Yum Yum!!!
Meskel Flower (The Cross of Christ Flower)
Friday, November 13th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Well, I should have posted this a few months ago, but alas, I have not had as much time to blog as I wanted to. This is a Meskel flower. Meskel in Amharic (the most commonly spoken language in Ethiopia which I’m learning) means cross as well as the verb “to hang.” This is because Jesus hung on a cross when He died for our sins. Hopefully you can see that on each one of the petals of this flower there are tiny orange marks. People in Ethiopia have decided that these marks look like the wounds that Jesus has from being crucified on a cross, hence the name Meskel flower. There is also a holiday in September that I wrote about previously called Meskel, which is a celebration of the cross of Christ. Meskel flowers are in bloom in Ethiopia around September/October. The name of the month that is at the same time as September is called Meskerem which is the first month of the year on the Ethiopian calendar since Ethiopian New Years Day is always on September 11th. I have a few friends here who are named Meskerem since that’s the month in which they were born.
So, there’s a little cultural/language information for you. I think it’s interesting. Some might think it’s boring. Hope you enjoyed it, nonetheless! : )