Blog
Off To The Market
6/22/2012
The market was our second outing with "A" and "G" today. On the way over in the car, the girls looked eagerly out the car window at the different buildings and sights. They were very intrigued. The local market is a place where you can buy baskets, coffee pots (NOT like the American ones), and traditional dresses. "A" and "G" each picked out a dress to wear when they come home to Wisconsin.
Next, we bought some 4 kilos (which is slightly heavier than pounds) of apple mangoes for 120 birr (which is six US dollars) to take back to the care center for the kids. They were yummy to our tummies!! It was a treat for the children since they rarely have fruit because of the cost.
Meredith and Jim :)
P.S. Jim just said that it's probably the farthest that the Milwaukee Domes Art Festival t-shirt has been seen from home!! He's a bit into the details....7,000 plus miles from home.
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Jim and Teame
6/22/2012
Jim and Teame became quite a pair during our trip to Mekelle. If you know my husband, he is a "kid" at heart. When we first arrived, Teame "squawked" when he saw us. After Jim consistently spent time with him, he gradually won Teame over. Jim played "peekaboo" with the curtain and would distract Teame by looking in the mirror and playing silly games. By the end of the week, Teame wanted to go to Jim over the nannies. Each time Jim walked in the room, he would smile. He was secure in his father's arms. :)
Momma Meredith :)
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The Real Injera Bread
6/21/2012
Some of you may be aware that Jim and I make our own injera bread (well, at least a version that we found on Ethiopian Spices). We have a Lefsa grill that heats up to 500 degrees that we use to cook the bread. Today, one of the cooks at the care center gladly showed us how to cook injera bread. As you can see in the picture, she pours the batter around the outer edge in a circular motion until she finishes in the middle.
Then, the bread is covered while it cooks. When the edges started to curl up, it is finished. She removes it with a flat round woven circular fan and covers it in a large basket (as seen in the picture in front of the grill).
In case you are wondering, Jim and I make our bread out of teff flour, corn flour, and self rising flour and water. It needs to sit overnight. In Ethiopia, injera is made out of teff flour and water. It needs to sit for three days. There are probably some other MAJOR things that I am missing!!
Meredith
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Polishing the Nails
6/21/2012
Jim and I brought along some nail polish for the girls (but to be honest the boys enjoyed it as well). This morning, I told "G" with gestures and my limited Tingriya that we were going to paint our nails. She was so excited and squeeled with joy. In the end, the girls and BOYS enjoyed the nail polish. It doesn't take much for these kids to be happy. Most of the children are just happy to have a home, someone who takes care of them, and food to eat. Simple but necesary things of life!
Meredith
P.S. Kate, if you are following the blog, the girls loved your wonderful idea!
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Coffee Anyone?
6/21/2012
Yes, we are soaking in many cultural experiences. When we arrived at the care center in Mekelle the first day, there was a welcoming with popcorn and coffee. Today, we were able to experience how "REAL" coffee is made (in other words, not from the can). As you can from the picture, the ladies grind the coffee with a long piece of metal into a pedestal. The amount of work that goes into preparing meals is amazing! And the help is always happy. Hopefully, we will get to see how injera bread is prepared soon.
Meredith :)
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Freedom for Ethiopia
6/20/2012
We went on our first outing with the girls today. In Mekelle, there's a gigantic "Freedom for Ethiopia" monument that commemurates those that lost their life in the war for freedom in Ethiopia. The girl's father was one of these soldiers. A museum documenting the war extensively with pictures, artficats, guns, and stories of people was part of our experience. The girls were wonderful. They listened to the guide for almost an hour!
Afterwards, we went to a restaurant with the girls. Considering they lived in a small remote village, this was probably their first experience of this sort. The girls loved the orange soda and had injera bread with meat. They were very intrigued by the whole experience. The girls held Meredith's hand for most of the experience. Jim and I are struggling with communicating with them but we are getting by with gestures and LOVE!!
If you take a close look at the picture, you will see our girls walking up the stairs towards the monument.
Exploring Mekelle with the girls.
Meredith and Jim
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Cows In The Road
6/20/2012
As we travel down the streets of Mekelle, we often see cows, donkeys, and even horses walking down the street. Sometimes, the animals just stand stationary in the middle of the street heading nowhere. These animals are usually frail and older. Our driver informed us that the cow know which house they belong to and travel back each day. Just shows, cows are smarter than you think!!
Enjoying the sights.
Meredith :)
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Three More Days!!
6/19/2012
Our court date was originally set for Friday, June 22nd. We just found out that court has been rescheduled for Monday, June 25th which means we have three more days to spend with our kids!!
Meredith and Jim :)
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Update on "T"
6/19/2012
This morning, Jim and I took "T" to se an opthamologist for his eyes. The same doctor had previously seen him two weeks ago. The doctor indicated that "T" had most likely injured cranial nerve six which controls the movement of the eyes outward when he fell. As a result, his left eye turns inward. The doctor felt that recovery was iminent. If not, surgery may be necessary at a later date. Praise God....."T" is going to be fine.
The results were similar to an international medical specialist in Minnesota who reviewed his records/pictures just before we left for Ethiopia. Thanks for your prayers.
Momma Meredith :)
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Drawing Closer Together
6/18/2012
Our girls "A" and "G" have examinations at their school this morning and the first part of the day was spent with "T" in the infant/toddler room. Upon entering the room, "T" immediately greeted us with a smile. He is in constant motion. At one point, Jim said "he's REALLY busy". That would be a toddler for you!! "T" loves his sisters. They will be a "BIG"help with transitioning "T" to our home in Wisconsin.
Jim and "T" are becoming quite a pair. He is beginning to stay by him and not need to be near the nannies. YEAH!! Meredith has been spending more time with "A" and "G". They LOVE looking at the pictures that we brought of family. The girls have started calling Meredith "Mom". Sweet!! In Tingriya, father is said "Baba" and mother is said "Momma". I think we can handle these new vocabulary words.
One of the kid's favorite things to do is Ethiopian dancing. One of the older girls is very talented but Jim and I are trying to figure out how to coordinate our feet, hands, shoulder and neck motions. It's really difficult to describe but we have the video if you are interested. We LOVE our time with all the children!!
Meredith and Jim
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