Hello all! Happy 2001! We just spent last night celebrating the turn of the millennium! Its a wonderful celebration here. Today we're going to a new year feast. We're very excited.
There are bonfires and fireworks and lots and lots of sheep (have I mentioned the sheep before?) I know now where the expression "counting sheep" came from.
It's 8:00 and in a few minutes the taxi will be here to take us to the hospital. I have to get a rabies injection becuase I was bitten by a dog. Our guesthome helped us find a Korean hospital that caters to tourists and is "well facilitiated" I'm told which, after a little effort, we determined means it has good facilties, and will have the injection on hand.
Melat is doing well. She's a little princess. That will have to stop because I don't believe in raising little princesses. I was told yesterday by both of her orphanages that she was the favorite and smartest. I put her in the corner for a tantrum and she screamed and wailed.
After the hospital, we will go to Layla House for the new year celebration there (it's AAI's orphanage) and make balloon animals, and then Friday, Saturday and Sunday we're going to big and little AHOPE to do the same (A belated new year).
Today being new year's day, a flock of children arrived selling drawings. I bought one for 30 birr (about 3 cents) it's on copy paper--it's an angel and has some mud, but I bought it to bring back and show you all becuase it's an interesting tradition.
T is having fun. Everyone's laughing at my Amharic... yesterday I tried to order Tibis (our favorite) at a restraunt. They brought us each a big plate of "chips" (English french fries). So the three of us had fries for lunch. Funny!!
Every now and then we all feel the need for a caffeine jolt--so we'll go order a Pepsi... but when you buy a Pepsi from a store, you must drink it there and then return the bottle. That takes some getting used to. The bottles are VERY well used. (I tell myself, at least they're recycling something....).
The broken bottles are used to top fences for security so nobody climbs them.
Again, the guesthouse is wonderful. They've been educating us on the new year traditions, and celebrating them here with us. There are some traditions (lighting the fires with fireworks in them, and then jumping over them) that the men and boys are traditionally involved in. For those kids with just moms traveling, they participate with the sons so that they have a "father figure" to be doing the traditional dances and fire jumping with. (Yes, someone picked up my little girl and jumped over a fire with her.... it was dark so I didn't know it was her until I heard her laugh.... accckkk.....!!! I was not a happy mommy!)
It's about breakfast time and we have to leave for the hospital in a few mintues, so I'm going to close for now.
Take care everyone,
Jessica, T and Melat.
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