The Twelfth Month—Nehassé/August

Heavy rains. Fishing in muddy, turbulent rivers. Small amount of sowing. Cattle taken upland. —The Wife’s Tale

The Dog Days of Summer—summer in Ethiopia means rain season which means it’s cold and rains a lot. Here’s some snippets from the summer

There’s an adorable baby goat  in my compound and I keep having to chase it away from eating the flowers. 

Mimi visited! I was super excited, we hugged and she told me I was too skinny and that I needed to eat more. While we were catching up I looked over and saw Girma with a big grin on his face. She took Melaku and Mitata with her to Addis which was bittersweet. 

Here for the kids—hanging with Moma and Abi and the kids on my road—reading books, making paper planes, jumping rope, playing, playing, playing.

Went to the mourning for Hiwot’s grandmother—I’ve been to many mourning houses and funerals in Ethiopia but this was the first for someone I actually knew.  I had just had lunch with Hiwot’s grandmother a month ago and was so saddened to learn she had passed. 

A man invited me to lunch yesterday. We chatted and he thanked me for what I’m doing, calling me an ambassador. 

Boys cracking jiraf(s) (whips) one was so loud my ears hurt. 

Rita’s brother’s birthday—Bereket was so generous, insisting on sharing all his treats with everyone, especially me. 

Picking grass and flowers with the girls in the churchyard. 

Visitors

My parents visited Ethiopia and I got to experience seeing the country for the first time again through their eyes. We traveled to Bahir Dar, Gonder, and Lalibela—so I’ve been fortunate enough to see Lalibela twice while many Ethiopians have never been able to visit. Ethiopia’s history is so fascinating, it was great to dig deeper and learn more about the country. Lalibela is beautiful and even if you’re not religious you can’t help but feel how sacred it is. 

Sharing Ethiopia with my parents was such a privilege—seeing my parents embraced by the Ethiopian people in the generous way I’ve already experienced was humbling and reaffirming. My parents stayed with me and met my compound family—Girma, Brike, and Emoye—along with friends and fellow teachers. I’m so grateful my parents were able to meet some of the people who’ve taken care of me into their lives in the last year and supported me through all the challenges.