tlvop | Ethiopia (because I promised) (Reply)

This is mostly a short summary of what I've done, and what I'm likely to do!

Okay, so: Turkish Airlines Business Class is AMAZING. The seats go flat, and they serve you food off of little platters and it's all freshly made and ridiculous. RIDICULOUS. Like, small serving sizes but LAMB CHOPS AND CHEESECAKE. I want to fly them all the time.

Addis is a big city! The traffic here is kind of Australian Rules (going the wrong side down a street is totally legit if traffic's light) and the pedestrians are perhaps less cautious than I would personally be (of course I hope and pray to never be a pedestrian here. IT LOOKS SCARY).

I have mostly hung out with my cousins thus far in their house and around the place. We went to a restaurant with bread that seemed to be basically challah (but not all braided; the dough), which was weird! Ethiopia has a pretty strong judaic influence, though, so I dunno if that's coincidental or not.

The power here is pretty spotty; we have it about every other day. That's because everything is hydroelectric and the rainy season is due to start in about a week so they're getting to the end of their supplies. We've had fun with candles, etc. It's only about 85 here, which is nice. I've been learning to use the gas stove :) (scary!).

It's really cool waking up in themornings (I'm still waking up around 4, which is less cool) and listening to the chants of the nearby Orthodox church start. I usually take my synthroid, read my bible, journal, and then go down to make tea and eat cereal before goofing off trying to write OOMs (which are difficult!). I'm currently reading Psalm 119. I usually try to check my e-mail first thing but that's not always possible.

Um... Oh. Yeah. I kind of forgot my camera. Oops? My cousin is a photographer, though, so i told him he has to take pictures for me :D.

Currently I expect to go out to the field next week and work with teaching the field workers for the children's program how to write sponsor letters (especially to keep them different--highlight the uniqueness of each child) as well as doing a food distribution. Tomorrow I'm going to be talking to the program director to see where he needs me other than that (my uncle, as he puts it, "mostly signs off on stuff").

Oh, and a worker died last week in a car crash and then 20 people going to her funeral were in a bus crash that left them with a lot of broken legs/arms. So its been rough, :/. My uncle just went down to spend tonight and tomorrow mornig with them and the team they're part of.

Um. That's basically it!! <3

I should write about California (the first 3 weeks I was gone), too. Later?