October 4

Hello everyone. This is Theo's Dad, Bob. Theo is gradually getting better, but still a little under the weather. He has asked me to help him post to his blog today. This will be a combined effort. Theo is helping by relating his experiences yesterday. I'll be doing much of the typing.

The weather is beautiful here. The temperature is in the low to mid 70s and there is a gentle/warm breeze. There is plenty of sunshine and just a few puffy clouds in the sky. You'd think that since we're so close to the equator, it would be much hotter, but Addis Ababa sits on a mountainous plateau. It is some 7,500-8,000 feet (that's a mile and a half high) above sea level and it's elevation is largely responsible for keeping the temperatures and weather quite pleasant.

We awoke yesterday and today to the sounds of a city going to work and school. Car horns were honking. Buses were swooshing by filled with daily commuters. School children were walking to their classes. In that respect, it is a lot like home. We've learned that the Ethiopian school system is a lot like ours. School is free and compulsory (you are supposed to go). There are 12 grades, just like in the United States. There was a time when many children dropped out of school after the 7th and 8th grades to help out at home or work to raise money for their families, but more and more children are now staying in school and completing all 12 grades. There are public and private colleges and universities here too. Many families who can afford it, try to send their children abroad for college to places like the United States, Europe, or India. Learning to speak English seems to be a really important subject here.

We had breakfast at the hotel the last two days. The breakfast menu included bananas and melon. There was mango juice. There were small, fried strips of delicious dough that looked like doughnut sticks. We're still not quite sure what they're called. There were some more familiar dishes too including toast and jam and waffles. And, of course, there was coffee. Theo didn't get to have any, but his Mom and Dad had plenty. Coffee is believed to have originated in Ethiopia. There is actually a province/region in southwest Ethiopia called "Kafa" from which the word coffee is felt to be derived. In Amharic (Ethiopia's official language), coffee is known as "bunna." The drinking of it is often accompanied by much custom and ceremony. It is delicious. Did you know that coffee ("bunna") is Ethiopia's biggest export? It represents 60% of all the goods sold by Ethiopia to the rest of the world.

Since we ate a late breakfast and since Theo's stomach isn't quite right yet, we skipped lunch. Theo felt well enough to walk outside the hotel in the mid to late afternoon. We walked from our hotel to Africa Avenue where we stopped for some refreshments at the Friendship Cafe. Theo had an orange Fanta soda (its very popular here) and a croissant filled with chocolate. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? His Mom and Dad had "machiatos." Machiatos are popular coffee drinks that originated in Italy and were brought to Ethiopia by the Italians who tried several times, unsuccessfully, to colonize the country. Theo will tell you that it is a great source of pride among the Ethiopians that they are the only African nation not to have ever been colonized by Europeans.

During our walk to and from the Friendship Cafe on African Avenue, we saw many things. First of all, there were plenty of people in the streets. Many are there trying to sell things. We had people approach us trying to get us to buy DVDs, books, maps, phone cards, and chewing gum. Young boys asked us if we wanted our shoes shined. Theo's Dad has learned to say, "Aznallo, ai ameuseugenalo." That means, "Sorry, no thank you." Unfortunately, we also saw people asking for food and money. The government asks that we not give to people on the streets. There are government and not-for-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs)that are working hard to help these people. There were people with physical disabilities in the streets too. Modern medicine has just reached Ethiopia in recent years and diseases like polio and measles that we don't see in the United States are, sadly, still found here.

Theo saw a group of boys playing a pick-up game of soccer in an empty city lot. Although there were no nets and no boundary markers or field lines, they seemed to be having a lot of fun just the same. Soccer is the favorite team sport in Ethiopia. Many Ethiopians will have never heard of the New York Yankees or the Buffalo Bills, but they know everything about European and International Soccer Leagues. Did you know that Ethiopians are known worldwide for their running ability? Ethiopians are some of the very best long-distance runners in the entire world. They have dominated the olympic's long distance runs for several generations now. Many think it may be because they train at high altitudes and their muscles learn to use oxygen more efficiently than you or I can.

Last night, Theo's Mom and Dad ordered-in traditional Ethiopian food. It is called "injera" (a pancake made from the regional grain known as "tef."). The injera is covered with traditional stews called "wots." The wots are made from chicken, beef, lamb, goat, vegetables, and cheese. They are delicious, but very spicy. Everyone washes their hands carefully and thoroughly. The Ethiopians eat their traditional meals without silverware. You're supposed to tear a small piece of the injera and use it to dip into the various wots. Everyone shares from the same plate. They have a custom of only using their right hands when sharing injera with wots. And, you need to be really careful not to get the wots on your fingertips because it's felt to be impolite to lick your fingers clean.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 5th, is a really exciting day for Theo and his Mom and Dad. That is the day we will be going to the orphanage to gather Feven, Theo's new sister. Wish us all well. We'll be taking and sharing plenty of pictures, so stay tuned. For now, we hope all is well with you back home. We'll post again tomorrow. Theo says hi and wants all his family and friends to know that he misses them.