The following six posts were put on today. If you want to read them in order, go down to April 11- April 17 and read up. Sorry I was so interrupted in my blogging by a broken satellite modem, and the volcano in Iceland. I did keep writing on my computer so that I could post as soon as I got home. We flew into Denver on Sunday afternoon and I actually cried when I walked into the restroom at the airport because it was so clean and I dared to use it. It's always confusing to go to another country and figure out how to flush their toilets, but here in America I know how to FLUSH! We flew into IF Sunday night and were met by Morgan and Leah. Alan has left for Mesa Arizona to visit with his mom and dad. He's very relieved that he can go and be there with them for a few days. He'll be back on Saturday.
April 23, 2010
We think we’re flying out of here tonight. Our travel agency is working on our flight plan to take us to Frankfurt overnight arriving there on Saturday morning. We’ll stay Saturday in Frankfurt and then fly out of there on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 and arrive in Denver on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Then fly to IF and get there late at night. I hope this happens!
I went out today by myself (amazing) and wandered around the area here close at the guest houses. I went over to Passion burger to eat lunch. It’s about the most American food that you can get here in Ethiopia. They have good French fries, but the burgers and sandwiches taste just a little different. I think they might have extra spices in them. The beef burgers are just a thin little meatloaf like thing that they put on a roll and then add tomato, onion, and lettuce. No pickles here. No mustard either. I took some pictures of the Ethiopian Orthodox church just across the street from the guest houses, the one that starts the chanting business about 5:00 am every morning continuing for several hours. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Church was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa, Cyril VI. It should not be confused with the Ethiopian Catholic Church, which split from it in 1930. One of the few pre-colonial Christian churches of Sub-Saharan Africa, it has a membership of about 40 million people (45 million claimed by the Patriarch), mainly in Ethiopia, and is thus the largest of all Oriental Orthodox churches.
It is a beautiful church and I wandered around the block to get some better pictures. Just around the corner, but on the same block I found the area to be run down and trashy. The church is beautiful on the side that faces the nice rich area and then run down and trashy on the other side. There were people sleeping on the street there. There are so many beggars here in Addis – well everywhere in Ethiopia really. Alan is usually compassionate and will give most people a little something. I’m usually not carrying money, so I don’t. I did buy two DVD’s off the street today for around $2.00 each. I bought Planet Earth and then some other African movie, and Alan bought Avatar and the Blind Side. I know, some of you people are going to have a problem with me doing this, but I wanted to do it just once and see if the quality is bad or good. As forejees in Ethiopia, we know that we’re getting overcharged left and right for goods. Our foreigness is something we can’t hide and the cost of things automatically goes up when we are the purchasers, so it makes me feel good when I get something for less than it should normally cost. I feel like I have triumphed in the market place. One day Nadi and I were looking for bananas. We stopped at a road side stand and I asked first how much for the bananas/kilo. Then Nadi asked and they told him. When we compared prices, he was quoted something like 40 birr less per kilo than I was. It makes me mad that I can’t get the normal, average, everyday price for things because I am a forenjee. So that’s why I’m not going to lose any sleep over purchasing something I know darn well was bootlegged and I’m getting it for almost nothing.
I hope we’re out of here tonight!
We just got word we are approved to leave at 10:30 on Lufthaansa to Frankfurt! Oh my word, I’m so relieved!
2 comments:
I'm so happy you made it home okay! And I'm glad that Alan was able to go down to Az. I can't wait to see you next month. Morgan and I were discussing May 15 for Logan's baby shower.
I absolutely loved all of your stories. What an amazing experience for you and Alan, I am thinking and wondering if you all would come to our ward and do a class for the RS and the YW. Kelsie needs to do a 10 hr. service project. Maybe some school kits would be something to do. Tell me what you think.
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