All About Annie
We’re all packed up and ready to head to the airport in a few hours. In the meantime, I thought I’d try to pass the time by checking on my e-mails one last time. I noticed quite a few comments from friends and family who are getting anxious to meet Annie. I kind of forget that even though our wait to meet Annie is over, the rest of you are still waiting! So I thought I’d leave a little post with some tidbits we’ve learned about the little lady:
- Annie is pretty happy-go-lucky. She’s done well with all the changes in her schedule this week. For the most part, she’s content and happy unless she needs food or sleep.
- Annie’s got a cute smile, and she gives it pretty easily when she’s not too sleepy. I think she’s already got Brian wrapped around her little finger. But for all the smiles, I haven’t really heard her giggle yet. Something tells me Noah will find a way to bring that out in her!
- Annie is quite small. The 12 month clothes I brought her fit pretty well. (Well, except for the jeans that don’t adjust around her waist. It was pretty funny when I attempted to put a pair on her. I think I could fit two of her waists in those pants!) Her shoes, on the other hand, were a problem. I brought size 5s, and she came with size 3s on from the orphanage! Looks like we’ll be doing some footwear shopping when we get home.
- Annie is a lazy eater. Whether it’s bottles or cereal that we try to feed her, she just takes her time to eat. Maybe that’s why she’s so small!
Well, speaking of Annie, she just woke up from her morning nap, so I think I better log off. Can’t wait to introduce you all to her in person soon!
Ethiopian Christmas
Merry Christmas from Ethiopia! We’re enjoying a nice, laid-back day after several days of busy scheduling. Due to the Christmas holiday today, the Bethany staff here ended up front-loading all our activities into the first three days of the week. We’ve taken in a lot of sights and experiences and it’s been great to learn about Annie’s country. But it’s also been kind of hectic handling a one-year-old in a foreign country when we’ve completely obliterated any sort of nap schedule for her! Thankfully, she’s been good at catching cat naps in the van. (It’s nice and cozy when she can just sprawl out on our laps instead of being captive in a car seat!)
We’ve been with two other Bethany families throughout the week and we’re all staying at the Morning Coffee Guesthouse. Nesibu and Bertukan, who operate the guesthouse, have been amazing hosts, really making us feel at home throughout a stressful process. They have an amazing heart for the orphans of Addis, and I could write a whole blog post just about them, but I’ll leave that for another time. Nesibu and Bertukan have four children. Then we have one Bethany family who adopted a 9-month-old, and the other family adopted two kids, an older 1-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. Put them all together and there’s eight kids hanging out around the place most of the time! It’s noisy, but joyful place to be.
Here’s a look at the activities of our past few days:
Sunday: Attended church with Nesibu and Bertukan in the morning. Lunch at the guesthouse, and then visited a nice restaurant in the evening at a golf course, where the kids had some room to run around.
Monday: We started by visiting the Bethany office in the morning, and then we went across the street to the Shalom Transitional Home, where Annie was staying before we came. They took us to a nice resturant for lunch and then we spent the afternoon sight-seeing, visiting Entoto Mountain. There were lots of interesting historical things to visit at the top, as well as panoramic view of the city. (Largely obscured by smog, though.) On our drive up the mountain we saw dozens of women hauling huge bundles of brush and sticks on their backs. They gather this every day and then take the very long walk down to town, where they’ll sell the bundles for the equivalent of about US $2. It’s just one of the many, many sights that remind us of the incredible poverty here. But on the same drive, we also saw colorful markets filled with traditional Ethiopian clothing, people chatting with neighbors as they buy from local shops, and school children laughing as they walked home in their uniforms. There’s much to love in this country, even amidst the overwhelming poverty here. Again, there could be a whole blog post just about my impressions of Ethiopia, but I’m still trying to sort through it all. Not quite ready to put it all into words…
At any rate, Monday ended on a great note: We got to bring Annie back “home” with us to the guesthouse and get her settled into our room.
Tuesday: Tuesday morning we visited Gelgela orphanage, one of the orphanages that Bethany partners with here. Annie spent a short time here, so it was valuable to see, though difficult too. It’s heartbreaking to see so many kids without a family. The orphanage does the best they can with the limited resources they have, but still, it’s not a home. One little boy tried to climb in the van with us when we left–it was hard to drive away.
Tuesday afternoon was our embassy appointment. We waited for quite a long time there–about two hours. Thankfully, Annie didn’t get too fussy and she fell asleep on my shoulder toward the end our wait. This was the ultimate reason for our visit to Ethiopia: The embassy issues the visa we need to take Annie home. After all the waiting, we went up to a window, answered about five questions, signed some papers, and it was done. Quite a feeling of relief! The embassy agreed to issue the visas for all the Bethany families, and we could pick them up the next day.
Tuesday night, the Bethany staff treated us to dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restuarant. We dove into the injera (Ethiopia’s trademark food) and tried out a bunch of different dishes. We also got to see some great entertainment, music and dances from the various Ethiopian tribes. And of course, we had the coffee and popcorn that go along with any traditional meal here in Ethiopia. Thought it was an exhausting day, it really was nice to end Tuesday at the restuarant, celebrating the rich history and colorful culture of Ethiopia.
Wednesday: Wednesday morning we visited a museum about Ethiopian history and then did some quick shopping at a market. I really hate shopping in this kind of environment–having to barter and being flocked by people who spot foreighners as an easy market for their wares. But it’s our only chance to buy items for Annie from her birth country, so I went to town. Brian just stood back while I grabbed scarves and dresses, and then I left him to do the bickering on price. Don’t worry though, he got to pick out a few things too, including a traditional Ethiopian coffee set. (I think coffee and popcorn must become a new Tol house tradition!)
Wednesday afternoon we returned to Shalom Children’s home one last time for a farewell party with all the kids there, the nannies, and the Bethany Staff. Mulu was really loved there, I think. I saw the nannies fighting over who would get to hold her and play with her during our visit. It was a really special party, and I felt incredibly grateful as we sat in the courtyard and watched the children playing and laughing with the nannies. I prayed so many times over the past months that God would care for Annie and fill her life with love and peace. And I saw Shalom as the answer to that prayer as I watched the children enjoy special treats and saw how much the Bethany staff loved on them while we were there.
And that brings us to today, which is Ethiopian Christmas. It’s been nice to just hang out here at the guesthouse and let Annie get some much-needed napping done! We started the morning with a massive plate of traditional Ethiopian bread (Christmas bread, as Nesibu called it.) And we were also treated to a very nice traditional Christmas dinner at lunchtime. Have I mentioned what amazing hosts we have here?
Tomorrow we pack up and head to the airport in the late afternoon. And then a really long day of traveling! If all goes as planned, we’ll be back in Michigan late Saturday afternoon. So keep sending up those prayers for smooth flights and no delays as we travel!
We’ve really enjoyed our time here, but we’ve also been missing home a lot. Living out of a suitcase with a one-year-old in a third world country isn’t an easy thing! It’s been one of the most difficult, but also wonderful experiences I’ve ever had. Thankfully, Brian and I have been staying healthy, although we’re definitely behind on sleep. (No big surprise to us with the addition of a one-year-old to our room!) Poor Annie’s got quite a cold, though. After we picked her up from the transition house on Monday, she had fever for a couple days. The fever seemed to break yesterday. So keep our little gal in your prayers that she can get over all the coughing and congestion she’s dealing with, especially with a long plane ride coming up for her tomorrow.
Well, this has been quite the post, I guess. Thanks for keeping up with us on this journey we’re on. We can’t wait to get Annie home, introduce her to her big brother, and get started with our new life as a family of four!
Time to Go
That’s it. I just double-checked my packing list. And after throwing in a pair of shower shoes and one extra baby bath towel, I declared us officially packed! We leave in the morning for one of the greatest adventures of our lives.
God’s been so good to us every step of this journey. Sometimes I still can’t quite believe he’s guided our footsteps to a baby girl in Africa. With every year that passes by, I continue to be humbled and thankful that God’s plans have often been bigger than my own tame dreams.
Well, there’s a lot stirring around in my heart, but for tonight, I just wanted to put together a few of our prayer requests before we leave. I’m convinced that prayer is powerful and real. And though we can’t take all our friends and family along with us on this journey, I do hope to travel in a cloud of your prayers!
Our requests:
1. Annie–This little girl has already experienced so many changes, so many losses. We just long for her to feel love and peace in the midst of this huge transition that is coming. Pray that she’ll be able to adjust smoothly, and that she’ll feel she can trust us quickly.
2. Bonding–Pray that Annie will bond with us, and we with her. We know this will be a process, but we’re hoping it will take off with a good start during the coming week.
3. Traveling Mercies–All the million travel details: Safety on flights, no delays, no lost luggage! (especially all those amazing toys many of you helped me make. That tote better make it to Ethiopia!) And it’s probably asking a lot, but if God could bless us with a sleepy baby girl on that long ride home, we would be most blessed!!
4. Health–Many families have struggled with some sort of health issue either during or after their trip to Ethiopia. It is a third world country, and of course that means that health conditions are often less than ideal. Pray that God will spare us and Annie from any sickness.
5. Sleep–I know I mentioned this in my last e-mail too. But really, I just pray that we get enough sleep so we can enjoy our time with Annie in Ethiopia. It’s hard to make the most of a trip if you’re exhausted the entire time, so I’m hoping we’ll be able to get some rest. (Or at least some very good coffee to keep us going!)
6. Noah–Our little guy is staying with Grandpa and Grandma Tol this week. I’m sure he’ll have a great time there, but I also know this will be a huge change for him. We’ve been talking about it for so long and I pray that the week will go by quickly for him until we can come home. Pray for him to adjust well as he becomes a big brother. And pray that his mommy won’t miss him TOO much while she’s in Ethiopia.
7. Teamwork–Okay, so here’s the thing about long trips and sleep deprivation: They can make me a little cranky with my spouse. (Hmm… I hope it’s okay to confess that on the blog.) I love Brian like crazy and am so blessed to have him by my side on this journey. Yet it’s easy to take out frustrations on the people closest to us, isn’t it? So please pray that we’ll have patient and work well together, even when the weariness sets in.
Thanks again for all the support and prayers. We look forward to our next update coming while we are on the journey!
Getting There…
It’s getting close! I’ve been weighing suitcases and practicing some phrases in Amharic. Getting Noah packed up and double-checking a million little details. And in two days, I’ll be on a plane to Ethiopia! It’s hard to comprehend it all. In less than a week, I get to hold my little girl in my arms. God is good.
But as I prepare to greet my new daughter, this week I’m also saying a good-bye. My sweet Grandma Russcher passed away on Sunday, rather unexpectedly. She’d been suffering from Alzheimers for several years, so we take great comfort in knowing that she is “herself” again–in Jesus’ very presence. It’s nice to imagine her now, peaceful and free from all the confusion that plagued her in these last years.
I will miss you Grandma. Your smile and your quick laugh. Wish I could’ve seen your eyes light up when you met Annie for the first time. So many precious memories surface at a time like this. But a blog is hardly the place to sort out my feelings about gaining a daughter and losing a grandma in the same week, even if I though I could find the words.
So I guess I’ll end by sharing a few specifics about our travel plans, for those who are interested in that sort of thing. We fly out on Dec. 31st (Thurs.) Here’s our route, via American and Emirates airlines:
Grand Rapids to Chicago
Chicago to JFK
JFK to Dubai (12 hour overnight layover there)
Dubai to Ethiopia - arriving around noon on Jan. 2
It’s crazy to think that we’ll be spending a night in Dubai on the way over. Thankfully, we won’t have to deal with that on the way home. It’s just one long day of traveling on the way back. We’ll leave around 7 pm on Jan. 8 and get back to Michigan in the late afternoon on the 9th. The flight home is one of the things I’ve felt most nervous about all along. It’s a long day to travel with a one-year-old who barely knows us. (Or we her.) Prayers for on-time flights and a good ride with Annie would be appreciated. But if we end up with a screaming baby and delays the whole way, I have to trust God will give us the grace to deal with that as well.
Well, before I sign off, could I leave one quick prayer request for today? Please ask God to bless us with good sleep in the coming nights. I often struggle with insomnia leading up to a big trip and I rarely have any luck sleeping on planes, so I could use a little divine help staying rested for the trip. I know Brian had a rough night last night and ended up getting up VERY early b/c he couldn’t get back to sleep. So we’d really appreciate those prayers. We just want to be at our best as we help Annie through this huge change in her life–and sleep makes such a huge difference.
Speaking of which… I think I’m off to dreamland for the night. Big day tomorrow with the funeral, saying good-bye to Noah, and final packing.
God Smiles…
Well, everything has shifted here at the Tol house: We are full tilt in travel mode because we received our travel call yesterday! We will be leaving for Ethiopia on January 31st and returning on January 9th. (Flights are still pending, but that’s what we’re hoping for.) It’s incredibly surreal to finally be planning this trip that we’ve looked forward to for nearly two years.
In the midst of all our preparations and plans, we’ve noticed God’s fingerprints all over the place. Here are a few of the fun coincidences that must bring a smile to God’s face:
1. Christmas! Several months ago I got this kind of crazy idea in my head to buy a bunch of toys from Oriental Trading Company that needed to be assembled/painted/sewn together. I thought it would be fun to get a bunch of friends and family to help me work on them, pour love into them, and then bring them over to some of the kids in the orphanages when we visit Ethiopia. So, over the past weeks I’ve had lots of helpers (35+ at last count) help me with sewing puppets, painting race cars, making teddy bears, and stringing beads on little bracelets. I have quite the collection of toys to pass out!
Now when I started hearing from others who’ve traveled, a lot of them seemed to bring more “practical” items (diapers/toothbrushes/medicines/etc.) I was feeling a little bad about all my frivolous toys. But here’s the fun part: We will be in Ethiopia during their Christmas. Since they use a different calendar, they celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, which means we will be passing out all those little toys right around Christmastime! And I have sneaking suspicion God had that in mind all along when he planted that crazy toy idea in my heart.
2. Immigration Papers. Okay, let me start this by giving you a random fact about Amy: I served as an intern for Congressman Hoekstra’s office my fall semester of college. I got to do various interesting tasks, but a good deal of the work that got passed my way involved filing papers and entering data for their Immigration Liason.
Now, fast forward ten years to yesterday. We got a travel call to visit the US Embassy in Ethiopia on January 5. Great news, EXCEPT that there was still a form we needed processed by Citizen and Immigration Services (CIS). We needed that form approved in order to travel, and fast. Without speedy approval, we would’ve had to delay our travel plans.
So… it was time to get some congressional help in beseeching the good folks at CIS to hurry along on approving this form. I called the office, and lo and behold, I’m suddenly talking to the very person I used to work for as an intern. Only this time, I’M the one needing congressional help with CIS! We had a good laugh about that one. But thankfully, everything got straightened out very quickly and we now are clear to travel next week!
3. Coffee. So here’s a little thing. I’m a little addicted to coffee. It’s hard for me to kick things in gear without my morning dose of sweet caffeine. And so, as I thought about travels to Ethiopia, I was curious how available my morning cup of joe would be. It IS the land where coffee was “discovered”, so I wasn’t too concerned. But still… coffee is an important part of my physical and emotional well-being.
So we’re staying at a guesthouse in Addis Ababa, and here’s part of the description of their amenities: “Coffee available at any time.” Any time! Oh glory! I will be fully caffeinated on this amazing African adventure we are about to embark on!
All these wonderful, sweet “coincidences” remind us that God has had his hands in these plans all along. I’m still humbled to think how he has chosen to knit our little family together. And though I’m feeling some nervousness about all the travel plans and adjustments to come, it’s so reassuring to know that God is smiling on us as we go. We covet your prayers for peace, health, and sleep as we prepare to bring Annie home.
Note: I’m hoping to create a “prayer requests” post later this week for those of you who want to be our prayer warriors while we travel and adjust. Check back in a few days if you’re interested.
Ethiopia Facts: Christianity
Here’s a post I’ve been wanting to write for some time. I’ve been reading about Ethiopia’s connections to Christianity, and I’m fascinated by what I’ve learned.
First of all, I’ll admit to being very ignorant about the religious landscape of Ethiopia before we decided to adopt from there. I very naively assumed the country was probably Islamic, or filled with tribal religious. While there is a large Muslim population in the country (35-45%, depending which figure you read), I was surprised to discover that Christianity is actually the predominant religion, with about 61% of the population as adherents.
Ethiopia is the second oldest Christian state in the world, after Armenia. The Christian church can be traced to ancient times, and believers have been living out their faith in this land for thousands of years. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the only church in Sub-Saharan Africa that existed prior to colonization. It was the state church of Ethiopia untile 1974 and it’s closely related to the Coptic Church of Egypt.
(Interesting sidenote: Ethiopia is one of only two countries in Africa that were not colonized. Italy attempted to colonize during WW2, but was fought off with the help of the British.)
Ethiopia has some interesting connections to the Bible—many based on legend, rather than biblical account. But they are interesting, nonetheless. And they explain why Christianity has been so strong in Ethiopia over the years. Here’s a few key points:
Queen of Sheba—Historians agree that the Queen of Sheba who visited Solomon most likely came from the area that is now Ethiopia. (In biblical times, the region was known as “Cush.”) The account can be found in 1 Kings 10:1-13, which describes the Queen of Sheba coming to ask Solomon difficult questions. She is impressed with his wisdom and proclaims praise to God.
According to Ethiopian tradition, the queen—whose name was Makeda—became pregnant by Solomon. She gave birth to a son, who became the first king of Ethiopia, Menelik 1. This Solomonic dynasty ruled over Ethiopia for the over 2900 years. (From what I’ve read, there was a “short” interruption in this line for about 130 years just prior to 1270 AD.) This actually makes Ethiopia’s ruling dynasty the oldest in the world, along with Japan’s. Emperor Haile Selassie was the last of this dynasty, deposed in 1974.
Obviously, the claims of Sheba and Solomon having a child together have no basis in the Bible. But I’m still intrigued by the Queen’s visit. As I read the biblical account, this appeared to more than just another political conference. She seemed to be on a sincere quest for wisdom—and apparently left with a real appreciation and belief in God.
The Ark—The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims to possess the Ark of the Covenant at a church in Axum. There is no physical or historical evidence for this claim, although from what I’ve read, it’s not completely beyond the realm of possibility.
strong>Pontius Pilate—Pastor George recently mentioned the Ethiopian belief that Pontius Pilate actually converted to Christianity later in life and settled with his wife in Ethiopia. I couldn’t find much info about this online, but I did learn that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church considers both Pilate and his wife to be saints. I share Pastor George’s hope that the legend is real—that Pilate was forever impacted by his famous encounter with Jesus and eventually came to believe.
The Ethiopian Eunuch—Mentioned in Acts 8:23-40, this man was a chief officer of Ethiopia under the reign of Queen Candace. It’s interesting to note that “This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet” (vv. 27-28). Apparently, there were sincere believers in Ethiopia at this time who traveled to the Temple to worship God. (Faith brought home by the Queen of Sheba, perhaps?)
Philip talked with this man, who was full of questions. When Philip shared the truth about Jesus with him, the eunuch asked to be baptized immediately. Unlike some of the “legends” of the Ethiopian church, this particular account is in the inspired Word of God.
It’s amazing to me that God has been at work in Ethiopia for literally thousands of years! Sometimes, with all the focus on Israel in my studies of the Old Testament, I can forget that God sought the hearts of those outside the Promised Land as well. I love the rich biblical tradition that can be found in Ethiopia. Aside from the more questionable “legends” of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, the Bible does record the accounts of Sheba and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Both came to the Holy Land with questions about truth—seeking wisdom, seeking God. Both were ministered to by God’s people. And both left rejoicing in God. What a beautiful spiritual heritage for believers of Ethiopia to build upon!
What a privilege to “adopt” this heritage for our own family.
Dreaming…
So I had a big “first” in our adoption process last night: I dreamt about our future child. It was hazy and unrealistic, as most dreams are: We picked up our little girl here in America, at our caseworker’s house, and received absolutely no information about the child’s history. But as weird as the dream was, it’s a special comfort to be dreaming about this little person who will soon come into our lives. This adoption process can feel distant and unreal during this “wait time.” It’s nice to wake up with a thread of connection woven into my heart.
And so today, like many days lately, I’ve been wondering: Is our child born yet? What does she look like? What is her family’s story? When will we see that picture for the first time?
No surprise, then, that I wandered to a particular blog this afternoon: It’s a California family who is waiting for their referral of an Ethiopian baby, just like we are. I found a video there, filled with the faces of beautiful Ethiopian orphans. And I wondered: While I lay dreaming of our future child last night, what were these children dreaming of? What stories lie in their past? What kind of future they will face?
So I’m sharing a couple videos with you today, and praying that you’ll start dreaming too. I know we’re in “tough economic times.” But compared to the loss of so many orphans around the world, are our lives really so bleak? Perhaps as this season of thanksgiving unfolds, you can do something to help the orphan–maybe through a donation, or a prayer, or just sending this video on to others through your e-mail or Facebook page. Let’s all dream together about how we can make a difference for these children that God so dearly loves.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvRwo2oAmec]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c24T29r_n0o]
From Ethiopia to China
Well, if you read our last blog entry, you know things have been a bit hectic around here lately. I want to write a “real” post sometime soon to fill you in on our adventures, but I’ve promised myself to stay away from the blog until I finish my latest freelance project.
(Note: Yes, I realize I am breaking my own rule while writing this. See what astounding willpower I have?)
But I did want to share a little info about our Ethiopia adoption process:
#1. There have been several Bethany staff members visiting Ethiopia in the last few weeks. We haven’t heard a lot of details about thier trip yet, but it’s good news to hear that our agency is making strides to develop the Ethiopia program.
#2. Last week, Bethany received four more referrals for families. And five other families received court dates (which means they’ll be travelling to pick up their kids very soon!) This is exciting to us because it means the Ethiopia program continues to roll forward, and our name gets just a little higher on the list! Please keep all these families in your prayers.
Now, since we’ve been blog delinquents lately, I thought I’d at least point you to an alternative source of entertainment. Our Bethany caseworker is on a business trip to China, evaluating some adoption-related issues there. She’s been been blogging about her experience here, so check it out sometime. It’s fun to hear about Chinese culture and read about children meeting their forever families for the first time!
Ethiopia Facts: Wildlife
We’ve been doing a little furniture shuffle at the Tol House this past couple weeks, trying to move Brian to a quieter workspace for his new job and anticipating the arrival of a baby sometime in the next year or so. I’ll spare you the details of our confusing room to room furniture shuffle, but I will say that the new arrangement is working out nicely.
So what in the world does this have to do with Ethiopian wildlife? Well, we sacrificed our living room to create a new playroom, and decided it’d be fun to decorate the new room with a theme. We call it our “Out of Africa” playroom and it features lots of safari friends. In the process of creating some homemade animal artwork for the walls, I got to wondering: Do any of these animals actually live in Ethiopia? Or is my safari playroom more cliche than reality?
So off I went on a roadtrip down the Information Highway, researching Ethiopia’s wildlife. Here’s what I learned (courtesy of Wikipedia): Ethiopia does, in fact, have a beautiful variety of wildlife including the lions, elephants, zebras, and giraffes that are adorning our playroom walls. (Sigh of relief: My artwork can stay.) Some other interesting animals I discovered on the Ethiopia list: mongoose, gazelle, warthog, anteater, aardvark, hippopotamus, and rhinoceros.
But wait. I also placed a charming stuffed monkey on the playroom bookshelf: Is he authentic, as well? With a bit more searching I discovered that there is plenty of simian life in Ethiopia, including monkeys and baboons. What a relief, because really, what kind of playroom doesn’t feature at least one monkey?
One animal that didn’t make the playroom scene, despite his presence in Ethiopia: the hyena. Apparently, the so-called “laughing hyena” isn’t a funny matter to Ethiopian children. These ferocious animals play much the same role as our big bad wolf in Ethiopian children’s tales. So we’ll just keep Mr. Hyena out of the Tol house for now. Other Ethiopian animals that didn’t make the cut: The Naked Mole Rat, the Ethiopian Fruit Bat, and a bountiful variety of shrews.
One sad discovery: The friendly stuffed tiger who is lounging on the playroom sofa really doesn’t belong. I always thought tigers and lions were good chums, and pictured them doing the savannah equivalent of going to a diner for milkshakes together. Not so. Tigers actually live further north, in areas of India and Asia, while lions roam Africa. Perhaps they could be penpals, at least?
At any rate, since Noah is rather attached to his tiger friend, we’ll let the tiger slide in with the lion under the general category of “big cats.” (Come to think of it, our housecat Mocha fits in this category as well.)
So there is my rather brief tour through Ethiopian wildlife. Isn’t it amazing to think of all those animals roaming about their country? And here’s one last wildlife fact for those of you who’ve stuck with me: Ethiopia’s national symbol is the lion. It’s hard to imagine a symbol with greater beauty and power.
Writer’s Note: So here’s the thing. Whenever Brian writes a blog entry, we seem to get comments. When I (Amy) write, there is an ominous silence. So I’m humbly begging for a response. Just a word. Or maybe a whole sentence if you have the time. Please? It’s not that I want to compete with my husband prolific comments: It’s just that I’m starting to wonder if my words are being sucked into some secret black hole of the web!
Ethiopia Fact: Coffee
We’ve been learning a lot about Ethiopia in recent weeks, and we thought it’d be fun to share some of our newfound knowledge with you, so we are launching an “Ethiopian Fact of the Week” here on the blog. As we explore this country and culture through books and websites, we are growing excited to travel to this land in person. It’s a land of great beauty and rich history.
We’ll start with a fun fact that has drawn Ethiopia dear to our hearts. So here is Ethiopia Fact #1: Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee!
According to Ethiopian legend, a young goatherd in the Kaffa region first discovered the effects of wild coffee berries over 1,000 years ago. An Epicurean.com article offers this explanation of the tale: “After discovering his goats to be excited, almost dancing on their hind legs, . . . He tried the berries himself and rushed home to his wife who told him that he must tell the monks. The monks tossed the sinful drug into the flames, . . . Within minutes the monastery filled with the heavenly aroma of roasting beans, and the other monks gathered to investigate. After sitting up all night, they found a renewed energy to their holy devotions. The rest, as they say, is history.” (Check here for the entire article about Ethiopia and coffee.)
While this legend may be debatable, the roasting and brewing of coffee beans did, in fact, start in Ethiopia. Today, coffee is Ethiopia’s #1 export, generating around 60% of its total export earnings.
Coffee also plays a strong role culturally, as Ethiopians often perform a coffee ceremony for friends and guests who come to their homes. (Something we have in common with our Ethiopian friends!) But here is areal stroke of genius: The Ethiopians traditionally serve POPCORN along with their coffee.
Popcorn and coffee together. Could there be a more perfect union?
Excuse me, I think I need to make a trip to the kitchen for a moment . . .
(Editor’s note: For those of you who may not know, Amy is rather fond of popcorn. As in, she’s the only person in North America who has actually had to replace TWO popcorn appliances because she uses them so frequently for late-night snacks.)