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.)
Change of Course
Funny how God works sometimes.
As we’ve written here before, we’ve been planning to adopt for awhile, saying lots of prayers for wisdom and guidance along the way. We had settled on adopting from Korea for a variety of reasons. We were excited learn about a new country and culture. And it seemed to be the best fit for our current family situation.
And yet, there was a small bit of doubt in my mind. Even as I shared the news about Korea with family and friends, a small piece of my heart felt uneasy. I suppose this is how every adoptive parent feels before they get matched with a child, I reasoned. I’ll bet it all “clicks” when you see that first picture of your little one. Still, I’ve been tossing up many heartfelt prayers throughout the past several weeks, asking God to give me peace–or to somehow make it obvious if Korea wasn’t the program for us.
Since our decision to adopt from Korea back in January, several things have happened:
1. We’ve heard more and more about the desperate needs of orphans in Ethiopia.
2. The Korea program was put on hold - initially expected to open on April 1.
3. We’ve heard about more and more people adopting–or considering adoption–from Ethiopia.
4. We’ve learned about recent legislation and cultural developments in Korea that promote adoption within their own country and make it easier for single mothers to raise a child, something that was very difficult before. This is great news for Korea’s children and families, as more of their children will be raised by their birthmothers, or in their birth country. It just means that the need for non-Korean families to step in and adopt is gradually declining.
5. Did I mention that we seemed to be hearing a lot about Ethiopia?
6. The hold on the Korea program did not end on April 1, but was extended for an indefinite time.
As you’ve probably figured out already, we feel God’s calling us to a change of course: After lots of prayers and discussion, we’re now planning to adopt from Ethiopia. And that uneasy feeling in my heart? GONE. There’s no doubt in my mind–or Brian’s for that matter!–that Ethiopia is where we were meant to go all along. God has made it pretty clear, and we are excited to follow along.
So we’ve made it official by mailing in our I600A form to the US Citizen and Immigration Services department. This form basically asks for government approval to adopt from a foreign country, in our case we’ve specified Ethiopia. And we are praying for a speedy processing of our form, as we cannot actually get on the Ethiopia waiting list without this approval. I’ve heard some nightmare stories about trying to get this form processed, so I’m hoping we won’t have too much trouble.
So if you’ve been tracking with me to the end of this post, please join us in thanking God for his clear direction and peace about adopting from Ethiopia. And then, could you just ask for a small miracle: That our little I600A form would sail through the system quickly?
We’re excited to keep you updated as we continue on this journey.