This is not a great picture, but this is my Ethiopian family. Starting from the left: Matthew (Aman's friend from boarding school who happened to be visiting), Abraham, me, Melat, Aman, and Salem.
Donkeys. One of my favorite things about Addis. They're absolutely everywhere - carrying bundles, people, or just trudging along. You have to admit they're pretty cute.
This would be an example of the public transportation, which is an old pick-up with benches in the truck bed and a hard cover attached. When I first saw this death ride, I was like "man, I can't believe people actually get in those things." A few weeks later I was lining up to pay my 15 cents to squeeze in with 15 other people. Below is another shot of the "taxi" with a sheep riding on top. He seems fine with it.
This is the guy who feeds THE guy and the building that some believe holds the Ark of the Covenant. I think he may be doing some laundry.
Abs and I sampling the local brew in Axum.
This is what I've been eating. It's kind of hard to tell, but this is a plate of injera with different types of wat. Shiro, which is made of chickpeas but is nothing like hummus, is my favorite, but I grew pretty fond of most of them...just not the oddly popular kitfo or tripe dishes.
Melat and me at the top of Mount Entoto taking in a view of Addis.
These are some of the guys from the street boys house. Ermias, their mentor, is in the middle. One of my favorite things was interviewing these guys and seeing the remarkable transformation that has taken place in their lives. They are so sweet and fun in a way that makes it hard to believe the details of their pasts.
Melat and I are at the Girls' house for a party. Right after this picture was taken, the dance party began, which means they begged me to dance and then laughed hysterically when I obliged.
This is me with some of my best friends from my time in Ethiopia. Kate and Jessica, on each end, went to Carolina and live at the Cherokee house, so they were kind of my connection to home. Konjit, in the middle with me, is one of the house mothers at the Girls' House. We spent a lot of time together because she translated for many of the interviews. Near the end of time we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the Sheraton, which, by the way, is the nicest hotel I have ever seen, anywhere. We chose the restaurant that offers a buffet, acted like small children whose parents went out of town without hiring a babysitter, and smuggled apples out in our purses.I have many more pictures and stories, but that's a little taste. Just let me know if you want your very own personal slide show tour of Ethiopia.
