i don't mind at all! i'm always looking for new lj friends (espcially under this name, it's new)
omgosh, my favourite part of ethiopia? i have to say the FOOD. it's so good. my boyfriend grew up in ethiopia from like 2nd to 6th grade so we used to have it allllll the time. it's just SO good. look up ethiopian food in your closest city. but careful, it can be spicy. :]
the people are WONDERFUL. they are SO welcoming. when i was there, i was often mistaken for a native ethiopian because i'm very, idk, exotic looking and i had long braids at that point. anyway, i was getting some food (traditional ethiopian, of course!) and the chef of the restaurant came out and first spoke amheric to me, and when i kind of smiled and said, 'i'm sorry i don't speak english' he laughed in disbelief and said, 'but you're too beautiful to be an american girl!' anyway, he took my plate away from me and said, 'here, let me make you a special plate,' and got new ingera (an flat ethiopian sour dough bread type thing that you use as a plate + spoon)and made me a whole new plate. idk. i think that really says something about the people - everyone was so nice, and helpful and complimentary.
it was strange - i was an 16 yr old, white, female american and not only that, i was all alone in addis ababa, my parents were flipping out that it is a dangerous country (which it most certainly is) and that i was going to be raped, killed, kidnapped, something horrible, but i never felt out of safety. i never felt out of my comfort zone, i never felt violated or in a position where i was the underdog.
also, everyone in ethiopia has a very distinct face. there is a VERY 'ethiopian' look. their facial structures. idk. they are all sososo beautiful.
it's sad though, ethiopia is a VERY poverty stricken country. though the people have an unbreakable spirit about them, there are things that i saw in ethiopia that break my heart and that i think of each day. if you've never been to africa, then you've only heard about the poverty. it's very different to see it, to interact with the people, to give a man a birr (about 1/8 of a US dollar) and see such a look of gratuity on his face like you've actually made a difference in his LIFE. idk. it's an unreal experience.
Thank you so much for sharing. It makes me love the Ethiopian people even more. There's a very large Ethiopian population where I live, so I can always tell when someone's Ethiopian. All my friends think it's ridiculous when I point to a stranger on the street and tell them excitedly that "They're from Ethiopia!" I've tried ingera...it's definitely an acquired taste. Fortunately, they're pretty vegan friendly, so when I move there it won't be as difficult for me to find food. I sponsor three kids from Ethiopia, and just through their letters I can see what you mean about their unbreakable spirit. They just love you, even in their poverty and pain.
hahaha ingera's awesssome, i love it, you just can't eat it alone. and yes, they are definitely vegan friendly. i have an ethiopian recipe book, i can copy some vegan recipes from it if you want to give it a try :]
haha, i think it's awesome you support kids in ethiopia. the world needs more people like you. :]
anyways, i'm off to celebrate new years + happy 2007! add me, we'll keep in touch!
omgosh, my favourite part of ethiopia? i have to say the FOOD. it's so good. my boyfriend grew up in ethiopia from like 2nd to 6th grade so we used to have it allllll the time. it's just SO good. look up ethiopian food in your closest city. but careful, it can be spicy. :]
the people are WONDERFUL. they are SO welcoming. when i was there, i was often mistaken for a native ethiopian because i'm very, idk, exotic looking and i had long braids at that point. anyway, i was getting some food (traditional ethiopian, of course!) and the chef of the restaurant came out and first spoke amheric to me, and when i kind of smiled and said, 'i'm sorry i don't speak english' he laughed in disbelief and said, 'but you're too beautiful to be an american girl!' anyway, he took my plate away from me and said, 'here, let me make you a special plate,' and got new ingera (an flat ethiopian sour dough bread type thing that you use as a plate + spoon)and made me a whole new plate. idk. i think that really says something about the people - everyone was so nice, and helpful and complimentary.
it was strange - i was an 16 yr old, white, female american and not only that, i was all alone in addis ababa, my parents were flipping out that it is a dangerous country (which it most certainly is) and that i was going to be raped, killed, kidnapped, something horrible, but i never felt out of safety. i never felt out of my comfort zone, i never felt violated or in a position where i was the underdog.
also, everyone in ethiopia has a very distinct face. there is a VERY 'ethiopian' look. their facial structures. idk. they are all sososo beautiful.
it's sad though, ethiopia is a VERY poverty stricken country. though the people have an unbreakable spirit about them, there are things that i saw in ethiopia that break my heart and that i think of each day. if you've never been to africa, then you've only heard about the poverty. it's very different to see it, to interact with the people, to give a man a birr (about 1/8 of a US dollar) and see such a look of gratuity on his face like you've actually made a difference in his LIFE. idk. it's an unreal experience.
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There's a very large Ethiopian population where I live, so I can always tell when someone's Ethiopian. All my friends think it's ridiculous when I point to a stranger on the street and tell them excitedly that "They're from Ethiopia!"
I've tried ingera...it's definitely an acquired taste. Fortunately, they're pretty vegan friendly, so when I move there it won't be as difficult for me to find food.
I sponsor three kids from Ethiopia, and just through their letters I can see what you mean about their unbreakable spirit. They just love you, even in their poverty and pain.
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haha, i think it's awesome you support kids in ethiopia. the world needs more people like you. :]
anyways, i'm off to celebrate new years + happy 2007! add me, we'll keep in touch!
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