HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I love you and miss you and can’t wait
for your visit next month! Have the best day and enjoy your weekend in Chicago!
Meskel was a huge celebration. It seemed like everyone in
Gondar was gathered in the Piazza to watch the ceremony. Tons of bright colors,
extravagant umbrellas, gauzy garb, and the chanting continued. The religious
service, song and dance and presentations were all in Amharic except for a
brief mention in English of Montgomery County, MD, recognized for dubbing
Gondar their sister city. After 3 hours of standing in the sun a huge cross
made of sticks and flowers was finally lit on fire. There is some traditional
lore as to which way the cross falls, similar to our ground hogs day. We left
the scene of the excitement with lobster red faces and forearms. I’ve never
seen a deeper V burned into Max’s chest, and he wasn’t even in a v-neck, rather
a button down. We’re lathering with lotion and will never leave the house
without our SPF again. We joined Fasil, our driver, and his mother and sister
for lunch in their home. It was so kind of them to welcome us. His mother
cooked chicken stew doro wat, rice,
vegetables and injera. We sat around and drank tej and had a really nice time.
It was so kind of them to open their doors to us. Fasil’s mother, Kanubish,
works at the Goha Hotel and performs traditional coffee ceremonies for guests.
We thought she looked familiar!
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| Meskel Celebration in Meskel Square, Gondar |
The days are getting hotter. The rains are fewer and farther
between. I think we’re about to bid farewell to this beautiful lush scenery and
welcome the hues of brown. It’s very chilly at night though.
We came to school early this morning to see the flag raising
and the children line up for class. It was in Amharic but I believe a student
stood and read a poem, I could be totally wrong but it sounded nice. We have
been sitting with Temesgen discussing our roles. We received teacher handbooks
and textbooks. Excited to finalize our schedules which we will do on Monday.
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