Heritage/Culture

Mark your calendars for September 11. It's the Ethiopian New Year, called Enkutatash (en-koo-TAH-tash)! Most of Ethiopia still follows the Orthodox Julian calendar. Unlike the Western or Gregorian calendar, the Julian year has 12 months of 30 days each and an additional 13th month with 5 or 6 days (depending on Leap Year). Meskerem is the first month of the Ethiopian year. The first day of Meskerem, New Year's Day, falls on our September 11 this year. Ethiopian New Year is a time to express hopes and dreams for the future. Enkutatash marks the end of the rainy season in Ethiopia, when fields bloom and the spring begins. The literal meaning of Enkutatash is the "gift of jewels". This is in reference to the gifts… [more]

The fastest growth in African adoptions is centered in the country of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is located in the 'horn' of Africa. It is a country that is economically on the rise according to today's journalist. Yet, if you look deeply into the state of this country, you will see that it is suffering the effects of poverty and illness. The number of AIDS deaths are on the ascent and the children are being orphaned at alarming rates. All of that being said, it is one of the fastest growing countries for international adoption. The October 2010, version of the East Africa Forum states that there are over 5 million orphans in this one country and that its government is stepping up to do something about… [more]

Spring is here and summer planning has already started in many of our homes I'm sure.  In my house we start planning camps in February when Girl Scout Camp registration opens. As parents or potential parents of Ethiopian children we have a responsibility to keep some of the culture in our homes.  I truly believe that we owe this education to our children and to their homeland. While I believe that attending activities that embrace our children's heritage I also know (from experience!) that our children don't always embrace our activities!  Last year Mita balked at going to a New Year celebration, so we let her invite a friend. She was much  more willing to go since she didn't have to hang out with… [more]

I love Ethiopia.  I can remember thinking about Ethiopia when I was a girl. The news of the awful famine had a profound effect on me even as a small child.  Then, of course, choosing Ethiopia as the country of our adoption led Hubby and I to learning quite a bit about Ethiopia.  While I will never be a professor of Ethiopia, I still feel apart of this great country.  On a recent min-vacation I took a friend to eat Ethiopian food for the first time.  It was enjoyable to share this food with her and she enjoyed feeling apart of our family.  The kids were not there, but it still felt homey when I was in the restaurant. My previous posts… [more]

As I have mentioned in posts pasts, I am not a great cook. I do, however, try to make Ethiopian food occationally. I was excited to find berbere at a reasonable price in small amounts a few months back. I have used in in Ethiopian food and whenever another recipe calls for a spicy pepper. I have done this for MONTHS. I have told the kids everytime I used it for MONTHS. Tonight I make a chicken in a crock pot and used berbere to spice it up a bit. I mentioned this to the family and Mita and Enu went crazy. "You have berbere!" "I want some, I want more!" They rolled corn on the cob over it, dipped chicken in it and Mita… [more]

When traveling to any country it is common courtesy to learn some of the language. Hello, thank you, where is the bath room are all good things to know. I have to admit that when traveling to Ethiopia I did not take much time with learning these words. Hubby had learned a few and I was on a high stress level that made learning a bit difficult. Happily, I picked up on a few words quickly and felt like I was showing some respect. My accent of course was horrible, but accents aren't my thing. My spanish accent is pitiful and a bit red-neck to be truthful! Here are a few words and phrases that you can easily learn and put… [more]

It is that time of year again! Yes, it is back to school for most, but Ethiopian families know that September means New Years! September 11th to be exact. Yes, that is a strange day to be celebrating in the U.S. I am aware, but it falls where it falls. When the rest of the country doesn't follow the same holiday calendar you do, you have to be flexible! Enkutatash, meaning gift of jewels, is Ethiopian New Years Day. A great way to celebrate your families connection to Ethiopia and to share with friends and extended family. Last year I ordered Ethiopian food and had a nice dinner with all the tradition dress that I had. This year it falls… [more]

Ethiopia is made up of several ecosystems. I will not try and disect them because I found a site that does such a beautiful job doing just that and doing it very scientific I might add! The actual breakdown: Major Wetland: 1 % Desert and Semi-desert: 2 % Grass and Shrub: 41 % Crop and Settlements: 4 % Interrupted Woods: 32 % Major Forests: 20 % (Groombridge 1992) So what exactly is happening in Ethiopia's ethiopia-s-animals-ecosystems-and-what-i-2? Is it climate change, human impact, natural causes or a cyclical occurance. Personally, I think it is a bit of all of those things. Again, I think the best way to help Ethiopia is by education. Education to the locals in Ethiopia could… [more]

Upon some light reading this week about the Ethiopian Government using wasps' to kill aphids that are killing trees, I thought I should learn more about Ethiopia's natural resources. I will pass on the "Cliff Notes" of what I have learned to you and discuss animals and the ecosystems of Ethiopia in my next few posts. As parents of Ethiopians I know we want to learn all we can about the country, but we also have real time constraints on us as well! When we traveled in the Awash region of Ethiopia, we noticed that the tour guide and guidebooks tended to concentrate on small animals and birds as the big game had not been seen in the region for a while… [more]

We love books at our house. They are everywhere in fact. Some may call it clutter, but I like the books everywhere. It means the kids are using them! Two new books I want to share are Fire on the Mountain by Jane Kurtz and Silly Mammo: An Ethiopian Tale by Kily Mammo. Fire on the Mountain is one of the first books we checked out from the library after deciding to adopt from Ethiopia. I finally broke down and bought it last weekend at the culture camp I have been going on and on about! This book is written by Jane Kurtz. For those of you new to Ethiopian adoption, Jane Kurtz has many books out that are Ethiopian related. She grew… [more]