Ethiopia Adoption Blog

New Years Preperations

Mandy W — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:07:04 +0000

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... more

Ethiopia's Animals, Ecosystems And What Is Happening To Them Part 2

Mandy W — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:23:11 +0000

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... more

Ethiopia's Animals, Ecosystems And What Is Happening To Them Part 1

Mandy W — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:29:50 +0000

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... more

Amharic 101

Mandy W — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:10:50 +0000

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... more

Berbere Is Still Popular With My Girls

Mandy W — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:16:07 +0000

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 asked to lick the plate, while Enu tried to lick her fingers... more

Two Great Ethiopian Books For Your Kids To Love

Mandy W — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:46:00 +0000

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... more

Photo Book Review: Ethiopia From The Heart

Mandy W — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:29:36 +0000

I was fortunate to meet an Ethiopian photographer named, Andarge Asfaw. He had a booth at the Heritage and Culture camp we attended last weekend. His book Ethiopia From The Heart was one that I could not pass up. The pictures in it brought Ethiopia alive in my mind and I do so want to go back again, now more than ever.

Andarge was incredibly helpful when describing his pictures to me. I was trying to get a feel from where the pictures were taken as he had traveled extensively... more

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

Mandy W — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:44:49 +0000

This past weekend we attended an Ethiopian Heritage and Culture camp in Virginia. I will be writing about all that I learned for a while. I cannot convey what this weekend meant to us as a family and to Mita and Enu.

One of the firsts was sitting in on a coffee ceremony. It was one of the things we missed on our trip to Ethiopia in 2008. This ceremony was cut down a bit on time, but had all of the qualities of an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. It usually lasts for hours, we did ours in about 45 minutes. I will share some of what I learned and show you some pictures. I... more

Good Things Happening In Ethiopia * PLUS* Coloring Book Winners *

Mandy W — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:50:28 +0000

Reading back over some former posts I realize that I have fallen into a common trap that we in the developed world tend to do sometimes. I have talked to much about Ethiopia's problems. The famines, the draughts and the government issues.

This week I have heard some really positive stories going on in Ethiopia and I am happy to share them all with you!

First up, the educational system in Ethiopia is getting a really neat opportunity to work with Microsoft's... more

Ethiopian Coloring Book Review and Giveaway

Mandy W — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:10:08 +0000

I got a great new book in the mail today and I cannot wait to tell you about it. My kids cannot wait for me to tell you about it either as I won't let them color in it until I get pictures of it! Needless to say this review is being written today and not tommorow! Explore Ethiopia: A Coloring Book by Stacy Bellward and illistrated by Danette Malerich, is a fun, educational and affordable book to add to any child's library, but especially to the library of an Ethiopian family... more