Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Ethiopia: day three

Saturday was sightseeing day in Addis. It was also Wesley's birthday! How many American kids can say they turned thirteen in Africa?!


Holt really packed in the activities. We started by visiting the museum on the University of Addis campus.
The displays were interesting, but no good for Everett, who is used to "interactive" museums, and who couldn't understand why he couldn't pound on the drums, or blow through the flutes, or touch...everything.
These are the 18? steps that symbolize the 18? years of Mussolini's occupation. I'm sure the Ethiopians didn't appreciate being taken over, but I, selfishly, am glad the Italians left all those pasta recipes behind so we had something to eat while we were in Ethiopia besides injera.


Everett was a walking museum display himself. Everyone was so fascinated by his little blond head. This woman stared and stared at him. The guard at the front of the museum insisted that Everett sit on his lap.

For lunch we ate at the "Lucy cafe" which is at the other museum in Addis and sometimes houses "Lucy's" bones (she's one of the earliest hominids or something like that--I know I know, I should check my facts before I do these posts. I'm just plain too tired). I was disappointed we hadn't gone to this museum, but oh well.

After lunch we got to participate in our first Ethiopian coffee ceremony.




The woman roasted the coffee beans, passed around popcorn, and brewed the coffee before us. She had eyes only for Everett. Ethiopians LOVE children! She knew just how to ease her way into his little heart. It wasn't long before she had him on her hap and he was giving her a kiss on the cheek.

In the U.S. you celebrate your 21st birthday with liquor so Wesley thought that he should celebrate his 13th with his first cup of coffee (since Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and all). He laced it with lots of sugar and drank the whole cup (the cups are little but the coffee is STRONG). He pronounced that it wasn't too bad. Several hours later his head was spinning and he had a horrible headache. He blamed it on the coffee which was fine with us--we certainly don't want a teenage Starbucks addict on our hands at home.

I'm not even halfway through the day....I'll save the rest of day three for another post.

4 comments:

  1. It looks like such a wonderful experience. Wesley is going to have a hard time ever topping that birthday trip.

    Hope everyone is sleeping well and things are back to normal. Looking forward to the next installment already!

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  2. What a fun day of exploring...I'd definitely get a headache too if it were my 1st coffee and I was 8000 feet up!

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  3. I don't drink coffee so I will have to prep myself for the big day when we're in ET and it's offered to me!

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  4. So good to catch up with your trip... eager to read and see more!

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