Welcome To Dangila

This past month I had the privilege of hosting my mom, dad and brother in Dangila for three days.  When I was planning our Ethiopia-section of their time in Africa, I thought about all the historical places I wanted them to see- Lalibela, Gondar, Bahir Dar.  But when it really came down to booking how many days I wanted to spend in each place, I immediately knew I wanted them to spend the most time in Dangila.  Not only did I want them to experience my home, and way-of-life, but I wanted them to meet all my friends and drink more coffee than they could handle, just as I did when I first arrived!

Our time spent in Lalibela, Gondar, and Bahir Dar was fabulous.  The sites in Ethiopia are spectacular and one-of-a-kind, but my favorite part of having them here was the hospitality received in Dangila.  I knew I had some wonderful friends here, but the warm welcome they gave my family was so special and unrivaled.  The first night in Dangila, we were invited over to Ali and Billie’s house.

They used to live in my compound, but moved out a few months ago into a bigger house nearby.  We all sat in their living room and spoke in broken English, while I translated the rest of the details back and forth.  They served us a plateful of injera and wat; some of the best I’ve had in Ethiopia!  I was a little nervous about having my family taste Ethiopian food in a restaurant the first time, but at least there, you can openly say something doesn’t taste great.  At a friend’s home, it is a bit harder to reject the food!  Luckily, the food was well received by my family.  Thanks for being troopers family.   Then, as we were putting our plates down, satisfied by the delicious food, another round of plates came out!  That’s right, another plateful, but this time it was western food! Spaghetti, tomato sauce (with burbere spices of course) and bread; we all looked at each other with wide eyes.  We graciously accepted the second dinner and followed it by a coffee ceremony, although there was quite a bit of food left over.

The next night we had yet another two-course meal, featuring almost all the same foods! It was amazingly thoughtful how all my Ethiopian friends catered to our needs and welcomed us into their homes.  My favorite part of coming to my town was the night we first arrived, after the first marathon meal, my friends Tigist and Tewelde awaited us back near my house.  They were so excited about meeting my family, and they came bearing gifts.

They had an “Ethiopian” beaded bracelet for each of them, freshly made local bread, local-made potato chips, and Christmas cards for us!  It was the nicest thing.  Then they escorted my family back to their hotel on the main road.

It truly brought tears to my eyes.  The hospitality here and love I receive from all my Ethiopian friends is truly the reason I am still here.  They teach me something new every day about selflessness and generosity.

Twice the Thankfulness

I recently celebrated my first Thanksgiving in Ethiopia, quite an experience. Those of us around Bahir Dar decided to celebrate the holiday with as much replicated food as possible. We split up the list of non-perishable food items to have sent from home, and agreed to try to substitute Ethiopian equivalents for the rest. I was also fortunate enough to have a “Thanksgiving box” arrive the week before, and decided to make a feast in my town for my Ethiopian friends (Thanks Mrs. W).

My celebration began the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I woke up early and began heating my dutch oven. My only method of baking here, you place a big pot on your stovetop with several empty tuna cans inside where you then place the item you are baking on top of the cans and close the pot with a lid. Sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, gravy, and even cans of turkey were each prepared one-at-a-time in my slow little MacGyver-ed oven.

I invited five friends to come over at 2pm, and by 1:30pm found my house as clean as it has ever been. My curtain was taken down to serve as a table cloth and candles were placed on the table set for six. I never knew my house could feel so homey. Coupled with the smell of my favorite foods and I was in heaven. Guests arrived somewhat on-time and I introduced each new dish to them and made them serve themselves (something that they are not used to). In Ethiopia you are typically served by the host, who scoops the food onto your plate, so serving your own food, and particularly going back for seconds and helping yourself, was something I had to force them to do. We each said what we were thankful for, and had a wonderful American meal together.
My favorite discussion was having them comment on the similarities and differences of the holiday to Ethiopian holidays. The sweet potato to them looked with a thick local wat, shiro tegabeno. The gravy looked like its thinner version, shiro fesis. And the stuffing I realized, as I told them about how it was made, is like a local wat, dabbo ferfer, which consists of torn up bread and spices. It was very entertaining to hear them compare the foods and cultures. They also added that the only two things this holiday needed to become Ethiopian are coffee and injera!
My real holiday was celebrated in Bahir Dar surrounded by Americans, some Europeans, and a few Ethiopian friends. Chickens were cooked (bought live at the market the day before), pies were baked, and all the fixins’ were in attendance. It was definitely a celebration to be thankful for. Both communities, Ethiopians in Dangila, and foreigners in surrounding towns are wonderful support groups. While making the feast wasn’t quite as easy as going to the local supermarket and buying everything for the occasion, the additional work added to the enjoyment. I am so grateful for this support system in country and my support system holding me together from across the globe. Thank you.