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 Here are a couple of shots of our house. We have more space here than we did in our Winnipeg apartment. It is a two bedroom house on a compound (which means its surrounded by a cement wall and has a gate). At the back of the compound, an elderly lady and her daughter and house worker live. First off is my kitchen. It is quite bright and fun to work in. In the corner, you can see the stove, which is  a combination gas and electric. You can also see our water filter (the silver canister).

Here is Jeff sitting in the living room. These aren't the best shots, but they give you an idea, at least. Our house came furnished, which is really nice) so we didn't have to worry about purchasing furniture before moving in. The couch is funny to sit on because the cover makes it so slippery, you almost slide off if you don't firmly plant your feet on the floor.  :)

 This is a shot from the front-- isn't it cute!? Sometimes we eat breakfast on our little porch, but lately the chickens that roam the yard have been a little to keenly interested in sharing our food! You can see a little bit of the front yard in this picture, but what you can't see is the huge mango tree that is just starting to grow mangos alongside a beautiful poinsettia tree. They are both quite large and shade the whole front area.

This is the side of the house where we hang our laundry. You can see the house of the other ladies who live on our compound here in the back. You can also see a lime tree along the side. I think there is an orange tree somewhere in the yard as well.


All in all, its a lovely house. Pictures don't quite do it justice. We are thoroughly enjoying having more space. Plus it helps that we have a lot less stuff than we have in Winnipeg. We even have a spare room where company can stay. This weekend, we have a couple from Switzerland staying with us because they are in the city for meetings with the organization that Jeff's parents work for.

Well, there's another little glimpse into our life here. Bye for now!

A Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

I've been procrastinating about getting some blogging done. It really isn't that I've been terribly busy, but I just don't feel like I have anything super meaningful to say. I've got a couple ideas percolating, but nothing finalized. So instead, I will share some pictures of my life here with you.  Sorry that the formatting isn't super nice to look at. I can't figure out how to move things around like I'd like to.

Here is one of several of the Welcome to Ethiopia cakes that we've been given. People are so generous and eager to make us feel at home. Jeff is the third generation of Coleman's who has lived in Ethiopia so there are a lot of people who are excited to see him again and meet me.

I love monkeys and baboons and was thrilled to see a bunch

 on our trip from Addis to Bahir Dar. 

Jeff and I, along with a couple other foreigners and a guide, travelled into the country side to see the big falls over the Nile River created by a hydro dam. We went on a Saturday morning and were travelling against the flow of 'traffic' which included donkeys, people, cattle, sheep, more people and all sorts of things being carried. It was a fun hike and a beautiful view.

The Nile River Falls-- We got close enough to feel the mist and get our shoes all muddy.

I don't take a lot of pictures of people I don't know, but I couldn't resist trying to capture the feel of market day movements. There isn't anything quite like it in Canada.

This reed boat is sat on by people harvesting stuff out of the water. You sit with your legs on each side of it and paddle.

We watched the eclipse a week and a bit ago. 

Here are Jeff and I enjoying a Saturday by the lake. There are a lot of hotels and restaurants to visit while sitting and enjoying the breeze off the lake and the birds flying around. At the beginning of November, we went on a boat ride on Lake Tana and saw tonnes of birds and even a couple hippos!

Here is a sunset over Lake Tana.

And, finally, here are my two sister in laws that I get to spend time with teaching and hanging out on the weekends. I am quite enjoying getting to know them both better. On the left is Abby and on the right is Amy.