You remember how I said that a second is a second and a minute is a minute in my last post? In Ethiopia, an hour is an hour but once it gets to days, things change up a bit. Its kinda cool how this country can change how they measure time. The day starts around sunrise (which is equivalent to what I'd call 6am). So, when my phone tells me 7am, most of their phones would say 1am. Lunch is around 6am and supper around 12am. 11pm for them is 5 am for me and so on. I'm not sure if they change their date at my midnight or if they wait for daybreak to say its the next day. It took me forever to realize that all the clocks in businesses and vehicles that I saw weren't broken! Seriously-- it took me until December to figure that one out even though I knew about the different way of measuring. It just took me awhile to put it all together.
Months are also different. One of the touristy taglines for posters advertising Ethiopia is "Thirteen months of sunshine." Twelve months of the year have 30 days and the thirteenth has 5 or 6, depending on the year. It gets even trickier. Their New Year starts around September 11 on my calendar so their new months are half way through our months. And it doesn't stop there! Right now, its 2006 here. My receipts are stamped with 2006-- it always gives me a double take. As far as I know, the years have the same amount of days as our calendar does.
Isn't that cool?! It totally plays with my mind, but I think its neat that there is a country in the world (maybe more than one for all I know) that measures time different than me. So many different things in the world!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Measuring Time
Time is a fascinating thing, isn't it? Sometimes it goes slow, sometimes it flies by, sometimes it manages to do both at the same time-- all the while a second takes a second and a minute a minute. It feels like a combination of yesterday and forever ago that we arrived in Ethiopia. I clearly remember how hard jet lag hit and how disoriented I was for a while and that sure feels like more than 7 months ago. But, that's all it is. 7 months. Not near long enough, but, due to paperwork, we'll be coming back to Canada soon. In the classroom where I teach my two sister in laws and two other girls, we've got a couple count downs going on and one of them is until I leave-- 16 days today. Yikes! I can't really comprehend that. It wasn't instantaneous, but this has become my home. The feel, the people, the pace, the food, the friends. I have a space here where I kinda fit. Sigh. It makes me sad to think about it too much. I love the rhythms of life here. Our guard coming on duty at night and always being glad to see us. Walking along the edge of the road since they are still working on reconstructing the road here. Knocking on gates and hearing people say "Mano?"(Who's there?) Struggling with the greetings, but graciously getting smiles back. Walking across the street to the little shop to buy our bread and eggs for breakfast or to the other shop to pick up injerra for lunch. Spending quiet nights with few interruptions with just Jeff and I.
But, I'm leaving home to go home. Lately, I've gotten some really encouraging emails from people who love me and have taken the time to journey vicariously with me to the other side of the world, which have really encouraged me to know that I'm not alone in this space of change. My sisters are rearranging their living space so we have somewhere to crash when we first get back. I'm thrilled that I'll get to hug all the little people in my life who change so much in such a short time. I can't wait to see my dad and see how his back is doing and give my mom a hug and squeeze her so she knows how much I missed her. I've been holding on to a hug for someone who has suffered while I've been away and I haven't been able to be there for her and now, I'll finally be able to give it to her. I'll be able to read with my sister and niece in grade one and be thrilled with the little readers they are becoming. My sister in Kindergarten can show me all the letters she can write now and how high she can count and show me the book she found that says 'Ethiopia'. My brother can share with me his latest minecraft creations... or just be really excited that now Jeff is home and can get it working again for him. I can hear about my sister's missions trip to Mexico. I can tuck in my sister who's in Grade 6 (if she still lets me) and really hear about her heart in a way that just doesn't come through in emails. And the list goes on. There is so much love to go home to.
But, this'll be hard, guys. I am going home and leaving home. Joy and sorrow. Fear and excitement. Can I be strong? Can I do this well? Transition hasn't really been my strong point. Will the words I find to share my past months scratch the surface, or will they cause confusion? Have I missed too much? Can I share the gold nuggets of life I've found to those I love and care about? Can I make a difference in the side of the world where I speak the same language, but often can't find the right words? Sigh.
I'm coming home.
But, I'm leaving home to go home. Lately, I've gotten some really encouraging emails from people who love me and have taken the time to journey vicariously with me to the other side of the world, which have really encouraged me to know that I'm not alone in this space of change. My sisters are rearranging their living space so we have somewhere to crash when we first get back. I'm thrilled that I'll get to hug all the little people in my life who change so much in such a short time. I can't wait to see my dad and see how his back is doing and give my mom a hug and squeeze her so she knows how much I missed her. I've been holding on to a hug for someone who has suffered while I've been away and I haven't been able to be there for her and now, I'll finally be able to give it to her. I'll be able to read with my sister and niece in grade one and be thrilled with the little readers they are becoming. My sister in Kindergarten can show me all the letters she can write now and how high she can count and show me the book she found that says 'Ethiopia'. My brother can share with me his latest minecraft creations... or just be really excited that now Jeff is home and can get it working again for him. I can hear about my sister's missions trip to Mexico. I can tuck in my sister who's in Grade 6 (if she still lets me) and really hear about her heart in a way that just doesn't come through in emails. And the list goes on. There is so much love to go home to.
But, this'll be hard, guys. I am going home and leaving home. Joy and sorrow. Fear and excitement. Can I be strong? Can I do this well? Transition hasn't really been my strong point. Will the words I find to share my past months scratch the surface, or will they cause confusion? Have I missed too much? Can I share the gold nuggets of life I've found to those I love and care about? Can I make a difference in the side of the world where I speak the same language, but often can't find the right words? Sigh.
I'm coming home.
Easter Traditions
Happy Easter! A little belated, I know, but I've been too busy eating meat to do anything other than eat and then lie horizontally, moaning quietly. Okay, maybe that's a little exaggeration, but I have had 4 Easter meals in two days and am currently skipping another one in favor of some nice quiet time at home.
Ethiopians have been preparing for Easter for months already. It is the biggest holiday of the year (Christmas is almost a non-event) and feasting abounds this weekend. Let me back up a little. The majority of the population are Ethiopian Orthodox. While I have barely scratched the surface of understanding the complexities of this belief system, one thing I have figured out is that it offers a rich culture of rhythms and community through out the year to Ethiopians. Driving past the churches, I'll see people kneeling, crossing themselves or bowing towards the church to show their respect. Bajages (the main form of transportation that is quite fun!) are decked out with crosses, religious symbols, etc. You can see the influences throughout every sector of life. It's nothing like western cultures where religion and talking about God or Jesus is a fairly tricky, sometime taboo, topic. Here, it is almost the opposite.
One of the parts of Ethiopian Orthodox belief/ tradition that has most effected me has been their practice of fasting. Weekly, they adhere to a vegan (do animal products) diet two days a week-- Wednesday and Friday. If Jeff and I want to go to a restaurant to get meat, we don't go on fast days since all we'd get is fish. Buying meat on a fast day is tricky since part of the fast involves not killing animals on that day. It still is possible, we'd just have to find a restaurant/shop that is run by someone of other beliefs, or find somewhere that caters to foreigners. There is a short fast of a couple weeks around Christmas time and then comes Easter, a couple months later. The Easter fast lasts for 55 days! Most people in the country have not had meat, milk, eggs, etc. for almost two months! Its no wonder there is feasting for days upon days with tonnes of meat. And its not just this weekend--for the next 40 days, this is the only time of the year when there are no weekly fast days.
So, last week, on Thursday night, we went sleep with sound of a bleating sheep and goat in our back 'yard.' Our landlady, who lives on the compound with us, is Orthodox and wealthy enough to have several animals so we laughed at our serenade. Apparently, most people will start butchering in the middle of the night on Sunday as soon as their tradition allows so that they can have the food prep done for their big meal.
Jeff and I enjoyed meals with our friend, Rekik, and her family on Sunday followed by a pizza supper with friends (non Ethiopian if you couldn't guess that from the menu). Jeff raved about the delicious sheep for hours after. He said it was the perfect meal- he is such an Ethiopian. :) On Monday, I enjoyed lunch with Jeff's parents guard and his family. That meal had me raving for a couple hours-- wow! That was some good food! I was about to try and describe it and then I realized that words wouldn't do it justice, but trust me, it was good. Monday evening, we were invited to a feast with our landlady and her family and then we rolled ourselves home and went to bed.
Well, this is a bit of a hodge podge post, but its kinda hard to encapsulate an event rich in traditions that I hardly understand. But, it was inspiring to be here and observe the dedication of the Orthodox in allowing their beliefs to shape their daily menu for 55 days and then to be part of the celebration of Jesus raising from the dead with them.
Ethiopians have been preparing for Easter for months already. It is the biggest holiday of the year (Christmas is almost a non-event) and feasting abounds this weekend. Let me back up a little. The majority of the population are Ethiopian Orthodox. While I have barely scratched the surface of understanding the complexities of this belief system, one thing I have figured out is that it offers a rich culture of rhythms and community through out the year to Ethiopians. Driving past the churches, I'll see people kneeling, crossing themselves or bowing towards the church to show their respect. Bajages (the main form of transportation that is quite fun!) are decked out with crosses, religious symbols, etc. You can see the influences throughout every sector of life. It's nothing like western cultures where religion and talking about God or Jesus is a fairly tricky, sometime taboo, topic. Here, it is almost the opposite.
One of the parts of Ethiopian Orthodox belief/ tradition that has most effected me has been their practice of fasting. Weekly, they adhere to a vegan (do animal products) diet two days a week-- Wednesday and Friday. If Jeff and I want to go to a restaurant to get meat, we don't go on fast days since all we'd get is fish. Buying meat on a fast day is tricky since part of the fast involves not killing animals on that day. It still is possible, we'd just have to find a restaurant/shop that is run by someone of other beliefs, or find somewhere that caters to foreigners. There is a short fast of a couple weeks around Christmas time and then comes Easter, a couple months later. The Easter fast lasts for 55 days! Most people in the country have not had meat, milk, eggs, etc. for almost two months! Its no wonder there is feasting for days upon days with tonnes of meat. And its not just this weekend--for the next 40 days, this is the only time of the year when there are no weekly fast days.
So, last week, on Thursday night, we went sleep with sound of a bleating sheep and goat in our back 'yard.' Our landlady, who lives on the compound with us, is Orthodox and wealthy enough to have several animals so we laughed at our serenade. Apparently, most people will start butchering in the middle of the night on Sunday as soon as their tradition allows so that they can have the food prep done for their big meal.
Jeff and I enjoyed meals with our friend, Rekik, and her family on Sunday followed by a pizza supper with friends (non Ethiopian if you couldn't guess that from the menu). Jeff raved about the delicious sheep for hours after. He said it was the perfect meal- he is such an Ethiopian. :) On Monday, I enjoyed lunch with Jeff's parents guard and his family. That meal had me raving for a couple hours-- wow! That was some good food! I was about to try and describe it and then I realized that words wouldn't do it justice, but trust me, it was good. Monday evening, we were invited to a feast with our landlady and her family and then we rolled ourselves home and went to bed.
Well, this is a bit of a hodge podge post, but its kinda hard to encapsulate an event rich in traditions that I hardly understand. But, it was inspiring to be here and observe the dedication of the Orthodox in allowing their beliefs to shape their daily menu for 55 days and then to be part of the celebration of Jesus raising from the dead with them.
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