I'll just wrap up with a summary of what I did. Yesterday, I learned some more about Ethiopian culture and I got to go to a Church, too!
So apparently in Ethiopia, there are both hot and cold regions throughout Ethiopia because of the elevation, kind of similar to Uganda but more extreme. The coldest part is called the Dega (highlands), which can get down to around 0-16 degrees Celsius. The Woyina Dega is the milder climate, and the Qola is the hot region, ranging from 25-40 degrees Celsius.
The most noticeable thing in Addis Abeba, is how varied the climate is. Addis Abeba stands at an elevation of over seven thousand feet. The daytimes are usually around seventy degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the nights can drop below forty. Luckily, I brought my sweater just in case!
Today, I went to the St. George's Church, also known as the Church of St. George, Lalibela. It is a monolithic Church, and the most well-known built of the eleven churches in the Lalibela surrounding. It is also the last built of these churches, around the thirteenth century.
The St. George's Church was built after King Gebre Mesquel Lalibela. A unique thing about the church is that it is built in the shape of a cross! Besides the building itself, the windows, door and even stuff inside are shaped like cross. This place must've been like God's house or something!
Actually, no. This Church was constructed was constructed after King Gebre Mesquel Lalibela, in the thirteenth century. He had a vision in which he was to construct this church, and he claimed that the instructions were sent by St. George or God himself. Still today, it is known as one of the eighth wonders of the ancient world.
Isn't it quite a sight?
Also, I got to go into some of the cooler regions of Ethiopia, and boy, they remind me of cozy cold winter Madison weather! There were mountains in many places... and snow! Snow in Africa? That's almost unbelievable to me! Well, maybe not unbelievable, but snow isn't the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Africa. I watched as some of the locals irrigated their water. It's pretty hard for farming up in the highlands.
There were some interesting things I learned about the Ethiopian culture. Amharic is the country most spoken language, however English and Arabic are also popular. Ethiopian Silver work and Literature excel beyond many other countries. A woman I was speaking to was wearing a pretty exotic dress through my eyes. She said that her clothing was made from a cloth called shemma, and that her dress was called habesha qemis. She also said that women were allowed to cover their faces with a shash.
Food in Ethiopia is quite different from food in Uganda. Food usually consists of spicy veggies and meats in the form of wat (thick stew) or on injera, a large sourdough flatbread with a twenty inch diameter. Ethiopians usually eat with their right hands and do not use utensils.
Injera is also used as a typo of act of friendship, which is a goorsha. In a goorsha, someone may strip off a piece of their injera and roll it into a sauce. After that, he/she may put it in another person's mouth. The bigger the piece, the bigger the friendship bond between the two. I'm assuming this is an act of friendship because it tests how willing one is to give up for another.
One last interesting this is when the lady I was talking to mentioned the Ethiopian New Year. I asked her when it was, and she told me that it was September 11th. Woah.
Another woman told me how she and her ancestors observed some of the history that had gone on a while ago. She said she could briefly tell me a little bit of the timeline.
As far back as five thousand BC, hunters and gathers had built small communities in Ethiopia. In 1000 BC, Menelik I became the first king.
In around 1500 AD, Muslims invaded Ethiopia, but the Ethiopians fought them off. About four hundred years later, Menelik II led his country once again to victory against the Italians. Out of my countries, only Ethiopia has never been controlled by another country. The woman I was talking to said that she was proud how her country has always been independent.
In 1974 a cruel dictator known as Mengistu ruled Ethiopia. He ruled a harsh rule. Luckily, seventeen years later, he was forced to flee.
In 1993, the woman I was talking to experienced the time when Eritrea separated from Ethiopia. Five years later, war broke out between the two countries. After two years of fighting, they signed a peace treaty in the year 2000.
Well, that's about it for now. I'm going to be in Kenya a little bit later than I thought I would be, but I'll manage it.
Bye!
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