Christmas...again

I thought Christmas came and went while I was in the States, but I was sadly mistaken. Turns out, it was this past Friday – here anyway! The Orthodox people here celebrated their Christmas on Friday. For me, that meant having the pleasure of riding the minibus (taxi) with live goats and chickens as people purchased their Christmas chicken or Christmas goat and took it home. You haven't ridden in a taxi until you've ridden in it with a live goat tied at your feet. I went with another American family here to their housekeeper's house for the Christmas meal. By house, what I really mean is room. That was what their house was, one room. The lady, who was widowed, and her 10 year old son shared a bed and a very small space in the room and that was the totality of their house. They shared a “kitchen” and a “bathroom” with three or four other families. I put the words “kitchen” and “bathroom” in quotes because both rooms were about a 10 x 10 space outside that no one in the States would recognize as a kitchen or bathroom. Nevertheless, the lady and her sister graciously served us a meal large enough for 25 people and refused to eat it with us (which is the norm for this culture when you have a guest at your house), but instead continued preparing and serving us while we ate. The big deal for Christmas was duro wat, which is like a spicy chicken stew (bones in). They usually only eat meat on holidays because they can't afford it on a daily basis, so to have meat is a special occasion. I ate my first injera and drank my first coffee since day two here and managed to keep it down, so that was exciting news :) I also got to participate in the coffee roasting ceremony which included bringing popcorn out before the coffee. The popcorn was of course cooked on a griddle over an open fire and it was delicious! The coffee is served in a four ounce cup and will knock your socks off if you aren't careful. It would be fairly equivalent to drinking a cup of espresso in the States. It was all I could do to get down the small cup I had. Perhaps with a little milk it would have gone down easier, but milk is only for those who can afford it, and these people couldn't.

Speaking of small rooms, I moved into my very small room this weekend. Although, seeing the lady's house, puts my “small” room into perspective. While it is small for our standards, it is very cozy and is all that I need. Once, I get it entirely set up, I will include a picture of it – not that it is that exciting. What is exciting, is that I have a space that is my own. For two weeks, I was living in other people's houses and living out of suitcases (I spent most of my time trying to remember what I had packed in which suitcase), so I am thrilled to have a spot to put my stuff and a room to call my own. Looks like I will be living in this room until April, when a new family will move here and they will get this house. The house we are currently living in is a house for families, so all the single people will be moved to different apartments that are more suited (i.e. smaller) for single people. I will enjoy it for now though :)

I am including pictures of me with the lady whose house we went to and her son. She is wearing the traditional “holiday” clothing and I think that is henna on her neck – not sure though. Somehow, despite dirt everywhere and no proper facilities, she managed to keep her white dress spotless. I am also including a picture of the room that was her house – you can't see it too well, but it will give some idea of the situation.