(Vasara dictating) I liked the city of Axum. I thought that it was interesting because there were these large stelea. They are like big gravestones, but they’re a 1000 feet tall. They mark the tombs where important people were buried. The tombs used to have treasures, but many of these things have been stolen by now or put into other museums. The museum in Axum showed some of the treasures, jewels, and pots found in the tombs. The largest stele was built lying on the ground. The artists carved all kinds of designs and foreign words on them. They then used [View Full Entry]

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(Ruta writing) It is fascinating to watch camels walk the streets, either transporting items, people, or walking in herds. They are very large animals and have content, laid back perpetual expressions on their faces. Their gait is distinctive and seemingly laid back when compared to the poor ever-present donkeys carrying their large loads back and forth. In Axum, a tourist hawker had approached us to give our kids a ride on a camel. Deciding that quoted price was too expensive, but the idea of a camel ride was seeded. Enroute to the next city, our driver pulled over to the side [View Full Entry]

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(Rytas writing…) It was very beautiful in Bahir Dar. It was my favorite city. There were palm trees in the streets and we stayed with Netty, a very nice lady. She is from the Netherlands, and her husband is a volunteer. Vasara and I made a card for her. Netty is a nurse and an artist. She makes nice pictures. My brothers, sister and I slept on the ground in her living room. We lost electricity, so we used candles at night. The electricity went off, then on, then off, then on. We took a boat ride and looked for hippos, [View Full Entry]

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(Ruta writing) During our initial training, one of the Dutch volunteers asked our Ethiopian teacher, “If asked, how do I explain to my colleagues that I am not religious?” Our teacher replied laughing, “You can try to explain, but they will not understand.” Religon is a huge part of Ethiopian history and culture. Ethiopian rulers claimed to be direct descendents of Noah (from the ark) and later King Solomon. One of the three kings, Balthazar, who brought frankinsence to baby Jesus was Ethiopian. It is claimed that the ark of the covenant (the vessel that contained Moses [View Full Entry]

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(Ruta writing) In sharing our experiences here, I would not be honest if I only related the positive experiences. Our trip on Ethiopia’s historical circuit was very rewarding and cool, but it was also one of the most frustrating that Tadas and I have experienced. We had read about the egregious overcharging of foreigners, but because our family is large and on a volunteers’ income our budget is so tight, the effect was magnified. Despite having over 4 forms of identification stating that we are Ethiopian residents, earning an Ethiopian income, and are entitled to Ethiopian or for [View Full Entry]

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(Ruta writing) Taking advantage of the children’s extended school Christmas break, our family set out to explore the treasures of northern Ethiopia. It’s written that 90% of the tourists that visit Ethiopia travel the northern circular highway to visit Ethiopia’s historical landmarks, many of which have been designated as UNESCO world historical sites. We’ll write more specific blogs about our adventures, but here are some highlights: - Marveling at 11 fascinating rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. These mostly connected large churches were carved out of rock. Even each o [View Full Entry]

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(Ruta writing) Travel makes you rethink little details in life and the collective effects of our daily habits. One of the changes in lifestyle here is how you buy items. I wrote earlier of the little shops and outdoor marketplaces. For us (and 95% of the other Ethiopians here without a car) we are inherently limited in how much we buy because we need to carry it all home ourselves or squish onto an overcrowded bus with our packages (easier written than done). This different manner of shopping highlights the large amount of packaging we use in the US. Granted, individuals [View Full Entry]

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(Vasara writing) The Ethiopians celebrate their Christmas on approximately Jan 7, because they use a different (Julian) calendar than we do. At home after Thanskgiving, we start preparing for Christmas. We hang up decorations. We write Christmas cards. All of the stores start advertising for Christmas. They want you to buy a lot of Christmas presents. Here none of the stores do that. The weather is the same. There are no decorations and no Christmas music. We don't bake Christmas cookies because we only have a hot plate. We attend an international school so we had a Christmas program before [View Full Entry]

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(Rytas writing with mom’s help) My mom wanted each of us to start a club at school. My brother Lukas started a Chess Club, because he is really good at chess. I started a Power Rangers Club. I made a sign and hung it up by the door. 13 kids signed up, but 30 kids come to our club. My dad helps me run the club. My dad starts out each lesson teaching us how to wash our hands and cough into your elbow. My dad is really funny and all the kids like him. We act out Power Ranger stories. [View Full Entry]

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(Ruta writing) One cannot be in Addis Ababa for more than a day without commenting on how much construction is in progress. It is amazing from several angles - first and foremost is the rudimentary level of materials that they have to work with. There is a notable lack of heavy construction equipment nor of safety features. Scaffolding consists of eucalyptus trees tied together. There are a lot of eucalyptus logs everywhere and during the day, there’s lots of people milling about. There are no hard hats, no safety railings, few drills, electrical generators, etc. I have read that 70% o [View Full Entry]

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