Random Pics and Video

I had some pictures, video that are just random hence the post title :)

Home Gym :)

As I was doing stretches I noticed 4 buzzards/vultures/whatever they are/birds that feed on dead things, circling over my head.....Maybe I DID look half dead, just like I felt :)

For something to do we did a day trip to another area of town called Bole Bulbula.  

It is a new subdivision.  Not much there yet.  If felt like walking through a ghost town

Cows shelter among the unfinished buildings

Mountain view 

Main Street 

A different day trip to an area of town called Piasa

Just HAD to stop and have lunch here!  The owner is a lady who had lived in Canada for a while

YUM!! Specialty coffee and restaurant food is inexpensive.  The five of us can eat out for less than 20 dollars and get a huge meal.  It is everything else here that is expensive.  It is like buying dollar store quality items but paying HomeSense pricing!!

"Baby" and some law enforcement :) No matter where we go in our neighborhood, if Cameron isn't with us everybody asks where "Baby" is and if he is OK.  It is hilarious to hear Cameron called "Baby" by all the Ethiopians!

Cameron with one of the pet turtles in our yard.  I constantly have to relocate turtles when I hang laundry.

A wild dog had her pups under our driveway grate, just outside of the culvert that runs alongside the road and our driveway.  Five little babies.  I take her our leftovers.  She hasn't moved for days, just caring for her babies there.  Warren just left the internet cafe to go home and see if they needed rescuing as we just got a huge downpour of rain.  Today is officially the last day of rainy season....we will see! I hope he also rescued our clothes on the line!!!  UPDATE:  Warren had to rescue 2 of them.  He received the local stray dog rescue award (a Mars bar on the way home :)

Last but certainly not least....VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! THE FOLLOWING VIDEO MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES!

Midyear Ceremony

Each year there is a festival the Ethiopians call "The Finding of the True Cross" It also celebrates the transition from the rainy season to the dry.

I am too lazy to type it out so hopefully you can zoom in and get an idea :)

We were invited to the celebration by the owners of the place we rent, so we went and checked out the proceedings....Interesting......

The pyramid topped with Meskel Daisies.  These are found all around town.

The lighting of the pyramid

Preparing the lamb for supper

Later in the pot

Now on my plate.  From top left clockwise

Enjera (staple bread in Ethiopia, they use it to pick up the food on the plate.  No utensils needed :), Ground organs (I ate it before I knew what it was!!! Regardless it was delicious), Enjera with some type of sauce and then the dark meat pieces is the lamb.  The lamb that night was the best thing I have tasted here. So delicious!! 

Day to Day in Addis Ababa

Fixing Power Lines.....Looks safe to me....(not)

Wood Scaffolding and lots of it! This building is projected to be finished 2013.....Must be going by the Ethiopian Calendar :) So 2020 by our calendar should see this complete!

Canadian Embassy Building for Human Rights 

This building has elevators! and some actual metal scaffolding

These are what many of the homes here are like, and why I try not to feel sorry for myself when we have no power, water, or internet!

This smart girl made a break for it and was "hoofing" it away from her herdsman! She was only AWOL a short time though before they got her going back with the rest of the herd. Sound familiar Jayme and Laura?!

There is a flour factory on our street and this is how they transport the flour to the markets in town

Where We Live

Here are a few photos of the house and yard we are living at.  Some of the plants in our yard are familiar to me.  Like the poinsettia below.  I have never seen it as a tree though!! Just the little house plants we can get at Christmas time.

Growing up we had this plant at home.  We called it a Christmas cactus because it bloomed like this at Christmas time.

Roses!

A type of Daisy I think

Not sure about the rest of these.  Maybe someone could post what they are :)

  

Our Back door to the right of the picture.  Straight ahead are three extra rooms.  Lots of room for company hint hint!!

Front Door.  Cameron's room is the window above.  Our bedroom window is top left of picture

Cam's Room 

Our Room / Office

Cameron's Birthday (Better Late than Never! :)

Well today the baby of the family turned 14 (September 13).  It is so cute, from the day we arrived our guard Bokatu has called Cameron "Baby" which is a term of endearment in Ethiopia.  Often throughout each day I will hear Bokatu saying "Baby come here" or "Baby be careful" (if Cameron is riding his bike). This morning he asked Warren "Is Baby still sleeping?", because a few of them were outside the gate playing soccer and wanted Cameron to come out and join them :)

Bokatu had lunch with us and was quizzing Cameron on his Amharic

We went for Birthday Supper.  The man to Andy's left is a fellow teacher at the girls' school

Here is a picture of Bokatu and "Baby" at Camerons Birthday party

These are some of Gelila's nieces and nephew in the background.

Happy Birthday song :)

Grocery Shopping

This video is of the main street outside of our house. There is a little bit of everything with clothing stores beside butcher shops, vegetable stands one after another, bakeries and little (VERY little) grocery stores.

This is the stall I usually get all my fruit and vegetables from.  There are many along the the main road but I really liked the family of this one.  I have gone often enough now that they greet me like an Ethiopian.  If you want to try this at home all you do is reach for each others opposite forearms then lean across each other and bump shoulders :) 

This is where I have bought my meat...I chose a hunk off the piece hanging to his right. It ended up being a good choice :)