10. Pineapple Ambo. Ambo is sparkling water made in Ethiopia, and it also comes in a few flavors. My favorite is pineapple, which is also the least common at restaurants. It is oh so yummy!
9. When construction workers yell, "Hey Baby!" I know they are talking to the kids! People here LOVE the kids, and are quick to call out "Hello babies!". And our kids have figured out the drill and will smile and wave back.
8. Boston Day Spa. Similar in feel and quality to spas at home, at a quarter of the cost! Enough said!
7. Kindness to disenfranchised people. I have learned a lot from how the middle- and upper-class Ethiopians treat beggars, pan-handlers and shoe-shine boys. I now leave the house with a pocket full of small bills, and hand them out with a smile and a kind word, rather than avoiding eye-contact. This improves my day, and theirs!
6. Coffee. Who knew? If you add enough sugar and milk, it turns into something drinkable?! haha.
5. Communal Living. I LOVE having such a close relationship with our "neighbors". Sharing household items, planning outings together, popping over for a quick visit. Love it!
4. Walkable neighborhoods. From our guesthouse, I can walk to a grocery store, bank, bakery, stationary store, and many other shops and restaurant. I will miss being able to run down the street when I need something.
3. GT Guesthouse. This place is amazing. The space, the staff, everything. We have been treated so well here and would recommend it without hesitation!
2. Friendly drivers. Even though I really miss having my own vehicle to drive when I want to, our time here has been so blessed by the amazing drivers we have had. Markos, Sinteyehu, Getchow and Binyam have all been so great! I'm so glad we haven't been at the mercy of public transportation or random taxis.
1. Beautiful countryside. It is the homeland of our beautiful son, and our lives will always have an Ethiopian connection. Though it has been hard at times, our lives have been forever changed for the better by our time here.
1 comment:
I love this, Heather...can't wait to hear all the little details that will pop up in our conversations over the next months. It's good to look at the good things and not dwell on everything that went wrong. In the context of a whole lifetime, 9 weeks is such a short time and yet will have made a huge impact on all of you.
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