The First Village

Okay. I don’t think anything could top what I experienced today. First, I have got to get used to the people staring at me. When we were driving in the Jeeps, all heads turned to see the Caucasian people with sunglasses and blonde hair whiz past. It was like that the whole ride and you can’t even begin to understand what world they are living in. From all the houses I have seen, I would say the average size is about the size of my bedroom without the turret, and some people live in tiny straw and clay huts about the size of my bathroom. Ethiopia is such a beautiful country with it’s greenery, plateaus, and never ending mountains, but it is so sad to look at because it is stricken with poverty.

The way I knew we had arrived at the village was from all the whooping, drums, dancing, chanting, and over-all noise. Masses of tightly packed people rushed to greet us. After we had gotten down to the borehole, everyone settled down to listen to the speeches of the villagers. One thing that really touched my heart, was when a girl just a little older than I, made a speech thanking us and saying how what we have done will change their lives so much. After the speeches they shoved traditional bread, barley, and expresso down our throats. If I tried to refuse more the women would look so stricken and hurt that I would take an extra large serving. Next, I danced in a circle with the village girls and all five of us foreign girls made a short speech. Last but not least, they gave us all handmade scarves that say I LOVE ETHIOPIA, although mine is extra special and says I LOVE ETHOPIA. These are some the kindest, most sincere people I have ever met.