11Sep2009 over here is actually 01Meskerem2002 in Ethiopia. It sorta "sneaked" up on me but I did make some doro wat (chicken stew) and lentils last night using some of the spice I brought back from Ethiopia. I did not try serving it with the (northern) staple of injera (pancakes)--having learned from my past failures--but rotini noodles stood in just fine. Elias thought it OK, but much prefers black olives and green beans.
Tonight we had the pleasure of attending the Madison Ethiopian community's celebration. True to form, it featured lots and lots of very tasty, very traditional ET food (along with American additions like spaghetti, popsicles, and cake) and music. Many people wore traditional dress. Like always, I was struck by their hospitality and love of children. I met several new people in the process of adopting. We danced at the end. I even love how they dance: Not terribly active overall but with a lot of shoulder work. Elias not only did his traditional ET dancing, but, encouraged by some new friends, added a lot of arm waving and stretches of the "hokey-pokey."
Here's a picture early on, of Elias absconding with someone's stroller, about to run into Almaz, a wonderful, grandmotherly Ethiopian whom we see at each event. Here's also a link to a slideshow someone posted of the event: http://bluenileimages.com/images/eslide/index.html
It was at a beautiful park I hadn't been to before, right on the lake. It's right across the street from the big Middleton park we normally go to, so I assumed it was that one. After finding a place to park and trekking over to the shelter, already 1/2 hr late, I found it was reserved for a Pagan festival. Urgh: crowds of tattooed, unkempt, unfriendly, scary-looking people sitting cross-legged in weird T-shirts, hawking incense and chanting "balance to you!" I asked a very large bearded man with a "STAFF" shirt and a gadget belt like Batman if he knew anything about an Ethiopian New Years party and he begrudgedly told me only that they had the place til 10pm. Then finally I spotted two Ethiopian women and a girl arrive who looked just as confused as I, so we stuck together. One of them had a cell phone and called around, speaking in Amharic, until finding someone who knew where it really was. We went back to our cars, and I followed them to the right celebration. What a contrast. The pagan "celebrants" just seemed lost, insecure and lonely; the Ethiopian celebration across the street was joyous, welcoming, natural, unified, confident, safe, and fun.
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