Day 5

Day 5
Most businesses were closed today in preparation for Fasika (Easter). We tried to go to a silk factory that we had visited before. The shop was open but the workers were not there. Previously when we had visited, you could see the silk worms in different stages. Spinning silkworms into silk and then finally dying and weaving into finished product.

We ended up having a nice lunch and then we went to an outdoor market to buy veggies. Emily was going to cook with some Ethiopian women that we had met in our previous trips at the guest house. We invited our local friends to the guest house to spend the afternoon with us. We stocked up with potatoes, garlic, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, and onion for 84 Birr ($4). We then went to a more modern supermarket to stock up with spices for later and to bring home. Finally, we needed injera (spongy crepe like bread). Hermella and I jumped out of the van at the bread shop. She argued with the shopkeeper because she thought the price of the injera was too high. While she didn't get the price down, it was a ball to watch her negotiate to protect our family's interest. At the end, the price was 27 birr for six large rolls of injera (enough to feed 12-15 people)..... $1.20.... She was used to it being closer to 3 birr rather than 4 each.

We made it back to the guest house and had an afternoon of fun playing outside. All the girls were cooking for a while (Hermella thinks it is hilarious that Bryce wants to be a chef and that I like to cook too) and we were just hanging out. One local friend Temesgen came over. He only has one leg (since an infant). He played soccer with us and jumped on the trampoline (video to follow). Wow. He had an absolute blast on the trampoline. It was quite a moment when he first got on. In fact, the two ladies that we also invited tried out the trampoline for the first time as well. Laughter filled the afternoon by all.

We finished the day with a feast of the food that Emily, Hermella, Nevaeh, and our friends made. It was fantastic.

Man, getting 6 kids in one room to go to sleep at night is a challenge.

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