Ethiopian New Year

Almost a month ago we celebrated the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash) with the majority of the Ethiopian children that reside in our town (5 out of 7) at Erika & Steve's house. There was another family there that is currently in process to adopt from Ethiopia and two families adding a second child from Ethiopia to their beautiful families. That will total 10 children from Ethiopia in our small community; and that doesn't count the other adopted children from other areas of Africa that live in Laramie (3 children from Liberia and 1 family with a referral of a beautiful little girl from Congo that we hope will be coming home soon). As you know, Wyoming is not the most diverse State, but it seems that Laramie is doing its part to change that- which makes me proud to live here.

picture of all of the children at the party minus Simret who did not want to sit with the group to have her picture taken (yes, she was having "one of those" kind of nights.

Simret refusing to sit with the others?

the meal...Steve is an amazing cook! He made some yummy Ethiopian food!

Makeda LOVED the food, Simret not so much. This is a picture of Simret pouting because she isn't eating off-white carbs of some sort. I'm embarrassed to admit that she doesn't like Ethiopian food (not that she has EVER taken a bite of it). But, she will let you know loudly that she does not like it. I hope that I have not failed her or her country in that regard - I want her to know her roots, her history, her culture and food is part of that. I hope that someday this may change. The only food that she would eat while we were in Ethiopia in July was spaghetti noodles and popcorn. Ugh!

Something interesting.....The Ethiopian calendar (Ge'ez) is based on the old Alexandrian or Coptic calendar which is derived from the Egyptian calendar. A seven to eight year gap between the Ethiopian calendar and the calendar that we use (Gregorian calendar) is because of alternate calculations in determining the date of the Annunciation of Jesus. The Ethiopian calendar has 12 months of 30 days each plus 5 or 6 epagomenal days, which leads to a 13th month. They also celebrate a leap year every 4 years like we do, which complicates the picture even more.

Therefore, as of September 11th (Gregorian calendar) it became 2003 in Ethiopia. Here is something else quite interesting... Simret and Makeda were each born in 1999.