Hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas last week and are looking forward to some exciting plans for New Years! I am back in Addis now after my week in Tanzania. I am a bit swamped this week, so I will not be able to post about Tanzania until next week (maybe sooner - who knows?). However, in the meantime, I thought I would post pictures from my trip! Tanzania is a lovely country and the weather was super balmy/hot - quite a departure from the freezing/snowy Christmases in Saskatchewan to which I have grown accustomed. I hope you enjoy the pics! Stay tuned for the blog posts! Happy New Year everyone!
http://picasaweb.google.com/prasannainethiopia
PS - the new photo in the title of the blog is me staring into the horizon from the beaches in Kendwa, a small town in Northern Zanzibar!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
These are a Few of My Favourite Things
This year will mark my very first year spending Christmas away from my family and friends in Canada. This time of year always makes me sentimental for the traditions of the holiday season. This year, with the distance between here and there, home and away, I cannot help but feel especially nostalgic for Christmas.
I will miss attending Midnight Mass with my parents on Christmas Eve, singing carols at my church, eating ridiculous amounts of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, and going shopping with her on Boxing Day. I will miss my Aunty Padma’s ding-a-ling cake – a chocolate cake that is absolutely out of this world! I will miss my dad dressing up as “Brown Santa” for the children at our church and singing the East Indian rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I will miss hanging out with my high school crew in our traditional holiday get-together in Regina where we laugh ourselves silly about absolutely nothing! I will especially miss singing happy birthday to my dad who happens to be a Christmas baby, being born back in the day on December 25. [Happy early birthday Dad!]
However, with the Christmas season, its related celebration and all of the things I will definitely miss, I cannot help but be grateful for the blessings of this past year too, the gifts of this very moment, and the unlimited promise of the New Year and beyond. First of all, I am grateful to be in Addis - to work, to explore and to learn each and every day from so many people and situations (I am even grateful for the days when I am ready to pull my hair out and hop on the first plane back to Canada). I am grateful to have a roof over my head and food on the table - things which I have often taken for granted and things which have become all the more meaningful and precious to me given what I have witnessed in Ethiopia. I am grateful to the children at Menagesha who inspire me by their example and encourage me to reach for the stars. I am grateful to my friends in Tanzania with whom I will be spending the holidays (starting December 19 – Yay!) and to my roommates in Addis who have made the Christmas season so enjoyable so far. Finally, I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends around the world – you never let the distance be a barrier to letting me know how much you care and I cannot thank you enough.
I just wanted to send out this note to all of you, near and far, wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Make sure to eat lots of Christmas baking for me and if anyone tells you that you are eating too much, tell them that you are eating Prasanna’s share on his behalf.
I am proud to know each and every one of you and incredibly, incredibly grateful for your love, compassion, friendship, and generousity. You have touched my life in many ways and I wish you all the joy, love and laughter that this season brings – today, tomorrow and always. Happy holidays!
I will miss attending Midnight Mass with my parents on Christmas Eve, singing carols at my church, eating ridiculous amounts of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, and going shopping with her on Boxing Day. I will miss my Aunty Padma’s ding-a-ling cake – a chocolate cake that is absolutely out of this world! I will miss my dad dressing up as “Brown Santa” for the children at our church and singing the East Indian rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I will miss hanging out with my high school crew in our traditional holiday get-together in Regina where we laugh ourselves silly about absolutely nothing! I will especially miss singing happy birthday to my dad who happens to be a Christmas baby, being born back in the day on December 25. [Happy early birthday Dad!]
However, with the Christmas season, its related celebration and all of the things I will definitely miss, I cannot help but be grateful for the blessings of this past year too, the gifts of this very moment, and the unlimited promise of the New Year and beyond. First of all, I am grateful to be in Addis - to work, to explore and to learn each and every day from so many people and situations (I am even grateful for the days when I am ready to pull my hair out and hop on the first plane back to Canada). I am grateful to have a roof over my head and food on the table - things which I have often taken for granted and things which have become all the more meaningful and precious to me given what I have witnessed in Ethiopia. I am grateful to the children at Menagesha who inspire me by their example and encourage me to reach for the stars. I am grateful to my friends in Tanzania with whom I will be spending the holidays (starting December 19 – Yay!) and to my roommates in Addis who have made the Christmas season so enjoyable so far. Finally, I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends around the world – you never let the distance be a barrier to letting me know how much you care and I cannot thank you enough.
I just wanted to send out this note to all of you, near and far, wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Make sure to eat lots of Christmas baking for me and if anyone tells you that you are eating too much, tell them that you are eating Prasanna’s share on his behalf.
I am proud to know each and every one of you and incredibly, incredibly grateful for your love, compassion, friendship, and generousity. You have touched my life in many ways and I wish you all the joy, love and laughter that this season brings – today, tomorrow and always. Happy holidays!
EBA Conference on Self-Regulation, Governance and Sustainability
On December 11, 12, and 13, the Ethiopian Bar Association hosted a conference on Self-Regulation, Governance and Sustainability of the Legal Profession in Ethiopia at the EBA Attorneys Club and CLE Center. The conference was sponsored / funded by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation/Stiftung and was facilitated by experts from Kenya, Tanzania and the East Africa Law Society. Self-regulation means that the legal profession is not governed or regulated by the government but rather by an independent organization designed to serve the public interest.
The presenters, Don Deya and Simekha JME were absolutely fantastic and made presentations on self-regulation, governance models for the EBA, and action planning to ensure that EBA programs and policies were strong and robust. I also had a chance to present a paper on a model regulatory framework for the Ethiopian legal profession which included a plan of action / series of recommendations for the EBA to pursue in its efforts to seek self-regulatory powers. I must thank the previous intern, Asad Kiyani, for it was his absolutely brilliant paper (that he wrote two years ago) which formed part of the presentation. I also want to thank Jennifer Khor for all of her research assistance and invaluable guidance on this topic! It means so much to me.
The presenters, Don Deya and Simekha JME were absolutely fantastic and made presentations on self-regulation, governance models for the EBA, and action planning to ensure that EBA programs and policies were strong and robust. I also had a chance to present a paper on a model regulatory framework for the Ethiopian legal profession which included a plan of action / series of recommendations for the EBA to pursue in its efforts to seek self-regulatory powers. I must thank the previous intern, Asad Kiyani, for it was his absolutely brilliant paper (that he wrote two years ago) which formed part of the presentation. I also want to thank Jennifer Khor for all of her research assistance and invaluable guidance on this topic! It means so much to me.
December 10, 2008: Human Rights Day and UDHR 60
On December 10, 2008, I had a chance to attend some of the celebrations for the annual United Nations Human Rights Day (commemorating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). This year was particularly important, because it was the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the cornerstone of human rights principles and protections within the UN system and globally.
I attended a public celebration for UDHR 60 and Human Rights Day at the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The program included video interviews with several women in different African countries that addressed human rights violations against women. The Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission delivered a speech about human rights in Ethiopia and then launched the official website of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. We also saw an excerpt of an Amharic movie that was filmed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR about the struggles of a young girl with a disability against discrimination and stigmatization. The event concluded with the reading of the official statements of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary General of the United Nations on the occasion of Human Rights Day.
I attended a public celebration for UDHR 60 and Human Rights Day at the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The program included video interviews with several women in different African countries that addressed human rights violations against women. The Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission delivered a speech about human rights in Ethiopia and then launched the official website of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. We also saw an excerpt of an Amharic movie that was filmed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR about the struggles of a young girl with a disability against discrimination and stigmatization. The event concluded with the reading of the official statements of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary General of the United Nations on the occasion of Human Rights Day.
Photographic Memories
Hello everyone! After much drama with the internet here, I have finally been able to upload all of my photos from the past few months. I have uploaded pictures from our trip to Lalibela, the Maskal celebration at Maskal Square and at the home of my boss, the EBA conference last week where I had a chance to make a presentation, our evening at Fasika restaurant etc. These photos can be found at the following link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/prasannainethiopia
http://picasaweb.google.com/prasannainethiopia
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Funability 2008
On Sunday, December 7, 2009, I attended Funability 2008, which is the annual integrated fun run for children with disabilities and children without disabilities between the ages of 7 and 15. This event is held every year in conjunction with the "Week of Persons with Disabilities" which falls during the first week of December, with December 3 being the official UN International Day for Persons with Disabilities.
Many of my students told me about the event when I went to my class on Saturday morning in Menagesha. Cheshire was organizing a bus to transport the children from Menagesha to Addis on Sunday where the run was to take place. I decided that it would be fun to participate in the Funability Run this year and met my students, the other Cheshire teacher and two of the Cheshire social workers at 8 AM Sunday morning for the event. The run took place close to the European Union delegation in Addis. The children were organized based on age group, with the youngest group wearing read T-Shirts, the middle group wearing yellow T-shirts and the oldest wearing green T-shirts. The groups were staggered with the youngest group starting and completing the race before the next group started and so on. When all of the children were standing at their various starting points for the race, the colours of the T-shirts made up the Ethiopian flag!
The children were so thrilled to participate and it was a beautiful, sunny and warm Sunday! I, along with the other adults, walked beside them on the sidewalks, cheering them on! At the end of the race, there was a musical performance by a local band, the distribution of certificates, and a performance by one of the children at Cheshire who is a musical prodigy. I will never forget the event, the absolute excitement in the crowd, and the sign that one of the children was proudly carrying during the event bearing the words: Disability is Not Inability. Truer words have never been spoken.
Many of my students told me about the event when I went to my class on Saturday morning in Menagesha. Cheshire was organizing a bus to transport the children from Menagesha to Addis on Sunday where the run was to take place. I decided that it would be fun to participate in the Funability Run this year and met my students, the other Cheshire teacher and two of the Cheshire social workers at 8 AM Sunday morning for the event. The run took place close to the European Union delegation in Addis. The children were organized based on age group, with the youngest group wearing read T-Shirts, the middle group wearing yellow T-shirts and the oldest wearing green T-shirts. The groups were staggered with the youngest group starting and completing the race before the next group started and so on. When all of the children were standing at their various starting points for the race, the colours of the T-shirts made up the Ethiopian flag!
The children were so thrilled to participate and it was a beautiful, sunny and warm Sunday! I, along with the other adults, walked beside them on the sidewalks, cheering them on! At the end of the race, there was a musical performance by a local band, the distribution of certificates, and a performance by one of the children at Cheshire who is a musical prodigy. I will never forget the event, the absolute excitement in the crowd, and the sign that one of the children was proudly carrying during the event bearing the words: Disability is Not Inability. Truer words have never been spoken.
Loving Lalibela
“Still be in the church of Lalibela, singing hymns a cappella”
- Lauryn Hill from the song The Final Hour off her Grammy-award winning album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
On November 29 and 30, Mary, Eric and I set out for a fun-filled weekend in Lalibela, a historic, religious and cultural site in Northern Ethiopia which has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and a must-see for any traveler coming to Ethiopia. The Lonely Planet describes Lalibela in the following terms at page 155:
An ancient world, including 11 magnificent medieval rock-hewn churches, dimly lit passageways, hidden crypts and grottoes, was carved down into the red volcanic rock underlying this remote Ethiopian town almost a millennia ago. Today that world still remains, frozen in stone.
[…]
Lalibela, a World Heritage site, undoubtedly ranks among the greatest religio-historical sites in the Christian world.
We woke up bright and early Saturday morning and our wonderful landlord Terefe drove us to the airport to catch our flight from Addis to Lalibela. The flight stopped on the way in Bahir Dar and Gondor before landing in Lalibela – it took about 2-2.5 hours to fly there. We emerged from our small propeller plane, a little frazzled by the up and down journey but completely thrilled to be exploring Lalibela. You see, I have heard so much about Lalibela from friends back home who have visited Ethiopia and from the locals here, that I was looking forward to exploring this must-see destination.
We found the shuttle bus to take us to our hotel, the Seven Olives Hotel, and were greeted on the way by an impressive landscape unlike anything we had seen in Ethiopia to date. The landscape was an amalgamation of rolling hills, blue skies, carved rocky platforms and various forms of vegetation. Lalibela did not boast the lushness of Bahir Dar but the juxtaposition of the rock against the plains combined with the intricately crafted trees was truly stunning!
The Seven Olives had a nice restaurant and the rooms had the smell of a strong disinfectant. There were poinsettias around the restaurant’s patio, so it was officially my first taste of Christmas in Ethiopia (you see Christmas is not celebrated here until January 7, pursuant to the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar, so the Christmas carols, the shopping centre displays and the festive mainstays so common at home have been virtually non-existent so far in Ethiopia).
After lunch, we set of on a trek in Lalibela walking down the meandering cobblestone paths with their steep curves, rolling elevations and winding borders. We saw the Lalibela market with its huge crowds of people. We decided not to venture into the market because the whole scene, while beautiful was also completely overwhelming with its level of excitement, crowds and activity.
Along the way, I was greeted by a number of people with the obligatory “Hey You, where are you from?” I have taken to ignoring these questions now because it tends to become problematic and not all people are warm and fuzzy characters. The children were particularly fascinated by the group of three firenjes (foreigners) winding through their town. Little children began following me and yelling Namaste (the reverential greeting for hello used in India)! One person came up to me and said “Namaste sir”. Eventually it became too much to ignore and I began folding my arms in salutation (as is traditional with the Namaste greeting) bowing dramatically and repeating Namaste with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I had at that very moment become the Unofficial Ambassador of India in Lalibela. Go figure.
We arrived at the main gates to visit the 11 rock-hewn churches and found our absolutely fantastic guide for the day, Getanew, who took us around to all of the churches for the fantastic price of 150 birr for the group (approximately 15 USD). The admission price per person to the churches was 200 birr per person (20 USD). He informed us that the churches were constructed by St. Lalibela who was also a king of the entire region and a skilled engineer and architect (talk about multi-tasking). His rationale for building the churches was that he wanted to construct a Jerusalem in Ethiopia, so that believers could go on this religious pilgrimage within Ethiopia itself. Every year, especially around January 7, masses of people make the pilgrimage to Lalibela, many on foot (who travel for a month leading up to the 7th). The goal is each religious aspirant is to make the trek at least once in his or her lifetime.
There are three types of churches in the northern and southern cluster which comprise the 11 churches. The first type is a monolithic church (all sides are detached from the surrounding rock). The second type is the semi-monolithic (some of the sides are detached) and the third type is a cave church, where the roof of the edifice is the original rock from the caves. Each of the churches was carved out of one large piece of rock.
When navigating through the maze of rock and visiting the various churches, we witnessed a group of monks chanting religious prayers, first starting as a faint hum accompanying the wafting smell of religious incense. Slowly but steadily, the chanting grew stronger in intensity and volume and reverberated through the caverns, tunnels and churches that formed the Lalibela landscape.
The following descriptions which our guide gave to us (and which I tried to write down in my trust reporter-notebook) provide a few details on some of the churches. I apologize if the details are minimal or unclear. I am trying to decipher my messy notes nearly 10 days after first writing them down:
1) Beta Medanyalam
• This is the church of the Holy Saviour
• The Columns were rebuilt after their collapse in 1954
• This is the largest church in the cluster
• Men and women must enter the church through separate entrances
• In an effort at restoration, the church was painted a bright red in 1954, but then people thought that this took away from the ancient, historic look of the area and scraped the paint off in 1968, causing extensive damage to the edifice in the process
• Around the church (and in fact many of the churces) are holes in the rock walls which served as tombs for respected and revered religious figures of the past
• There is also a square well near the church which was traditionally used as baptism pool
• The corner of the church is defined by a cross which is to serve as a reminder of the struggle in Christianity
2) Bet-Le-Hem – this is the small space used by the priests to prepare holy communion. It is only accessible to the priests.
3) Beta-Denagil (the Church of the Maiden Nuns)
• Smallest church
• There are four columns to symbolize the four evangelists
• According to the Lonely Planet, this church was said to have been constructed “in memory of the maiden nuns martyred on the orders of the 4th-century Roman emperor Julian in Edessa (modern-day Turkey).”
4) Beta Maryam (the Church of the Virgin).
• In this church, there is a painting of Mary’s journey from Jerusalem to Egypt
• There is also a painting of a rooster, symbolizing the episode that St. Peter would betray Lord Jesus 3 times before the rooster crows
5) Bet-Debrezina
• There are several types of crosses on the roof in this church
• In this church there is also the place known as Golgota, only open to men, where there is found a symbolic representation of Jesus’ tomb
• When asked why only men were allowed to visit this room, our tour guide informed us that this is rooted in history and in the fact that during the resurrection, Mary Magdalene feared the tomb and was drawn back and that only the other apostles went into the tomb itself
Between the churches, St. Lalibela constructed a man-made river called the River Jordan.
6) Beta Ghiorghis
• This is the tallest and youngest church in the clusters and is shaped like a cross
• The church is 12m by 12m inside
• In this church, there is also an enclave in the wall which holds the skeletons of various Saints (about 400 or so) which are still visible to all visitors (these skeletons have still not decayed)
• The priest in this church is holding the Lalibela-style cross (In each church we visited, the priest would prominently hold the cross of the particular church for all visitors to see)
• Outside of this church, there is also a small patch of holy grass used for prayer
From cluster 1 to cluster 2 of the churches, there is a steep and narrow staircase carved in the rock that is called the Path of Heaven.
7) Beta Gabriel and Raphael
• There is a huge cavern outside of the church that is to symbolize the distinction between heaven and hell and also to denote that there is another separate level known as paradise which will only become known at the end of civilization
• 800 year old book written in the Giz language is found in these 2 churches describing the history and miracles of angels
After this church, we walked through a dark, narrow underground tunnel (completely dark, pitch black) to lead us to another set of churches. It was completely dark and ominous and there was no sound whatsoever except the sound of our conversation echoing off the walls.
8) Beta-Merkorios
• large painting of St. George who rode a white horse
9) Beta- Emmanuel
• Monolithic church, 2nd largest in the clusters
• It was also painted red in 1954 and hen scrapped off causing extensive cracing, decay and weakening of the edifice
10) Beta-Abalivanos
• This is the cave-church all sides are detached and the roof is a cave
• This is the Church of the Father
• There is no gallery in this church unlike many of the other churches
Other random facts:
• Along the way, our tour guide was a wealth of random, unrelated information. He showed us the Kaskasse plant which is a laxative that helps the user vomit out any illness or bad food consumed earlier. As the old NBC commerical would sing after a celebrity would talk about the virtues of literacy and staying in school: "THE MORE YOU KNOW"
• Toockool house – We saw a number of these houses during our trek and during our stay in Lalibela. These houses look like silos with a pointy roof – almost like a shortened castle turret built directly into the ground.
• We also visited Mount Tabor which is the highest hill/peak overlooking the churches.
• There is some unfortunately large and prominent UNESCO scaffolding supporting many of the churches which takes away a bit of the majesty of the site.
• I have taken many photos of the churches which I will attempt to post if the Google / Picasa Photo-album ever cooperates. Side Note: Thanks to Tyra Banks and her talk show (a sentence I never thought I would use), I learnt that the digital camera has a mode called Sepia which lets you take pictures that look more ancient/old-school – so I have done a bit of photo-experimenting. (also some black and white shots too).
On our flight back, I fell asleep, as I am prone to do, and was shocked when I discovered that we reached Addis in ½ hour. Apparently, the flight back is a direct flight without all of the stops we encountered on our way there.
All in all, the Lalibela trip was a memorable experience without the crazy drama and misadventures that we faced on our trip to Bahir Dar back in September. Good times.
- Lauryn Hill from the song The Final Hour off her Grammy-award winning album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
On November 29 and 30, Mary, Eric and I set out for a fun-filled weekend in Lalibela, a historic, religious and cultural site in Northern Ethiopia which has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and a must-see for any traveler coming to Ethiopia. The Lonely Planet describes Lalibela in the following terms at page 155:
An ancient world, including 11 magnificent medieval rock-hewn churches, dimly lit passageways, hidden crypts and grottoes, was carved down into the red volcanic rock underlying this remote Ethiopian town almost a millennia ago. Today that world still remains, frozen in stone.
[…]
Lalibela, a World Heritage site, undoubtedly ranks among the greatest religio-historical sites in the Christian world.
We woke up bright and early Saturday morning and our wonderful landlord Terefe drove us to the airport to catch our flight from Addis to Lalibela. The flight stopped on the way in Bahir Dar and Gondor before landing in Lalibela – it took about 2-2.5 hours to fly there. We emerged from our small propeller plane, a little frazzled by the up and down journey but completely thrilled to be exploring Lalibela. You see, I have heard so much about Lalibela from friends back home who have visited Ethiopia and from the locals here, that I was looking forward to exploring this must-see destination.
We found the shuttle bus to take us to our hotel, the Seven Olives Hotel, and were greeted on the way by an impressive landscape unlike anything we had seen in Ethiopia to date. The landscape was an amalgamation of rolling hills, blue skies, carved rocky platforms and various forms of vegetation. Lalibela did not boast the lushness of Bahir Dar but the juxtaposition of the rock against the plains combined with the intricately crafted trees was truly stunning!
The Seven Olives had a nice restaurant and the rooms had the smell of a strong disinfectant. There were poinsettias around the restaurant’s patio, so it was officially my first taste of Christmas in Ethiopia (you see Christmas is not celebrated here until January 7, pursuant to the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar, so the Christmas carols, the shopping centre displays and the festive mainstays so common at home have been virtually non-existent so far in Ethiopia).
After lunch, we set of on a trek in Lalibela walking down the meandering cobblestone paths with their steep curves, rolling elevations and winding borders. We saw the Lalibela market with its huge crowds of people. We decided not to venture into the market because the whole scene, while beautiful was also completely overwhelming with its level of excitement, crowds and activity.
Along the way, I was greeted by a number of people with the obligatory “Hey You, where are you from?” I have taken to ignoring these questions now because it tends to become problematic and not all people are warm and fuzzy characters. The children were particularly fascinated by the group of three firenjes (foreigners) winding through their town. Little children began following me and yelling Namaste (the reverential greeting for hello used in India)! One person came up to me and said “Namaste sir”. Eventually it became too much to ignore and I began folding my arms in salutation (as is traditional with the Namaste greeting) bowing dramatically and repeating Namaste with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I had at that very moment become the Unofficial Ambassador of India in Lalibela. Go figure.
We arrived at the main gates to visit the 11 rock-hewn churches and found our absolutely fantastic guide for the day, Getanew, who took us around to all of the churches for the fantastic price of 150 birr for the group (approximately 15 USD). The admission price per person to the churches was 200 birr per person (20 USD). He informed us that the churches were constructed by St. Lalibela who was also a king of the entire region and a skilled engineer and architect (talk about multi-tasking). His rationale for building the churches was that he wanted to construct a Jerusalem in Ethiopia, so that believers could go on this religious pilgrimage within Ethiopia itself. Every year, especially around January 7, masses of people make the pilgrimage to Lalibela, many on foot (who travel for a month leading up to the 7th). The goal is each religious aspirant is to make the trek at least once in his or her lifetime.
There are three types of churches in the northern and southern cluster which comprise the 11 churches. The first type is a monolithic church (all sides are detached from the surrounding rock). The second type is the semi-monolithic (some of the sides are detached) and the third type is a cave church, where the roof of the edifice is the original rock from the caves. Each of the churches was carved out of one large piece of rock.
When navigating through the maze of rock and visiting the various churches, we witnessed a group of monks chanting religious prayers, first starting as a faint hum accompanying the wafting smell of religious incense. Slowly but steadily, the chanting grew stronger in intensity and volume and reverberated through the caverns, tunnels and churches that formed the Lalibela landscape.
The following descriptions which our guide gave to us (and which I tried to write down in my trust reporter-notebook) provide a few details on some of the churches. I apologize if the details are minimal or unclear. I am trying to decipher my messy notes nearly 10 days after first writing them down:
1) Beta Medanyalam
• This is the church of the Holy Saviour
• The Columns were rebuilt after their collapse in 1954
• This is the largest church in the cluster
• Men and women must enter the church through separate entrances
• In an effort at restoration, the church was painted a bright red in 1954, but then people thought that this took away from the ancient, historic look of the area and scraped the paint off in 1968, causing extensive damage to the edifice in the process
• Around the church (and in fact many of the churces) are holes in the rock walls which served as tombs for respected and revered religious figures of the past
• There is also a square well near the church which was traditionally used as baptism pool
• The corner of the church is defined by a cross which is to serve as a reminder of the struggle in Christianity
2) Bet-Le-Hem – this is the small space used by the priests to prepare holy communion. It is only accessible to the priests.
3) Beta-Denagil (the Church of the Maiden Nuns)
• Smallest church
• There are four columns to symbolize the four evangelists
• According to the Lonely Planet, this church was said to have been constructed “in memory of the maiden nuns martyred on the orders of the 4th-century Roman emperor Julian in Edessa (modern-day Turkey).”
4) Beta Maryam (the Church of the Virgin).
• In this church, there is a painting of Mary’s journey from Jerusalem to Egypt
• There is also a painting of a rooster, symbolizing the episode that St. Peter would betray Lord Jesus 3 times before the rooster crows
5) Bet-Debrezina
• There are several types of crosses on the roof in this church
• In this church there is also the place known as Golgota, only open to men, where there is found a symbolic representation of Jesus’ tomb
• When asked why only men were allowed to visit this room, our tour guide informed us that this is rooted in history and in the fact that during the resurrection, Mary Magdalene feared the tomb and was drawn back and that only the other apostles went into the tomb itself
Between the churches, St. Lalibela constructed a man-made river called the River Jordan.
6) Beta Ghiorghis
• This is the tallest and youngest church in the clusters and is shaped like a cross
• The church is 12m by 12m inside
• In this church, there is also an enclave in the wall which holds the skeletons of various Saints (about 400 or so) which are still visible to all visitors (these skeletons have still not decayed)
• The priest in this church is holding the Lalibela-style cross (In each church we visited, the priest would prominently hold the cross of the particular church for all visitors to see)
• Outside of this church, there is also a small patch of holy grass used for prayer
From cluster 1 to cluster 2 of the churches, there is a steep and narrow staircase carved in the rock that is called the Path of Heaven.
7) Beta Gabriel and Raphael
• There is a huge cavern outside of the church that is to symbolize the distinction between heaven and hell and also to denote that there is another separate level known as paradise which will only become known at the end of civilization
• 800 year old book written in the Giz language is found in these 2 churches describing the history and miracles of angels
After this church, we walked through a dark, narrow underground tunnel (completely dark, pitch black) to lead us to another set of churches. It was completely dark and ominous and there was no sound whatsoever except the sound of our conversation echoing off the walls.
8) Beta-Merkorios
• large painting of St. George who rode a white horse
9) Beta- Emmanuel
• Monolithic church, 2nd largest in the clusters
• It was also painted red in 1954 and hen scrapped off causing extensive cracing, decay and weakening of the edifice
10) Beta-Abalivanos
• This is the cave-church all sides are detached and the roof is a cave
• This is the Church of the Father
• There is no gallery in this church unlike many of the other churches
Other random facts:
• Along the way, our tour guide was a wealth of random, unrelated information. He showed us the Kaskasse plant which is a laxative that helps the user vomit out any illness or bad food consumed earlier. As the old NBC commerical would sing after a celebrity would talk about the virtues of literacy and staying in school: "THE MORE YOU KNOW"
• Toockool house – We saw a number of these houses during our trek and during our stay in Lalibela. These houses look like silos with a pointy roof – almost like a shortened castle turret built directly into the ground.
• We also visited Mount Tabor which is the highest hill/peak overlooking the churches.
• There is some unfortunately large and prominent UNESCO scaffolding supporting many of the churches which takes away a bit of the majesty of the site.
• I have taken many photos of the churches which I will attempt to post if the Google / Picasa Photo-album ever cooperates. Side Note: Thanks to Tyra Banks and her talk show (a sentence I never thought I would use), I learnt that the digital camera has a mode called Sepia which lets you take pictures that look more ancient/old-school – so I have done a bit of photo-experimenting. (also some black and white shots too).
On our flight back, I fell asleep, as I am prone to do, and was shocked when I discovered that we reached Addis in ½ hour. Apparently, the flight back is a direct flight without all of the stops we encountered on our way there.
All in all, the Lalibela trip was a memorable experience without the crazy drama and misadventures that we faced on our trip to Bahir Dar back in September. Good times.
Adventures in Amharic
I have not posted my recent vocabulary list of Amharic words in quite some time. I have been taking Amharic lessons twice per week from my Amharic teacher, Ato Brahan at the Ethiopian Bar Association. He is such a great teacher and I am learning so much! I am so sorry the list of words is so long. In the future, I will try and split it up over the course of several posts. Thank you so much Ato Brahan. The list of new words is as follows:
Amharic –> English
Endenet Hai-laa-nuu – Unity is Power
Nasainet Mudanow – What is Freedom?
Dir – thread
Ambassa hailaynya oreyno – Strength in Numbers (literally: Much thread will tie a lion)
Shai – tea
Yeshai Servi – tea cup
Sooka – sugar
Manka – teaspoon
Yey – hee – saab maachin – calculator
Yey – worokat membsha – hole punch
Misa – lunch
Erat – dinner
Courz – breakfast
Maxus – snack
Colo – Ethiopian trail mix (a mix of grains, dried chic peas, sunflower seeds etc)
Simbara colo – peas
Messhayt – magazine
Guz – page
Moucha – table of contents
Maasater – abbreviation
Unkus – part
Derasai – receipt
Kulf - key
Zir zir – to exchange / exchange rate
Postab – envelope
Mataf – to fold
Carbon – carbon
Table/chart – centery
Seraa – prepare it/do it
Eu-ko-yin – stop it / enough
Eylip Godenya – best friend
Sow – wun – be a human being (be a thinking person)
Bezoo asin – think about it
Leetch aatooroo – don’t be childish
Yelij asaab – childish thinking
Kebruhein tabik – keep your dignity/calm down
Sow naatehun tabik – keep you personality/image
Huggu akibhir – follow/honour the law
Enatinna akbaten akbhar – you must honour your father and mother
Lensoosaa dekhoon – be kind to animals
Wooh-dam sow kebri – yellam – a greedy man has no honour
Memmar – Raasin – Leymegzatnow – as a learner, you control your mind
Heed-woah – get out
Na – come on
Ahm – taa – give me
Hoe – denna jerbaa – they do not agree (opposites) (Literal meaning – they are back and stomach)
Lam – cow
Berree – ox
Berwetch – oxen
Aiya – ass/donkey (also used to describe a careless, lazy person)
Ferez – horse
Bekrow – mule
Wund fiel – male goat
Sayt fiel – female goat
Tijja – calf
Tankara – strong
Sheeva – lamb
Dekama – weak
Azmara – harvest time
Marriat – earth
Alem – world
Semai – sky
Middiawooyee – earthly
Semaiyawooyee – heavenly
Xavier – God
Tawot – god/idol
Mamlek – worship
Menfass – spirit
Menfass-sawee-hiwot – spiritual
Cigurellem – no problem
Dinn-hut – poverty
Legginnut – being young
Akmah-ahdem – human state/maturity (man)
Akmah-hiwan – young woman – human state/maturity
Shimaagiri – old
Woah-taat – young
Too goor – working like a dog or bee (hard worker – no rest)
Sohm – fasting
Sohm-a-Jesus – fasting for Jesus
Genna – Christmas
Timkat – Epiphany/Baptism
Fasika – Easter
Ba-alle hamsa - Pentecost
Rigut – go to heaven
Dawit – my Lord
Takli – church wedding
Seyt ayt – grandmother
Wund ayt – grandfather
Akist – aunt
Ashkur – servant
Agoat – uncle
Ehud – sister
Wundum – brother
Farree – afraid/fear
Wassan – border
Habt - property
Nebrat habt – mobile property
Yemain kessakuss – fixed property (land/real property)
Sow serrash – artificial, man made things
Nedatch – fuel
Terrabezza – table
Doulla – walking stick
Seyill – picture/photo
Yesow seyill – portrait/picture of a person
Ensessa seyill – animal picture
Geooze – gender – inanimate object
Sillitanni – civilization
Ye-sillitanni zenmen – age of civilization
Wollokar – backwardness
Aynasalwoor – blind
Aynasalwoor-net – blindness
Dinkurinnaa – ignorance
Donkor – adjective – ignorant man
Seruff – dull
Gobez – good, brave
Nebir – tiger
Ambassa – lion
Sayt ambassa – lioness
Debboll ambassa/gill gill ambassa – lion cub
Frudde biyette – court of law
Kafatenya frudde biyette – high court
Tekillai fudde biyette – supreme court
Woreda – district
Mezzagajja – municipality
Kebele – neighbourhood
Balle – husband
Miste – wife
Yekkusail sim – nickname
Metatt – alcohol
Wotaff – milk
Taiyikk – ai – ask me
Wodih-hallo – I Love You
Atti – Tayikk – Don’t ask
Yemar-tuch – honey
Gongo – beautiful/handsome
Gonjinna - beauty
Amharic –> English
Endenet Hai-laa-nuu – Unity is Power
Nasainet Mudanow – What is Freedom?
Dir – thread
Ambassa hailaynya oreyno – Strength in Numbers (literally: Much thread will tie a lion)
Shai – tea
Yeshai Servi – tea cup
Sooka – sugar
Manka – teaspoon
Yey – hee – saab maachin – calculator
Yey – worokat membsha – hole punch
Misa – lunch
Erat – dinner
Courz – breakfast
Maxus – snack
Colo – Ethiopian trail mix (a mix of grains, dried chic peas, sunflower seeds etc)
Simbara colo – peas
Messhayt – magazine
Guz – page
Moucha – table of contents
Maasater – abbreviation
Unkus – part
Derasai – receipt
Kulf - key
Zir zir – to exchange / exchange rate
Postab – envelope
Mataf – to fold
Carbon – carbon
Table/chart – centery
Seraa – prepare it/do it
Eu-ko-yin – stop it / enough
Eylip Godenya – best friend
Sow – wun – be a human being (be a thinking person)
Bezoo asin – think about it
Leetch aatooroo – don’t be childish
Yelij asaab – childish thinking
Kebruhein tabik – keep your dignity/calm down
Sow naatehun tabik – keep you personality/image
Huggu akibhir – follow/honour the law
Enatinna akbaten akbhar – you must honour your father and mother
Lensoosaa dekhoon – be kind to animals
Wooh-dam sow kebri – yellam – a greedy man has no honour
Memmar – Raasin – Leymegzatnow – as a learner, you control your mind
Heed-woah – get out
Na – come on
Ahm – taa – give me
Hoe – denna jerbaa – they do not agree (opposites) (Literal meaning – they are back and stomach)
Lam – cow
Berree – ox
Berwetch – oxen
Aiya – ass/donkey (also used to describe a careless, lazy person)
Ferez – horse
Bekrow – mule
Wund fiel – male goat
Sayt fiel – female goat
Tijja – calf
Tankara – strong
Sheeva – lamb
Dekama – weak
Azmara – harvest time
Marriat – earth
Alem – world
Semai – sky
Middiawooyee – earthly
Semaiyawooyee – heavenly
Xavier – God
Tawot – god/idol
Mamlek – worship
Menfass – spirit
Menfass-sawee-hiwot – spiritual
Cigurellem – no problem
Dinn-hut – poverty
Legginnut – being young
Akmah-ahdem – human state/maturity (man)
Akmah-hiwan – young woman – human state/maturity
Shimaagiri – old
Woah-taat – young
Too goor – working like a dog or bee (hard worker – no rest)
Sohm – fasting
Sohm-a-Jesus – fasting for Jesus
Genna – Christmas
Timkat – Epiphany/Baptism
Fasika – Easter
Ba-alle hamsa - Pentecost
Rigut – go to heaven
Dawit – my Lord
Takli – church wedding
Seyt ayt – grandmother
Wund ayt – grandfather
Akist – aunt
Ashkur – servant
Agoat – uncle
Ehud – sister
Wundum – brother
Farree – afraid/fear
Wassan – border
Habt - property
Nebrat habt – mobile property
Yemain kessakuss – fixed property (land/real property)
Sow serrash – artificial, man made things
Nedatch – fuel
Terrabezza – table
Doulla – walking stick
Seyill – picture/photo
Yesow seyill – portrait/picture of a person
Ensessa seyill – animal picture
Geooze – gender – inanimate object
Sillitanni – civilization
Ye-sillitanni zenmen – age of civilization
Wollokar – backwardness
Aynasalwoor – blind
Aynasalwoor-net – blindness
Dinkurinnaa – ignorance
Donkor – adjective – ignorant man
Seruff – dull
Gobez – good, brave
Nebir – tiger
Ambassa – lion
Sayt ambassa – lioness
Debboll ambassa/gill gill ambassa – lion cub
Frudde biyette – court of law
Kafatenya frudde biyette – high court
Tekillai fudde biyette – supreme court
Woreda – district
Mezzagajja – municipality
Kebele – neighbourhood
Balle – husband
Miste – wife
Yekkusail sim – nickname
Metatt – alcohol
Wotaff – milk
Taiyikk – ai – ask me
Wodih-hallo – I Love You
Atti – Tayikk – Don’t ask
Yemar-tuch – honey
Gongo – beautiful/handsome
Gonjinna - beauty
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