Highs (aka good times)

Having to laugh to ease the worries of a child’s parents after their child just peed on me when I was assessing her. For most of these kids I’m the first white person they have seen (I frequently have patients less than 2 weeks old), so many of them think I am the Ghost of Death. I would be scared too.

Being randomly told by my male Ethiopian friend Benguma that I’m “not too fat”. Considering most Ethiopians are underweight, I won’t take too much offence (and they will comment on everything: if you look tired, don’t like your new haircut, if you have a zit…), especially since a couple minutes later he asked me, “Am I too fat?” Ohhh, he’s like a teenage girl searching for compliments! “No, Benguma, you’re not too fat. You’re perfect.” “A perfect 10?” “Yes, a perfect 10”.

Seeing the look of joy and pleasure when I taught Dr. Corrado (my Pediatric MD English student) the English word “nap”. He uses it frequently now. Also, “I couldn’t sleep a wink last night” (a phrase he learned from his English book that he used to impress me. Cher babe).

Being invited to go to a monastery 3 hours away on horrendous, bumpy, so fun road out in the country by 5 visiting Italians (I’m accepted despite being an American! Yay!). Then while there, laying out under the stars with my friend Gorgia discussing our faith and how glorious God is.

Favorite Ethiopian custom that my friend Zafi told me about: On the day of the Epiphany, Eastern Orthodox men will throw a lemon at a girl they thinks is cute (aka that they would potentially want to marry). Only one lemon per man (I asked). They try to hit her heart. If she likes him, she keeps it and then they start dating. However, for me, all I can imagine is a boy running up to a girl and spiking a giant lemon at her chest in dodge ball fashion. I thought it was hilarious but sweet. It is moreso practiced just in the country now, and since they can’t afford lemons they throw a small pebble (or a giant rock! : p hehehe).

Abba Bogali and I were having a conversation about how some English words are similar. Abba: “Hat, hot, & hut. Sharp & shark. A lot of sharks are eating our people these days.” Me: “What?!” (surprise from the statement and also that we don’t border an ocean) Abba: “The Ethiopian Airline plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. 35 Ethiopians died and are being eaten by sharks.” (On Monday a flight from Lebanon to Ethiopia crashed) Me: “Abba! That’s terrible!”