The Original Kettle Korn

Today three other "feringe" women and myself ate at an Ethiopian friend's home. She always amazes me by her hospitality and generosity out of the very, very little that she has. We said "baka" (enough) over and over but she kept giving us more food!! After the meal, there was a coffee ceremony, which is a integral part of culture here. They roast coffee beans over an open flame, grind them up, and brew dark espresso-like coffee. Then they dump in spoonful after spoonful of sugar into the little teacups, and give you cup after cup of it! It is around the coffee ceremony that community is often nutured, that business deals are made, that stories and secrets and just lives are shared. Generally alongside the coffee they serve kolo (roasted barley) or popcorn. Today it was popcorn, bought by the handful because that was all the money she had to spend on it. It was properly popped in a little kettle over the flame, poured onto a platter, and generously sprinkled with precious sugar!! Hence, my title--maybe this is where it all started! We laughed over our bad Amharic blunders, talked about why feringe women don't put butter in their hair, ate too much, got caffeine jitters from drinking the darkest coffee you've ever seen, and most of all had the joy of getting to share a few hours with several women whose lives we can never comprehend.
On another note, I am HAPPY!! My big brother is coming to see me in 23 hours (hopefully!)!! I am so excited to get to share this life with someone from my "other" life, to in some way attempt to bridge the gap between my two worlds. And . . . I am glad that a break is coming soon! We are going to play complete tourists and go to Kenya and on a safari and buy lots of African souvenirs:) I'll share stories and pics later!