A possible good read!?

On NPR the other day, Michael heard about a new novel which explores the life of an Ethiopian immigrant. Check it out!

Hey, Everybody!

Three things to tell ya'll:

1. On Friday night, Michael and I had the exciting opportunity to eat dinner with several families from our area who are adopting from ET, including the Fournets, and the Frey's. Thanks again for your hospitality, Fournets! It was so good to meet everybody. Funny, when all of you are adopting from a baby from Africa, it doesn't matter that you've never met one another--you automatically have LOTS in common, and LOTS to chat about. I'm looking forward to the establishment of the North Texas Ethiopian Adoptee Playgroup. :)

2. At said dinner, the Fournets lent us Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia by Rebecca Haile, and Ethiopian woman whose family fled ET during the revolution in the 1970's. So far I'm really enjoying and learning a lot from the book.

3. I was tagged by my dear friend, Miss Hannah. Hannah works with inner-city kids here in our city. Love you Hannah!

Here's my stuff:

Jobs I've had:

Nanny
Salesperson, various clothing stores
Art Teacher
Middle School Literature/Poetry Teacher
PSAT/SAT/ESL Tutor (currently)

Places I've Lived:

Plano, TX
Waco, TX
Dallas, TX
*sigh*

Places I'd rather be:

Addis Ababa
Kenya
NYC
Boston
San Fran.
Texas Hill Country

Food I love:

Mexican
Italian

T.V. Shows I love:

Arrested Development
The Office
Law and Order

Movies I love:

Les Miserables
The Lives of Others
Princess Bride
LOTR
Places in the Heart
Amelie
Charade
Once
The Wizard of Oz

Books I love:

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength by the same
The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
and, of course,
There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene

People I'm tagging:

Lori
Natalie

Tabitha

A Slice of Ethiopian History, (or, Why a Whole Bunch of Ethiopian Restaurants are Called 'Queen of Sheba.')

Earlier we mentioned Ethiopia's ancient Christian heritage. Remember in the Bible when the Queen of Sheba visits King Solomon? She was an Ethiopian queen.

Here is bit more of Ethiopian history:

The population of ancient Ethiopia was once a blend of African people and Semitic people who had migrated from Saudi Arabia. The founding of the "Judeo-Christian" Kingdom of Ethiopia is recounted in the important chronicle called the Kebrä Nägäšt or "Glory of Kings." The story unfolds as the first Ethiopian emperor, Menelik, son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to restructure Ethiopia on the model of the kingdom of Israel. By the fifth century A.D., the Ethiopian Christian religion was firmly established and reinforced by the ruling monarch. The African, Byzantine and Islamic influences continue to color this dynamic system of beliefs, worship and art.

Happy New Millenium, Ethiopia!

I did not know this: Ethiopia stills uses the Julian calendar--the calendar made official by Julius Caesar around 46 BC. Of course we here in the States--and those in Western Europe--use the Gregorian calendar. Consequently, Ethiopia is seven years behind us.

Coptic.

M. and I are drawn to Ethiopia's ancient Christian tradition. Ethiopia is around 50% Christian, called Coptic or Ethiopian Orthodox, and 50% Muslim. Both of these groups live together peacefully.

I've admired the Coptic cross for a long time. It often has a circle incorporated into the design, representing eternity.