Ethiopia -Introduction

In a word, Ethiopia is absolutely unique! We have now been here for two and a half weeks and have had many incredible experiences both good and bad. Almost every facet of life here is just a little off kilter from what we're used to. This all adds up to make Ethiopia a bizarre and intriguing experience!

Let's start with the basic everyday skill of telling time. It's complicated here! Time is measured in 12 hour cycles starting at 6 o'clock and 18.00. In other words, their 7 o'clock is our 1 o'clock! You can well imagine this makes organizing taxis and appointments a bit tricky! Even the Calendar is different! Apparently it is only 2004 here! In 1582 the Christian world changed from the Julien calendar to the revised Gregorian calendar. Ethiopia never did change and therefore they are always between 7 and 8 years behind the rest of us! Ethiopian New year falls on September 11th every year and their calendar has 13 months. 12 regular months and one month of 5 days. One probably false explanation for their time gap is explained by religious history. It is said that King Balthazar was one of the three wise men that went to see the baby Jesus and that it took him 7 years to return to his Kingdom and share the birth of Christ with his people. The time gap reflects this. The Ethiopian people were 7 years behind the rest of the Christian world in receiving word of the birth.

Ethiopian food is delicious and very unique. The staple source of carbohydrates is made from a locally grown grain called Tef. The tef dough is fermented for three days and then cooked into a flat foam-rubber type pancake known as Injera. The Injera is slightly sour and is served with different types of stews. People do not use cutlery, rather they use the Injera to scoop up the stew. The Injera is actually very healthy and supplies more fibre than any other grain! It is also an excellent source of calcium. it sounds pretty horrible, but actually it is pretty good stuff and the stews are usually spicy and delicious! We have all enjoyed familiarizing ourselves with the different stews available but some people have been sick from the local food. We think this is because we are not accustomed to the spices used.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is also just a bit on the original side! Ethiopian Christianity developed in relative isolation and it's rituals are infused by all sorts of archaic Jewish influences. For example, people here observe many fasting rituals and do not eat meat on certain days of the week. The Ark of the covenant was known to be the most treasured artifact of Jewish faith. The Ark disappeared from Jerusalem and was never found. At the heart of the Ethiopian orthodox church lies a belief that the original Ark of the covenant resides in Axum's Maryam Tsion church and was once housed in a monastery on lake Tana. No one will ever know for sure since only one living person has ever seen inside the building where the Ark resides.