FAM Trip today!

We went on a FAM trip to familiarize ourselves with Ethiopia! It was very interesting! Our driver, Melaku, took us up the mountain, which was about a thousand feet higher than the Embassy. I am attaching the pictures of our tour: 

Going up the mountain in Addis Ababa

Tribal Women walk 3 to 4 trips a day down the mountain carrying  eucalyptus for firewood

Eucalyptus trees

This is a smoke house

 This is an Orthodox priest

The van that Jeff's work shares

Our little Seth

Front Melaku, Mark, and George  in back (Jeff's comrades) 

 Going back down the mountain

 Taking a rest from carrying firewood

 Most Students wear uniforms to school

A secondary school

 Selling Sandals

 Ethiopian Shops

 Blue Donkey - Ethiopian taxi. We are banned from riding because of the crime.

 There are many Roundabouts in Addis.

 This is a church - there was a minister preaching with everyone gathered. Most Ethiopians are Orthodox Christian.

 Addis has sidewalks but rarely used - they walk in the streets. That is why it is so dangerous to drive!

 A building under construction

 This rock pile is an Elderly Ethiopian woman's house. There are also a lot of lean to's that people build

Interesting Tidbit: The name Ethiopia derived, from the Greek form, aithiopia, from the two words aitho, “I burn”, and ops, “face”. It would hence mean the colored man’s land — the land of the scorched faces.