Adventures in Laftu

We love the neighborhood where our guest house is located in, Laftu, a district within Addis. We are located right across the street from a private school. Every morning and throughout the day we love hearing the kids singing and playing on the playground. The kids usually sing America songs like, Bingo, Jingle Bells, or Edelweiss. We enjoy watching the kids coming and going from school, all dressed in their uniforms, and they LOVE to wave up at us (we usually stand on our balcony)! The other day all the kids on the bus were opening their windows to wave at us, while one kid couldn't get is window open and became so upset. Once we made a point to wave specifically at him he gave us the biggest smile.

Laftu is a wonderful neighborhood, very safe and we enjoy our daily and nightly walks. Although it is only about 15-20 mins from downtown, it is considered the rural area of Addis. The other day we took a walk and noticed that there were two young girls following us around the neighborhood listening to our every word and giggling. When we realized that they had to turn the other direction we both turned around and waved, they responded with the biggest wave and a huge smile. You would think it would be intimidating to walk through the town being the only Americans, but it was a wonderful experience. We make a point to say "Selam" to everyone, with the kids usually saying "hi" (they love to speak English). The roads occasionally get muddy due to the recent rain or sewer run off, and they are always uneven, but it is an experience just to walk around. We love watching the beautiful Ethiopians pass us, some with a huge smile, while listening to the beautiful Ethiopian music blasting from various stores. It is a wonderful feeling to feel completely safe in the neighborhood. With the help of our friend, who has been here several months, we have found some delicious local places to eat! We usually eat shiro with injera, while drinking a "cold coca" in the bottle, it is so delicious and only $2.50 including tip. We look forward to future adventures, especially with Baby "M". Ethiopia already holds a very special place in our hearts!

Our trips into town will be an entire separate post but we are loving the entire experience and here is a picture of us downtown.

Standing in front of the Lion of Judah statue

“In this bright future you can't forget your past.” Bob Marley