Now that the Language barrier has dramatically decreased, and the kids are getting much more comfortable and secure at home, we are starting to hear more and more about the first few years of life for Hiwot and Tesfaye.
I hope they will always remember this important, far away beginning. I hope they will remember it fondly. I hope they will remember the people who loved them dearly.
I pray we can help to preserve these precious memories for them.
Remembering Village Life:
Most of his memories of his first five years of life are very traumatic - traumatic events make and impact, creating memories that stick with us longer. My sweet boy has been witness to more death than I could ever imagine. Fortunately he also remembers special times and special friends. I am fascinated by his recollections of everyday life in his village.
Since he was so young, not all of his memories are clear and not all of them make sense. We are trying to help him decipher and sort through these rememberings.
At their home, they kept chickens (10 according to Hiwot). Tesfaye helped to collect eggs each morning. His other chores were to collect dry wood for the fire and to chase off the monkeys (they steal food).
Daddy would "clean" the chickens, mommy would milk the cow.
Everyone helped to collect water.
They had baracho (corn), quocho/kotcho (false banana tree) and bananas growing behind their house. Kotcho was his favorite food (the staple food of Sidama). People who stole "baracho" (corn) or kotcho (false banana) were tied up. Tesfaye assured me he never stole. Apparently people were tied in a dark room: "very scary".
He like to run and play with his friends (Alemayehu was a special friend). They would craft footballs (soccer) out of the kotcho leaves and used sticks for a goal.
He slept on a blanket on the floor of his hut. They had a baby cow he named "bulleto" who also slept inside. Bulleto would sometimes po po inside on the floor. Thankfully, it didn't smell to much. Bulleto would sometimes hit into Tesfaye with his head.
Babies didn't wear diapers, they just went without clothes. Tesfaye went potty at his friend Pepo's house, where there was a floor covering a big hole in the ground.
There were three churches in his area. They walked to church, where their was music - big boys (men) played drums), and adults wore purple dresses (choir robes). They sometimes ate food at church. He remembers a special time they ate beef (cow) at church. His Daddy tied the legs and cut the throat. The cow was cooked over a fire in a big box. It was very good - Tesfaye says while rubbing his belly and smacking his lips. Later the kids took the penis (which we later figured out, much to our relief, he actually meant to say udder) and blew it up into a play ball.
There was music at church, and music when someone died. Once their was "big water" (flood?) and a boy died. Two people living in a "black house" died (village sick house?). He remembers a baby getting sick (a baby sister?) and dying. Tesfaye remembers there being food at a funeral . . . the food fell on the ground and was eaten by a dog.
He also remembers scary tales. He claims he saw a "light bear" (hyena?) who ate people. He also says there was a person with eyes in the back of his head who ate little people. Poor boy, understandably, is still genuinely terrified of this.
When Davis told Tesfaye he would like to go to Sidama, Tesfaye said "no. no food Sidama, no good go".
Later, Tesfaye shared that he does want to go back to visit. He wants to go to Alemyehu's house. We would love to take our entire family back for a visit. Tesfaye said he would save his allowance money! He is excited about the prospect of visiting his first home again. He told us he will talk Sidama and we can talk English. I dearly hope, sweet boy, that we will be able to visit his birth home again before he's lost his original language and before these memories forgotten.
Remember the Orphanage:
Hiwot, not surprisingly, has very few memories of her village life - she was so young, barely three when she left. She does remember "Layla's House", the Layla House Orphanage in Addis Ababa which was her home for 9 months before coming to her forever home with us. (Unfortunately, Tesfaye has no memories of Hiwot in the village either, he was too busy with the older kids! - "Hiwot baby").
Hiwot remembers watching movies with singing and dancing. She'll often recognize familiar children's songs that were featured on the popular sing-a-long tapes: "we sing Layla's House" - she knows all the words and dances to these songs!
She remembers there being lots of kids: "Lots of sisters at Layla's House". She tells us she slept in the boys room - in reality, she slept in the 3-year-old room, there were boys and girls. There was also a dog at the orphanage. Hiwot was terrified of the dog!
Hiwot tells of their food, two dinners, "injera food". They also had cake and other special treats for their parties.
She remembers Mommy and Daddy visiting her at "Layla's House". She remembers leaving and spending special time with "Hiwot and Mommy and Daddy and Hendrick and Tesfaye" in "Et-iopia". She recalls the games we played and the toys we brought during our two week stay before coming home together. She remembers eating injera and shiro with us and driving in a car. I am glad she remembers fondly our first meeting - we certainly have very fond memories of that special time together.
We recently got together with a local family who have two boys from Ethiopia (they arrived home 18 months ago). Tesfaye made fast friends, immediately connecting with the older boy. They sat close together, pouring over an Ethiopian picture book, proudly practiced saying their amharic alphabet, and told tales of school teachers in Addis pinching them. It was beautiful to watch these two Tennessee boys with similar life stories sharing together.
It is a privilege to have these precious memories and life-stories shared with us.
Thank you for enriching all of our lives, my children, thank you.
*The stats are in . . . in 4-1/2 months at home, both Hiwot and Tesfaye have each grown over 2 inches. Hiwot has gained 4 pounds in weight, Tesfaye has gained 10 pounds!!!
