Ethiopian Shopping and Food

Shopping in Ethiopia is limited, but what you can get is bright, beautiful and versatile. The scarves and cotton in Ethiopia are unique and bold, which makes it irresistible to pass up. One is never enough.

Did you know that the Rasatari Movement all began in Ethiopia? The Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, was considered a reincarnation of Jesus. As a result, there was a movement that took place in Jamaica to support this belief. In addition to this, if you are a true follower of Rasta, you smoke weed. This is considered a sacrament for the soul. How many teenagers would quickly convert on that principle alone?

My handsome man amongst all the overpriced African junk a tourist could want.

If the trip didn't go as well as planed, I could have come home in a fancy casket. Luckily, all was well and I have a photo to share with the mortuary when my day finally comes.

The spoils of our trip modeled by my sweet children. They made quite the entrance to church this Friday. I believe Sedona wore her dress for at least 4 days straight.

FOOD

Ethiopian food is incredibly unique. I honestly can't think of a similar food out there. It has such a distinct, different taste that it is hard to liken it to any other culture. Injera is served every day, all day long. It is a flatbread that is spongy and sour. It has a vinegary acidic flavor, which is definitely an acquired taste. The Ethiopian people are true to their food and don't deviate much from that. I don't think you can buy another type of food in all of Ethiopia. It is injera on the bottom, injera on the side, topped off with a little more injera.

I was skeptical at first about the food. It may have been that it was served with a raw meat dish that is typically eaten with the injera. It didn't do much for me, but Axel was sold. The 'wat' (stew) that you eat with it was delicious though. I grew to like all of it. The whole meal came with a nasty orange drink that tasted twice as bad as any horrible tasting cough syrup that you have ever choked down. Rarely do I spit anything out, but that drink was just not my friend. I later found out it was because it was basically highly concentrated alcohol. Glad to know my taste buds are still working.

Ethiopia is also well known for its coffee. From what I understand, it is one of the best producers of coffee in the world. This was evident with all the peudo-Starbucks shops throughout Addis. Even the inside of the coffee shop was trying very hard to convince you that it could just try to take over the Seattle giant. Maybe.

Our favorite night in Addis was at a cultural center where they served you injera with all sorts of different shades of poop dishes. Poop looking or not, it was delicious. There was also plenty of African cultural dancing to keep you from remembering that the beef was not cooked and there are still starving people in Africa.

Sitting with a few less dollars in our pocket, a bag full of clothes and scarves, and a full belly. Two very happy tourist!

Portobello Road

No girlcation would be complete without a market street shopping spree. I was a little worried that we wouldn't get some hard core shopping done. It wasn't until the final day that our trip was complete.

Around the corner from our apartment in Notting Hill is Portobello Road. On Saturdays, it is shopping at its finest. Items that are sold range from antiques, leathers, clothing to fruit. It is miles of pure shopping heaven. We spend the entire day going from one end of the street to the other, and thanked heavens that our husbands weren't there to rush us along. A true girlcation.

The final English spoils

Next time you are in London on a Saturday, leave your husband at home and cruise Portobello Road. You will not regret it!

Harrods

Harrods was high on our list. It was as important to us as seeing the London Bridge and The Globe. Who wouldn't want to shop in a store where the price tags alone make you chuckle? It was refined, classy, and full of pretentious customers. It was so much fun to make fun.

The chocolates will make you poop gold.

Sedona's birthday is coming up and I am wondering if she would mind if I dipped into her college fund a bit and front $3,500 USD for this cake. Princess cake/tuition..princess cake/tuition...princess cake/tuition?

This photo looks a lot more perverse than it really was. I was smelling the roses in the lingerie shop, that is all. No, at the time it wasn't weird. But in retrospect....

After realizing that there was nothing that tickled my fancy (although the high grade pasties and whips were awfully tempting...), I decided to make all of my friends pose with the mannequins. Some were willing, some were not (Amber and Farran!). I didn't care, I made them do it anyways, cause that is what I do. I make my friends do uncomfortable things just so I can photograph it and then use it to my advantage later. That is how I secure my spot in the girlcation group. After looking at all my photos, you will see that I am locked in for a lifetime.

There is a strict rule against photography in the hat section. I wanted to tell them that if Beatrice's hat actually leaked out before the wedding she could have been scrutinized enough to find a better one. It would've saved England from a lot of embarrassment.

Amber made several purchases in Herrods. She is never deterred by cost. I was happy to watch her spend. Nothing makes me happier than when someone else spends money when I don't feel like it. That is why girlcation is so wonderful. You can be joyful with not only your purchases but also your friends'. It satisfies the desire to spend without dishing out all the cash. Win/win.

August Bromley Update

I always feel like I am copping out when I resort to these summary blogs, but what to do? The Bromley household has been busy and in constant motion. These are the noteworthy items:

1. Asa has reminded me that 2 year olds can be work. I forgot because Sedona was the dream toddler (which says nothing of what her teen years will be like, I realize this). He is lovely in many respects but his creativity has made its mark on every inch of this home. If he is missing--ever--every adult in the home says, 'Where's Asa?' in a panicked tone because his absence simply indicates another marked wall or soiled linen.

Asa's personality is unlike any other child in the family. He is overly confident and is pure solid mass. Nothing intimidates him and he holds his own. He goes to great effort to make each family member laugh and he has a very sophisticated sense of humor for such a small kid. Every family member gives him respect and deservedly so.

We are attempting to do potty training this week. It is pure torture. He knows how to do it, but when you ask him if he has to go potty he says, 'Um, nope.' Two seconds later, he reports that he has made a big poop on the carpet, 'Come see...' His cute smile through the whole process makes me almost want to not push at all. Then again, I keep thinking about how this will be the last of diapers and I can't wait to make that milestone. All in good time, all in good time.

2. Sarita started a driving course that should be ending in a couple of weeks. She is giddy with excitement at the possibility of having the freedom to drive. She won't be doing much of it, but when we need milk at the store, she can run and get it. It is a good investment. Plus, I am all about empowering her. Just this past summer she has learned how to swim, learned how to drive, and even started to become computer savvy. She is awesome. Have I mentioned that before?

She goes to her driving lessons everything morn and has to memorize the signs and signals. She asked me to help her learn what each sign means. She has to memorize clear and concise statements like the following:

I told I could be no help because I needed it translated, you know, into real English.

3. Heavah and Xavier started school this Sunday. Although the summer wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, the day could not have come any sooner. The touching game was in constant play, and a few furniture items have been 'antiqued'.

These photos give you some indication of what the steamy hot weather has been like in Doha lately. The whole country is a sauna. Its lovely.

Handsome Xavier - First Grade

Sweet Heavah- Second Grade

(No edge blurring was done for this photo. That is just pure, nasty humidity.)

4. Spinneys has arrived in Qatar. This is big, big, big news. It has been the source of our excitement for about 8 months now. We used to go to Spinneys in Dubai, it was our neighborhood grocery store. One of the big appeals for Spinneys is the secret pork selection. No pork selection here, but it at least has Life cereal.

The opening of Spinneys is extra special for us because it will be across the road from our new house. We are moving from Al Fardan III to Al Fardan I. It is a smart move for us. Al Fardan I has 2 other LDS families there, and a killer pool. The house is more spacious, but doesn't have as many bedrooms. The biggest perk is that Axel could almost walk to work and/or the airport from home. The move will happen in October, cause, well, its been a whole year and we are due for another move...

Terrific Trio

Michelle, Stephany and Me sporting a lame Charlie's Angles pose. We are HOT.

Before I moved here I knew I would have very few friends, and it is true. However, in my older years I am realizing more and more that when it comes to friendships it isn't quantity, it is quality.

God was looking upon me when he sent me here because I found two friends that became a great part of my Nepal experience. We tried to meet weekly, which often worked out. And more recently (because we are transfixed on tailors and creating not only our own outfits but each others) we have met a few times a week.

We often met at a new restaurant and discussed the best and worst parts of Nepal. I found my mouth running from the second I sat down. I was so relieved to talk to people who viewed life here so similarly. It was great therapy.

Showing off our tailored goods. Michelle's wrap, Stephany's shirt, and my jeans (yep, tailored jeans, I love Nepal).

Michelle is a mother of 7! This was her first overseas assignment and she has handled it like a pro. She provided us and our cooks with classes on how to make the most delicious western food in a not-so-Western-country. Coconut shrimp, anyone?

She completely understood my situation of having 4 small children and sympathized with such compassion and wisdom. She says I was here to teach her teenage daughters, but she was here to be my rock and soundboard when I was needing it the most. She is leaving in a couple of weeks. First the US, then China. We are going to miss them greatly.

Stephany is also a great woman of strength and I am so thankful to know her. We had so many heart-to-heart conversations and she would always call me just to see if I was doing okay. Calling me is always a challenge because of the Nepali phones, but she was persistent, and I am so thankful for her thoughtfulness. She is also my body double. With only 1/2 inch difference between us in all dimensions, she could always potentially stand in for me if I couldn't make it to the tailors. You have no idea how helpful that is. She is an awesome mom of 4 and a great friend. I am blessed to know her. She is US bound in a month and then her hubby is off to Afghanistan--again. She is amazing.

We have had the funnest time creating together. We often copied each other's clothing and ideas for outfits. We were anxious to see how certain items turned out and we often had a fashion show to display our creations. It has been so much fun to share ideas, tricks and survival tools to make it through our experience in Nepal.

I am the only one staying. I love Nepal and I really don't want to leave for a while, but it is always difficult to see your friends move on. I will be here solo again, but I am sure my friendships with Michelle and Stephany will see me through.

Miss you guys already!