I have set myself down at the doorstep of the kids canteen. The stove at home ceased working so bonfire and hot coals are the only means for preparing food. On the coals to the right of me a pumpkin salad with spices is boiling and to the left sugar syrup for gingerbread dough. Norman crafted a tin pan for baking gingerbread out of an old school sign by sanding the paint off it . We baked our injera in a house without a chimney and now the potatoes are boiling on the fire. The smoke clears through a small window and a hole in the roof, but there is still enough of it to water the eyes while you set the firewood. It is a a day-long process which varies between chopping, stirring and waving air at the coals to keep them alive.
The mind inadvertently wonders off pondering the situation of the local women and the way of life here. In addition to spending many hours indoors around the fire they carry the heaviest bags and do all the other chores around the house. This kind of cooking surrounded by smoke is the everyday reality for all the Ethiopian women. If the man of the house has a job an aid is hired whose monthly salary is 17 euros at best, free food and a place to rest her head. If lucky she can visit the church on Sunday.
The doorstep I set myself down with the coals is in the shade of a huge mango tree. Some chickens are strutting around me and joined together with the music coming from the church they are making a quite unforgettable background sound. I feel exceptional thankfulness while preparing for these holidays.
It is the Estonian cuisine that holds special meaning for us here in Ethiopia. Though it was our conscious decision to spend the holidays and greet the new year here most of our conversation still whirls around our families and close ones. We keep to our manners and habits daily. Grace is said following Lisannas family’s traditions, we know each others sisters and brothers and children, we miss the most simplest Estonian dishes and what not to make us feel homely here. Discussions arise about how to decorate Martin Kuusk (trans. to Eng. Christmas tree) in the spirit of the holidays or pulling a poinsettia blossom in from the neighbour’s garden to take pictures and send home some holidays greetings.
While I watch the fire and turn the ladle with content others are dispersed around Soddo on different errands. Annika’s, Martin’s and Lauri’s morning began assisting Hildana in checking the children’s health. Lisanna and Valter are starting their Englsih lessons and Laur his lectures in the university. Everything seems to run smoothly without too much planning. We are consciously trying not to mess up the matters at hand with our European pace and approach. Our life and activites at home have already shocked every local, who sets foot there, for example, men washing dishes. The women’s chores prevail since the proportion is three to six for men but the schedule is dividing all the chores evenly. On the side of the chores here there is a lot of time to think and ponder and contemplate.
MERLE