H

H has quickly adopted me into her family. She is both a mother and a neighbor to me. H works at the Health Center as the Coordinator of the Mothers with HIV Support Group. Every week they meet for a tea/coffee ceremony that she prepares and she teaches them about nutrition, breast feeding practices, and the importance of adherence to ART medicine. She is a wonderful role model for all women in the Mankusa community.
She has 6 children who are all so thoughtful and polite. I often get invited over to their house for meals and special holidays. On Fasika (Ethiopian Easter), I went to her house at 3am to slaughter a chicken and prepare a celebratory stew to break the long fasting period. Fasting = vegan, no meat or other animal products.
H has welcomed me with open arms since the beginning of my stay here and I’m so happy that she’s my neighbor. It’s tradition now that I visit her and her family every Sunday for lunch and to catch up. On Sundays, she sells tela (local Ethiopian beer) for 5 cents per cup. It is quite a process to make and requires many ingredients, barley being the main one. She uses this as an extra income generating activity to support her family.
H is a wonderful neighbor, friend, and mother to me. I am constantly overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness and kindness. She doesn’t speak any English, so we communicate with my Amharic (probably equivalent to a 5 yr old). When that fails, we’ve become very good at resorting to charades! She empowers me to learn more Amharic to be able to better communicate with her and other community members.