Exploring Jimma

After lunch and a Machiatto, we headed out to see the town. Stop number one was a local "coffee shop." Not one where you drink coffee, but one where you buy green beans by the kilo. We asked Berhanu why this shop? He let us know they had the best ferengi prices (ferengi is the local term for foreigner, which we were told is a transliteration of french in Amharic). He and our driver had been scoping out the local shops while we were hanging out at the hotel. They knew where to take us where we wouldn't be totally ripped off. In all honesty I felt like I was getting a great deal the whole time even when I did pay ferngi prices, because really we are rich and they do need the money. I felt ripped off when I paid $28 for two plates of greasy Chinese food in the San Francisco airport. I almost accosted the cashier. I did ask him if he knew how many birr that was, but he only gave me a blank stare while Heather drug me to our table. I wish I had recorded some of the sounds in Jimma, because the rhythm this woman was making as she shook out the beans in this pan was enchanting.

One of my favorite souvenirs is a coffee table, like the one in this picture. I wasn't sure I could pack it and get it home, but Michele assured me it was "no problem." When I told Rick I had bought a coffee table he was sure it would be a problem. Some things are just too hard to explain, his idea of a coffee table and my description just didn't jive. I had picked one out, but Michele said, "no hearts." So I picked out one with a design that looked more like a tulip. Berhanu negotiated a very pleasing price, and I proudly toted it to the van. The driver and Jubilee both told me that it says Jimma in Amharic on the side. That made it all the better to me, although I did feel like some foreigner in California walking around with some cheesy souvenir that had Hollywood stamped on the side. Now that it is home the only people that know it isn't just a cool design are Jubilee, and all of you.

After I had spent all of my fun money, we were taken to the Jimma museum. The majority of the museum was dedicated to Aba Jaffar who ruled the Jimma region. He was an impressive figure, for many reasons, not the least of which was his size. Nes must not be one of his descendants. It did impress upon me the rich cultural heritage that my children have. I want them to know their history, and how truly impressive the Ethiopian people are. Even though their blood does not run in my veins, I felt like I had a little part their story.

We ended the day with dinner at our favorite, and only one that Berhanu would take us to, eating spot. Here is a shot of the pool from our hotel window. Heather obviously did not know that the pool was so impressive when she said no to the rooms at this hotel, and had us stay down the block. Since we hadn't brought our swimming suits, choosing rooms by size of beds was probably a better idea anyway. We were almost finished with our food, listening to Tracy Chapman, when the lights went out. Honeybee wrapped herself around my head, and announced the obvious. A nifty feature on cell phones in Ethiopia is a LED flashlight. Everyone quickly got out their phones, and the chatter started back up. The power was back on in less than 3 minutes, but it was shockingly dark and quiet for a brief moment. Fun times like that don't happen often in America.