The other day we were eating at the Italian restaurant on the hill. This was after the bull incident and Hiwot wanted to know what happened to Terese’s foot. She’s wearing a big black boot to keep her foot from flexing so it will heal. Also, the damn cat hates the boot, but I digress.
Terese explained the incident and Hiwot told her, that the young child of a friend of hers was also a victim of the bull. Luckily, the little one is doing okay.
But Hiwot said she heard that an Embassy guard said a Nice White with short hair had been hurt by the bull. At the time, Hiwot wondered if it was her Nice White with short hair, but forgot about it until we came in, and she realized it was.
Terese was pleased to note that the locals refer to her as a Nice White. I’m afraid to ask Hiwot what they call me.
We were on the hill eating last night. Afterwards, she came to our table to remove the plates. She caught me off guard, so I had to quickly put my napkin on my shoulder (to maintain the sanctity of the napkin on the shoulder rule) and in the process it partly ended up on my head. She laughed and said, I am already here! But we are making progress because she let me keep my napkin.
Terese got to talking to Hiwot about her schooling. She has yet to deliver a baby which she will have to do before graduating. It’s humorous to watch her expressions when she talks about it, covering her eyes as if it’s happening now. But I find it interesting and beautiful when she says that when she studies the Maternity class, she has a “special place in my mind” for her mother because she now knows what she went through for her.
Not so her father. She doesn’t see him doing any of the work. Evidently, he left her mother and started a family of his own many years ago. We politely asked how much her schooling is and she said, it’s 400 birr a month (about $22) and her apartment is 700 (about $39). She makes 700 for her salary at the restaurant and depends on her tips to pay for her school. She is 21 years old and is very proud of her ability to support herself and pay for schooling also. You can see the satisfaction and confidence in her face.
… and kids back in the States throw a hissy fit when they don’t get the newest iPhone.