Ethiopian Amharic Travel Words

Ethiopian Adoption Travelogue

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Ethiopian Adoption Travelogue August 21, 2007 Amharic Phrases Filed under: Misc — by sackrosanct @ 8:01 pm Last time I was in Ethiopia, all I could say was Selam, Ciao and Amsegenalehu. I decided to be a little more considerate and learn more Amharic this time. These are the phrases I learned. I’m pretty sure they are correct. If not, it’s close enough to probably get people to understand you. Just don’t put up your home up as collateral on wager that these words are exactly correct. Also, Amharic has different letters. So, the words are written phonetically here. If you see Amharic words written differently with Roman letters, it’s just however the speaker sounds out the words. So, I wrote the word only phonetically. It probably will not match with how you will see it written other places. Example: I wrote “Eh-MY-ay” for mother. However, if you see it written down in other places, it will probably be written emaye. All R sounds should be rolled. There are also other sounds that are not the same as in English. For instance, tenkahra or terths. The T sound is made by putting your tongue between your top and bottom front teeth and saying “T”. Don’t put the tongue behind your top teeth and say T like we do in English. (And make sure you still roll the R!) The K in Katell or Kai is a very hard K. It starts way back in your throat and sort of sound like you’re trying to get a hairball out. The best thing is to get someone to demonstrate the sound for you. I tried to write phonetically, but I may have missed a few words. In general, • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

AH is pronounced like AH A is short a. AY is long a. EE is long e. E (or EH) is short e I is long I IH is short i. O (or OH) is long o. OU is like in ouch. U (or OO) is ooo. G is a hard G. EW is eh followed by the consonant W sound (not oo). R is rolled R (like in Spanish) ñ is the Spanish N or like the French gn sound or ny (consonant Y) in English OE is kind of like the U sound in PUT (or the oo sound in HOOF if you pronounce it the Wisconsin way). • SS just to emphasize the soft S sound. (Just because otherwise I might’ve read it with the hard S sound). • Y as a vowel by itself will be the long I sound otherwise it is the consonant Y


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• If a word ends with EHU (like Ewedehalehu), slur the eh and oo sounds together. They are not distinct syllables. • There are different words/word endings sometimes depending if you are talking to a male, female, plural or formal (important person).I also found some vocabulary at the AAI website. I didn’t retype those words here.Get ready to Learn Amharic (my ferengi version of Amharic, anyway). If there are other words and/or phrases you’d like to add to my mini Amharic-English Dictionary/Phrase Dictionary/Phra se Page, add your request to the comments section. You can be anonymous if you wish.The right-hand column may have M, F or Pl listed. This indicates the version you should use based on who you are speaking to (not yourself).Words in blue were added most recently.Also, if you go to this entry, entry, there is a file of words that are typically used in the photo albums sent to the children (mom, dad, brother, sister, dog, house, etc.). The downloadable/printable downloadable/pri ntable file has the words in English and Amharic. The Amharic is written phonetically with Roman letters and with Amharic letters so the non-English speaking staff at your child’s Ethiopian care center/orphanage will be able to talk to your child about the photos).

Pronunciation THE ESSENTIALS (in my opinion) Ah-woh (or OW!) Also, you can do a little intake of breath while you lift your eyebrows to “nod” yes. I-deh-LEHM (starts with long I sound) Also can say Iyyyy. Shin-TEH-BAYT? Chigger yeh-LEM GO behz

Seh-LAHM chou (like ouch) AH-mah-say-guh-NAH-loh WOO hah

GREETINGS/PLEASANTRIES Seh-LAHM

Seh-LAHM neh way?

Meaning

Yes

No toilet? No problem. Clever (or “Good Job!) Often said to a child who does something to please you or succeeds. Hello (Peace) – standard greeting Bye (just like in Italian) Thank you. Water

Hello (Peace) – standard greeting Are you in peace? (a greeting)

M


Seh-LAHM nesh way?

in-DEM-min ah-DEHRK?

in-DEM-min ah-DERSH?

in-DEM-min walsh?

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Are you in peace? (a greeting)

F

How did you spend the night? (greeting)

M

How did you spend the night? (greeting)

F

How was the day? F

in-DEM-min wahlk?

How was the day? M

in-DEM-min neh?

How are you? M

in-DEM-min nehsh?

How are you? F

in-DEM-min NAH-choo?

in-DEM-min NOHT Deh-na-NEHSH?

Deh-na-NEH?

How are you? This is used for plural casual OR plural Pl formal. How are you? This is formal singular. Are you fine? (greeting) F Are you fine? (greeting) M

Deh-na-NAH-choo?

Are you fine? (greeting) Pl

Deh-na-ñAY DEH-na If someone asks you How are you? (A sentence that starts with in-DEM-min) then answer Dehna. If they ask you Are you fine? (sentence starts with Dehna) then answer Dehna-ñay.

chou (like ouch) NOHR-ee

I’m fine. Fine Formal should be used with old people (grandparent age), people in any job that requires a college degree, politicians, priests, ferengi, etc. However, the “formal people” may tell you to go ahead and use casual with them. Bye (just like in Italian) You arrived! It is a greeting said when you enter a room. F


NOHR

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You arrived! M

Bugs ear.

SIH may ___ SIH meh mah no?

Response to someone saying Noor. “By God” This is actually a contraction/slur of Exabier. My name is ___ What is your name? M

SIH mesh mahn no?

What is your name? F

Hah geh REH-heh yeht NO?

Where do you come from? M

Hah-geh REHSH yet no?

Where do you come from? F

In KWAHN deh-na meh TASH

Welcome F

In KWAHN deh-na meh TAH

Welcome M

Yah-YAY-roo hoo-NAY-tah inDEHT-nehwoo? AH-mah-say-guh-NAH-loh ih BAH kesh ih BAH keh AHZ nah lehu YAH suh deh GEH

YAH suh deh GEHSH

Yeh mah REH

Yeh mah RESH

AH-bit

How is the weather? Thank you. Please (to a female) Please (to a male) Sorry Blessing said for a child that M sneezes. (or just a general blessing) Blessing said for a child that F sneezes. Blessing for an adult that sneezes

M

Blessing for an adult that sneezes

F

Said after someone calls your name. Kinda like “yes?” or “What?” or (in my house) “Hunh?”


PEOPLE Bahl OR bah-lay Meest Wehn-DIHM uh-HEHT GAH-shay

Feh-REHN-jee tih-KOOR AH-beh-shah AHN chee

AHN teh

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Husband Wife Brother Sister uncle (or a term for man whose name you don’t know) Non-black Foreigner Black (used for a black foreigner) Ethiopian (and maybe or maybe not the Eritreans) Hey You (don’t be surpised if you hear this yelled at you) F Hey You! M

AH kist ah GOHT Shih- MAH-geh-LAY Ah-roh-GEET (hard G) YEH nay LEEJ YEH nay WEHN deh LEEJ YEH nay SEHT LEEJ hih TSAHN LEEJ lee JOHCH IN-nay eh reh deht Mah-no yeh-nay eh-reh-deht?

aunt uncle Old man Old woman my child my son my daughter baby children Me helper Who is my helper?

PLACES BAYT mehn yah TAH bayt shihn teh bayt KOO shihn uh SAH lohn SAH lohn

home bedroom bathroom kitchen dining room living room


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yeh-MAHK-ee-nah BAYT

garage (but if you say garage to an English speaker in ET, they will likely think you are referring to a auto repair place) yeh-MAHK-ee-nah MUHN-gehd driveway basement basement tihn-nihsh meh-NAH-feh-SHAH backyard/grassy area (small park) postah sah-TEHN mailbox teh MEHR teh BAYT school yeh-meh-GIHB mahg-JEE-yah-BOH- food store tah yeh-lihbs mahg-JEE-yah-BOH-tah clothing store MAH deh yeh (try to make the gas station consonant y sound the last sound, kind of drop of the last eh) yeh-meh-GIHB BAYT restaurant library library sah-GOOR ahs-tah-kah-kY hair salon/barber yeh-SIH-RAH BOH-tah work (job place) meh-NAH-feh-SHAH park meh-WAHN-yah BOH-tah swimming pool BAYT-tah Christian church meh KRAHB synagogue mahs-GEEDT mosque pohs tah BAYT post office keh TAH meh city geh TEHR countryside yeh-ihn-seh-SAHT BAYT barn tehl-ihk yeh-EHR-shah BOH-tah farm MEHR cah doh open market hah-KEEM BAYT hospital SOOK local shop (small, small) FOOD/DRINK/EATING Waht DOH-roh SHEE-roh Yeh-meh-SIR SIH-guh DAH-boh Ah-NAH-nahs

LOH-mee

Stew Chicken Yellow peas Lentils Beef Bread Pineapple (Fanta Ananas soda is tasty) Lemon


BIR too kan Lohz Oh choh LOH nee KEE tah WOO hah MAH her ber AH wee beh KOH loh bah KAY lah FAHN deh shah shy BOO nuh BIH lah

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orange (color and fruit and name) Nuts Nuts Flat crispy bread kinda like a pizza crust Water Mixed platter (when you order a meal) corn beans popcorn (or a nickname for a smiley girl) tea coffee EAT! M

bee

EAT! F

SHOO kah SOO kwahr SIHND eh TAH-Fahch (try to emphasize syllables equally) meh RAHB eh REH boh hahl

fork sugar Wheat sweet (or delicious – doro wat can be tafach) hungry Are you hungry? M

eh REH boh shahl

Are you hungry? F

eh REH boh AH cheh hwahl

Are y’all hungry? Pl

meh TEH maht TEH-geh-kuñ koh loh meh sah

COLORS BIR too kan

thirsty I’m full. roasted barley (a snack) lunch

orange (color and fruit and a girl’s name)


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KI. Long I sound, you really need to force the K sound from your throat. Seh-MY ah wee BEECH ah Ah rahn GWAH day Nehch boo NEE ti KOOR WAY ehn tehj

Red Blue Yellow Green White Brown black purple

ANIMALS AH-zoh AHN-behs-sah Goo MAH ray lahm beh RAY behg fee YEHL fah RAHS ah HEE yah behk LOH DOH roh WOO shah dih MEHT WOEFF

Crocodile Lion Hippo cow* beef (ox) sheep goat horse donkey mule chicken dog cat bird*

CLOTHING Koh FEE yah yeh shoo RAHB koh FEE yah mah nehs sir yeh tseHI mah nehs sir yahn get libs shirt sheh mees kah nah TEE rah shoo RAHB yeh TOOTS mah see YAH zhah yehj gwahnt moo TAHN tee goord KEH mees KEH mees

cap hat (sweater cap) glasses sunglasses scarf shirt (t-shirt style) button up shirt short sleeve shirt sweater bra (boob holder) gloves underwear (girl or boy) skirt (half dress) dress


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moo loo KEH mees soo ree goord soo ree jeans kahl see NEH teh lah CHAH mah adidas / sneaker yeh SOOF CHAH mah kahr ah vaht SOOF yeh bah hel LIBS yeh moh wah nyah LIBS ye suh HAHT kuh BAHT toh yeh leh leet LIBS yeh shint meh teh beh kee yah jacket mah lee yah yeh zeh nah LIBS KEES zih NAHB yahn get zip yeh jeh BOHR sah yeh JOH ROH get yeh KES LIBS

long dress trousers shorts jeans socks flip flops athletic shoes dress shoes tie suit cultural clothes swimsuit wristwatch belt pajamas diapers jacket soccer jersey rain coat pocket ring necklace zipper purse earrings priest clothing

NUMBERS Ahndt HOO let Sohst AH-raht AH-mist SIH dist SAH Baht SIH mint zeh TEHñ (make up some crazy sound between the short e and the long i

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


sound. I can’t figure out how to write it.) AH sir AH sir ah ANDT AH sir ah HOO leht AH sir ah SOHST (keep going for the rest of the teen numbers) HI ah HI ah ahndt HI ah HOO leht Seh LAHSS sah Seh LAHSS sah AHNDT ahr BAH HAHM sah SIHL sah SAH bah sah MAH nee yah zeh TEH nah MEH toh HOO leht MEH toh ahnd eh SHEECH (the CH sound is like the CH in German Ich liebe dich.) HOO leht SHEECH

SIMPLE COMMANDS Tew

Tay

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10 11 12 13 20 21 22 30 31 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 200 1000 2000

Stop it. (Like “don’t do that anymore”)

M

Stop it. F

Nah

Come M

Nay

Come F

TOH-loh na! Tehn ya Ah tin KAHñ

Ah tin KEEñ

Come quickly. Sleep! No touching me. (said to a male)

M

No touching me. F


Ah tin KOU In-eh-HEEDT HEED TEHN yah heed wu TAH Koom

KOO-mee

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No touching him. male to male Let’s go. Go to sleep! go! get out! stop (like stop walking) – there is some difference between when to use Koom and when to use tew, but I can’t understand it. stop

M

F mah RAHM ehd

Walk! Pl

teh RAHM ehd

Walk! M

teh RAHM eh JEE

Walk! F

SAH-meñ MEHM-taht

Kiss me! (Use this at the orphanage!) Kick! (casual kick) Pl

MIH-tah

MIH-chee

Kwahss MEHM-taht MAY-ahz

Kick! (the same word is used M for kick and hit. somehow you are just supposed to know which one you are referring to) Kick! F Kick the ball! Catch! Pl

YAHZ

catch M

YAH-ZHJee

catch F

MEH-wehr-WEHR (don’t forget to roll all the Rs!)

Throw! Pl


wehr WEHR

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Throw! M

wehr WEHR-EE

Throw! F

mahn-keh-bah-LEHL

Roll! Pl

AHN-keh-bah-LEHL

Roll M

AHN-keh-bah-YEE

Roll F

meh-ROHT

Run! Pl

eh-ROOT

run! M

eh-ROO-chee

run! F

Beh LOOT

KICK! (power kick) Pl

BEH-la-ohw (slur the last 2 sounds together, put the w sound at the end)

KIck! (power kick)

beh LOO waht

KICK (power kick)

M

F Bell zihm Bell Sahk Ah-tuh SAHK BIH lah BEE

Say (Sort of like Speak Up!) Don’t say (be quiet). Smile! Don’t smile! eat! M eat! F

ENDEARMENTS Lehb YEH-nay hae-waht Beh-teh-leh-ku Ewedehalehu

Heart my life (term of endearment) I love you big M


TAH-Fahch (try to emphasize syllables equally) yeh-nay tahfach yeh-nay tseh-HI (long i) FAHN deh shah Meh CHEM Ahl rehs SAH shem

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sweet (or delicious – doro wat can be tafach) My Sweet (term of endearment) My Sunshine popcorn (or a nickname for a smiley girl) I never forget about you. F

Yeh-NAY woo-ehd Beh TAHM AHN-chee yeh-NAY nehsh

My treasure Too much, a lot, very You are mine F

AHN-teh yeh-NAY neh

You are mine M

AHN-chee NEHF-say nesh

You are my soul. F

AHN-tay NEHF-say neh

You are my soul. M

YEH-nay AHN-teh GOH-behz LEEJ- You are a smart boy. neh eh wed eh HA lehoo (slur the last part I love you. together) Eh wed eh SHAH lehu

M

I love you. F

ah FIHK er HAH lehu

ah FIHK er SHAH lehu

yeh-nay FIHK-er yeh-nay MAHR wair -AYN-yah

yeh-NAY nih-gist yeh-NAY nih-gooss OUTDOORS tseh HI DAH mehn nah

I love you – ROMANTIC! (Don’t say to your kids.)

M

I love you – ROMANTIC! (Don’t say to your kids.)

F

My Love my Honey Chatterbox (Ok, not really an endearment but it is a nickname.) My Queen My King sun cloud


koh KOHB CHAH rah KAH seh MY sahr zahf ah behb bah ze nahb wehnz HYK (long I) tah rah rah ah fir beh reh HAH mahn get CHAH kah koot kwah toh yah til kilt boh tah beh reh doh HOLIDAYS/CELEBRATION ah dees ah met en koo tah tahsh fah see kah geh nah yeh lih deht kehn mehl kahm lih deht tim kaht may day

gehn BOHT hI ah

mes kel eid al adha eid al fitr

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star moon sky grass tree flower rain river lake mountain dirt desert road forest bush garden snow

New Year’s New Year’s Christian – Easter Christian – Christmas Birthday Happy Birthday Orthodox – baptism Liberation from Italians (May 23 – ET calendar) first day of new governmental regime (ehadige)/ end of Dergue Orthodox cross was found Day Muslim – Festival of the Sacrifice Muslim – end of Ramadan


ADJECTIVES/DESCRIPTIONS Tin-nish Tell-ick MEHT-foh ehbdt-deh-SOU

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Tehr OO Tehr OO Beh-TAHM TOH-loh Mook MAH zihn meh KOH taht dih KAHM HI lehn yah I nah fahr KOO roo meht-FOH SHIT-tah MAH fer KAHZ kah zah Tehn-KAH-rah Dess TEHN ya DEHS tah Kuhss KOHN-joh GO behz ah HOON

Small (a little) Big (a lot) Bad Crazy (psychiatrically) Don’t use jokingly! Good Very good! Quick/ly Hot sad mad tired wide awake (have strength) shy proud stinky (Bad smell) embarrassed cold (temperature) Strong Funny or Happy Happy or funny Slowly (Patiently) Beautiful Clever (or “Good Job!) now!

BODY PARTS tsah GOOR RAHS I-n (long I) Ah FENCH uh CUHM for ahf Terths Goonch JOH-roh ahn GEHT

hair head Eye Nose Lips Mouth Teeth Cheek Ear neck (front)


ehj meh DAHF yehj eh TAHT Lehb Hoed jahr BEH KU lah KEET eh GIHR eh GROHCH yeh gihr TAHT TAH tohch Hoed ayn ah meh MEHñ _____ ayn ah meh MEHñ yeh TOOTS KOH dah ahn GOHL meh LAHSS mahn JEH RAHT ahn JET gool beht ehmss

MISCELLANEOUS ZAHR ay NEH geh teh LAHN teh nah Kan (short a) ah HOON Kah -tell-OH Ehn-DEHG-uh-nah ChAH mer BECK ah eh REHF

In NUH Kayss

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arm palm fingers Heart Stomach back Circumcised penls (adult) butt leg (includes leg and foot) legs foot toes My stomach hurts. My ______ hurts (is sick). b00bs skin brain tongue neck (back side) intestine knee girl privates

Today Tomorrow yesterday Day now Next Again More Finished (enough) Drop it/Leave it/It’s over (used when having a conversation that you want to be finished) And Orthodox priest


Soft ah-MOHN-yahl BIHCH uh Yet?

AHL-tah meh TAHM Tem-meh-TWAH YAHN-tah-TEH-rah Tah-kah-TAH-tah-yaht Tah-kah-TAH-tah-yewu LIB-dahsh

Menalsh?

Menalk?

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Toilet paper (even in English it is called “Soft”) I feel sick. Only Where? If you are playing the Battleship: He was Missed. He got Hit (actually Kick) Your turn Watch her (if she is cheating!) Watch him! F.U. (male to female) Apparently this can only be F used in the mode of actual physical command for the specific action, (someone will F you, not a general “sod off”) What did you say? F What did you say? M

Chigger yeh-LEM Chigger AH-leh en DEHT AHL geh-BAHN yehm HOO loom MAH-kee-nah gih deh GIH dah teh MER teh bayt OW toh boos dih BOOL bool ahr rah toom gohn eh kool yeh hoh nah (OR you can just say SQUARE) sost mah EH zehn guhn ZEHB kwahss

No problem. There is a problem. How? I don’t understand all Car Wall school bus circle square triangle money ball (but everybody knows this refers to a soccer ball or toy ball – but not volleyball or tennis ball) balloon


eh-GEHR Kwahss chah-WAH-tah

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Soccer (directly translated it means Feet-Ball-Play)

WAY-yah Ah-beh-sha neh-gehr WAY-yah Ferengi neh-gehr

Oh, the ways of the Abesha!! Oh, the ways of the foreigners! EH shee OK (you’ll hear this a lot) EHM bee Not OK LEH mehn tah lihk SAH leh (exhale a Why are you crying? M heavy H sound at the end) LEH mehn tah lihk SHAH lesh

Why are you crying? F

IN-nay ih-FEHL-ih-gah-loh… mihn tih-FEHL-ih-gah-leh

I want… What do you want? M

mihn tih-FEHL-ih-gee-ah-lesh

What do you want? F

MIHN ihm GO behz eh-nih-GEH-nah-ñAH-lehn MEHL-kahm GOO-zoh yeh-HOONeh-lih

Nothing. Clever (or “Good Job!) We will meet. Have a good trip.

MEHL-kahm GOO-zoh yeh-HOONeh-lesh

Have a good trip.

beh AH mah REEN yah geh neht

in Amharic heaven

SCHOOL teh-MAIR-teh-BAYT ahss TAH mah REE keh fill teh MAH ree hee sahp ehn glee zee ñAH science tah reek ah mah reen yah hah bah rah TEH seb moo zeek ah sport

school teacher class students math English science history Amharic geography music sports/gym

M

F


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eh rehft break (recess) keh fill gee zee class period black-board chalkboard chalk chalk meh seh hahf text book err sahss pencil eh skrih bee toh (sounds like Spanish pen to me!!) shahn tah backpack mahss-tah-wah-shah dehb-ter notebook yeh BAYT seh RAH homework yeh dehm beh libs uniform ah leh kah monitor gwah dehn yah friend gwah dehn yohch friends meh geh rehf beating with a stick after making a mistake QUESTION WORDS Mah no? Who is that? Mah no goh-behz/tehn-kah-rah/kohn- Who is joh?Start with Mah-no and fill in an clever/strong/beautiful? adjective afterwards. substitute whatever adjective you want after who is

Yeht no? Yeh TAH lah?

Abaye yeht no? yeh-nay mah-KEE-nah yet no? Yeh TAH lehch? Mommy yeh-TAH-lehch? Yeht neh?

Yeht nesh? mah chay leh mehn sint no? yeh-HAY min-deh-NO

Where is it/he? (male or objects) Where is it/he? (I can’t figure out the difference of when to use yet no or yet tahla. They seem to be interchangeable. If you want to ask about a person, start with his name or position first. e.g. Where is Dad? Where is my car? Where is she? Where is Mommy? Where are you? (Like if you are talking to a person on a cell phone) Where are you? When? Why? How much? What is this?

M M

M F M

F


YAH min-deh-NO

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What is that?

Update 1/19/09: Here’s another good resource for learning Amharic online. http://ethiopia.limbo13.com/index.php/amharic/

Comments (74)

August 20, 2007 Ethiopia or Adoption Related Books Filed under: Observations — by sackrosanct @ 8:00 am My reviews of some of the books I’ve read are given below. I’m no literary scholar. I don’t want to have to concentrate too hard when I read a book at home. Keep that in mind when you determine the value of my reviews. And, these are all MY opinions. Generally the books have gotten positive reviews from others (otherwise I wouldn’t have read them in the first place). Fafi’s Sheep by Netsanet Kidnemariam. A children’s book. It was OK. It took an awfully long time to get through the book and the life lessons that seems to be, “listen to your mother!” I think because it took so long and wandered, it lost its potency. Recommended after you finish the others. Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia by Rebecca Haile – The author immigrated to America as a child and the story is of her return to Ethiopia for the first time twenty-five years later. She does a great job of incorporating a lot of different things into the story. She gives historical


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information (political and religious), her life as an Ethiopian child in Minnesota, her life as an Ethiopian child in the American School in Addis, the contrast between her father the historian/academic and her uncle the engineer/road builder. I think one of the most impactful aspects of the book is what seems to be the conflict within herself about being an Ethiopian returning to her home and having been in America for so long that she is sometimes a Ferengi in her home country. I think the reason I like this is because this resonates so greatly with me about fears, concerns, and hopes of how it will be for my son to return to Ethiopia as an adult and/or teenager. Really recommended. Love in the Driest Season by Neely Tucker – A couple’s process of adopting a child from Zimbabwe. I enjoyed this book. It was a quite easy read. I had a lot of “oh yeah” type of moments from my time in Zimbabwe…from mannerisms to references to geographical features. It also had the side benefit of making me appreciate the ease of an Ethiopian adoption. Recommended. Silly Mammo by Gebregeorgis Yohannes. A children’s book. I hated it. Not recommended. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu – An Ethiopian immigrant’s experience in America. I don’t understand why this book got good reviews. Usually I read a book in 2 -5 days, depending on my life events that week. This book took 4 weeks. Why? Because every time I picked it up, I put it back down shortly thereafter due to boredom. Maybe I don’t understand the literary aspect of it, but I expect a book to evoke emotion. The only emotion I got out of this was apathy. Even the narratives about violence barely made me react. Not recommended. The Beekeeper of Lalibela by Cristina Kessler. A children’s book. I liked it a lot. It had 2 great lessons for kids to learn. And it is written in Amharic and English. Really recommended. Get it from www.Ethiopiareads.org. The Hospital by the River by Dr. Catherine Hamlin – The story of the Hamlins, both doctors, who eventually build the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. I know this book was written as a pseudoautobiography, but the title of it made me think it was supposed to be mostly about the Hospital. The first few chapters retelling the Hamlins’ geneaology bored me a bit, but I really enjoyed how historical events of Ethiopia were made more real by presenting her take on them. Examples of this include an account of weekly forays of food delivery to the people that were thrown in jail by the Derg or hiding to avoid being his by bullets flying during the seizures of people/buildings. The best part of the book, for me, was the stories of the women (and pictures) who had fistulas and how the repairs affected them. I’m very glad she didn’t candy-coat everything and told of some of the women they were unable to help due to the severity of the fistulas. The name dropping (I knew Ambassador XX, we had dinner with Princess YY, we stayed at the home of Gajillionaire ZZ, etc.) was tiring. Recommended, but don’t put it on your priority list. There is No Me Without You by Melissa Faye Green – The story of a woman, Haregewoin, who works to take care of HIV+ children in Ethiopia. This book was easy to read and did a good job of presenting facts about HIV/AIDS by humanizing them into one person’s story. There were some instances of poor editing. I actually had to check my spot in the book to see if I had accidentally lost my page or if I was reading the same thing twice. Beware, though, this book will make you want to go and scoop up all the kids you can. I got this book as a gift from a friend, a very good choice for a gift. Recommended. Tsehai Loves Learning. OK, this is not a book, but… This is a DVD of some puppets that sing and dance in a low-budget version of Sesame Street. I think it’s a good deal for the money. And, mostly because of this DVD, my 2-year old can count to ten in Amharic. They do have a clip on the internet that you can watch as a preview.


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Let me know if there are other books you think I should read. I’m pretty frugal, so the books really need to be worth it (or available at the public library). Added 8/14/07:

28 Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen. Very powerful book. The author does an amazing job of giving uniqueness and similarities to each person’s story. She makes each person’s life and life experience matter. It was hard for me to stop reading even though I was overcome with a huge range of emotions. Best book I’ve read this year, by far. Most recommended. Added 8/20/07:

Digging to America by Anne Tyler. This is the story of two American families (one is American WASPy-like, and one is of Iranian heritage) that adopt two Korean baby girls. The story hits on a lot of different subjects, adoption, first generation immigrants, second-generation families, and a lot of relationship stuff. I found myself smiling about the different types of people I recognized from the book in our own adoption journey. If you read the book and don’t know anybody who is a Bitsy, then it’s you! Recommended. Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by Daniel Mesfin. This is a cookbook of Ethiopian recipes. It is written, I think, for Westerners. There is a lot of really interesting stuff in the beginning of the book about Ethiopian culture related to food, coffee, and social situations. (I actually think that is the best part). The book also has a lot of vegetarian recipes. It must be a good book because I was just planning to show my friend the book, but then she appropriated it as her birthday present (that’s fine, I just expect some homemade treats from the book’s recipes in return). I have 3 other books with Ethiopian recipes, one in Amharic that my husband somehow thought would be helpful to me (?), one that is basically a Home Ec book for Ethiopians (has a few good recipes but also includes how to prepare Cornflakes), and the Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors (I like the variety of international recipes and the few Ethiopian recipes are pretty good). Plus, I also look up stuff online. I think I will buy a few more of the Exotic Ethiopian Cooking though, with the intent to keep one for myself (with my name written on the book edges!) and the rest to give as gifts. Recommended.

Comments (1)

July 20, 2007 Shinshicho and Hadero Photos Filed under: Travel — by sackrosanct @ 10:05 am Links below will take you to full-size photos of images taken in the towns of Shinshicho and Hadero in the Southern Region of Ethiopia. Hadero photos were taken in October 2006. available.

When opened, click on the link “Hade.” 32 photos

Shinshicho photos were taken in May and October 2006. When opened, click on the link “Shin.” 18 photos available. Comments (11)


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January 25, 2007 Amharic Words for the Photo Album Filed under: Misc — by sackrosanct @ 11:54 pm The linked documents list common words that you might want to use to label the photos in the photo album for your new child. (Link is at the bottom of this entry.) Left column is the American word, middle is the phonetic pronunciation of the Amharic word and the right column is the word in Amharic letters. You will find the Amharic words for Mom Mother Dad Father Brother Sister Grandma Grandpa Aunt Uncle Cousin Our Family Our Home Your Bedroom (M) Your Bedroom (F) Our dog Our cat Your new school (M) Your new school (F) We love you. (M) We love you. (F) It should make it easier for the nannies with limited English skills to explain your photos to your new kids. MS Word Version: http://ethiopianadoptiontravelogue.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/amharic-words.doc Adobe Acrobat Version: http://ethiopianadoptiontravelogue.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/amharic-words.pdf If you have other words you’d like to see, leave a comment and I’ll ask my husband to translate. (And, yes, I know one column is entitled “American word.” Sorry, I can’t help it. I’m an egocentric American. )


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Update 9/18/07: I was given the wrong translation for grandma and grandpa before. (The old version was actually step-mother and step-father). It is corrected now.

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Ethiopian Amharic Travel Words

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